If Franklin D. Roosevelt played baseball: designated hitter, rated 82

Franklin D. Roosevelt as a baseball player: scouting report

Franklin D. Roosevelt already has a place in baseball history. Early in 1942 he wrote to Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis encouraging the major leagues to keep playing, a note remembered as the Green Light Letter, and the game carried on through the seasons that followed. In Legends Draft he steps in as a designated hitter, where his bat does all the talking.

His eye is the top mark on his card, and it fits a man famous for his fireside chats. On the radio he explained complicated subjects in calm, plain language to millions of listeners, and that kind of composure is what lets a hitter take a borderline pitch on a full count. Contact sits right behind his eye, so he puts the ball in play and hits for average, and there is solid power to drive the ball into the gaps. He was a keen golfer as a young man and a devoted stamp collector for life, a hobby that rewards noticing the tiny detail everyone else misses, which is exactly what a professional hitter does with a pitcher's grip.

Speed is the lowest rating on his card, which matters least for a designated hitter, whose whole job is the at bat. If you need him in the field, first base is a natural fit with only a small drop, and second base is playable. He was elected president four times, more than anyone else, so consistency is not a question. Bat him third with quick table setters ahead of him. He is a strong middle round bat for any lineup.

Plays like A patient professional hitter who anchors the order

Put Franklin D. Roosevelt in your lineup

12 rolls, nine hitters and a rotation, 162 games. Can you win 117? Free, no account.