not the most exciting free agent pick, but we'll finish with

2005 Chad Cordero (Expos/Nationals)

My notes are at home but I'll wing it...good excuse for my upcoming miserable showing.

2001 Royals

2011 Alex Gordon

1997 Kevin Appier

Thankfully, pedrocerrano saved me from myself. I really, really wanted to add that Brett to my lineup (because, you know, OFFENSE!!!), and might very well have, but a more pressing need is ensuring that my starting SS isn't a C/D+ fielder with a normalized slash line of .260/.319/.357 (albeit with 53 SBs, which was a league-leading figure as I recall from what was, for whatever reason, one of my favorite baseball cards from the first baseball card set that I ever completed).

Maybe Freddie will make the roster as a backup, but as my starting SS, and with this pick, I'll go with the unspectacular yet steady 1997 Jay Bell.

97 Jay Bell is #1 SS in Royals history according to salary. Seems like a no-brainer.

Posted by toysboys on 4/9/2024 5:18:00 PM (view original):
97 Jay Bell is #1 SS in Royals history according to salary. Seems like a no-brainer.

I honestly did not know that.. And it's not particularly close either. Kind of sad for the Royals.

2021 sal perez

Time to upgrade 2B.

2019 Whit Merrifield

Posted by barracuda3 on 4/9/2024 4:17:00 PM (view original):
Thankfully, pedrocerrano saved me from myself. I really, really wanted to add that Brett to my lineup (because, you know, OFFENSE!!!), and might very well have, but a more pressing need is ensuring that my starting SS isn't a C/D+ fielder with a normalized slash line of .260/.319/.357 (albeit with 53 SBs, which was a league-leading figure as I recall from what was, for whatever reason, one of my favorite baseball cards from the first baseball card set that I ever completed).

Maybe Freddie will make the roster as a backup, but as my starting SS, and with this pick, I'll go with the unspectacular yet steady 1997 Jay Bell.

Glad to help barracuda. I was looking at Bell too because the '74 Patek (.227/.327/.303) is going to have to get 200 PAs for me. I took Brett because my only other options at 1B were a Seitzer with a .725 OPS or a McRae who only qualified in the OF as D-/D-.

I always liked Patek's 1973 card:

I have a Freddie Patek story! As a young sportswriter covering Class A ball in the 90s, I’d often encounter coaches and managers I’d seen or knew about from their big-league careers. Some were nicer than others, to be sure.

One day, I open the door from the field that takes you into a hallway to the visiting clubhouse. It’s empty save for one person, Freddie Patek, who is unmistakably short and zestfully sucking down a cigarette. Of course, tobacco is totally banned in minor league parks, but what am I going to do? Tattle on a legend like Freddie Patek? I just said hello and kept right on to the clubhouse. Everyone needs their vices, right?