Battling Bucs : ATP: Position Players By Birth Place - Class F

ATP stands for All Time Pirates. It is a running series of mine that digs into the Pirates past and takes a look at it from various different angles. This particular exercise is looking at it from the player's place of birth. Each US state, the District of Columbia and each foreign country will be investigated in the attempt to build a team. For more specifics check out the introductory post here.
First up in this 13 part series are the position players born in what I am calling a class F location. I'm using the term class F location to refer to a place that has produced at last one Pirates position player but doesn't have the necessary 8 to field a starting lineup. With 51 states (counting Washington DC) and 19 countries there are a total of 70 locales and exactly half of them, 35, will be discussed here. Obviously since these locations don't have enough players to fill out a team this will be presented a little differently than the rest of the classes. Instead of each location getting its own lineup I have divided them into groups of 4 according to geography. There is an Eastern United States team, a Western United States team, a Latin America Team and an Eastern Hemisphere team. Each section will form a 15 man roster. The concept behind the roster is a starting 8, 2 backup catchers, a backup 1B, 2 reserve infielders and 2 reserve outfielders but the construction may not mirror that approach exactly.
Eastern United States
Delaware: Dave May (PH), John Newell (3B), Hans Lobert (IF), Spook Jacobs (2B), Brandy Davis (OF)
Maine: Abel Lizotte (1B), Live Oak Taylor (OF)
New Hampshire: Tom Padden (C)
Rhode Island: Bill Almon (SS/OF), John Flynn (1B), Art Merewether (PH), Morgan Murphy (C), Dan Sullivan (C), Gene Steere (SS)
Vermont: Fred Mann (OF), Chris Duffy (OF)
Washington D.C.: Maury Wills (3B), Billy Taylor (C/1B/OF), Elmer Cleveland (3B), Bob Barr (1B/OF), Mickey Keliher (1B), Tom Kinslow (C), Denny Sothern (OF)
Lineup
1. Chris Duffy, CF
2. Maury Wills, 3B
3. Billy Taylor, LF
4. Bill Almon, SS
5. Fred Mann, RF
6. John Flynn, 1B
7. Tom Padden, C
8. Spook Jacobs, 2B
Bench
C: Tom Kinslow
1B: Abel Lizotte
IF: Elmer Cleveland
IF: Gene Steere
OF: Bob Barr
OF: Live Oak Taylor
OF: Brandy Davis (Billy Taylor serves as the 3rd catcher)
Notes: The lineup lacks any real elite talent but is fairly well stacked 1 through 7 with solid ball players. Duffy and Wills a top the lineup have a bit of speed with Wills probably being the best all around player on the team. Taylor and Mann the 3 and 5 hitters are probably the best overall hitters on the team with the clean up guy Bill Almon having the most power with a team high 13 career Pirate home runs. Flynn gives the lineup some length in the sixth hole as a league average hitter for his era and Padden while not a great hitter was decent and comes with a solid reputation behind the dish. Spook Jacobs received only 41 PA in his Pirates career and was a poor hitter but is the only player to have started more than 1 game at 2B while with the Pirates.
On the bench there were several catchers to choose from but aside from Padden and Taylor who are starting Kinslow is the only one to have more than 20 PA. Lizotte hit awful is a tiny 32 PA sample but there isn't much to choose from in backup 1B. Reserve infielder Cleveland was a solid player but only ever played 3B and is clearly behind Wills there and Steere is another product of limited choices. Barr and Oak Taylor each hit respectably in their tenures with the Pirates earning them the reserve OF spots and Davis grabs the last spot basically because he saw significantly more playing time than the remaining available options.
Western United States

Alaska: Josh Phelps (C/1B), Scott Loucks (OF)
Arizona: Billy Hatcher (OF), Jaff Decker (OF), Matt Pagnozzi (C)
Colorado: Cobe Jones (SS)
Idaho: Bill Salkeld (C), Vance Law (2B/SS)
Nebraska: Billy Southworth (OF), Johnny Hopp (1B/OF), Al Bool (C), Jeff Richardson (3B/SS), Cliff Lee (C/OF)
New Mexico: Ralph Kine (1B/OF)
Oregon: Carson Bigbee (OF), Wally Backman (2B/3B), Mark Parent (C), Ed Mensor (OF), Bob Beall (PH), Matt Diaz (OF)
Utah: Spencer Adams (2B/SS), Chad Hermansen (OF)
Wyoming: John Buck (C)
Hawaii, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana and Nevada: None
Lineup
1. Carson Bigbee, CF
2. Wally Backman, 3B
3. Ralph Kiner, LF
4. Bill Salkeld, C
5. Johnny Hopp, 1B
6. Billy Southworth, RF
7. Spencer Adams, 2B
8. Cobe Jones, SS
Bench
C: Mark Parent
C: Al Bool
1B: Josh Phelps
IF: Vance Law
OF: Ed Mensor
OF: Matt Diaz
OF: Chad Hermansen (played IF in the minors)
Notes: In Ralph Kiner the Western United States has the best player amongst these 4 teams so they have the star power. Surrounding Kiner at the top of the lineup is Bigbee who is the lone stolen base threat in this lineup and Backman who was a good OBP guy with limited power. Aside from Kiner, Salkeld has the most power so he cleans things up with Hopp and Southworth providing two above average bats behind him. One through 6 this lineup is a rather dangerous one that can work on pitcher but occupying the two bottom spots are two weak hitting middle infielders in Adams and Jones. Neither player even received 70 PA while with the Pirates but the options for middle infield on this team are scarce.
On the bench Parent and Bool are very similar backup catchers in they both have a bit of power in their game and overall are solid players who would make respectable starting options. Josh Phelps is a pinch hit specialist who provides a backup to Hopp so Kiner can remain in the outfield full time. Law makes the bench by default being the only other infielder eligible for the team with more than 5 career PA with the Pirates. He can't hit at all but is pretty nifty with the glove. Mensor is a solid 4th outfielder who is a league average hitter but he can't crack the loaded starting group and Diaz while he wasn't great provides a solid RH bat off the bench. Chad Hermansen makes the team basically by default as there was no other non catcher who had significant playing time plus Hermansen at least has past experience in the infield which is somewhere this team is running a bit short on depth.
Latin America
Bahamas: Andre Rodgers (3B/SS)
Columbia: Yamir Haad (PH)
Cuba: Jose Martinez (IF), Tony Ordenana (SS), Orestes Destrade (1B), Orlando McFarlane (C), Jackie Hernandez (SS), Roman Mejias (OF)
Curacao: Yurendell DeCaster (PH), Randall Simon (1B)
Mexico: Humberto Cota (C), Houston Jimenez (2B/SS), Alfredo Amezaga (SS), Luis Cruz (2B/SS), Mario Mendoza (SS), Felipe Montemayor (OF)
Panama: Manny Sanguillen (C), Rennie Stennett (2B), Omar Moreno (OF), Dave Roberts (1B)
Virgin Islands: Elmo Plaskett (C), Joe Christopher (OF), Midre Cummings (OF)
Lineup
1. Omar Moreno, CF
2. Rennie Stennett, 2B
3. Manny Sanguillen, C
4. Roman Mejias, RF
5. Andre Rodgers, 3B
6. Joe Christopher, LF
7. Randall Simon, 1B
8. Mario Mendoza, SS
Bench
C: Humberto Cota
C: Orlando McFarlane
IF: Jackie Hernandez
IF: Jose Martinez
IF: Luis Cruz (Andre Rodgers will serve as backup 1B)
OF: Midre Cummings
OF: Felipe Montemayor
Notes: Panama starts the team off well with an impressive trio of Moreno, Stennett and Sanguillen, Moreno is the stolen base threat on the team while Stennett and Sanguillen are easily the team's two best players. Behind this trio though the team weakens tremendously. Mejias has a little bit of pop in his bat but overall isn't a strong hitter. Andre Rodgers in the 5th spot provides a decent bat but he is knocked some for his limited time with the Pirates. Christopher is a similarly skilled offensive player to Mejias but has a little less pop and slightly better contact skills. Simon was awful while with the Pirates but there are limited options at 1B as Sanguillen and Rodgers have the 2nd and 3rd most games there respectively and are already in the lineup at other positions. Mendoza is so famous for being such a light hitter they call batting .200 the Mendoza line but he does make up for it a little bit with stellar defense at shortstop.
On the bench Cota provides the club with an adequate backup catcher but one you don't want playing a whole lot and McFarlane is more of an emergency option as he really can't hit at all. With 1B options so severely limited I opted to have Rodgers, the starting 3B, serve as the backup and carry three reserve infielders. Jackie Hernandez is basically a clone of Mendoza except he doesn't come with quite as sparkling a defensive reputation. Jose Martinez can hit a bit better than the all glove shortstops and has played the position before but is stretched there. Luis Cruz didn't do much with the Pirates but options are limited and he actually has a relatively decent chunk of playing time compared to the other options. In the outfield Cummings and Montemayor are weak bats but they provide left handed hitting compliments to the two starting corner outfielders who both hit right handed.
Eastern Hemisphere
England: Tom Brown (OF), Dave Brain (3B), Harry Smith (C)
Germany: Bill Kuehne (3B/SS), Fritz Mollwitz (1B), Bill Miller (OF), Henry Youngman (3B)
Ireland: Patsy Donovan (OF), Jocko Fields (C/OF), Conny Doyle (OF), Paddy O'Connor (C), Bill Farmer (C/OF), Sam Nichol (OF), Jimmy Archer (C)
Japan: Akinori Iwamura (2B)
Scotland: Mike Hopkins (C)
South Korea: Jung-Ho Kang (3B/SS)
Netherlands, Russia: None
Lineup
1. Patsy Donovan, RF
2. Tom Brown, LF
3. Jung-Ho Kang, SS
4. Bill Kuehne, 3B
5. Jocko Fields, C
6. Conny Doyle, CF
7. Frtiz Mollwitz, 1B
8. Akinori Iwamura, 2B
Bench
C: Harry Smith
C: Paddy O'Connor
1B: Jimmy Archer
IF: Dave Brain
IF: Henry Youngman
OF: Sam Nichol
OF: Bill Miller
Notes: Donovan is probably the best player on the team and he is going to lead off due to his OBP and good speed on the bases. Tom Brown has limited power but overall is probably the second best hitter on the team and is another strong OBP guy. Filling in the 3rd spot in Kang who is already one of the better players on the team and likely its best hitter. Kuehne bats cleanup as he is the second best power hitter on the team behind Kang. Giving the lineup some depth, Fields is another solid hitter in the 5th spot but then the lineup kind of tails off a bit. In the sixth spot Doyle hit well but in a very limited sample with the Pirates. Rounding out the lineup Mollwitz was a very poor hitting 1B and Iwamura gets the start at 2B solely because he is the only one with any significant time at the position.
The pool of players for this team was only 17 so the bench is basically made up of whoever is left. Smith, O'Connor and Archer were all catchers by trade but Archer did make 1 appearance at 1B so he takes the backup role at that position as the options there are limited. None of them are quality hitters but Smith did spend a significant time with the Pirates. In the infield Dave Brain would ideally be starting over Iwamura as he was a very solid 3B for the Pirates but Kang and Kuehne are better players and force him out. Henry Youngman is the only other infielder eligible for the team but he has never played SS so on Kang's off days Kuehne will have to slide over. The OF reserves Nichol and Miller have a combined 29 PA for the Pirates but the only other guys left are both catchers with even less time than them so they get the spots by default. Aside from Brain none of the bench options bring much to the table hitting wise.

Power Rankings
4. Eastern Hemisphere
Kuehne and Kang form the best left side of an infield between all 4 teams and provides a nice building block for this team. Donovan and Brown gives the team two solid outfielders but when combined with Doyle the team is lacking a true center fielder and is weak defensively out in the pasture. Jocko Fields has a good bat for a catcher but his defensive prowess is questionable at best. On the right side of the infield Mollwitz and Iwamura leave a lot to be desired. Behind the starting 8 is one solid bench bat in Dave Brain and then a bunch of players you probably wouldn't want to see much action. The lack of depth here is what really puts this group behind the others.
3. Eastern United States
When I first began putting these teams together I had expected this team to be last in my power rankings due to the lack of any real standouts. However this team made a legitimate run at 2nd place thanks to a very deep team full of respectable options. None of the starting 8 rank as the best for the four teams but conversely none rank as the worst either. In the outfield Duffy provides a good defensive center fielder while Taylor and Mann are two quality hitters flanking him. The right side of the infield has a good hitter in Flynn and the team's only real hole in Jacobs at 2B. Wills and Almon form an underrated left side of the infield which is probably the second best between these teams and behind the dish Padden provides a stable presence defensively who isn't a zero with the bat. Behind the starting 8 there are a few solid bench bats in Bob Barr and Elmer Cleveland plus a few other guys you could probably tolerate playing the field for a game here or there. The lack of star power is what ultimately prevented this club from climbing any higher.
2. Latin America
The great Panama trio of Sanguillen, Stennett and Moreno proved a little too much for the depth of the eastern US team to overcome but there are definite shortcomings here as the whole lineup behind the Panama trio is filled with below average starters. On the infield corners Simon is a very poor hitting 1B while Rodgers though his numbers are decent is hurt by his limited time with the Pirates. Flanking Moreno are two players in Mejias and Christopher who are ideally better suited for a 4th outfield role. Shortstop is black hole position in the lineup but provides good value defensively. Fortunately for this club there are some decent reserves on their bench who are not that far behind their below average starters. Hernandez can do a good impression of Mendoza, Martinez has a decent bat for a backup infielder and Cummings and Montemayor provide good left handed compliments for the right handed starting outfielders. It goes without saying the Panama 3 is the primary reason this team finds itself ranked second while the lack of depth behind them is why they failed to claim the top spot.
1. Western United States
Starting out with the best player on any of the 4 teams was a big boost towards the teams efforts to claim the number one spot but what really put them over the edge is a dynamic top 6 in their lineup that could really wear down a pitcher. Kiner is the lone superstar here but joining him in the outfield Bigbee and Southworth are two fine players who each had good Pirate careers. In the infield Salkeld, Hopp and Backman provide three more bats who are going to be very difficult outs. The team like most of the others here is lacking a good middle infield but Adams and Jones are respectable enough not to sour the solid top 6. Helping the cause even more is the depth of the bench which features two good backup catchers, Parent and Bool, a pinch hitting specialist in Phelps and a great 4th outfielder in Mensor who would probably start for each of the other three teams. When you put a bunch of solid players around a legit superstar like Kiner you have the makings of very good team and that is why this team claims the top spot in this group.