MONDAY — 12-Jan
Q.
Who is the only player in the Modern Era to post a WAR above 10.0 in his
rookie season?
Hint: #1 In fact, he led the majors in WAR in each of
his first three seasons and his league each of his first five.
Hint: #2 He never started a game in the Bigs without munching
on a pickle or two.
A.
MIKE TROUT
[B-R Bio]
-
Ans. In 2012, his WAR was 10.5.
-
#1 In 2013 & 2014, he led MLB again with 8.9 & 7.7.
In 2015 & 2016, he left us with AL‑leading 9.6 & 10.5
WAR measures.
-
#2 Start here at 2:10
FCR -
Al Hurley, Columbia, Maryland
Incorrect guesses: Jimmie Foxx, Ichiro Suzuki, Ted Williams
TUESDAY
— 13-Feb
Q.
Who ranks second all-time in his career production for his franchise in Games,
Hits, Doubles, Home Runs, Runs Batted In, Times on Base, Sacrifice Flies and a
few slightly more arcane stats YET in his fourteen years of service with them never
represented them, his only team in the majors, in an All-Star Game?
Hint: #1 And he also ranks third on those lists in
WAR, OBP, Extra‑Base Hits, Total Bases and Runs. He’s also first in career
Bases-on-Balls.
Hint: #2 He appeared in the Opening Day lineup for eleven
straight years.
A.
TIM SALMON
[Wiki Bio]
-
Ans. In 2nd place: G (1,672);
H (1,674);
2B (339);
HR (299);
RBI (1,016)
XOB (2,711); &
SF (68)
- #1 - In 3rd place: WAR (40.6);
OBP (.385);
XBH (662);
TB (2,958); &
R (986).
1st place = BB (970)
-
#2 OD Lineup 1993-2003
FCR – Brett Moore, Studio City,
California
Incorrect guesses: Rusty Greer, Tim Wallach, Albert Pujols, Duke
Snider, Carl Furillo
WEDNESDAY
— 14-Feb
Q.
Who was the first player to win the American League award for designated
hitters?
Hint: #1 He is the first player to win the Rookie of
the Year Award for a team that had just moved cities.
- #2 He and Hank Aaron both hit home runs in the
same game where another Hall of Famer hit four.
A.
ORLANDO CEPEDA
[SABR Bio]
-
Ans. Now appropriately named the
Edgar Martinez Award, it was first given in 1973 to BOS DH, Cepeda in his only year with the
team. This in spite of an inauspicious
debut as he went 0 for 6 in his 1st G at DH 06-Apr-1973 while his teammates amassed 20 hits.
-
#1 Cepeda was the 1958 ROY for SFG who only the year before had been NYG.
-
#2 On 20-Apr-1961 in Milwaukee, Willie Mays homered 4
X, Cepeda once & Braves star Aaron went deep 2 X. 8 of SFG’s H that day were HRs.
FCR -
Andy McCue, Riverside, California
Incorrect guesses: Rico Carty, Ron Blomberg
MIDWEEK BONUS — 14-Feb
Q. Who is the most recent National
League player to be selected Most Valuable Player of two postseason series in
the same year?
Hint: #1 He and his brother were both
All-Stars in the majors.
Hint: #2 He has twice finished in
the top three in league Most Valuable Player voting.
Hint: #3 He thrice had seasons
where he hit forty or more doubles.
A.
COREY SEAGER
[B-R Bio]
- Ans. Seager was MVP of the 2020 NLCS & 2020 WS.
- #1 Seager was an NL AS in 2016 & 2017 & an AL AS in 2022 & 2023.
His brother Kyle was an AL AS in 2014.
- #2 He as 3rd in MVP voting in 2016 & 2nd in 2023.
He also had MVP support in 2017 & 2020.
- #3 He hit 40 2B in 2016; 44 in 2019 &
42 in 2023.
FCR – Jerry Miller, Liberty Hill, Texas
Incorrect guesses: Justin Upton,
Yadier Molina, Moises Alou, Wilson Contreras
THURSDAY — 15-Feb
Q. Who was the only player to hit twenty-five
or more home runs in each of his final seven seasons?
Hint: #1 He hit more home runs in
a season than any other player with a batting average that year lower than .190
Hint: #2 A twelve-time All-Star, three
time Silver Slugger winner, he led the majors three times in slugging and OPS+.
A.
MARK McGWIRE
[B-R Bio]
- Ans. McGwire hit 39, 52, 58, 70, 65, 32 & 29 HR
1995-2001.
- #1 McGwire sent 29 HR out of the yard while
batting .187 in 2001, his final season in MLB.
52% of his H that year were HR.
- #2 You’ll find his stats are well presented here.
FCR - Thomas Nest, Ft. Myers
Incorrect guesses: Adam Dunn,
Prince Fielder, David Ortiz, Dave Kingman, Frank Thomas
FRIDAY — 16-Feb
Q. Whose double-play ground ball
drove in the only run in an All-Star game?
Hint: #1 He holds the National
League record for most consecutive seasons with at least one grand slam.
Hint: #2 Only he and Barry Bonds
ever received as many as forty-five intentional bases on balls in a single
season.
A.
WILLIE McCOVEY
[SABR Bio]
- Ans. In what almost seemed like a scripted score to
coincide with 1968’s Year of the Pitcher, McCovey’s GIDP
in the 1st inning scored teammate Willie Mays who had made his way
go 3rd base after singling to open the G for the NL. Final
score: AL-0, NL-1.
- #1 For 9 straight seasons, McCovey hit at least
one grand slam from 1964-72. McCovey’s
18 GS are the most ever hit by a National League batter.
- #2 McCovey matched his 45 IBBs with his 45 HR in
1969, his MVP year.
Bonds did it in 3 straight years, all MVP years as well. Shown here.
FCR - Brett Moore, Studio City,
California
Incorrect guesses: Sammy Sosa,
Reggie Jackson, Ernie Banks, Wilie Mays
SATURDAY — 17-Feb
Q. Which one-time Rookie of the
Year played five seasons in the majors without ever playing even half the games
of a normal major league schedule in any season?
Hint: #1 In college, he was named
an All-American, Baseball America's College Player of the Year and won
the Golden Spikes Award.
Hint: #2 He was drafted ahead of
Bo Bichette and Pete Alonso, among others.
A.
KYLE LEWIS
[B-R Bio]
- Ans. Lewis was ROY in 2020, but from 2019 through
2023, his G played totals were 18, 58*, 36, 18 & 16 respectively. *Lewis played 58 of 60 in the 2020
COVID-truncated season.
- #1 He won his collegiate accolades in 2016.
- #2 Kyle was, 11th overall, taken by
SEA in the 1st round in in 2016. Bichette & Alonso weren’t taken until the
2nd round.
FCR - Obrey Brown, Tallahassee
Incorrect guesses: Bob Horner,
Devin Williams, Mickey Moniak
WEEKENDS BONUS — 17-Feb
Q. Who was the first native of the
Dominican Republic to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award?
Hint: #1 In his second full season
he was named an All-Star and won a Gold Glove.
Hint: #2 His son won more World
Series rings than he did.
Hint: #3 After baseball, he served
as mayor of his home town.
A.
RAUL MONDESI
[SABR Bio]
- Ans. Mondesi was NL ROY in 1994.
Fellow countryman Alfredo Griffith was AL’s co-ROY in 1979.
- #1 He was on the 1995 NL AS team & won the 1st of
his 2 GGs.
- #2 Adalberto Mondesi won a WS ring playing for 2015 KCR before
he had played his 1st regular-season G in MLB. Father Raul never had any WS playing time.
- #3 His political career did not go as well as his baseball career.
FCR - Bill Carle, Lee's Summit,
Missouri
Incorrect guesses: Sandy Alomar, Alfredo
Griffin, Felipe Alou
SUNDAY
— 18-Feb
Q.
Who holds the record for longest hitting streak by a catcher?
Hint: #1 He holds the record for longest hitting
streak by a rookie.
Hint: #2 He holds the record for the longest hitting
streak by any San Diego Padres player.
A. BENITO SANTIAGO [SABR Bio]
- Ans.; #1, #2
Santiago’s 34-G hitting streak in
1987 lasted from 25-Aug to 02-Oct.
FCR -
Steve Krevisky, Middletown, Connecticut
Incorrect guesses: Butch Wynegar, Terry
Kennedy, Jason Kendall
WEEK’S FINALE — 18-Feb
Q.
Which twenty-eight-year old multi-All-Star and Silver Slugger winner,
owner of an enviable résumé replete with league MVP, Rookie of the Year, League
Championship MVP and Comeback Player of the Year honors is currently not on a
major league team?
Hint: #1 His father, a former major leaguer, was his coach
when their team went to the Little League World Series.
Hint: #2 He had committed to play college baseball but
chose a professional career after he was drafted.
A. CODY BELLINGER [B-R Bio]
-
Ans. After completing his 2023 1-year agreement with CHC in satisfactory manner, Bellinger
& his agent (the redoubtable Scott Boras), are looking for a long-term contract
with a compensation level so rich that interested franchises (there are several)
have hesitated to offer anything close to their multi-year asking price.
-
#1 Cody’s father, Clay Bellinger, played for NYY during some of their
most dominant seasons: 1999-2002. Cody was the standout for the Gilbert, Arizona
team that was eliminated in the quarter-finals by teams from Texas & that year's eventual LLWS champion from Georgia.
-
#2 He had committed to play for
the University of Oregon, but signed with LAD who took him in the 4th
Round of the 2013 MLB June Amateur Draft.
FCR -
Doug Greenwald, San Francisco
Incorrect guesses: Corey Seager
WEEK’S
THEME –
Players from West Coast teams who were voted Rookie-of-the-Year
unanimously.
Year Rookie Team Career WAR
2017... Bellinger.................... LAD........................ 22.1
1958... Cepeda...................... SFG........................ 50.1
2020... Lewis......................... SEA.......................... 1.9
1987... McGwire..................... OAK....................... 62.2
1959... McCovey.................... SFG........................ 64.5
1994... Mondesi..................... LAD........................ 29.5
1993... Salmon....................... CAL........................ 40.6
1987... Santiago..................... SDP........................ 27.4
2016... Seager....................... LAD........................ 32.0
2012... Trout.......................... LAA........................ 85.2
Bold =
Active in 2023
Underlined
= Hall of Fame
This guy also
qualifies, but we had him just last week -
1993... Mike Piazza............... LAD........................ 59.5
All Achieved All-Star status except
Salmon.
First
Correct Respondent identifying theme – Joe Cohen, Holden,
Massachusetts (After Mondesi)
Incorrect
theme guesses:
Mon - Most chances by a CF without an error in
a season
- Players with fish names
Tues - Either a piscine or cherubic theme
-
AL Rookies of the Year
with 30 or more home runs in that season
- AL Rookies of the Year with the most home runs that season
Wed - ROY for a California based team with the most
HR their rookie year
-
Unanimous Rookie of the
Year selections
-
Weekly theme: California
ROYs?
- Unanimous ROYs from CA
Thur - Something to do with the Olympics
Fri - Highest career WAR for a unanimous ROY from a
California-based team
Sat - ROY for team that have relocated
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