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Godspeed, Dave Bush Bush had been used rather regularly this season. He made one start. Otherwise, he played some mop-up time and came on in long relief. Generally, he sucked.
Bush is just another cog in the long history of pitchers the Rangers acquired hoping (praying!) that there's a little bit of magic left in that arm.
These pitchers typically are older (Bush was 31), but not too old. They typically have had some modicum of success, although they were typically never superstars or considered "extremely good." Otherwise the team would never get rid of them.
These are the Dave Bush All-Stars. And they never turn out good for the Rangers.
The Rangers had a bumrush of Dave Bush All-Stars. Not only did they name the team's namesake, they signed Seth McClung (30) and Brett Tomko (38, two-time 13-game winner). In fact, this team should be called the Brett Tomko All-Stars, but Dave Bush has a certain ring to it.
Here are 10 members of the Dave Bush All-Star team (note: It's just pitchers. So, don't kick my nuts in, OK?).
Sidney Ponson
In 2003, Ponson won 14 games for the Baltimore Orioles before getting traded to San Francisco. He played for three other teams before the Rangers took a flyer on him in 2008 at age 31. He was not bad. He went 4-1 with a 3.88 ERA. Did the Rangers find a diamond in need of a mere polishing? Hardly. The lush was seen getting hammered before a start and had post-game words with Ian Kinsler. At the time, the Rangers could've used Ponson. Being jettisoned spoke volumes about his effect on the team.
Scott Erickson
The once hotshot pitching prospect won 20 for the Minnesota Twins at age 23. Years later, he'd win 60 games in four years with Baltimore. In 2004, the 36-year-old was traded by the Mets to the Rangers. The magic was gone. He went 1-3 with a 6.16 ERA in Texas.
Bruce Hurst
Hurst was a nice back-of-the-rotation starter for the Red Sox and Padres for years. He had double-digit wins for 10 straight years peaking with 18 in 1988. In 1994, at 36, Hurst was all but washed up. His final year was in Texas. He posted a 7.11 ERA in eight games.
Danny Darwin
Darwin was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers. Spent his first seven years as a Ranger and was never bad. That's generally the bulk of his career. His ERA rarely tipped over 4.00, but he never won many games (3.84 career ERA, 171-182 W/L). He'd start 20 games and then spend the next year in the bullpen. A useful guy. Darwin rejoined the Rangers at 39 in 1995 and posted a 7.15 ERA in seven games.
Kris Benson
Nobody aged quicker in MLB than Benson. Maybe it was the wife. Maybe it was the years of disappointment. He was one of about 1,000 pitchers the last 20 years that sunk the Pittsburgh franchise with the spark of promise and the lead weight of inferior play. Benson never really had a lot of successful before the Rangers threw a contract at him in 2009. The 34-year-old won the No. 5 spot in the rotation, a seeming placeholder for the kids coming up in the minors. Benson did not disappoint. Or he did disappoint. Depending on your thoughts on him. Appeared in eight games and posted a 8.46 ERA.
Pedro Astacio
Geesh. The 2000s were a very dark period for the Rangers. Astacio had just won 17 games for Colorado. At best for the Rangers, he'd eat up some innings. Instead, he was 2-8 with a 6.04 ERA and a remarkable 13 home runs in 67 innings.
Dennis Boyd
Texas was a nice place to close out a career. The man known as "Oil Can" never played another Major League game at 31 with his tenure ending in Texas. He'd put together three unspectacularly good years in Boston. By the time the Rangers acquired him, he was washed up. A 6.68 ERA in 12 starts for the Rangers. My dad still can't believe they signed someone named "Oil Can."
Craig Lefferts/Mike Schooler/Greg Cadaret
Three moustaches. Three 1980s Topps baseball card icons. Lefferts actually started eight games for the Rangers in 1993. His ERA was over 6.00. Schooler's career was surprisingly short and ended in Texas. His ERA was 5.55. Cadaret was a marginal reliever to begin with. He fared the best with a 4.70 ERA.
Jason Jennings
If it wasn't the Dave Bush All-Stars, it'd be the Jason Jennings All-Stars. The Rangers fucking sold Jennings to the fans. They didn't sell Darwin, Benson, Astacio or Schooler. Those were just names, bodies to put on the 25-man roster. Maybe they eat some innings. Maybe you get lucky and they're half decent. No. Jennings was different. For one, he was local. Naturally, he was going to pitch better in front of his friends and family. Two, the Colorado altitude had killed his ERA over the years, despite winning 16 games for the Rockies. He was healthy and hungry. Instead, Jennings pitched in six games and posted a 8.56 ERA in 2008. The Rangers were not done. In 2009, Jennings was really healthy and ready to pitch for Rangers. The Rangers re-signed him. He wasn't the worst ever. He pitched in 44 games and posted a 4.13 ERA. Still, he was costing $5 million a year and he couldn't be trusted.
Rick Honeycutt
The wiley lefty had a long and solid career as a starter and then as a reliever. He spent three seasons in the 1980s with the Rangers and was pretty good. Afterwards, he transitioned to the bullpen. The Rangers brought him back in 1994. He pitched in 42 games and had a 7.20 ERA as a lefty specialist.
Other Dave Bush All-Stars:
Bruce Chen, Kip Wells, Bryan Corey, Adam Eaton, James Baldwin, Mickey Callaway, Esteban Yan, C.J. Nitkowski, Todd Van Poppel, John Rocker, Jeff Fassero, Scott Bailes, Tony Fossas, Terry Clark, Floyd Bannister.
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