#7 Pete Incaviglia

About the Front: Hey, it's Inky! Get a load of him mashing a baseball with those Popeye forearms. I'm also keen on his white baseball spikes. Remember when only the Athletics wore white shoes? I'm thinking that this photo was snapped in Spring Training, since 1) Pete Incaviglia is wearing the Astros' navy blue warmup jersey and b) there are at least two out-of-focus figures just hanging out in foul territory. The quite-large gentleman behind the plate is likely a coach, and I'm not sure about the bare-legged, skinny individual to the right. Equipment boy?

About the Back: Pete is the namesake of the "Pete Incaviglia Rule". After the Expos drafted him eighth overall out of Oklahoma State University, he refused to play in the minor leagues. Montreal traded him to Texas for pitcher Bob Sebra and infielder Jim Anderson, and the Rangers met his demands by promoting him immediately to the majors. Afterwards, MLB instituted a rule that forbid teams from trading a player for the first year after they are drafted.

As you can see, Inky was a prototypical all-or-nothing hitter. He finished his career in 1998 with 206 home runs and 1,277 strikeouts.

Triple Play:

1. Pete had a record-setting collegiate career, totaling 100 home runs in 213 games. In 1985, he established NCAA records with 48 home runs, 143 RBI, and a 1.140 slugging percentage in 75 games!

2. He's stayed involved in baseball since retiring as a player. From 2004-2006, he was the hitting coach for the Erie Seawolves, the AA affiliate of the Tigers. He's been a manager in the independent American Association since, serving as skipper of the Grand Prairie AirHogs and the Laredo Lemurs. How are you liking these minor league team names?

3. Rather than wait out the players' strike, Pete signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan for the 1995 season. He did not take well to his new surroundings, batting .181/.263/.325 with 74 strikeouts in 243 at-bats.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: My first exposure to Inky was as the righty half of a left field platoon with Milt Thompson for the rough-around-the-edges Phillies team that surprised most people by capturing the 1993 National League pennant. It was Pete's all-around best year, as he batted .274, slugged .530, and hit 24 homers with 89 RBI in 116 games.

Bill James Said: "One of the most amazing statistics of the 1993 season: Philadelphia sixth-place hitters-sixth-place hitters-drove in 133 runs in '93." The Phillies' #6 batters were Jim Eisenreich (59 games), Inky (46), Wes Chamberlain (33), Milt Thompson (17), Todd Pratt (4), Kim Batiste (2), and Mariano Duncan (1).

On This Date in 1993: May 22. Riddick Bowe knocks out Jesse Ferguson in the second round to retain his heavyweight boxing title. The match was held at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.