#237 Jose Vizcaino

About the Front: I recognize the yellow banner on the left side of the photo as signage for CBS Sports, the former broadcast partner of Major League Baseball.

About the Back: As you can see, power was not Jose Vizcaino's game. He totaled 36 homers in parts of 18 MLB seasons, with a single-season high of five.

Triple Play:

1. Jose played 1,820 total games in the major leagues despite a career OPS+ of 76 (24% below average), but did have a reputation as a strong defender.

2. Vizcaino was a contributor to the 2000 World Champion Yankees. In the World Series opener, he went 4-for-6 and drove in the winning run with a single off of Turk Wendell in the bottom of the 12th inning.

3. He has worked for several years as a special assistant in player personnel with the Dodgers.

11-Year-Old Kevin Says: I remember Vizcaino always having this wide-eyed expression that made him look like he was in a constant state of surprise or shock.

Bill James Said: "With Sandberg and Dunston both unavailable early last year Vizcaino opened the season red-hot, slumped during the hot months, then closed with another rush, finishing with excellent offensive and defensive numbers." I don't know that I'd call .287/.340/.358 excellent, but James is right about the monthly splits. Jose's OPS by month, in chronological order: .823, .799, .639, .660, .507, and .745.

On This Date in 1993: June 20. Five days after a chewing tobacco ban is implemented across minor league baseball, AA Knoxville Smokies pitcher Travis Baptist is ejected for dipping, and manager Garth Iorg is also tossed from the game for allowing the infraction. This tidbit seemed relevant, considering Tony Gwynn's premature death from salivary gland cancer earlier this week (in the present day).