Issue #466

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! ⚾ 🦃

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the USA! I hope you have a nice time with family, friends, or however you celebrate the day. I’ll be having a traditional mid-afternoon feast with family, probably watching a little NFL football, and hopefully not losing power as we expect high winds in Western NY today.

As for baseball news… sources are indicating that RHP Dylan Cease is signing a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. If that is the deal, Keegan Matheson at MLB noted it would be the biggest free agent signing in franchise history, bigger than George Springer’s 6-year, $150 million deal.

On the one hand, Cease is only turning 30 in December, so should have many good years still ahead of him. And he has been very durable with 32-33 starts in each of the past five seasons, with 200+ strikeouts every year, the first three with the White Sox and the last two with the Padres.

On the other hand, some of his other numbers have been inconsistent. He had a stellar 2.20 ERA and 1.109 WHIP in 2022, and then a solid 3.47 ERA and even better 1.067 WHIP in 2024. but in the last two odd-numbered years he’s had a 4.58 ERA and 1.418 WHIP and then a 4.55 ERA and 1.327 WHIP in 2025. (This brings to mind the sort of every-other-year swings that Bret Saberhagen had with the Royals in the late 1980s, though in his case the odd years were the better ones.)

Interestingly, Cease has yet to be selected to an All-Star team—something I would have expected for someone almost 30 and being signed for $210 million and seven years. But the Blue Jays are obviously hoping he’ll do well enough to get several All-Star Game invites during the life of this contract.

Signing Cease certainly gives Toronto an impressive 5-man rotation. He could slot in spots 1, 2, or 3 along with Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber. Then 22-year old post-season star Trey Yesavage, who still has his rookie status intact for 2026, will presumably get a spot. As will veteran José Berríos, who has been very durable during his career with exactly 32 starts each year from 2018-2024 (except 2020 of course), and then 30 starts in 2025 before an injury led him to miss the Blue Jays World Series postseason run.

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted below, pitcher Dave Giusti is one of today’s Birthday Boys. Although he began his career as a starter for the Astros, he later was a reliever for the Pirates. He did well enough that he remains fourth on their all-time saves leaderboard. Can you name the three relievers with more saves while with the Pirates?

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 27…

  • 1941: Joe DiMaggio wins the AL MVP Award over Ted Williams. “Joe DiMaggio is named American League Most Valuable Player. His 56-game hitting streak edges out Ted Williams and his .406 batting average for the award (291 points for DiMaggio and 254 for Williams).”

  • 1947: Joe DiMaggio, more controversially than in 1941, again wins the AL MVP Award over Ted Williams. “Triple Crown winner Ted Williams (.343, 32 HR, 162 RBI) is edged out by Joe DiMaggio (.315, 20, 97) for the American League MVP Award by one point. One BBWAA member fails to include Williams anywhere on his ballot.”

  • 1953: Cleveland’s Al Rosen is the unanimous AL MVP. “Cleveland Indians third baseman Al Rosen is unanimously named the American League Most Valuable Player with a record 336 votes. In the National League, Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella receives the honor.”

  • 1956: Dodgers’ pitcher Don Newcombe wins the first ever Cy Young Award. “Don Newcombe (27 wins, 3.06 ERA), pitcher for the National League pennant-winning Brooklyn Dodgers, becomes the first Cy Young Award winner. Only one pitcher will be selected each season for this prestigious pitching award until 1967 when each league will name a winner.”

  • 1972: The Yankees acquire slick-fielding, power-hitting 3B Graig Nettles. “The New York Yankees make one of their best trades ever, acquiring third baseman Graig Nettles from the Cleveland Indians for catcher John Ellis, infielder Jerry Kenney, and outfielders Charlie Spikes and Rusty Torres. Nettles will help the Yankees win the World Series in 1977 and 1978.”

  • 1984: The AL Gold Glove Awards are nine repeats from 1983. “The American League Gold Glove team is announced, and it is made up of the same nine players as the 1983 team: catcher Lance Parrish, first baseman Eddie Murray, second baseman Lou Whitaker, third baseman Buddy Bell, shortstop Alan Trammell, outfielders Dwight Evans, Dave Winfield and Dwayne Murphy, and pitcher Ron Guidry.”

  • 1985: Vince Coleman unanimously wins NL Rookie of the Year honors. “Vince Coleman, who stole 110 bases for the St. Louis Cardinals, joins Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda and Willie McCovey as the only unanimous winners of the National League Rookie of the Year Award.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Iván Rodríguez (1971)

  • 21-year major league career, spanning from 1991-2011, mostly with the Rangers and Tigers

  • 14-time All-Star, widely considered one of the best defensive and all-around catchers of all-time

  • Won 13 Gold Glove Awards, and won the AL MVP Award in 1999 after batting .332 with career-highs of 35 HR, 113 RBI, and 25 SB

  • Had 20+ HR in five consecutive seasons from 1997-2001, and had 19 HR in three other seasons

  • Was 2003 NLCS MVP for the Marlins after going 9-28 (.321) with 2 HR and 10 RBI

  • Is the all-time leader in games played as a catcher (2,427)

  • Overall had 311 HR, 2,844 hits, 127 SB, 1,354 runs, 1,332 RBI, a .296/.334/.464 slash line, and a 106 OPS+

Jimmy Rollins (1978)

  • 17-year major league career, spanning from 2000-2016, mostly with the Phillies

  • Three-time All-Star, and won four Gold Glove Awards as a SS

  • Was NL MVP in 2007 after batting .296 with 30 HR, 94 RBI, 41 SB, and leading the league with 20 triples and 139 runs

  • Had 20+ HR four times, 100+ runs six times, and 30+ SB ten times, including leading the NL with 46 SB in his first full season in 2001

  • Overall had 231 HR, 2,455 hits, 470 SB, 1,421 runs, and a .264/.324/.418 slash line

Mike Scioscia (1958)

  • 13-year major league career, spanning from 1980-1992, all as a catcher for the Dodgers

  • Was an All-Star in 1989 and 1990, the two seasons he had 10+ HR

  • Was frequently amongst the NL leaders in various defensive catcher statistics

  • Overall had a .259/.344/.356 slash line and near league-average 99 OPS+

  • Became the long-time manager of the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels from 2000-2018. Led them to a World Series championship in 2002, and seven seasons with 90+ wins, including a 100-62 record in 2008. Overall had a 1,650-1,428 (.536) career winning percentage as their manager.

Bullet Joe Bush (1892-1974)

  • 17-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1912-1928, spread across the Philadelphia Athletics, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and four other clubs

  • Was a mixed starter and reliever early on, and actually led the AL in losses with a 15-27 record in 1916 even though he posted a better than league average 2.57 ERA (he played for the last placed Athletics, who were 36-117-1 that year)

  • Had a 15-15 record, but with a 2.11 ERA and 26 complete games for the Red Sox in 1918

  • Had a 26-7 record and 3.31 ERA for the Yankees in 1922

  • Had 15+ wins in nine seasons

  • Was an above-average hitter as a pitcher, with a .253 average, 7 HR, 17 triples, and 59 doubles in 1,239 AB

  • Born Leslie Ambrose Bush, according to his bio at the SABR BioProject, the nickname Bullet Joe first took hold during his one season in the minors in Missoula in 1912. The club president began to call him Joe Bush after a former local bronco buster; then local media called him Joe Bullet because of his fastball; and then later in the majors teammate Eddie Collins called him Bullet Joe when he saw a letter addressed to him in the clubhouse.

  • Overall had a 196-184 record, a 3.51 ERA, and an even 100 ERA+

Dave Giusti (1939)

  • 15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1962-1977, mostly with the Astros and Pirates

  • Began as a starter with the Astros, but then had more success as a reliever with the Pirates and three other clubs.

  • Had 20+ saves in four consecutive seasons, including leading the NL with 30 saves in 1971

  • Then had 22 saves with a 1.93 ERA in 1972, and 20 saves and a 2.37 ERA in 1973

  • Overall had 145 saves and a 3.60 ERA

Currently active players who were born on November 27 include MIL Carlos Rodríguez, MIN Kody Funderburk, and Eloy Jiménez (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 two quotes from one of today’s Birthday Boys, Mike Scioscia… and then one humorous one about Scioscia:

“The best advice I was given if that if you want to succeed and you want to achieve, you have to learn how to handle failures.” - Mike Scioscia

“If you want to be a leader, the first person you have to lead is yourself.” - Mike Scioscia

"If he raced his pregnant wife, he'd finish third.” - Tommy Lasorda, Scioscia’s manager with the Dodgers

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

The Pirates’ saves leaderboard is as follows:

  • 186 - Roy Face

  • 158 - Kent Tekulve

  • 140 - Mike Williams

  • 133 - Dave Giusti

  • 130 - Mark Melancon

  • 101 - David Bednar

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.

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