I would say Rod Beck is the most universally loved player on this list. I mean, who didn't think Rod Beck was one of the coolest players in baseball? Even when he was with the San Francisco Giants, it was always cool to see this biker-looking dude just throwing heat and overwhelming anyone who stood across from him in a batter's box. That's why I was incredibly excited when the Cubs signed Beck before the 1998 season as he was not only super cool, but the Cubs were desperate for a reliable closer.
Now Rod Beck had an incredible 1998 season, but nothing is more incredible than doing research and finding out Rod Beck's age during that 1998 season. I know there is a picture at the top of the page, but let's give another one and you guess this man's age:
I know I have lamented how bad the Cubs bullpen was in 1998, but this excerpt from August 29 of that year really puts things in perspective.
Pen pals: The Cubs have turned over their entire bullpen from Opening Day, with the exception of Rod Beck. They started out with Beck, Terry Adams, Marc Pisciotta, Amaury Telemaco, Ben VanRyn and Bob Patterson. Adams and Pisciotta are now in Class A Iowa, VanRyn was traded to San Diego for Don Wengert and is now playing at Class A Syracuse, Telemaco was waived and is now a starter with Arizona and Patterson was released and is out of baseball.Rod Beck was incredibly important to this Cubs team as he was the only one who survived the entire season with the team.
Instead of focusing on Rod Beck's triumphs, I decided to see if my memory served me correctly. And the only thing that I can remember that year is that Rod Beck lived that entire season on the edge. If this man came in with a 10 run lead, he would let nine runs score, load the bases with one out, before inducing a double play to close out the game. Most people would generally assume that their closer giving up runs is a bad thing, but not for Rod Beck. The Cubs record in games that Beck gave up runs was an incredible 16-7* (I added the asterisk as it should have been 17-6, but the Brant Brown game turned a win into a loss). And two of those losses were in games where the Cubs had him go more than one inning. He would put the fans as close to a heart attack as possible, and then just up and decide to end the game, Rod Beck pitched to the score, and no one can convince me otherwise.
Because of that, he was super effective. He finished with a 3.02 ERA with a career-best 51 saves. He also led the league in games played for pitchers as the Cubs used him every chance they could, accumulating 80.1 innings pitched.
Unfortunately, the game that I most remember him for is the game he didn't play in. Game 2 of the NLDS against the Braves, the Cubs held a 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. Instead of bringing in their trusted closer, they kept Kevin Tapani to finish what he started, and he let Javy Lopez tie the game with one swing of the bat. Beck wouldn't even come in extra innings, and the bullpen lost the game for the team in the tenth.
7.80 ERA for the Cubs the following season before being traded to the Boston Red Sox and putting up a 1.93 ERA down the stretch and following up with two more years of quality work before washing out of baseball.
In 2003, he found himself again with the Cubs but this time it was the Iowa Cubs as he was living in an RV right outside the stadium. He would hang out after the games, not only talking with fans but offering them beers as well. Despite putting up a 0.59 ERA for Iowa, the team in Chicago couldn't find room for him so they allowed him to go to the Padres where he had a 1.78 ERA. But the magic finally wore off in 2004 when he had a 6.38 ERA and decided that would be the end of the road for him in baseball.
Sadly, Rod Beck passed away in 2007 at the age of 38. Cocaine and heroin were found in his home but an official reason for death was never released. Rod Beck may have lived a fast life, but he was also generous to friends and helped get toys for needy children. There wasn't anyone who said a bad thing about him, and that's a legacy to be proud of.
In case you missed it:
Introduction
#47 - Matt Karchner
#46 - Jose Nieves
#45 - Rodney Myers
#44 - Justin Speier
#43 - Tony Fossas
#42 - Kennie Steenstra
#41 - Chris Haney
#40 - Bob Patterson
#39 - Pedro Valdes
#38 - Derrick White
#37 - Ben Van Ryn
#36 - Terrell Lowery
#35 - Don Wengert
#34 - Kurt Miller
#33 - Jason Maxwell
#32 - Kevin Foster
#31 - Mike Morgan
#30 - Felix Heredia
#29 - Jeff Blauser
#28 - Jason Hardtke
#27 - Dave Stevens
#26 - Manny Alexander
#25 - Marc Pisciotta
#24 - Kevin Orie
#23 - Sandy Martinez
#22 - Terry Adams
#21 - Matt Mieske
#20 - Amaury Telemaco
#19 - Tyler Houston
#18 - Geremi Gonzalez
#17 - Orlando Merced
#16 - Scott Servais
#15 - Mark Clark
#14 - Lance Johnson
#13 - Brant Brown
#12 - Jose Hernandez
#11 - Steve Trachsel
#10 - Henry Rodriguez
#9 - Kevin Tapani
#8 - Mickey Morandini
#7 - Gary Gaetti
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