A holiday-themed lineup

It’s the holiday season and we’re meant to be enjoying ourselves. So let’s do something a little fun today and construct a lineup of players with holiday-themed names.

Catcher, Steve Christmas

The only player in baseball’s history named Christmas has to be on the roster and nine of his ten career defensive appearances came behind the plate. Christmas appeared in just 24 games between 1983 and 1986 (with the Reds, White Sox, and Cubs), batting a combined .162/.179/.297 in 39 plate appearances.

First base, J.T. Snow

Winter holidays require a little snow, right? A 16-year career as a .268/.357/.427 hitter and six Gold Glove Awards make Snow a logical choice for first base. It’s tough to forget his saving Dusty Baker’s son (Darren Baker, who is now a Nationals minor leaguer) from getting trampled at the plate in the 2002 World Series.

Second base, Jackson Holliday

There are several options in the middle infield to pick from and despite doubling up on the Holliday name (more on Matt in a minute) we can’t ignore Jackson’s upside here. The consensus top prospect in baseball entering the 2024 season, Holliday struggled in his first taste of the major leagues, hitting just .189/.255/.311 over 208 PA, but he’s still expected to be a vital piece of the Orioles future.

Shortstop, Dasher Troy

Dasher spent five years in the bigs, from 1881 to 1885, and hit .243/.274/.327 in nearly 1,200 PA.

Third base, Pedro Feliz

A solid defender at third, Feliz spent 11 seasons in the majors and batted .250/.288/.410 with 140 home runs. Most of his career came with the Giants, but he won a World Series with the Phillies in 2009.

Left field, Minnie “The Cuban Comet” Miñoso

Okay, we’re taking a little liberty with this one (unless reindeer are suddenly indigenous to Cuba) but Miñoso also easily gives us our best hitter. The Hall of Famer and 13-time All-Star batted .299/.387/.461 with more walks than strikeouts and over 1,000 runs driven in over his 20-year career.

Center field, Corbin Carroll

The 2023 NL Rookie of the Year isn’t the only Carroll to play in the majors (there are two more below) but it’s hard to ignore the chance to include him in our outfield. A subpar 2024 pulled Carroll’s career numbers down some but he’s still a .258/.340/.469 hitter who has twice led the league in triples.

Right field, Matt Holliday

We said we’d circle back to Matt and aside from Miñoso he’s the most experienced hitter on the roster. A 15-year veteran and seven-time All-Star, Holliday batted .299/.379/.510 with 316 home runs. He won four Silver Slugger Awards and a batting title, hitting .340 in 2007.

Designated hitter, Jhonkensy “Big Christmas” Noel

Noel may have only debuted this past season, but he made a name for himself with some monstrous home runs during the playoffs for the Guardians. The 23-year-old managed just a .218/.288/.486 line in his rookie season, but hit 13 home runs in under 200 PA.

Bench, Jamey Carroll

The 12-year veteran can play a key role off our bench given his experience at second, third, and short. Carroll batted .272/.349/.338 with just 13 homers in more than 4,000 PA during his career.

Bench, Ethan Holliday

We may as well include the youngest Holliday — Matt’s son, Jackson’s brother — here, too, since he’s expected to be a top pick in next summer’s draft. The Oklahoma high schooler could potentially go as high as first overall.

Pitcher, Dick Rudolph

Rudolph seems like a decent option to lead our pitching staff. He owned a 2.66 ERA and 1.158 WHIP across over 2,000 innings of work. The right-hander won 129 games over his 13-year career and won the 1914 World Series as a member of the Boston Braves.

Pitcher, Al Clauss

Santa’s namesake appeared in just five games with the 1913 Detroit Tigers. The left-hander allowed seven earned runs over 13.1 IP while walking 12 and striking out just one.

Pitcher, Jon Garland

Garland threw just over 2,100 innings over his 13-year career, posting a 4.37 ERA and 1.387 WHIP while winning 136 games. He made the All-Star team and won the World Series with the White Sox in 2005.

Pitcher, Joe “Blitzen” Benz

Benz posted a 2.43 ERA and 1.147 WHIP over nine seasons with the White Sox and was a part of their 1917 World Series-winning team. His final career appearance came during the fated 1919 season that ended with the Black Sox scandal.

Bullpen, Ed Carroll

The right-handed Carroll made 24 appearances with the 1929 Red Sox, allowing 46 runs over 67.1 IP with just 13 strikeouts.