Jeff Manto, 1996 Fleer Tiffany #14

There's always room for more Jeff Manto talk on my blog, especially on the occasion of his 48th birthday. You might remember him as the journeyman who stepped into the O's lineup in 1995 to slug .492 with 17 home runs in 89 games, posting a solid 108 OPS+. The important thing is that he acted as a band-aid for the third base position, starting 60 of the team's 144 games in that strike-shortened season. Leo Gomez (83 OPS+) had 36 starts at the hot corner, and Jeff Huson (64 OPS+) was penciled in 24 times. Bobby Bonilla also made 24 starts at third after joining the team in late July, but was used more frequently in right field (37 GS).

These days, Manto is working as the White Sox hitting coach, having joined the surprising American League Central leaders last offseason. Under Jeff's watch, the Pale Hose are in the middle of the pack offensively, but trail only the Yankees with 164 total home runs. Catcher A.J. Pierzynski is having a career year at age 35, and designated hitter Adam Dunn and right fielder Alex Rios have also bounced back significantly from terrible 2011 performances.