Yes, it's time for the All-Julio Hall of Names team, inspired by Mike Green's typically oustanding Hall Watch item on Julio Franco -- and perhaps forecasted by the All-July team several months ago.
Did you know that Julio Franco is the only Julio in the history of MLB to make an All-Star team? Actually, the odd thing about entering "Julio" as a search term in the always-fabulous BaseballReference.com site ...
... is that it returns 60 hits -- but 38 of them are guys named Juan (oddly enough, conversely, if you enter "Juan" you only get those 38, and nobody named Julio). And I spot-checked and it doesn't appear to be a middle name or a mother's name thing. So I guess that leaves us with 22 Julios in major league history -- including, of course, former Baltimore closer Jorge Julio. So let's see if we can build a whole team.
Interesting factoid ... only one Julio appeared in the majors before the 1950 season -- Julio Bonetti, who was 6-14 as a righty swing man for the St. Louis Browns in the late 1930's. No, wait -- one more! Righty Julio E. Gonzalez had no record in 13 relief appearances for the 1949 Cubs.
Okay, here's the best we can do, I think:
C Julio Mosquera (.233 in 11 games for 1996-97 Blue Jays)
1B Julio Becquer (.244 in 7 season mostly with WSH and MIN in 1955-63)
2B Julio Cruz (342 career SB, mostly with SEA)
SS Julio Franco (Da Man on Team Julio)
3B Julio Lugo (.271 in 640 games so far)
IF Julio Gotay (.260 in 389 games for STL, PIT, HOU, CAL in 1960s)
IF Julio C. Gonzalez (.235 in 370 games with 1977-83 HOU, STL, DET)
IF Julio Valdez (.207 in 65 games for 1980-83 BOS)
RF Julio Peguero (career .417 OBP in 14 games for '92 PHI)
CF Julio Ramirez (.163 career, but won ring with '02 ANA)
LF Julio Zuleta (9 HR in 174 AB for 2000-01 CHC)
RHSP/RP Julio Moreno (18-22 for 1950-53 WSH)
RHSP/RP Julio Valera (15-20, five saves, 1990-96 NYM, CAL, KCR)
RHSP/RP Julio Santana (14-26 for four teams, 1997-2002)
RHRP Julio Mateo (5-2, 2 saves in three years so far with SEA)
RHRP Julio Solano (6-8, three saves, HOU/SEA, 1983-89)
RHRP Julio Navarro (7-9, 17 saves for LAA/DET, 1962-70)
CL Jorge Julio (83 saves since 2002)
Franco probably hits cleanup, or third in front of Zuleta. There's plenty of speed, esepcially with Cruz and Lugo presumably at the top of the lineup. There are three handymen around as utility infielders and surely they could play the outfield in a pinch and one of them could back up ex-Jay Mosquera in an emergency.
There is no Julio in the history of the game that has been primarily a starting pitcher, and no lefty Julio ever, either -- but maybe we could swing some kind of tandem-starter thing in a short series and hope Moreno-Santana can each go four and get the ball to (Jorge) Julio, then Valera, Solano, Navarro and Mateo could each work two innings and again hope to get the rock in last-name Julio's hands in the ninth.
Okay ... how can we do better for this squad?
Did you know that Julio Franco is the only Julio in the history of MLB to make an All-Star team? Actually, the odd thing about entering "Julio" as a search term in the always-fabulous BaseballReference.com site ...
... is that it returns 60 hits -- but 38 of them are guys named Juan (oddly enough, conversely, if you enter "Juan" you only get those 38, and nobody named Julio). And I spot-checked and it doesn't appear to be a middle name or a mother's name thing. So I guess that leaves us with 22 Julios in major league history -- including, of course, former Baltimore closer Jorge Julio. So let's see if we can build a whole team.
Interesting factoid ... only one Julio appeared in the majors before the 1950 season -- Julio Bonetti, who was 6-14 as a righty swing man for the St. Louis Browns in the late 1930's. No, wait -- one more! Righty Julio E. Gonzalez had no record in 13 relief appearances for the 1949 Cubs.
Okay, here's the best we can do, I think:
C Julio Mosquera (.233 in 11 games for 1996-97 Blue Jays)
1B Julio Becquer (.244 in 7 season mostly with WSH and MIN in 1955-63)
2B Julio Cruz (342 career SB, mostly with SEA)
SS Julio Franco (Da Man on Team Julio)
3B Julio Lugo (.271 in 640 games so far)
IF Julio Gotay (.260 in 389 games for STL, PIT, HOU, CAL in 1960s)
IF Julio C. Gonzalez (.235 in 370 games with 1977-83 HOU, STL, DET)
IF Julio Valdez (.207 in 65 games for 1980-83 BOS)
RF Julio Peguero (career .417 OBP in 14 games for '92 PHI)
CF Julio Ramirez (.163 career, but won ring with '02 ANA)
LF Julio Zuleta (9 HR in 174 AB for 2000-01 CHC)
RHSP/RP Julio Moreno (18-22 for 1950-53 WSH)
RHSP/RP Julio Valera (15-20, five saves, 1990-96 NYM, CAL, KCR)
RHSP/RP Julio Santana (14-26 for four teams, 1997-2002)
RHRP Julio Mateo (5-2, 2 saves in three years so far with SEA)
RHRP Julio Solano (6-8, three saves, HOU/SEA, 1983-89)
RHRP Julio Navarro (7-9, 17 saves for LAA/DET, 1962-70)
CL Jorge Julio (83 saves since 2002)
Franco probably hits cleanup, or third in front of Zuleta. There's plenty of speed, esepcially with Cruz and Lugo presumably at the top of the lineup. There are three handymen around as utility infielders and surely they could play the outfield in a pinch and one of them could back up ex-Jay Mosquera in an emergency.
There is no Julio in the history of the game that has been primarily a starting pitcher, and no lefty Julio ever, either -- but maybe we could swing some kind of tandem-starter thing in a short series and hope Moreno-Santana can each go four and get the ball to (Jorge) Julio, then Valera, Solano, Navarro and Mateo could each work two innings and again hope to get the rock in last-name Julio's hands in the ninth.
Okay ... how can we do better for this squad?
