Issue #465
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 one significant transaction yesterday, with the Boston Red Sox trading for veteran starting pitcher Sonny Gray. To get him they are giving the St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Richard Fitts, 22-year-old left-handed prospect Brandon Clarke, and either cash or a player to be named later.
Gray, a RHP who turned 36 recently, has so far had a 13-year major league career with a 125-102 record, a 3.58 ERA, and a 117 ERA+. He has spread his time around with the Athletics, Yankees, Reds, Twins, and finally the past two years with the Cardinals. In 2024 he had a 3.84 ERA with 203 K in 166.1 IP, and in 2025 he had a 4.28 ERA with 201 K in 180.2 IP.
I presume Gray will slot in as Boston’s number two starter, behind ace Garrett Crochet, and ahead of Brayan Bello. There will be some competition in spring training for the remaining rotation spots, with candidates including at least Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford, Connelly Early, Payton Tollle, Kyle Harrison, and Hunter Dobbins.
As for the Cardinals, pretty much every analyst has been saying they will be trading several of their veterans this offseason, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them move Gray. Many expect 3B Nolan Arenado to also be traded, and perhaps others too. The two pitchers they got in return for Gray are:
Richard Fitts - 25-year old RHP, former 6th round pick by the Yankees in 2021. Was traded to the Red Sox after the 2023 season with two others for OF Alex Verdugo. Had a good brief stint in Boston in 2024 with a 1.74 ERA over 4 starts and 20.2 innings, but then had a 5.00 ERA in 11 games and 45 innings in 2025. I’d say he has a good shot at making the Cardinals rotation next year, but will be competing in spring training with a bunch of other guys.
Brandon Clarke - 22-year old LHP, drafted in the 5th round by the Red Sox in 2024. Was ranked as Boston’s 5th best prospect by MLB, and last year had a 4.03 ERA with 60 K in 38 IP across 14 starts at A/A+.
Today’s Trivia Question
As noted below, today is Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez’ birthday. He won two pitching Triple Crowns (leading his league in wins, strikeouts, and ERA). Several other pitchers have won two pitching Triple Crowns: Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, and Roger Clemens. Can you name the three AL or NL players who won three pitching Triple Crowns?
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 26…
1963: Pete Rose wins the NL Rookie of the Year Award. “Second baseman Pete Rose is a landslide winner of National League Rookie of the Year honors, taking 17 of 20 votes. Rose becomes the second Cincinnati Reds player to win the award, after Frank Robinson.”
1975: Fred Lynn becomes the first rookie to win AL MVP. “Boston Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn becomes the first rookie ever to be named American League Most Valuable Player. Lynn, who batted .331 with 21 home runs, 105 RBI, and league-leading figures in runs (103), doubles (47), and slugging percentage (.566), helped Boston to the American League East title. He also won Rookie of the Year honors.”
1979: Alfredo Griffin and John Castino tie for AL Rookie of the Year honors. “Third baseman John Castino, who batted .285 for the Twins, and shortstop Alfredo Griffin, who hit .287 for the Blue Jays, tie for the American League Rookie of the Year Award, each receiving seven of the 28 votes. The deadlock will precipitate a change in the voting system, effective in 1980. Six different players all receive between three and seven votes in a year when no rookie player clearly stood out above the rest of the field.”
1980: Mike Schmidt unanimously wins the NL MVP Award. “Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Mike Schmidt, who hit .286 with career highs of 48 home runs and 121 RBI, is a unanimous choice as National League Most Valuable Player.”
1987: The Pirates and Yankees make a six-player trade. “The Pittsburgh Pirates pull off a key trade, landing Doug Drabek, Brian Fisher and Logan Easley from the New York Yankees for Rick Rhoden, Cecilio Guante and Pat Clements.”
2009: Bob Sheppard, 99, officially retires as Yankees PA announcer. “New York Yankees Public Address announcer Bob Sheppard officially retires at the age of 99. Known as the "Voice of God," Sheppard had been the Yankees PA announcer from 1951 to 2007 before his deteriorating health forced him to step down. He briefly returned in 2008 to announce the Yankees lineup for the final game at the old Yankee Stadium.”
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Lefty Gomez (1908-1989)
Hall of Famer
14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1930-1943, almost entirely with the New York Yankees
Won 20+ games four times, including in 1934 and 1937 when he won pitching Triple Crowns with a 26-5 record, a 2.33 ERA, and 158 strikeouts, and then a 21-11 record, a 2.33 ERA, and 194 strikeouts
Generally did well in the postseason, with a 6-0 record and a 2.86 ERA over 7 starts and 50.1 IP
Overall had a 189-102 (.649) record, a 3.34 ERA, and a 125 ERA+
Hugh Duffy (1866-1954)
Hall of Famer
17-year major league career, spanning from 1888-1906, mostly as an OF with Boston in the National League, with some time spent with five other clubs
Significant run-scorer, with 100+ runs nine times, including 140+ runs four times and a league-leading 161 runs in 1890
Had 25+ SB eleven times, with highs of 78 SB in 1890 and 85 SB in 1891
Had 100+ RBI eight times, including a league-leading 110 in 1891
Won two batting titles, with a .363 average in 1893 and an impressive .440 mark in the high-offense 1894 season. Also led the NL that year with 18 HR, 51 doubles, and 237 hits.
Overall had 1,554 runs, 1,302 RBI, 574 SB, a .326/.386/.451 slash line, and a 123 OPS+
Bob Johnson (1905-1982)
13-year major league career, spanning from 1933-1945, mostly as a LF with the Philadelphia Athletics
Had 20+ HR nine times, 100+ RBI eight times, and 100+ runs six times
Seven-time All-Star
Overall had 288 HR, 1,283 RBI, 1,239 runs, a .296/.393/.506 slash line, and a 139 OPS+
Bob Elliott (1916-1966)
15-year major league career, spanning from 1939-1953, mostly as a 3B with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Braves
Six-time All-Star
Hit 20+ HR three times, had 100+ RBI six times, and led the NL with 131 walks in 1948
Won the NL MVP Award with the Braves in 1947 after hitting 22 HR, 113 RBI, a .317/.410/.517 slash line, and 147 OPS+
Overall had 170 HR, 1,195 RBI, a .289/.375/.440 slash line, and a 124 OPS+
Chuck Finley (1962)
First-round draft pick (4th overall) by the Angels in 1985
17-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1986-2002, mostly with the Angels
Five-time All-Star
Was very durable and had 15-18 wins in seven seasons
Had 200+ strikeouts three times
Overall had a 200-173 (.536) record, a 3.85 ERA, and a 115 ERA+
Fred Tenney (1871-1952)
17-year major league career, spanning from 1894-1911, mostly as a 1B with Boston in the National League
Good run-scorer with 100+ runs four times, including leading the NL with 101 runs in 1908
Had 20+ SB five times
Had very little power with only 22 HR in 8,834 plate appearances
Good defensive 1B who was frequently amongst the league leaders in various fielding statistics
Overall had 1,278 runs, 285 SB, a .294/.371/.358 slash line, and a 110 OPS+
Matt Carpenter (1985)
14-year major league career, spanning from 2011-2024, mostly with the Cardinals
Three-time All-Star
Had 20+ HR four times, including a high of 36 HR in 2018.
Had 100+ runs three times, including when he led the NL with 126 runs in 2013. Also led the NL that year with 199 hits and 55 doubles.
Overall had 179 HR, a .259/.366/.449 slash line, and a 122 OPS+
Cal Raleigh (1996)
So far has played five years as a catcher for the Mariners
Has hit 25+ HR in each of the past four seasons, with an AL-leading 60 HR and 125 HR in 2025, by far the most HR hit in a season by a player who was primarily a catcher.
Won a Gold Glove Award in 2024
Overall so far has 153 HR, a .226/.314/.484 slash line, and a 127 OPS+
Larry Gura (1947)
16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1970-1985, mostly with the Royals and Cubs
Was 16-4 with a 2.72 ERA in 1978, then was an All-Star in 1979 with an 18-10 record and 2.95 ERA
Overall had a 126-97 (.565) record, a 3.76 ERA, and a 106 ERA+
Jay Howell (1955)
15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1980-1994, mostly with the Dodgers, A's, and Yankees
Struggled as a starter early in his career, but found success as a reliever, including seven consecutive seasons with between 16-29 saves each
Three-time All-Star
Had impressive ERA marks of 2.08 in 1988, 1.58 in 1989, 2.18 in 1990, and 1.54 in 1992
Overall had 155 saves, a 3.34 ERA, and a 114 ERA+
Currently active players who were born on November 26 include BOS Carlos Narváez, SFG Ryan Walker, and Robinson Piña (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 some quotes from one of today’s Birthday Boys, Hall of Famer Lefty Gomez (sourced from The Baseball Almanac):
"I'd rather be lucky than good."
"I'm throwing as hard as I ever did, but the ball is just not getting there as fast."
"I talked to the ball a lot of times in my career. I yelled, "Go foul. Go foul."
"I want to thank all my teammates who scored so many runs and Joe DiMaggio, who ran down so many of my mistakes."
"I was the worst hitter ever. I never even broke a bat until last year when I was backing out of the garage."
"No one hit home runs the way Babe (Ruth) did. They were something special. They were like homing pigeons. The ball would leave the bat, pause briefly, suddenly gain its bearings, then take off for the stands."
"One rule I had was make your best pitch and back up third base. That relay might get away and you've got another shot at him."
"The secret of my success was clean living and a fast outfield."
"When Neil Armstong first set foot on the moon, he and all the space scientists were puzzled by an unidentifiable white object. I knew immediately what it was. That was a home run ball hit off me in 1933 by Jimmie Foxx."
"I've got a new invention. It's a revolving bowl for tired goldfish."
Today’s Trivia Answer
The 3-time AL or NL Pitching Triple Crown winners are:
Grover Cleveland Alexander (1915, 1916, 1920)
Walter Johnson (1913, 1918, 1924)
Sandy Koufax (1963, 1965, 1966)
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.
From 16 to 25, here is the best prospect at each age, by Ben Weinrib at MLB, 11/25/2025
Who are the best free-agent starting pitchers? We ranked them, by Andrew Simon at MLB, 11/25/2025
Cruz one step away from being third-generation big leaguer, by Jason Beck at MLB, 11/25/2025
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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