Q. Who broke
Ernie Banks’s record for home runs in a season by a National League rookie
shortstop?
Hint: In four of his
first six major league seasons, his individual WAR exceeded 6.0, averaging the
best among all MLB shortstops over that period.
Hint: He is the
only player in history to perform an unassisted triple play and hit for the
cycle in a National League career
- Hit 24 HR in 2007,
all while playing SS; Banks had 19 in 1954.
(Neither was ROY.) Tulo’s replacement
at SS in COL, Trevor Story, set the new mark at 27 in 2016.
- WAR: 2007 = 6.8;
2008 = 0.8;
2009 = 6.5;
2010 = 6.7;
and
2011 = 6.2
FCR - Frank
Stephenson, Mount Berry, Georgia
Incorrect guesses: Barry Larkin, Gary Sheffield, Garry
Templeton, Javier Baez, Rafael Furcal, Dave Concepcion, Trevor Story, Ron
Washington, Cal Ripken
TUESDAY
Q. What
shortstop was drafted ahead of MLB stars Zack Greinke and Prince Fielder, among
many others?
Hint: He has twice
played on the same major league team as his brother. In one year on one of those teams, both were
in the to 10 WAR contributors.
Hint: Before high
school, he played in the same travel baseball league as several other players
who became major leaguers.
- Drafted #2 overall in the 2002 MLB June Amateur
Draft. (Click to see how many other stars were
drafted that same year.)
- He and his brother Justin were both on ATL 2013-14 then in 2015 on SDP where both were
in the to 10 WAR contributors on that Padres team. (Click for photo.)
- Mark Reynolds, David Wright, Michael Cuddyer, Ryan
Zimmerman and Melvin’s brother Justin were in the same AAU travel program in Hampton Roads,
Virginia.
FCR - Jeffrey Gaughn, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Incorrect guesses: Stephen Drew, Justin Upton
WEDNESDAY
Q. Who was the first Jewish player in major
league baseball to join the 30/30 Club this century?
Hint: Before becoming a pro, he was a Vaquero, a
Sun Devil and a Tiger.
Hint: He is the all-time career stolen base
percentage leader for the Texas Rangers.
Hint: He has accepted a position with the San
Diego Padres as advisor to baseball operations, but he has future Olympic plans
as well.
- 30/30 Club:
2009 = 31 HR + 31 SB; 2011 = 32 HR+ 30 SB, both times w/TEX. Coincidentally, these are the only times he’s
reached 30 in either of these categories over his 14 year career.
- Attended Central Arizona College (Coolidge, AZ), Arizona State
University
(Tempe, AZ), University of Missouri (Columbia, MO)
- Successful on 80.37% of his 214 steal attempts.
- In March 2020, he obtained Israeli citizenship
and joined Team Israel. The team has qualified to play baseball at the 2020
Summer Olympics in Tokyo when they're held.
FCR - Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect
guesses: Shawn Green, Ryan Braun, Gabe
Kapler, Corey Seager
MIDWEEK BONUS
Q. Whose franchise-best 27-game hitting
streak lasted less than one season?
Hint: He won the only Silver Slugger Award of his
fifteen-year career that same season.
Hint: Since the Colorado Rockies have existed, nine
different players have won a National League batting title. He is the only one of them to be selected to
the All-Star team fewer than three times.
Hint: He was nominated for the MLBPAA Heart and
Hustle Award for his team one season.
Hint: He attended a high school not far from some
of those of the players mentioned in Tuesday’s answer.
- Hit in 27 straight G, ending on 01-Jul-2013, breaking
Dante Bichette’s club record. However, with a 28-G streak ending 09-May-2014,
his mark was exceeded by All-World teammate Nolan Arenado.
- AS in 2011 & 2013. (The other 8 Rockies win NL batting
titles: Andres Galarraga 1993;
Larry Walker 1998, 1999, 2001; Todd Helton 2000; Matt Holliday 2007; Carlos Gonzalez
2010; Justin Morneau 2014; DJ LeMahieu 2016; & Charlie Blackmon 2017.)
- Was honored in 2011 by MIN for MLBPAA’s Heart
and Hustle Award. Won that year by
ex-Twin Torii Hunter of LAA.
- Attended Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, whose alumni list
actually includes Justin Upton.
FCR - Tom Lee, Nashville
Incorrect
guesses: Larry Walker, Carlos Gonzalez.
Derrek Lee, Ellis Burks
THURSDAY
Q. Who was the last second baseman to win a
Gold Glove playing for Toronto?
Hint: He won the award playing for two other
teams as well.
Hint: He was drafted first in the 33rd
round so decided to wait a year. The
next year he was drafter ten rounds later.
Hint: He’s been an All-Star twice, but neither
time for the team that drafted him twice.
- 2005 GG for TOR
- GGs in 2006-2007 playing for ARI; GG in 2009
playing for LAD
- Drafted by TOR in the 33rd round of the 1996 June Draft
out of high school. Attended instead Spartanburg Methodist
College
from where TOR took him in
the 43rd round the next year.
FCR - Tom Lee, Nashville
Incorrect
guesses: Roberto Alomar, Darwin Barney,
Jeff Kent, Manny Trillo
FRIDAY
Q. Who has the most career home runs and runs-batted-in
of anyone born in his home state?
Hint: He has 140 more home runs than the only
Hall of Famer born there.
Hint: Almost a Dirtbag, he chose instead to go
with his 342nd draft position.
Hint: His brother-in-law has no connection with a
famous gulf.
- Born in South Dakota w140 HR & 564
RBI.
- Drafted 2nd
in the 12th round of the 2000 June
Draft. Had signed a letter of intent to
play at Long Beach State.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, ON
Incorrect
guesses: Harmon Killebrew, Roger Maris,
Lloyd Moseby
SATURDAY
Q. What one-time Atlanta Brave was the
first player since Rod Carew to reach base eight times in one game?
Hint: He was the first major leaguer in the
2010’s to have fifty hits in a calendar month, setting a new high mark for his
team, but not his franchise.
Hint: He made no Facebook posts for more than
eight years after winning the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.
- Playing for TOR, he reached base 8 X
on 10-Aug-2014/ w10 PA, 3 H, 5 BB
& 2 IBB in a 19-inning G. Amazingly
he did not score that day and never even reached 3b. Played for ATL in 2010.
- Had 52 H in May-2012, breaking Randy Wynn’s SFG
record set in 2005.
- Won the 2012 ASG MVP in his only AS
appearance in his 15-year career.
However, he was suspended by MLB in August of that year for PED usage
and shied away from public contact for a considerable time.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, ON
Incorrect
guesses: Brian McCann, Andrew Jones, Martin
Prado
SUNDAY
Q. What one-time Roman’s name AND number
could have been represented on the back of his uniform by a single Greek
letter?
Hint: He got his first career hit in the majors
off Greg Maddux while playing for Maddux’ old team.
Hint: He is the penultimate Orioles player to hit
for the cycle and the penultimate entry in this week’s theme, chronologically
speaking.
- Though his last name is pronounced PEE-yay, it
certainly looks like 🥧 to the untrained Anglo eye. His number ought to have been 3.14159 or
something similar and his uniform could have just had π on the back. Born
in La
Romana, Dominican Republic.
- Since his cycle in 2009, the O’s Jonathan Villar hit for the cycle
almost exactly 10 years later 05-Aug-2019. See week’s wrap-up for theme chronology.
FCR - Joe O’Neill, London, ON
Incorrect
guesses: Pie Traynor
WEEKLY THEME – Players
who hit for the cycle in 2009. No single
season in the expansion has seen more.
1933 also saw 8 cycles recorded—5 of them by
Hall of Famers!
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Robert Savoy, Philadelphia (After
Upton)
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Monday - Players
from Long Beach State
-
Tuesday - Players
who wore uniform no. 2 in admiration of Derek Jeter.
- Things
that cause nightmares for Braves fans.
- Players
wearing the lowest jersey numbers in the World Series this century
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