A’s Favorites – Eric Chavez

Next in line in the “A’s Favorites” series brings us into the 21^st century and another great third basemen for the franchise, Eric Chavez.   Again, as a quick reminder, the genesis of this series is from a thread on Athletics Nation regarding who were some of each poster’s favorite players from the past.  My responses within that thread were grouped together by era:

80’s and early 90’s – Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Carney Lansford

Late 90’s and early 2000’s – Tim Hudson and Eric Chavez

Recent departures – Kurt Suzuki

Career Summary

Eric Chavez was taken in the first round (10^th overall) of the 1996 draft by the Athletics and quickly made his way through their farm system.  He was called up in the fall of 1998 to begin his major league career.  At the age of 20, he hit .311 in his 16 games of the 1998 season.  He became the A’s third baseman the following year and by 2000, he was becoming known as one of the best all-around third basemen in the game.  Working with then Assistant Coach Ron Washington extensively, Chavez became the premier defensive third baseman in baseball, winning the gold glove award six straight seasons from 2001-2006.

From 2000-2006, Chavez was a key cog in the A’s (somewhat limited) success.  Aside from his glove, he provided a consistent bat in the middle of the lineup - .273 BA, 199 HR’s, 660 RBI’s, 1,041 hits and 467 walks during this time span.  Times were good, particularly when the A’s resigned Chavez in 2004 to a 6 year, $66 million contract.  Fans were certainly not used to seeing the club resigning core members of the squad for big money. 

However, those good vibes didn’t last too long.  While it started to rear its head in 2006, the 2007 season was where things started to deteriorate for Chavez’s health.  In 2007, Eric played in 90 games for the A’s and then seemed to hit a wall when he turned 30 years of age.  In his final three years in Oakland from 2008-2010, Chavez only played in a total of 64 games (out of 486 regular season games available).  Back pain was the major culprit for Eric, but he also suffered from problems with his shoulder. 

The A’s declined Chavez’s option after the 2010 season and he went on to sign with the Yankees.  The injuries continued for Chavez during the 2011 season, including a broken bone in his foot while rounding the bases.  (I actually remember this happening and just putting my head down and shaking it in disbelief.)

The Yankees resigned Eric for the 2012 season and he put up very respectable numbers, replacing Alex Rodriguez as the regular third baseman for the team.  In 113 games played last season, Eric hit .281 with 16 HR’s and 37 RBI’s.  This isn’t necessarily lighting the world on fire, but it was a nice comeback from the veteran. 

While not a highlight in his career summary, Eric’s numbers in the playoffs display a noticeable drop-off vs. his career averages.  The two good series that he had (vs. the Yankees in 2000 and vs. the Twins in 2002) were both losses for the team.  The cynic in you could point out that the “it” factor wasn’t necessarily there come October.  

What drew me to … Eric Chavez

Chavez was a very popular figure in the A’s clubhouse and became a very, very good player.  There are a few things that really drew me to Chavez, some baseball-related, some not so much: 

1. Chavez fit in perfectly with the loose clubhouse the A’s had at the time.  His persona on camera was one that was calm, cool, and collected. 
2. Resigning with the A’s for the $66 million vs. grabbing every last nickel really impressed me.  
3. The amount of work that he seemingly put in at third base to become a premier defensive player. 
4. There were rumors floating around that Eric would wear a white mink coat when he “hit the town” (speaking in code) and for some reason I thought / still think this is awesome.  (If anyone can confirm this with a picture, I would be forever indebted to you.)

Where is Eric Chavez now?

We may see Chavez in an Arizona Diamondbacks uniform this coming season, as he agreed to a one year contract with the team pending a physical.  The National League version of the Oakland Athletics added another piece of the A’s past.  Best of luck to Eric this upcoming spring / season!

(Photo credit: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/4883627803_d53d028241.jpg)

 

A’s Favorites – Dennis Eckersley

We’re continuing the “A’s Favorites” series of write-ups with our second piece focused on Dennis Eckersley.  As a quick reminder, the genesis of this series is from a thread on Athletics Nation several weeks ago regarding who were some of each poster’s favorite players from the past.  My responses within that thread were grouped together by era:

80’s and early 90’s – Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Carney Lansford

Late 90’s and early 2000’s – Tim Hudson and Eric Chavez

Recent departures – Kurt Suzuki

Career Summary

Drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1972, Eckersley made his MLB debut in 1975 and it took him very little time to make his mark in the majors, winning AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year.  Some might forget that “Eck” was a starting pitcher for the first twelve years in his career and had a good amount of success in the role.  After three seasons in Cleveland and an All-Star game appearance, Eckersley was traded to the Boston Red Sox in 1978 (some interesting, mindless information on the Wiki page linked above as for the reasons why) where he started to put together some gaudy numbers.  In ’78, Eckersley put up a 20 win season, with a 2.99 ERA.  He followed that up with a 17 win season and a matching 2.99 ERA in ’79.

However, in his last four, full years in Boston (’80-’83), Eckersley looked like an average pitcher and potentially on the decline, going 43-48 in 114 starts, with a 4.43 ERA.  While he made the All-Star team again in ’82, Boston parted ways with Eck at the beginning of the ’84 season and sent him to the Cubs (for Bill Buckner).  While with the Cubs, Eck went 27-26 with a 3.63 ERA. 

On April 3, 1987, Eck was traded from the Cubs to the Oakland A’s.  After starting two games early in the season for the A’s, he was moved to the bullpen out of necessity and due to an injury to the A’s closer at the time, Jay Howell.  Those were the last two starts in Eck’s career, as he quickly became the dominant closer that A’s fans have come to know and love.  After 16 saves in ’87, Eckersley became the most formidable closer in the AL for a five year span.  Maintaining impeccable control with his pitches and perfecting his slider, you may not see many more impressive five year runs as you do from Eck’s performance from ’88-’92.  Leading the AL in saves in ’88 (45) and ’92 (51), over that five year span, Eckersley saved a total of 220 games for the A’s.  His ’92 season led to even greater accolades as he took home both the AL Cy Young and AL MVP awards. 

Needless to say, Eckersley was a pivotal member of the championship years for the Athletics franchise and the run the team made over the same time period.  While he is unfortunately most likely to be remembered by the masses as the pitcher who gave up Kirk Gibson’s HR in game one of the ’88 World Series, I choose to completely abolish this moment from the record books and focus on the dominating performances he provided in the ’88 ALCS and throughout the ’89 playoffs. 

Eckersley played three more years in Oakland but saw his numbers start to decline.  While he still closed games for the A’s, the expectations of a “lights out” closer started to fade.  When Tony La Russa left the A’s to manage the Cardinals (!!!) he brought Eckersley with him.  After two more strong years as a closer with the Cardinals (and against NL hitting), Eck finished his career with one final year in Boston in ’98. 

At the time of his retirement, Eckersley was the only player to have recorded a 20 win season and a 50 save season; since matched by one player, John Smoltz.  Eck finished a 24 year career with 197 wins, 171 losses and 390 saves.  His career ERA was 3.50.  He went to the All-Star game a total of six times and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.  The A’s franchise retired his jersey (#43) the following year. 

What drew me to … Dennis Eckersley

Plain and simple, Eckersley was the most dominant pitcher in baseball and a member of what had become my favorite team.  Similar to Carney Lansford, he had that unique look with the long hair flowing under the cap and the thick moustache.  (Note; he still has that sweet hair style.)  Eckersley was a phenomenal pitcher with a unique delivery, but he was also intimidating as heck on the mound.  Very few players would get as fired up as Eck night in and night out.  After closing down big games, his “fist clench and then point” could have or should have been patented. 

In doing a bit of online research across a number of sites, I stumbled across this YouTube clip that I thought was pretty special.  His Hall of Fame speech came from the heart and showed his special character.  However, I find the beginning clips equally riveting where former players provide their perspective on facing him (and his arrogance when on the mound!). 

Where is “Eck” now?

You can find Eckersley calling games for the Boston Red Sox on NESN and/or in the TBS studios for pre and post game shows with Matt Winer and David Wells.  Personally, and admitting bias, I think Eck does a pretty good job in the booth and in the studio.  While he has a bit of flair, of course – what would you expect, it doesn’t feel like pushed pomp and circumstance.  I feel like he is just saying what he feels and how he would normally say it if he wasn’t on television. 

(Photo credit: http://www.totalprosports.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/13-dennis-eckersley-hometown-sports-heroes.jpg)

A’s Favorites – Carney Lansford

A recent thread on Athletics Nation got me thinking about a new series of write-ups as we await the start of Spring Training and the return of Athletics baseball.  Over the coming months, I’m going to work on a quick profile for each of my personal favorite A’s players over the years – a relatively quick career summary, what drew me to said player, and whenever possible, a where are they now.  In my response within the thread, I grouped my favorites together by era:

80’s and early 90’s – Rickey Henderson, Dennis Eckersley, and Carney Lansford
Late 90’s and early 2000’s – Tim Hudson and Eric Chavez
Recent departures – Kurt Suzuki

The first player of focus is Carney Lansford. 

Career Summary

Carney was drafted by the Angels in 1975 and played for them in the big leagues for three seasons (1978 – 1980) before being traded to the Red Sox.  Carney immediately made an impact with the Sox, winning the batting title in 1981 with a .336 average.  The A’s acquired Carney from Boston for Tony Armas and Jeff Newman (who?) prior to the 1983 season and he wound up in the green and gold for the next ten seasons and retired after the 1992 season.  An interesting note regarding the trade to Oakland is that Boston was willing to give up Lansford due to having ‘some guy’ named Wade Boggs ready to take over the hot corner and rumor has it that he was pretty good.  It is safe to say this deal worked out for both teams. 

Over the course of his career, Carney didn’t necessarily put up gaudy stats by today’s standards, finishing with a .290 career batting average, 151 HR’s and 874 RBI’s.  He played just over 1,200 games in his ten year stint in Oakland and was named to the All Star game in 1988.  During the A’s fantastic stretch of baseball from 1988-1992, Carney was a fixture in the two hole of the lineup behind Rickey Henderson and was one of the strongest performers on the team and in each playoff series, excluding his struggles in the 1988 World Series against the LA Dodgers.  (Those struggles were contagious in the ’88 Series.)

What drew me to … Carney Lansford

Carney didn’t have the power of the Bash Brothers or the flair of Rickey Henderson, but he always hustled and was always willing to get dirty.  When I think or picture Carney in my head, there is always dirt on his uniform from running the bases or diving for a ball at third base.  Speaking of, Carney played a fantastic third base for the A’s, a position that I was terrible at when playing in Little League around the same time.  (This probably had something to do with my appreciation for him.)  Lansford was a staple at third, playing in 134 or more games in 7 of the 10 seasons in Oakland*.  He led the AL in fielding percentage for third basemen four times – 1979, 1987, 1988, and 1990. 

*Carney Lansford missed all but five games of the 1991 season, the year the A’s team failed to make the playoffs after going to three consecutive World Series from 1988-1990.  Coincidence?  I think not.   

Aside from his play on the field, who couldn’t love the 80’s moustache, long red hair, and flip glasses?  Despite all of the big names in the A’s locker room during his tenure with the club, Lansford was dubbed “The Captain”.  He came to play night in and night out and seemingly always came through in the clutch.  (I know this actually didn’t happen, but it felt like it when I was a kid.)  Carney didn’t get anywhere near the credit he deserved outside of Oakland, but when you go back to these A’s teams, it isn’t hard to understand/see why.  With names like Henderson, Canseco, McGwire, Stewart, and Eckersley, the pecking order for attention was quite long. 

Where is Carney Lansford now?

Carney was the hitting coach for that other team across the San Francisco Bay in 2008 and 2009 before being let go.  He was then hired by the Colorado Rockies in 2011, but was relieved of those duties as well back in October at the conclusion of the 2012 season. 

Here’s to hoping that Carney finds another coaching job for the 2013 season or lands in a TV/radio booth around the league. 

(Photo credit: http://www.baseballcardbust.com/2012/02/carney-lansford-1984-topps.html)