Derrick Turnbow, the fine RHRP for the Milwaukee Brewers turns 28 today. This is not so terribly notable for readers of Batter's Box -- though perhaps for the readers of BrewCrewBall, Derrick's little holiday might mean a bit more.
Did you know that Turnbow currently sports a career winning percentage of .900? That's no typo -- the sturdy 6'3" waiver wire reclamation was 2-0 for the 2004 Angels and 7-1 last season in the city of sausages. And you can make a pretty good argument that he's the greatest Derrick ever to pull on a big league uniform; of course, only four men with that given name have ever appeared in The Show, so the pickings are a bit slim.
However ...
...if we relax the spelling rules a bit, expand the options to include everyone who had some form of "Derek" (Uh-oh -- you can see who the shortstop will be already, huh? Or did the headline pretty much give that away?) as their given first or middle name (the first, Derek Botelho, didn't come along until 1982) OR their family/last name (there have been just two), we have 22 options, so the roster may run thin, but there just might could be a team called (what else?) ...
The Oil Derricks
** indicates Hall of Famer (none yet)
* indictes All-Star
LINEUP
C Derek Gavin Parks (.200 for 1992-94 MIN)
1B Derrek Leon Lee* (46 homers in 2005)
2B Claud Lester "Deek" Derrick (mostly SS, .242, 1910-14)
SS Derek Sanderson Jeter* (Will be first Derek in Cooperstown)
3B Matthew Derrick Williams* (378 homers)
LF Derrick Gibson (14-for-49, 1998-99)
CF Derrick Brant May (.271, 52 homers, 1990-99)
RF Derek Nathaniel Bell (.276, 134 homers)
DH Karl Derrick "Tuffy" Rhodes (three HR Opening Day '94)
BENCH
2B William Derrick "Billy" Bates (.125, 1989-90)
OF Derek Gerald Lee (.152 for 1993 MIN)
OF Derek Roszell Bryant (.179 for 1979 OAK)
1B/OF Derrick Ramon White (.181 in parts of three years)
OF/1B James Michael Derrick (.212 for 1970 BOS)
PITCHING STAFF
RHSP Derek Christopher Lowe (84-74, 85 saves through 2005)
RHSP Nathan Derek Minchey (3-7. 1993-97)
LHSP Derek R. Thompson (0-0 for 2005 LAD
RHSP Derek Wayne Botelho (3-4, 1982, '85)
LHRP Derek Jansen Lilliquist (25-34, 17 saves)
RHRP Derek Wallace (2-4, 3 saves for 1996 NYM, '99 KCR)
RHRP Derek Alfred Aucoin (0-1 for 1996 MON)
Okay, there's a shortage of pitchers and the roster is heavy on the outfielders, but otherwise, it IS a complete roster, so, uh, oil's well, one supposes. Are there any Dereks or Derricks or however you want to spell it, on the big league horizon?
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20060124231524112