I did a bunch of these Anyone Can Pitch posts throughout the year, as this year ended up becoming, unofficially, the year of the pitching hitter. Since 2018 is over, I'll just unload the rest of them here. Besides, I've got another original custom series on the horizon, and I wanna get to those as soon as I can. I like posting consistently in January, and I'd love to keep it going.
Anyway, one of the more high-profile hitters to try the mound this year was Mark Reynolds, the journeyman home-run basher who mainly succeeded off the bench this year. Reynolds had a simple enough job- close out a loss against the Marlins. He faced one batter, and got him out. Not bad for his sole pitching appearance.
Francisco Arcia had the starrier appearance, becoming the first player to pitch, catch, and hit a home run in the same game. Granted, said game was a loss to Oakland, and Arcia's pitching appearance consisted of two home runs and three earned runs over 2 innings. Perhaps he'll have better luck as a catching option next year for Anaheim.
This year, Tommy La Stella had a rival for 'best bench player', and that was former Dodgers farmhand and current Braves specialist Charlie Culberson. Pitching an inning against Colorado, he also left with a 9.00 ERA, with two hits and one earned run, but at least he was a bit more useful at the plate.
Meanwhile, Matt Davidson of Chicago became another example of a designated hitter who just had to wind up pitching, next to Kendrys Morales. Davidson, however, proved to be a reliable last-resort pitching option, averaging a 0 ERA in three appearances, giving up only one hit, and two strikeouts, over the course of 11 batters. One could even say that Davidson had a better average as a pitcher than he did as a hitter.
Daniel Descalso was one of many Arizona position players to try pitching this year, including Jeff Mathis and Alex Avila. But Descalso, the veteran middle-infielder, was the only one with two appearances, though his season was a mixed bag, with 2 strikeouts and 3 earned runs across 15 batters.
Mitch Garver had a nice come-up this year, stepping in for Jason Castro at catcher and making a name for himself as an option for 2019. Garver's pitching tenure, against Cleveland, wasn't much to write home about, but in an inning of work he only allowed one hit, and left with a 0 ERA. Just...no strikeouts or anything. So just as ho-hum as a lot of the rest of Minnesota's season.
Brandon Guyer, the Indians' backup infielder of this era, had a similarly ho-hum pitching appearance himself, only pitching an inning, leaving with a 0 era, and leaving all the putouts to other defenders. At least he can get the job done.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Scott Kingery, one of the more notable rookie misfires in Philly since...uh, take your pick, had an equally disastrous inning and a third against the Mets, leaving with a bloated 13.50 ERA, thanks to 4 earned runs including 2 home runs. I sincerely hope this guy can learn to hit at the major league level, as he does have the right idea.
...And then there's Anthony Rizzo. Beloved Chicago power-hitter and team-saver Anthony Rizzo. He pitched a little this year! I mean...he did only face one batter...and somebody else managed to get him out. But still, Cubs fans got to see this guy pitch...which has got to be kinda cool, right?
I'll probably bring this one back next year. I do, however, need to revamp the design of this AND Stars are Out. They're both a bit too 2015.
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