Jack Fournier was a Manager’s enigma.  He could hit well, but his fielding was so bad that in the era before the Designated Hitter, the talented batsmen would have spells where he could not make the Majors.

Fournier first made the Majors in 1912 when he broke in with the Chicago White Sox.  Fournier led the American League in Slugging in 1915 (.491), and he batted .322 with a .311 mark the year before.  Despite that, he was relegated to a platoon with Jack Ness in 1916, and he began to slump, making him expendable.  He was waived and returned to the minors.  The New York Yankees gave him a shot in 1918, but they released him after feeling his defense was subpar.

He returned to the bigs with St. Louis in 1920, where he batted over .300 in 1920 and 1921, and in 1923, his first year in Brooklyn, he began a three-year streak where he batted at least .334, had an OBP of .411, a Slugging Percentage well over .500, and 20 HR/100 RBI years.  Fournier won the National League. Home Run Title in 1924 (27), and he had a league-leading 86 Walks in 1925.  

Fournier played until 1927, retiring with 1,631 Hits and an exemplary Slash Line of .313/.392/.483.

The Montreal Expos had earned a reputation for scouting and signing Latin American talent, and one of the best examples of that was Venezuelan First Baseman, Andres Galarraga.

Galarraga debuted in Montreal in 1985, and after a rocky start, he batted .305 in 1987 and was an All-Star the season after, when he posted a .302 Batting Average and was the league leader in Hits (184) and Doubles (42).  Like every homegrown star of the Expos of the late 80s and early 90s, Galarraga left when the impending free agent was traded to St. Louis.

The Venezuelan was injured for most of the year and only played in 95 Games for the Cards, but he signed with the expansion Colorado Rockies in 1993, which ushered in the best era of his career.

Coors Field was an excellent fit for Galarraga, who batted .370 in the Rockies' first season, and he gave them their first batting champion.  The First Baseman was an All-Star that year, and he showed off greater power numbers, hitting 31 Home Runs in both 1994 and 1995, the first time he ever eclipsed 30.  Galarraga blasted 47 in 1996 with 150 RBIs, both of which would lead the National League.  He was sixth in MVP voting that year and was seventh the year after with a 41 HR/140 RBI year, which, like the season before, also saw Galarraga bat over .300.

Galarraga joined the Atlanta Braves in 1998 and was an All-Star again, showcasing excellent power metrics (44 HR, 121 RBI).  Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma kept him out of the entire 1999 season.  He came back in 2000, providing Atlanta with 28 Home Runs and an even 100 in RBIs, and Galarraga was chosen for his fifth and final All-Star Game.  That was his last good year in baseball, and he finished off his career with stints in Texas, San Francisco, Montreal (again), San Francisco (again), and Anaheim. 

A valid criticism of Galarraga was his propensity to strike out.  He was the leader in whiffs in four different seasons, and he would have 2,003 Strikeouts in his career.  Galarraga would accumulate 2,333 Hits, 399 Home Runs, and 1,425 Runs Batted In over his 19-year career. 

When you look at the past MVPs in baseball history, Bobby Shantz is one of the more curious players to win it.

Charlie Root played 27 Games for the St. Louis Brown in 1923, but it was not impressive, as he had a record of 0-4 with a 5.70 ERA.  It was three seasons later before Root made the Majors again, but when he did, he made it count.