This is a pretty good Birthday Team, but it would be a lot better if Eddie Sawyer would let Goldschmidt play some right field. I'm not excited about Big Klu being on the bench, but neither he nor Goldy ever played anything other than first base. Votto is also a first baseman, obviously, but he's at least made a few cameos in left field.

I'm confident that this is the only team all year in which the fourth-best first baseman on the roster is the only position player in the Hall of Fame.

C: Jack Lapp (8.9 WAR)
1B: Paul Goldschmidt (49.2 WAR)
2B: High Pockets Kelly (25.9 WAR)
3B: Neil Walker (19.6 WAR)
SS: Harry Niles (5.8 WAR)
LF: Joey Votto (63.3 WAR)
CF: Roger Maris (38.3 WAR)
RF: Dusty Miller (7.8 WAR)

SP: Randy Johnson (101.1 WAR)
SP: Barney Pelty (19.2 WAR)
SP: Anthony Swarzak (4.9 WAR)
SP: Chad Kuhl (2.2 WAR)
SP: Preston Hanna (1.8 WAR)
RP: Danys Baez (5.8 WAR)

Manager: Eddie Sawyer
Backup 1B/Bench Bat/Uniform Designer: Ted Kluszewski (31.5 WAR)
Not that one: Harry Anderson
None of those ones: Danny Murphy
-3.6 WAR in less than 500 career AB: Chad Hermansen

Fun Fact: Barney Pelty threw a shutout to win the first-ever game at Comiskey Park, on July 1, 1910.

I wonder how many other birthday teams have at least four guys who've hit 36 homers, and who have each done it more than once?

It is one of the crazier Birthday Teams.

Kluzewski: no appearances besides 1B
Goldschmidt: no appearances besides 1B and DH
Votto: 7 outfield games, 6 of them as a rookie

Kind of like when the Giants brought up Bill White, Orlando Cepeda, and Willie McCovey at the same time.

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Kelly famously played 2B in the 1924 World Series and most of 1925 to get Bill Terry's bat in the lineup. He was above-average defensively at 2B (!) but turned 30 that season - it wasn't a long-term solution.

His career arc and player profile is very similar to Steve Garvey. Both spent time at other IF positions, both played in big markets, had high BA's, moderate power, seldom walked, drove in lots of runs, overrated by the media of their time, neither reaches Hall of Fame/Merit standards. Kelly, though, was not a jerk.

When will the birthday league allow the DH? We've now had almost as many DH seasons in the AL (49), as non-DH seasons (72). So, 2044?!?

-3.6 WAR in less than 500 career AB: Chad Hermansen

Pretty sure I still have Chad Hermansen in a dormant keeper league somewhere... don't suppose he's going to turn it around at age 44, not having played since 2004...

And High Pockets was about 90% at 1B too. The defense will be a challenge.