There was a thread on our league’s internal mailing list that got me thinking about this. Something about Miguel Cabrera’s current glovework at third base during spring training. That got us on who in the history of APBA has gotten the dreaded 3B-2 rating.
Our list is incomplete. Hell, it may not even be correct. But here’s what we came up with:
- Harmon Killebrew
- Dave Kingman
- Darnell Coles
- Jim Thome
[Added]
- Ted Cieslak- 1944 Philadelphia Phillies
- Warner, Fred 1883O (Created in 1994)
- Williamson, Ned 1883O (Created in 1994)
- Briody, Charlie 1883O (Created in 1994)
- Whiting, Ed 1883O (Created in 1994)
- McCormick, Jerry 1883O (Created in 1994)
- Lillie, Jim 1883O (Created in 1994)
- Kelly, Charlie 1883O (Created in 1994)
- Freeman, J. Buck 1906O (Created in 1999)
- Kelley, Joe 1906O (Created in 1999)
- Ritter, Lew 1906O (Created in 1999)
- Needham, Tom 1906O (Created in 1999)
- Barbeau, Jap 1906O (Created in 1999)
- Morgan, Red 1906O (Created in 1999)
- Neff, Doug 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Roth, Bob 1915O (Created in 2004)
- McConnell, Sam F. 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Malone, Lew 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Lear, Fred 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Conway, Owen 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Evans, Joe 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Hoffman, Tex 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Damrau, Harry 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Reinecker, Wally 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Forsyth, Ed 1915O (Created in 2004)
- Grimm, Charlie 1918O (Created in 2005)
- Austin, Jimmy 1925O (Created in 1999)
- Ott, Mel 1944O (Created in 2004)
- Cieslak, Ted 1944O (Created in 2004)
- Skowron, Bill 1958RR (Created in 2005)
- Cepeda, Orlando 1959R (Created in 1991)
- Cepeda, Orlando 1959RR (Created in 2007)
- Killebrew, Harmon 1961RR (Created in 2004)
- Griffith, Derrell 1964R (Created in 1989)
- Kingman, Dave 1977O (Created in 1978)
- Coles, Darnell 1987O (Created in 1988)
- Williams, Kenny 1988O (Created in 1989)
- Coles, Darnell 1990O (Created in 1991)
- Hershiser, Orel 1993O (Created in 1994)
- Martinez, Pedro 1993O (Created in 1994)
- Durrington, Trent 2005O (Created in 2005)
- Thome, Jim 2011O (Created in 2011)
- [ed. thanks to Kevin Cluff and Jeff Papas for the full list!]
The 3B-2 rating is most definitely the rarest rating that APBA has given. It it somewhat odd since gives out tons of 1B-2 ratings and the 1B and 3B ratings in general ALMOST parallel each other.
I believe the 3B-2 was thought to be an error at first but now is seen as more of an strange anomaly.
If anyone has others (or happen to have years for these guys), give a shout out and I’ll add the info.
Ted Ceislak for the 1944 Phillies. I have that set and it was the first time I ever saw a 3b-2
That’s a new one on me. I’ll add it.
just checked his stats… 15 errors in 48 games!
http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cieslte01-field.shtml
Not the slickest in the infield
Orel Hershiser was rated 3B-2 sometime in the 1980s.
According to Zack, Killebrew’s 3B-2 in 1961 is errata and he should be listed 3B-3.
Here is Zack’s list (The Ultimate Handbook for APBA Baseball Cards, 1998)
Fatty Briody (1883 Cleveland Blues)
Charlie Kelly (1883 Philadelphia Quakers)
Grasshopper Lillie (1883 Buffalo Bisons)
Jerry McCormick (1883 Baltimore Orioles)
Fred Warner (1883 Philadelphia Quakers)
Ed Whiting (1883 Louisville Eclipse)
Ned Williamson (1883 Chicago White Stockings)
Orlando Cepeda (1959, 59R San Francisco Giants)
Harmon Killebrew (1961 Minnesota Twins – ERROR, should be 3B-3)
Dave Kingman (1977 New York Yankees)
Orel Hershiser (1983 Los Angeles Dodgers – ERROR, did not play that position)
Darnell Coles (1987 Pittsburgh Pirates)
Pedro Martinez (1993 Los Angeles Dodgers – ERROR, did not play that position)
Zack is complete through 1998 but didn’t include Pat’s 1944 season as mentioned above.
3B-2: Also Orlando Cepeda-late 50’s card, Yogi Berra-I think early 60’s card – I remember a sportswriter comenting that Yogi looked like a windmill blowing in the wind when he played 3B.