The 47 Best Players from the 1998 Chicago Cubs - #11 Steve Trachsel

11. Steve Trachsel
Earlier, I wrote about how Jose Hernandez embodied the 1998 season. Steve Trachsel more embodies mid-1990s Cubs. He was a guy who was good, but not quite good enough for the role that he was given. He had one really good year where he became an All-Star (1996), but there was no way that performance would ever last, and for Trachsel, it didn't. He wasn't known for his pitches, but for how long it took him to throw them as he earned the nickname of The Human Rain Delay.

1998 was his eighth with the organization and sixth straight in the majors. And even though it wasn't his best season, it was definitely the most memorable. When the season started, it looked as though Trachsel had rediscovered his 1996 magic. In his first ten starts, he never gave up more than three runs, and his ERA was a tidy 3.13. His first start of the season was the most special in that stretch as not only did he make it through seven innings, but he did it in the first home game without Harry Caray. Here is the seventh inning stretch, performed by Harry's widow, Dutchie.

I'm not crying; YOU'RE crying.

After the hot start, Steve Trachsel's true performance began to show up. He did not give up less than four runs in any of his next six starts. He was solid, and he did enough to give the Cubs more wins than losses in his starts. His lowlight would come on August 7th against the St. Louis Cardinals when he gave up seven runs while recording just a single out. It would not be his last memorable start against the Cubs' rival as he was also the man who gave up Mark McGwire's 62nd home run.

Good God, can we please bring back steroids?

Despite how memorable those moments were, what mattered the most from that season was one start at the end of September.

At the end of 162 games, both the Cubs and San Francisco Giants were tied for the Wildcard at 89-73. They would play a single game to decide who would move onto the playoffs at Wrigley Field on Monday, September 28. Yes, with their livelihood on the line, the Cubs turned to Trachsel, and his 4.60 ERA. Although on paper, the Giants choice of Marc Gardner wasn't much better, with him accumulating a 4.27 ERA, but Gardner had been red hot as the only time he gave up three runs in his last five starts was when he pitched a complete game against the Dodgers. He had gone at least seven innings in each of those starts; Trachsel had one quality start in that same time frame.

Through four innings, both managers looked smart for their choices. Gardner had given up just two singles and a walk while Trachsel had not given up a single hit but command was an issue as he had walked four and hit one batter with a pitch, including loading the bases in the fourth inning before striking out Brian Johnson to get out of the jam.

Somehow, Trachsel kept the zeros going in the fifth, despite yet another walk to the Giants. And in the bottom half, the Cubs finally broke through on Gardner thanks to a Gary Gaetti two-run homer. Trachsel had a 1-2-3 inning in the sixth before the Cubs added another two runs on a Matt Mieske pinch-hit single. Trachsel got one more out before allowing his first hit and another walk which was enough for Riggleman to take him out of the game and have the bullpen get out of the jam. Overall, he went 6.1 innings, gave up six walks, hit a batter, and gave up one hit, all without giving up a run. Somehow, despite all of those walks, Barry Bonds never reached base during the game. Although the Giants made a comeback in the ninth, it was too little, too late, as the Cubs held on 5-3 to advance to the playoffs.

And that would be the last game the Cubs would win that season as they got swept by the Braves before Trachsel could start Game Four. He would end his season at 15-8, with a 4.46 ERA in 208 innings.

He lost 18 times with a 5.58 ERA in 1999 and the Cubs let him go to the Rays in free agency. He was then traded to the Blue Jays before signing with the Mets in 2001. He put up three really strong years with ERAs of 3.37, 3.78, and 4.00 from 2002-2004. In 2007, he signed with the Orioles before they traded him to the Cubs at the waiver deadline, but he was awful for the Cubs, putting up an 8.31 ERA. He signed again with the Orioles for 2008, but the magic was gone, and he retired after eight starts and and 8.39 ERA.

No, Steve Trachsel wasn't the best pitcher on the Cubs that year, but there is nobody on the staff who had more memorable performances (good and bad) than him. 1998 was such a weird year that even The Human Rain Delay was exciting.

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

The 47 Best Players from the 1998 Chicago Cubs - #18 Geremi Gonzalez

18. Geremi Gonzalez
Geremi, or Jeremi, Gonzalez depending on who you ask was a hot young pitcher for the Cubs in the late 1990s. He made his debut in 1997 and won 11 games while posting a very respectable 4.25 ERA. Hopes were high going into 1998 as him repeating that performance would turn him into a reliable part of the rotation, and considering his youth, there was plenty of opportunity for improvement.

Things did not start well for Gonzalez. In his first start of the season, he faced seven batters, and all seven of them reached base, with four walks and three hits, including a home run from Gary Sheffield. The only good news is that Amaury Telemaco only let two of the three inherited runners score.

After that, Gonzalez turned things around as his ERA dropped in each of his next six starts. During that span, he struck out 10 Dodgers in seven innings and ended that streak with a complete game shutout of the San Francisco Giants. His ERA was at a respectable 4.38, and it looked like he might be ready to take that step forward this year.

He would give up 8 runs in his next start which lasted all of 1.2 innings, and his ERA would remain in the fives for the rest of the season. He managed to stay in the rotation until the end of July before the Cubs were forced to make a change. None of those changes really worked out either, but it was change for the sake of change at that point. Gonzalez ended the season with 20 starts, 110 innings, a 5.32 ERA, but with a 4.60 FIP so he was slightly unlucky in his results.

Despite being just 23 years old in 1998, he would not pitch in the majors for the Cubs again, and due to injuries, it took him until 2003, with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, to reappear at the major league level. He put up an ERA under 4.00 while starting 25 games, but those were his last moments of glory as he struggled tremendously after that year with the Rays, followed by stints with the Red Sox, Mets, and Brewers. The Cubs only knew him as Jeremi, because he didn't tell anyone that the proper spelling of his name was Geremi until he was with the Brewers in 2006.

His life ended tragically in 2008 when he was struck by lightning on a beach in his home country of Venezuela. He was just 33 years old. Geremi Gonzalez didn't have a huge impact on the Cubs, but he was a big deal at the time. The Cubs simply didn't have real pitching prospects for the 12 years between Greg Maddux's and Kerry Wood's debut. The most exciting guys are probably Shawn Boskie, Kevin Foster, and Gonzalez. He was young, promising, and gave hope during a hopeless time. No, due to command issues, he wasn't great in 1998, but I will always think of him in a fonder way than any statistics could justify, and unjustified love is probably the best thing about sports.

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

The 47 Best Players from the 1998 Chicago Cubs - #36 Terrell Lowery

36. Terrell Lowery
Terrell Lowery may be the greatest athlete on this entire list. He played D-1 college basketball for Loyola Marymount which may not sound impressive at first glance. But this isn't the Loyola you know today. It was the Loyola that was led by Paul Westhead to have the most explosive offense in the nation. In fact, Lowery averaged 28.5 and 26.0 points per game in his final two seasons for the team. That is so many points that I checked, re-checked, and then triple checked that this guy decided to play baseball instead of sticking with basketball.

But, sure enough, he became a pro baseball player as he was drafted in the second round by the Texas Rangers. He bounced around to the Mets before the Cubs selected him in the Rule 5 draft in 1996. He got his first major league experience in 1997 with limited action with the Cubs after tearing up AAA with the Iowa Cubs.

In 1998, he again tore up AAA, but it was tough to break through in the outfield for a Cubs team that was absolutely loaded out there. He played in 24 games but mostly as a defensive replacement as he only had 15 at bats during that time. In the two games that Lowery started, the Cubs were undefeated, taking out the Braves and White Sox in his starts. In games where Lowery got a hit, they were 3-0. In fact, he received at bats in nine games, and the Cubs went 8-1 in those games. Just Lowery playing was enough to put them at 17-7. He was the good luck charm.

Unfortunately, the Cubs weren't aware of good luck charm analytics back then, and he was sent back down after their game on July 4th (Cubs won, of course). He would become a free agent and join the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays for their second year of existence. In 2000, he joined the San Francisco Giants, where he had a slash line of .441/.548/.647 for an 1.195 OPS which would have led the major leagues had he qualified.

And after that performance, he never saw another major league at bat. Lowery had a short but fascinating career, and the good luck he brought to the Cubs will never be forgotten.

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

2017 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - AL East

Although baseball season is still a few weeks away, fantasy baseball season is here as draft rooms are opening and people are spending fake auction dollars on their favorite players. Everybody knows about the Mike Trouts and Clayton Kershaws of the world, so what you need to do stand out is find those hidden gems on each roster to propel yourself to fantasy greatness. I am going to go through each MLB roster to find at least one underrated player who will have you looking like a genius at the end of the season.

Today, after going with the less sexy divisions in the American League, we go with the most talked about division in all the land, the AL East.

Baltimore Orioles - Dylan Bundy
I've been all-in on Dylan Bundy since he was drafted in 2012, so the fact that I can still buy low on him excites me. He's probably not going to be the game changing pitcher I expected when he was blowing through every minor leaguer that stood in front of him. Due to injuries, he's a different pitcher, but he's still shown that he could be a very good pitcher. Even though he struggled more as a starter in the second half, he was still striking out over a batter an inning, and he's still building up his strength after coming back from injuries. Right now, he's a ranked as a late round flyer, but I think he can produce a mid 3 ERA with a strikeout per inning which wouldn't be a bad haul for a final round pick.

Boston Red Sox - Eduardo Rodriguez
It's damn near impossible to find an underrated Red Sox player. I mean, even Pablo Sandoval made the top 300. Hanley Ramirez ranked 69 which is nice. Maybe I could take a flyer on their top prospect, Andrew Benitendi, but he's already ranked ahead one of the greatest hitters ever, Albert Pujols, so yeah, I can't really say he's underrated. Let's go with Rodriguez who struggled at the beginning of the year but basically pitched like a number two starter in the second half of the season. I doubt he'll be quite that good, but if he gets anything close to that, then he'll be worth it.

New York Yankees - Gary Sanchez
I know this isn't a deep sleeper or anything, but it was the only way I could avoid recommending Chris Carter (I always recommend Chris Carter). I know he's ranked as the second best catcher, but he was only at 113 overall, and that seems at least 30 spots too low. I don't think he's Catcher Babe Ruth, but he's still damn good, and considering the lack of options at catcher, he's worth going above his ranking to go out and secure his services for the year.

Tampa Bay Rays - Jake Odorizzi
Odorizzi's only real issue last year was health, and before that, he had proved to be rather durable. The split may put some extra strain on his arm, but considering the strong track record, he's a pitcher I'd like to have this year. Computer projections continue to love the Rays, so eventually they're going to have to be right...right?

Toronto Blue Jays - Troy Tulowitzki
Making a case with my head for Tulowitzki isn't the easiest. He has been a disappointment since getting traded from Colorado to Toronto. Still, he wasn't too bad last year as he hit 24 home runs, and had he had a better BABIP, he could have easily raised his batting average 20 points. That's what I see happening this year as a little better luck gets him closer to his former glory although not quite all the way there. Is this my head talking? No, but the heart wants what the heart wants. 

Dave Dombrowski Is a Gentle Lover

When I heard the Tigers were pursuing David Price, I chuckled to myself. The Tigers have traded away so many prospects that I'm not even sure if they field minor league teams anymore. There was no way they had the assets to get David Price. But then, sure enough, Dave Dombrowski found a way to turn Austin Jackson and Drew Smyly into David Price. How did he do this? It's because he's a gentle lover. Let me explain.

I think it's common knowledge that Dave Dombrowski is a master of seduction. If you somehow didn't know that, this photo, which has not been poorly photoshopped AT ALL, proves my point:

Since he is a master of seduction, he can pretty much seduce any woman he pleases. I'll admit it; I was nervous going to a Tigers Spring Training game a few months ago at the mere chance that DD might take a liking to my lady.

Basically, what his seduction prowess means is that he can seduce any owner's wife/girlfriend/main squeeze. Now, these owners are all super rich, cutthroat men who have done whatever it takes to get to the top. These are very prideful men, and also men who know what they like and hate change. The problem is that not only can Dave Dombrowski seduce their lady, but also that DD is a gentle lover.

This causes an issue as most owners sexual techniques start and end with vigorous. They aren't into any fluff; they are incredibly hard workers, but they only know one speed. Meanwhile, DD has listened to enough Tenacious D where he doesn't give sex to a woman, he makes love with her. Once these women experience the gentle love making of DD, they no longer want the vigorous sex that they experience from an old crusty baseball owner, and it ruins the lives of these owners.

So that is why Dave Dombrowski is consistently able to do the impossible when it comes to trades. Dave Dombrowski agreed to a four-year no seduction deal at the end of 2007 to acquire Miguel Cabrera from Jeffrey Loria and the Marlins. When that deal ran out, he gave another extension to get Anibal Sanchez in 2012. In between those two deals, he called up Ken Kendrick, who forced Josh Byrnes to trade away Max Scherzer in order to keep his beau away from Dombrowski's charms.

And finally, he called up Stuart Sternberg. Sternberg is a young, Wall Street hotshot, so he laughed at Dombrowski at first. He causally mentioned it as a joke with Andrew Friedman, but Friedman wasn't laughing. He knew of Dombrowski's skills, and therefore, he knew what he had to do. David Price is a Tiger, but Sternberg and his wife are safe from the charms of DD.

Don't blame these teams for their lack of return on top end talent. When you get that call from the 313 area code, you know your options have run out. If Dombrowski doesn't get his man, he's coming for your woman, and I'm glad these teams have made the right choice.