Former shortstop Tom Veryzer died this week at the too young age of 61:

Veryzer played for the Tigers from 1973-77, then spent four years with Cleveland. He played one season with the New York Mets and two with the Chicago Cubs to finish his career.

He played 996 games and batted .241 for his career. In his final season, he was part of the Chicago team that won the NL East in 1984.

My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

His 40 games with the Mets in 1982 represented the pinnacle of his hitting. His defense was okay, especially during his peak which ran from age 23 to age 27. Overall, however, he defines replacement player, and his career demonstrates how important that can be to a team. He managed a 12 year career and over 3000 plate appearances for a player with no discernible strengths. He was even 9 for 32 stealing bases. Sometimes okay is useful.