Are you ready to check your work? Here are the answers to this week's trivia questions. We'll be back next week with another trio of quizzical queries for you, so bone up on your research and get ready to get them all next time around!
Question 1
To start us off, we're asking you to identify a man who made a lot of moves over the course of his career, playing for six different franchises over his 11 years in the majors. Who is this player -- the only one in MLB history to have hit at least 25 career home runs for Miami, Tampa Bay and Seattle?
ANSWER: LOGAN MORRISON
Only five hitters have ever completed the circuit of playing for this unusual trifecta of franchises and four of them (Morrison, plus Jordan Ruggiano, Casey Kotchman and Nick Green) were all on the Marlins roster in 2013. After hitting 38 blasts for the Rays in 2017, Morrison's career petered out quickly, with partial stays in Minnesota, Philadelphia and Milwaukee over the next few seasons. In 2022, he played 91 games for the High Point Rockers of the Atlantic League, so there's a non-zero chance we see him attempt to resurrect his career at some point in 2023.
Question 2
What player jumpstarted his career with a very strong 1996 and almost becoming the "ROY" (Rookie of the Year) before ultimately finishing third in voting behind Todd Hollandsworth and Edgar Renteria? He's the only player since 1900 to have had over 700 RBI and 200 HBP for his career while also managing to hit 75-or-fewer homers.
ANSWER: JASON KENDALL
Sure, maybe by the time Kendall suited up for the Royals in 2010 at the age of 36, people were saying of the veteran that "the dinosaur is having one last roar at the meteor before it wipes him out," but let us not forget this catcher had more longevity than most of his positional peers. Of all players who saw at least 2,000 career games in the majors and 95% of those contests behind the plate, only Ivan Rodriguez, Bob Boone and Yadier Molina donned the "tools of ignorance" more than Kendall, who actually got a pair of votes for the Hall of Fame in his lone year on the ballot.
Question 3
Who is the only player in MLB history to have had over 6,000 plate appearances, 700 runs scored and 500 RBI, while also hitting fewer than 10 career home runs? Oh, yeah, he's also the only player to ever record an unassisted triple play in the World Series (1920).
ANSWER: BILL WAMBSGANSS
No credit for you if your answer included "Tom." (Hey, we included that note before the question for a reason!) Depending on the source, the unusual German name Wambsganss means either "to waddle while walking" or "overcoat." It was too long to fit in boxscores (and too hard to spell besides) so most newspapers just used "Wamby" instead. Following a 13-year career, Wambsganss went on to manage the Fort Wayne Daisies and the Muskegon Lassies in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.