If Your Birthday is August 26th...


 ...you share it with Elvis Andrus, now in his 12th season as the Rangers everyday shortstop. While never posting the eye-catching numbers of a Lindor or Correia, the runner up for 2009 AL Rookie of the Year been a consistent performer, providing speed and reliable defense. A skilled bunter, he's led the league in sacrifices  three times.

Maikel Franco, who remains an enigma after five-and-a-half years as an everyday player. He flashes power, doesn't strike out much (only once topping 100 in a year), but his fielding was inconsistent and too often gave the impression that he didn't care about the game. But even with three seasons of 22 or more homers on the back of his card, the Phillies ran out of patience last season and let him go over the winter. He's now with the Royals.

David Price, the talented lefthander who's starred mainly for the Rays and Red Sox -- winning 15 or more games six times -- but until 2018, had struggled mightily in the post-season. Sent from Boston to the Dodgers as a salary dump in the Mookie Betts deal, he's sitting out 2020 due to Covid-19 concerns.

Kyle Kendrick spent a decade in the majors, the first eight with the Phillies. A sinkerball specialist, he was never an top of the rotation arm, and compiled a slightly under-.500 career record, which included later stops in Colorado and Boston. 

Morgan Ensburg was one of the Astros' power hitters during the decade of the 2000s. The California native put up his best numbers in 2005, when his 36 homers and 101 RBI helped him finished fourth for NL MVP.

We've got a couple of players-turned-broadcasters:

Ricky Bottalico, best known for spending seven of his 12 big league seasons in the Phillies bullpen. These days, he's a member of the Phils pre- and post-game TV crew.

Alex Trevino played parts of 13 seasons in the major leagues, but was only a regular with the 1982 Reds. Slugging was not his niche --  he holds the Mets franchise record for the most at bats without a home run (733). Alex has built a far more prolific second career -- he's now in his 25th season on the Astros' Spanish-language broadcast team. That work has earned him a spot on the club's Wall of Honor.

And this distinguished baseball lifer:

Billy DeMars grew up in Brooklyn, New York and signed with his hometown Dodgers out of high school. but is mostly associated with Philadelphia baseball. Turning 95 today, he's one of the last living players who were managed by Connie Mack (on the 1948 Philadelphia A's). A member of the Phillies coaching staff for 13 seasons, he earned a ring with Dallas Green's staff on the 1980 World Champs.

 

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