Issue #525

The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day!

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

Another day, another couple of offseason transactions to report on:

  • White Sox sign RP Seranthony Domínguez. According to an article by Jared Greenspan at MLB, the White Sox are signing right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez to a 2-year, $20 million deal. He started in the majors in 2018 with the Phillies, but after two seasons needed Tommy John Surgery and so missed all of 2020 and most of 2021. He came back with the Phillies, then was traded to the Orioles during the 2024 season, and then was traded to the Blue Jays at the 2025 deadline. Overall last year he had a 3.16 ERA with 79 K over 62.2 IP in 67 appearances. The White Sox don't seem to have a definite closer for 2026, so given his stuff and experience, Domínguez could find himself getting some saves or being part of a closer committee.

  • Mariners acquired pitcher Cooper Criswell. According to an article by Theo DeRosa at MLB, the Mariners have acquired right-handed swingman Cooper Criswell from the Mets for cash. He had only been with the Mets since early December when they picked him up off waivers from the Red Sox. In 2024 he pitched in 26 games, with 18 starts, compiling a 4.08 ERA over 99.1 IP. In 2025 went back and forth between AAA and the Red Sox, mostly starting at AAA (3.70 ERA over 65.2 IP) and mostly pitching in relief for Boston (3.57 ERA over just 17.2 IP). The Mariners have a solid rotation already, so Criswell will presumably compete for a bullpen role during Spring Training.

Today’s Trivia Question

One of today’s Birthday Boys (see below) is Whit Merrifield, who during his time with the Royals led the AL in SB three times (34 in 2017, 45 in 2018, and 40 in 2021). No other Royals player has led the AL in SB more than once. But since their birth as a franchise in 1969, five other Royals have led the AL in SB, including Adalberto Mondesi with 24 SB in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Can you name any of the four earlier Royals who led the AL in SB?

Countdown to Spring Training!

Continuing with this fun series… Spring Training games are now just 27 days away, so here are some top players who had uniform #27 for extended periods of time (and the teams they wore it with):

  • OF Mike Trout - Angels (2011-25)

  • SP Juan Marichal - Giants (1960-73)

  • C Carlton Fisk - Red Sox (1971-80)

  • OF Vladimir Guerrero - Expos (1996-2003), Angels (2004-09), Rangers (2010), Orioles (2011)

  • 2B Jose Altuve - Astros (2011-25)

  • OF/DH Giancarlo Stanton - Marlins (2010-17), Yankees (2018-25)

  • 3B Scott Rolen - Cardinals (2002-07), Reds (2009-12)

  • SP Catfish Hunter - Athletics (1965-74)

  • 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - Blue Jays (2019-25)

  • SP Kevin Brown - Marlins (1996-97), Padres (1998), Dodgers (1999-2003), Yankees (2004-05)

  • RP Kent Tekulve - Pirates (1975-85), Phillies (1985-88)

  • 2B/3B Plácido Polanco - Cardinals (1998-2002), Phillies (2003-05, 10-12)

  • OF Lonnie Smith - Phillies (1978-81), Cardinals (1982-85), Braves (1989-92), and two other clubs

  • SP José Rijo - Athletics (1987), Reds (1988-95, 2001-02)

  • SP Aaron Nola - Phillies (2015-25)

  • 1B/OF Bob Watson - Astros (1968-79)

  • 3B Austin Riley - Braves (2019-25)

  • OF Matt Kemp - Dodgers (2006-14, 18) and three other clubs

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. All quoted descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.

📅 On January 24…

  • 1939: Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler, and George Sisler are elected to the Hall of Fame. “Eddie Collins, Willie Keeler and George Sisler are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Sisler set a major league season-record (later broken by Ichiro Suzuki) with 257 hits in 1920 and batted .420 in 1922 on his way to a .340 career batting average. Collins batted an even .333 for his career and stole 744 bases as a member of four World Series Champions. Keeler, who "hit 'em where they ain't", batted .341 and collected 2,932 hits.”

  • 1973: Warren Spahn is elected to the Hall of Fame. “Left-handed pitcher Warren Spahn is elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA. Spahn, in his first year of eligibility, is named on 316 out of a possible 380 ballots. Spahn won a total of 363 games during a 21-year major league career.”

  • 1980: Doubleday, Wilpon, and others buy the Mets. “Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon head a group of investors who purchase the New York Mets from Lorinda de Roulet for a reported $21.1 million, the highest price paid for a major league franchise up to that time. Doubleday, whose publishing company supplies 80 percent of the purchase price, and is also a relative of Abner Doubleday, will serve as chairman of the board, while Wilpon, a former teammate of Sandy Koufax's at Brooklyn's Lafayette High School, will serve as team president and chief operating officer.”

  • 2018: Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Trevor Hoffman, and Vladimir Guerrero are elected to the Hall of Fame. “Four players are elected to the Hall of Fame by the BBWAA: 3B Chipper Jones and 1B Jim Thome both make it on their first attempt, while P Trevor Hoffman and OF Vladimir Guerrero, who had both missed induction by a handful of votes in 2017, make it over the 75% threshold this time.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Whit Merrifield, Scott Kazmir, Rob Dibble

Whit Merrifield (1989)

  • 9-year major league career, spanning from 2016-2024, mostly with the Royals, but spending his final three seasons with the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Braves

  • Three-time All-Star

  • Was versatile in the field, playing a mix of 2B and all three OF spots

  • Led the AL in hits in both 2018 and 2019, and led the AL in SB three times, with a career-high of 45 SB in 2018

  • Also led the AL with 10 triples in 2019 and then 42 doubles in 2021

  • Overall had 94 HR, 218 SB, a .280/.328/.413 slash line, and a 101 OPS+

Scott Kazmir (1984)

  • First-round draft pick (15th overall) in 2002 by the Mets

  • 13-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2004-2021, starting with six seasons for the Rays and then the rest spread across six different clubs

  • Three-time All-Star

  • Won between 10-15 games eight times, and had a career-high 239 K in 2007

  • Overall had a 108-97 (.527) record, a 4.02 ERA, and a 104 ERA+

Rob Dibble (1964)

  • First-round draft pick (20th overall) in 1983 by the Reds 7-year major league career, spanning from 1988-1995, mostly with the Reds

  • Two-time All-Star

  • Was a member of the Reds "Nasty Boys" bullpen, with a 2.09 ERA and 141 K in 99 IP in 1989, and 1.74 ERA and 136 K in 98 IP in 1990

  • His ERA rose in 1991 and 1992 when he became the Reds' primary closer, but he posted 31 saves and 124 K in 1991 and 25 saves and 110 K in 1992

  • He later required rotator cuff surgery and missed the entire 1994 season, and his attempted comebacks didn't go very well

  • Overall had 89 saves, 645 K in 477 IP, a 2.98 ERA, and a 129 ERA+

  • After retiring, Dibble has had a lengthy career as a baseball and sports radio host

Currently active players who were born on January 24 include Jose Quintana (free agent), MIL Jared Koenig, and Connor Seabold (free agent).

Baseball Quote of the Day

One of today’s Birthday Boys (see above) is Whit Merrifield, and I like this quote from his retirement announcement this past summer:

"I spent a lot of energy proving people wrong, but my real joy came from proving my small circle of believers right."

I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today!

Today’s Trivia Answer

Besides Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi, the other four Royals players who led the AL in SB in a season were: Johnny Damon (46 in 2000), Willie Wilson (83 in 1979), Freddie Patek (53 in 1977), and Amos Otis (52 in 1971).

Good Reads

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.

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