2024-02-12 Players from West Coast teams who were voted Rookie-of-the-Year unanimously

 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 2^nd place:    G (1,672);

H (1,674);

2B (339);

HR (299);

RBI (1,016)

XOB (2,711); &

SF (68)

-  #1  -  In 3^rd place:                             WAR (40.6);

OBP (.385);

XBH (662);

TB (2,958); &

R (986).

1^st 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 1^st 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 3^rd in MVP voting in 2016 & 2^nd 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 1^st inning scored teammate Willie Mays who had made his way go 3^rd 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, 11^th overall, taken by SEA in the 1^st round in in 2016.  Bichette & Alonso weren’t taken until the 2^nd 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 1^st of his 2 GGs.

-  #2  Adalberto Mondesi won a WS ring playing for 2015 KCR before he had played his 1^st 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 4^th 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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2024-02-05 Catchers with 300 home runs in the majors

 

MONDAY  — 05-Feb

Q.  Who was the first New York Yankee to win Most Valuable Player awards in consecutive seasons?

Hint: #1  He was the first  player to hit a grand slam in a World Series game that his team lost.

Hint: #2  His uniform number was retired by his team sixteen days before he was inducted into the Hall  of Fame.

A.  YOGI BERRA   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  AL MVP in 1954, 1955.  He had also won in 1951.

-  #1  WS GS = 2^nd inning of 2^nd G, 05-Oct-1956.  Jose Canseco (1988 — the Kirk Gibson game) & Adam Duvall (2021) have also hit GS in losing WS games. 

-  #2  No 8 retired by NYY on 22-Jul-1972.  HOF ceremony 07-Aug-1972.

FCR -  Richard Masson, Lexington, Kentucky

Incorrect guesses:  Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris

 

 

TUESDAY  — 06-Feb

Q.  Whose considerable skein of consecutive wins was ended when Bob Boone won the first of his Gold Gloves?

Hint: #1  He was the first National Leaguer to play at least one hundred games at catcher each season for thirteen straight seasons.

Hint: #2  He once nailed three would-be base stealers in the same inning in the minors.

A.  JOHNNY BENCH   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Bench won the NL GG at C from 1968 through 1977, his first 10 full years in the majors.  PHI’s Bob Boone took home the gold (Glove) in 1979 & again in 1979.  Boone won 5 more in the AL.

-  #1  He caught 100+ G 1968-1980.  Bill Dickey had done it in the AL 1929-41.  Yadier Molina is the all-time MLB record holder w/15 straight 100-G caught seasons (2005-2019). 

-  #2  As the youngest team member playing for the Hampton, Virginia Peninsula Grays of the Class A Carolina League in 1966, Bench quickly demonstrated his mastery behind the plate.  At the plate, he led the team in HR & RBI.  He was in the majors the following season.

FCR -  Barry Gogel, Baltimore

Incorrect guesses:  Gabby Hartnett, Jerry Grote, Jim Sundberg, Carlton Fisk, Tim McCarver, Ivan Rodriguez, Gary Carter, Manny Sanguillen

 

 

WEDNESDAY  — 07-Feb

Q.  Who is the first player to hit more than seventy home runs after he turned forty years old?

Hint: #1  He was the first American League player to be elected Rookie of the Year unanimously.

Hint: #2  He hit at least one home run in each of twenty-three consecutive seasons.

A.  CARLTON FISK   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Fisk was 40 going into the 1988 season.  He played parts of another 5 MLB seasons, adding 72 HR to bring his career total to 376.

-  #1  Unanimous ROY in 1972.  Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda & Willie McCovey had previously done it in the NL.

-  #2  Hit 1+ HR 1971-1993.  Rickey Henderson is the unlikely record holder here.  He homered at least once in each of 25 straight seasons.

FCR -  David Murphy, Marietta, Georgia

Incorrect guesses:  Albert Pujols, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Fred Lynn, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Pudge, Robin Yount

 

THURSDAY  — 08-Feb

Q.  Whose record for most career games played by a National League catcher, did Yadier Molina break?

Hint: #1  He had offers to play college football from 100+ universities when he signed his major league contract.

Hint: #2  In back-to-back seasons he won Gold Gloves and a Silver Sluggers.

A.  GARY CARTER   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Molina’s 2,184 G is the new NL standard.  Carter finished with 2,056.

-  #1  Carter was the starting quarterback for his team at Sunny Hills HS in Fullerton, California.  Somewhat of an athletic child prodigy, when he was seven years old Carter was the national champion for his age group in the NFL's first Punt, Pass and Kick contest & a finalist 2 years later.  PP&K was discontinued in 2017.

-  #2  GG+SS = 1981, 1982.  Carter is the only NL backstop to achieve these awards in tandem in back-to-back seasons.

FCR -  Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Johnny Bench, Joe Mauer, Bob Boone, Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez

 

 

FRIDAY — 09-Feb

Q.  Which All-Star once worked as a bodyguard for singer Tina Turner?

Hint: #1  He broke Yogi Berra’s record for most career home runs by an American League catcher.

Hint: #2  No other catcher has ever thrown out more base runners in a single All-Star game.

A.  LANCE PARRISH   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Parrish was (and is) an imposing figure at 6’3” & 210 lbs. so his agent took a notion for a small  side hustle for Detroit’s catcher.  Parrish himself explains:  “I wasn't exactly her 'bodyguard'.  My business agent worked down by the studios & he had a few contacts.  Ms. Turner was filming a 'Hollywood Squares' show & (my agent) called me to see if I'd like to try that kind of work.  I went down there and all I basically did was follow her from her dressing room to the set. One day!”

-  #1  Further research has unearthed the fact that Parrish never did pass Yogi in that department & that Carlton Fisk is (ignoring the Q./Ans. & Hint #2) would  be the correct answer here.

-  #2  Parrish nabbed 3 out of 4 would-be base thefts in the 1982 ASG.  It’s an impressive list:  Steve Sax, Ozzie Smith & Al Oliver.  Parrish had a different battery mate for each CS.

FCR -  Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan

Incorrect guesses:  Ivan Rodriguez, Jorge Posada, Bill Freehan, Carlton Fisk

 

 

SATURDAY — 10-Feb

Q.  Which one-time San Diego Padre had the highest single season batting average for a five-hundred at-bat minimum catcher in the Twentieth Century?

Hint: #1  He was the first player to total thirty home runs in one season playing for three different teams.  (Not 30 per team.  That’d be a record!)

Hint: #2  He was the first National Leaguer in the Expansion Era to have an one hundred RBI season as a rookie.

A.  MIKE PIAZZA   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Piazza hit a tidy .362 in 1997 for LAD, the highest for a Dodger at any position since 1930.  This century, however, the new catchers’ mark to shoot for is the .365 that Joe Mauer’s posted in 2009.  Piazza played for SDP in 2006, his penultimate year in The Bigs.

-  #1  In 1998, Piazza hit 9 HR in his 1^st 37 G for LAD, none in his 5 G for FLA & 23 in his final 109 G for NYM.

-  #2  His 112 RBI in 1993, his rookie season, were part of his being elected ROY unanimously.  His other offensive stats that year were equally sparkling.

FCR -  Terry Sloope, Cartersville, Georgia

Incorrect guesses:  Benito Santiago

 

SUNDAY  — 11-Feb

Q.  Which one-time Yankee had the honor of serving in the U.S. House of Representatives as a “Shadow Representative”?

Hint: #1  He and his batterymate formed the starting battery in the All-Star Game one year.

Hint: #2  Nine times in his twenty-one year career he finished a season with at least thirty doubles.

A.  IVAN RODRIGUEZ   [SABR Bio]

-  Ans.  Rodriguez represented Puerto Rico as a nonvoting representative from 15-Aug-2017 until 20Aug-2018.

-  #1  Rodriguez & TEX teammate Kenny Rogers teamed up  for the 2006 AL AS squad, giving up 1 R in the 1^st 2 innings.  The NL's ASG starting battery mates in the same G were Brad Penny (LAD) & LoDuca (NYM)

-  #2  He hit     32 2B in 1995;

47 in ’96;

34 in ’97;

40 in ’98;

32 in 2002;

36 in ’03;

32 in ’04;

33 in ’05; &

31 I ‘07

No major league catcher ever had more such seasons.

FCR -  Mark DeLodovico, Rockville, Maryland

Incorrect guesses:  Bobby Richardson, Jorge Posada

 

 

WEEK’S THEME – Catchers with 300 career home runs  https://stathead.com/tiny/eorIs

 

Catcher                  HRs               300^th           Career WAR

Berra.......................... 358........... 09-Aug-1959(2)............. 59.5

Bench......................... 389............. 26-Jul-1978............... 75.1

Fisk............................ 376............ 05-Sep-1987.............. 68.4

Carter......................... 324............ 11-Aug-1988.............. 70.1

Parrish........................ 324............ 15-Aug-1991.............. 39.5

Piazza........................ 427............. 13-Jul-2001............... 59.5

Rodriguez................... 311............ 17-May-2009.............. 68.7

For purposes of the questions and theme this week we are not concerned whether all the home runs hit by these players were only in games they played catcher.

 

 

First Correct Respondent identifying theme – Warren Kent, Whitehall, Michigan (After Parrish)

 

[To paraphrase Casey Stengel, “Can’t anybody (else) here play this game?”]

 

 

 

Incorrect theme guesses:

 

Tues    -  Most World Series games caught by a catcher in a career

 

Wed     -  Catchers with the highest career WAR

-   Catchers with over 2000 hits and 300 Home Runs

-   Catchers who were all MVP's in their careers

-   Most games played by HOF catchers

-   Highest WAR catchers

-   Highest Hall of Fame votes, catchers

-   Hall of Fame catchers

 

Thurs   -  Catchers who were All-Stars 10+ times

-   Catchers who have appeared in at least 10 All Star Games

 

Fri        -  Post-WWII catchers elected to the HOF

-   300 Hrs 300 doubles 1000 rbis by a catcher

-   Catcher career record for runners caught stealing

 

 

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