The Baseball Buffet for 11/10/2025

Issue #452

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! ⚾

This is 2025 Awards week, so I thought I’d check and see what some betting markets are suggesting the winners will be. I checked out Kalshi (K) and Polymarket (P) and they are suggesting that most of the awards are near certainties, with only one even somewhat close vote:

• AL MVP: Kalshi has Aaron Judge winning at 76%, Cal Raleigh winning at 28%, and there being a tie at 5% (these can add up to more than 100% because these betting markets act like stocks, so there is a buy/sell spread between the different outcomes). At Polymarket the numbers are similar, with Judge at 74% and Raleigh at 25%.

The other awards all are coming in with strong 87%-99% frontrunners:

• NL MVP: LAD Shohei Ohtani 99% (K) and 99% (P) over PHI Kyle Schwarber and NYM Juan Soto

• NL Cy Young: PIT Paul Skenes 96% (K) and 99% (P) over LAD Yoshinobu Yamamoto and PHI Cristopher Sánchez

• AL Cy Young: DET Tarik Skubal 96% (K) and 95% (P) over HOU Hunter Brown and BOS Garrett Crochet

• NL ROY: ATL Drake Baldwin 94% (K) and 90% (P) vs. CHC Cade Horton 5% (K) and 9% (P), with MIL Caleb Durbin in third

• AL ROY: ATH Nick Kurtz 99% (K) and 97% (P) over BOS Roman Anthony, ATH Jacob Wilson

• NL Manager: MIL Pat Murphy 99% (K) over CIN Terry Francona and PHI Rob Thomson

• AL Manager: TOR John Schneider 87% (K) vs. CLE Stephen Vogt 7% (K) and SEA Dan Wilson 5% (K)

Today’s Trivia Question

One of the Birthday Boys below, Norm Cash, had the seventh most HR (278) in the 1960s. How many of the top six in HR from 1960-1969 can you name? Bonus points the closer you can get to naming this top six leaderboard in order.

Trivia answers are at the bottom of each newsletter.

Free Agents

I’m going to do a series that draws attention to current free agents, position by position. MLB provides a single webpage that tracks all of them, position by position, so by all means go there for the latest signings overall.

Shortstop

Continuing around the infield, we have a smaller set of players here than at other positions (though some listed elsewhere can also play SS a bit). Bo Bichette is the star, and perhaps one of only a few in this bunch who will be an every day player in 2026.

• Bo Bichette (TOR) - 27 years old, after hitting a very uncharacteristic .225 in 81 games in 2024, bounced back in 2025 with a .311 average, 18 HR, 44 doubles, and 94 RBI.

• Miguel Rojas (LAD) - 36 years old, has played 12 years in the majors, mostly as a SS, but with some time at the other three infield positions also. Hit .262 with 7 HR in 114 games in 2025, and had a crucial HR in game 7 of the World Series.

• Ha-Seong Kim (ATL) - 30 years old, had limited playing time for the Rays and Braves, hitting .234 with 5 HR and 6 SB in 48 games. Could be a valuable pickup if he could return to his 2023 levels (.260 average, 17 HR, 38 SB).

• Isiah Kiner-Falefa (TOR) - 30 years old, can play a mix of SS, 3B, 2B, and OF. Had a .262 average with 15 SB in 138 games for the Pirates and Blue Jays.

• Orlando Arcia (COL) - 31 years old, after hitting 17 HR in both 2023 and 2024, struggled with only a .202 average and 3 HR in 76 games for the Braves and Rockies in 2025.

• Jorge Mateo (BAL) - 30 years old, struggled at the plate in limited playing time hitting only .177 with 1 HR in 83 plate appearances (though can still run as he managed 15 SB and is only a few years from having led the AL with 35 SB in 2022).

• Tim Anderson (LAA) - 32 years old, former batting champion in 2019, hit only .214 in 2024 and then .205 in 31 games for the Angels in 2025.

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.

📅 On November 10…

• 1948: The White Sox trade for pitcher Billy Pierce. “In a move that will give them a pitching ace for the next decade, the Chicago White Sox acquire young lefthander Billy Pierce from the Detroit Tigers for All-Star catcher Aaron Robinson. The Tigers even sweeten the deal with $10,000. Pierce will win 186 games for the White Sox over the next 13 years. Robinson will last fewer than three seasons in Detroit.”

• 1950: Cleveland fires manager Lou Boudreau. “After nine years at the helm, the Cleveland Indians fire their manager, Lou Boudreau, amid howls of fan protest. Although Boudreau's overall winning percentage is a moderate .529, he won 92 games in a fourth-place finish - his best showing since 97 victories in the 1948 World Championship season. Al Lopez, who has piloted Minneapolis (American Association) since 1948, takes over with a two-year contract.”

• 1965: Willie Mays edges out Sandy Koufax for the NL MVP Award. “San Francisco Giants outfielder Willie Mays, who hit .312 with 52 home runs and 112 RBI, is named National League MVP. Mays receives 224 votes to 177 for Sandy Koufax, who, pitching for the Dodgers, had a 2.04 ERA, won 26 games, allowed just 5.79 hits per nine innings, and struck out 382 batters.”

• 1978: The Yankees trade Sparky Lyle to the Rangers for a set of players including a young prospect, Dave Righetti. “In a major trade, the New York Yankees send former Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle along with four players to the Texas Rangers. In return, Texas packs up pitcher Dave Righetti and four players to the Yankees. Righetti, considered the top left-handed pitching prospect in the minors, will win Rookie of the Year honors in 1981.”

• 1987: Reliever Steve Bedrosian barely wins the NL Cy Young Award. “In the closest vote in Cy Young Award history, Steve Bedrosian edges Rick Sutcliffe, 57-55, to win the National League honors. Bedrosian is the third relief pitcher ever to win the award in the NL.”

• 1988: Orel Hershiser unanimously wins the NL Cy Young Award. “Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, who posted a 23-8 record with 178 strikeouts and a 2.31 ERA, is a unanimous choice as Cy Young Award winner. Hershiser becomes the ninth pitcher in National League history to win the award unanimously. He receives all 24 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers Association of America.”

• 1997: Roger Clemens wins his fourth Cy Young Award. “Roger Clemens becomes the first American League pitcher to win the Cy Young Award four times. Clemens, the first pitcher since Hal Newhouser in 1945 to win the pitching Triple Crown in the American League, led the league in wins (21), strikeouts (292) and ERA (2.05) in his first season with the Toronto Blue Jays. Clemens won his first three Cy Young Awards with the Boston Red Sox in 1986, 1987 and 1991.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Jack Clark (1955)

• 18-year major league career, spanning from 1975-1992, mostly with the Giants and Cardinals, and then his final five years for the Yankees, Padres, and Red Sox

• Four-time All-Star, starting out as a RF and then switching to 1B in his 30s

• Had 20+ HR eleven times, with highs of 35 HR and 106 RBI in 1987

• Starting to draw more walks late in his career, he led the NL three times, including with 136 BB in 1987 and 132 BB in 1989

• Overall had 340 HR, 1,180 RBI, a .267/.379/.476 slash line, and a 137 OPS+

Norm Cash (1933)

• 17-year major league career, spanning from 1958-1974, starting briefly with the White Sox and then playing 15 years with the Tigers

• All-Star in four seasons, including in 1961 when he led the AL with a .361 average and 193 hits, to go with 41 HR, 132 RBI, and 119 runs

• Had 20+ HR eleven times and 30+ HR five times

• Overall had 377 HR, 1,104 RBI, a .271/.374/.488 slash line, and a 139 OPS+

• Funny incident: “On July 15, 1973, as Nolan Ryan was working on his second career no-hitter, Cash went to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the ninth (after striking out his previous three at-bats), holding a table leg from the clubhouse instead of a regulation bat. The stunt drew immediate action by home plate umpire Ron Luciano, who ordered Cash to use a legal bat (though the announcers of the game reported that Luciano was amused by the attempt). Cash popped out using a regulation bat to end the game.” (Wikipedia)

Shawn Green (1972)

• First-round draft pick (16th overall) by the Blue Jays in 1991

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 1993-2007, mostly with the Blue Jays and Dodgers

• Had 20+ HR seven times, and 35+ HR four times with highs of 49 HR and 125 RBI in 2001

• Two-time All-Star, and won a Gold Glove Award in RF in 1999

• Had 100+ runs four times, 100+ RBI four times, and 20+ SB four times

• Set a new record for the most total bases (18) in a game on May 23, 2002, when he hit four HR and a double (since tied by Nick Kurtz in 2025)

• Overall had 328 HR, 1,070 RBI, 162 SB, a .283/.355/.494 slash line, and a 120 OPS+

Kenny Rogers (1964)

• 20-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1989-2008, including 12 seasons with the Rangers and the rest spread across five other clubs

• Four-time All-Star, and won five Gold Glove Awards

• Pitched the 14th perfect game in MLB history on July 28, 1994

• Started out as a reliever for four seasons, then became a starter and had 15+ wins five times

• Overall had a 219-156 (.584) record, a 4.27 ERA, and a 107 ERA+

Jimmy Dykes (1896)

• 22-year major league career, spanning from 1918-1939, all with the Philadelphia Athletics and Chicago White Sox

• Started out as a 2B, but then played more 3B overall for this career

• A capable batsman, he hit .300+ in five full seasons, but only had a little power with a high of 16 HR in 1921

• Overall had 1,108 runs, 108 HR, a .280 average and a .365 OBP

• Was a player/manager late in his career from 1934-1939 with the White Sox, and then continued to manage the team through 1946. Went on to manage the Athletics for three years, and then in parts of six seasons for four other clubs.

Larry Parrish (1953)

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 1974-1988, mostly with the Expos and Rangers

• Started as a 3B, then switched to RF, then was mostly a DH late in his career

• Had 20+ HR five times, including in his two All-Star campaigns when he had 30 HR in 1979 and then 32 HR in 1987

• Overall had 256 HR, 992 RBI, a .263/.318/.439 slash line, and a 107 OPS+

Birdie Tebbetts (1912)

• 14-year major league career, spanning from 1936-1952, missing 1943-1945 due to military service

• Was primarily a catcher for the Tigers and Red Sox

• Four-time All-Star

• Was a capable batsman with a .270 career average, but didn't have much power with only 38 HR in 4,153 plate appearances

• Went on to become a major league manager for the Reds, Braves, and Indians across 11 seasons. Interestingly, during the 1958 season he was fired by the Reds… and replaced by above fellow Birthday Boy, Jimmy Dykes.

Bob Stanley (1954)

• 13-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1977-1989, all with the Boston Red Sox

• Began as a mixed starter / reliever, and was an All-Star in 1979 when he posted a 16-12 record with a 3.99 ERA

• A sinker ball specialist, Stanley was an All-Star as a reliever in 1983 when he had 33 saves and a 2.85 ERA

• Overall had a 115-97 (.542) record, 132 saves, a 3.64 ERA, and a 118 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on November 10 include ATH JJ Bleday and COL Ryan Ritter.

Baseball Quote of the Day

One of the new features I’m starting up during the offseason is a baseball-related quote of the day. These will include quotes by players or managers that are insightful or funny, and interesting quotes from others about the game itself. I’ll try to mix it up over time.

"You could be a kid for as long as you want when you play baseball." - Cal Ripken, Jr.

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Norm Cash is seventh on the HR leaderboard from the 1960s:

1. 393 - Harmon Killebrew

2. 375 - Hank Aaron

3. 350 - Willie Mays

4. 316 - Frank Robinson

5. 300 - Willie McCovey

6. 288 - Frank Howard

7. 278 - Norm Cash

8. 269 - Ernie Banks

9. 256 - Mickey Mantle

10. 254 - Orlando Cepeda

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.

• 1 storyline to follow for each BBWAA award this week, by Andrew Simon at MLB, 11/9/2025

• Here are the 5 biggest questions this offseason ... and our predictions for each, by MLB writers, 11/9/2025

• GM Meetings preview: What to expect for free agents, trade candidates and more, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 11/9/2025

• MLB Pipeline's 2025 All-Rookie Team, by Sam Dykstra at MLB, 11/9/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards with Unexpected Hardware, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 11/2/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards that Aren't Who You Think They Are, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 11/9/2025

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, an outstanding platform for creating email newsletters and blogs. If this might be of interest for your own creative work, get a 30-day trial and 30% off your first three months!