Jeffrey L. Anderson
Before there was Billy Hamilton, there was
Jeff Anderson. "Pep" Anderson was a late round draft pick of the New York Mets in 1970 (the 31st round, to be specific). In his debut campaign with Class A Pompano Beach, he stole 73 bases. That was not only tops in the league (the closest to him was John Shaw of Ft. Lauderdale, who stole 43), but was also more stolen bases than three entire teams in the circuit could muster. Jeff's prowess on the basepaths earned him this image in the 1972 Mets yearbook, but not much else. There were lots of holes in Jeff's game (he struck out a ton). He never advanced beyond Double-A and was out of the game after just three seasons at the ripe old age of 25. He finished with a career total of 155 stolen bases and a career batting average of .237. (The cap, if you're wondering, was the standard issue for the team's Instructional League squad in those days.)