Issue #463
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! ⚾
There was some interesting trade news yesterday, as Anthony DiComo at MLB reported that the Mets and Rangers are doing a 1-1 trade of OF Brandon Nimmo for 2B Marcus Semien (with some money changing hands as well, to offset contract differences).
Nimmo will turn 33 just before the 2026 season gets underway, and after being their first round (13th overall) pick in 2011, he has been a CF and LF for the Mets from 2016-2025. He started out as a high-OBP kind of guy, had some injuries, and then the past three years has been both quite durable (150+ games each year) and a better power source with 23-25 HR each year. The Rangers non-tendered Adolis García earlier this week, so Nimmo will join Evan Carter and Wyatt Langford in the Texas OF (Langford has mostly played LF, but presumably either he or Nimmo could shift and play RF with Carter in CF.)
Semien turned 35 in September and will be playing his 14th year in the majors in 2026. He started out as a 3B and then SS for the White Sox and Athletics, but since then has been a 2B for the Blue Jays for one year and for the Rangers the past four years. He will bolster the Mets defense as he has won two Gold Glove Awards, including in 2025. His offensive contribution is more questionable, as he hit 45 HR in 2021, and then had a strong 2023 campaign with a .276 average, 29 HR, 100 RBI, and led the AL with 185 hits and 122 runs. But then the past two years he has slumped to only 23 and 15 HR respectively, with batting averages of .237 and .230.
For more on this trade news, see the MLB article Breaking down the Semien-Nimmo trade from all angles.
Today’s Trivia Question
George Burns is one of today’s Birthday Boys (see below). As noted, between 1911-1925 he led the NL in runs scored five times. Who are the only two players to lead the AL or NL in runs scored more than five times?
2026 Team Wall Calendars!
Its that time of year… I know wall or desk calendars aren’t for everyone, but as a kid in the 1980s it was a tradition in my house to get a new calendar for the new year. And most years, my theme was baseball.
Turner Sports produces attractive 12×12” Team Wall Calendars. I think they produce them for all 30 MLB teams, but I could only find some teams available at Amazon. Looks like Calendars.com has a broader selection, but here are the ones I found at Amazon:
Again, those are the teams I could find at Amazon so far. Other teams seem to be available at Calendars.com.
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 24…
1953: The Dodgers sign Walter Alston as their new manager. “The Brooklyn Dodgers sign the relatively unknown Walter Alston to a one-year pact as their manager for next season. Alston, who had served as the skipper of the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate in Montreal for the past four seasons, replaces Chuck Dressen after Pee Wee Reese turns down the job. Alston will manage the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles over the next 23 seasons, winning 2,040 games and four World Championships.”
1964: Ken Boyer wins the NL MVP Award. “St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Ken Boyer, who hit .295 with 24 home runs and 119 RBI, is selected as the National League Most Valuable Player. Boyer outdistances Johnny Callison and Bill White for the honor.”
1971: Earl Williams wins the NL Rookie of the Year Award. “Catcher-infielder Earl Williams, who hit 33 home runs and 87 RBI for the Atlanta Braves, wins the National League Rookie of the Year honors. Williams gets 18 of 24 votes, with the others going to Willie Montañez of the Philadelphia Phillies.”
1972: The Yankees trade Rob Gardner for OF Alou… again. “The New York Yankees acquire veteran Matty Alou from the Oakland Athletics for Rob Gardner and Rich McKinney. It is the second time the Yankees have traded Gardner to the Athletics for an Alou. Last year, the trade was for Felipe Alou.”
1976: Joe Morgan wins second consecutive NL MVP Award. “Joe Morgan outpoints Cincinnati Reds teammate George Foster to win his second straight National League MVP Award. Morgan hit .320 with 27 home runs, 111 RBI, 113 runs, 60 stolen bases, and led the NL in slugging percentage (.576) and OPS (1.020). Foster finished with 29 home runs and led the league in RBI (121).”
1982: Cal Ripken Jr. is named AL Rookie of the Year. “Cal Ripken, Jr., who hit .264 with 28 home runs as a shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, is named American League Rookie of the Year. His consecutive games played streak is in its infancy at 118 games.”
1986: Todd Worrell takes home NL Rookie of the Year honors. “St. Louis Cardinals reliever Todd Worrell, who led the National League with 36 saves, is named Rookie of the Year. Worrell had helped St. Louis to the 1985 World Series as a late-season call-up but was still a rookie this season as defined by the BBWAA.”
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Joe Medwick (1911-1975)
Hall of Famer
17-year major league career, spanning from 1932-1948, mostly as a LF with the Cardinals, Dodgers, and Giants
Ten-time All-Star
Won the NL MVP Award after winning the Triple Crown in 1937 with a .374 average, 31 HR, and 154 RBI.
Also led the NL in RBI in 1936 and 1938, and led the league in doubles three times, hits twice, and triples once
Overall had 205 HR, 540 doubles, 1,198 runs, 1,383 RBI, a .324/.362/.505 slash line, and a 134 OPS+
Bob Friend (1930-2019)
16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1951-1966, mostly with the Pirates
All-Star in three seasons
Led the NL with a 2.83 ERA in 1955, and led the league in wins with a 22-14 record in 1958... but also led the league in losses with an 8-19 record in 1959 and a 14-19 record in 1961
Is the all-time Pirates franchise leader in games started (477), innings pitched (3,480.1), and even strikeouts with a relatively modest total of 1,682.
Overall had a 197-230 record, 3.58 ERA, and 107 ERA+
George Burns (1889-1966)
15-year major league career, spanning from 1911-1925, mostly as a LF for the New York Giants
Was a significant run-scorer for his era, leading the NL in runs five times, and posting 100+ runs six times
Had 25+ SB eight times, including leading the NL with 62 SB in 1914 and 40 SB in 1919
Overall had 1,188 runs, 383 SB, a .287/.366/.384 slash line, and a 114 OPS+
Jim Northrup (1939-2011)
12-year major league career, spanning from 1964-1975, mostly as a RF/CF for the Tigers
Never an All-Star, but did have 20+ HR three times, and was an important contributor to the Tigers' 1968 World Series championship season
Overall had 153 HR, a .267/.333/.429 slash line, and a 116 OPS+
Ben McDonald (1967)
Overall #1 draft pick in 1989 by the Baltimore Orioles
9-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1989-1997, with the Orioles and Brewers
Had 12-14 wins in four seasons
Overall had a 78-70 record, a 3.91 ERA, and a 115 ERA+
Cal Eldred (1967)
First-round draft pick (17th overall) by the Brewers in 1989
14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1991-2005, mostly as a starter with the Brewers and White Sox, then finishing with three years as a reliever with the Cardinals
Had a partial but impressive rookie campaign in 1992 with an 11-2 record and 1.79 ERA in 100.1 IP across 14 starts
Overall had a 86-74 (.538) record, a 4.42 ERA, and a 103 ERA+
Currently active players who were born on November 24 include ATH Tyler Soderstrom, AZ Tyler Locklear, Jeimer Candelairo (free agent), Freddy Tarnok (free agent).
Check out the second annual Here’s the Pitch, edited by Dan Schlossberg, from the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. The book is published by ACTA Sports, which previously was the publisher of the annual Bill James Handbook around this time each year. (ACTA is also the publisher of my first baseball book from 2019, which is of course always mentioned at the end of each edition of this newsletter.)
This year, Here’s the Pitch 2026 has a foreword by Jayson Stark, an introduction by edited Dan Schlossberg, and then 26 articles by a range of IBWAA authors. Topics vary greatly, from walk-up music and fungoes; women in baseball; Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Pete Rose, and Babe Ruth; some looks ahead to 2026; and much more… check it out!
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.
Here are a three quotes from one of today’s Birthday Boys, Joe Medwick:
“I never cared where the strike zone was. I wasn’t looking to walk. Didn’t make no difference to me, high or low, inside or outside.”
On meeting Pope Pius XII: "Your Holiness, I'm Joe Medwick. I, too, used to be a Cardinal!"
As described at Wikipedia:
Medwick's hard-charging style of play got him pulled out of the seventh game of the 1934 World Series by Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis after a hard slide into third baseman Marv Owen on a triple which caused Detroit Tigers fans to pelt Medwick with fruits and vegetables. Landis also ordered Owen benched. Medwick remains the only known player to be thrown out of a game for his own personal safety. When asked about the incident after the game, Medwick replied, "I knew why they threw them. What I don't understand is why they brought them to the ballpark in the first place."
Today’s Trivia Answer
Babe Ruth led the AL in runs 8 times, and Ted Williams led the AL in runs in 6 times. I asked the question regarding the AL and NL only, though it is worth noting that according to the data available at baseball-reference.com, Oscar Charleston of the Negro Leagues led his league in runs scored six times also.
In addition to George Burns, numerous other players led their major league in runs scored five times, including (in alphabetical order)
Cool Papa Bell
Ty Cobb
Josh Gibson
Rickey Henderson
Rogers Hornsby
Mickey Mantle
Stan Musial
Albert Pujols
Álex Rodríguez
Willie Wells
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 team at each position most in need of an upgrade for 2026, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 11/23/2025
Counting down the top trade fits for Nolan Arenado, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 11/23/2025
5 Baseball Cards (and Players) We Were Lucky to Have, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 11/23/2025
See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!
How did you like this edition of Now Taking the Field?
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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