Sunday, February 11, 2007

100 Greatest Red Sox >> #90 Brian Daubach

Brian Daubach, 1B, #23 (1999-2002, 2004)

541 G, 477 H, 86 HR, 306 RBI, 4 SB, .265 AVG, .341 OBP, .488 SLG

Brian Michael Daubach, born February 11, 1972 in Belleville, Illinois, was drafted in 1990 by the New York Mets in the 17th Round, and got a reputation as a player that always was the sort of guy who you had an idea could contribute but not start everyday. He toiled for seven years in the Mets’ minor league system without breaking through to the majors before being granted free agency. In 1997, he signed with the Florida Marlins organization and made his major league debut in 1998 getting 15 ABs. In 1995, he crossed picket lines to be a replacement player (scab) during the MLBPA players’ strike, but the strike ended before any of the replacements saw game action. (Daubach is one of a select few Major League Baseball players who is not a member of the MLB Players Union because he was a strike breaker during the 1994 strike shortened season.)

A left-handed first baseman with above-average power, Daubach was shunned as a “scab” when he joined the Boston Red Sox in 1999. Due to his hard nosed style of play and penchant for clutch hitting this resentment didn’t last long, and he quickly became both a player and fan favorite. From 1999-2002 he averaged 432 ABs. His best year with the Sox was his first, 1999, when he batted .294 with 21 HR and 73 RBI. He became the first among AL rookies in home runs. He is only the third left-handed rookie in Red Sox history to hit at least 20 home runs, joining Ted Williams (20 in 1939) and Fred Lynn (21 in 1975). Those power numbers stayed somewhat consistant throughout his time with the Sox, but his average took a bit of a hit as the years went on. A notable moment for Red Sox Nation occurred on August 16, 1999 when he helped the Red Sox pull away from the Oakland Athletics en route to the American League wild card with his three-run double in the bottom of the ninth off Tim Worrell.

During his tenure with the Red Sox, he also became a special friend to the Jimmy Fund. In addition to making frequent visits to the Jimmy Fund Clinic, Daubach made appearances at Jimmy Fund events, including the Scooper Bowl®, and served as a spokesman for the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk. In 2003, Daubach contributed $500 to the Jimmy Fund for every home run he hit throughout the season. The Brian Daubach Home Run Challenge raised $34,000.

Sadly, he had no place on the team at the beginning of the 2003. He signed with the Chicago White Sox, but saw limited action and underperformed to a great extent. He made a triumphant return to Fenway in 2004, but he did not play well after coming back and was soon gone again. He is considered a founding member of the “Boston Dirt Dogs” and later received a World Series Championship ring as a member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox.

On June 16, 2005, Daubach finally made his debut with the club that drafted him fifteen years earlier. He started 2005 with the Norfolk Tides, a Triple-A affiliate of the Mets in the International League. That year Brian led the way for the Tides, as he led the International League in all three triple-crown categories, hitting .371 with eight home runs and 25 RBI. Currently, Brian is a minor league first baseman for the Memphis Redbirds, the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

In his seven-season major league career, he has compiled a .261 batting average with 92 home runs and 330 RBI in 646 games.

Player Biography by Karen

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this a joke? Brian Daubach among the 100 top Red Sox players?

Cormac said...

Hey obviously the list isn't going to please everyone but the whole idea is to promote discussion amongst the online community over the top 100. Having said that, I absolutely welcome Daubers not only on his excellent stats during his period with the Sox but also on his personality, loyalty and if anything that cool 12 pitch at bat and game winner against Oakland all those years ago..

Don't like it? Go make your own list..

John said...

Here are two good reason why he is among the top 100....

"He became the first among AL rookies in home runs. He is only the third left-handed rookie in Red Sox history to hit at least 20 home runs, joining Ted Williams (20 in 1939) and Fred Lynn (21 in 1975)"

Plus he had 4 consecutive above average season for the Sox. You can't say that about a lot of guys.

John said...

Plus Dauber is in 32nd place with 86 Home Runs as a member of the Sox... more than Boggs, Damon, Jimmy Piersall, Walt Dropo.

Brian Martin said...

Reason #4 why Daubach deserves to be on the list....what do Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Mo Vaughn, Nomar Garciaparra, Vern Stephens, Tony Conigliaro, Fred Lynn, and Jim Rice have in common? Well, for one, they're 10 of the top sluggers in Red Sox history (and some of the best in the history of the game). But as it relates to this post, they're the only players with at least 1500 AB's with the Sox who have a higher SLG than Daubach.

Anonymous said...

With all due respect, come on. Thats just humorous. A careers .265 BA, 306 RBI, but most imporant not even 600 games. He was an alright player but without knowing the players that are to come, he is defiantly not top 100. And to say that he has more homeruns than Boggs and Damon means literally nothing. Neither of those players were power hitters. The man isn't even 35 and has long since left the ML scene. Don't get me wrong i love the guy but this one is a real stretch.

Brian Martin said...

Dave, there really aren't as many stars in Sox history as you'd think. Are there better players to put on a uniform than Daubach? Absolutely. Walt Dropo had an amazing season for the Sox in 1950...but that was the only real season he had with the team. Or Carl Everett who helped Nomar carry the team in 2000 before Manny came along...but we all know how he turned out. There have been more talented players, but most of them didn't last very long in Boston. Daubach had 4 solid years with the team. They weren't spectacular years, but he helped the team out and managed some decent numbers.

When the top 100 is done, take a look at who's left. There won't be too many talented guys left off this list.

Runciman1903 said...

I was listening on the radio that night in August 1999 when Dauber won the game against the A's. I wonder how many pitches he fouled off? What a great at-bat.

Kim said...

July 13, 2000: My best friend and I were driving to Brooklyn to visit another friend of ours. It was an evening game against the Mets. We began listening to the game on WEEI, but at some point in Connecticut, we had to switch to WFAN. Bottom of the 9th. 3-2, Mets. Runners at 1st and 2nd. Two outs. Full count. Brian Daubach delivered a delicious game-winning double and we lost our minds in the car. I still remember screaming with joy as we crossed into Brooklyn.

I'll always love Dauber.

Anonymous said...

Call him Dauber all day long if you want but it sort of shows that fanboy man-love holds as much sway in the creation of this list as does objective consideration of the man's abilities and statistics.

It's difficult to argue anything other than "Dauber" being a journeyman, borderline player with one foot in the minors for most of his unremarkable career.

Props for making a controversial choice and generating some debate, though.

Anonymous said...

By the way does any1 know if Dauber is with any team in spring training? Last i saw was that he sustained some sort of injury last yr. w/the memphis redbirds. It does'nt appear that he's on this year's roster....tnx

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, sure, he's got my vote for top 100 all time ( part time ) players....

Anonymous said...

i have to agree with anonymous. i think its surprising daubach is on the list. he did have his moments. but in the end he was just average. and i feel that he might be on here cause of a time-bias... that we remember him play for the sox. there are probably a bunch of joe shmoe average players (or even players way above avg) from the 20s till the 80s no one thought of putting in his place.

Anonymous said...

Daubach=junk

Silvia said...

The guy is definitely right, and there's no question.