Shaun Marcum is off to a nice start in his big league career; so nice,
in fact, that he is already the greatest player named "Shaun" in the history of the game. (Albeit true, his only competition, Shaun Fitzmaurice, had two singles in 13 AB in nine games as an OF with the 1966 NYM).
Of course, there have also been a fair number of players named Sean, Shawn and even Shawon, so young Mr. Marcum, with his (so far) 12 career wins and (as yet) 119 career ERA+ still has a ways to go to catch the Caseys, Chacons and Dunstons of the baseball universe.
All of which leads us to ...
... another standard entry in Baseball's Hall of Names, in which we compile a team of players from the 50 or so who have played in the big leagues bearing the name Sean/Shawn/Shaun/et cetera. That's really an amazing number, given that Shawon Dunston, odd spelling and all, was just the second player (after the aforementioned Fitzmaurice in '66) to ever make a big league roster with that given first name -- in 1985! But the relative lack of history for the name in the sport cannot be denied -- the first Shawns appeared in 1987; a Sean first played in The Show in 1990.
We will stick to the on-again, off-again HON rule regarding "given first names only" meaning we lose a couple of solid options including, among others, All-Star 1B Patrick Sean Tabler, solid vet IF Timothy Shawn Teufel and (even though he went by his middle name) All-Star SP Aaron Shawn Estes -- and though all three would start for this squad, as far as this team is concerned, these men are merely Shauns of the Dead (bad reference to a bad movie, sorry). Still, there are plenty of options to add to the roster of a team we can only call ...
GOING, GOING ... SEAN! (SHAWN! SHAUN!)
** indicates Hall of Famer (none yet)
* indicates All-Star
LINEUP
C Shawn Wooten (also 1B/3B, .272, 2000-05)
1B Sean Casey* (.301 career midway through '07)
2B Shawn Gilbert (IF/OF .149, 1997-98, 2000)
SS Shawon Dunston* (.269, 150 homers, 212 SB, 1985-2002)
3B Sean Burroughs (.280, 2002-06)
LF Shawn Hare (.174, parts of 1991-95)
CF Shawn Abner (.227, 1987-92)
RF Shawn Green* (.282, 326 homers midway through '07)
DH Sean Berry (.272, 81 homers, 1990-2000)
BENCH
C Shawn Riggans (.154, 2006-07 TBD)
OF Shawn Jeter (2-for-18, 1992 CHW)
Most of the Sean/Shawn types not listed here already are pitchers (for a sample, see the "Cuts" list below) ... any suggestions on how to fill out the roster?
ROTATION
RHSP Shawn Boskie (49-63, 1990-98)
LHSP Sean Marshall (11-15 so far, 2006-07 CHC)
RHSP Sean Bergman (39-47, 1993-2000)
LHSP Sean Burnett (5-5, 2004 PIT)
RHSP Shaun Marcum (12-8 midway through 2007)
BULLPEN
CL-RH Shawn Chacon* (35 saves in 2004)
LHRP Sean Henn (2-4 midway through 2007)
RHRP Shawn Hillegas (24-38, 7 saves, 1987-93)
LHRP Sean Runyan (1-5, 1998-2000; led '98 AL in appearances)
RHRP Sean Lowe (23-15, 1997-2003)
AMONG THE FINAL CUTS ...
Of course, there have also been a fair number of players named Sean, Shawn and even Shawon, so young Mr. Marcum, with his (so far) 12 career wins and (as yet) 119 career ERA+ still has a ways to go to catch the Caseys, Chacons and Dunstons of the baseball universe.
All of which leads us to ...
... another standard entry in Baseball's Hall of Names, in which we compile a team of players from the 50 or so who have played in the big leagues bearing the name Sean/Shawn/Shaun/et cetera. That's really an amazing number, given that Shawon Dunston, odd spelling and all, was just the second player (after the aforementioned Fitzmaurice in '66) to ever make a big league roster with that given first name -- in 1985! But the relative lack of history for the name in the sport cannot be denied -- the first Shawns appeared in 1987; a Sean first played in The Show in 1990.
We will stick to the on-again, off-again HON rule regarding "given first names only" meaning we lose a couple of solid options including, among others, All-Star 1B Patrick Sean Tabler, solid vet IF Timothy Shawn Teufel and (even though he went by his middle name) All-Star SP Aaron Shawn Estes -- and though all three would start for this squad, as far as this team is concerned, these men are merely Shauns of the Dead (bad reference to a bad movie, sorry). Still, there are plenty of options to add to the roster of a team we can only call ...
GOING, GOING ... SEAN! (SHAWN! SHAUN!)
** indicates Hall of Famer (none yet)
* indicates All-Star
LINEUP
C Shawn Wooten (also 1B/3B, .272, 2000-05)
1B Sean Casey* (.301 career midway through '07)
2B Shawn Gilbert (IF/OF .149, 1997-98, 2000)
SS Shawon Dunston* (.269, 150 homers, 212 SB, 1985-2002)
3B Sean Burroughs (.280, 2002-06)
LF Shawn Hare (.174, parts of 1991-95)
CF Shawn Abner (.227, 1987-92)
RF Shawn Green* (.282, 326 homers midway through '07)
DH Sean Berry (.272, 81 homers, 1990-2000)
BENCH
C Shawn Riggans (.154, 2006-07 TBD)
OF Shawn Jeter (2-for-18, 1992 CHW)
Most of the Sean/Shawn types not listed here already are pitchers (for a sample, see the "Cuts" list below) ... any suggestions on how to fill out the roster?
ROTATION
RHSP Shawn Boskie (49-63, 1990-98)
LHSP Sean Marshall (11-15 so far, 2006-07 CHC)
RHSP Sean Bergman (39-47, 1993-2000)
LHSP Sean Burnett (5-5, 2004 PIT)
RHSP Shaun Marcum (12-8 midway through 2007)
BULLPEN
CL-RH Shawn Chacon* (35 saves in 2004)
LHRP Sean Henn (2-4 midway through 2007)
RHRP Shawn Hillegas (24-38, 7 saves, 1987-93)
LHRP Sean Runyan (1-5, 1998-2000; led '98 AL in appearances)
RHRP Sean Lowe (23-15, 1997-2003)
AMONG THE FINAL CUTS ...
- RHSP Sean Douglass (7-13, 2001-05)
- RHSP Shawn Hill (Canadian is 5-8 with MON/WSH midway through '07)
- RHRP Sean Green (5-1 with 2007 SEA)
- LHRP Shawn Barton (4-2, 1992, '95-96)
- RHRP Shawn Camp (10-13, six saves, since '04 midway through '07)
