Watching Pete Kozma hit an RBI double in his first major league at-bat got me thinking. Really, it was his name. It was like a hybrid of Cosmo Kramer's two names: Kozma. And then it got me think of those guys who get a few at-bats in the majors and disappear. This is not to say that Pete will suffer a similar fate to Archibald Wright "Moonlight" Graham. It just made me think of Hector Luna and Luther Hackman. Those Cardinals that weren't really that good but who stuck with you or just make you chuckle when you hear their name (for example, Estaban Yan). So, in honor of that though, I bring you my ten favorite obscure Cardinals. They must have had no particularly great success and not played more than three seasons with the team. Also, my comprehension of baseball stated in 1996 so they had to play sometime after that. Besides that, making this list was quite easy as you will see.
In no particular order:
Jason Simontacchi (2002-2004) - He was actually pretty solid for us for a few years as a back-up starter and sometimes bullpen pitcher. Basically made the list because of his last name and his memorable socks.
Einar Diaz (2005) - A classic scrappy backup catcher of the Tony LaRussa Era. Nothing too classic about his except the fact that he was used in emergency situations in many a MLB Showdown game.
Gene Stechschulte (2000-2002) - A relief pitcher with an awesome last name. The reason he made the list is I remember watching him hit a home run in a rare plate appearance which also happened to be his first career major league at-bat.
Keith McDonald (2000-2001) - A catcher who I think ended up playing in like 10 or 15 games for the Cardinals. He also homered in his first career at-bat as a pinch hitter in a game. Then, homered in his second career at-bat, a feat I think is more rare than the unassisted triple play. It was all the more memorable because I was at the game he hit the second home run.
Shawon Dunston (1999-2000) - Actually a pretty decent player, he was a part of one of the most vivid Cardinal memories I have: the Moth Game of June 22nd, 2000. With Busch Stadium being swarmed by moths due to something in the field's grass, Dunston hit two late-inning home runs, the last of which bounced off Barry Bond's glove in left field to pace the Cardinals to a come-from-behind victory.
Chuck Finley (2002) - For some reason, I've always had a strong affinity towards Chuck Finley and was absolutely tickled when we got him near the trade deadline to aide us in a divisional race. I always remember that he is one of the few pitchers to have ever thrown 4 strikeouts in 2 different innings in his career.
Rick Honeycutt (1996-1997) - One, his name is really cool (and yes, that is really important when it comes to making this list). Two, he was a vital part of my unbelievable season in Ken Griffey Junior's Baseball 1997 for GameBoy. I played all 162 games and went something like 120-42. And Honeycutt had a nasty breaking pitch.
Ray King (2004-2005) - Mostly for the physical comedy that accompanied every time Ray trotting from the bullpen to the pitcher's mound. And that his nickname was Burger. And that I saw countless signs at Busch in a short two year span that referenced said nickname. Good times.
Heatcliff Slocumb (1999-2000) - Well, I think you can guess why he made the list. That's right, awesome name. Really, besides that I can't remember too much. Except that an old childhood friend of mine would always pretend to be him when we were pretending to play baseball in his basement. But once again, this was probably because his name was fun to say.
Fernando Valenzuela (1997) - The only person on the list to make it because of the just plain strangeness of the circumstances. He was a cardinal for such a short time but its still an interesting trivia question. Who was the last team Valenzuela played for? The St. Louis Cardinals. Let's just say that we didn't quite catch Fernando-mania here in the Midwest.
