Tom Seaver, Doug Mientkiewicz, Josh Satin, Brian Bannister... and John Maine

Tom Seaver:



Despite being a near unanimous first-choice Hall of Fame inductee and one of the all-time greats, Tom Seaver does not get the recognition he deserves. His 311 wins only barely gets him a spot in the top 20 list of career victories and his total of 3,640 strikeouts is topped by five other pitchers, including one who has 2,000 more Ks to his name. Six more Hall of Famers have more than Seaver's 61 shutouts, and his career 2.86 ERA is a full run higher than that of other pitchers who had a distinguished career. With only one World Series ring and just a lone no-hitter to his name, many overlook Seaver when they are talking about the best in the business - link  

Doug Mientkiewicz:


If it wasn't for Doug Mientkiewicz, Team USA might not have even made it to the gold medal final against Cuba at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. In the bottom of the ninth against Korea in the semifinals, Mientkiewicz belted a walk-off home run to give Team USA a 3-2 win and a chance to play for the gold, which it went on to win against Cuba, 4-0. The first baseman and standout defensive player finished the Olympics with a .414 average with eight RBIs and two home runs. The 11-year MLB veteran has played for seven different teams, but he is perhaps most known for his stint with the Boston Red Sox in 2004 where he recorded the final out of the World Series. Other teams he played for include: Minnesota Twins (1998-2004), Boston Red Sox (2004), New York Mets (2005), Kansas City Royals (2006), New York Yankees (2007), Pittsburgh Pirates (2008), and Los Angeles Dodgers (2009). Over his 11 seasons in the big leagues he batted .271, drove in over 400 RBIs, collected almost 900 hits, blasted 66 home runs, and won the Gold Glove Award in 2001. -
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Josh Satin:


One player who does not have age on his side is New York Mets farmhand Josh Satin, already 25 years old. Scouts discount the UC-Berkeley (sixth round, 2008) product due to so-so tools and his age, but he's hit at every level of pro ball to which he's been exposed, including a .316/.406/.459 mark in the Florida State League this year. He moved up to Double-A last week and is 8-for-25 (.320) so far, albeit with a weak BB/K ratio of 1/7, granted sample size issues. Primarily a second baseman (although he has some experience at third and first), his range is limited but he's reliable on the routine play, not making many errors. A career .298/.388/.450 hitter so far, he's rated mostly as an organizational player, but strikes me as the type of guy who could end up being a surprise contributor in the majors in his late 20s. - link 

Brian Bannister:


“I was a train wreck waiting to happen,” Bannister says. “My BABIP was favorable and I had no strikeouts.” BABIP is batting average for balls in play, and xFIP, or expected fielding independent pitching, measures how a pitcher fares on only the outcomes he can control — walks, strikeouts, hit batters and home runs. Bannister can tell you that about three of every 10 batted balls are base hits, thus BABIP tends to average about .300 regardless of a pitcher’s ability. He knows about 19% of batted balls are line drives, and about one of every 10 fly balls is a home run. So he contends his ‘07 season was a statistical fluke, with a .266 BABIP that was the lowest in the AL. If and when it returned to the normal range around .300, Bannister would be far less effective, especially because the lack of strikeouts — he had 77 in 165 innings in ‘07 — meant plenty of balls would be in play. He took preemptive measures. - link 


John Maine:


Fast forward to May 20, 2010, and I bore witness to a very awkward situation, as Maine was lifted from his regularly scheduled start against the Nationals after throwing five pitches and walking the leadoff hitter. On top of the rather odd hook, reliever Raul Valdes was warming up in the bullpen as the game began, leaving many to wonder why the confused and steaming angry pitcher was allowed to toe the rubber in the first place. The decision was based upon Jerry Manuel’s and Dan Warthen’s joint concern over his health and ability to compete; the latter mentioned that Maine had bounced half of his warm-up pitches and was struggling to crack 80 mph in the bullpen. Suffice to say, the Maine that tossed the gem back at the tail end of the 2007 season—or even some semblance of that pitcher—is nowhere near the Maine that was being given the ball every fifth day this season before being sent to the disabled list. And while he might be able to turn things around and rebound, it is my contention that said rebounding should not occur while wearing a New York Mets' uniform. - link