Questions relating to who plays which position on Charlie Brown's baseball team are fascinating, if only because the
information has changed over the years.
Back in the strip's early days, the characters didn't
really have "set" positions; it was not at all unusual
to find Charlie Brown in the outfield, or acting as
catcher (with Shermy as pitcher). We never saw the kids
playing other teams; they just split up and played a game
among themselves.
This changed in the late 1950s and early 60s, once a
more-or-less-official roster was established. Certain
characters became pretty firmly established in
specific positions, such as Charlie Brown's ongoing
duties on the pitcher's mound. But occasional
changes still crept in; Linus has pitched a few
times (generally winning the game in the process),
and even Lucy tried her hand at it...once. When
Peppermint Patty first visited the neighborhood and
tried to "help" Chuck's team, she pitched and bumped
him into Left Field. Other infrequent changes have
found Linus in the outfield (prior to his established
position at Second Base), and Lucy at Shortstop.
Occasional Sunday strips were good for "establishing
shots" of the entire team, albeit usually crowded
around the pitcher's mound. Early on, this seems to have
been the team roster in most cases:
Charlie Brown
Linus
Schroeder
Lucy
Shermy
Snoopy
Violet
Patty
Frieda
Pig-Pen stepped in for Frieda on occasion,
and "5" replaced either Frieda or Linus (!).
With the more-or-less disappearance of Shermy,
Violet, Patty, and Frieda, it would seem difficult
for Charlie Brown to field an entire team...which
may explain why we currently tend to see only
Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, and Schroeder.
(It has been established that Peppermint
Patty and Franklin have their own teams, although
we've also been told that Franklin has played
Center on her team...which, by the way, is called
the Pelicans.)
Allowing for occasional changes,
the "official" roster of the team is as follows:
Pitcher (and Manager): Charlie Brown
Catcher: Schroeder
1st Base: Shermy
2nd Base: Linus (or Pig-Pen, at least once)
3rd Base: Pig-Pen
Shortstop: Snoopy
Left Field: Patty (or Rerun, during his one attempt)
Center Field: Frieda
Right Field: Lucy
Actually, the fielders change constantly. Lucy can
be found at either Right or Center, with the other
positions made up by Frieda, Patty, and Violet.
After Eudora's debut in 1978, she occasionally turned
up in Center Field, next to Lucy (playing Right Field).
Other things have briefly changed over the years, such as Snoopy's rather forceful attempt to replace Charlie Brown as manager.
Perhaps more important than the issue of who plays which position, Charles Schulz has employed baseball as one of his strip's enduring ties to a kinder and gentler time, when small American towns fell out in great numbers each summer, to watch parents and children attempt to "knock one outta the park."
