Non Athletic Baseball Players

[SmedIndy]

Just wondering about this. We've made cracks about guys like Lolich, George Brunet, et. al. who have ample front (and back) sides.

Someone on a Cubs board brought up the 1977 Topps Trading card featurng Rick and Paul Reuschel, wondering if it used a revolutionary wide-angle lens. :D

Baseball is a game where non athletic types can co-exist with those who are of, shall we say, more perfect physiques.

Can anyone put together an all-non-athlete team?

I just recall Tom Veryzer, playing the middle infield for the Cubs, hoping his beer gut would get in the way of the ground ball!
:D

[sweaver]

This begs the question of where we draw the line between "burly" (say, Puckett or Killebrew) and "hefty" (like, Lolich or David Wells).

Most of the true fat guys were pitchers.

[BuzzBuzzard]

I won't put together a full roster, but Cecil Fielder is at the top of my list.

[sweaver]

I would like to place in nomination Fats Fothergill and Fat Freddy Fitzsimmons.

True "name players" both.

[SmedIndy]

Originally posted by sweaver
This begs the question of where we draw the line between "burly" (say, Puckett or Killebrew) and "hefty" (like, Lolich or David Wells).

Most of the true fat guys were pitchers.

Well, guys like Killebrew, Frank Howard, Klusewski, those were BIG guys.

Puckett and Tony Gwynn don't look so BIG and Hondo.

[mandamin]

Originally posted by SmedIndy
Can anyone put together an all-non-athlete team?

Let's see. This is just off the top of my head, I'm sure people can do better than this, but...

Catcher would have to be Ernie Lombardi. I know that "slow" and "non-athletic" aren't exactly synonyms, but come on, someone THAT slow...
1B would be a platoon: Cecil Fielder vs. lefties and John Kruk vs. righties
2B...Rogers Hornsby? I guess he was painfully slow, bad glove...
At short, I don't know. Al Newman had a Kirby Puckett body, without the power or speed or, well, much of anything really. So I suppose he would count. I was too young to see Tom Veryzer, but it looks like they might have been similar players. TB lists Veryzer at a healthy 6'1", 185...I'm guessing that's a little generous? :)
Third base, Bobby Bonilla. Not quite "fat," but what he lacks in size he makes up for in immobility...
Outfield. Hmm...Geronimo Berroa, Dave Henderson and Dave Kingman? I have no idea. I can't think of any truly non-athletic outfielders right now. I'm sure it'll come to me.
Now pitchers, that's easy. You've got Wells, Lolich, Hippo Vaughn, Chris Bosio...an embarrasment of riches, really. How do you choose? :)

[Xanadu Dragon]

Lefty-Righties out of the pen - - Terry Forster and Rich Garces.

[hmrsf]

we did the list of the "THE ALL FAT TEAM"
RS617 referred to Tony Gwynn as being fat and out of shape in the latter part of his career.Got me to thinking about an all fat team.Some names I came up with are....
Pitchers= Micky Lolitch,Rich Garces,Terry Forster, and my all time favorite!!!! David Wells. Catcher= Smokey Burgess, Roy Campanella. First Base= Boog Powell,Cecil Fielder, Mo Vaughn. Second=??? Short=???? third=Bob Horner. Outfield=Kirby Puckett,Willie Stargell,Tony Gwynn, Rusty Staub. Please add your candidates.

And here's a huge race (literally) to watch this year -- Jeff D'Amico attempting to take over the all-time lead for most career wins by pitchers weighing 250 pounds or more, while C.C. Sabathia tries to catch him:
PITCHER WINS WEIGHT
T1. Garland Buckeye 29 260
T1. Jeff D'Amico 29 250
3. Jumbo Brown 19 295
T4. C.C. Sabathia 17 260
T4. Rocky Coppinger 17 250
6. Johnny Hutchings 12 250
7. Steve Rain 3 250
T8. Carlos Zambrano 1 250
T8. Chad Paronto 1 255
T8. Willie Smith 1 250
T8. Chuck Malone 1 250


****taken from above mentioned site*********

I would add George Scott at 1b

[TGwynn19]

OK,

I can't take this lying down......Tony Gwynn on an all time non-athlete list??? I will not go into any further than i have to......look at all of the people that have been listed and look at Tony.....whose career accomplishments do not fit with the others???? For crying out loud Babe Freaking Ruth was fatter than Tony but where is he in this list????

[LeGrandOrange]

John Kruk must be on ANY all non-athlete list. He's said "I ain't an athlete...I'm a baseball player."
He's the biggest slob to ever play baseball, the most lovable slob in sports history, and damn good at getting on base.
Plus, he had a neat little mullet. :)
"Mullet! Mullet! Mullet!"
As long as you keep him away from Tom Arnold, he'll do wonders on an all-big team.
Hmm, that reminds me, I need to e-mail someone about Kruk.
I think another guy that comes to mind is Hawaiian Punch, Benny Agbayani. Lovably big like Garces.
BTW...Staub was fat? :) That's news to me.
Gives new meaning to "Le Grand Orange" though...heh.

[SmedIndy]

Staub was portly later in his career.

Tony G. looked, well, chunky the last few years.

Veryzer might have been 185 in Detroit.

Kruk can move to the OF on this team.

[Baudib]

He wasn't an Olympic hurdler by any means, and he was, overall, a bad ballplayer. But no one seems to remember this...Dave Kingman could RUN. He had legitimate speed, and obviously Hall of Fame-type power. He was just as fundamentally bad as you could be, and he didn't give a damn.

[chrisfostermusi]

I remember Gaylord Perry having a gut on him in his later years

Bob Horner was on the chunky side for a third basemen.

BYE BYE Balboni, cant remember if he was fat or just big?

Lasorda could be the fat manager with Zimmer as his assistant.

THAT WOULD BE A FUN DUG OUT

The weights they have listed at Baseball reference.com. I tend to believe they were the weights of the players in their rookie years. Do anyone know for sure?

ie. Tony Gwynn 199 lbs???

[sweaver]

I think Tony was 199 in his early days. Remember, he was a point guard in college.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Remember Joey Meyer of the Brewers? He could be an outfielder (on the roster, not in reality).:D

[LeGrandOrange]

Joey Meyer was Hawaiian, which explains a lot.
Was Mike Lum...um...rounded as a player? He's Hawaiian which makes me wonder accordingly.

[SmedIndy]

Lum wasn't thin, but he did play CF on occassion when he was younger.