J.B.'s Back

One of the things I love about baseball is being able to follow the career of journeymen players.  Why?  Probably because that’s what I would’ve been, if I’d been blessed with—literally—a ton more talent.  My daughter, who is in fact significantly more gifted athletically than yours truly, has picked up that habit as well.  We even share a player of interest in J.B. Shuck, a left-handed hitting outfielder who played for the White Sox in 2015-16.

At the time, the Sox where Shuck’s fourth organization, after the Astros, Angels and Indians; there would be another two—Twins and you’ll find out soon enough—following the 2016 season.  Probably the reason Shuck has always found a home is he can provide a spark off the bench.  In an earlier era, he might have excelled at pinch-hitting.  As it was, the Sox were probably one of the few teams to have an outfield with two native sons of Ohio when they paired Shuck (the pride of Westville) with Adam Eaton (from Springfield).

Shuck had one good season and one bad season on the South Side, the second of which got him released.  Such is life nowadays for players not blessed with launch-angle potential.  Imagine my surprise, then, to read in the box scores Saturday morning that the 30-year old Shuck has resurfaced in Miami, where he debuted by going four for four with a triple and scoring from second base on a sacrifice bunt.  That’s certainly one way to get noticed and keep the baseball checks coming.

J.B. always exhibited a “happy to be playing” personality that I first saw so long ago with Walt Williams.  Those are the kind of guys I want to see capture lightning in a bottle, force their way into baseball history by breaking up a perfect game with two out in the ninth (regrettably, Ed Fitz Gerald of the Senators against Billy Pierce at Comiskey Park, 1958) or having an incredible World Series (Billy Hatcher going nine for twelve for the Reds against the A’s in the 1990 World Series).  They deserve it.

Keep on truckin’, my score-box friend.