If Johnny Cash played baseball: shortstop, rated 81

Johnny Cash as a baseball player: scouting report

Johnny Cash grew up on a cotton farm in Dyess, Arkansas, working the fields with his family, and that hard won toughness belongs at shortstop. He would play the most demanding position in the infield the way he played his music: steady, unshowy and right on time. His contact is the best mark on his card, so he puts the ball in play and moves runners along, and his eye is just as good.

His sound was built on rhythm, the chugging boom chicka boom of the Tennessee Two, and a hitter with that internal clock never gets caught out by a change of pace. In the Air Force he worked as a radio operator copying Morse code, and anyone who can pick out signals that quickly will spot a pitcher's tell. His speed and fielding are both strong, so he covers the ground a shortstop needs and gets the ball out of his glove fast. His recordings for Sun in the 1950s, including I Walk the Line, made him a star, and the live album he cut at Folsom Prison in 1968 proved he could win over any crowd, home or road.

His arm is the soft spot, so he needs a quick release on balls deep in the hole, and a third baseman with range to his left helps a great deal. His power is modest too. Second base is his next best spot and takes the long throw away, and he can play the outfield if needed. Draft him in the middle rounds as a steady shortstop, bat him second, and he will walk the line between patience and aggression every time up.

Plays like A steady shortstop with a metronome swing

Put Johnny Cash in your lineup

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