The 5'11" and Under Club

There are grinder success stories in the NFL and NBA, no doubt.  Athletes can beat the odds whatever the sport.  It’s just that 300-pound lineman and 6’6” point guards don’t look like the average Joe (or Jane).  Thank heavens for baseball.

According to yesterday’s box scores, rookie Nick Solak, the pride of Naperville North, had himself a very nice day with the Rangers.  The 5’11” Solak went three for four with four RBIs to raise his average to .328, which ain’t bad.  In fact, it’s almost as good as Danny Mendick’s .357.

Granted, the 5’10” Mendick has only batted fourteen times with the White Sox in September, but he already has his first career homerun, that coming yesterday against the Angels.  In a postgame interview, Mendick offered that his baseball journey has been “surreal,” taking him from junior college to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell to 22^nd round draft pick by the Sox and now to the bigs.  Mendick says surreal, I say heartwarming.

And let’s not forget 5’10” Mike Brosseau, the pride of Munster, IN, by way of Oakland University outside Detroit; Brosseau has himself six homers to go with a .282 average.  Last and least only on account of his .229 BA is 5’11” Nicky Lopez out of Naperville Central.  The Royals are giving Lopez a shot at second base.  Right now, his defense is further along than his offense.  Here’s hoping the hitting comes along.

Here’s a grinder’s dream—the above four someday playing in the All-Star Game.  Wouldn’t that drive the analytics’ crowd crazy?