Bobo Newsom
www.baseball-reference.com

If you’ve ever wondered about who are the most well-traveled ballplayers, well you’ve come to the right post.

My favorite journeyman is good ol’ boy Bobo Newsom on the left, there. His career spanned 25 years during which he played on 9 clubs, switched teams 16 times, and never stayed on the same club for more than 3 consecutive seasons. He even had multiple stints with 4 different organizations, and was once traded for two brothers, one (the wrong one) a future HOFer.

After the jump, I’ll introduce you to a number of other journeymen, some unfamiliar and some who need no introduction.

WARNING: what follows is entirely for fun and written 100% tongue in cheek. Remember, you were warned.

On B-R (and other sites, no doubt), you can find lists of the most teams that a player has played for. That’s fine for a career journeyman measure. But, a real journeyman ALWAYS has his bags packed, never knowing where he may be headed next.

This post is a 5-round race to determine Mr. Journeyman, the player to play for the most franchises in a 5-year period. We’ll go one round at a time, so you can see the guys who jump out to a fast start and then fade, and others with more staying power. But, don’t forget about the guys who hang back, waiting to make a final charge to the finish line.

Round 1

It’s a perfect evening at the track for today’s running of the Mr. Journeyman Derby. It’s a grueling 5 round event in quest of the prestigious Mr. Journeyman Cup.

We’re just about ready and, yes, they’re off and running, as we look for players with the most teams in a single season.

As you can see, everyone from Cap Anson to Bryce Harper is eligible. I’ve highlighted number 4, Frank Huelsman because it appears that his four teams were really equivalent to a season playing for five teams. His B-R page appears to indicate that he went from Chicago to Detroit, back to Chicago, then to St. Louis and finally Washington. Watch out for the powerful  Joey Bats in round 2.

Round 2

Now we’re looking at most teams played for in any two consecutive seasons.

Wow, lots of rabbits in round 1. Only the 19th century guys and a couple of Daves, Kingman(!) and Martinez, carried over from round 1. But, the race is still wide open, including the last guy on the list who, with 13 teams on his resume, figures to have some staying power. Also nice to see Eddie Robinson here to represent the Kansas City-New York shuttle. And with World Series MVP Pat Borders and HOFer Steve Carlton, this is really shaping up as an interesting race.

Round 3

On we go to 3 seasons. It’s still anybody’s race.

Whoa! Didn’t even notice old Pop Smith sneak in there in round 2. And with two entries, he looks really good for the next round, too. Same goes for Pat Borders, Bruce Chen and (I warned you about him) Octavio Dotel.

Round 4

So, we know we’ll get 7 teams in 4 years, but do I hear 8?

Guess not. But, there’s Todd Zeile coming out of nowhere. And with 2500 PA, no less. This must make Todd the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball. Yes, we want you in the lineup everyday. Until we don’t, that is. Bruce Chen is still looking strong, and now Jorge Julio has moved up to challenge. Still too close to call, though.

Round 5

Last round to determine Mr. Journeyman. All wagers in, and we’re off.

There you have it. A dead heat. Harry Wheeler, among the early leaders, made it all the way back. And look at that – Rick White and Russell Branyan have come out of the pack in the final round. With his 300+ appearances in 5 years, White is definitely another in the Rodney Dangerfield class.

We’ll have to go to a tie-breaker. But, wait! What’s this? Yes, a challenge flag has been thrown. Just hang on a moment while I sort this out. ……. Indeed, the challenge is that I can’t count. Harry Wheeler is showing as playing for 8 teams, but only 7 are shown. This one is going upstairs for further review. ….. Upon further review, the ruling on the track stands – 8 teams for Harry Wheeler. But, how can it be? It seems that Harry played for both the NL and AA Cincinnati clubs, and both are shown in B-R as CIN (memo to Sean Forman: let’s get that fixed).

Anyway, back to the tie-breaker. It’s a sudden death round as we go to 6 seasons for only these qualifiers. Unfortunately, Harry Wheeler, Bob Miller, Bruce Chen and Jorge Julio cannot improve on 8 teams, so they’re out.

So, it’s down to the final three of Rick White, Russell Branyan and Octavio Dotel. The tension is excruciating as P-I churns through the permutations. But, yes I believe we have a result. Yes, here it is.

I was afraid this might happen. We’re still tied. But wait, what’s this? A late entry for Kenny Lofton? The judges are looking into this. …. sorry Kenny, you have been disqualified, as you weren’t among the top finishers at the end of the regulation 5 rounds.

So, for the second tie-breaker, it’s down to the battle of the pluses. It’s Russell Branyan’s OPS+ against ERA+ for Rick White and Octavio Dotel (I think that gulping sound you just heard was Rick White).

So, here it is, our final result.

What a squeaker. Russell Branyan just edges Octavio Dotel by the slimmest of margins, 119 to 118. Rick White is well back and will have to settle for 3rd place (did White really get 350+ appearances with that ERA+ ?)

We’re going down now to our trackside reporter. He’s trying to make his way through the crowd and get a few words with our winner.

HHS: “Russell, congratulations! What a race.”

RB: “Wow. Was that ever close. I was really worried when it got to the second tie-breaker. Thought I might have blown it with that 84 OPS+ in my last year. But, what can I say. It all worked out.”

HHS: “You almost didn’t make it into the playoff. You just squeaked in on the last round.”

RB: “Right. Arizona picked me up for that 2011 season, and I was like 0 for May and wondering if I still had it. But I broke out of it in that win over the Braves with the big hit in the 11th off Craig Kimbrel, and I guess that was all the Angels needed to see. Compared to Vernon Wells, I suppose I looked pretty hot. Anyway, that was the move that got me into the playoff round, so thank you Angels.”

HHS: “Thanks Russell. Enjoy the moment. Back to you, Doug.”

Well, there you have it folks. Big upset tonight, with Rusell Branyan edging out favorite Octavio Dotel. Good night, everyone.