Issue #530

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! ⚾

Yesterday was another quiet day for offseason moves. I’ve started to see teams announce, usually in large batches all at once, which non-roster players they are inviting to Spring Training. These often include prospects or other minor leaguers in their systems that they want to take a look at, and see who might surprise. But also included in such invites are some veterans who are looking to catch on with a team, so they sign minor-league deals that include invites to Spring Training. That was the case with a few guys yesterday:

  • The Royals have signed pitchers Héctor Neris and Aaron Sanchez. In the case of Neris, he is now 36 years old and has pitched 12 years in the majors for five different clubs. For the Phillies he had 26 saves in 2017 and 28 saves in 2019. Then in 2023 for the Astros he posted a 1.71 ERA with 77 K in 68.1 IP. He hasn’t done as well since then and has bounced around several teams, including pitching for the Braves, Angels, and Astros in 2025 with a combined 6.75 ERA over 26.2 IP.

    Aaron Sanchez is a former late first-round draft pick in 2010 by the Blue Jays. He had an impressive 2016 campaign in which he was an All-Star and finished the year with a 15-2 record while leading the AL with a 3.00 ERA. But since then he has had a combination of several injuries and a lot of time spent in the minors, and hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022. In 2024 he struggled at AAA with a 7.92 ERA over 14 starts and 61.1 IP. What has apparently sparked some interest by the Royals, however, is his recent 1.55 ERA over 8 starts and 46.1 IP in the Dominican Winter League.

  • The Angels have signed pitcher Osvaldo Bido. The 30-year old Bido first came up through the Pirates organization, and tossed 50.2 IP with a 5.86 ERA as a mixed starter/reliever for them in 2023. For the past two years he’s been with the Athletics, again as a mixed starter/reliever, posting a 3.41 ERA over 63.1 IP in 2024, and then a 5.87 ERA over 79.2 IP in 2025. The Angels have at least six SP that would seem to be higher on the rotation chart, but we’ll see what happens in Spring Training as Bido could catch on as a reliever with the ability to spot start when necessary.


Today’s Trivia Question

One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is Bill White, who won seven Gold Glove Awards for his fine defense at 1B. Can you name the other four 1B who have won seven or more Gold Glove Awards?


Countdown to Spring Training!

Continuing with this fun series… Spring Training games are now just 23 days away, so here are some top players who had uniform #23 for extended periods of time (and the teams they wore it with):

  • 2B Ryne Sandberg - Cubs (1982-97)

  • SP Zack Greinke - Royals (2004-10, 22-23), Angels (2012)

  • SP Luis Tiant - Red Sox (1971-78), Yankees (1979-80), Angels (1982)

  • 1B Don Mattingly - Yankees (1984-95)

  • C Ted Simmons - Cardinals (1968-80), Brewers (1981-85), Braves (1986-88)

  • 3B Robin Ventura - White Sox (1990-98), Dodgers (2003-04)

  • 1B Adrián González - Padres (2006-10), Dodgers (2012-17), Mets (2018)

  • SP Javier Vázquez - Expos (1999-2003), Diamondbacks (2005), Marlins (2011)

  • OF/DH Nelson Cruz - Orioles (2014), Mariners (2015-18), Twins (2019-21), Rays (2021), Nationals (2022)

  • SP Claude Osteen - Dodgers (1965-73)

  • OF David Justice - Braves (1989-96), Indians (1997-2000), Athletics (2002)

  • OF Kirk Gibson - Tigers (1979-87, 1993-95), Dodgers (1988-90)

  • SP Mark Gubicza - Royals (1984-96), Angels (1997)

  • OF Michael Brantley - Indians (2009-18), Astros (2019-23)

  • OF Greg Vaughn - Brewers (1990-96) and three other clubs

  • 1B Lee May - Reds (1965-71), Astros (1972-74)

  • OF/DH Willie Horton - Tigers (1964-77) and three other clubs

  • OF Fernando Tatis Jr. - Padres (2019-25)


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 28…

  • 1901: The American League formally organizes as a major league. “The American League formally organizes as a major league, having been a top minor league in 1900: the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Americans are admitted to join the Washington Nationals, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Sox. Three of the original clubs - Indianapolis, Minneapolis, and Buffalo - are dropped. League power aggregates in Ban Johnson as trustee for all ballpark leases and majority stockholdings, and with authority to buy out refractory franchises. Player limit is 14 per team, and the schedule will be 140 games. American League contracts give the Players Protective Association what it asked for, with five-year limits on the rights to player services.”

  • 1958: Roy Campanella is badly injured in a car accident. “Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella suffers a broken neck in an early morning auto accident on Long Island. Campanella, who has won three National League MVP Awards, will be paralyzed for the remainder of his life.”

  • 1968: Goose Goslin and Kiki Cuyler are chosen for the Hall of Fame. “Goose Goslin and Kiki Cuyler are admitted to the Hall of Fame by unanimous vote of the Special Veterans Committee. Goslin was a career .316 hitter who played in four World Series. Cuyler was a .321 career hitter with four stolen base crowns.”


🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Row 1: Magglio Ordoñez, Bill White, George Wright
Row 2: Bill Doak, Pete Runnels, Jermaine Dye

Magglio Ordoñez (1974)

  • 15-year major league career, spanning from 1997-2011, with the White Sox and Tigers

  • Six-time All-Star as a RF

  • Had 25+ HR six times, 100+ RBI seven times, and 100+ runs four times

  • Led the AL with a .363 average and 54 doubles in 2007

  • Overall had 294 HR, 1,236 RBI, a .309/.369/.502 slash line, and a 125 OPS+

Bill White (1934)

  • 13-year major league career, spanning from 1956-1969, mostly with the Cardinals and Phillies

  • All-Star in five seasons and won seven consecutive Gold Glove Awards at 1B

  • Hit 20+ HR six times and had 100+ RBI four times

  • Overall had 202 HR, a .286/.351/.455 slash line, and a 117 OPS+

  • Was a play-by-play man and color analyst for the New York Yankees television and radio broadcasts for 18 years

  • Was President of the National League from 1989 to 1994

George Wright (1847-1937)

  • Hall of Famer as an early baseball pioneer

  • Was a star member of the first all-professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings

  • 12-year major league career, spanning from 1871-1882, mostly with Boston in the National Association and Boston in the National League

  • Was a SS and a capable batsman with a career .301/.318/.398 slash line and 125 OPS+

Bill Doak (1891-1954)

  • 16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1912-1929, mostly with the Cardinals

  • Had a 19-6 record and led the NL with a 1.72 ERA in 1914

  • Had a 20-12 record and 2.53 ERA in 1920, and then a 15-6 record and NL-leading 2.59 ERA in 1921

  • Overall had a 169-157 record, a 2.98 ERA, and a 107 ERA+

Pete Runnels (1928-1991)

  • 14-year major league career, spanning from 1951-1964, mostly with the Senators and Red Sox

  • Played mostly SS early in his career, then shifted to a mix of 2B and 1B later

  • All-Star in three seasons, including in 1960 when he led the AL with a .320 average, and in 1962 when he again led the AL with a .326 average

  • Overall had a .291/.375/.378 slash line and a 107 OPS+

Jermaine Dye (1974)

  • 14-year major league career, spanning from 1996-2009, mostly with the Royals, Athletics, and White Sox

  • Two-time All-Star and won an AL Gold Glove Award in RF in 2000

  • Had 25+ HR eight times, 100+ RBI four times, and 100+ runs twice

  • Overall had 325 HR, 1,072 RBI, a .274/.338/.488 slash line, and a 111 OPS+

Currently active players who were born on January 28 include CIN Ke'Bryan Hayes, Matt Manning (free agent), SFG Luis Matos, Hunter Renfroe (free agent), and TBR John Rooney.


Baseball Quote of the Day

Yesterday I shared a collection of quotes about knuckleballs. Today I’ll share a few old ones about spitballs:

"When a pitcher throws a spitball, don't worry and don't complain, just hit the dry side the way I do." - Stan Musial

"No, I never threw a spitball. Except when I had to get someone out really bad." - Whitey Ford

"I don't know if he throws a spitball but he sure spits on the ball." - Casey Stengel

"A guy who cheats in a friendly game of cards is a cheater. A pro who throws a spitball to support his family is a contender." - George Bamberger

"He threw a spitball - I think that ball disintegrated on the way to the plate and the catcher put it back together again. I swear, when it went past the plate it was just the spit went by." - Sam Crawford, about Ed Walsh

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾


Today’s Trivia Answer

The five players who have seven or more Gold Glove Awards at 1B are:

  • 11 - Keith Hernandez

  • 9 - Don Mattingly

  • 8 - George Scott

  • 7 - Bill White

  • 7 - Vic Power


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.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv.

New to Now Taking the Field? Become a subscriber and get each article in your email inbox so that you don’t miss anything!

Subscribe

Keep Reading

No posts found
© 2026 Now Taking the Field.
Report abusePrivacy policyTerms of use
beehiivPowered by beehiiv