Off-Day Puzzle #5: Picking Teams, Part I

Another off-day means another seemingly non-sensical concoction from which logic and structure are to be drawn. It also means another chance to improve your PCS ranking. Here's today's puzzle:

Legend has it that in a place and time and for reasons unknown, eight former major leaguers got together to form a team. Nobody knows exactly how it came to be that this particular collection of players were there that day, but there they were. And what a varied collection it was: the group included long-deceased turn-of-the-century guys like Art Weaver, as well as steroid-era guys like Dave Berg. Hall-of-Famers like Red Faber were present, as were guys with 5 career at-bats like Fred Graf. Even Steve Sax showed up. Here's the full list of the eight that were there, in chronological order of their MLB debut:

Player	MLB Career
Art Weaver	1902-1908
Fred Graf	1913
Red Faber	1933
Ted Beard	1948-51,58-58
Ted Savage	1962-1971
Dave Edwards	1978-1982
Steve Sax	1981-1994
Dave Berg	1998-2004

And despite their differences, once the eclectic eight gathered, the chemistry among them was evident. They swapped stories about former teammates (a group that collectively included, among others, Roberto Clemente, Luis Aparicio, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Tony Gwynn), compared the virtues and vices of their respective eras, and had a heated discussion about player salaries (suffice it to say that career bench-warmer Berg - with a little help from Sax - bought the beer). But finally they got down to the business of assigning positions.

As it turned out, the group was even compatible in that among the eight, their major league experience was such that they could each fill eight distinct positions, as follows:

But, of course, there are nine positions on a baseball team. How, the group wondered, would they fill the open first base spot? Just then they heard some rumbling in the nearby brush, and to their surprise, the following six rag-tag characters emerged:

Once the six newcomers see what is going on, they are each eager to fill the remaining position on the team (despite having no idea what baseball was). The eight ballplayers looked at one another skeptically, but realized that if they wanted to field a complete team, they had no choice but to pick one of the six newcomers. Since none of the six newbies had any baseball skills whatsoever, the ballplayers realized it was a matter of selecting the one who would be most compatible with them. That, dear readers, is the puzzle to be solved.

Which of the six newcomers would fit in best with the eight major leaguers?

  A) Solo
  B) Leia
  C) Luke
  D) Chewie
  E) R2D2
  F) C3PO

HINT #1 (10:04am PT): The group would pick Drew Brees over Peyton Manning or Tom Brady (if they were options).

HINT #2 (12:29pm PT): All the information you need is in the post. There's no need for external research on baseball-reference.com, wookieepedia.com, or anywhere else.

HINT #3 (12:46pm PT): Neither Fred Andrews (1976-1977) nor Al Mattern (1908-1912) would fit with the group, even if they played 1st base (this hint inspired by some of the wrong guesses).

HINT #4 (2:12pm PT): Years played and positions are irrelevant.

HINT #5 (2:50pm PT): Like many teams, this one would be happy with a 'left-handed' 1st baseman (no, this doesn't conflict with any other hint).

HINT #6 (4:41pm PT): Ok, one last hint, but this time I mean it. What's in a name? With this puzzle, everything. And I subtly altered Hint #5...

HINT #7 (5:49pm PT): Ok, this is the real last hint, I'm not messing around this time: Think about that in which reader Erin reigns supreme (granted, there may be several such things), and in it you will find a clue...

SOLUTION: click here.

Puzzle Note: Please comment freely, but if you think you have the solution, please don't give away the answer to everyone in the comments section. Instead, do the following:

• Email us your solution explanation, and
• Post a comment simply saying you have emailed your solution attempt (otherwise I probably won't check our email).

Solutions accepted until 11am PT July 15, no later. Thanks, and good luck!