<\/p>\n

<\/a>BBRT today launched its own baseball award \u2013 The John Paciorek Award<\/b><\/span> \u2013 or JPA (which could stand, in this case for \u201cPlayed Just Abit<\/i>.\u201d\u00a0 The JPA will recognize players who have had short, maybe very short, major league careers, but whose accomplishments, nonetheless, deserve recognition.\u00a0 Just as the emergence of these\u00a0 players on the MLB scene was often unexpected, the JPA will be awarded on no specific\/expected timetable.\u00a0 BBRT, in fact, most often uncovers these brief, but bright, stars when researching some unrelated baseball topic.\u00a0 Spoiler Alert<\/i> \u2013 the first JPA winner is San Francisco Giants\u2019 infielder Brian Dallimore, but first a bit about John Paciorek, whose MLB career is the inspiration for this recognition. (Note: Just as the Cy Young is the answer to the trivia question, \u201cWho is the best pitcher to never win a Cy Young Award?\u201d, BBRT hopes John Paciorek will be the answer to: \u201cWho is the most interesting MLBer to never be recognized with the John Paciorek Award?\u201d<\/p>\n

John Paciorek’s baseball history and heritage is, indeed, interesting.\u00a0 First, John Paciorek made it to the major leagues at a very young age.\u00a0 Signed out of Saint Ladislaus High School in Hamtramck, Michigan (where he had starred in football, basketball and baseball), Paciorek appeared in his first major league game on the final day of the 1963 season (September 29) at the age of 18.\u00a0 Second, Paciorek comes from a true baseball family.\u00a0 He was the first born of eight siblings and was followed to the big leagues by younger brothers Jim and Tom Paciorek.\u00a0 (Like John, Jim\u2019s MLB career was short \u2013 48 games for the Brewers in 1987. Brother Tom, however, achieved a .282 average over an 18-season \u2013 1,392 game \u2013 MLB career.)<\/i><\/p>\n

But, back to John.\u00a0 The 6\u2019 1\u201d, 200-pound outfielder, had spent the 1963 season with Class A Modesto Colts, hitting just .219 in 78 games.\u00a0 The parent club, the Houston Colt .45s (that was their name then), however, was suffering through a difficult season \u2013 they were 65-96 going into that final game.\u00a0 The September 1963 Colt .45s were all about the future and, in fact, on September 27, had fielded an all-rookie lineup (average age 19). So, John Paciorek\u2019s spot in the season\u2019s final starting lineup was no surprise. What he did that day, however, was.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Playing right field and batting seventh in a 13-4 win over the NY Mets, Paciorek ended up with three hits and two walks in five plate appearances, with four runs scored and three runs batted in.\u00a0 Perhaps equally surprising is that it marked Paciorek\u2019s only MLB appearance.\u00a0 Back pain the following spring, followed by back surgery (he played 49 minor league games in 1964 and missed all of the 1965 season) put an end to his MLB playing days. (He did play in four more minor league seasons.)\u00a0 Still, you will find John Paciorek in the Baseball Encyclopedia and his is arguably the greatest one-game MLB career ever.\u00a0 Among one-gamers, he holds the record for times on base and runs scored, and shares the record for batting average, on base percentage and RBIs. \u00a0You can find more details on Paciorek\u2019s lone major league game here.<\/p>\n

Paciorek, by the way, went on to become a high school teacher and multi-sport coach, and the author of two books (Plato and Socrates \u2013 Baseball\u2019s Wisest Fans<\/i><\/b> and The Principles of Baseball, and all there is to know about hitting<\/i><\/b>.) You can enjoy Paciorek’s prose directly at his blog \u201cPaciorek\u2019s Principles of Perfect Practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

So much for the inspiration \u2013 now, on to the first JPA winner.<\/p>\n

Brian Scott Dallimore<\/strong><\/span> did not, like John Paciorek, make it to the big leagues at a young age.\u00a0 He was, in fact, a 30-year-old veteran of eight-plus minor league seasons when he finally got the call. He was, in baseball parlance, a true journeyman.\u00a0 He had journeyed from minor league city to minor league city, seven teams in those eight years.\u00a0 He had also journeyed from one parent team system to another (Astros, Diamondbacks and Giants).\u00a0 And, he had traveled around the infield, playing third base, second base and shortstop. What he had never done was give up on the dream.\u00a0 And, things were looking up.<\/p>\n

From 1996-2000, Dallimore played in 468 minor league games (never above AA), compiling a .264 average (with a high of .275 in 2000).\u00a0 Then, in 2001, things seemed to click, as Dallimore hit .327, with eight home runs, 67 RBI and 11 stolen bases for the Diamondbacks\u2019 AA affiliate El Paso Diablos. \u00a0He followed that up with a .294-6-50, 13 SB season at AAA Tucson.\u00a0 He was, however, 28 and the Diamondbacks did not resign him.<\/p>\n

Dallimore signed a minor league deal with the Giants and went on to hit .352 in 91 games with AAA Fresno in 2003. That performance didn\u2019t earn him a September call up, but it helped get him his first-ever invite to major league camp for\u00a0 2004 Spring Training, where he hit .279 in 21 games.\u00a0 While he started the 2004 season back at Fresno, the minor league veteran had been noticed.\u00a0 The Giants\u2019 players selected Dallimore as the winner of the 2004 Harry S. Jordan Award, annually recognizing a player in his first Spring Training whose performance and dedication to the game best reflected the spirit of the San Francisco Giants.<\/p>\n

Dallimore didn\u2019t know it then, but he was only a poor Giants\u2019 start and an injury to Ray Durham away from finally making his major league dream come true.\u00a0 Dallimore was called up to the big club and made his debut as a pinch hitter (grounding out) on April 29^{th<\/sup>, 2004.\u00a0 It was his performance on April 30th<\/sup>, however, that earns Dallimore the first-ever BBRT John Paciorek Award.\u00a0 In fact, if it wasn\u2019t for that April 29th<\/sup> pinch hitting appearance, Dallimore would have recorded one of the best first games ever in the MLB history.\u00a0 As it was, he still carries the honor of having his first major league hit be a grand slam home run.\u00a0 In a game won by the Giants 12-9 (and in which the score stood at 9-9 after just two innings), Dallimore walked and scored in the first inning, crashed a grand slam home run for his first MLB hit in the second, singled in the third, singled and scored in the fifth, and was hit by a pitch in the sixth. So, for his first start, Dallimore was on base five times in five plate appearances, had two singles and a home run (grand slam) in three at bats, scored three runs and drove in four.<\/p>\n}

Dallimore ended up hitting .279 with one home run and seven RBI in 20 games for the Giants that year \u2013 he also went .324-8-65 in 111 games back at Fresno. He played seven more games at the major-league level in 2005, hitting a double in seven at bats (he also hit .302-8-45 in 100 games at Fresno that season.)<\/p>\n

Dallimore signed as a free agent with the Brewers after the 2005 season, but retired before the 2006 season began.\u00a0 Despite his short stint in the majors, on April 30, 2004, Brian Scott Dallimore truly had his day in the sun \u2013 or in this case under the lights. So, for that \u2013 and for his love of the game \u2013 BBRT selects him as the first JPA winner.<\/p>\n

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