Two of the more recognizable names in recent baseball history are Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr.  Griffey’s father, Ken Griffey, played in the majors for 19 seasons, while Ripken’s father, Cal Ripken, was a long-time major and minor-league coach and manager for the Baltimore Orioles organization. The sons were among the first major leaguers to popularize wearing “Jr.” as part of their last names printed on the backs of their jerseys.

Perhaps Griffey and Ripken wanted to differentiate themselves from their fathers who were still active in the game when they first debuted in the majors. Ripken Jr. played for the Orioles when his father was the manager in 1987. Griffey Jr. and his father made history by becoming the first father-son duo to play in the same game together in 1990. But it was likely they also wanted baseball fans to know they were the sons of prominent baseball figures.

In today’s game, there are over a dozen major leaguers who wear “Jr.” as part of their name on their jersey. Some of them, like their dads, are good ballplayers. Several of the players’ fathers played collegiately. In any case, it is indicative there is a growing number of sons following in their baseball footsteps.

Here is a rundown of the current “juniors” in the majors.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is currently in his seventh season with the Toronto Blue Jays. His father was a Hall of Famer, having played from 1996 to 2011. Young Guerrero may be on his way to Cooperstown, too, with four All-Star seasons, a Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger Awards already. He finished second in the AL MVP voting in 2021. He recently signed the largest (non-free agent) contract extension in baseball history.

Bobby Witt Jr. is currently in his fourth major-league season with the Kansas City Royals. The first overall pick of the 2019 MLB Draft has not disappointed his team. The All-Star shortstop was the runner-up to Aaron Judge in 2024 in the AL MVP voting. Witt’s father was a major-league pitcher from 1986 to 2001.

Fernando Tatis Jr. is in his sixth season with the San Diego Padres. He has been voted among the Top 4 for the MVP Award twice and has a Gold Glove and two Silver Sluggers to his credit. He started out as a shortstop and but moved to the outfield after missing the 2022 season to an injury and PED violation. His father was an 11-year major-leaguer during 1997 and 2010.

Ronald Acuna Jr.’s father spent eight seasons in the minors from 1999 to 2006 but never reached the majors. Ronald Jr. is in his eighth season with the Atlanta Braves. The outfielder is the 2018 National Rookie of the Year, a four-time All-Star, and the 2023 MVP Award winner. He has yet to play in 2025, due to a torn ACL in his left knee incurred in May last season. Ronald’s 23-year-old brother Luisangel currently plays for the New York Mets.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is an outfielder currently in his eighth major-league season, the last three with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Formerly a teammate of Guerrero Jr. at Toronto, Gurriel Jr. was a NL All-Star in 2023. His father was a star player in Cuba. His older brother Gurriel is in his 10th major-league season, currently with the Padres.

Lance McCullers Jr. is starting his eighth major-league season with the Houston Astros, after missing the last two seasons due to arm injuries. He was an All-Star in 2017 and finished seventh in the Cy Young Award voting in 2021. His father was a major-league pitcher for seven seasons during 1985 and 1992.

Luis Garcia Jr. is in his sixth season with the Washington Nationals. The infielder had his best season in 2024, when he hit 18 home runs and drove in 70. His father appeared in only eight major-league games in 1999 with the Detroit Tigers.

Mark Leiter Jr. has pitched for four teams in his six major-league seasons. He is currently a reliever for the New York Yankees. His father was a major league pitcher for eleven seasons during 1990 and 2001. His uncle Al Leiter pitched for 19 years, while his cousin Jack currently pitches for the Texas Rangers.

The next group of current major-league players wear “Jr.” or “II” on their jerseys, but their fathers never played professionally. They include Michael Harris II (Braves), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Yankees), Louis Robert Jr. (White Sox), Lamonte Wade Jr. (Giants), Nacho Alvarez Jr. (Braves), Carl Edwards Jr. (Padres), and DeShawn Keirsey Jr. (Twins).

In addition to Griffey and Ripken, you might recall other former big-league players whose jersey names displayed “Jr.” including Jackie Bradley Jr., Tim Raines Jr., Ruben Amaro Jr., Eric Young Jr., Pete Rose Jr., and Dwight Smith Jr.

 

The New York Yankees took a risk in signing free agent Paul Goldschmidt over the winter. The 37-year first baseman had struggled at the plate in his last two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, although the year before that, in 2022, he had been the National League’s Most Valuable Player.

The Yankees had hopes that Goldschmidt, along with newly acquired Cody Bellinger, would replace the power production of Juan Soto, who left the Yankees for the Mets after last season.

But that hasn’t happened on Goldschmidt’s part.

In his first 26 games through Saturday, he’s hit only one home run and seven doubles among his 36 total hits. His slugging percentage is only .465, when his career average prior to this season was .510. This is also reflected in his declining exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel-rate this season compared to 2024. However, his batting average (.364) ranks second in the league (behind Aaron Judge), while his on-base percentage (.413) ranks fifth.

We might recall that aging or injured pitchers have had to re-invent their approach after they had lost a lot of zip on their fastball. They had to use more finesse in their pitch selection to get batters out.

So, is Goldschmidt re-inventing himself as a batter?

Yankees manager Aaron Boone has used him as the leadoff batter in 10 of their 26 games. His hits have come in bunches. He had five games in which he got three hits and seven games with two hits. He has appeared in only seven games without a hit. He’s helping the Yankees win (first place in the AL East) in a different way than expected.

MLB.com’s Will Leitch observed, “He is becoming a singles hitter. It’s strange seeing Goldschmidt hit like Tony Gwynn.”

Aaron Judge and Goldschmidt rank 1st and 2nd in MLB in batting average. According to a recent MLB Network posting on X, it’s the first time in franchise history the Yankees have had two hitters lead the league in average at least 23 games into the season.

Despite Goldschmidt’s lack of home runs, the Yankees still lead the AL in home runs. Thus, there’s really no pressure at the moment on Goldschmidt to make any adjustments to his hitting approach.

What’s Goldschmidt’s take on his unusual start of the season? “I just try to hit the ball and just kind of let it do what it’s going to do,” Goldschmidt told the New York Post.

Yes, the season’s only about three weeks old, but we have already learned some things about how the season will shape up. And as happens every spring, there are still a number of questions at this point about which teams and players will rise to the occasion to get to the playoffs.

The Toronto Blue Jays have lost out on acquiring some of the game’s biggest superstars, the latest being Shohei Ohtani after he declare free agency after the 2023 season. They took no chances of losing their best player Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who becomes eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. They made a contract extension deal with Guerrero, which was the most money ever paid to a non-free agent—a total of $500 million, which included record-breaking $350 million bonus.

The torpedo bats used by several players caused a bit of a stir during the first week of the season. Did they really contribute to the flurry of home runs at the start of the season? Some challenged the legality of the uniquely-shaped bat, but MLB came out early and confirmed there was nothing illegal about the bats.

PEDs just do not seem to go away. Jurickson Profar is the latest major leaguer to be suspended 80 days for using illegal drugs. The Braves had acquired Profar to offset the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr., who was projected to be on the injured list until May or June. Well, that plan did not work out.

Speaking of the Braves, are they as bad as their record indicates? Through Saturday, they had a 4-10 record. (Actually, their current record is not the worst in their history. In 1988, the team started out 0-10.) Acuna is key to the Braves’ rebound, but he is a month away from returning.

Will the Astros’ Jose Altuve last the entire season in left field? In the front office’s effort to open the second base position for other candidates, he agreed to move to the left field position. (Remember former Astro Craig Biggio making the move from second base to center field?) However, Altuve’s fielding is somewhat of an experiment in the outfield. Yet knowing his make-up and passion for winning, he will work hard to make the necessary adjustments in the twilight of his career. In my opinion, he has already earned a bronze plaque in Cooperstown.

Is Kyle Tucker going to be the next big free-agent signee? I suspect that is one of the reasons the Astros did not try to hang on to him—they were not willing to shell out the dollars he would command after this season. Tucker has started the season with a bang with his new team (Cubs). Early results indicate he may be on his way to having his best season. Some observers believe he will ultimately find his way to the Yankees. I do not think so unless the Bronx Bombers shed Cody Bellinger after this season.

Is the Dodgers’ newest Japanese player Roki Sasaki over-rated? The Dodgers unloaded the Brinks armored truck to acquire the highly regarded pitcher and have lofty expectations for his contributions in the starting rotation. He has had a so-so start, but with his workload being carefully managed by the Dodgers’ front office (only 13.2 innings in four starts so far), the verdict is still out. Shohei Ohtani is getting his arm in shape to return to the mound. The Dodgers will be the first to feature three Japanese pitchers in its starting rotation, with Sasaki, Ohtani, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. (Just think about how much money the Dodgers are shelling out for these three?)

It is great to see Mike Trout returning to form after spending most of the last two seasons on the injured list. (And he has played over one hundred games in only one of the five previous seasons.) Now in his 15th major-league season at age 33, it is fun for the fans to see him having fun again with the Angels.

 

Except for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West Division, there are not any other sure-fire winners predicted for the other division titles in 2025. The lack of overwhelming favorites in the other five divisions will make for an interesting season.

Professional sports leagues aspire to have competitive balance among the teams. Major League Baseball appears to be getting closer to achieving it. Sure, there are outliers like Colorado, Sacramento (previously Oakland), Miami, Washington, and the Chicago White Sox on the low end, who would require a miracle to make the playoffs. But it is not entirely out of the question the rest of other teams, with some luck, could make a valiant run for a playoff berth.

Here are my predictions for the division winners.

AL East

I would have picked the Yankees to win the AL East a month ago, but now I won’t, with their recent injury bug, most notably biting their ace Gerrit Cole. They helped themselves in the offseason by acquiring Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt to help offset the loss of Juan Soto and adding Devin Williams in the pen. I think the race for the division title is now wide open. However, adequate pitching will be the determining factor for who winds up on top. Despite most analysts projecting Boston to finish last, I am going out on a limb to pick them as the division champ. I like their addition of Alex Bregman, Garret Crochet and Walker Buehler. The Orioles will finish as runner-up.

AL Central

It seems like this division is always a tossup. Remarkably, they sent three teams to the playoffs last season—Guardians, Tigers, and Royals. (I can’t ever remember that happening in this division.) I am fairly sure there will be one team that won’t end up on top, the White Sox, who did their best imitation of the awful 1962 New York Mets last year. I’m going with the Minnesota Twins. They are the only team in the division projected to score more runs than they allow. The Royals, behind projected MVP Bobby Witt Jr., will be the runner-up.

AL West

The Houston Astros’ front office has done a really good job of dismantling what some would call a dynasty franchise (eight straight seasons as a playoff team, four World Series appearances, two world championships). Seattle appears to have the best pitching staff, while Texas has the best offense. I’m giving the Rangers the edge for the division title. Historically, the Mariners can ‘t seem to put it together for an entire season, and they will finish in second place again.

NL East

Atlanta had an off year in 2024, the first time in seven years they had not won their division. The Braves were plagued by injuries to several key players throughout the season. I think they will bounce back to win the division but will face stiff competition from both Philadelphia and New York. The Mets went all-in this year by adding Juan Soto and re-signing free agent Pete Alonso. But their pitching still lags behind their offense. The Phillies have a veteran lineup that will push the Braves until the last week of the season but end up in second place.

NL Central

Second-year manager Craig Counsell will finally get the Chicago Cubs back to the playoffs, with the other teams vying for second place. I am projecting the Cincinnati Reds to have a resurgence under new manager Terry Francona, edging out the Brewers for second place. St. Louis seems to have lost its way to being a contender, while Pittsburgh cannot contend with just Paul Skenes.

NL West

The Los Angeles Dodgers return a power-packed offense and a pitching staff which added two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and Japanese newcomer Roki Sasaki. The Dodgers plan to return Shohei Ohtani to the pitching rotation, but I do not think he’ll be needed on the mound. The Dodgers will be the only team in the majors to win 100 or more games. San Diego and Arizona will field very good teams that could take first-place honors in other divisions. The only way one of them will win the West is if the injury bug bites the Dodgers.

Wrap-up

The Dodgers and Rangers will win their respective league’s pennants, with the Dodgers repeating as World Series champs. Their huge investments in players will pay off again.

 

Since the days of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in the 1970s, the team has maintained a policy prohibiting its players from having facial hair other than well-groomed mustaches. Requiring clean-shaven players was part of the Yankee brand, just like their pinstriped uniforms. Now, fifty years later, the current Steinbrenner ownership has finally ditched the policy.

Yankees brass hasn’t revealed exactly what changed their minds about the long-standing rule. But one could guess that in today’s competitive environment, the team doesn’t want to preclude a player they want to sign in free agency from turning them down just because of the archaic policy. The Yankees were the only team to have such a requirement. One example of this actually happening a few years ago involved relief pitcher Brian Wilson, whose trademark was his thick black beard. He reportedly turned down a lucrative free agent offer from the Yankees because he rejected the idea of having to shave off his iconic beard.

However, there have been players who previously wore beards succumbed to the Yankee tradition. Johnny Damon, who signed as a free agent with the Yankees after the 2005 season, was one of the more noteworthy examples. Damon wore a shaggy beard to go along with a shaggy head of hair while playing for the Boston Red Sox. In fact, his nickname was “Caveman” because of his looks. He figured the $13M per year the Yankees were paying him was too good to pass up, just to keep a moppy head.

The cavalier Nick Swisher, who played for the Yankees during 2009-2012, is another player who made the same decision as Damon—he got with the Yankees’ program after having worn a beard with his former teams. However, that didn’t deter him from keeping his swashbuckling character.

Going back in time, if the Yankees’ grooming policy hadn’t been in effect, it’s almost a sure thing Thurman Munson would have worn a beard, despite having to wear his catcher’s mask. The menacing backstop wore a big mustache and frequently had stubble on his face from not shaving daily. It was part of his persona as a “rough and tumble” player, and a full beard would have only enhanced it. I imagine Don Mattingly might have worn a beard, too, albeit a well-groomed one. He was often castigated by Yankees management for allowing his hair length to get a bit long.

Current Yankee ace Garrit Cole is a more recent example of toeing the line with the Yankees grooming policy. He had previously worn a beard with Pittsburgh and Houston. It’s a fairly good bet he’ll likely resort to his old “look” by Opening Day.

The Yankees’ new relief pitcher Devin Williams acquired over the winter, previously wore a beard with Milwaukee. He had already shaved his beard in preparation for Yankee spring training camp last week. Now, he’ll have a chance to go back to his former look.

Current Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh could play Michael J. Fox’s role in the 1985 movie Teen Wolf. Marsh looks like he hasn’t had a haircut or shave since high school. It’s doubtful he would ever play for the Yankees, but the Yankees’ new policy could open the door for his superstar teammate Bryce Harper, who sports a beard, to eventually call Yankee Stadium home.

I was flipping through old baseball cards the other day and saw a 1974 Thurman Munson card. With the recent announcement of the 2025 Hall of Fame class, it got me wondering why the New York Yankees’ legendary catcher didn’t have a bronze plaque in Cooperstown.

Munson’s career was cut short when he died on August12, 1979, in a private airplane crash in which he was the pilot. The tragic event devastated the baseball community because of his popularity and respect as a ballplayer, even among Yankee-haters.

He was 32 years old when he died, in his 11th major-league season. Perhaps the baseball writers who vote for the Hall of Fame candidates didn’t think he had put in enough time to warrant election. But consider that Hall of Fame pitchers Dizzy Dean and Sandy Koufax both played in the majors for 12 seasons, including some partial seasons. So, there was already a precedent for short-tenured players who were highly impactful in their eras.

Munson began his major-league career with the Yankees in August 1969 and played only 26 games, yet he convinced the Yankees’ front office to give him the starting job the next season. All he did that next year was capture the AL Rookie of the Year Award, including votes for MVP.

In 1971 he garnered All-Star honors for his first of seven years. He earned a reputation as a tough, rugged catcher. He matched Yankees manager Billy Martin’s ferocity as a competitor. Munson developed into a Gold Glove player, capturing the award in three consecutive seasons during 1973 and 1975.

The Yankees returned to prominence when they won the AL pennant in 1976, their first since 1964. At the heart of the team was Munson. He was the AL MVP, batting .302 with 17 home runs and 105 RBIs. However, the Yankees were swept by Cincinnati’s dynasty “Big Red Machine” in the World Series.

The Yankees acquired slugger Reggie Jackson for the 1977 season, when they became AL champs again. They defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, repeating as World Series champ over the Dodgers again in 1978. While Jackson was the self-proclaimed “straw that stirs the drink” for the Yankees, Munson provided the “glue” on the contentious team that famously became referred to as the “Bronx Zoo.” He was the team’s leader, evidenced by being named the first Yankee team captain since Lou Gehrig.

Yankee world championship teams have traditionally been staffed with great catchers. They have included Wally Schang, Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, and Elston Howard. Munson extended the catcher position’s impact on the Yankees’ dynasty teams. Those five catchers played key roles in 20 of the Yankees’ 23 World Series championships, as of 1978.

Munson’s highest percentage (15.5%) of Hall of Fame votes came in his first year of eligibility in 1981. In his last year on the ballot for consideration by the baseball writers in 1995, he received only 6.5% of the votes. Since then, he’s been passed over by the Veterans’ Committee on four occasions.

It’s true Munson’s career numbers for the “counting” stats don’t come close to most of the other players in the Hall who enjoyed more lengthy careers. His slash line was .292/.346/.410, with 113 home runs and 701 RBIs. Munson’s catcher contemporaries elected to the Hall of Fame include Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Gary Carter. I’m not saying Munson was entirely comparable to any of those three.

But Munson had a 46.1 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which is more than recent Hall of Famers Dave Parker and Harold Baines, who played significantly more years than Munson. He arguably had more impact with the Yankees than recent Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer had with the Twins.

Munson could legitimately have put in 3-5 more productive years that would have enhanced his career statistics. He could have made a difference in the Yankee’s quest for another World Series title in 1981, when the Dodgers beat them. But that’s purely conjecture, and the Hall of Fame voters, whether the baseball writers or veterans committees, rightfully don’t consider “what could have been.”

Munson is revered by the Yankees organization who retired Munson’s No. 15 and dedicated a plaque to him in Monument Park at Yankee Stadium. Yankee fans who saw Munson play feel like he also belongs in the Hall of Fame, if nothing else, from a sentimental standpoint.

In the final analysis though, if there was a “Hall of Very Good,” he’d belong in it, but not the Hall of Fame.

 

The results of the voting for the 2025 inductees to the Baseball Hall of Fame won’t be announced until January 21, but it seems a certainty that relief pitcher Billy Wagner will finally be elected in his final year of eligibility. He came within a few votes last year to receive the required 75%. Why has it taken so long for a legitimate candidate like Wagner? Are relief pitchers being overlooked in deference to starting pitchers? Are relief pitchers undervalued in the game?

Billy Wagner pitched in the majors from 1995 to 2010, primarily for the Houston Astros (nine seasons). His career numbers were superb. He finished with a 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP and 422 saves in 853 appearances. He averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings. His ERA+ was 187. He finished fourth and sixth in voting for the Cy Young Award. He was a seven-time All-Star.

What is it about his record that hasn’t qualified him for a bronze plaque in Cooperstown, from the first year he was eligible? There must have been reasons.

Perhaps he didn’t have a classic mustache like Rollie Fingers or Goose Gossage? Perhaps he didn’t have an iconic walk-in song (Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”) from the bullpen like Mariano Rivera, or the menacing stare on the mound like Lee Smith, a six-foot-five, 220-pound beast. (Of course, I’m being facetious.)

Somehow, Wagner slipped under the radar for notoriety during his career. Hall of Fame relief pitchers like Rivera, Fingers, Gossage, Dennis Eckersley, and Bruce Sutter developed popular personas in addition to being superior closers on the field. If Wagner had been more newsworthy or outspoken, would he have gotten more attention for the Hall sooner? If he had opportunities to pitch more during the postseason, would he have garnered more recognition?

I think Wagner, like many other proficient relievers, has suffered from a stigma that most of the baseball writers (who are the official voters on the Hall candidates) haven’t valued relief pitchers’ contributions and impact on the game, except for the most elite ones. The analogy for position players would be comparable to the writers passing up their votes for superstars not named Ruth, Gehrig, Mays or Mantle.

Hoyt Wilhelm was the first relief pitcher to be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1985. He was followed by Fingers (1992), Eckersley (2004), Bruce Sutter (2006), Gossage (2008), Trevor Hoffman (2018), Rivera (2019) and Smith (2019). That’s only eight out of a total of 274 players from the various eras and positions who are currently in the Hall.

And what about reliever Francisco Rodriguez who’s also on the ballot this year for the third time? His stats aren’t that far behind Wagner’s—2.86 ERA and 437 saves in 948 appearances. He averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game and boasted a 148 ERA+. Of the current Hall of Fame relievers, only Rivera’s and Hoffman’s numbers exceed Rodriguez’s. Yet he received only 7.8% of the required 75% minimum votes in his second year of eligibility.

Dan Quisenberry and John Franco are past relievers who deserved more consideration, but they never made it past their first year of eligibility, receiving less than 5% of the votes. Then there’s Roy Face, Sparky Lyle, Jeff Reardon, Troy Percival, John Wetteland, Joe Nathan, Jonathan Papelbon, and a few others who were top relievers during their respective eras. Were all of these all-stars victims of the lack of appreciation for the reliever role?

From 1976 to 2012, there was an annual post-season award for the top reliever in each league, called “Fireman of the Year.” The winners were heralded as the best relief pitchers in the game. But that award is no longer available and possibly contributes to the lack of recognition relief pitchers currently get.

If Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman are the standard for relievers to get into the Hall, there won’t be many new inductees either.

With the current strategies for using relievers in games, it’s plausible there will even be less consideration in the future for relief specialists to get into the Hall. The number of saves by relief pitchers used to be one of the key metrics for relievers. But the “closer” role has been watered down somewhat, as many managers resort to multiple pitchers in the final inning depending on game situations. Except for Cleveland Guardians All-Star reliever Emmanual Clase, no one has recorded more than 40 saves in a season since 2018.

And now with most relievers focused on throwing into the high 90s, they’re going to flame out before they put in a substantial number of seasons to be considered for Hall election. The exception is 36-year-old, 15-year veteran Aroldis Chapman, who still consistently hits 100 mph, including a 105-mph pitch last season.

Looking ahead a few years, there’s a reasonable chance veterans Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel will get the call for induction. But after that, don’t bet on others.

For about 10 years now I’ve filled out a mythical ballot for electing players to the Baseball Hall of Fame. It’s a fun exercise to rationalize why a player belongs or not. In some years there are more Hall-worthy players than the ballot can hold. This year there aren’t enough worthy players to fill all ten spots on my ballot. So, there’s a temptation to lower the standards for election, just so I can write in candidates for all ten.

The Veterans Committee (also known as the Classic Baseball Era Committee) did a disservice to the baseball community earlier this month by electing Dave Parker for 2025 induction. I’m happy for Parker that he got in, but the committee lowered the bar for election. Parker ‘s stats indicate he was a “very good, but not a great” player. He never garnered more than 25% in the 15 years he was eligible for election by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA). This year was his fourth year for consideration by the Veterans. Perhaps Parker was a sentimental pick by the voters because he currently has Parkinson’s disease.

Last year I cast nine votes for Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Gary Sheffield, Todd Helton, Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones, Omar Vizquel, and Adrian Beltre.

Of that group, Helton and Beltre were inducted by the BBWAA. I totally missed on Joe Mauer, who surprised me as a first-ballot electee. Sheffield fell off the ballot after not receiving the minimum required 75% of votes in his 10th and final year.

I’m sticking with Wagner, Rodriguez, Ramirez, Jones and Beltran, who are still eligible this year, but I’ve changed my mind about Vizquel.

Yeah, I know I’m still one of the holdouts that Rodriguez and Ramirez belong in the Hall, despite their admitted association with PEDs. Only a third of the BBWAA writers agreed with me in 2024. I just think you can’t overlook their offensive prowess over their entire careers. (I felt the same way about Barry Bonds who fell off the ballot in 2022 after falling short of receiving the required 75%.)

Wagner came within 1.2% of reaching the magic number last year. He’ll get over the hump this year (his last for eligibility). He didn’t accumulate the number of career saves as previous Hall of Fame relief pitchers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman, but his career 2.31 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, and 187 ERA+ are Hall-worthy. And by the way, his 422 career saves ranked him in eighth place on the all-time saves list, ahead of HOF relievers Rich Gossage, Dennis Eckersley, and Rollie Fingers.

Two outfielders I voted for last year and am including again in this year’s selection are Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones. Beltran was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1999 and went to collect nine All-Star appearances with the Mets, Cardinals, and Yankees. His WAR is 70.1, and he received MVP votes in seven seasons. He was a valuable post-season contributor, with a slash line of .307/.412/.609, 16 HRs and 42 RBI. My selection of Andrew Jones is primarily influenced by his defensive excellence. Jones was a Gold Glove centerfielder for 10 straight seasons with the Braves. But he wasn’t a liability for his teams on the offensive side, as he hit 434 career HRs and 1,289 RBIs.

With regard to Vizquel, I’ve come to accept he was more of a one-dimensional player with 11 Gold Gloves at shortstop. It’s true he collected over 2,800 career hits, but it took him 24 seasons to do it. His career OPS+ was a meagre 80. That’s 20% below the average player. He’s comparable to existing Hall of Fame defensive wizard, light-hitting second baseman Bill Mazeroski, whom I believe doesn’t really belong either.

From the new class of candidates, there are only two players who have Hall of Fame credentials. I’m casting my vote for Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia.

Suzuki became an iconic player at the turn of the century. He accomplished the rare feat of being named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in 2001. For ten consecutive seasons, he collected 200 or more hits per season. Neither Pete Rose nor Ty Cobb accomplished that. Combined with his hits as a Japanese professional, he amassed 4,367 total hits during his 28-year career. He was a perennial Gold Glover during his first ten seasons, and he was in the Top 5 in stolen bases during that same period.

Suzuki stayed in the majors too long, as his last seven years (age 39 to 45) diminished his career stats. He finished with a 107 OPS+, which is not particularly indicative of a Hall of Famer. In any case, he’ll likely be a first-ballot selection. He’ll be the first Japanese player elected to the Hall. What other major leaguer has worn his first name (and not his last name) on the back of his jersey!

I was initially on the fence regarding Sabathia’s belonging in the Hall. I debated whether he is in the category of “very good, but not great” pitchers. He’s comparable to Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven, Mike Mussina, and Jack Morris. He’s the best starting pitcher among this year’s eligible class.

From 2007 to 2011 Sabathia was a Top 5 vote-getter for the Cy Young Award for five seasons, capturing the honors in 2007. He struggled with alcoholism during the last few years of his career, which affected his performance. But with 251 career wins, he still ranks among the best.

The other players I considered were Chase Utley (a carryover from last year) and Dustion Pedroia and Troy Tulowitzki (newcomers to this year’s class).

Utley (Phillies) and Pedroia (Red Sox) were players of similar capability and impact. Both were gritty second basemen, who were key players in their respective teams’ rise to prominence. If I were starting a new team, I’d want either one of these players in my starting lineup. Yet their years of excellence were too few to warrant election to the Hall.

From 2007 through 2014, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki’s performance put him on track to become a Hall of Famer, based on his bat and his glove, but he flamed out too early, due to injuries, to warrant election.

That makes only seven players on my ballot this year. There’s an impulse to keep Vizquel on my ballot or to add outfielder Bobby Abreu, closer Francisco Rodriguez, and long-time Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte. But I wouldn’t be able to defend them in future years when other “true” Hall of Famers come up for eligibility. Plus, the Hall of Fame needs to avoid another Dave Parker.

As an aspiring young baseball player in the late ‘50s and ‘60s, one of my heroes was Rocky Colavito. He was a well-respected slugger, playing primarily for the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers. The handsome outfielder was a favorite of both of those teams.

How could you not like his name, Rocky Colavito? His given name, of Italian descent, was Rocco Domenico Colavito. Being an Italian-American myself, I naturally gravitated toward his career. Yeah, I was familiar with the most famous Italian ballplayer ever, Joe DiMaggio. But “Joltin’ Joe” had already retired by the time I was growing up and there were no opportunities for me to root for him.

A product of the Bronx (where DiMaggio was his favorite player), Colavito signed a contract as a 17-year-old in 1951 with the Cleveland Indians. He demonstrated a pattern for hitting home runs in bunches from the start of his career. From 1953 to 1955 including two seasons at Triple-A, he collected 96 home runs and 341 RBIs.

He got a brief September callup with the Indians in 1955, and eventually became a regular in 1956, when he was runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year, with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs.

After his 1959 season in which he hit 42 home runs, The Sporting News predicted he would be the most likely player to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record.

In one of the blockbuster trades in the early 1960s, he was traded by the Cleveland Indians to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn in 1960. Both had just come off All-Star seasons with their respective teams.  Colavito led the league in home runs (42) in 1959, while Kuenn led the AL in batting average (.353).

Unfortunately, Colavito never played for a pennant-winning team. And much of his career overlapped with Hall of Fame outfielders Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. So, he didn’t get nearly as much ink as he deserved because of these other stars.

Between 1956 and 1966, Colavito hit the fifth-most home runs in all of baseball, behind  Mays, Aaron, Mantle, and Robinson. He was fourth-most in RBIs behind the same group of players minus Mantle.

I won’t go so far as to claim he was a Hall of Famer. But consider that he outpaced recently-elected Dave Parker in WAR (44.9 to 40.1) and OPS+ (132 to 121). He also compares favorably with Hall of Famer Harold Baines who had a 38.8 WAR and 121 OPS+. He finished with 374 home runs and 1,159 RBIs.

He was in the top five in assists for outfielders in 10 seasons. To put his fielding prowess into perspective, he was in the same company as contemporary outfielders Roger Maris and Roberto Clemente for having a rocket-arm.

He put that arm to good use in a rare appearance as a relief pitcher with the New York Yankees during his last season in 1968. He pitched 2 2/3 innings to claim a win.

I can still recall the image of Rocky’s first baseball card, a 1957 Topps. He’s in an Indians uniform pictured as though he was warming up on the sideline before a game. He hadn’t yet become known as Rocky, as his first name Rocco was printed on the front of his card.

RIP, Rocky.

It used to be that a kid could buy a pack of baseball cards for a nickel. And the bonus was getting a piece of stale bubblegum. Nowadays collecting baseball cards is no longer a casual childhood activity, as adult collectors have taken the hobby to a new level. Vintage baseball cards are considered art by some investors. Even current-day limited edition cards are commanding big dollars, certainly not the kind of money kids can afford.

One of the recent situations demonstrating how crazy the baseball card market has evolved involved a Topps card of Paul Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching phenom. The card manufacturer recently made only one of his cards (marked as a “1 of 1”) with his autograph and a debut patch. The card was randomly included in a pack of other cards. It has created a buying frenzy, as the card is expected to go for six figures. The Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team offered to acquire this one-of-a-kind card from the person lucky enough to get the card for two season tickets to Pirates games for thirty (30) years, plus other items such as signed items by Skenes.

The Ty Cobb T206 cigarette card has been the Holy Grail of baseball cards for years. Because of its age (1909-1911) and rarity (only 22 known to currently exist), the card has commanded some of the highest dollars in the baseball collecting world. In 2022, one of the Cobb cards sold for $7.2 million.

A 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card in pristine condition was sold later in 2022 for $12.6 million, the highest ever paid for a single baseball card. The person who sold the card purchased the same card in 1990 for $50,000.

Nowadays, the cards don’t have to be really old to be of value. In November of this year, a limited edition Shohei Ohtani rookie card (2018 Bowman Chrome Rookie Autographs Orange Refractor) sold for $533,140.

Only the richest investors, some of whom are not even baseball enthusiasts, can afford these types of cards.

The nature of card collecting has changed dramatically from what many of us remember. For the most part now the trading card business excludes young collectors.

You can hardly find a retail brick-and-mortar store where you can buy the current year’s baseball cards. Many sales are being transacted over the internet now. eBay has become one of the main sources for purchases and sales.

Baseball card hobby shops used to populate nearly every neighborhood, where a kid could buy and sell cards with a familiar shop owner. Now there are only a handful of shops in an entire metropolitan area.

Topps, now owned by global mega-sports platform Fanatics, dominates the trading card manufacturing. The heyday of cards made by Fleer, Donruss, and Upper Deck cards in the ‘80s and ‘90s is barely a memory now.

Many collectors are getting their most valuable cards graded by independent, third-party services, a process in itself that can be expensive. Vintage cards (now considered those produced before around 1970) are typically purchased as graded cards, because of the higher prices they can command once they are later sold.

A large part of the Topps trading card business now involves cards printed “on demand.”  Individual cards are put on sale for a limited time, such as one day or one week, and then Topps prints only the number of these cards purchased on-line during that time period. Therefore, the cards have a limited print run, which can vary per card. The purchase prices usually range from $5 to $12 for each card, depending on the quantity purchased. Topps also incents buyers to purchase large quantities of these cards by randomly including limited edition and autographed cards in purchases. These specialty cards can then be turned around for nice profits soon after purchase.

As NFTs (non-fungible tokens) became popular with the implementation of blockchain technology, Major League Baseball and Topps made baseball cards available as NFTs. The way this works involves buyers purchasing a digital version of a baseball card (not a cardboard one) that is maintained by MLB or Topps. Collectors can view, buy and sell the digital cards through an on-line marketplace. There are limited editions of the digital cards, which ultimately become a factor in the prices for buying and selling them. When MLB initially implemented NFTs several years ago, the limited edition Shohei Ohtani digital images bought for less than $20 then commanded a price of $15,000 for potential buyers.

Cards from the 1950s are on fire right now. A quick search on eBay produced the following items for some of the decade’s best players. The prices for these cards go up exponentially for cards whose condition is graded 8 or higher.

• 1952 Topps Jackie Robinson with a PSA Grade 1 (the lowest grade) is available for $4,995.

 

• 1955 Topps Sandy Koufax, ungraded in excellent condition, is available for $1,899

 

• 1957 Topps Mickey Mantle with a SCG Grade 5 is available for $1,200

 

• 1954 Topps Willie Mays with a PSA Grade 5 is available for $1,000.

Perhaps the best buying option for kids today is to purchase a factory-sealed box of 700 different Topps cards for about $65. One problem is that these boxes only become available near the end of the baseball season. The collector won’t get the “rush” from opening individual pack of cards, hoping to get an Ohtani or a Aaron Judge card. And he won’t get the opportunity to receive limited edition cards. But if he’s in the hobby just to enjoy the different card images, and not to make money from them, it’s not a bad alternative.

 

This article was originally published on TheTenthInning.com website in 2014. It's now relevant again as Tommy John is being considered by the Classic Baseball Era Committee for election to the Baseball Hall of Fame in December 2024.

I imagine everybody these days, including non-baseball fans, knows what Tommy John surgery is.  But do they know who Tommy John, the baseball player, was?

Tommy John had a 26-year pitching career in Major League Baseball, but it was only because of an orthopedist named Dr. Frank Jobe that he was able to accomplish this.  In 1974, at age 31, John tore an elbow ligament in his left arm while pitching in a game for the Los Angeles Dodgers.  Dr. Jobe, who had attended the game, performed the landmark surgery to replace the torn ligament with a tendon from John’s right wrist. John agreed to Jobe’s recommendation for this uncertain, yet innovative, procedure, because his baseball career would have otherwise ended.

As a result of his surgery, John was able to extend himself in what could be considered a second major league career.  His first, consisting of twelve seasons prior to the surgery, was just an average one.

John began his professional career with the Cleveland Indians organization in 1961 as an 18-year-old from Indiana.  He quickly progressed to the big leagues, earning a permanent spot on the Indians’ roster in May 1964.  Over the next ten seasons, he recorded double-digit wins in all but one of the seasons, as he played with the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers.  However, in five of those seasons, he also posted double-digit losses, including 17 and 16 defeats in back-to-back seasons.  His 124-106 won-loss record was indicative of being an average, but durable, hurler at that point in his career.  He did have one selection to the All-Star Game in 1968.

Then in 1974, John was off to one of his best seasons (13-3 record, 2.59 ERA), when he suffered the fateful injury on July 17 while pitching for the Dodgers against the Montreal Expos.  In his autobiography, TJ: My Twenty-Six Years In Baseball, John recalled that he threw a couple of wild pitches in the third inning and heard what sounded like a “collision coming from inside his elbow.”

John waited three weeks before trying to pitch again.  In a batting practice session, John couldn’t throw, confirming he had torn elbow ligaments.  Despite Dr. Jobe’s estimated odds of 100-1 for his return to the mound, John underwent the surgery anyway in September.  In addition to the transplant, John had muscle and nerve damage repaired during the surgery.  In December, he underwent a second operation   to re-route the nerve because his left hand had gone numb.

John sat out the entire 1975 season rehabilitating from the surgery.  In spring training camp with the Dodgers in 1976, he was given little chance for a comeback at age 33.  However, he finished with a 10-10 record and 3.09 ERA in remarkable 207 innings pitched.  His surprising performance was acknowledged by The Sporting News, who named him the Comeback Player of the Year.  Thus, his second career was underway.

With his “miracle” arm, John’s best seasons were ahead of him.  In 1977, John won 14 of his last 17 decisions to post a 20-7 record and 2.78 ERA for the season.   He finished second to Steve Carlton in the Cy Young Award voting.  The Dodgers won the National League pennant but lost to the New York Yankees in the World Series.

The Dodgers repeated at National League champs 1978.  John was part of a starting rotation that had four pitchers with fifteen or more victories.  He compiled a 17-10 record and was selected for his second All-Star Game.  This time the Dodgers defeated the Yankees for the World Series championship, with John getting two post-season victories.

The 36-year-old John signed with the rival Yankees as a free agent during the offseason.  He rewarded them with a 21-9 record and 2.96 ERA in 1979, while again finishing second in the Cy Young Award balloting.  He won a career-high 22 games in 1980 when the Yankees captured the American League East Division title.

In the strike-shortened season in 1981, John posted a 9-8 record as the Yankees returned to the World Series again, only to lose to his former Dodger teammates.

When most pitchers his age had already called it quits, John went on to pitch eight more seasons in the big leagues.  After his surgery in 1974, he compiled 164 victories in 14 seasons.  He was one of the oldest full-time pitchers in baseball history at age 46, only surpassed later by Nolan Ryan and Jamie Moyer.

Despite his 288 career victories (26^th best of all time), John didn’t get serious consideration for the Baseball Hall of Fame, gaining 31.7% of the vote in his final year on the ballot, well below the minimum requirement.  Unfortunately, he was among those players that Hall voters considered “accumulators”, those who compiled impressive statistics largely due to their longevity in the game. 

On a side note, if there was a medical wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame, certainly Dr. Jobe would be an inductee, because of his impact on the game.

The ground-breaking surgery has been performed thousands of times since John’s, prolonging the careers of many athletes after him.  Recent major league pitchers who have benefitted from Tommy John surgery include star players such as Tim Hudson, Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan, Stephen Strasburg, Brian Wilson and Matt Harvey.   There have already been fifteen pitchers this season who have suffered elbow injuries which will require Tommy John surgery.   If Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax had the opportunity for such a surgery, his fabulous career may not have ended at age 31.

Dr. Jobe did not specifically name the surgery after Tommy John.  Instead, John’s name became frequently used over the years to symbolize the procedure, whose technical medical description is “ulnar collateral ligament construction while using the palmaris longus tendon.” With a complex description like that, you can understand why it became popular for people to just call it “Tommy John surgery.”   Sort of reminds us of another legendary ballplayer, Lou Gehrig, whose name is frequently associated with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) disease.

 

Contributed by Richard Cuicchi

TheTenthInning.com, 04/21/2014

By now you probably have already read several stories about the career of Dick Allen, who died on December 7 at age 78. So, bear with me as I reminisce about the player who was initially called Richie by Philadelphia Phillies publicists when he made his major-league debut in 1963. Ten years later he declared to the media he wanted to be called Dick, since it was the name he grew up with.

Allen played in 10 games in his debut season, and then played his first full season in 1964. He was an immediate success individually and almost got the Philadelphia Phillies to their first pennant since 1950. Allen had an impressive slash line of .318/.382/.557, as he led the National League in runs (125), triples (13), and total bases (352). He was voted the Rookie of the Year, garnering 18 of 20 first-place votes.

Allen went on to one of the best major-league careers during his prime years (1964 to 1974), matching up well with some of the all-time greats. He made seven all-star teams during that timeframe and captured the American League MVP Award in 1972. During his 15-year career, he averaged .292, hit 351 home runs, and drove in 1,119 runs.

Yet he never really got the recognition as those other superstars. He was viewed as a malcontent, frequently at odds with team management. He broke team rules, such as showing up late for games and missing flights. Some days he decided he didn’t want to take batting practice. Furthermore, he was not a favorite of the press in Philadelphia, as he frequently denied interviews.

When he got into professional baseball his early twenties, he had to deal with racial issues that existed around the nation. Baseball had been integrated since 1947, but there were still lingering problems with bigotry within the game. Allen spoke up when others shied away from the issues. His openness contributed to the negative perception that often surrounded him.

However, the fans loved Allen. They loved the way he hit home runs with his 41-ounce bat, often in extra-inning games, although it was joked the fans were sometimes disappointed when he hit homers--because the ball couldn’t be found since he hit them so far.

When Allen became eligible in the Hall of Fame voting in 1983, he received a meager 3.7 % of the votes. The highest percentage of votes he obtained during his 14 years on the ballot (18.9%) was far lower than the required minimum of 75%. Since he had not accumulated 3,000 hits, hit 400 home runs, or averaged .300 or better, common benchmarks for election at that time, he never got serious consideration by the baseball writers. Furthermore, many of them remembered the disgruntled perception that plagued Allen during his playing days.

Yet with modern analytics now being utilized in the criteria for election to the Hall, there has been renewed interest in Allen by the Golden Era Committee (formerly known as the Veterans Committee). This blue-ribbon group of veteran players, managers and executives re-considers the careers of former players from past decades for election to the Hall. Allen missed by one vote for election by this committee six year ago. He was scheduled to come up again this year, but the committee deferred its voting until next year.

There are strong sentiments by today’s baseball analysts that Allen deserves to be voted in, based on his on-field performance and disregarding prior negative perceptions of his persona. The Athletic’s Jayson Stark produced the following analysis (for years 1964-1974) that shows Allen in good company with current Hall of Famers when considering several of the non-accumulation stats. The facts are pretty revealing when he is compared to peers of his era.

Best OPS: Hank Aaron (.941), Dick Allen (.920), Willie McCovey (.937).

Best Slugging Percentage: Hank Aaron (.561). Dick Allen (.554), and Willie Stargell (.541).

Best OPS+: Dick Allen (165), Willie McCovey (164), Hank Aaron (.159), Frank Robinson (159).

Assuming Allen gets the nod to enter the Hall next year, it will be a huge tragedy that it occurred after he passed. It is reminiscent of Ron Santo’s posthumous election in 2012.

 

Contributed by Richard Cuicchi

TheTenthInning.com, 12/13/2020

The World Series final game is barely a week old, and the Hot Stove Season is already heating up. One of the most intriguing topics is where superstar outfielder Juan Soto will land for the 2025 season.

The New York Yankees acquired Soto last December as a one-year rental. He had one year left on his contract with his former club, San Diego Padres, which the Yankees assumed in a trade. He just turned 26 years old a few days ago. He is already in the prime of his career, having already finished seven major-league seasons. It was clear that Soto would enter the free-agent market after this season, with the prospect of owning the bank with his new contract.

But the question is which team will have to empty its coffers to get Soto.

The Yankees seem like the natural answer.

Soto helped them get to the World Series, something they hadn’t done in 15 years. Could they have done it without Soto? Perhaps, but not likely. Soto had the second-best season of his career, if you go by OPS+ (178). He was second in the league only behind teammate Aaron Judge, the likely AL MVP, who was the runaway leader with 223 OPS+. The next-highest Yankee in OPS+ was Giancarlo Stanton (115), who played only 114 games. Soto was fourth in the league in Offensive WAR (7.9).

The Yankees’ chances of repeating as AL champs next year are significantly higher with Soto in the lineup again with Judge. But will the Yankees, already with one of the highest payrolls in baseball, shell out the dough to keep Soto? They also have a decision to make about their star pitcher Gerrit Cole, who just informed the Yankees he plans to opt out of his contract.

I think Soto’s asking price will begin with a “5” or “6”, as in $500-600 million over 10 years. Shohei Ohtani got an unthinkable $700 million for 10 years, but Soto’s price won’t go that high, unless he gets a longer deal.

The Yankees will make a respectable offer to Soto, but not likely in his asking range. Any other player would jump at their offer. But you see, Soto will have another viable alternative--that other team in New York.

The New York Mets, under relatively new owner Steven Cohen, currently has a high payroll, too. But his pockets are deeper than the Yankees’ Steinbrenners. He’s anxious to bring the Mets back into relevance every year, despite being in the same division as Atlanta and Philadelphia. Baseball analyst/writer Joel Sheehan wrote this week,” Flags, even very expensive ones, fly forever.”

The Mets showed in the second half of this season they are a team on the verge of being a pennant contender again. Soto could be the one guy who can get them several pennants.

He would be the “top dog” in CitiField. He won’t have to play in the shadow of Judge, the Yankee captain who is a fan-favorite in the Bronx. He’d still have all the attention a big market can offer. I’m guessing that’s something that appeals to him.

For all these reasons, I’m putting my money on Soto to find himself in a Mets pinstripe uniform instead of the Yankee pinstripes.

The media buzz all season long in major-league baseball has centered around Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. The Japanese superstar practically dominated the season with his unprecedented 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. He is Babe Ruth and Rickey Henderson wrapped up in one player. Ohtani will soon collect his third MVP Award in just his seventh major-league season. Only 30 years old, he’s already cemented his place in baseball history as one of the best ever.

In 1981 there was another foreign-born player who took the baseball world by storm. Just 20 years old in his first full season, Mexican-born pitcher Fernando Valenzuela captured the nation’s attention with his spectacular start of the season. Had there been the same type of social media prevalence back then as there is now, he would have topped all the trend charts.

Baseball fans are recalling Valenzuela’s career, since he died on October 22, just a few days short of his 64th birthday.

 “FernandoMania” had it’s beginning on Opening Day for the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 9, when lefty Valenzuela shut out the Houston Astros in his first major-league start.

He proceeded to win an additional seven consecutive complete games, giving up only four earned runs and striking out 68 in his eight outings. His 0.50 ERA was off the charts. No pitcher had won their first eight major-league games as a rookie since Dave “Boo” Ferriss accomplished it for the Boston Red Sox in 1945.

Valenzuela’s unique pitching delivery featured a glance skyward before he hurled the ball toward home plate. It was as though he was appealing to the heavens to help put “something extra” on his patented screwball.

At 5’ 11” and 180 pounds Valenzuela didn’t have the svelte physique of Ohtani. But that was part of his lovability by the fans. He was an everyday guy like them, who just happened to pitch like a maniac. The crowds at Dodger Stadium included large contingents of Latinos, who nicknamed him “El Toro.”

Valenzuela finally showed he was human when lost his ninth start. He was a big reason the Dodgers were contending for first place in their division.

But then a players’ strike interrupted the season for two months, beginning on June 11, with the Dodgers leading the Cincinnati Reds by half a game.

Play resumed on August 10. Valenzuela continued his mastery, as he won his next four decisions to make his record 13-4, with a 2.36 ERA. The Dodgers battled the Reds again down the stretch. But Valenzuela hit a rough stretch when he lost three games, and the Reds finished the season four games ahead of the Dodgers.

Valenzuela ended the season with a 13-7 record and 2.48 ERA. He led the National League in complete games (11), shutouts (8), innings pitched (192.1) and strikeouts (180). He was named the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award winner, the only time that a pitcher has accomplished both in the same season.

He was instrumental in the Dodgers post-season run in 1981 that ended in a World Series championship. He recorded victories over Houston in the Division Series, Montreal in the League Championship Series, and the Yankees in the World Series.

Valenzuela went on to post double-digit wins in eight of the nine next seasons for the Dodgers. He ended up playing 17 seasons, compiling a 173-153 record, 3.54 ERA, and 2,074 strikeouts. He finished second, third and fifth in Cy Young Award voting over the next five seasons.

During his 23-year major-league career, former Jesuit High School star Rusty Staub played in only one World Series, but he made the most of his appearance in the Fall Classic with the New York Mets in 1973.

Staub was in his 11th major-league season and his second with the Mets in 1973. He had previously played six seasons with the Houston Astros, beginning as a 19-year-old in 1963. He followed that stint with three seasons for the Montreal Expos, where he acquired the French nickname “Le Grand Orange,” as a popular redhead.

Montreal traded the 28-year-old left-handed hitter to the Mets before the 1972 season, in a deal that sent Ken Singleton, Tim Foli, and Mike Jorgensen to the Expos.

The Mets prevailed in one of the tightest races in baseball history, as they captured the East Division title in 1973, winning only 82 games. Only five wins separated them from the fifth-place Chicago Cubs.

Offensively, the Mets were one of the worst teams in the National League. Their team OPS+ was 83, tied for the lowest in the league with the Cubs. Yet Staub turned in a credible season when he slashed .279/.361/.421. He led the team in doubles (36), RBIs (76), total bases (246), and OPS (.361).

On the other hand, the Mets pitching staff was second-best in the NL, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers in runs allowed per game. Their starting rotation was manned by Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Jon Matlack, while closer Tug McGraw led the bullpen.

The Mets upset the Cincinnati Reds, who were in their heyday as the “Big Red Machine,” in the League Championship Series. Staub contributed the only three home runs by the Mets. He missed the decisive Game Five due to a shoulder contusion he suffered in the previous game, when he ran into the outfield wall making a catch.

The Mets faced another juggernaut in the World Series. The Oakland A’s, led offensively by slugger Reggie Jackson, had captured their second consecutive American League pennant. The A’s featured their own stellar pitching staff, consisting of Ken Holtzman, Vida Blue, and Catfish Hunter, each of whom had won 20 games during the regular season.

Staub had always dreamed of playing in the Fall Classic. He said, “When you’ve been in the bigs for 11 years, you’re always hoping that one day you’ll play in the World Series.”

Staub ended up making the most of his opportunity. Still stinging from the shoulder injury, he missed Game One of the World Series. However, deciding to play in his painful condition, he became the Mets’ hitting star in the rest of the series, recording 11 hits, while batting .423 with a home run and six RBIs.

In Game Four, he went 4-for-4, including the home run, as the Mets evened the series at two games apiece. Staub said after the game, “To have a night like I had is unbelievably satisfying, especially under the circumstances [playing with a sore shoulder].” Even with his condition, A’s manager Dick Williams still feared Staub. He said, “I’m still afraid of him. I know Rusty Staub. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t have to pull the ball to hurt you, he can go to the opposite field.”

The A’s ended up winning the last two games of the seven-game series to claim their second straight World Series. The Mets lost the final game, 5-2, with Staub collecting two of the Mets’ eight hits.

Staub still holds the Mets’ record for most hits in a World Series.

The closest he came to getting another chance to play in the World Series came in his final major-league season in 1985. Then 41-years-old, Staub had returned to the Mets as their primary pinch-hitter, after having played for Texas, Detroit, and Montreal, a second time. The Mets came within a game of overtaking the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in early October, before losing three of their last four games.

Staub finished his career with 2,716 hits, 292 home runs, and 1,466 RBIs. He had a career OPS+ of 124.

 

Another former Jesuit prep star had a memorable post-season series in 1989. Playing for the San Francisco Giants, Will Clark single-handedly defeated the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series. He collected 13 hits, including three doubles, a triple, and two home runs (one of which was a grand slam) in five games.

Yankees vs. Dodgers. They haven’t played against each other in the World Series since 1981, when the Dodgers won in six games. Fernando Valenzuela became the toast of Tinseltown. That seems like ages ago.

Yankees vs. Mets. It was called the Subway Series in 2000, when the two teams met in the World Series. The Yankees won their third consecutive world championship. Remember the Clemens vs. Piazza incident?

Yeah, I know, it’s premature to call the Yankees the 2024 American League champion, but what if they were to defeat Cleveland in the ALCS to return as a pennant-winner for the first time since 2009? It would end one of their longest droughts without appearing in a World Series. But we’d have a chance to see the revival of an old rivalry.

Let’s take a look at some of the history between these franchises.

The Yankees and Dodgers played against each other in the World Series 11 times, the first dating back to 1941, when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn. In their sixth meeting in 1955, the Dodgers finally overcame the Yankees, behind the pitching of Johnny Podres, Clem Labine and Roger Craig. Sandy Amoros made the legendary catch of Yogi Berra’s hit to left field.

In the Dodgers’ first World Series as the Los Angeles team in 1963, they swept the Yankees in four game. This time it was Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Podres man-handling Yankees batters, limiting them to only a .171 batting average and two home runs.

The Yankees defeated the Dodgers in back-to-back years in 1977-78. The Yankees’ lineup that included Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Lou Piniella, Roy White, Ron Guidry, Catfish Hunter, and Sparky Lyle, were too much for Los Angeles. Reggie Jackson’s three home runs in 1978 Game 6 marked one of the most historic hitting performances in World Series history.

FernandoMania hit the majors in 1981, when rookie Fernando Valenzuela dazzled fans with his unique windup and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors in the National League. He won Game 3 of the World Series which spurred the Dodgers’ turnaround defeat of the Yankees in six games.

The Mets and Yankees have met only once in the World Series, in 2000. It was only the Mets’ fourth World Series appearance. The Yankees defeated the Mets in five games, with each of the games ending in very close scores. There was no love lost between the two teams, highlighted by pitcher Roger Clemens throwing part of a shattered bat in the direction of batter Mike Piazza as he ran to first base.

Wouldn’t you want to see the Yankees play one of these two teams to renew an old rivalry?

So, all you Yankee-haters, go ahead and root for the Evil Empire to win the pennant this year. Is that asking too much?

With Pete Rose's death last week I thought I'd bring back a piece I wrote 11 years ago.

 

 

(Originally posted on TheTenthInning.com, July 22, 2013)

August 1st will mark the 35th anniversary of Pete Rose’s attempt to break the National League consecutive-game hitting streak held by Wee Willie Keeler.  Keeler’s record was 44 games, set in 1897, which is twelve shy of Joe DiMaggio’s 1941 all-time major-league record of 56.  I was fortunate to be able to attend Rose’s game against the Atlanta Braves on August 1, 1978, one in which he had the opportunity to break Keeler’s record.  I have had the good fortune to attend about 60 or so major-league games in my lifetime, and this was the most historically significant game I attended.

Of course, I had been tracking Rose’s pursuit of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, which started on June 14.  I happened to be attending a training class related to my work in Atlanta the week starting July 31.  It was one of those courses that involved 10-hour class days and had a very rigid schedule.  However, there was no way I was going to miss this game!

So, when Rose tied Keeler’s record of 44 games on July 31, I informed (note I didn’t say “requested”) my training instructor the next morning I would be leaving class early in order to see the game at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.  I was lucky the instructor was also a baseball fan; hence, he was supportive of my quest and actually detailed out the public transportation bus route for me.  However, he cautioned me there would only be a few buses that would be returning to downtown Atlanta after the game, and I should be especially mindful of the time so as not to miss them.

I arrived at the ballpark in time to see the last of the batting practice swings by the Cincinnati Reds.  Recall that in 1978 some of the remnants of the Big Red Machine teams were still around -- Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Dave Concepcion, George Foster, in addition to Rose.  It was quite a thrill to see these guys who were already immortals in my eyes.  I saw Rose spend time with a youngster in a wheelchair down on the field before the game, and I remember thinking, “what a great guy Pete must be.”

I was one of 31,159 fans in attendance at the game, a nice crowd on a weekday.  There was an air of “something special’s going to happen tonight,” in an anticipation of Rose breaking Keeler’s record.

Rose led off the game with a walk for the Reds against Braves starter Larry McWilliams and scored the first of three runs for the Reds in the first inning.  Okay, it wasn’t a hit, but it wasn’t a bad start.

Rose came up again in the top of the second and hit a line drive back through middle, only for McWilliams to snare it just as the ball appeared to have already passed him.  A few inches to the left or right, or a slower reflex by McWilliams, would have resulted in a single to centerfield and new National League record-holder.  Dang it!

Rose grounded out to the shortstop in the 5th inning and then lined into a double play, third to first, in the 7th inning.  Things were now looking pretty grim for his breaking the record.

By the end of the 7th inning, the game was out of hand for the Reds.  Dale Murphy and Bob Horner of the Braves had each hit home runs in the 5th, as did Barry Bonnell in the 7th.  The Braves scored five more runs in the bottom of the 8th to further secure the victory.  However, the game was running long on time, and I began to worry that I might miss the last bus back to my hotel.

Rose was scheduled to bat again in the top of the ninth, so I rationalized I couldn’t leave the game then.  My strategy became one of leaving my regular seat to search for the stadium exit closest to the bus stop outside the stadium and then watch the final inning in a seat near that exit.  In that way, after Rose batted, I could minimize the amount of time it took to catch the last bus.  Thus, before the top of the 9th inning, I found that exit, with the help of a stadium attendant, and wound up being the only person sitting in centerfield, since most everyone else, except some Rose fans, had pretty much gone home in the blowout game.

Rose was due up in the third spot in the top of the 9th inning.  I was thinking the odds were good that he would finally get the historic hit to keep his streak alive.  Furthermore, there was no additional pressure on the Braves to close out the Reds in a hitless fashion, after banging out 21 hits and 16 runs themselves.  Braves’ relief pitcher, Gene Garber, had already pitched the 7th and 8th innings.  Surely, he had tired somewhat.

Well, Garber had other thoughts about the 9th inning.  Apparently he wanted to finish the game quickly, but not for the same reason as me.  He wound up striking out Junior Kennedy and Vic Correll for the first two outs.  As Rose came up to bat, I was struggling to see well from my centerfield viewpoint.  Regardless, I just wanted him to get that hit.  Garber turned out to be a bulldog on the mound that night and also struck out Rose for the final out of the game.  Thus, the consecutive-game hitting streak had ended, with Rose still tied with Keeler.

I did wind up catching the bus back to my hotel on time.  But it wasn’t any consolation though, as I was truly disappointed in not seeing an historic baseball moment in person.

In 2012, I got an opportunity to meet Pete Rose in person in Las Vegas.  I had understood he spent a lot of days there, signing autographs at a store in a huge shopping mall.  I brought him a complimentary copy of the book I had recently authored, Family Ties:  A Comprehensive Collection of Facts and Trivia About Baseball’s Relatives, since he and his son, Pete Jr., are prominently mentioned in the book.  Despite my gift of the book, he still made me pay $75 for his autograph, and he generally appeared unappreciative of the book.  When I happened to mention that I had been at the game in which he snapped his hitting streak, he was not too interested in discussing the game or the streak.  Consequently, his aloofness affected my opinion of him as a person.

However, I have to acknowledge Rose was indeed the “Hit King,” except for that 0-for-5 night in 1978.

With the end of the regular baseball season, I began to reflect on how the campaign went—the surprises, the disappointments, the winners, the losers, the expectations met and unmet.

Let’s start with a review of a few low points in the season.

The Chicago White Sox were the epitome of futility. They broke the New York Mets’ record for number of losses in a season, which was established in the Mets’ first season 62 years ago. Just four years ago, the White Sox won the AL Central Division.

The Oakland A’s played their final game in the Oakland Coliseum. After owner John Fisher failed to secure local funding for a new stadium from the city of Oakland, he decided to abandon the fans of the Bay Area and relocate the team to Sacramento. The A’s will play there for three years until a stadium can be built in Las Vegas, where the A’s ultimately plan to call home. The A’s had been in Oakland since 1968. I feel sorry for those fans.

Extensive player injuries were a common theme for many clubs.

 

• ·    Atlanta Braves’ players were the poster children for a season riddled with injuries. They lost their best offensive player Ronald Acuna Jr. (last year’s NL MVP) at the end of May, and their best pitcher Spencer Strider (fourth-place finish for Cy Young Award in 2023) missed the entire season. Two other key players, Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies, also missed considerable time.

 

 

• ·    After featuring one of the best starting pitcher staffs last year, the Astros’ pitching corps was decimated by injuries this season. They lost Cristian Javier, JP France, Jose Urquidy, and Justin Verlander (for a good part of the season). Lance McCullers Jr. missed his second straight season with a tendon injury.

 

 

• ·    The Los Angeles Dodgers shored up its pitching staff last winter with the addition of Tyler Glasnow and highly sought after Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, only to have them with limited availability during the season. On top of that, former mainstays Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw spent significant time on the injured list. Relative newcomers to the starting staff, Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller, ended the season on the injured list.

 

 

• ·    Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber pitched only two games before being lost for the season due to an elbow injury.

 

New Orleans native Ron Washington suffered a long season in his first year as manager of the Los Angeles Angels. Angels fans were hoping Washington could bring some of the magic he had experienced as manager of the Texas Rangers. But the Halos finished dead last in the AL West Division. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise since the Angels lost Japanese megastar Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers and Mike Trout missed all but 29 games due to injury.

After capturing their first World Series championship last year, the Texas Rangers returned to their former status as a sub-.500 team. Manager Bruce Bochy wasn’t able to overcome having the second-worst pitching staff in the AL. Former Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom barely played all season.

 

However, the injury woes experienced by numerous teams didn’t put a damper on the entire season. We saw some of the best individual performances in recent history and a few surprising team finishes.

Shohei Ohtani broke all kinds of records in his first season with the Dodgers. He is the first player in 50-50 club for home runs and stolen bases. He delivered the most extra-base hits since 2001. He surpassed Ichiro for the most stolen bases by a Japanese player. He holds the Dodgers record for most home runs in a season. In what many believe is the greatest hitting performance in a single game, Ohtani went 6-for-6, hit three home runs, and stole two bases.

In the American League, the season’s best story included New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge. He had another Ruthian season, putting up 58 home runs, averaging one for every 10 at-bats. He led the AL in seven other key offensive metrics which contributed to his 11.7 Offensive WAR.

When the Yankees landed Juan Soto over the winter, they expected the kind of season he ended up delivering. He hit a career-high 41 home runs and led the AL in runs scored. He and Judge were reminiscent of the legendary Yankees combos Ruth/Gehrig and Mantle/Maris.

Pittsburgh Pirates flamethrower Paul Skenes was everything we thought he would be. His 1.96 ERA is the second-lowest for a rookie with at least 20 starts since 1913. He finished with 170 strikeouts and only 32 walks. In games Skenes started, the Pirates had a 15-8 record. He’s one of the top two contenders for NL Rookie of the Year, along with Jackson Merrill. With the way Skenes pushes 99-100 mph on practically every pitch, let’s just hope he doesn’t flame out.

Jarren Duran quietly emerged as an offensive force with the Boston Red Sox. The outfielder led the American League in doubles and triples, to go along with 34 stolen bases. He reminds me of former Red Sox outfielders Johnny Damon and Jacob Ellsbury. But if Duran follows their history, he will eventually wind up as a Yankee.

Stolen bases returned as a major offensive threat, perhaps because of the larger base sizes. I guess the Moneyball strategy that de-emphasized stealing has been thrown out the window. Remember when all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson could get a rally going by just drawing a walk and then stealing second? Now we have Cincinnati Reds speedster Elly De La Cruz revving up crowds with his legs (when he doesn’t strike out—he leads the NL with 216 punchouts).

How about those Guardians, Tigers, and Royals? When was the last time the AL Central Division had three teams in the playoffs? How about NEVER! Was it because the division’s teams got better, or did other teams in the league get worse? It was not too long ago that we used to ridicule the AL Central as the worst in baseball.

 

The Cleveland Guardians are currently leading the AL Central Division by three games over the Kansas City Royals, as of games on Saturday. Based on winning percentage, they have the second-best record in the American League, trailing only the New York Yankees by .007 percentage points. But when you look at individual and team statistics, you wonder how they can be in this position.

The Guardians, under first-time manager Stephen Vogt, have led their division every day but four throughout the season. That’s pretty impressive, although many baseball analysts in past years would argue the Guardians play in the worst division in baseball. The cellar-dwelling Chicago White Sox, with only 34 wins to date, are often cited as being emblematic of the lack of competitiveness in the division.

When you look underneath the wins and losses, you scratch your head trying to figure out why they have the second-best record.

Offensively, the Guardians are barely above league average in Runs Scored Per Game (4.47). Division opponents Minnesota and Kansas City Royals are ahead of them.

They are below league average in Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, and On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage. Again, the Twins and Royals are ahead of them in all three measures.

When considering OPS+ (Weighted On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage), the Guardians are sixth (out of 15) from the bottom. Their OPS+ puts them just as close to the pathetic White Sox as they are to the league-leading Yankees.

Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, David Fry, and Stephen Kwan are carrying the team offensively. All four were selected to the American League All-Star team this year. The Guardians are a young team, with a lot of inexperience. Ramirez is the elder statesman at age 31.

So, with their middle-of-the-pack offense, you turn your thoughts to their pitching staff as the main reason for having the second-best record in the AL.

Well, that’s partially true.

The Guardians’ Runs Allowed Per Game is impressive, with the second-lowest (3.96) in the American League, behind Seattle.

However, the Guardians starting pitching is last in the American League in Wins Above Average (WAA), actually pretty bad with a -4.9. (By comparison, the division-rival Royals lead the league with 8.8 WAA.) Only second-year player Tanner Bibee gives them a chance among the starters. They miss their ace, Shane Bieber, who pitched only two games in April before his season ended in the with an elbow injury.

But looking at WAA for just their relief pitchers, they are the main factor why the Guardians are leading the division. The Guardians relievers lead the league with 6.9 WAA. The next closest team is Tampa with a 2.8 WAA. This translates to the Guardians’ winning most of their games if they hold a lead in the late innings, even if by a small margin.

Closer Emmanuel Clase leads the Guardians’ bullpen staff. He’s having one of the best seasons for relievers in recent history. He currently owns a 0.667 ERA in 67 appearances, while compiling league-leading 44 saves. He has a 0.668 WHIP and has yielded only five earned runs in 67.1 innings.

Middle relievers Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, and Tim Herris have ERAs below 2.07. The entire relief corps has been credited with only 10 of the Guardians’ 64 losses.

The Guardians are a pretty safe bet to make the playoffs. How does their team makeup position them for a playoff run?

If the Guardians can maintain a lead into the sixth inning, their bullpen has a good chance of holding the lead, especially when they get into the ninth inning when Clase takes over. But don’t expect much from their starters, which could lead to an overworked bullpen over the course of the playoffs.

There’s no shortage of superstar position players in the majors this season. With performances from veteran players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman, as well as relative newcomers such as Bobby Witt Jr., Gunnar Henderson, and Darren Juran, there are plenty of talented players to follow and root for.

Yet there hasn’t much opportunity to cheer for once-megastar Mike Trout, whose season has been impacted by the injury bug again.

When he was in his prime, I loved watching Trout play, to see how he would beat opposing teams with his bat and his glove. He was the subject of frequent ESPN Top 10 plays. There was a period when he was capturing AL MVP hardware, or finishing as runner-up, practically every year. It seemed like he was reaching major offensive milestones every season. I always viewed him as the “new Mickey Mantle.”  He was the face of major league baseball.

The main difference between Trout and Mantle didn’t involve any aspect of their physical abilities—it was the fact that Trout didn’t have the surrounding cast of Angels teammates that Mantle had with the Yankees. The Angels have had only one playoff team among only four winning teams during Trout’s 14-year tenure. (It reminds me of Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, who played 19 years with some pretty awful Chicago Cubs teams and never appeared in a post-season game.)

But the Angels’ losing ways didn’t affect his own play. When he was healthy, he could single-handedly beat teams with his bat, his glove, and his legs.

However, Trout’s had only one season when he played over 100 games due to a variety of injuries since 2020. He’s been only a shell of the player he had once been. Ohtani came onto the scene in Anaheim in 2018 and took over for Trout as one of the best players in the league, combing hitting and pitching skills. (Ohtani sandwiched a fourth-place finish for the Cy Young Award with two MVP Award seasons, something previously unheard of.)

Despite Trout being 32 years old, I had hoped 2024 would be the beginning of a rejuvenation period, where he would leave behind the injury-filled period and get back on track to his former productive years. Since Ohtani had moved on to the Dodgers, I was ready for Trout to take center stage again with the Angels.

Instead, Trout has played only 29 games this year, with all of them coming at the start of the season. A torn meniscus sustained on April 29 sent him to the surgical table, and he followed with a lengthy rehabilitation period.

He had a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on July 23 but left the game early with a sore knee. He ended up tearing his meniscus a second time, which put him back on the injured list for the rest of the season.

Trout could retire right now at age 33 and still get his bronze plaque in Cooperstown. Just his eight seasons between 2012 and 2019 were that impactful to warrant election. The best analogy would be Sandy Koufax, who had six of the most dominating seasons in history for a pitcher. He retired at age 30 because of a permanent arm injury and was still a first-ballot Hall electee.

Baseball is all too often unkind to many of its players, unfortunately including some of the game’s best. Hopefully, Trout will eventually make a successful full-season comeback and return to his greatness. In the meantime, I have no problem pulling for Judge and Soto to finally bring the Yankees their 28th World Championship.

When the Baltimore Orioles finished last in the AL East Division in 2017, winning 75 games, fans didn’t know then it could get a lot worse. But it did. They finished last during the next four years, too, winning only 47, 54, 25 (Covid-shortened season), and 52 games. The Orioles’ front office had decided to rebuild the roster which contributed to their futility during those losing seasons. It was hard for the fans to be patient.

But unlike other franchises who have been in similar situations, the Orioles haven’t stayed mired in their losing ways. Beginning in 2018, the Orioles emphasized talent evaluation and player development during the ensuing lean years and are now reaping the benefits. General Manager Mike Elias gets credit for leading the Orioles’ productive efforts.

Actually, the turnaround began in 2022 when the Orioles broke .500 for the first time since 2016. Last season they achieved 101 wins (their first 100-win season since 1980) and earned a first-place finish in the division.

They’re one of the best teams in the AL again this year. The number of young quality players on the roster doesn’t seem fair to the rest of the league, although Orioles management certainly didn’t feel that way. In fact, if not for some current injuries, they likely wouldn’t have a spot for all of them. Because of their depth in position players, a few of them were traded this season to address the need for additional pitching down the stretch. It’s a great problem to have for the front office.

In the discussion below about specific Orioles players, I am referencing their draft year and draft round to emphasize the Orioles’ success in the selection of players. They have quickly risen to major-league status and are now key contributors.

Three of the Orioles’ young studs made the AL All-Star team this year, along with eight-year veteran Anthony Santander. Adley Rutschmann (2019, 1st) quickly established himself as one of the best catches in all of baseball. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 2022. Shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2019, 2nd) was the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year and is making a strong bid for MVP honors this season. Jordan Westburg (2020, 1st), in his second year with the Orioles, has been a valuable player at multiple infield positions.

Last year’s Minor League Player of the Year Jackson Holliday (2022, 1st) made his major-league debut in early April, but was returned to Triple-A Norfolk when he struggled at the plate. When Westburg went on the injured list, Holliday was recalled to play second base and has demonstrated the power everyone expected (5 home runs in 14 games). Drafted as a shortstop, he will play second base in deference to Henderson.

Colton Cowser (2021, 1st) took over left field duties at the beginning of the year, while Heston Kjerstad (2020, 1st) became an everyday player splitting time between outfield and DH in July.  They are competing for playing time with Santander and veteran outfielder Cedric Mullins (2015, 13^th) who became a regular in 2021. After hitting 23 home runs in the minors, third baseman Coby Mayo (2020, 4th) made his major-league debut at the beginning of August.

The Orioles haven’t focused on pitching as much as position players, but Grayson Rodriguez (2018, 1st) has become a mainstay in the starting rotation in only his second major-league season, with 13 wins under his belt. If there is a weakness in the current roster, it is pitching depth.

Baltimore is in the enviable position to deal some of their prospects should they need to close gaps in the roster. For example, to address a lack of healthy pitching depth this season, the Orioles dealt several of its surplus youngsters near the trade deadline. Austin Hays (2016, 3rd) was sent to the Phillies for relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez. Outfielder Kyle Stowers (2019, 2nd) and infielder Connor Norby (2021, 2nd) were traded to the Marlins for starter Trevor Rogers.

The Orioles have followed the blueprint the Houston Astros utilized during 2011 to 2014, when they overhauled their roster with young, highly productive prospects. Since 2017, the Astros have played in four World Series, winning in 2017 and 2022.

That’s what the Orioles are poised to do over the next few years.

It’s been a long time since I saw a baseball game under two hours. Actually, I ‘m not sure I’ve ever seen a major-league game under two hours. But’s that what I witnessed in person on Saturday night at Target Field in Minneapolis. The Cleveland Guardians defeated the Minnesota Twins, 2-1, in a game that lasted only 1 hour and 58 minutes. You read it correctly—that’s not a typo. And Greg Maddux didn’t pitch.

Here are the main factors that contributed to this unusual outcome.

There was only one walk.

There were only eight hits, including two home runs.

There was only a total of seven runners left on base.

There were no pitching changes in the middle of a half-inning.

There were only two mound visits by coaches.

Only six batters went to a full 3-and-2 count.

13 batters put the ball in play on the first pitch. Eight batters put the ball in play on the second pitch.

How does this game’s elapsed time compare with MLB averages?

In 2023, when the 20-second pitch clock was instituted, the length of MLB games dropped by an average of 30 minutes, to two hours and 40 minutes. Based on results so far in 2024, the average is projected to decrease by another five minutes.

The scoring in the game involved the only three extra-base hits of the game. Steven Kwan hit a leadoff home run in the first inning for the Guardians. Bo Naylor led off the Guardians’ sixth inning with a solo home run. In the bottom of the sixth, Minnesota’s Matt Wallner drove in Willi Castro, who had doubled.

The quickly-played game came as somewhat of a relief to the 31,000 fans who attended. That’s because an hour-long, mostly boring ceremony took place before the game, when the Minnesota Twins inducted two new members into their Hall of Fame. But it was a treat to see some of the former Twins greats, including Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Jim Kaat, Bert Blyleven, and Joe Mauer, honor new inductees Rick Stelmaszek and Terry Ryan.

The reference to Greg Maddux above is about his 1995 game in which he threw only 88 pitches in a complete-game victory against St. Louis that lasted only 1 hour 50 minutes.

Here are the pitching and hitting statistics for many of the 2024 major-league and minor-league players who prepped or played collegiately in the New Orleans area and Southeast Louisiana. All stats are cumulative for the season, through Wednesday, July 31.

Below are selected player highlights for the last month, followed by all of the players’ more detailed stats.

Who’s Hot

Paul Skenes (LSU) was only the fifth rookie in history to start an All-Star Game. Here is a video of the first outing. 

Kevin Gausman (LSU) got 3 wins and lowered his ERA to 4.44 in July for the struggling Toronto Blue Jays.

Aaron Nola (LSU) improved his record to 11-4 for the division-leading Phillies. This video shows him striking out nine Dodgers on July 11, including Ohtani twice.

Hunter Feduccia (LSU) was called up by the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 27 as a replacement for Freddie Freeman who went on emergency leave. He made his major-league debut on July 31 with a pinch-hit at-bat.

Will Warren (Southeastern) made his MLB debut with the Yankees on July 30. See his strikeout of Bryce Harper, his first in the majors.

Eric Orze (UNO) made his major-league debut with the New York Mets on July 8.

Tre Morgan (LSU) had two consecutive games in July in which he collected four hits. Click here to view the second game. He’s currently slashing .347/.430/.494, with five home runs and 41 RBIs.

Dylan Carmouche (Tulane) extended his winning streak to 8 games before suffering a loss on July 24.

Brendan Cellucci (Tulane) gave up only one earned run in five appearances totaling 10 innings in July.

Zach Arnold (LSU) batted .364 with 11 RBIs in July

 

Who’s Not

Keegan Gillies (Brother Martin HS, Tulane) had a poor July with batters slashing .345/.472/.414 against him, while posting a 10.29 ERA.

Drew Avans (Southeastern) batted only .195 with six RBIs in July.

D.J. LeMahieu (LSU) continued to struggle with the Yankees in July, batting only .172, although he did manage to collect a career-high six RBIs on July 31.

 

Promotions

Eric Orze—Mets (UNO) to MLB New York Mets

Hunter Feduccia—Dodgers (LSU) to MLB Los Angeles Dodgers

Will Warren—Yankees (Southeastern) to MLB New York Yankees

Josh Green—Diamondbacks (Southeastern) to Triple-A Reno

Cam Sanders – Cubs (E. D. White HS, LSU) to Triple-A Iowa

Garrett Edwards--Rays (LSU) to Low-A Charleston

 

Demotions

Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) Released June 25

Hayden Cantrelle—Cubs (Louisiana Lafayette) to Double-A Tennessee

 

On the Mend

Hayden Cantrelle—Cubs (Louisiana Lafayette) On 7-Day Injured List

Cole Henry—Nationals (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On full-season Injured List)

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane) On full-season Injured List

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) On 60-Day Injured List

Kenya Huggins—Reds (St. Augustine) On 60-Day Injured List

Alex Lange—Tigers (LSU) On full-season Injured List

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) On 60-Day Injured List

Hayden Robinson—Brewers (Berwick) On full-season Injured List

Grant Taylor—White Sox (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

Jacob Waguespack—Rays (Dutchtown, Ole Miss) On 60-Day Injured List

 

MLB Player Stats

Alex Bregman—Astros (LSU) 79 G, .251 BA, .311 OBP, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 3 SB, 104 OPS+

Jake Fraley—Reds (LSU) 78 G, .278 BA, .328 OBP, 3 HR, 19 RBI, 14 SB, 97 OPS+

Hunter Feduccia—Dodgers (LSU) MLB: 1 G, .000 BA, .000 OBP, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, -100 OPS+; MiLB: 64 G, .295 BA, .420 OBP, 5 HR, 42 RBI, 2 SB

Kevin Gausman—Blue Jays (LSU) 21 G, 9-8, 4.44 ERA, 119.2 IP, 117 SO, 91 ERA+

Alex Lange—Tigers (LSU) MLB: 21 G, 0-3, 4.34 ERA, 18.2 IP, 21 SO, 2 SV, 100 ERA+; MiLB: 9 G, 1-1, 3.12 ERA, 8.2 IP, 12 SO, 0 SV (On season-ending Injured List)

DJ LeMahieu—Yankees (LSU) 28 G, .182 BA, .270 OBP, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB, 49 OPS+

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) 2 G, 0-1, 6.43 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2 SO, 69 ERA+ (On 60-Day Injured List)

Aaron Nola—Phillies (Catholic HS, LSU) 22 G, 11-4, 3.43 ERA, 136.1 IP, 130 SO, 119 ERA+

Eric Orze—Mets (UNO) MLB:  2 G, 0-1, 21.60 ERA, 1.2 IP, 1 SO, 0 SV, 22 ERA+; MiLB:  29 G, 3-0, 3.32 ERA, 43.1 IP, 60 SO, 2 SV

Tanner Rainey—Nationals (St. Paul’s HS, Southeastern) 29 G, 0-0, 6.60 ERA, 30.0 IP, 22 SO, 0 SV, 60 ERA+

Jake Rogers—Tigers (Tulane) 66 G, .200 BA, .245 OBP, 7 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB, 66 OPS+

Paul Skenes – Pirates (LSU) MLB: 13 G, 6-1, 1.90 ERA, 80.2 IP, 103 SO, 0 SV, 213 ERA+; MiLB: 7 G, 0-0, 0.99 ERA, 27.1 IP, 45 SO, 0 SV

Josh Smith—Rangers (Catholic HS, LSU) 102 G, .281 BA, .376 OBP, 11 HR, 45 RBI, 7 SB, 133 OPS+

Will Warren—Yankees (Southeastern) MLB: 1 G, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 5.1 IP, 6 SO, 0 SV; MiLB: 20 G, 5-5, 6.11 ERA, 95.2 IP, 115 SO, 0 SV

 

Triple-A Player Stats

Drew Avans–-Dodgers (Southeastern) 93 G, .268 BA, .371 OBP, 7 HR, 35 RBI, 28 SB

Dylan Crews – Nationals (LSU) 82 G, .265 BA, .338 OBP, 9 HR, 54 RBI, 20 SB

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane, Miss. State) MLB: 5 G, 0-3, 7.46 ERA, 25.1 IP, 22 SO; 52 ERA+; MiLB: 1 G, 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 SO (On full-season Injured List)

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) 7 G, 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 10 SO, 0 SV (On 60-Day Injured List)

Josh Green—Diamondbacks (Southeastern) 17 G, 2-0, 5.32 ERA, 22 IP, 16 SO, 0 SV

Hudson Haskin—Orioles (Tulane) 68 G, .215 BA, .347 OBP, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 15 SB

Kody Hoese—Dodgers (Tulane) 85 G, .279 BA, .347 OBP, 10 HR, 50 RBI, 1 SB

Austin Nola—Royals (Catholic HS, LSU) 34 G, .159 BA, .216 OBP, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 0 SB

Michael Papierski—Mariners (LSU) 54 G, .212 BA, .332 OBP, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 1 SB

Cam Sanders – Cubs (E. D. White HS, LSU) 34 G, 2-2, 4.61 ERA, 41.0 IP, 55 SO, 6 SV

Jake Slaughter—Mariners (LSU) 82 G, .273 BA, .348 OBP, 10 HR, 47 RBI, 16 SB

 

Double-A Player Stats

Donovan Benoit–-Reds (Tulane) 24 G, 3-2, 4.84 ERA, 44.2 IP, 33 SO, 0 SV

Jacob Berry – Marlins (LSU) 84 G, .221 BA, .284 OBP, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 11 SB

Collin Burns--Orioles (De La Salle HS, Tulane) 82 G, .221 BA, .302 OBP, 5 HR, 32 RBI, 11 SB

Daniel Cabrera—Tigers (John Curtis HS/Parkview Baptist HS, LSU) 7 G, .200 BA, .222 OBP, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB (On Restricted List)

Hayden Cantrelle—Cubs (Louisiana Lafayette) 45 G, .246 BA, .365 OBP, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 11 SB (On 7-Day Injured List)

Brendan Cellucci—Red Sox (Tulane) 22 G, 2-2, 4.23 ERA, 38.1 IP, 57 SO, 3 SV

Cade Doughty – Blue Jays (LSU) 32 G, .221 BA, .271 OBP, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB

Jaden Hill—Rockies (LSU) 34 G, 5-2, 3.52 ERA, 38.1 IP, 56 SO, 6 SV

Paul Gervase – Mets (LSU) 22 G, 3-2, 3.25 ERA, 27.2 IP, 46 SO, 5 SV

Keagan Gillies—Orioles (Brother Martin HS, Tulane) 29 G, 0-1, 5.74 ERA, 31.1 IP, 37 SO, 5 SV

Aaron McKeithan–-Cardinals (Tulane) 39 G, .292 BA, .364 OBP, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 0 SB

Todd Peterson—Nationals (LSU) 28 G, 2-2, 3.15 ERA, 34.1 IP, 27 SO, 6 SV

Chase Solesky—White Sox (Tulane) MiLB: 9 G, 0-3, 2.89 ERA, 37.1 IP, 22 SO, 0 SV; Ind: 9 G, 3-4, 5.67 ERA, 33.1 IP, 29 SO, 0 SV

Bryce Tassin—Tigers (Southeastern) 26 G, 1-0, 3.16 ERA, 42.2 IP, 43 SO, 2 SV

Grant Witherspoon – Mariners (Tulane) 41 G, .153 BA, .250 OBP, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB (Released June 25)

 

High-A Player Stats

Zach Arnold—Phillies (LSU) 67 G, .254 BA, .339 OBP, 2 HR, 32 RBI, 3 SB

Gavin Dugas—Nationals (LSU) 61 G, .266 BA, .367 OBP, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 10 SB

Cole Henry--Nationals (LSU) 8 G, 0-1, 3.31 ERA, 16.1 IP, 17 SO, 0 SV (On 60-Day Injured List)

Zack Hess—Tigers (LSU) 25 G, 1-0, 6.30 ERA, 30.0 IP, 34 SO, 0 SV

Tre Morgan—Rays (Brother Martin HS, LSU) 65 G, .347 BA, .430 OBP, 5 HR, 41 RBI, 17 SB

Carson Roccaforte—Royals (Louisiana Lafayette) 90 G, .194 BA, .274 OBP, 6 HR, 36 RBI, 27 SB

Jordan Thompson—Dodgers (LSU) 77 G, .253 BA, .349 OBP, 10 HR, 45 RBI, 16 SB

Tyree Thompson--Braves (Karr HS) 18 G, 2-1, 4.24 ERA, 40.1 IP, 48 SO, 0 SV

 

Low-A Player Stats

Dylan Carmouche—Giants (Southern Univ. Lab, Tulane) 20 G, 8-2, 2.74 ERA, 92.0 IP, 90 SO, 0 SV

Riley Cooper—Orioles (LSU) 18 G, 4-2, 2.67 ERA, 64.0 IP, 63 SO, 1 SV

Garrett Edwards--Rays (LSU) 6 G, 0-0, 2.92 ERA, 12.1 IP, 13 SO, 0 SV

Tyler Hoffman—Rockies (Tulane) 29 G, 1-0, 8.01 ERA, 30.1 IP, 28 SO, 0 SV

Kenya Huggins—Reds (St. Augustine) On 60-Day Injured List

Brayden Jobert—Cardinals (Northshore HS, Delgado CC, LSU) 69 G, .193 BA, .326 OBP, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 13 SB

Blake Money—Orioles (LSU) 19 G, 3-5, 3.45 ERA, 75.2 IP, 91 SO, 0 SV

Grant Taylor--White Sox (LSU) 5 G, 0-0, 2.33 ERA, 19.1 IP, 32 SO, 0 SV (On 60-day Injured List)

 

Rookie League Player Stats

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On Full-Season Injured List

Hayden Robinson – Brewers (Berwick HS) 6 G, 0-0, 2.41 ERA, 18.2 IP, 28 SO, 0 SV (On full-season Injured List)

Jacob Waguespack—Rays (Dutchtown HS, Ole Miss) MLB: 4 G, 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 10.0 IP, 11 SO, 0 SV, 75 ERA+; MiLB 4 G, 1-1, 6.46 ERA, 15.1 IP, 26 SO, 0 SV (On 60-Day Injured List)

 

Independent League Player Stats

Saul Garza—(LSU) 52 G, .281 BA, .363 OBP, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 6 SB

Shawn Semple—(UNO) 12 G, 2-6, 5.79 ERA, 65.1 IP, 49 SO, 0 SV

Bryan Warzek—(UNO) 31 G, 2-3, 4.20 ERA, 40.2 IP, 46 SO, 0 SV

 

Japanese League Player Stats

Kyle Keller–-Yomiuri (Jesuit, Southeastern) 37 G, 0-1, 1.41 ERA, 32.0 IP, 35 SO, 0 SV

Andrew Stevenson—Hokkaido (St. Thomas More HS, LSU) 61 G, .280 BA, .338 OBP, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 9 SB

Eighteen-year-old pitcher Lenny Yochim was only a year out of Holy Cross High School in 1947 when he made his professional debut in a game he would never forget. Pitching for the New Orleans Pelicans in a spring exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at Pelican Stadium, Yochim struck out the legendary Ted Williams. Ten years later, Williams remembered the at-bat, too.

The New Orleans Pelicans had signed Yochim to a minor-league contract in September 1946. He went to spring training in 1947 with the Pelicans, expecting to be sent to the Pelicans’ Class D affiliate New Iberia for the regular season.

The Red Sox were coming off their best season in 28 years, when they won the American League pennant in 1946. The 1947 Pelicans were affiliated with the Red Sox, who made the trip to New Orleans for two exhibition games on March 29 and 30. The Red Sox took Saturday’s game, 3-2, behind the pitching and hitting of Boo Ferriss.

On a chilly Sunday afternoon following a morning rain, the New Orleans crowd of 9,000-plus was treated to lineups from both teams featuring homegrown talent. The Pels’ starting lineup included New Orleans natives pitcher Jesse Danna, left-fielder Ed Lavigne, and second baseman Billy Adams, while the Red Sox had first baseman Al Flair and starting pitcher Mel Parnell.

Danna, a former Jesuit High School pitcher, was tapped by Pelicans manager Fred Walters as his starting pitcher for the Pels. In four previous seasons with the Pelicans, Danna had already compiled 65 wins. His opponent on the hill was former S.J. Peters High School pitcher Mel Parnell, who was trying to make his first big league roster with the Red Sox.

Boston got the jump on Danna by scoring five runs in the first three innings. Parnell held the Pels scoreless in his five-inning outing in which he gave up only three hits and also contributed to the Red Sox offense with a single and a double.

Prior to the game Yochim had begged Walters to let him get into the game before being sent down to New Iberia the next day.

With the Red Sox still leading 5-0, Yochim got the call from Walters to pitch in the seventh inning, and the first batter he faced was Ted Williams. Yochim told the story of his first encounter against the American League’s 1946 MVP.

“As I was doing my warmup pitches, I hear the announcer say, ‘No. 9 Williams at the bat.’ Well, my arm got the jumps, my knees started shaking and I say to myself, ‘Yochim, that’s Ted Williams--$250,000 worth of ball player, and if you don’t relax and get that ball in there you might bean him and even the skipper would kill you. That’s all I was thinking about—not hitting Williams. Him hitting me didn’t enter my head.” It turned out Williams hit a grounder to first base, and Yochim was still so nervous that he forgot to cover the base. Fortunately, the first baseman outraced Williams to the bag.

Having settled down by the ninth inning, Yochim faced Williams again and managed to strike out the slugger who would go on to win the American League Triple Crown that season.

Ten years later, when Williams and the Red Sox were back in New Orleans for an exhibition game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Yochim, then out of professional baseball, went into the Boston Red Sox clubhouse to meet Williams. Lenny greeted him with, “Hi, Ted, say do you remember…” Williams finished Yochim’s sentence, “Do I remember you striking me out that last time I was here? You know a lot of guys have done that, but I remember Lenny.” Williams added, “I must have given you a wonderful start in baseball.”

Yochim won 20 games for New Iberia in his first pro season. He eventually played seven seasons with the Pelicans, with two partial seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates interspersed in 1951 and 1954. He retired from playing after the 1956 season with 98-55 (minor-league) and 1-2 (major-league) win-loss records. Yochim went on to a successful career in various scouting positions with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I’ve probably watched every Major League Baseball All-Star Game on television since the 1960s. Until this year. That’s because I finally saw the Midsummer Classic in person last week at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. It was one of the biggest baseball events remaining on my bucket list. I have been to a World Series game. I’ve been to Cooperstown twice. I’ve made the trek to Spring Training in Florida twice, and I’ve been to the College World Series in Omaha. The All-Star Game was overdue.

Of course, the rosters of both teams contained some of the biggest names in the game today, especially the position players. Returning all-stars included several of the game’s best hitters--Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Freddie Freeman, and Vlad Guerrero Jr. All of these players will eventually be on Hall of Fame watch lists.

Then there were the up-and-comers, including Gunnar Henderson, Elly De La Cruz, Adley Rutschman, Riley Green and Bobby Witt Jr., all of whom figure to return in future All-Star Games.

Sadly, I missed seeing Ronald Acuna Jr., Jose Altuve, and Mookie Betts, who were named to the All-Star teams, but did not play due to injuries.

On the other hand, there was a shortage of veteran all-star pitchers on the rosters. Except for Braves pitcher Chris Sale, there was no one else of the caliber of Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Gerrit Cole, Jacob deGrom, and Shane Bieber, all of whom have dealt with injuries this season. It was Sale’s eighth All-Star selection, but the rest of the two staffs consisted of pitchers who were making their first or second All-Star appearance. The newcomer everyone wanted to see was Pittsburgh’s sensational Paul Skenes, who was only the fifth rookie to start an All-Star game.

The pre-game’s first-pitch honors were carried out by Hall of Fame members from the Texas Rangers—Nolan Ryan, Ferguson Jenkins, Ivan Rodriguez, and Adrian Beltre, who was inducted on July 21. Beltre looks like he could still suit up for a game and smack yet another hit.

Skenes didn’t disappoint the capacity crowd of nearly 40,000 during his All-Star debut. Although he didn’t strike out any American Leaguers he faced, he overpowered Steven Kwan, Gunnar Hendeson and Aaron Judge on weak infield contact.

Ohtani got the National League on the scoreboard first with a three-run bomb in the third inning. It’s amazing how he can rise to the occasion, as he frequently does in regular-season games. The Americans immediately bounced back in the bottom of that inning when Juan Soto smacked a two-run double, and David Fry’s single scored Soto.

Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, a first-time All-Star, broke the tie in the fifth with a two-run home run, which earned him MVP honors for the game. And that was all the scoring for the game. The AL made the most of their five hits, winning 5-3, their 10th victory in the last 11 games.

Both teams practically emptied their bullpens, as a total of 20 pitchers were used in the game. Not surprisingly, there were 15 strikeouts in the game.

I attended the game with my son Lee. Judging by the jerseys and caps that fans were wearing, we were surprised to see that the vast majority of the crowd attending the game appeared to be local Texans. We expected to see more of a national crowd.

We remarked how hideous the All-Star uniforms looked, especially the American League’s use of a bright orange color on the jerseys and caps. I’d prefer the players to wear the uniforms of the teams they represent.

As part of our journey to attend a game in every current major-league stadium, we had previously attended games at Globe Life Field, so that part wasn’t a new experience for us. The exterior of the stadium lacks the classic look of the best baseball stadiums, but the playing field and other amenities inside the stadium are first-class and a fitting environment for an All-Star Game.

I think one of the advantages MLB’s All-Star Game has over its counterparts in football and basketball is the fact that the competition among the teams and players is legitimate. The All-Star Game is played with the same intensity as regular-season games. Pitchers are not serving up batting practice-like pitches in the game. Runners are sliding hard into the bases. Batters are running out double-play ground balls. The best example came in the first inning when Skenes did his best to strikeout the American League’s leading slugger, Aaron Judge.

Lee and I have eight more stadiums to visit before we complete all 30. We’ll knock one more off our list in August, as we are scheduled to see Minnesota and Cleveland play at Target Field in Minneapolis. But that experience will be hard to beat the All-Star Game, where it was a real treat to see the game’s best players of 2024 assembled.

 

Here are the pitching and hitting statistics for many of the 2024 major-league and minor-league players who prepped or played collegiately in the New Orleans area and Southeast Louisiana. All stats are cumulative for the season, through Sunday, June 30.

Below are selected player highlights for the last month, followed by all of the players’ more detailed stats.

Who’s Hot

Paul Skenes (LSU) won two more games in June and dropped his ERA to 2.06. In his nine starts, he has never left the game with the Pirates trailing. Click here to see highlights of Skene’s six strong inning against the Reds on June 17.

Josh Smith (LSU) slashed .313/.406/.518 with four home runs and 11 RBIs in June. He’s flashing the leather, too. Click here to see his incredible diving stop on June 27.

Alex Bregman (LSU) finally picked up his performance at the plate. He slashed .310/.367/.450 with nine extra-base hits and 11 RBIs during June. Click here to see highlights of his big day at the plate on June 23.

Dylan Crews (LSU) hit three home runs and 16 RBIs during June, earning a promotion to Triple-A. Click here to see him crush one of his home runs.

Will Warren (Southeastern) rebounded with two wins in June after losing all four of his decisions in May. Click here to see highlights of his career-high nine-strikeout game.

Hunter Feduccia (LSU) hit three homers and 16 RBIs in 18 games during June. His On-Base Percentage was .395.

Kody Hoese (Tulane) had a hot bat in June, with a .338/.411/.550 slash line, eight doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBIs.

Dylan Carmouche (Tulane) collected five wins in six starts during June, while posting a 2.87 ERA.

Keegan Gillies (Brother Martin HS, Tulane) collected three saves and held batters to a .152 batting average in June. His ERA was an impressive 1.35.

Jacob Berry (LSU) broke out of his slump with a .300/.388/.500 slash line in June. He added two home runs and 14 RBIs.

 

Who’s Not

Kevin Gausman (LSU) suffered four losses in six starts in June. His ERA was 5.65 for the struggling Blue Jays.

Since coming off the Injured List in late May, D.J. LeMahieu (LSU) had only two extra-base hits and is batting a meager .188 in 26 games.

Hudson Haskin’s (Tulane) slash line dipped in June with .162/.289/.279. His strikeout rate was 41% for the month.

Grant Witherspoon (Tulane) struggled at the plate in June. He posted a .095/.188/.143., with only two extra-base hits.

 

Promotions

Dylan Crews—Nationals (LSU) – to Triple-A Rochester

Cade Doughty--(Blue Jays (LSU) – to Double-A New Hampshire

Chase Solesky—White Sox (Tulane) – to Double-A Harrisburg

Jordan Thompson—Dodgers (LSU) – to High-A Great Lakes

 

Demotions

Cole Henry—Nationals (LSU)—to High-A Wilmington

Bryce Tassin—Tigers (Southeastern)—to Double-A Harrisburg

Jacob Waguespack—Rays (Dutchtown HS, Ole Miss)—to Rookie FCL Rays

 

On the Mend

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On full-season Injured List)

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane) On full-season Injured List)

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) On 60-Day Injured List

Kenya Huggins—Reds (St. Augustine) On 60-Day Injured List

Alex Lange—Tigers (LSU) On full-season Injured List

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) On 60-Day Injured List

Hayden Robinson—Brewers (Berwick) On full-season Injured List

Grant Taylor—White Sox (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

 

MLB Player Stats

Alex Bregman—Astros (LSU) 79 G, .248 BA, .307 OBP, 9 HR, 37 RBI, 2 SB, 100 OPS+

Jake Fraley—Reds (LSU) 63 G, .274 BA, .330 OBP, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 11 SB, 90 OPS+

Kevin Gausman—Blue Jays (LSU) 17 G, 6-7, 4.75 ERA, 91.0 IP, 91 SO, 84 ERA+

Alex Lange—Tigers (LSU) MLB: 21 G, 0-3, 4.34 ERA, 18.2 IP, 21 SO, 2 SV, 98 ERA+; MiLB: 9 G, 1-1, 3.12 ERA, 8.2 IP, 12 SO, 0 SV (Placed on season-ending Injured List)

DJ LeMahieu—Yankees (LSU) 26 G, .188 BA, .286 OBP, 0 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB, 45 OPS+

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) 2 G, 0-1, 6.43 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2 SO, 66 ERA+ (On 60-Day Injured List)

Aaron Nola—Phillies (Catholic HS, LSU) 17 G, 9-4, 3.43 ERA, 107.2 IP, 99 SO, 118 ERA+

Tanner Rainey—Nationals (St. Paul’s HS, Southeastern) 22 G, 0-0, 7.43 ERA, 23.0 IP, 17 SO, 0 SV, 53 ERA+

Jake Rogers—Tigers (Tulane) 52 G, .208 BA, .257 OBP, 6 HR, 14 RBI, 0 SB, 70 OPS+

Paul Skenes – Pirates (LSU) MLB: 9 G, 4-0, 2.06 ERA, 52.1 IP, 70 SO, 196 ERA+; MiLB: 7 G, 0-0, 0.99 ERA, 27.1 IP, 45 SO, 0 SV

Josh Smith—Rangers (Catholic HS, LSU) 80 G, .290 BA, .384 OBP, 7 HR, 33 RBI, 4 SB, 139 OPS+

 

Triple-A Player Stats

Drew Avans–-Dodgers (Southeastern) 72 G, .288 BA, .378 OBP, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 25 SB

Hayden Cantrelle—Cubs (Louisiana Lafayette) 42 G, .244 BA, .356 OBP, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 9 SB

Dylan Crews – Nationals (LSU) 62 G, .277 BA, .337 OBP, 7 HR, 45 RBI, 18 SB

Hunter Feduccia—Dodgers (LSU) 52 G, .282 BA, .390 OBP, 5 HR, 39 RBI, 1 SB

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane, Miss. State) MLB: 5 G, 0-3, 7.46 ERA, 25.1 IP, 22 SO; 52 ERA+; MiLB: 1 G, 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 SO (On full-season Injured List)

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) 7 G, 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 10 SO, 0 SV (On 60-Day Injured List)

Josh Green—Diamondbacks (Southeastern) 15 G, 1-0, 4.82 ERA, 18.2 IP, 15 SO, 0 SV

Hudson Haskin—Orioles (Tulane) 51 G, .200 BA, .349 OBP, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 10 SB

Kody Hoese—Dodgers (Tulane) 65 G, .303 BA, .366 OBP, 7 HR, 38 RBI, 0 SB

Austin Nola—Royals (Catholic HS, LSU) 25 G, .132 BA, .193 OBP, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB

Eric Orze—Mets (UNO) 24 G, 3-0, 3.72 ERA, 36.1 IP, 52 SO, 2 SV

Michael Papierski—Mariners (LSU) 43 G, .200 BA, .333 OBP, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB

Jake Slaughter—Mariners (LSU) 67 G, .277 BA, .361 OBP, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 13 SB

Will Warren—Yankees (Southeastern) 16 G, 5-5, 7.05 ERA, 74.0 IP, 85 SO, 0 SV

 

Double-A Player Stats

Donovan Benoit–-Reds (Tulane) 18 G, 2-1, 4.91 ERA, 33.0 IP, 25 SO, 0 SV

Jacob Berry – Marlins (LSU) 63 G, .199 BA, .263 OBP, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 6 SB

Collin Burns--Orioles (De La Salle HS, Tulane) 62 G, .227 BA, .312 OBP, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 9 SB

Daniel Cabrera—Tigers (John Curtis HS/Parkview Baptist HS, LSU) 7 G, .200 BA, .222 OBP, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB (On Restricted List)

Brendan Cellucci—Red Sox (Tulane) 17 G, 2-2, 5.40 ERA, 28.1 IP, 41 SO, 2 SV

Cade Doughty – Blue Jays (LSU) 13 G, .268 BA, .354 OBP, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB

Jaden Hill—Rockies (LSU) 23 G, 3-2, 4.05 ERA, 26.2 IP, 42 SO, 4 SV

Paul Gervase – Mets (LSU) 14 G, 1-0, 3.63 ERA, 17.1 IP, 29 SO, 4 SV

Keagan Gillies—Orioles (Brother Martin HS, Tulane) 22 G, 0-1, 3.31 ERA, 24.1 IP, 31 SO, 3 SV

Aaron McKeithan–-Cardinals (Tulane) 31 G, .272 BA, .356 OBP, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB

Todd Peterson—Nationals (LSU) 21 G, 1-1, 2.45 ERA, 25.2 IP, 23 SO, 6 SV

Cam Sanders – Cubs (E. D. White HS, LSU) 28 G, 2-1, 3.60 ERA, 35.0 IP, 48 SO, 6 SV

Chase Solesky—White Sox (Tulane) MiLB: 4 G, 0-2, 3.65 ERA, 12.1 IP, 11 SO, 0 SV; Ind: 9 G, 3-4, 5.67 ERA, 33.1 IP, 23 SO, 0 SV

Bryce Tassin—Tigers (Southeastern) 23 G, 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 37.1 IP, 38 SO, 2 SV

Grant Witherspoon – Mariners (Tulane) 41 G, .153 BA, .250 OBP, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB

 

High-A Player Stats

Zach Arnold—Phillies (LSU) 49 G, .212 BA, .302 OBP, 2 HR, 21 RBI, 1 SB

Gavin Dugas—Nationals (LSU) 49 G, .284 BA, .384 OBP, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 10 SB

Cole Henry--Nationals (LSU) 8 G, 0-1, 3.31 ERA, 16.1 IP, 17 SO, 0 SV

Zack Hess—Tigers (LSU) 19 G, 1-0, 5.96 ERA, 22.2 IP, 27 SO, 0 SV

Tre Morgan—Rays (Brother Martin HS, LSU) 49 G, .340 BA, .429 OBP, 4 HR, 33 RBI, 13 SB

Carson Roccaforte—Royals (Louisiana Lafayette) 68 G, .208 BA, .293 OBP, 6 HR, 34 RBI, 21 SB

Jordan Thompson—Dodgers (LSU) 62 G, .257 BA, .362 OBP, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 12 SB

Tyree Thompson--Braves (Karr HS) 14 G, 2-1, 3.72 ERA, 29.0 IP, 36 SO, 0 SV

 

Low-A Player Stats

Dylan Carmouche—Giants (Southern Univ. Lab, Tulane) 16 G, 6-1, 3.04 ERA, 71.0 IP, 67 SO, 0 SV

Riley Cooper—Orioles (LSU) 14 G, 3-1, 2.70 ERA, 50.0 IP, 53 SO, 1 SV

Tyler Hoffman—Rockies (Tulane) 24 G, 1-0, 6.65 ERA, 23.0 IP, 22 SO, 0 SV

Kenya Huggins—Reds (St. Augustine) On 60-Day Injured List

Brayden Jobert—Cardinals (Northshore HS, Delgado CC, LSU) 52 G, .173 BA, .281 OBP, 4 HR, 18 RBI, 9 SB

Blake Money—Orioles (LSU) 14 G, 2-4, 4.28 ERA, 37.0 IP, 44 SO, 0 SV

Grant Taylor--White Sox (LSU) 5 G, 0-0, 2.33 ERA, 19.1 IP, 32 SO, 0 SV (On 60-day Injured List)

 

Rookie League Player Stats

Garrett Edwards--Rays (LSU) 1 G, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP, 0 SO, 0 SV

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On Full-Season Injured List

Hayden Robinson – Brewers (Berwick HS) 6 G, 0-0, 2.41 ERA, 18.2 IP, 28 SO, 0 SV (On full-season Injured List)

Jacob Waguespack—Rays (Dutchtown HS, Ole Miss) MLB: 4 G, 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 10.0 IP, 11 SO, 0 SV, 75 ERA+; MiLB 4 G, 1-1, 6.46 ERA, 15.1 IP, 26 SO, 0 SV (On rehab assignment)

 

Independent League Player Stats

Saul Garza—(LSU) 50 G, .290 BA, .375 OBP, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 6 SB

Shawn Semple—(UNO) 12 G, 2-6, 5.79 ERA, 65.1 IP, 49 SO, 0 SV

Bryan Warzek—(UNO) 21 G, 1-3, 4.61 ERA, 27.1 IP, 31 SO, 0 SV

 

Japanese League Player Stats

Kyle Keller–-Yomiuri (Jesuit, Southeastern) 28 G, 0-1, 1.78 ERA, 25.1 IP, 28 SO, 0 SV

Andrew Stevenson—Hokkaido (St. Thomas More HS, LSU) 49 G, .284 BA, .340 OBP, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 6 SB

The spotlight will be on Rickwood Field in Birmingham on June 20, when Major League Baseball plays a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. Rickwood is the oldest professional baseball stadium in the country, built in 1910 for the minor-league Birmingham Barons. The stadium is older than two legendary major-league venues still in use, Fenway Park (built in 1912) and Wrigley Field (built in 1914).

In addition to being the home of the Barons, Rickwood was the site of major-league exhibition games, barnstorming games, and Negro League games played by the hometown Birmingham Black Barons. Over the years, many Hall of Fame players and Negro League players appeared in games there.

The Birmingham Barons played in the Southern Association, where the former New Orlean Pelicans minor-league team also competed for nearly 60 years.

One of the more memorable games in Pelicans history occurred at Rickwood on April 10, 1953. The two teams dueled for 16 innings, with the Barons finally winning, 8-7. It was the longest Opening Day game in Pelicans history.

At the end of nine innings, the score was tied 7-7, as Birmingham remained alive with two runs in the bottom of the ninth.

The Barons’ winning run in the 16th inning was created by a combination of Emil Tellinger’s double, a Pelicans’ error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, an intentional walk to George Moskovich, and Hal Smith’s game-winning hit.

Local New Orleans pitcher Lenny Yochim pitched the final 5 1/3 innings for the Pelicans and gave up the winning run. He had hurled five scoreless innings prior to that.

Lou Klein, another New Orleans native, was the hitting star for the Pelicans. He got four hits, including a home run in the fifth inning.

Pelicans catcher Mel Brookey collected three hits and three RBIs and went the distance behind the plate.

A crowd of 8,044 attended the game at Rickwood Field that lasted four hours and 36 minutes.

Yochim went on to become a renowned Pittsburgh Pirates scout for over 35 years. As a major-league rookie, Klein was a member of the 1943 St. Louis Cardinals NL pennant-winning team. He was the manager of the Chicago Cubs in parts of three seasons in the 1960s.

The game between the Cardinals and Giants will be a tribute to the Negro Leagues. Hall of Famer  Willie Mays, who played for the Black Barons in 1948 as a 17-year-old, played in Game 4 of the Negro League World Series that was played against the Homestead Grays in New Orleans.

             

Pitcher Pete Modica never made it to the big leagues, although he came close on two occasions. Instead, he became a permanent fixture in the minor-league Southern Association during the 1940s and 1950s, including parts of five seasons with the hometown New Orleans Pelicans. He was a five-time All-Star and played in three post-season Dixie Series (Southern Association champs versus Texas League champs). The lanky hurler got his start as a star pitcher with S. J. Peters High School in New Orleans in both prep and American Legion competition.

Modica’s name first appeared in the local sports pages in 1938 as a member of the Peters-based American Legion Class B team. As a 15-year-old pitcher in 1939, he played well enough to be recognized with honorable mention on the city’s American Legion All-Star team.

With the 1939 experience under his belt, he was one of the primary starters for the Papoose American Legion team in 1940. He started the season with back-to-back one-hitter and a no-hitter and went on to win 12 games in his first 13 starts. His 13^th win came in the state championships, as Papoose defeated Ruston. They advanced to the Legion regional tournament but were ousted by Little Rock. Modica’s performance earned him a selection for the city’s Legion All-Star team.

Peters High School was a favorite to win the city prep title in 1941, behind a group of standout players that featured future major leaguers Ray Yochim, Mel Parnell, and Bo Strickland. In addition to Modica, the roster also included Ed Lavigne, Ray Campo, and Nelson Nocheck, all of whom eventually played in the minors. However, Peters ended up losing out in the championship round to Jesuit.

Modica, who was reported as six feet tall and weighing 130 pounds, played for Papoose again in the summer American Legion loop. The team was unable to repeat their prior season’s success, but the slim side-armer again made the All-Star team.

The 1942 Peters team won the state championship behind Modica and his batterymate Campo. Despite Modica’s defeat of Holy Cross twice during the regular season, Peters lost the city championship to the Tigers, who were led by their sensational pitcher Dick Callahan.

A week after the prep season ended, Modica and Campo were signed by St. Louis Cardinals scout Wid Matthews. Modica was sent to Class C Springfield where his catcher was 16-year-old Joe Garagiola, the future major-leaguer and later a celebrated baseball broadcaster.

New Orleans Pelicans general manager Charlie Hurth signed Modica for the 1943 season, but after only two appearances, the pitcher received his military service induction papers. He missed the rest of the season and all of 1944 and 1945 during World War II. However, Modica was fortunate enough to play on Army baseball teams while stationed in the States. He defeated the Detroit Tigers in an exhibition game.

Modica returned to the Pelicans for a brief period in 1946 before spending most of the season with Class B Anderson in the Tri-State League to get more experience.

1947 was Modica’ breakout season. The 23-year-old finished with a 13-10 record for the Pelicans, then an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. In one of the more exciting seasons in recent Pelican history, the team finished second in the Southern Association behind Mobile by one-half game.

Boston purchased the rights to Modica over the winter for $10,000. He went to spring training in 1948 with the Red Sox, where former S. J. Peters High School pitchers Jack Kramer and Mel Parnell were his teammates. But the Red Sox ended up shipping him to Triple-A Louisville. (Parnell and Kramer wound up winning 33 games between them for the Red Sox, who lost a one-game playoff to Cleveland for the American League pennant.)

After a 2-7 record with the Colonels, he was sent to Birmingham, a competitor of the Pelicans in the Southern Association. The Barons won the league championship playoffs, with Modica contributing seven wins. Birmingham also went on to win the Dixie Series, versus Texas League champion Forth Worth.

Modica became a journeyman pitcher during the next two seasons. He was with Birmingham and New Orleans in 1949, then Indianapolis, New Orleans, and Nashville in 1950. He pitched for Nashville in their Dixie Series loss to Texas League champion San Antonio.

He earned a full-time job in 1951 with Nashville, where former New Orleans Pelicans player-manager Larry Gilbert was the business manager. Modica appeared in both starter and reliever roles, finishing with a 13-6 record.

With Nashville in 1952, he was used strictly as a reliever and ended up setting a Southern Association record for appearances (66) in a season. He won 13 games again. By this time, he had developed a tantalizing screwball pitch to go along with a good fastball.

Modica earned a promotion to Triple-A Minneapolis in 1953 after winning nine games for Nashville, then a New York Giants affiliate. The big-league Giants conditionally bought Modica from Nashville in the offseason, with the intention of using him in the bullpen to augment their new relief specialist Hoyt Wilhelm. But Modica developed a sore arm and wasn’t able to stick with the Giants in 1954. Coming out of spring training, he returned to Nashville. Unfortunately, he missed out on being with the Giants team that won the 1954 World Series.

The Atlanta Crackers acquired Modica in June 1954. In a reliever role, he helped them finish in first place during the Southern Association’s regular season. Atlanta also won the postseason playoffs against New Orleans and defeated Texas League champion Houston in the Dixie Series.

In an article in the Times-Picayune in 1990, Modica said, “The Southern Association was a fast league after the war in the 1940s. We had guys coming home from the military and some coming down from the majors. It was popular with the fans. In 1947, when I was with the Pelicans, we drew over 400,000, and in ’54, when I played for Atlanta, we set an attendance record of more than 500,000.”

Some of Modica’s best seasons came in Nashville, where they played at Sulphur Dell Park. Modica said, “I liked pitching there because you didn’t have to throw strikes.” With the right field fence only 250 feet from home plate, he explained, “The short porch was appealing to hitters. They usually get anxious at the plate and swung at almost anything pitched.”

Modica finished his career in 1955, splitting his time between Atlanta, Beaumont, and New Orleans. He retired at age 31.

Altogether, Modica played for four different teams in parts of 11 seasons in the Southern Association. He is credited with a 55-41 win-loss record in 284 league games.

Modica died at age 69 on September 3, 1993. His brother Sal also played professionally from 1942 to 1949.

Nolan Vicknair was proud that he had played professional baseball in 1946 and 1947, but later in his life he expressed regret about not playing longer. Yet the Marrero native’s brief pro career never deterred his love of the sport, as he continued to play in local semi-pro baseball leagues, and later in softball leagues, until his 60s.

Ninety-nine-year-old Vicknair died on June 4. He was one of only a few local athletes still living, who is linked to a noteworthy era of New Orleans baseball in the ‘30s, ’40s, and ‘50s.

Vicknair participated in organized sports at an early age. Newspaper accounts reported he was a bicycle race winner and 75-yard sprint champion representing his hometown of Marrero. When he was in the sixth grade, the Marrero High School baseball coach recruited him to play on the team because of his athleticism and speed.

Vicknair’s initial thoughts of playing pro baseball originated when he pitched in an American Legion game in New Orleans that was attended by Branch Rickey, then St. Louis Cardinals general manager. Rickey told Vicknair that he had talent and should consider a career in the pros upon finishing high school.

But World War II interrupted further thoughts Vicknair had about pursuing professional baseball. In April 1943, he enlisted in the Navy as a 17-year-old. He served for nearly three years on the destroyer-class USS Bearrs as part of the Pacific Fleet.

After his discharge from the Navy, he revived the idea of playing baseball professionally. In 1946, Vicknair’s high school coach arranged for him to meet with legendary New York Giants baseball star Mel Ott, a Gretna native. Ott recommended that Vicknair attend the Giants’ spring training camp in Fort Smith, Arkansas for a tryout.

The Giants signed Vicknair to a minor-league contract and assigned him to their Class D affiliate in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As an outfielder, speed and defense were his strengths. But he struggled at the plate. Injuries hindered improvement in his hitting. A leg infection, stemming from being spiked, hampered his progress. That was followed by a broken jaw incurred on a throw by an opposing infielder while sliding into second base. An unfortunate Vicknair was sent home after 45 games.

He attended the Giants’ spring camp in New Jersey in 1947. Upon learning he was being assigned to Oshkosh again, he asked the organization for his release. Vicknair felt he was being evaluated as a first-year player again, when he figured he should have been promoted to the next minor-league level.

Vicknair returned to New Orleans and ended up signing with Class D New Iberia in the Evangeline League, where fellow New Orleanian Lenny Yochim was a teammate. But after a change in the team’s manager early in the season, he was released by the club after playing only 11 games.

However, he didn’t give up the game, becoming player-manager of the West Bank-based Mohawks, a semi-pro team in the early 1950s. He also played for teams in the semi-pro Audubon League and Mel Ott League into the 1960s. As he got older, he began playing softball for his employer, Avondale Shipyards, a perennially formidable team in the city-wide CAA league. A newspaper account noted he hurled the first no-hitter in the league’s history. Vicknair continued to play softball into his 60s.

In an interview with Vicknair in 2015, he said he regretted not continuing to pursue a professional baseball career after his 1947 release. He blamed himself for not being persistent enough to overcome his setbacks. However, he was grateful for all the years he was able to compete afterwards in local leagues.

Vicknair was one of the original members of the Diamond Club of Greater New Orleans, whose members were former professional and semi-pro players and interested parties [umpires, scouts, sports writers, and sports announcers].

Vicknair was honored at a 2018 New Orleans Baby Cakes game on “Military Awareness Night.” Then 83 years old and looking as though he could still suit up for a game, he threw out the first pitch.

Here are the pitching and hitting statistics for many of the 2024 major-league and minor-league players who prepped or played collegiately in the New Orleans area and Southeast Louisiana. All stats are cumulative for the season, through Friday, May 31. Below are some of the highlights for the last month, followed by all of the players’ more detailed stats.

Who’s Hot

Paul Skenes (LSU) made his much-anticipated MLB debut on May 11. In his second start on May 17, he struck out 11 in six hitless innings. Through his first four starts, he struck out 30 and walked only five batters in 22 innings. He is one of only six rookie pitchers with these stats since 1901.

Kevin Gausman (LSU) was 3-0 in May, after starting out with a 1-3 record in April.

Dylan Crews (LSU) slashed .298/.378/.512, with 11 extra-base hits and 18 RBIs, for Double-A Harrisburg in May. Click here to see Dylan Crews’s 3-hit, 4 RBI game on May 15.

Tre Morgan (Brother Martin, LSU) slashed .403/.489/.610 with 2 HRs and 18 RBIs for the month of May. He struck out only six times in 92 plate appearances. His performance earned him a promotion to High-A Bowling Green. Click here to see Morgan’s four-hit game on May 21.

Drew Avans (Southeastern) has a slash line of .280/.370/.425 for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Click here to see Avans make a leaping catch at the wall on May 14.

 

Who’s Not

Alex Bregman (LSU) continued to languish at the plate. He is slashing only .219/.280/.372 although he added six home runs and 16 RBIs in May. His OBP is 88 points lower than his career average.

Tanner Rainey (St. Paul’s, Southeastern) made only three relief appearances for the Nationals in May. His ERA remains over 9.00.

Batters slashed .344/.500/.438 against Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Alex Lange (LSU) in May. His ERA was 9.00 in nine appearances.

Will Warren (Southeastern) won all three decisions in April, but then lost all four of his decisions in May with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He posted a whopping 15.88 ERA in 17 innings.

Austin Nola (Catholic HS, LSU) came off the Injured List after missing the first month, but he has struggled at the plate with Triple-A Omaha, batting only .095 in 14 games.

Jacob Berry (LSU) slashed only .138/.169/.163, with two extra-base hits, in 22 games in May for Double-A Pensacola.

 

On the Mend

DJ LeMahieu--Yankees (LSU) was on the Injured List for all but four games in May for the Yankees. He returned to the lineup on May 28

Cade Doughty—Blue Jays (LSU) On 7-Day Injured List

Garrett Edwards—Rays (LSU)—On 60-Day Injured List

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane) On 7-Day Injured List

Kenya Huggins—Reds (St. Augustine) On 60-Day Injured List

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) On 60-Day Injured List

Josh Green—Diamondbacks (Southeastern) On 7-Day Injured List

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) On 60-Day Injured List

Jacob Waguespack—Rays (Dutchtown HS, Ole Miss) On 60-Day Injured List

 

Traded

Jake Slaughter (LSU)-May 14: From Cubs to Mariners

 

MLB

Alex Bregman—Astros (LSU) 26 G, .219 BA, .280 OBP, 7 HR, 26 RBI, 2 SB, 87 OPS+

Jake Fraley—Reds (LSU) 19 G, .278 BA, .333 OBP, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 9 SB, 97 OPS+

Kevin Gausman—Blue Jays (LSU) 11 G, 4-3, 4.14 ERA, 54.1 IP, 56 SO, 94 ERA+

Alex Lange—Tigers (LSU) 21 G, 0-3, 4.34 ERA, 18.2 IP, 21 SO, 2 SV, 95 ERA+

DJ LeMahieu—Yankees (LSU) 3 G, .222 BA, .417 OBP, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB, 90 OPS+

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) 2 G, 0-1, 6.43 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2 SO, 66 ERA+ (On 60-Day Injured List)

Aaron Nola—Phillies (Catholic HS, LSU) 12 G, 7-2, 3.03 ERA, 77.1 IP, 71 SO, 133 ERA+

Tanner Rainey—Nationals (St. Paul’s HS, Southeastern) 14 G, 0-0, 9.64 ERA, 14.0 IP, 10 SO, 0 SV, 41 ERA+

Jake Rogers—Tigers (Tulane) 35 G, .226 BA, .293 OBP, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB, 78 OPS+

Paul Skenes – Pirates (LSU) MLB: 4 G, 2-0, 2.45 ERA, 22.0 IP, 30 SO, 166 ERA+; MiLB: 7 G, 0-0, 0.99 ERA, 27.1 IP, 45 SO, 0 SV

Josh Smith—Rangers (Catholic HS, LSU) 55 G, .279 BA, .374 OBP, 3 HR, 22 RBI, 3 SB, 128 OPS+

 

Triple-A

Drew Avans–-Dodgers (Southeastern) 49 G, .280 BA, .370 OBP, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 18 SB

Hayden Cantrelle—Cubs (Louisiana Lafayette) 31 G, .255, .369 OBP, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 SB

Hunter Feduccia—Dodgers (LSU) 34 G, .288 BA, .388 OBP, 2 HR, 23 RBI, 1 SB

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane, Miss. State) MLB: 5 G, 0-3, 7.46 ERA, 25.1 IP, 22 SO; 52 ERA+; MiLB: 1 G, 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 SO (On 7-Day Injured List)

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) 7 G, 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 10 SO, 0 SV (On 60-Day Injured List)

Josh Green—Diamondbacks (Southeastern) 9 G, 0-0, 7.59 ERA, 10.2 IP, 5 SO, 0 SV (On 7-Day Disabled List)

Hudson Haskin—Orioles (Tulane) 30 G, .226 BA, .388 OBP, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 4 SB

Kody Hoese—Dodgers (Tulane) 44 G, .286 BA, .343 OBP, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 0 SB

Austin Nola—Royals (Catholic HS, LSU) 14 G, .095 BA, .170 OBP, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB

Eric Orze—Mets (UNO) 17 G, 2-0, 4.56 ERA, 25.2 IP, 35 SO, 2 SV

Michael Papierski—Mariners (LSU) 31 G, .190 BA, .308 OBP, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB

Jake Slaughter—Mariners (LSU) 46 G, .289 BA, .374 OBP, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 5 SB

Bryce Tassin—Tigers (Southeastern) 16 G, 1-0, 2.92 ERA, 24.2 IP, 27 SO, 2 SV

Jacob Waguespack—(Rays) (Dutchtown HS, Ole Miss) MLB: 4 G, 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 10.0 IP, 11 SO, 0 SV, 74 ERA+; MiLB 3 G, 1-1, 7.07 ERA, 14.0 IP, 23 SO, 0 SV (On 60-Day Injured List)

Will Warren—Yankees (Southeastern) 10 G, 3-4, 8.53 ERA, 44.1 IP, 48 SO, 0 SV

 

Double-A

Donovan Benoit–-Reds (Tulane) 12 G, 2-0, 3.91 ERA, 23.0 IP, 19 SO, 0 SV

Jacob Berry – Marlins (LSU) 43 G, .155 BA, .205 OBP, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB

Collin Burns--Orioles (De La Salle HS, Tulane) 41 G, .244 BA, .355 OBP, 2 HR, 22 RBI, 7 SB

Daniel Cabrera—Tigers (John Curtis HS/Parkview Baptist HS, LSU) 7 G, .200 BA, .222 OBP, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB (On Restricted List)

Brendan Cellucci—Red Sox (Tulane) 10 G, 1-1, 3.24 ERA, 16.2 IP, 25 SO, 0 SV

Dylan Crews – Nationals (LSU) 37 G, .271 BA, .349 OBP, 4 HR, 29 RBI, 9 SB

Jaden Hill—Rockies (LSU) 15 G, 1-2, 4.58 ERA, 17.2 IP, 27 SO, 4 SV

Paul Gervase – Mets (LSU) 8 G, 1-0, 5.40 ERA, 10.0 IP, 16 SO, 3 SV

Keagan Gillies—Orioles (Brother Martin HS, Tulane) 12 G, 0-1, 8.18 ERA, 11.0 IP, 14 SO, 0 SV

Cole Henry--Nationals (LSU) 5 G, 0-1, 3.95 ERA, 13.2 IP, 13 SO, 0 SV

Aaron McKeithan–-Cardinals (Tulane) 21 G, .259 BA, .358 OBP, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB

Todd Peterson—Nationals (LSU) 14 G, 1-1, 2.76 ERA, 16.1 IP, 13 SO, 6 SV

Cam Sanders – Cubs (E. D. White HS, LSU) 19 G, 2-0, 3.08 ERA, 26.1 IP, 41 SO, 3 SV

Grant Witherspoon – Mariners (Tulane) 27 G, .179 BA, .278 OBP, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 2 SB

 

High-A

Zach Arnold—Phillies (LSU) 35 G, .234 BA, .333 OBP, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 1 SB

Gavin Dugas—Nationals (LSU) 30 G, .319 BA, .421 OBP, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 7 SB

Zack Hess—Tigers (LSU) 13 G, 1-0, 7.63 ERA, 15.1 IP, 19 SO, 0 SV

Tre Morgan—Rays (Brother Martin HS, LSU) 37 G, .359 BA, .445 OBP, 4 HR, 23 RBI, 10 SB

Carson Roccaforte—Royals (Louisiana Lafayette) 46 G, .193 BA, .246 OBP, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 15 SB

Tyree Thompson--Braves (Karr HS) 8 G, 1-1, 4.08 ERA, 17.2 IP, 19 SO, 0 SV

 

Low-A

Dylan Carmouche—Giants (Southern Univ. Lab, Tulane) 10 G, 1-1, 3.18 ERA, 39.2 IP, 39 SO, 0 SV

Riley Cooper—Orioles (LSU) 9 G, 2-1, 3.09 ERA, 32.0 IP, 41 SO, 1 SV

Cade Doughty – Blue Jays (LSU) 4 G, .300 BA, .462 OBP, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB (On 7-Day Injured List)

Tyler Hoffman—Rockies (Tulane) 17 G, 0-0, 7.63 ERA, 15.1 IP, 13 SO, 0 SV

Kenya Huggins—Reds (St. Augustine) On 60-Day Injured List

Brayden Jobert—Cardinals (Northshore HS, Delgado CC, LSU) 33 G, .184 BA, .308 OBP, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 7 SB

Blake Money—Orioles (LSU) 10 G, 0-3, 4.38 ERA, 37.0 IP, 44 SO, 0 SV

Grant Taylor--White Sox (LSU) 4 G, 0-0, 2.93 ERA, 15.1 IP, 26.0 SO, 0 SV

Jordan Thompson—Dodgers (LSU) 39 G, .248 BA, .385 OBP, 6 HR, 24 RBI, 9 SB

 

Rookie League

Garrett Edwards--Rays (LSU)—On 60-Day Injured List

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

Hayden Robinson – Brewers (Berwick HS) 5 G, 0-0, 2.93 ERA, 15.1 IP, 21 SO, 0 SV

 

Independent League

Saul Garza—(LSU) 37 G, .333 BA, .414 OBP, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 6 SB

Shawn Semple—(UNO) 7 G, 1-3, 4.89 ERA, 38.2 IP, 33 SO, 0 SV

Chase Solesky—White Sox (Tulane) 8 G, 2-4, 6.59 ERA, 27.1 IP, 23 SO, 0 SV

Bryan Warzek—(UNO) 12 G, 1-2, 6.06 ERA, 16.1 IP, 15 SO, 0 SV

 

Japanese League

Kyle Keller–-Yomiuri (Jesuit, Southeastern) 17 G, 0-0, 1.69 ERA, 16.0 IP, 15 SO, 0 SV

Andrew Stevenson—Hokkaido (St. Thomas More HS, LSU) 36 G, .257 BA, .301 OBP, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 5 SB

 

If you played in high school basketball and baseball games or industrial league softball games in New Orleans in the 1960s and 1970s, it’s likely Donald Bourgeois Sr. was a referee or umpire in your contest. And if you attended college basketball games in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana from the late 1970s to early 2000s, there was a good chance Bourgeois was one of the referees. Bourgeois, who was well-known in sports circles throughout Louisiana for his extensive officiating career, died on May 2 at the age of 88.

Bourgeois was graduated from St. Aloysius High School in 1953. Ironically, he didn’t play varsity sports in high school due to the interruption of a 15-month period in the seminary. However, Bourgeois grew up in a family of local amateur umpires, and he often accompanied his father and three uncles to CYO and recreation league games.

Bourgeois began his own officiating career in New Orleans area CYO leagues in 1957, and with the lure of higher level of competition, as well as higher pay, he joined the Louisiana High School Athletic Association in 1961. He officiated local high school baseball and basketball, as well as industrial league softball games, for twenty years.

He became recognized by his peers and coaches for his ability to call basketball games and eventually progressed to the college level of basketball, initially officiating games at junior colleges and Loyola University of New Orleans. By 1978, he had advanced to being a regular basketball official in the Southland Conference that included Texas and Louisiana schools like Lamar, Northeast Louisiana State, and McNeese State. He eventually became a member of six NCAA Division 1 conferences.

In an interview with Bourgeois in 2015, he commented on his time as a college basketball official, “You had to really be in shape to do college games. There were usually two months of physical training, in addition to attending officiating camps, to prepare for the upcoming season.”

Bourgeois was known for his fairness, knowledge of the rules, and not letting players and coaches get out of control in highly-contested games.

His abilities were further recognized when he was enlisted to officiate numerous high school and college basketball championship games, including the Louisiana High School Championships for ten years, the Southland Conference, the Sun Belt Conference, the American South Conference, an NIT regional in Gainesville, Florida, and the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City for four years.

Before calling it quits on the hardwoods, Bourgeois spent 1998-2004 as supervisor of officials for the NAIA Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, in which New Orleans-based colleges fielded several teams.

Among his most memorable officiating moments was a game in which a college coach in Mississippi wanted to fight Bourgeois at mid-court over some controversial calls, resulting in the security guards having to be summoned. Prominent LSU coach Dale Brown once came to the referees’ locker room after a game to launch a verbal attack on Bourgeois following a lop-sided loss to Arkansas State University. Bourgeois recalled telling Brown, “My officiating wasn’t the reason you lost the game—your team was terrible tonight.”

He recalled officiating college games involving Karl Malone from Louisiana Tech and Joe Dumars from McNeese State, both of whom are now in the NBA Hall of Fame. He also recollected the floppy-haired Pete Maravich playing in a freshman game he officiated at Tulane.

Sports halls of fame are usually reserved for players and coaches, the men and women who were highly accomplished in their sport. It’s not often that referees and umpires who officiate sports get recognition as hall of fame members. Bourgeois was an exception because of his outstanding career as a high school and college basketball referee. He was inducted into the St. Bernard Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.

Bourgeois and his wife Marian have been residents of Arabi for over 60 years.

During the Great Depression in the 1930s minor-league baseball likely would not have survived if night-time baseball games had not been adopted by many teams in Organized Baseball. One historical account has the first official game played under the lights occurring in Independence, Kansas on April 28, 1930. It ushered in a new era of baseball. The local New Orleans Pelicans baseball team didn’t follow suit until May 15, 1936, but nighttime games ultimately became a staple of the franchise.

Like many minor-league franchises who were struggling financially, the Pelicans (a Cleveland Indians affiliate) had been losing money for several years. The team installed permanent lighting of 310,000 watts on steel structures, providing a well-lighted diamond at Heinemann Park. It was said to be on a par with the best lighted ballparks in the country. Pelicans club official Fred Baehr commented about the overflow crowd of 11,149 fans for the first game, “It was a great turnout. It looks like night baseball is going to be our salvation.” He added, “It will keep the club out of the red.”

On May 15, the Pelicans opposed a hot Atlanta Crackers team, who had won nine consecutive games and 24 of their last 29 games. Long-time Pelicans manager Larry Gilbert, who had been seriously ill for a month, showed up for the historic game, but ended up leaving after only a few innings.

The Crackers demonstrated why they were at the top of the Southern Association standings. They pounded Pelicans pitchers for 15 hits, banging out six extra-base hits on their way to an 11-5 victory. After seven innings, the Pelicans were still in the game, behind by a score of 5-4. But Atlanta broke open the floodgates in the ninth inning with six additional runs.

First baseman Alex Hooks was the hitting star for the Crackers, with two doubles and a home run. Future major-league player and manager Paul Richards chipped in a home run and a double.

The Pelicans’ offense was paced by future New York Yankees star Tommy Henrich, who went 3-for-5, including two doubles. Crackers pitcher Bob Durham pitched a complete game, although he allowed 10 hits and two walks.

After the game, comments about the lights were favorable. Crackers president Earl Mann said, “Your [Pelicans] system is plenty good. It is one of the very best I’ve seen. I am sure that New Orleans is going to like night baseball. Jesuit High School athletic director Gernon Brown, offered, “This crowd speaks for itself. Night baseball is going to be a great success in New Orleans.”

Local lawyer and former Tulane football star Harry Talbot was impressed with the lighting conditions. “It was better than I expected. It is really surprising how well you can see the ball.” He added, “Night baseball will catch back all the ground the game has lost around here.”

The predictions regarding how baseball under the lights would improve the Pelicans’ financial outlook proved to be true. The team realized a significant uptick in attendance in 1936, with 135,890 fans coming through the turnstiles. It represented a 47% increase over the previous year.

Minor-league baseball had adopted night games well before the majors, as the Cincinnati Reds became the first big-league team to host a game, on May 24, 1935, at Crosley Field. Over the next 13 seasons, the rest of the original 16 major-league clubs, except the Chicago Cubs, installed lights. The Cubs finally put lighting at Wrigley Field in 1988.

Here are the pitching and hitting statistics for many of the 2024 major-league and minor-league players who prepped or played collegiately in the New Orleans area and Southeast Louisiana. All stats are cumulative for the season, through Monday, April 30. Below are some of the highlights for the last month, followed by all of the players’ more detailed stats.

Who’s Hot

Aaron Nola (Catholic HS, LSU) is 4-1, with a 3.20 ERA and 1.068 WHIP for the Phillies.

Josh Smith (Catholic HS, LSU), a member of last year’s world champion Texas Rangers, is making the most of his time as their starting third baseman, while Josh Jung is on the Injured List. Smith is slashing .317/.417/.500 with 14 runs and 14 RBIs.

Jake Fraley (LSU) has a slash line of .293/.359/.414 for the Reds.

Collin Burns (De La Salle, Tulane) had the best day of his career on April 6, when he went 3-for-4, with a triple, home run, and 7 RBIs for Double-A Bowie.

Kody Hoese (Tulane) is slashing .347/.390/.507 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Drew Avans (Southeastern) has a slash line of .311/.388/.476 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Paul Skenes (LSU) has a .039 ERA, 0.870 WHIP, and 16 Strikeouts Per 9 Innings in six starts for Triple-A Indianapolis. Look for him to get a callup to the Pirates in June.

Will Warren (Southeastern) is 3-0 in six starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He’s averaging 10.9 Strikeouts Per 9 Innings.

Who’s Not

Kevin Gausman (LSU) is 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts for the Blue Jays.

Alex Bregman (LSU) is slashing only .216/.283/.294 with one home run for the last-place Astros. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

Tanner Rainey (St. Paul’s, Southeastern) has a whopping 9.82 ERA and 2.818 WHIP in 11 relief appearances for the Nationals.

Jake Rogers (Tulane) is slashing a paltry .167/.242/.283 with only three extra-base hits in 20 games.

J.P. France (Shaw, Tulane) is 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA for the Astros and has been demoted to Triple-A Sugar Land.

On the Mend

DJ LeMahieu (LSU) has missed the entire month for the Yankees due to a foot injury. He had only one at-bat in a rehab assignment in the minors but had to be sidelined again.

Garrett Edwards—Rays (LSU)—On 60-Day Injured List

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

Cade Doughty—Blue Jays (LSU) On 7-Day Injured List

Austin Nola—Royals (Catholic HS, LSU) On 7-Day Injured List

2023 Players Who Didn’t Return

The following 2023 players have not returned this season: Jack Aldrich (Tulane); Jared Biddy (LSU); Giovanni DiGiacomo (LSU); Brandon Kaminer (LSU); Aaron Loup (Hahnville, Tulane); Greg Deichmann (Brother Martin, LSU), Landon Marceaux (Destrehan, LSU); Braden Olthoff (Tulane); Kramer Robertson (LSU); Mac Sceroler (Southeastern); Zach Watson (LSU)

 

MLB

Alex Bregman—Astros (LSU) 26 G, .216 BA, .283 OBP, 1 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB, 68 OPS+

Jake Fraley—Reds (LSU) 19 G, .293 BA, .359 OBP, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 SB, 118 OPS+

Kevin Gausman—Blue Jays (LSU) 6 G, 1-3, 4.50 ERA, 28.0 IP, 23 SO, 85 ERA+

Alex Lange—Tigers (LSU) 12 G, 0-1, 0.84 ERA, 10.2 IP, 14 SO, 1 SV, 493 ERA+

Wade Miley—Brewers (Loranger HS, Southeastern) 2G, 0-1, 6.43 ERA, 7.0 IP, 2 SO, 67 ERA+

Aaron Nola—Phillies (Catholic HS, LSU) 6 G, 4-1, 3.20 ERA, 39.1 IP, 36 SO, 129 ERA+

Tanner Rainey—Nationals (St. Paul’s HS, Southeastern) 11 G, 0-0, 9.82 ERA, 11.0 IP, 8 SO, 0 SV, 42 ERA+

Jake Rogers—Tigers (Tulane) 20 G, .167 BA, .242 OBP, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, 50 OPS+

Josh Smith—Rangers (Catholic HS, LSU) 29 G, .317 BA, .417 OBP, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 0 SB, 161 OPS+

Jacob Waguespack—(Rays) (Dutchtown HS, Ole Miss) 4 G, 0-0, 5.11 ERA, 10.0 IP, 11 SO, 0 SV, 72 ERA+

 

Triple-A

Drew Avans–-Dodgers (Southeastern) 24 G, .311 BA, .388 OBP, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 7 SB

Brendan Cellucci—Red Sox (Tulane) 4 G, 1-0, 2.84 ERA, 6.1 IP, 10 SO, 0 SV

Hunter Feduccia—Dodgers (LSU) 17 G, .267 BA, .397 OBP, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB

J.P. France—Astros (Shaw HS, Tulane, Miss. State) MLB: 5 G, 0-3, 7.46 ERA, 25.1 IP, 22 SO; 52 ERA+; MiLB: 1 G, 0-0, 7.36 ERA, 3.2 IP, 3 SO

Ian Gibaut—Reds (Tulane) 7 G, 0-1, 7.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 10 SO, 0 SV

Josh Green—Diamondbacks (Southeastern) 4 G, 0-0, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 SO, 0 SV

Hudson Haskin—Orioles (Tulane) 16 G, .193 BA, .378 OBP, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB

Kody Hoese—Dodgers (Tulane) 20 G, .347 BA, .390 OBP, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB

Austin Nola—Royals (Catholic HS, LSU) 1 G, .000 BA, .000 OBP, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB (On 7-Day Injured List)

Eric Orze—Mets (UNO) 8 G, 0-0, 4.76 ERA, 11.1 IP, 13 SO, 1 SV

Michael Papierski—Mariners (LSU) 16 G, .222 BA, .318 OBP, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB

Cam Sanders – Cubs (E. D. White HS, LSU) 9 G, 1-0, 4.63 ERA, 11.2 IP, 17 SO, 0 SV

Paul Skenes – Pirates (LSU) 6 G, 0-0, 0.39 ERA, 23.0 IP, 41 SO, 0 SV

Jake Slaughter—Cubs (LSU) 20 G, .309 BA, .405 OBP, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 5 SB

Bryce Tassin—Tigers (Southeastern) 9 G, 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 12.0 IP, 13 SO, 2 SV

Will Warren—Yankees (Southeastern) 6 G, 3-0, 3.95 ERA, 27.1 IP, 33 SO, 0 SV

 

Double-A

Donovan Benoit–-Reds (Tulane) 5 G, 1-0, 8.22 ERA, 7.2 IP, 7 SO, 0 SV

Jacob Berry – Marlins (LSU) 21 G, .173 BA, .239 OBP, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB

Collin Burns--Orioles (De La Salle HS, Tulane) 20 G, .215 BA, .329 OBP, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 3 SB

Daniel Cabrera—Tigers (John Curtis HS/Parkview Baptist HS, LSU) 7 G, .200 BA, .222 OBP, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB

Hayden Cantrelle—Cubs (Louisiana Lafayette) 11 G, .333, .394 OBP, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SB

Dylan Crews – Nationals (LSU) 12 G, .225 BA, .296 OBP, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 2 SB

Jaden Hill—Rockies (LSU) 6 G, 0-2, 3.86 ERA, 7.0 IP, 8 SO, 3 SV

Paul Gervase – Mets (LSU) 5 G, 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 7.1 IP, 10 SO, 1 SV

Keagan Gillies—Orioles (Brother Martin HS, Tulane) 7 G, 0-0, 6.75 ERA, 6.2 IP, 9 SO, 0 SV

Cole Henry--Nationals (LSU) 4 G, 0-1, 2.53 ERA, 10.2 IP, 11 SO, 0 SV

DJ LeMahieu—Yankees (LSU) 1 G, .000 BA, .000 OBP, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB (On 10-Day Injured List)

Aaron McKeithan–-Cardinals (Tulane) 9 G, .414 BA, .514 OBP, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB

Grant Witherspoon – Mariners (Tulane) 12 G, .186 BA, .340 OBP, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB

 

High-A

Zach Arnold—Phillies (LSU) 14 G, .229 BA, .315 OPB, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB

Zack Hess—Tigers (LSU) 6 G, 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 12 SO, 0 SV

Todd Peterson—Nationals (LSU) 8 G, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.1 IP, 7 SO, 6 SV

Carson Roccaforte—Royals (Louisiana Lafayette) 21 G, .207 BA, .255 OBP, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 8 SB

Tyree Thompson--Braves (Karr HS) 2 G, 0-0, 8.10 ERA, 3.1 IP, 4 SO, 0 SV

 

Low-A

Dylan Carmouche—Giants (Southern Univ. Lab, Tulane) 5 G, 0-1, 2.12 ERA, 17.0 IP, 20 SO, 0 SV

Riley Cooper—Orioles (LSU) 4 G, 0-0, 1.23 ERA, 14.2 IP, 20 SO, 1 SV

Cade Doughty – Blue Jays (LSU) 4 G, .300 BA, .462 OBP, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 0 SB (On 7-Day Injured List)

Gavin Dugas—Nationals (LSU) 16 G, .365 BA, .467 OBP, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 5 SB

Tyler Hoffman—Rockies (Tulane) 9 G, 0-0, 7.04 ERA, 7.2 IP, 6 SO, 0 SV

Brayden Jobert—Cardinals (Northshore HS, Delgado CC, LSU) 15 G, .220 BA, .365 OBP, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB

Blake Money—Orioles (LSU) 4 G, 0-1, 5.06 ERA, 16.0 IP, 21 SO, 0 SV

Tre Morgan—Rays (Brother Martin HS, LSU) 18 G, .303 BA, .387 OBP, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 6 SB

Jordan Thompson—Dodgers (LSU) 16 G, .268 BA, .431 OBP, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 5 SB

 

Rookie League

Garrett Edwards--Rays (LSU)—On 60-Day Injured List

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

Grant Taylor--White Sox (LSU) Has not yet played

 

Independent League

Saul Garza—(LSU) 14 G, .429 BA, .478 OBP, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB

Shawn Semple—(UNO) 1 G, 0-0, 3.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 2 SO, 0 SV

Chase Solesky—White Sox (Tulane) 1 G, 0-1, 6.75 ERA, 4.0 IP, 3 SO, 0 SV

Bryan Warzek—(UNO) 3 G, 1-1, 10.13 ERA, 2.2 IP, 2 SO, 0 SV

 

Japanese League

Kyle Keller–-Yomiuri (Jesuit, Southeastern) 8 G, 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 7.0 IP, 7 SO, 0 SV

Andrew Stevenson—Hokkaido (St. Thomas More HS, LSU) 19 G, .276 BA, .328 OBP, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB

The history of baseball has been captured in multiple forms of media over the years. One of the most popular has been baseball cards. There was a time when baseball fans, especially youngsters, relied heavily on the biographical and statistical information on the back of baseball cards to learn about major-league players. Retrosheet, Baseball-Reference.com, and other baseball-related internet sites weren’t available to keep up with player information until the mid-1990s or so.

Trading cards showing baseball players were produced as far back as the earliest days of the game. While they are considerably more expensive nowadays, they still remain a favorite of sports memorabilia collectors.

New Orleans has produced its share of major leaguers over the years. According to Baseball-Reference.com, John Peters was the first New Orleans area major-leaguer in 1874, as a member of the Chicago White Stockings in the National Association. But it wasn’t until Gretna native Mel Ott signed with the New York Giants in 1926 as a 17-year-old that a player from the metropolitan area became one of the sport’s main stars.

Ott appeared on his first significant baseball card in 1929 along with three other Giants players in what became known as the 4-on-1 Exhibits card set. The future Hall of Famer later appeared on more recognizable sets named Goudey, Diamond Stars, and Bowman Play Ball in the 1930s and early 1940s. Due to the age and small print runs of these early sets, these cards have become valuable. Beginning in the 1960s, card manufacturers began producing sets that included former major-league stars. Ott, who retired in 1947, was one of the more popular players, since he had been the career home run leader in the National League, until Willie Mays broke his record of 511 in 1966. Starting in the early 2000s, Ott has been frequently included in subsets of Topps’ major issues. His iconic batting stance with the leg kick is often the pose Topps has used.

Connie Ryan was an All-Prep player for Jesuit High School and the first player to earn a full baseball scholarship at LSU in 1939. He made his major-league debut with the New York Giants in 1942. He was named to the National League All-Star team in 1944. His first baseball card came in 1951 when Bowman produced a color set, with an artist’s rendering of the players, which competed with newcomer card manufacturer Topps Gum Company. Other major sets Ryan appeared in included 1952 Topps and Bowman sets and the 1953 and 1954 Topps sets. Ryan retired after the 1954 season and served as a coach for the Atlanta Braves and Texas Rangers and as a scout for several organizations.

A major-league contemporary of Ryan was former Fortier High School pitching star Howie Pollet. The left-hander appeared in three seasons (1941-1943) with the St. Louis Cardinals before missing two seasons due to World War II. He returned from military service and led the Cardinals to a World Serie championship in 1946 with a 21-10 record with a 2.10 ERA. He had another 20-win season with the Cardinals in 1949. Pollet was a three-time All-Star. From 1949 to 1955 he appeared in Topps and Bowman issues as a member of the Cardinals, Cubs, and Pirates. His last season was in 1956.

Mel Parnell, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox from 1947 to 1956, was known as the “Yankee Killer” for his five victories in five starts against the Yankees in 1953. A product of S. J. Peters High School, Parnell was a three-time All-Star whose best season came in 1947, when he posted a 25-7 record, 2.77 ERA, and 27 complete games in 33 starts. His first baseball card was in the 1950 Bowman set.

Larry Gilbert (1914) and his sons Charlie (1940-1943, 1946-1947) and Tookie Gilbert (1950, 1953) had brief major-league careers, but only Tookie made it on a major baseball card issue, in the popular 1952 Topps set. The brothers were included in a locally-produced collectors’ set of former Jesuit High School products that went on the big-leagues.

Before former Holy Cross High School standout Lenny Yochim became a renowned long-time scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates, he toiled as a player in the minors for 10 seasons while making only 12 appearances in the big leagues in 1951 and 1954. In the infancy of modern baseball cards in the early 1950s, Yochim signed an agreement with Bowman Gum Inc. in March 1952 to allow his image to be used in their baseball card sets. He was initially compensated $10 for granting Bowman exclusive rights to produce his card and was to earn $100 each year he was on a major-league roster for at least 31 days. However, because Yochim never became a major-league regular, he never appeared on a Bowman card, although he did collect $100 for the 1954 season. In 2008, Panini card manufacturer produced a set of baseball card stickers with former players in the Venezuelan Winter League. Yochim was included since he had pitched the league’s first no-hitter in 1955.

Rusty Staub signed out of Jesuit High School in 1961 with the Houston Colt ‘45s (predecessor of the Astros). He went on to play 23 seasons in the majors, with Houston, New York Mets, Montreal, Detroit, and Texas. The six-time All-Star collected over 500 hits for each of his teams, except the Rangers and totaled 2,716 for his career. Staub first appeared on a 1963 Topps Rookie Stars card with three other major-league prospects. He appeared in Topps sets for each of his five major-league teams, including the first Donruss and Fleer sets in the 1980s. He finished his career with the Mets in 1985.

Mike Miley was a standout shortstop and quarterback at East Jefferson High School and went on to play both sports at LSU. He was selected twice in the first round of the June amateur drafts, by Cincinnati in 1971 out of East Jefferson and by the California Angels in 1974 after finishing his junior season with LSU. He signed with the Angels in 1974 and reached the majors in 1975. He also played briefly for the Angels in 1976. His life was cut short in January 1977 when he died in an automobile accident. His only baseball cards were in the 1976 and 1977 Topps sets.

Like Miley, Frank Wills was a baseball and football player for De La Salle High School who later played both sports for Tulane. He was the first-round selection (16th overall) of the Kansas City Royals in 1980. The right-hander ended up pitching nine seasons in the majors, primarily as a reliever. In addition to the Royals, Wills played for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays spanning 1983 and 1991. His 1987 Topps card is a noteworthy “error” card because it contains Will Clark’s stats of the back. He also had cards in Fleer, Donruss, and Score sets.

Will Clark, a Jesuit High School product, played in Babe Ruth World Series, American Legion World Series, College World Series, and the Olympics before signing with the San Francisco Giants in 1985. The Golden Spikes Award winner was the second overall pick in the 1985 amateur draft. He went on to a 15-year career, playing for the Giants, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was a six-time All-Star with a career slash line of .303/.384/.497. His first major-league baseball card was produced in 1986 as part of the Topps Update set. He appeared on cards for each of his four teams. Due to the proliferation of baseball card sets starting in the mid-1980s and the advent of parallel sets of major card issues in the 1990s, Clark has easily appeared on over 1,500 different cards. He retired in 2000, yet he remains a popular player in archive and anniversary sets produced by Topps.

One of the more recent major-leaguers from the New Orleans area is Aaron Loup. He prepped at Hahnville High School and went on to pitch for Tulane. A relief pitcher during his entire career, his first major-league team was the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012. Loup’s rookie card came in the 2012 Topps Update Series. He was a member of the 2020 American League champion Tampa Bay Rays. His best season came with the New York Mets in 2021, when he went 6-0 with a 0.90 ERA. He appeared in multiple issues throughout the remainder of his career which ended in 2023.

The baseball card hobby has evolved to the point where most kids can no longer afford to buy cards. Premium vintage baseball cards are now considered art, commanding fine art-like prices. Some of the currently produced cards, which are only available as digital non-fungible tokens (NFTs), are treated by collectors as investments, but can only view their baseball card assets on-line.

Despite the above trends, there will always be something special about flipping through pages in a binder of baseball cards showing Ott, Parnell, Staub, Clark, and the rest of our hometown heroes.

Jim Bullinger had played in big games as a shortstop and pitcher with Rummel High School, followed by his career with the University of New Orleans. Yet none of those games likely involved an experience as exceptional as a game he played for the Chicago Cubs in 1992.

In his first at-bat for the Cubs on June 8, in a game in which he entered as a relief pitcher, he smacked a home run in his first major-league at-bat. Furthermore, he hit it on the first pitch he saw from St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rheal Cormier. At the time, Bullinger was only the 14th player in major-league history to hit a homer on the first pitch of his first at-bat.

It should have come as no surprise that Bullinger was capable of clouting a home run. He had made hundreds of plate appearances as a position player throughout high school and college. While he wasn’t known as a power hitter, he could occasionally put the ball over the fence. He hit 23 home runs during his three seasons with UNO.

Bullinger had been a two-way player since his Babe Ruth days in Jefferson Parish. He continued to pitch and play shortstop for Coach Larry Schneider’s Rummel Raiders and Schaff Brothers American Legion teams. He was an All-District player with Rummel in 1982 and 1983 and was a member of 1982 and 1983 Schaff squads that captured Second District American Legion titles. During his senior season with Rummel in 1983, the Times-Picayune listed him among the top college prospects from the New Orleans area. He was one of eight Metro area players selected to participate in the LHSAA baseball All-Star Game in Lafayette.

He went on to play for the UNO Privateers whose head coach was Ron Maestri. Bullinger was the starting shortstop as a freshman on the talented 1984 team that went to the College World Series. They were the first in-state college in Louisiana to progress that far into the NCAA postseason. His batting record included a .258 batting average, 5 home runs, 39 RBIs, and five game-winning hits. He was the starting shortstop that summer for the New Orleans-based NORD All-American team that won the AAABA national tournament in Johnstown, PA.

The Privateers gained a berth in the NCAA Regionals again in 1985. Bullinger had 10 home runs and 45 RBIs for the season. His senior season in 1986 season included 14 games in which he pitched in relief. He posted a respectable 3.55 ERA and led the team with six saves, while batting .252, 8 home runs, and 31 RBIs.

Bullinger was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 1986 amateur draft with the intention of being used as a shortstop. However, after struggling as a hitter during his first four seasons in Single-A and Double-A, the Cubs organization converted him to a pitcher for the 1990 season. He was used as a starter with moderate success and by 1991 had advanced to Triple-A Iowa.

He began the 1992 season with Iowa and was having his best season from an ERA standpoint (2.45). He got a call-up to the big-league Cubs and made his major-league debut on May 27 with a two-inning outing against the San Francisco Giants. One of the batters he faced was New Orleanian Will Clark, whom he retired on a flyball.

His fourth appearance with the Cubs came in the first game of a doubleheader on June 8 against the Cardinals. He entered the game in relief of Shawn Boskie, who was forced to leave the game because of back spasms. The score was tied, 0-0, in the fifth inning when Bullinger came in. As the leadoff batter in the top of the sixth, Bullinger got his first major-league plate appearance. On the first pitch from Cormier, he hammered a line drive down the left field line that went into the seats. The 6-foot-2 right-hander ended up pitching three innings of an 13-inning game in which the Cubs won, 5-2. After the game, Bullinger told reporters, “It’s probably as far as I’ve hit a ball. I was numb. I was just shaking my head, saying I can’t believe this. I was a converted shortstop because I couldn’t hit.” He was only the fourth Cubs player to homer in his first at-bat.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Bullinger was called on again by manager Jim Lefebvre, with two outs in the eighth and the Cubs leading, 5-4. He got the third out and then held the Cardinals at bay in the ninth, earning his first major-league save. It was a memorable day of “firsts.”

Bullinger followed the June 8 game with a streak of five consecutive saves. His results earned him National League Player of the Week for the week ending June 14. He finished the rest of the season in both starter and reliever roles, compiling a 2-8 record, 4.66 ERA and 7 saves.

He went on to play a total of seven seasons in the majors, including a year each with Montreal and Seattle after five seasons with the Cubs. He finished with a career record of 34-41 and 5.31 ERA in 184 games. His batting line was .188/.249/.315, with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

Bullinger’s last major-league season came in 1998, but he continued to play in the minors and independent leagues until 2005.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson is the currently the best player for the Baltimore Orioles. Some would say he’s one of the best in the American League. He’s one of the main reasons the O’s are among the best teams in the league. The Orioles obviously thought a lot of him, since they selected him in the second round of the 2019 MLB draft. But did they think he was going to be as good as he has turned out?

Henderson was the ninth shortstop selected in that year’s draft, with the other eight being selected before him in the first round. Bobby Witt Jr., the No. 1 overall selection, was the prize of the draft, being selected out of high school by the Kansas City Royals. Four other current major leaguers were among those selected ahead of him, including CJ Abrams (Nationals), Bryson Stott (Phillies), Braden Shewmake (White Sox), and Anthony Volpe (Yankees).

Coming out of high school in Alabama, it might be expected it would take Henderson three or four years to reach the majors. The Orioles were really in no hurry to get him to the majors, as they already had speedy shortstop Jorge Mateo, only 26 years old, as the starter. Henderson missed the entire 2020 season due to the pandemic but progressed well enough to get a stint with the big-league Orioles in a September call-up in 2022.

Meanwhile, the Orioles continued to draft shortstops in high rounds (Jordan Westburg in 1^st round and Anthony Servideo in the 3rd round in 2020, No. 6 Collin Burns in the 6th round in 2021, and the overall No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday in 2022). Was it because the verdict was still out on Henderson’s future as a potential starter?

Everyone just assumed the phenom Holliday would quickly ascend to the big leagues and become the starter at shortstop, and Henderson would be moved to second or third base, if he continued to progress. Holliday began to prove them right, as he progressed from Single-A to Triple-A during the 2023 season and was named the Minor League Player of the Year.

But Henderson had other ideas. Splitting time between shortstop and third base, he was the AL Rookie of the Year in 2023, earning a Silver Slugger Award and finishing eighth in the MVP voting. He and catcher Adley Rutschmann led the Orioles to a surprising AL East championship. Meanwhile the versatile Mateo and Westburg also found plenty of playing time in the infield.

Henderson has even been better in 2024. He leads the Orioles in HRs, RBIs, OBP, SLG, and OPS. He is third in the AL in OPS+ (174) and is cementing himself as one of the finest young shortstops in either league.

He is giving the Orioles front office second thoughts about Holliday becoming the heir apparent to the shortstop position. The 20-year-old Holliday got called up from the minors for 10 games in April and struggled at the plate. Now there is speculation that Holliday might man second base or even the outfield for the Orioles when he makes it back permanently in the big leagues.

There’s another school of thought that the Orioles should trade Holliday now for some top pitching talent, when his trade value is at its highest. That’s how confident the Orioles are with Henderson in the shortstop spot for years to come.

Here are the pitching and hitting statistics for many of the 2024 major-league and minor-league players who prepped or played collegiately in the New Orleans area and Southeast Louisiana. All stats are cumulative for the season, through Monday, April 30. Below are some of the highlights for the last month, followed by a link to all of the players’ more detailed stats.

Who’s Hot

Aaron Nola (Catholic HS, LSU) is 4-1, with a 3.20 ERA and 1.068 WHIP for the Phillies.

Josh Smith (Catholic HS, LSU), a member of last year’s world champion Texas Rangers, is making the most of his time as their starting third baseman, while Josh Jung is on the Injured List. Smith is slashing .317/.417/.500 with 14 runs and 14 RBIs.

Jake Fraley (LSU) has a slash line of .293/.359/.414 for the Reds.

Collin Burns (De La Salle, Tulane) had the best day of his career on April 6, when he went 3-for-4, with a triple, home run, and 7 RBIs for Double-A Bowie.

Kody Hoese (Tulane) is slashing .347/.390/.507 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Drew Avans (Southeastern) has a slash line of .311/.388/.476 for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Paul Skenes (LSU) has a .039 ERA, 0.870 WHIP, and 16 Strikeouts Per 9 Innings in six starts for Triple-A Indianapolis. Look for him to get a callup to the Pirates in June.

Will Warren (Southeastern) is 3-0 in six starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He’s averaging 10.9 Strikeouts Per 9 Innings.

Who’s Not

Kevin Gausman (LSU) is 1-3 with a 4.50 ERA in six starts for the Blue Jays.

Alex Bregman (LSU) is slashing only .216/.283/.294 with one home run for the last-place Astros. He is eligible for free agency after this season.

Tanner Rainey (St. Paul’s, Southeastern) has a whopping 9.82 ERA and 2.818 WHIP in 11 relief appearances for the Nationals.

Jake Rogers (Tulane) is slashing a paltry .167/.242/.283 with only three extra-base hits in 20 games.

J.P. France (Shaw, Tulane) is 0-3 with a 7.46 ERA for the Astros and has been demoted to Triple-A Sugar Land.

On the Mend

DJ LeMahieu (LSU) has missed the entire month for the Yankees due to a foot injury. He had only one at-bat in a rehab assignment in the minors but had to be sidelined again.

Garrett Edwards—Rays (LSU)—On 60-Day Injured List

Ty Floyd—Reds (LSU) On 60-Day Injured List

Cade Doughty—Blue Jays (LSU) On 7-Day Injured List

Austin Nola—Royals (Catholic HS, LSU) On 7-Day Injured List

2023 Players Who Didn’t Return

The following 2023 players have not returned this season: Jack Aldrich (Tulane); Jared Biddy (LSU); Giovanni DiGiacomo (LSU); Brandon Kaminer (LSU); Aaron Loup (Hahnville, Tulane); Greg Deichmann (Brother Martin, LSU), Landon Marceaux (Destrehan, LSU); Braden Olthoff (Tulane); Kramer Robertson (LSU); Mac Sceroler (Southeastern); Zach Watson (LSU)

Click here to view the detailed batting and hitting stats of all the players on CrescentCitySports.com.

Click below to read my story about a 1946 game in which Johnny Vander Meer pitched 15 scoreless innings in a game that ended in a scoreless tie.

I maintain a database of New Orleans area high school players who go on to play at the college and professional levels. The database has over 2,200 players, going back to the early 1900's.

Jim Bullinger had played in big games as a shortstop and pitcher with Rummel High School, followed by his career with the University of New Orleans. Yet none of those games likely involved an experience as exceptional as a game he played for the Chicago Cubs in 1992.

In his first at-bat for the Cubs on June 8, in a game in which he entered as a relief pitcher, he smacked a home run in his first major-league at-bat. Furthermore, he hit it on the first pitch he saw from St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Rheal Cormier. At the time, Bullinger was only the 14th player in major-league history to hit a homer on the first pitch of his first at-bat.

It should have come as no surprise that Bullinger was capable of clouting a home run. He had made hundreds of plate appearances as a position player throughout high school and college. While he wasn’t known as a power hitter, he could occasionally put the ball over the fence. He hit 23 home runs during his three seasons with UNO.

Bullinger had been a two-way player since his Babe Ruth days in Jefferson Parish. He continued to pitch and play shortstop for Coach Larry Schneider’s Rummel Raiders and Schaff Brothers American Legion teams. He was an All-District player with Rummel in 1982 and 1983 and was a member of 1982 and 1983 Schaff squads that captured Second District American Legion titles. During his senior season with Rummel in 1983, the Times-Picayune listed him among the top college prospects from the New Orleans area. He was one of eight Metro area players selected to participate in the LHSAA baseball All-Star Game in Lafayette.

He went on to play for the UNO Privateers whose head coach was Ron Maestri. Bullinger was the starting shortstop as a freshman on the talented 1984 team that went to the College World Series. They were the first in-state college in Louisiana to progress that far into the NCAA postseason. His batting record included a .258 batting average, 5 home runs, 39 RBIs, and five game-winning hits. He was the starting shortstop that summer for the New Orleans-based NORD All-American team that won the AAABA national tournament in Johnstown, PA.

The Privateers gained a berth in the NCAA Regionals again in 1985. Bullinger had 10 home runs and 45 RBIs for the season. His senior season in 1986 season included 14 games in which he pitched in relief. He posted a respectable 3.55 ERA and led the team with six saves, while batting .252, 8 home runs, and 31 RBIs.

Bullinger was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 1986 amateur draft with the intention of being used as a shortstop. However, after struggling as a hitter during his first four seasons in Single-A and Double-A, the Cubs organization converted him to a pitcher for the 1990 season. He was used as a starter with moderate success and by 1991 had advanced to Triple-A Iowa.

He began the 1992 season with Iowa and was having his best season from an ERA standpoint (2.45). He got a call-up to the big-league Cubs and made his major-league debut on May 27 with a two-inning outing against the San Francisco Giants. One of the batters he faced was New Orleanian Will Clark, whom he retired on a flyball.

His fourth appearance with the Cubs came in the first game of a doubleheader on June 8 against the Cardinals. He entered the game in relief of Shawn Boskie, who was forced to leave the game because of back spasms. The score was tied, 0-0, in the fifth inning when Bullinger came in. As the leadoff batter in the top of the sixth, Bullinger got his first major-league plate appearance. On the first pitch from Cormier, he hammered a line drive down the left field line that went into the seats. The 6-foot-2 right-hander ended up pitching three innings of an 13-inning game in which the Cubs won, 5-2. After the game, Bullinger told reporters, “It’s probably as far as I’ve hit a ball. I was numb. I was just shaking my head, saying I can’t believe this. I was a converted shortstop because I couldn’t hit.” He was only the fourth Cubs player to homer in his first at-bat.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Bullinger was called on again by manager Jim Lefebvre, with two outs in the eighth and the Cubs leading, 5-4. He got the third out and then held the Cardinals at bay in the ninth, earning his first major-league save. It was a memorable day of “firsts.”

Bullinger followed the June 8 game with a streak of five consecutive saves. His results earned him National League Player of the Week for the week ending June 14. He finished the rest of the season in both starter and reliever roles, compiling a 2-8 record, 4.66 ERA and 7 saves.

He went on to play a total of seven seasons in the majors, including a year each with Montreal and Seattle after five seasons with the Cubs. He finished with a career record of 34-41 and 5.31 ERA in 184 games. His batting line was .188/.249/.315, with four home runs and 19 RBIs.

Bullinger’s last major-league season came in 1998, but he continued to play in the minors and independent leagues until 2005.

Most New Orleanians remember Moon Landrieu as the progressive mayor of the city from 1970 to 1978. What they may not know is that he was quite a baseball pitcher from his early teenage years through college.

Born Maurice Edwin Landrieu, he acquired the moniker “Moon” from his family at an early age. The first appearances of Landrieu in the local sports pages were already referring to him by his nickname.

In the summer of 1944, prior to his entering high school, he was a star pitcher for the city champion Hooligans, an American Legion Class B team in the New Orleans Junior Sports Association. After his freshman year at Jesuit High School, he pitched for Jesuit’s Junior American Legion team which again won the city title in 1945.

On an experienced 1946 Jesuit High School team led by outfielder Tookie Gilbert and pitcher Hugh Oser, Landrieu didn’t see much action as a sophomore on the prep state championship team. When several of the players opted not to play for the Jesuit-based American Legion team that summer, it allowed less-experienced players to step into starting roles. Landrieu got appearances as a pitcher, mostly in relief roles. Under coach Eddie Toribio, the team surprisingly won the American Legion World Series in Gastonia, North Carolina, only the second national Legion title by a New Orleans entry since 1932.

The 1947 Jesuit High team repeated at state champion. Yet Landrieu’s breakout season came with the summer Legion team. Winner in seven of eight games in district play and an All-Legion selection, he got the winning decision over Holy Cross in the city championship game. Landrieu struck out 19 in the first game of the state regionals. He pitched a five-hitter to defeat Shreveport for the state championship.

As a senior on the 1948 Jesuit High team, Landrieu had a poor outing to start the season, but recovered to win six consecutive games. He was the winning pitcher in the city championship game against Warren Easton. He was rewarded with All-State honors.

Landrieu went on to play baseball on a scholarship for Loyola University in New Orleans from 1949 to 1952. As a sophomore in 1950, Landrieu posted a 2-0 record for the Wolfpack that finished as runner-up for the Gulf State Conference title. In 1951, Landrieu went 4-2 and pitched in relief in the conference championship game to help Loyola secure its first GSC title. He was named to the All-Conference team. His senior season with Loyola was hampered by arm injuries.

Landrieu graduated from Loyola in 1952 with a degree in business administration. He earned his Juris Doctorate in 1954 and went on to a career encompassing all three branches of government. He served in the Louisiana House of Representative and the New Orleans City Council before being elected Mayor of New Orleans for two terms during 1970 to 1978.

As mayor he was instrumental in helping usher the city into desegregation in the 1970s.His sports background came in handy as a member of the commission that built the Louisiana Superdome. He served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Carter and finished his career as judge of the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1992 to 2000.

Landrieu died in 2022 at age 92.

The New York Yankees haven’t been to the World Series since they beat the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009. The current 14-year absence has been the longest drought in Yankees history, tied with the miserable Yankee teams from 1982 to 1995.

Could the Yankees’ acquisition of superstar Juan Soto over the winter make a difference this year in getting the Yankees back to the Fall Classic? Yankee history in the past 14 years isn’t so convincing that he can be the difference-maker.

After the Core Four (Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Jorge Posada) retired, the Yankees continued to be perennial postseason teams, but could never put it all together to win another American League pennant.

The Yankees front office allowed the roster to get old. In addition to the aging Core Fore, Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixiera, and CC Sabathia were entering their golden years, too.

With respect to top prospects, the Yankee farm system had become bare. Instead, some of the bigger names in the game were brought in to shore up the team. The Yankees acquired players like Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, and Ichiro Suzuki. But they weren’t able to deliver a pennant, and they just became “pass-through” players.

The Yankees’ best player, Robinson Cano, was the last carryover position player from the 2009 team. He left the team for more dollars in Seattle, after becoming a free agent in 2013.

The Yankees farm system finally started to produce players in 2016 and 2017 who manned several of the starting lineup positions. Called the “Baby Bombers,” they included Aaron Judge, Gary Sanchez, Gleyber Torres, Greg Bird, and Tyler Wade.

After winning the AL MVP Award with Miami in 2017, Giancarlo Stanton was signed to a mega-contract with the Yankees in 2018, with expectations he would be “the guy” to bring them back to the World Series, along with Aaron Judge and the rest of the Baby Bomber. Yet after an initial productive season, Stanton had difficulty staying on the field after that, due to a number of injuries. Only Judge and Torres remain from the original Baby Bombers.

The team missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2016. With the exception of the lowly A’s, Tigers, and White Sox, they posted the worst slash line in the American League last year with .227/.304/.397. The Yankees’ pitching staff, led by Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole and an effective bullpen, was the only reason the team finished two games above .500.

The Yankees traded for Juan Soto, willing to pick up his expensive salary even though he has only one year left on his contract. But the team went “all in,” as the saying goes, thinking he could be one of the critical pieces needed, along with another front-line starting pitcher, to deliver an American League pennant. (The Yankees signed veteran pitcher Marcus Stroman, after failing to attract 2023 NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell with a contract offer).

There were similar expectations by Soto with the San Diego Padres in 2023, where he was part of a star-laden team. He did his part as their best offensive player, but the Padres finished behind division-winner Los Angeles and Arizona, the eventual NL pennant-winner.

The Yankees had their share of injuries last year, which contributed to their poor showing. But there is optimism this season those problems are behind them. Giancarlo Stanton is reportedly in better physical shape that would allow him to play a full season. DJ LeMahieu and Anthony Rizzo are expected to overcome nagging injuries from last year. Judge, who missed over 40 games due to a torn ligament in his toe, appears to be well enough to play center field now that Soto will be in right field.

All the stars seem to be aligning this season. A healthy batting order that consists of LeMahieu, Soto, Judge, Rizzo, Stanton, Torres, newcomer Alex Verdugo, Jose Trevino (or rookie Austin Wells), and Anthony Volpe would pose a threat for most opposing pitching staffs.

Soto has World Series experience, the breakout star of the Washington Nationals in 2019. Now entering his seventh major-league season, he’s still only 25 years old. He brings youth and a much-needed left-handed bat to the Yankees’ lineup. Will he be the catalyst to propel them back into contention for the pennant? Or will he be just another superstar passing through? Stay tuned.

Footnote: As I write this, pitcher Gerrit Cole’s has a nerve problem in his right elbow, and he is expected to miss at least the first two months of the season. He is a critical part of the Yankees’ potential resurgence. Yankees fans would like to see the team renew its interest in acquiring Snell to offset Cole’s absence, but that isn’t likely to happen at this point. Furthermore, Aaron Judge has experienced abdominal soreness, causing him to miss several spring training games. His status will also be crucial to Yankee success.

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is a great player on a lousy team. Except for one season, it‘s been that way since he made his major-league debut in 2011. In some respects you have to feel sorry for the guy. But then he’s currently making $37 million per year, so feeling bad for him only goes so far. Trout’s contract with the Angels goes through the 2030 season, when he’ll be 38 years old.

A sure-fire Hall of Famer, Trout has been called the best player in the majors. Early on, he was labeled as the “next Mickey Mantle.” From 2012 through 2019, he was indeed the best player, winning three MVP Awards, finishing in the Top 2 in two seasons, and Top 5 in two seasons.

Despite Trout’s individual performances during his tenure, the Angels have won only one division title, in 2014, when they won 98 games. Since then, they’ve finished above .500 only one other time, in 2015. It doesn’t look like their losing ways will change any time soon.

His talent seems to be wasted by continuing to play for the Angels, who haven’t surrounded him with enough talent, primarily pitching, to be a postseason contender. He’s played with two Angels teammates who have also been referred to as the best players in the majors--Albert Pujols and Shohei Ohtani. Yet teaming up with them didn’t alter the Angels’ fortunes.

It must be frustrating for Trout to continue to play on a team that has no playoff hopes. The Angels’ front office doesn’t have a plan to rebuild the club in order to eventually capitalize on Trout’s talents. Given that situation, should Trout ask the Angels to trade him to a team that has a reasonable chance at getting to the playoffs?

Even if Angels owner Arturo Moreno was willing to trade Trout, is there another team that could absorb his salary for seven more years? The teams with the fat wallets are already shelling out big bucks themselves, including teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, and Astros. Plus, Trout’s health could be cause for concern by an acquiring club. He’s played 36, 119, and 82 games in the last three seasons due to injuries. At age 32, is this a true indicator of his future health?

The second question is, what do the Angels want for Trout? He would command a high price in a trade, in terms of multiple prospects and possibly several young players with high upsides who are already in the majors. Could the Angels maneuver such a trade with a potential suitor that could be part of a longer-term re-build for them?

The other side of Trout’s dilemma is that he just needs to honor his contract with the Angels, regardless of how bad they are. As the old adage goes, “He’s made his bed, now he’s got to lie in it.” He’s being well-paid for his services for the next seven seasons. He needs to earn his lucrative salary, even if he’s playing for a losing team. There are a several hundred other big-league players who would trade places with him in a heartbeat.

Thinking back to the past about players in similar situations as Trout, Ernie Banks comes to mind. He was a two-time MVP, 11-time All-Star playing for the inept Chicago Cubs of the 1950s and 1960s. The Hall of Famer played 19 years without ever appearing in a postseason. I don’t remember if he ever made a big deal about continuing to play for a perennially bad team. But he is the player who is famously remembered for saying, “Let’s play two.”

Trout could quit baseball right now and still be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, because he was so dominant between 2012 and 2019. He could also play out his current contract and still be a Hall of Famer.

Twenty-five-year-old Willie Mays had just finished his fifth major-league season when he organized a barnstorming baseball tour that included New Orleans. As a former National League Rookie of the Year (1951) and Most Valuable Player (1954), he had established himself as one of the premier players in baseball.

Mays assembled some of the best Black major-league stars into a team called the Major League All-Stars. They were slated to play two games against the Negro American League All-Stars at Pelican Stadium on November 4 and November 6. In addition to New Orleans, the barnstorming troupe appeared in cities such as Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham, Charlotte and Austin.

Barnstorming during the offseason offered a way for players to supplement their income from the regular-season, at a time when major-league salaries were in the $15K - $30K range and Negro League salaries were much less.

Mays’s hand-picked team featured 20-year-old Frank Robinson who had been voted the National League Rookie of the Year; 22-year-old Hank Aaron who won the National League batting title; and 27-year-old Elston Howard, who helped the Yankees win the World Series. Monte Irvin served as coach and utility player.

Many of Mays’s player selections had started their professional careers in the Negro Leagues. As a member of the Birmingham Black Barons, Mays had previously played in New Orleans in 1948, when Game 4 of the Negro League World Series was played in the Crescent City.

The opposing Negro American League All-Stars were led by former Negro Leaguer Bob Boyd and included Black players who aspired to play in the majors.

The first game on Sunday afternoon drew a nice crowd of 5,330 fans.

The Mays team scored a run in the first inning, followed by a two-run homer by Hank Aaron in the third inning. The Negro American League squad tied the score with three runs in the fourth inning, only to lose the game in the bottom of the ninth inning. An outfield error and a timely single by Al Smith provided the winning run for Mays’s team. Pitcher Brooks Lawrence went the distance for the Major League All-Stars, while Marshall Bridges took the loss after holding the major-leaguers scoreless from the fourth through the eighth innings.

For the scheduled Tuesday night game, Sam Jones, a noted curveball pitcher in the majors, was slated to oppose Negro American League All-Stars pitcher Charley Pride, then an aspiring professional player who later became a legendary country singer.

However, the game was rained out. While the local newspapers reported the second game would be pushed to the following Friday, there wasn’t an account of the game having actually been played.

Aaron returned to New Orleans with the Atlanta Braves in 1974 for an exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles in Kirsch-Rooney Park. He thrilled the local crowd with a home run. Three days later in a regular-season game, Aaron tied Babe Ruth’s home run record of 714 home runs.

In 1984, Mays and Aaron were featured players in an exhibition game in the Louisiana Superdome between former major-leaguers, as part of the “All-Time All-Stars” series. Once again, Aaron delighted the crowd in the first inning with a home run off Bob Feller.

Former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer once made $32 million per year for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now he’s offering his services to any major-league team for the league minimum salary of $740,000.

So, how did that come about?

While playing for the Dodgers in 2021, Bauer was accused of domestic violence and suspended by Major League Baseball in June of that season for 194 games. Even though he was never charged with a crime, the Dodgers ended up releasing him in January 2023. Bauer spent last season pitching in Japan.

The 32-year-old Bauer showed he still had “stuff” while pitching for Yokohama in Japan, compiling a 11-4 record and 2.59 ERA. He averaged over 10 strikeouts per nine innings. His stats demonstrated he could be a viable option for pitching-starved major-leaguer teams in the United States.

With Bauer’s interest in returning to the big leagues for the 2024 season, the question now becomes: should a major-league team give him a second chance in baseball, given the baggage he brings?

First, there’s the risk that Bauer really isn’t up to his previous form as when he left the Dodgers in 2021. The overall talent level in the Japanese Professional League doesn’t match that of MLB. Yet it would seem that a one-year contract for $750K doesn’t represent an unusual risk for a team desperately needing pitching. Big-league teams take risks on Double-A and Triple-A prospects all the time.

Second, and probably the most significant factor, is the potential negative fallout a major-league team would incur from fans and media who will view his return as an acceptance by the team, or MLB itself, of his questionable moral character.

To a lesser degree, there’s the concern for how the tainted player would be accepted by his teammates. However, history shows that teammates, as displeased as they may be about the moral character of a player, only really care about the bottom line—winning.

There are at least three other recent cases of players involved in some type of domestic violence or sexual abuse that have been on MLB’s radar. As with Bauer’s case, MLB’s responses have been to uphold its domestic violence policy through suspensions, even though criminal charges weren’t levied against the players.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urias, who finished third in the Cy Young Award voting in 2022, was put on administrative leave by MLB last September for an alleged domestic violence incident. He had previously been suspended for 20 days by MLB after an arrest for suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery, but he was not ultimately charged. The disposition of Urias’s most recent situation by MLB remains to be seen.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna was suspended for 75 games in the middle of the 2018 season for violating MLB’s domestic violence policy. It involved his assault of the mother of his three-year-old son. The charges against Osuna were dropped, and the Houston Astros subsequently traded for Urias for the balance of the 2018 season. The situation created a bad look for the Astros.

The Tampa Bay Rays’ best player Wander Franco hasn’t played since August 12, 2023, when he was alleged to have a sexual relationship with a 14-year old in 2022. He remains under investigation by Dominican Republic authorities and could face charges. MLB hasn’t taken a position on Franco yet, but it seems reasonable he will suffer some type of suspension from MLB even if charges are ultimately dropped.

Getting back to Bauer, I believe one of the MLB teams will pick him up, willing to absorb any flack they might receive. Will he perform to the same level before his suspension? We’ll find out in a couple of months.

Everyone knows Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major-league baseball in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers. What everyone doesn’t know is that New Orleans native Johnny Wright, a Negro League star pitcher in the late 1930s and 1940s, was slated by the Dodgers to join Robinson in the historic integration of baseball.

 

Wright was signed by the Dodgers shortly after Robinson, and both spent spring training in Daytona in 1946 as the first two African-American players in Organized Baseball. They started the regular season with the Dodgers’ highest-level minor-league affiliate in Montreal. But Wright was used sparingly and eventually sent to the Dodgers’ Class C team in Canada. When Robinson joined the big-league Dodgers in 1947, Wright returned to the Negro Leagues.

Carlis Wright Robinson, daughter of Johnny Wright, has been energetically telling the account of her father’s involvement in the integration of baseball. With the help of baseball historians, Ms. Robinson has articulated her father’s story with the Dodgers and chronicled his entire life and baseball career which took him all over the United States, as well as Latin American countries, in her book “The Wright Side of the Story: The Life and Career of Johnny Wright, Co-Pioneer in Breaking Baseball’s Color Barrier, as Told by His Daughter.”

Ms. Robinson recently remarked about her efforts, “My journey has been a labor of love, driven by the lack of information and lack of recognition for my late father’s accomplishments in the world of baseball. First, I hope that I have reconciled some of the incomplete and incorrect writings that I have found over the years during my research of his career. And secondly, I believe that I have written the most complete compilation of his life and career currently available.”

She added, “It would be great to see him inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. And why isn’t there a historical marker in his hometown? To be continued.”

Johnny Wright was inducted into the 2022 Class of the New Orleans Sports Foundation’s Hall of Fame, sponsored by the All-State Sugar Bowl.

Perhaps the autographed baseball by the New Orleans Pelicans that Gerry Schoen possessed as a youngster provided the inspiration to pursue a professional baseball career. But more likely it was his success as a pitcher at multiple levels of amateur baseball in the New Orleans area that propelled him into the professional ranks. Even though Schoen ended up with only a proverbial “cup of coffee” in the major leagues, he is nonetheless remembered for his seasons as a dominant local pitcher in the 1960s.

Schoen was a fan of the game at an early age. He acquired an autographed baseball signed by members of the hometown New Orleans Pelicans minor-league team, while he was bed-ridden with spinal meningitis at eight years old.

He was a product of Wisner Playground in Uptown New Orleans. Coached by legendary NORD playground supervisor Ronnie Aucoin, Schoen was a member of two Wisner teams, 10-and-under and 12-and-under, that won city championships.

His childhood friend Johnny Arthurs also played on those teams and remembers Schoen striking out all fifteen batters in a five-inning game. Arthurs, a future two-sport athlete at Tulane University, later played with Schoen at De La Salle High School and on American Legion teams, He recalled, “Everyone had a nickname in those days, and Gerry’s was the ‘White Whale,’ because he was big, husky kid with light-colored hair.”

While Schoen had not played on varsity teams in his freshman and sophomore years, he became a standout in his junior season in 1963. The “White Whale” had developed into a six-foot-two, 200-pound fireballer. Jerry Burrage, long-time local high school and American Legion coach in the New Orleans area, recalled Schoen’s sensational season, “Gerry was a hard-throwing right-hander with great control. He was dominant in his breakout season in 1963.”

Burrage was referring to Schoen’s five prep starts in which he allowed just 11 hits and one run. He was named to the Times-Picayune and States-Item All-Prep teams, as well as the All-State team selected by the Louisiana Sports Writers’ Association. He followed with an 8-0 record in American Legion play that summer for the De La Salle-based team, earning him MVP honors for his district.

Schoen’s undefeated season at the combined prep and Legion levels marked one of the best in recent times in New Orleans. His performance was reminiscent of Jimmy Harwell’s (also a De La Salle alumnus) in 1956.

In 1964, De La Salle captured the Louisiana state high school championship, with Schoen pitching a three-hitter in the finals. The victory gave renowned head coach John Altobello his fourth state title with the school. Schoen was a repeat All-State performer.

Behind the pitching of Schoen, the De La Salle American Legion team won the state title and fought its way to the Little World Series, only to be eliminated after three games.

Following the Legion season, Schoen signed a baseball grant-in-aid baseball scholarship with Loyola University in New Orleans. There were two reasons he chose Loyola over other local colleges. He would be allowed to play on the varsity team as a freshman, and he wanted to play again under the tutelage of his former Babe Ruth coach, Rags Scheuermann, who was the Wolfpack’s head coach. Scheuermann told the States-Item, “We are real glad to get Gerry. He is definitely the No. 1 pitching prospect in the state.”

Schoen had a promising debut game as a freshman with Loyola in 1965. He recorded a strikeout for the first seven outs in a 3-0 win against Southwestern Louisiana (USL). He finished the season with a 6-0 record.

After posting a 2-3 record with Loyola in 1966, Schoen was selected by the Washington Senators in the 25th round of the MLB amateur draft. He decided to forego the rest of his college career and signed with the Senators for a bonus reported as being between ten and fifteen thousand dollars.

Only 19 years old, Schoen’s first minor-league assignment was at Class Geneva in the New York-Penn League in 1966. His best outing occurred on August 23, when he struck out 18 in nine innings.

His 1967 season with Class A Burlington of the Carolina League was interrupted when he enlisted in the Army National Guard in July. He was 7-2 with a 2.69 ERA at the time.

With Double-A Savannah of the Southern League in 1968, his 3-9 record was misleading since he posted a 3.20 ERA and struck out 95 in 118 innings. After four games with Triple-A Buffalo, Schoen was called up by the Senators for the final month of the season. On September 14, he made his major-league debut in a start against the New York Yankees at D.C. Stadium. But he lost control of the game early, as he gave up three runs on six hits in only 3 2/3 innings. The Yankees won, 4-1. The game would be the only major-league appearance in his career. (Players who make a limited number of major-league appearances, like Schoen, are said to be in the big leagues for only the time to drink a “cup of coffee.”)

The American League held an expansion draft in October 1968 for the new Seattle Pilots and Kansas City Royals franchises. Not protected by the Senators, Schoen was the 20th overall selection of the draft by the Pilots. It seemed like a good opportunity for him to land a spot on their major-league roster in 1969.

However, he was traded by Seattle to the Baltimore Orioles in a five-player deal in April, having never pitched for the Pilots. Interestingly, one of the other players involved in the trade was Lloyd Fourroux, who had also prepped at De La Salle and was a career minor-leaguer in the Orioles organization.

Over the next three seasons, Schoen bounced around to minor league teams in the Orioles, Yankees and Minnesota Twins organizations, filling both starter and reliever roles. His highlight during these years was helping Syracuse, a Yankees Triple-A affiliate, win its first International League pennant in 73 years.

Unable to see a clear path back to the big leagues, Schoen decided to quit baseball at age 24.

Schoen is one of three De La Salle alumni to reach the majors. Allan Montreuil and Frank Wills are the others.

The official results of the Baseball Hall of Fame voting by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America will be announced on January 23.

You might recall on December 31 that I posted my (unofficial) votes for the 2024 class of the Baseball Hall of Fame, as a member of the Internet Baseball Writers’ Association of America. IBWAA members were asked to submit up to 12 names on their ballot.

Here are the top 12 players who received the highest percentage of votes by the IBWAA. (Per the Hall of Fame rules, players must receive a minimum of 75% of the votes to be elected.) I submitted only nine names on my ballot, which are marked by an asterisk below.

**Adrian Beltre (94%)

**Todd Helton (75%)

Joe Mauer (73%)

**Billy Wagner (73%)

**Andruw Jones (68%)

**Gary Sheffield (65%)

**Alex Rodriguez (60%)

**Manny Ramirez (58%)

**Carlos Beltran (52%)

Chase Utley (37%)

Bobby Abreu (32%)

Andy Pettitte (28%)

I also voted for Omar Vizquel (11-year Gold Glove shortstop) who received only 11% of the IBWAA votes. I believe his alleged off-the-field indiscretions have negatively affected the voters’ opinions of him.

The other major difference in my votes, versus the entire membership’s, is Joe Mauer, whom I left off my ballot. My rationale was, out of his 15 major league seasons, only six years were All-Star-caliber seasons. Is that enough for Hall-worthiness? It’s true, he won 3 batting titles, but what about all those analysts who now say batting average isn’t a relevant statistic? Mauer’s career stats were indeed impressive, including .306/.388/.439 slash line, 55.2 WAR, 127 OPS+, and four years with Top 8 MVP votes (including one MVP first-place finish).

But here are equally impressive stats for another 15-year major leaguer who has NOT been elected: .303/.384/.497 slash line, 56.5 WAR, 137 OPS+, six years as an All-Star, and four years with Top 5 MVP votes (with one second-place finish). Who is the player? Will Clark!

I suppose one could make a case for or against the merits of any two players. I’m just bummed out that Clark, my favorite player, didn’t get in.

Baseball Hall of Fame tracker Ryan Thibodaux compiles the official votes from BBWAA writers that make their ballot publicly available. With roughly 50 % of the ballots available, Thibodaux calculates that Beltre (98.8%), Mauer (84.2%), Helton (83.2%), and Wagner (79.9%) are the most likely inductees. He has Sheffield (74.5%) and Jones (71.2%) on the cusp of the minimum 75% required.

Look for the official results on Tuesday.

The Baltimore Orioles weren’t expected to have the kind year they had in 2023. Their team rebuilding process since 2018 didn’t have them contending for a playoff berth until 2024. But their young core of players they had developed through their farm system surprised the baseball world, as they turned in a 101-win season and captured the AL East Division title.

The Orioles were swept by the Texas Rangers in the ALDS, perhaps because their youth caught up with them. It could be argued the Orioles are only a few players away from being a serious pennant contender for the next several years. While they were losing all those games between 2018 and 2021, they accumulated a lot of top talent in the minors through the draft process. So why aren’t they active in the trade market to acquire the missing pieces, by giving up some of their excess higher prospects?

The Orioles are largely in need of pitching depth, including several who can eat a lot of innings.

Kyle Gibson was the only true veteran pitcher (11 years in the majors) among the starters, but he turned in a team-worst 87 ERA+. In only his second major-league season, Kyle Bradish rose to the top of the rotation and was their best starter. 23-year-old rookie Grayson Rodriguez has the potential to be a top-flight pitcher, but he’s still trying to climb the big-league learning curve. Dean Kremer and Tyler Wells rounded out the rotation, but neither was particularly threatening to opposing offenses.

Bradish, Kremer, and Rodriguez were overmatched by the Rangers in the ALDS, as they collectively lasted only 6.6 innings in their starts. Their youth didn’t play well.

In the bullpen, closer Felix Bautista was one of the league’s best, turning in a 1.48 ERA with 33 saves. Yennier Cano led the team in relief appearances (72), and he was effective as a one-two punch with Bautista. Cano posted a 2.11 ERA. But like the starting rotation, the bullpen could use more depth to be a pennant contender.

Now is the time for the Orioles to move on beefing up their pitching. And they have the means to do it through trades.

Shortstop Gunnar Henderson was the AL Rookie of the Year. He is a franchise shortstop according to Baseball America. He wouldn’t be put up as trade bait, but other top infield prospects who saw part-time duty with the Orioles could be. They include Jordan Westburg, Terrin Vavra, and Joey Ortiz. Furthermore, in the minors, they have additional Triple-A infield prospects Coby Mayo, Caydn Grenier, and Cesar Prieto.

In the outfield, the Orioles system features prospects Colton Cowser, Heston Kjerstad, and Kyle Stowers, all of whom got a taste of big league action last year.

But the best of all the Orioles’ minor leaguers is the 2023 Minor League Player of the Year, shortstop Jackson Holliday. With the way Holliday progressed through all four levels of the minors in 2023, he’s probably not more than year away from being ready to compete in the majors.

 

With all the prospects the Orioles have, they won’t have a roster spot for many of them when they become big league ready on a full-time basis. They may not command the same interest and value as they have now, if the Orioles wait to trade them in a year or two.

Coming into the Hot Stove season, Dylan Cease (White Sox), Blake Snell (Padres), Lucas Giolito (Indians), Jordan Montgomery (Rangers), Jesus Luzardo (Marlins), Chris Sale (Red Sox) and Marcus Stroman (Cubs) were among those starting pitchers reported to be available on the trading block by their respective teams. These are the types of pitchers the O’s need to pursue. Sale, Stroman and Giolito have already been scooped up by the Braves, Yankees and Red Sox, respectively. If the Orioles don’t act quickly, the rest will have new homes elsewhere, too.

Perhaps one of the things that has been holding the Orioles back on making a deal is that they will have to shell out some serious long-term money for salaries of these type of players. The Orioles haven’t been considered a big spender on player payroll, but they have to realize in order to get a Blake Snell or Dylan Cease they’re going to have to open their pocketbook wider.

The time is now to do that, not a couple of years from now. Orioles fans got really pumped about their surprising team last season. The Orioles should give them something more to cheer about in 2024.

When California Angels outfielder Taylor Ward was hit in the face while batting in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays last July, it revived memories of Boston Red Sox outfielder Tony Conigilaro’s incident in 1967.

Ward is expected to return to the Angels’ lineup in 2024. He didn’t suffer eye damage, instead requiring reconstruction of his left orbital bone. Not downplaying the seriousness of Ward’s injury, it wasn’t as critical as Conigliaro’s would be. He was hit in the eye and cheekbone, after his helmet flew off before impact. After attempts to return, the Red Sox phenom ultimately had to quit playing at age 26.

As a 19-year-old in 1964, “Tony C”, as he would affectionally be referred to by Red Sox sportswriters and fans, made an impact from Day 1 in the Red Sox lineup. Amazingly he had only played in 83 games in the minors at the Single-A level in 1963 before earning a regular spot in the Red Sox outfield the next spring.

The Red Sox were a second-division team in 1963, finishing seventh out of 10 teams in the American League, 28 games behind the AL champion New York Yankees. The Red Sox were led offensively by big first baseman Dick Stuart. Future Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski, only 23 years old at the time, had yet to mature as a hitter.

Conigliaro represented new hope that he could help turn around the team’s results in 1964. In his rookie season, he hit 24 home runs, the most by any teenager in history at the time. He also collected 62 RBIs in 111 games, while slashing an impressive.290/.354/.530. But largely due to weak pitching, the Red Sox slipped to eighth place.

Over the next two seasons he amassed 60 more home runs and 175 RBIs, including leading the American League with 32 in only his second major-league season. He started to receive votes for AL MVP. But the Red Sox, who continued to suffer from weak pitching, were still mired in the second division.

In 1967, Conigliaro started the season with a bang. He made his first All-Star team. Paired with Carl Yastrzemski, who was having an MVP season, the Red Sox were in contention for first place. By mid-August, Conigliaro had collected 20 home runs and 67 RBIs. Only Met Ott and Eddie Matthews had hit more home runs than Conigliaro by age 22.

On August 18, Conigliaro was hit in the face on a fastball from Angels hurler Jack Hamilton. He suffered from blurred vision in his left eye and headaches, and he wasn’t able to return for the rest of the season. There was concern that he might lose his vision. The Red Sox ended up winning its first pennant since 1946.

Still suffering from the effects of the injury, he attempted a comeback in the spring of 1968. But doctors warned him it wasn’t safe for him to play, and he missed the entire 1968 season.

Determined to get back in the game, Conigliaro spent the missed season, learning to use more of his peripheral vision while batting. He even tried pitching in the instructional league.

Still only 24 years old and his vision not fully recovered, he returned to the Red Sox in 1969 and remarkably earned Comeback Player of the Year honors based on his 20 home runs and 82 RBIs. He followed with the best season of his career in 1970, with 36 home runs and 116 RBIs. Outwardly, It appeared he had overcome the effects of the injury, but he would say later he never fully regained his vision in the left eye.

Desoite his productive 1970 season, the Red Sox traded him over the winter to the California Angels, in an unpopular move for the Red Sox fans. Perhaps the Red Sox had anticipated his vision would deteriorate over time.

In fact, his vision problem did get worse in 1971. Frustrated by not performing up to his standard with the Red Sox, he retired from the Angels in early July, at age 26.

Conigliaro attempted a comeback with the Red Sox four years later, but ultimately quit after 21 games, when he managed only seven hits in 69 plate appearances as a DH and pinch-hitter.

We can only wonder about the total career numbers Tony C would have achieved had he not suffered the heartbreaking injury. He was on a similar career trajectory as his teammate Carl Yastrzemski, who ended up in the Hall of Fame. However, he will always retain a place in the hearts of the Red Sox Nation. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.

(Postscript: The tragedy in Conigliaro’s life didn’t end with baseball. He suffered a heart attack in 1982 that left him with irreversible brain damage. He lived another eight years before dying at age 45.)