Monday, September 15, 2008

#770 Lou Whitaker



Why this card is awesome: Because Whitaker's hands sure look funny. I guess he's just letting go of the bat with his bottom hand because I don't think he could actually bat that way otherwise.

It's incredibly odd that the player Whitaker is most similar to is Ryne Sandberg, given how different their reputations are. It's even odder that the player Whitaker is 2nd-most-similar to is none other than Alan Trammell.

Cool stat: From 1901 up to Whitaker's last year of 1995, his rankings for second baseman are 6th in runs scored, 9th in RBI, and 4th in walks. He's a massively underrated player outside of Detroit.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Agreed. If a freakin' poem can get an old double-play combination into the Hall, then Trammel/Whitaker should have a plaque as well.

Steve Gierman said...

I was always hoping that the White Sox would land him in a trade. Anything to get rid of Fred Manrique.

Mike S said...

Criminally underrated. Sadly, he's far from being the only 80's star who has been overlooked by HOF voters.