If Your Birthday is August 14th...

 

...you share it with Josh Bell.  The well-traveled first baseman has been with seven different teams in his 11-year career.  I snapped this when he was a 2024 Marlin; this year, he's with the Twins, where he's on track for what would be his sixth 20 home run season.

In an odd coincidence, two players, both lefthanded hitters who once wore #9 with Miami, share a birthday,

Juan Pierre's trademarks were speed and singles.  Four 200-hit seasons and nine years with 40 or more steals made him one of the game's most feared leadoff men of the 2000s.

Eric Wagaman was drafted out of high school and bounced through several organizations (including the Marlins, where he played in '25) before landing with the Mets as a utilityman this season.  

Johan Rojas flashed great speed and defensive skills when he debuted with the Phillies -- but hasn't been able to hit major league pitching since his 2023 debut.  Worse was this year's PED suspension, followed by a season-ending knee injury when he was preparing to return in June.  With the emergence of rookie Justin Crawford, Rojas' Philadelphia future is very much in doubt.




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