If Your Birthday is March 11th...

...you share it with Jeremy Hefner. The Mets current pitching coach spent parts of the 2012 and '13 seasons working off the Citi Field mound -- until Tommy John surgery halted his career. After retiring, he scouted for the Twins before becoming their assistant pitching coach. He moved back to Queens and his present position in 2020.

Dan Uggla enjoyed seven productive seasons with the Marlins and Braves. The slugging 2nd baseman walked a lot -- even leading the NL in that stat in 2012. But the following season, he hit just .179 and was never again a regular.
Rich Hill fits the definition of the well-traveled lefty... The oldest active pitcher in the majors begins his second tour of duty with the Red Sox this season, after signing a free agent deal just before the lockout. All told, he's appeared for 11 big league clubs.
Bobby Abreu posted impressive numbers during the heart of his career, especially 1998-2005 while starring for the Phillies. But was the sum less than the parts? His defense left something to be desired -- especially how he seemed to shy away from fences. And there was an odd quirk to his career -- teams seemed to get better after he left. The Phils didn't become division winners until he was traded to the Yankees, who didn't make it back to the World Series until he left for the Angels. Some analytics experts believe he's a Hall of Famer; I'd place him squarely in the middle of the Hall of Very Good. 
This is certain, with no Hall of Famers born on March 11th, it's more than fair to say Bobby Abreu is the best player on this birthday list.

Also on our cake and candles list today:
  • Cesar Geronimo, the defensively gifted centerfielder for Cincinnati's Big Red Machine of the 1970s.
And remembering:

  • Dock Ellis, who pitched nine of his 12 seasons with the Pirates, teaming with such legends as Clemente and Stargell on three division winners and the 1971 World Series champs. He's best remembered for his 1970 a no-hitter against the Mets while claiming be high on LSD. After achieving sobriety later in life, he worked as a drug counselor before his death in 2009.
  • Lyman Bostock, a 1940s Negro Leaguer, whose namesake son starred for the Twins and Angels before being murdered during the 1978 season.
 

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