Okay, we've got the junior-high pun out of the way. Yes, I headlined this feature in a way that invites frivilous, juvenile humor. But that's only because none of the four men surnamed "Cassidy" who have played in the major leagues (including 2002 Blue Jay righty reliever Scott) have gone by "Butch."
Perhaps most surprising Butch-related factoid of all is that none of the 26 men who played big league ball bearing that nickname are currently active. And that's not likely to change any time soon, as none of the nearly 40 minor leaguers to have that appellation are active either, though two were briefly in 2009
Some other notes that will affect our roster-building ...
.. as having just those twenty-six options will obviously limit our ability to build a 25-man roster.
For instance, we will not count the four men surnamed "Butcher" as, somewhat surprisingly, none went by "Butch" -- although, admittedly, RHSP Max Butcher, a (95-game winner before and during WWII), would strengthen this team's rotation (such as it is) and RHRP Mike Butcher (11-4, 9 saves, for the 1992-95 Angels) might well be the team's co-closer.
We are also not permitting two more RHSP, in Grady "Butcher Boy" Atkins (12-27 for the 1928-29 CHW) and Joe "Butcher Boy" Benz (77-72 for the 1911-19 CHW). Benz, too, might have been this team's ace! However, we will allow the inclusion of 1B Charles "Butcher Boy" Schmidt, whose primary nickname, was in fact, Butch.
Perhaps most problematically, apparently nobody nicknamed "Butch" has ever played so much as an inning in the major leagues at shortstop. So that'd be a pretty gaping defensive hole. Oh well, let's see what we can come up with as we meet ...
THE BUTCH CASSIDYS
** Hall of Fame (none)
* All-Star (just a couple)
Manager: Vacant, but Keltner could probably handle it ...
LINEUP
C Harold "Butch" Wynegar* (.265, 55 HR, 1976-88)
1B Charles "Butch" Schmidt (.272 for 1909 NYY, 1913-15 BSN)
2B Don "Butch" Kolloway (Also played 1B, 3B; .271, 1940-53, CHW, DET, PHA)
SS VACANT
3B Ken "Butch" Keltner* (.276, 163 homers, 1937-49 CLE, '50 BOS)
LF Robert "Butch" Huskey (.267, 86 HR, 1993-2000, five teams mostly NYM)
CF Elmer "Butch" Nieman (.256, 1943-45 BSN; 37 HR, 20 SB in three seasons))
RF Bob "Butch" Will (.247, 1957-63 CHC)
DH Clell "Butch" Hobson (Played 3B; .248, 98 homers, 1975-82, BOS, CAL, NYY)
BENCH OPTIONS
C Walter "Butch" Henline (.291, 40 homers, 1921-31 NYG, PHI, BRK, CHW)
C Charles "Butch" Sutcliffe (1-for-4 with 1938 BSN)
C Willis "Butch" Rementer (0-for-2, 1 game, 1904 PHI)
C Harry "Butch" O'Donnell (1-for-16, 1927 PHI)
OF Ed "Butch" Mierkowicz (.175, parts of 1945-50, DET, STL)
OF Ed "Butch" Sanicki (.294, parts of 1949, '51 PHI)
OF Arthur "Butch" Weis (.270, 1922-25 CHC)
OF Mel "Butch" Simons (.268, 1931-32 CHW)
DH Francis "Butch" Alberts (5-for-18 for '78 TOR)
PITCHING STAFF
LHSP Floyd "Butch" Henry (33-33, four teams, 1992-99)
RHSP Charles "Butch" Wensloff (13-11 as '43 NYY rookie; 16-13, parts of '43-48)
RHSP Claude "Butch" Edge (3-4, 5.23, nine starts for 1979 TOR)
RHS/RP Roy "Butch" Sanders (7-10, 1 sv., 2.75, 1917 CIN, '18 PIT)
CL-RH Clarence "Butch" Metzger (18-9, 23 saves, 1974-78)
Son-of-a-Butch Notes ... Wynegar was an All-Star at ages 20 and 21 with the Twins, then never again in 11 more years playing in North America's two largest media markets, New York with the Yankees and and Los Angeles with the Angels; he was out completely out of major league baseball by age 32 ... We have many options behind the plate, where four Butches have donned the tools of ignorance ...Funny, that's exactly the position I would have guessed would have the most Butches ... You can make a pretty good argument that Wynegar, one of only two Butch All-Stars, shouldn't even start behind the plate for this team, as Henline topped .300 four times, with high of .324 and hit .316/14/64 for the 1922 Phillies ...
First baseman Schmidt hit .294 with two RBI in the 1914 World Series for the Miracle Braves ... Keltner, a seven-time A.L. All-Star, was of course best-known for the defensive role he played in halting the legendary DiMagio hitting streak at 56 games ... Hobson hit .265/30/112 in 1977 and .261/28/93 in 1979 ... Neither Keltner nor Hobson ever played a single inning at short, but to make this work, it appears one of them will have to move there to fill out the defensive spectrum ... At least it's still the left side of the infield!
The pitching staff is mighty thin, as we have only five options and the best pitcher on the squad is the closer, Metzger, the 1976 NL co-Rookie of the Year (with Pat Zachry) as he went 11-4 with 16 saves and a 2.92 for the Padres ...The leading winner on the staff -- see, those earlier laments about Benz and Max Butcher being potential aces were legit! -- is 33-game victor Henry, who Canadian baseball fans might remember for his 16-13 ledger with Montreal from 1993-95 ... And Henry was as much a reliever as a starter in the first place! ... Speaking of Canadian basebll fans, anyone remember Butch Edge?
And one last Butch, another with Jay ties, no less ... Designated Hitter/Pinch Runner (he never played in the field) Francis "Butch" Alberts was 5-for-18 for Toronto in 1978, after coming to the Great White North after the '77 season fromt the Angels (with Pat Kelly) in exchange for Ron Fairly after '77 season ...
Okay, let's say we move Keltner to short, play Hobson at third, DH Wynegar and have Henline catch. How does this team do in the 2010 AL East?
