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 No longer a Pose-r
Posted: Tuesday September 07, 1999 03:21 PM
As far as answers go, he is no Wally Pipp, not even a Vic Wertz. But there is something admirably obscure about Scott Pose -- the nine franchises, the 3,851 minor league at bats -- that makes him, well, someone a couple of trivia geeks might mention over a slice of pizza on a rainy day. Trivia question: Who was the first batter in Florida Marlins history? "Ugh," grunts Pose, frowning. "My big league debut was one of the greatest moments of my life. I cherish it. But I'd really hate if all those years of work, of dragging my wife around, was done just to be the answer to some question." He says this not with the insecurity of a man on a neverending journey, but with the pleasure of a life-long licorice fiend stumbling across that jumbo pack of Twizzlers. Pose, sitting by his stall in the Kansas City clubhouse, slipping on his embroidered blue-and-white Royals jersey, can at last take a deep breath: He made it. With less than a month to go, Pose, 32, is about to finally complete an entire season in The Show. Yes, he is the 25th man on a team of 25th men. Yes, he is an occasional outfielder, occasional pinch hitter, regular cheerleader. But when Pose has been called upon, he's delivered: In 68 games and 103 at bats, he is hitting .330, with 10 RBIs and six stolen bases. He leads the Royals with six pinch hits. "A team is only as good as its last link," says Kansas City manager Tony Muser. "And Scott has shown he's a good major league ballplayer." That it has taken so long, so many stops in America's one-Burger King towns, seemed inconceivable six years ago, when Pose -- an anonymous Rule V draft pick of the expansion Marlins -- emerged to beat out Chuckie Carr for the new team's starting centerfield gig. "I remember every detail," says Pose. "On the day before Opening Day, [manager] Rene Lachemann called me into his office. He said, 'You're gonna start. Just keep doing what you've done in spring training and you'll play.'" The next afternoon, in front of 42,334 fans at Miami's Joe Robbie Stadium, Pose led off against the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser. He grounded to second baseman Jody Reed, reaching on an error. Pose finished 1-for-5 in his debut, had a hit in each of the next five games, then was temporarily benched for Carr. In his next two starts, against San Francisco, Pose was 0-for-8. He went hitless in four more at bats with the Marlins -- all as a pinch hitter. "We were playing the Braves, and I struck out in the ninth," Pose recalls. "Lach tapped me on the shoulder: 'I need to see you in my office.' I saw [GM Dave] Dombrowski, and I knew the news was no good." Not just sent down to Triple A Edmonton, Pose was removed from the 40-man roster. "I could sorta tell that was it for me," he says. "I've never been bitter. But I've seen guys go 0-for-70 and not get sent down." Pose was 8-for-41. Over the next six years, Pose made minor league stops in Edmonton, New Orleans, Albuquerque, Salt Lake, Syracuse and Columbus. His worst moment came in '94, when the Dodgers released him after Pose refused to be a strike breaker. His best moment was three years later, when he appeared in 54 games with the Yankees. Everywhere, he was the first batter in Florida Marlins' history. This February, Pose arrived at Baseball City, the Royals' Florida spring-training facility, as a non-roster invitee with little chance of sticking. Toward the end of camp, Muser told Pose he would be sent to Triple A Omaha -- "Another disappointment in a career of 'em," Pose says. On April 2, the Royals traded outfielder Jeff Conine to Baltimore. Pose didn't give it much thought. He packed up his things, returned his rental car, prepared to leave the next morning. Then, Pose was told to report to the team's boardroom. He entered and saw Muser at the head of a table, surrounded by scouts. "Congratulations, Scott," Muser told him. "You've made the team." Skepticism mounts after nine years. Pose refused to rent an apartment. He waited for the call -- the inevitable, "We're sorry Scott, but ..." It's been six months. The call hasn't come. "As hard as this road has been, it would be rough to walk away as a trivia question," he says. "Now instead of being Scott Pose, first batter in Marlins' history, I can be Scott Pose, Kansas City Royals." Pose smiles. He likes the sound of that. Staff writer Jeff Pearlman offers his unique view on baseball every Tuesday during the season for CNNSI.com.
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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