For the second straight week, we have a Monday Mailbag leftover. Last week, we tackled the appropriate level of optimism for Nevada basketball season. This week, we tackle the all-time Nevada baseball team, which I didn't have time to fully answer in this week's Mailbag. Here's a takeout on that question with a full 25-man roster.
Position players
Catcher: Chris Gimenez: An outfielder in college, Gimenez stuck in the big leagues for 10 seasons, logging 386 games. He slashed .218/.307/.344 in the majors and was an above-average defender. He also logged 11 innings as a pitcher.
First base: Lyle Overbay: He's the best player in program history, and while Nevada has never had a big-league All-Star, Overbay played at a near All-Star level from 2005-10. His 1,355 MLB hits are twice as many as any other Nevada player.
Second base: Joe Inglett: A 2000 All-American at Nevada, Inglett played 333 big-league games over six seasons, hitting .283 (the highest of any Wolf Pack player) while getting on base at a 34.2 percent clip.
Shortstop: Mark Lewis: The only member of our starting nine not to make it to the big leagues, Lewis was a 1994 All-America (he hit .352 with the Wolf Pack) and a 14th-round draft pick who topped out professionally at Low-A.
Third base: Kevin Kouzmanoff: He only spent one season at Nevada, but Kouzmanoff was a 2003 All-American that year before a seven-year big-league career in which he hit .257 with 87 homers (second most in Nevada history to Overbay's 151).
Outfielder: Rob Richie: The former Hug High star seemed destined for stardom before quitting after his rookie season with the Detroit Tigers because of his faith (he's a Jehovah's Witness). The second-round pick in 1987 was a Double-A league MVP.
Outfielder: Chris Singleton: A two-sport star at Nevada, Singleton played only two seasons of college baseball but was a second-round draft pick who finished sixth in the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year. He hit .273 with 45 homers in 704 MLB games.
Outfielder: Ryan Church: Church was a two-way player at the start of his college career before focusing on hitting. He slashed .264/.336/.431 in 654 big-league games, each of those figures ranking top five among Nevada alums at the MLB level.
Bench: Brett Hayes: A 2003 freshman All-America, Hayes hit .339 with 22 homers in college before being selected in the second round of the draft and logging 189 MLB games over seven seasons, slashing .205/.250/.359. He's our backup catcher.
Bench: Brock Stassi: Stassi was the 2010 WAC pitcher of the year and a first-team all-conference first baseman. He reached the big leagues at age 27 and spent one season there with the Phillies, hitting .167 with two home runs.
Bench: Chris Dickerson: One of the most talented players in Nevada history, Dickerson made the big leagues as a 16th-round pick. He slashed .257/.335/.395 in seven major-league seasons with five teams.
Bench: Andy Dominique: A 1997 All-American, Dominique hit .340 with a program-best 62 homers for the Wolf Pack before winning a World Series ring with the Boston Red Sox in 2004. He had 13 big-league at-bats.
Bench: Austin Byler: Capable of playing either corner position, Byler slashed .321/.441/.572 with 40 homers in college and was drafted in the ninth round in 2014 and 11th round in 2015. He reached High-A ball professionally.
Bench: TJ Friedl: We'll add him to the team for his speed and outfield defense. After a breakout sophomore season in 2016, Friedl landed a $735,000 deal from the Reds, the third-largest bonus in Nevada history. He's currently in Double-A.
Pitching staff
Starter: Darrell Rasner: The Carson High graduate was a second-round pick in 2002 after a standout college career. He went 9-15 with a 5.00 ERA in 41 big-league games (30 starts) before five solid seasons in Japan (14-27, 4.17 ERA, 40 saves).
Starter: Braden Shipley: Shipley was an all-conference shortstop before earning two conference pitcher of the year awards. The 15th pick in the 2013 draft, Shipley is 4-6 with a 5.49 ERA in 26 major-league games (14 starts).
Starter: Eddie Bonine: One of three Wolf Pack alums to start a big-league game, Bonine went 7-3 with a 4.74 ERA in 62 games, including 10 starts. His 129 major-league innings are the third most in Wolf Pack.
Starter: Fred Dallimore: The first All-American in Wolf Pack history (he made the team in 1966), Dallimore also was a standout manager, posting a 794-558-2 record as UNLV's head coach while reaching seven NCAA Regionals in 23 seasons.
Starter: JoJo Romero: The lefty spent only one season at Nevada before transferring to a junior college, where he was a fourth-round pick. He's ascended to top prospect status (66th in the game by ESPN) and is currently in Triple-A.
Reliever: Ed Plank: Nevada's first big-league player, Plank reached the majors in 1978 and posted a 5.23 ERA in 10.1 innings over two seasons. Plank still holds the Wolf Pack's all-time ERA record at 2.63.
Reliever: Shawn Barton: Nevada's second big-league player, Barton reached the majors in 1992 and posted a 4-2 record with a 4.71 ERA in 73 relief appearances, including one save.
Reliever: Rico Lagattuta: A four-year standout at Nevada, Lagattuta is third in program history in ERA (3.10), fifth in winning percentage (18-5) and first in saves (24). A three-time draft pick, he topped out in High-A.
Reliever: Colby Blueberg: Blueberg was great as a junior in 2014, going 4-2 with a 1.22 ERA (the lowest in a single season in school history). In 187 minor-league games, he is 21-8 with a 2.53 ERA in 187 games. He's currently in Triple-A.
Reliever: Zak Basch: A one-year Wolf Pack wonder, Basch transferred in from Hofstra before going 3-3 with a 2.27 ERA and nine saves in 2003. He was a 13th-round draft pick and is now the Oakland A's Director of Minor League Operations.
Closer: Chad Qualls: The best pitcher in school history, Qualls was 22-7 with a 4.29 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 235.2 innings at Nevada. A second-round pick in 2000, Qualls went 52-48 with 74 saves and a 3.89 ERA in 14 MLB seasons. His 844 games pitched in the big leagues is more than the rest of the Nevada alums combined (224 games).
