Baseball History: The All Christmas Team
By David Hill
Outfield: Masao Santa – Of course we needed to have Santa on this list. Masao Santa was a light hitting outfielder in Japan, posting a .149/.232/.168 batting line over his two seasons. Unfortunately, Santa was not able to build on his performance, as he was conscripted into the military during World War Two. His career came to an end at 20 years old, as Santa was killed in action during the war.
Outfield: Mickey Mantle – How does Mickey Mantle make this list? Well, his nickname was the Commerce Comet, giving him a name in common with one of Santa’s reindeer. Of course, the great Mantle is easily the star of the team, a 20 time All Star and three time MVP who produced a .298/.421/.557 batting line with 536 homers and 1509 RBI over his Hall of Fame career. After some of the light hitters on the roster, having a star like Mantle is definitely needed.
Outfield: David DeJesus – With plenty of players named Jesus, David DeJesus gets the nod as the third outfielder. A solid all around player, DeJesus had a bit of speed and pop, hitting double digit homers three times in his career, and stealing more than ten bases twice. Overall, he had a .275/.349/.412 batting line, hitting 99 homers and stealing 66 bases. He played all three outfield spots as well, a solid piece on any roster.
Designated Hitter: Matt Holliday – One cannot have a holiday list without having Holliday. Matt Holliday has been a solid outfielder over his career, posting a .299/.378/.511 batting line with 314 homers and 108 steals over his 14 year career. Holliday has been a power threat over his time in the majors, with ten seasons of 20 or more homers. Even though his career is winding down, he is still a threat to hit for power, with 19 homers in 427 plate appearances in 2017.