#11 MARTY KEOUGH
Outfield
What came before: The very definition of a journeyman, Keough played for six teams and never had as many as 100 hits in a season. But in the beginning, he was a bonus baby – a $100,000 signee by the Red Sox out of Pomona, Calif.
But coming into the 1966, Keough was a 32-year-old hired gun who was coming off a hideous .116 season, playing in only 62 games despite staying all year with the Reds, but playing behind arguably the finest outfield in the league, consisting of Frank Robinon, Vada Pinson and Tommy Harper.
That 1966 season: It took mere days for the Braves to see the error of their ways. He was used exclusively as a pinch-hitter for a total of 18 games, finding him going 1-for-17 (.059) with a walk. They packed him with another disappointing acquisition, Arnie Earley, to the Phillies for a younger pinch-hitter, John Herrnstein. Keough hit .231 for the Cubs, with a key pinch-hit coming against the Braves.
What happened next: One year in the PCL, another in Japan, and he failed to hit. 240 in either place. Upon his retirement, he became a scout for the Padres until 1975, but could not sell them on drafting his son, Matt, who went instead to Oakland and pitched in the majors for nine seasons. He moved from team to team, and as late as the 2010 season still scouting part-time for the Diamondbacks.
