Baseball Hero Positions

By Glenn Guzzo
 
            Baseball fans who remember Craig Biggio’s final years as an outfielder or Julio Franco’s beginning as a shortstop may be surprised to see that neither is rated for those positions in Strat-O-Matic’s Baseball Heroes set.
            Mystery solved: Neither player was at those positions in at least two of their seven best seasons upon which their cards are based.
            This is not unusual. Strat-O-Matic’s Hall of Fame collections also employ such restrictions. Cap Anson, Honus Wagner, Harry Heilmann, Hank Aaron and Vern Stephens are among a variety of Hall of Famers and Heroes who played more than 200 games at positions for which they are not rated.
            For gamers who want roster flexibility, Strat-O player Ken Wenger, a member of SOM’s roster update team, has done the research for you. The chart below shows all men from the Heroes and Hall of Fame sets who played more than 200 games (“w”) at an un-rated position, more than 100 games (“x”), more than 50 games (“y”) and more than 10 games (“z”). Even HOF Pitcher Bob Lemon is on the list. He played the occasional game in center field. Where you see numbers, that’s the fielding rating SOM has assigned for that player at rated positions.
            As Wenger points out, Biggio and Franco are especially interesting cases. They played more than 400 games at the positions not represented in the Heroes set.
            The fielding ratings you assign will take more research. But keep in mind that these were secondary positions at best, and most players would be 4s (even 5s in the case of outfielders playing infield in the 10-50 game range, and vice versa). A few might merit 3s, but it would be a rare case where any would deserve better.
 
Name                     c          1b        2b         3b         ss          lf          cf         rf
w=more than 200 games; x = more than 100 games;
y= more than 50 games; z = more than 10 games           
Aaron, Hank
 
4
z
 
 
w
2
1
Anson, Cap
4
1
z
w
 
z
 
z
Appling, Luke
 
z
z
y
2
 
 
 
Ashburn, Richie
 
 
 
 
 
y
2
2
Averill, Earl
 
 
 
 
 
1
1
z
Bancroft, Dave
 
 
z
 
1
 
 
 
Banks, Ernie
 
3
 
4
2
z
 
 
Bell, Buddy
 
z
 
1
4
z
y
y
Berra, Yogi
2
 
 
 
 
x
 
x
Biggio, Craig
w
 
2
 
 
z
w
x
Boggs, Wade
 
y
 
2
 
 
 
 
Bonds, Barry
 
 
 
 
 
2
x
 
Bonds, Bobby
 
 
 
 
 
y
2
2
Boudreau, Lou
 
z
 
y
2
 
 
 
Boyer, Ken
 
y
 
1
z
 
x
 
Bresnahan, R
 
z
z
z
 
z
2
z
Brett, George
 
4
 
2
z
z
 
z
Brouthers, Dan
 
3
 
 
 
z
 
 
Cedeno, Cesar
 
w
 
 
 
y
1
y
Cepeda, Orlando
 
2
 
 
 
4
 
z
Chance, Frank
4
1
 
 
 
 
 
y
Clemente, R
 
 
 
 
 
z
y
1
Cobb, Ty
 
z
 
 
 
z
1
1
Collins, Eddie
 
 
1
 
z
 
 
 
Collins, Jimmy
 
 
 
1
 
 
 
z
Combs, Earle
 
 
 
 
 
2
2
z
Comiskey, C
 
1
z
 
 
 
 
z
Concepcion, D
 
y
x
x
1
 
 
 
Connor, Roger
 
2
y
x
 
 
y
 
Crandall, Del
2
z
 
 
 
 
 
 
Crawford, Sam
 
x
 
 
 
1
2
1
Cronin, Joe
 
y
z
y
2
 
 
 
Dahlen, Bill
 
 
2
1
3
z
z
z
Davis, George
 
z
x
2
2
z
w
z
Delahanty, Ed
 
3
4
z
x
2
2
z
Dimaggio, Dom
 
 
 
 
 
z
1
z
Dimaggio, Joe
 
 
 
 
 
1
1
z
Doby, Larry
 
 
 
 
 
z
1
1
Duffy, Hugh
 
 
z
 
z
1
1
1
Evans, Dwight
 
4
 
 
 
z
z
1
Evers, Johnny
 
 
1
z
z
 
 
 
Ewing, Buck
1
2
y
2
z
 
z
2
Fisk, Carlton
2
z
 
 
 
z
 
 
Flick, Elmer
 
 
z
 
 
 
2
1
Foxx, Jimmie
4
3
 
4
 
z
 
 
Franco, Julio
 
4
3
 
w
 
 
 
Fregosi, Jim
 
4
 
x
2
 
 
 
Garvey, Steve
 
1
 
x
 
 
 
 
Goslin, Goose
 
 
 
 
 
2
y
3
Grich, Bobby
 
y
2
z
x
 
 
 
Griffey, Jr., Ken
 
 
 
 
 
z
1
w
Gwynn, Tony
 
 
 
 
 
y
4
2
Hartnett, Gabby
1
z
 
 
 
 
 
 
Heilmann, Harry
 
w
z
 
 
 
 
3
Henderson, R
 
 
 
 
 
1
2
z
Herman, Billy
 
z
2
3
 
 
 
 
Hodges, Gil
y
1
 
z
 
4
 
z
Hooper, Harry
 
 
 
 
 
1
z
1
Hornsby, Rogers
 
z
2
x
w
 
 
z
Howard, Elston
2
4
 
 
 
3
 
z
Jackson, Joe
 
z
 
 
 
1
 
1
Jackson, Reggie
 
 
 
 
 
z
x
3
Kaline, Al
 
x
 
 
 
z
2
1
Keeler, Willie
 
 
z
z
 
z
 
1
Kell, George
 
y
 
1
 
z
 
 
Kelley, Joe
 
2
z
4
z
1
2
 
Kelly, George
 
2
4
 
 
4
z
z
Kelly, King
2
z
3
3
3
 
 
2
Kent, Jeff
 
3
3
x
 
 
 
 
Killebrew, H
 
4
z
4
 
4
 
 
Kiner, Ralph
 
4
 
 
 
4
y
 
Klein, Chuck
 
 
 
 
 
4
z
4
Lajoie, Nap
 
2
1
 
3
 
 
z
Lemon, Bob
 
 
 
 
 
 
z
 
Lindstrom, F
 
 
z
3
 
2
2
2
Lofton, Kenny
 
 
 
 
 
y
1
z
Mantle, Mickey
 
w
 
 
 
1
2
x
Maranville, R
 
 
w
 
1
 
 
 
Maris, Roger
 
 
 
 
 
z
3
2
Mathews, Eddie
 
y
 
3
 
z
 
 
Mattingly, Don
 
1
 
 
 
z
 
 
Mays, Willie
 
y
 
 
 
 
1
z
Mazeroski, Bill
 
 
1
z
 
 
 
 
McCovey, Willie
 
3
 
 
 
4
 
z
McGraw, John
 
 
4
4
4
3
 
z
McGwire, Mark
 
2
 
z
 
 
 
 
Medwick, Joe
 
z
 
 
 
3
z
z
Molitor, Paul
 
4
4
3
4
 
z
 
Morgan, Joe
 
 
1
 
 
z
 
 
Munson, T
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
z
Murphy, Dale
y
w
 
 
 
2
1
1
Nettles, Graig
 
z
 
2
 
y
 
z
Oliva, Tony
 
 
 
 
 
z
4
2
Oliver, Al
 
3
 
 
 
2
3
y
O’Rourke, Jim
4
4
 
x
z
3
3
3
Ott, Mel
 
 
 
3
 
z
3
2
Palmeiro, Rafael
 
2
 
 
 
w
 
 
Parker, Dave
 
z
 
 
 
y
z
2
Piazza, Mike
4
y
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pinson, Vada
 
z
 
 
 
w
1
w
Puckett, Kirby
 
 
 
 
 
z
1
2
Radbourn, Old Hoss
 
 
 
z
z
z
y
Reese, Pee Wee
 
 
 
x
2
 
 
 
Rice, Sam
 
 
 
 
 
y
3
2
Robinson, B
 
 
z
1
 
 
 
 
Robinson, Frank
 
3
 
z
 
2
x
2
Rose, Pete
 
3
4
3
 
1
y
1
Roush, Edd
 
z
 
 
 
1
1
z
Ruth, Babe
 
z
 
 
 
2
y
2
Sandberg, Ryne
 
 
1
x
 
 
 
 
Santo, Ron
 
 
z
1
z
 
 
 
Schang, Wally
2
 
 
y
 
4
z
 
Schmidt, Mike
 
3
 
1
z
 
 
 
Schoendienst, R
 
 
1
z
3
y
 
 
Sewell, Joe
 
 
z
3
3
 
 
 
Simmons, Ted
3
4
 
z
 
4
 
4
Sisler, George
 
1
 
 
 
z
z
z
Slaughter, Enos
 
 
 
 
 
1
z
1
Snider, Duke
 
 
 
 
 
y
1
1
Sosa, Sammy
 
 
 
 
 
z
4
3
Speaker, Tris
 
z
 
 
 
 
1
 
Stargell, Willie
 
4
 
 
 
4
 
y
Staub, Rusty
 
w
 
 
 
y
z
3
Stearnes, Turkey
 
 
 
 
 
1
1
1
Stephens, Vern
 
 
 
w
3
 
 
 
Terry, Bill
 
1
 
 
 
 
 
z
Trammell, Alan
 
 
z
z
2
 
 
 
Traynor, Pie
 
 
 
1
z
 
 
 
Vaughan, Arky
 
 
 
x
3
y
 
 
Wagner, Honus
 
w
y
2
1
z
y
2
Walker, Larry
 
4
 
 
 
z
3
1
Wallace, Bobby
 
 
z
1
1
 
 
z
Waner, Lloyd
 
 
 
 
 
1
1
z
Waner, Paul
 
3
 
 
 
z
z
1
Ward, John
 
 
2
z
1
 
x
x
Williams, Bernie
 
 
 
 
 
 
x
y
Williams, Billy
 
y
 
 
 
3
z
3
Wright, George
 
 
y
 
w
 
 
 
Youngs, Ross
 
 
z
 
 
 
 
2
Yount, Robin
 
z
 
 
2
2
2