Happy Birthday Josh Phelps, Felipe Lopez and Jonathan Davis

He had more power than your local utility but had no clue what to do with it, swinging indiscriminately at pitches, relay throws from the outfield, and low-hanging clouds. As his time in Toronto continued, Phelps crossed the line dividing productive aggression and diminishing returns, so this positionless player was sent south for nothing more than Eric Crozier. Working with Eddie Murray, he cut his strikeouts just slightly, but that sample is so tiny as to be nearly meaningless. Signed by Tampa, Phelps will meet Lou Piniella at the same age that the somewhat similar Jay Buhner did. Buhner blossomed at that point; Phelps will need to follow instructions a lot better than he did with the Jays to have a chance to do the same. Baseball Prospectus was mean in those days. Not having a true position hurt, and his career 25.6% strikeout rate—worsening over time—didn’t help either. If he’d been able to stick at catcher, things might have been different, but as a DH, you have to hit or lose your job. There’s no time for slow development at that spot. Still, happy birthday, Josh. Hope it’s a good one. **Felipe Lopez turns 46 today**. The Blue Jays took Felipe in the first round of the 1998 draft, sixth overall. CC Sabathia, taken 20th, was the best of that round. Lopez didn’t set the minors on fire, but the Jays called him up in August 2001. In 49 games, he hit .260/.304/.418. He started 2002 with the Jays but returned to the minors in mid-June, finishing his Toronto stint with a .227/.287/.387 line in 134 games. After the season, he was dealt in a complicated four-team trade, ending up with the Reds. The Jays received Jason Arnold from the A’s—who never reached the majors. Lopez, for his part, played 11 MLB seasons, hitting .264/.333/.391 with 90 home runs in 1,185 games. Happy birthday, Felipe. Hope it’s a good one. **Jonathan Davis turns 34 today**. Davis played 122 games for the Jays over four seasons, hitting .180/.285/.263 with four home runs and 11 steals. He was about as good as a .180-hitting outfielder can be, which, admittedly, isn’t saying much. The Yankees claimed him off waivers in August 2021; he played 12 games for them. In 2022, he appeared in 37 games with the Brewers; last year, he played 34 with the Marlins. It looks like he retired after the 2024 season. Happy birthday, Jonathan.