Thursday, December 12, 2013

#124 Franklin Stubbs

About the Front: This has got to be one of the first "backwards-cap" photos on a card, not counting old-timey catchers. The same types of people who spend time today grousing about players who admire their own home runs too long used to give Ken Griffey, Jr. the business for wearing his hat backwards during pregame drills. Baseball doesn't need to be protected and coddled, fellas.
About the Back: Check out Franklin Stubbs' Grand Slam Quarterly. The opposing pitchers for those three salamis, in order of mention: Kenny Rogers, Todd Worrell, Scott Erickson. Not a bad trio of arms.

Triple Play:

1. The Dodgers had high hopes for Stubbs after he hit .280/.398/.587 with 32 home runs at AAA Albuquerque in 1985. But in parts of six seasons in L.A., he posted a subpar .695 OPS (94 OPS+).

2. Franklin looked to be out of the majors in 1993, spending the season at AAA Pawtucket in the Boston farm system. He played in Mexico the following year, but made it back with a career-closing 62-game stint with the Tigers in 1995. He batted .250/.358/.397 in Detroit with just two home runs.

3. He's been in coaching since retirement, first in the Braves organization and currently with the Dodgers. He was on the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes staff in 2013.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: Stubbs is the first player that I remember seeing in a #0 jersey.

Bill James Said: Diddly squat.

On This Date in 1993:  December 12. In a pair of big free-agent deals, Rafael Palmeiro officially leaves the Rangers to sign with the Orioles for five years and ex-Oriole Dennis Martinez takes a two-year deal to jump from the Expos to the Indians.

4 comments:

  1. I remember clearly sitting in front of my tv in my 2/1 apartment in college, grinning at the announcement of Palmeiro coming to the O's. I celebrated by staying home from my classes that cold cold day and playing Joe Montana football on my Sega Genesis!

    ReplyDelete
  2. OP, that sounds like the only way to celebrate. I really do miss college sometimes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is FS standing on the side of the mound? Why is he leaning?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Unknown - Maybe the photographer had one leg shorter than the other, and always shot at an angle.

    ReplyDelete