The Baseball Buffet for 11/18/2025

Issue #458

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! ⚾

After it was announced on Sunday that 1B Josh Naylor is re-signing with the Seattle Mariners, yesterday we had a couple of mixed starter/reliever re-signing announcements:

• NYY Ryan Yarborough - (L) 33 years old, one year deal. He has always been a mixed starter/opener/reliever, and in 2025 had a 4.36 ERA over 64 IP with the Yankees.

• SDP Kyle Hart - (L) 32 years old, one year deal with a club option for 2027. In 2025 he had a 4.10 ERA in 63.2 IP at AAA, but a less compelling 5.86 ERA over 43 IP for the Padres. His WHIP was much better in the majors (1.186 vs. 1.539 at AAA), but the issue was giving up homers (9 in those 43 innings).

Today’s Trivia Question

One of the Birthday Boys highlighted below, Deacon McGuire, played an impressive 26 seasons in the major leagues. Can you name the two players who played 27 years in the major leagues, and also the other player who tied McGuire with 26 years played in the majors?

Trivia answers are at the bottom of each newsletter.

Baseball-Reference Season in Review

The good folks over at baseball-reference.com have provided their 2025 MLB Season in Review data, and it is an interesting read. This includes the active players at each position whose pages were viewed the most this season, the highest single-day page views (with the reasons why), division-by-division team page view rankings, players with the most page views per month, and more!

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 18…

• 1949: Jackie Robinson wins the NL MVP Award. “Brooklyn Dodgers infielder Jackie Robinson, who hit 16 home runs with 124 RBI and led the National League with a .342 batting average, becomes the first African-American to win the Most Valuable Player Award. Stan Musial, Ralph Kiner, and teammate Pee Wee Reese are the runner-ups.”

• 1954: The Yankees and Orioles complete trades involving 17 players. “In an enormous two-part trade begun on November 14th, the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles complete an exchange of 17 players. Included are first baseman Dick Kryhoski, pitchers Bob Turley and Don Larsen, catcher Darrell Johnson and shortstop Billy Hunter, from Baltimore. To the Orioles go outfielder Gene Woodling, shortstop Willie Miranda, pitchers Harry Byrd and Jim McDonald, and catchers Gus Triandos and Hal Smith. The trade will help both teams.”

• 1966: Sandy Koufax announces his early retirement. “Los Angeles Dodgers ace pitcher Sandy Koufax announces his retirement, due to increasing pain in his arthritic left elbow. Just three weeks earlier, Koufax won a record third Cy Young Award.”

• 1980: George Brett caps outstanding season with AL MVP Award. “Despite having missed 45 games with injuries, George Brett is named American League Most Valuable Player. The 27-year-old third baseman's .390 batting average was the highest in the major leagues since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. Brett added 24 home runs and 118 RBI to lead the Kansas City Royals to their first AL pennant.”

• 1986: Roger Clemens tops Don Mattingly for the AL MVP Award. Roger Clemens of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first starting pitcher to win the American League MVP Award since Vida Blue in 1971, receiving 19 of a possible 28 first-place votes to defeat runner-up Don Mattingly.”

• 1987: Andre Dawson wins the NL MVP Award. “Chicago Cubs outfielder Andre Dawson becomes the first player from a last-place club ever to win an Most Valuable Player Award, taking National League honors with a .287 batting average and as the league leader in home runs (49) and RBI (137).”

• 1997: The expansion draft begins for the Diamondbacks and Devil Rays. “The expansion draft starts with several transactions. Two pitchers who appeared in the World Series a month earlier, Tony Saunders (Florida Marlins) and Brian Anderson (Cleveland Indians), are the first players taken. Saunders, the first player chosen overall, heads a list of new Tampa Bay Devil Rays team members that includes Quinton McCracken, Bubba Trammell, Albie López and Terrell Wade. Tampa Bay also obtains John Flaherty from the San Diego Padres in exchange for Brian Boehringer and Andy Sheets; Kevin Stocker from the Philadelphia Phillies for Bobby Abreu; Fred McGriff from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for a player to be named, and signs free agent P Roberto Hernández. The Arizona Diamondbacks, meanwhile, who signed free agent Jay Bell to a five-year contract yesterday, select Jeff Suppan, Jorge Fabregas and Karim Garcia, and acquire Travis Fryman from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Joe Randa, Gabe Alvarez and Matt Drews. They also obtain Devon White from the Florida Marlins for Jesus Martinez.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

David Ortiz (1975)

• Hall of Famer

• 20-year major league career, spanning from 1997-2016, initially a 1B/DH for the Twins, but then mostly as DH for the Red Sox

• 10-time All-Star

• Led the AL with 148 RBI in 2005, and then led with both 54 HR and 137 RBI in 2006

• Had 30+ HR and 100+ RBI ten times, including in his age-40 final season when he hit 38 HR with a .315 average and led the AL with 48 doubles and 127 RBI

• Was generally productive during the postseason with a .289/.404/.543 slash line and 17 HR in 85 games. Was ALCS MVP in 2004 and World Series MVP in 2013.

• Overall had 541 HR, 1,768 RBI, 632 doubles, a .286/.380/.552 slash line, and a 141 OPS+

Gary Sheffield (1968)

• First-round draft pick (6th overall) in 1986 by the Brewers

• 22-year major league career, spanning from 1988-2009, playing with the Brewers, Marlins, Dodgers, Yankees, and four other clubs

• Started out as a 3B, but then shifted to RF, LF, and DH

• Nine-time All-Star

• Led the NL with a .330 average while with the Padres in 1992

• Had 30+ HR and 100+ RBI eight times

• Had some speed on the bases too, with 15+ SB seven times

• Overall had 509 HR, 1,676 RBI, 2,689 hits, a .292/.393/.514 slash line, and a 140 OPS+

Roy Sievers (1926)

• 17-year major league career, spanning from 1949-1965, playing for Senators, Browns, Phillies, and White Sox

• Was AL Rookie of the Year for the Browns in 1949 after hitting .306 with 16 HR and 91 RBI

• All-star in four seasons, including in 1957 when he led the AL with 42 HR and 114 RBI

• Had 20+ HR in nine consecutive seasons

• Overall had 318 HR, 1,147 RBI, a .267/.354/.475 slash line, and a 124 OPS+

Jack Coombs (1882)

• 14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1906-1920, mostly with the Philadelphia Athletics

• Had three consecutive 20+ win seasons, including leading the league in wins with a 31-9 record in 1910 (to go with a 1.30 ERA), and a 28-12 record in 1911

• Won three World Series games in 1910, and had a 1.35 ERA in two World Series games in 1911, helping the Athletics to back-to-back titles

• Overall had a 158-110 (.590) record and a 2.78 ERA

Jamie Moyer (1962)

• 25-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1986-2012, primarily with the Mariners, Phillies, Cubs, and Orioles, but with some time for four other clubs

• Won 20+ games twice, including in his one All-Star campaign in 2003 when he went 21-7 with a 3.27 ERA

• A very durable pitcher, he had 32-33 starts in each of his age-40 to age-45 seasons, and pitched in ten games in his age-49 season in 2012

• He led the AL in HR allowed in 2004, and in part due to the length of his career he ended up being the all-time leader in HR allowed with 522

• Overall had a 269-209 (.563) record, a 4.25 ERA, a 103 ERA+

Dante Bichette (1963)

• 14-year major league career, spanning from 1988-2001, with his best seasons spent with the Rockies

• Four-time All-Star as a RF and LF

• Had 20+ HR in eight consecutive seasons, including when he led the NL with 40 HR and 128 RBI in 1995

• Had a 30/30 season in 1996 when he had 31 HR, 31 SB, and career highs of 141 RBI and 114 runs

• Led the NL with 219 hits in 1998 and had a career-high 48 doubles

• Definitely benefited from playing his home games during his prime at Coors Field, where he had a career slash line of .358/.394/.641

• Overall had 274 HR, 1,141 RBI, 152 SB, a .299/.336/.499 slash line, and a 107 OPS+

• Is the father of Bo Bichette, star SS for the Blue Jays

Tom Gordon (1967)

• 21-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1988-2009, including eight seasons for the Royals, then four with the Red Sox, and the rest with six other clubs

• Began as a mixed starter/reliever, then was a full-time starter for a few seasons, then became a full-time reliever from 1998 to the end of his career

• Had a 17-9 record and 3.64 ERA in his first full season in 1989 with the Royals

• Led the AL with 46 saves for the Red Sox in 1998

• Later posted 27 saves for the Cubs in 2001 and 34 saves for the Phillies in 2006

• Three-time All-Star

• Overall had a 138-126 record, 158 saves, a 3.96 ERA, and a 113 ERA+

C.J. Wilson (1980)

• 11-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2005-2015, all with the Rangers and Angels

• Began as a reliever and had 12 saves in 2007 and 14 saves in 2009, with an odd campaign in 2008 with a career-high 24 saves but a high ERA of 6.02

• Became a starter and posted 13-17 wins each year from 2010-2014, and was an All-Star in both 2011 and 2012

• Overall had a 94-70 (.573) record, 52 saves, a 3.74 ERA, and a 110 ERA+

• He is the founder and owner of sports car team CJ Wilson Racing, which competes in IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge full-time and WeatherTech SportsCar Championship part-time. (Wikipedia)

Deacon McGuire (1863)

• 26-year major league career, spanning from 1884-1912, starting in his age-20 season and concluding in his age-48 season

• Played the most (9 years) with the Washington Senators, but also spent time with ten other clubs

• Was primarily a catcher, and was frequently amongst the league leaders in fielding stats at the position

• Had some good batting campaigns, such as in 1895 when he hit .336 with 10 HR, 97 RBI, and 17 SB. He then hit .321 and .343 the following two seasons.

• Overall had 118 SB, a .278/.341/.372 slash line, and a 101 OPS+

• Was at times a player manager as well, including for the Senators in 1898, the Boston Americans/Red Sox in 1907-08, and the Cleveland Naps in 1910

Currently active players who were born on November 18 include SFG Logan Webb, ATH Shea Langeliers, CHC Jameson Taillon, TBR Chandler Simpson, and CIN Will Banfield.

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.

Today I again searched for and found a couple of interesting quotes from two of the above Birthday Boys:

“I've kind of looked at my whole career as a spring training invite.” - Jamie Moyer

“My whole career, my swing has always been the most important thing to me. Even when I'm taking a shower, I work on my swing.” - David Ortiz

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The four players who played the most seasons in the major leagues are:

• 27 - Nolan Ryan

• 27 - Cap Anson

• 26 - Deacon McGuire

• 26 - Tommy John

Six players played 25 seasons in the majors, including Jamie Moyer—also a Birthday Boy today! Here is the list of leaders for most seasons played.

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.

• Hall of Fame releases ballot for 2026 election, by Andrew Simon at MLB, 11/17/2025

• 7 storylines to follow on the 2026 HOF ballot, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 11/17/2025

• Hamels highlights 12 newcomers to 2026 HOF ballot, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 11/17/2025

• Give Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Cristopher Sanchez Some Credit, by Ray Kuhn at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 11/17/2025

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.

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