If Your Birthday is April 29th...

 

...you share it with Scott Kingery. An outstanding 2018 spring training led to his jumping to the Phillies from Double A. Instead of just handing him a regular job at 2nd or 3rd base or the outfield, Gabe Kapler decided to turn him into Philadelphia's version of Ben Zobrist.  If anything, that held back his progress. He never developed a consistent swing and started 2021 at the alternate site before a series of injuries led to his recent recall.


Also on today's cake and candles list:


Zach McKinstry, a 33rd round draft pick who beat the odds and is now a backup player on the Dodgers, where he hit .296 during the 60-game season.


Rookie Davis, the onetime Yankee prospect who pitched briefly for the Reds and Pirates. His given name, BTW, is William.


Chad Huffman, an outfielder-1st baseman whose 21 major league games came with an almost seven-year gap: nine with the 2010 Yankees, and a dozen with the '17 Cardinals.


Kelly Shoppach, a catcher who spent parts of nine seasons in the majors, but only one (2008 with Cleveland) as a regular.


John Vander Wal, played 14 seasons, split among eight different clubs spanning the early 1990s Expos to 42 games with the 2004 Reds. His career highlight came with the 1995 Rockies, where he set the single season record with 28 pinch hits.


Rick "Rooster" Burleson spent 13 seasons in the majors, most memorably as the starting shortstop on the pennant-winning '75 Red Sox. The four-time All Star was never the same after a 1982 arm injury. After retiring, he spent more than a decade as a minor league manager.


We've got an April 29th Hall of Famer:


Luis Aparicio, the legendary Venezuelan shortstop who played on pennant winners with the '59 White Sox and the World Champion '66 Orioles. A 10-time All Star, he led the American League in stolen bases nine straight seasons.


And we remember:


Ed Charles, the smooth-fielding, poetry-writing 3rd baseman nicknamed "The Glider" on the World Champion 1969 Mets.


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