Best Of’s – Players To Be Named Later
As Crash Davis said, “I’m the player to be named later”. For those who don’t know what that means, it’s when a baseball trade occurs, but the final pieces of the deal are not finalized until a later date… that is where the “player to be named later” comes into play. This is common for trades taking place right before the trade deadline. Typically these are lower-level minor-leaguers or journeymen, players who are thought to be of little impact.
But every once in a while, that player can turn out to be very productive. Although while performing my research for this article, I realized…it’s not all that common. You will see that below.
So, here is my top 10. Tell me who I missed!
Honorable Mention - Crash Davis
Trade – “I’m the player to be named later”
Accomplishments – Record holder for most career minor-league Home Runs
10. Marco Scutaro
Trade – 2000, Bob Wickman, Steve Woodard, and Jason Bere traded to Cleveland Indians, Marco Scutaro traded to Milwaukee Brewers as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 13 year career, 1-time World Series Champion, NLCS MVP, 1-time All-Star, .277 career Batting Average
9. Scott Podsednik
Trade – 1995, Bobby Witt traded to Texas Rangers, Scott Podsednik traded to Florida Marlins as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 11 year career, 1-time World Series Champion, 1-time All-Star, 309 career Stolen Bases, .281 career Batting Average
8. Coco Crisp
Trade – 2002, Chuck Finley traded to St. Louis Cardinals, Coco Crisp traded to Cleveland Indians as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 15 year career, 1-time World Series Champion, 309 career Stolen Bases, .265 career Batting Average
7. Scott Brosius
Trade – 1997, Kenny Rogers traded to Oakland Athletics, Scott Brosius traded to New York Yankees as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 11 year career, 3-time World Series Champion, World Series MVP, 1-time All-Star, 1-time Gold Glover, 141 career Home Runs, .257 career Batting Average
6. Jason Schmidt
Trade – 1996, Denny Neagle traded to Atlanta Braves, Jason Schmidt traded to Pittsburgh Pirates as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 14 year career, 3-time All-Star, 1-time Earned Run Average leader, 130-96 career record, 3.96 career Earned Run Average
5. Michael Brantley
Trade – 2008, CC Sabathia traded to Milwaukee Brewers, Michael Brantley traded to Cleveland Indians as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 11+ year career, 4-time All-Star, 1-time Silver Slugger, 109 career Home Runs, .297 career Batting Average
4. Jesse Orosco
Trade – 1979, Jerry Koosman traded to Minnesota Twins, Jesse Orosco traded to New York Mets as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 24 year career, 2-time World Series Champion, 144 career Saves, 3.16 career Earned Run Average, all-time MLB leader in Games Pitched
3. Moises Alou
Trade – 1990, Scott Ruskin traded to Pittsburgh Pirates, Moises Alou traded to Montreal Expos as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 17 year career, 1-time World Series Champion, 6-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, .303 career Batting Average, 332 career Home Runs
2. Shoeless Joe Jackson
Trade – 1910, Morrie Rath traded to Philadelphia Athletics, Shoeless Joe Jackson traded to Cleveland Naps as player to be named later
Accomplishments – 13 year career, 1-time World Series Champion, .356 career Batting Average, one of the Chicago Black Sox
1. David Ortiz
Trade – 1996, Dave Hollins traded to Seattle Mariners, David Ortiz traded to Minnesota Twins as player to be named later
Accomplishments – If this really necessary? 20 year career, 3-time World Series Champion, World Series MVP, ALCS MVP, 10-time All-Star, 7-time Silver Slugger, 541 career Home Runs, arguably the best Designated Hitter in MLB history
Yeah, of all the Best Of’s I have written, this was definitely the easiest #1 to pick.
Now, tell me what you think!
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