Most Successful Failures—A New Series

[Somebody,s Father]

If Blanco was any stiffer he'd be a stiff. I remember.

Hey, how does one get into the Successful Failure Club?

You could be the president of the club, you have my vote

[D-train]

If you spin the Mariners wheel of history, most likely you will land somewhere between mediocre and horrible. It's like Mariner fans know infinite shades of failure and misery that only a select few of our species have experienced.

Hopefully one day we will be recognized for our suffering, and studied so that future generations can be spared.

Art Thiel sums it up pretty well:

A franchise of such sustained, historic failure does not flinch when confronted by a mere month-long spasm of futility.

The Mariners know bottom like a 300-pound halibut. They have produced more wrecks than Steve McQueen in Bullitt. They have been outwitted more consistently than Elmer against Bugs.

Hell, the raggedy-ass Oakland A’s, a franchise run out of the cargo bed of Billy Beane’s 1966 Chevy El Camino, have been to the playoffs seven times since the Mariners’ last appearance.

While it is true that this 2019 team has displayed an inability to close a baseball glove around a baseball that is rarely seen above T-ball, that is merely a rare perversion, and not a major argument to put this period of futility among the greats. Although keeping Jay Bruce in right field for awhile is a bold step in that direction.

The point here is that as much as Sunday’s game inspired among Seattle witnesses the urge to pass around a cocktail fork with which to pluck out eyeballs, we’ve seen this before.

We’ve seen two Mariners tagged out at home plate on the same play by a catcher with a broken leg. We’ve seen a manager identify as his starting right fielder a player who had been traded a day earlier. We’ve seen the San Diego Padres attempted to be purchased by a Seattle owner while still in possession of the Mariners.

http://sportspressnw.com/2243253/2019/t ... ed-colored

[Double Mocha Man]

Art's gotta start posting on this site. He could come in as Art Teal.

[rockycola]

If Blanco was any stiffer he'd be a stiff. I remember.

Hey, how does one get into the Successful Failure Club?

You could be the president of the club, you have my vote

Awww^ that,s so sweet of you to say; I will cherish your vote forever?

[Hy Feiber]

Jeff Schaeffer in 1992.........

https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... je01.shtml

Good one! Though he only had some 350 plate appearances.

The greater the number of at bats, the higher the honor.

Kratz had over 900, hence greater failure!

[Hy Feiber]

Kratz is Back!!!!

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/05/ ... kratz.html

[Ziskmagic]

Kratz is Back!!!!

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/05/ ... kratz.html

Eric Kratz...it just sounds like a catcher's name.

I guess tthis means there will be no Junino in Tampa this year?

[Hy Feiber]

https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... za01.shtml

I’m hereby adding the esteemed Zach Duke to the list!

He’s 68-91 over 15 years, for which he’s
“earned” a cool $31 mil!

For the most part, he’s attained consistently below avg numbers, best season was 14 years ago.

In Modern Baseball, the surest way to succeed is to fail, at least well enough to stay in the bigs.

[Moe Gibbs]

A twist on this subject is "the guy who looked much better warming up in the bull pen than the results he got".
I'd nominate...
Matt Young
Jim Beatty
Mike Moore
Mike Morgan
Brandon Morrow...........

What keeps "position player failures" hanging around as long as some do is their ability to defend well at a couple different positions, plus do other "small ball" things that managers appreciate.
The other would be the hope that a guy can revert back to what he did as a Rookie Pheenom..or even as a AAA Player of the Year.

[Hy Feiber]

https://www.baseball-reference.com/play ... er01.shtml

Eric Sogard, not really sure if he belongs herein,
hitting .240 lifetime, has made over $6 mil, still plays, bats leadoff for Toronto.

He stands out to me as kind of a nerd, is bespectacled, a hustling cipher, a kind of a Pete Rose type, except for total performance, and his Middle Name is Sidney!

The kinda kid that always got picked last for my 5th grade kickball team!

Now That’s an UnderDog.

Started with the A’s 9 years back.