The All-Time Labor Day Team

In celebration of Labor Day, I bring you a 25-man roster composed of the best players in MLB history with occupational surnames–in other words, names derived from a type of labor.

I used Baseball-Reference’s version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a guide for choosing the best players. I’ve listed each player’s WAR along with where that figure ranks at his position.

To determine if a surname is occupational in origin, I did a search on either Behind the Name

Some of the surnames are easy to understand, but others are more obscure, so I’ve added explanations of each surname’s origin to the list. I’ve also listed some honorable mentions at each position. Overall, it’s a pretty darn impressive team, even if it does have some relative weak spots–at second base and in the starting rotation, especially.

I picked two players from each infield position, five outfielders, five starting pitchers, and five relievers.

Catchers

Starter: Gary CARTER

Backup: Darrell PORTER

A nice duo, featuring the late Expos & Mets star Carter and the underrated Porter.

Honorable mention
Walker COOPER

1st Basemen

Starter: Rafael PALMEIRO

Backup: Will CLARK

It’s interesting that these two guys came up, as they are inextricably linked in my mind. The reason I always associate them is that they engaged in a weird switcheroo as the main first basemen for the Rangers and the Orioles in the 1990s and early 2000s. After the 1993 season, Palmeiro went from the Rangers to the Orioles; Clark took his place with the Rangers. When Palmeiro left the Orioles after the 1998 season, heading back to the Rangers, Clark went the opposite direction, signing with the Orioles.

Honorable mentions
Miguel CABRERA

2nd Basemen

Starter: Max BISHOP

Backup: Ron HUNT

This is a weak pair, relatively speaking. Both these guys had very good on-base skills but almost no power.

Honorable mention
Phil GARNER