The Baseball Buffet for 11/8/2025

Issue #450

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! ⚾

Leading off today is the announcement of the 2025 Platinum Glove Award winners in each league. MLB started the Platinum Glove Award in 2011 in partnership with Rawlings. The award is given to the best defensive player in each league, and winners are selected through a combination of a fan vote and the SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) Defensive Index among the Gold Glove winners. This year’s winners are interestingly to second-generation MLB players: OF Fernando Tatis Jr. in the NL and SS Bobby Witt Jr. in the AL.

And the offseason is definitely underway, as team’s finalizing their 40-man rosters has meant some players were made available for waiver claims. Here are a few I noticed:

• ATL have claimed OF Michael Siani from STL

• SFG have claimed RP Reiver Sanmartin from CIN

• NYM have claimed RP José Castillo from BAL

• MIA have claimed RP Zach Brzykcy from WAS

• TBR have claimed OF Jake Fraley from ATL

• CIN have claimed RP Roddery Muñoz from STL

• SDF have claimed OF Justin Dean from LAD

• NYM have claimed OF Ji Hwan Bae from PIT

• LAA have claimed RP Cody Laweryson from MIN

• DET have claimed RP Jack Little from PIT

Today’s Trivia Question

As noted above, the Platinum Glove Awards were started in each league in 2011. Fernando Tatis Jr. has now won twice as an OF, as he also took home the award in 2023. Even with a short history, five other players have won two or more Platinum Glove Awards. How many can you name? (Hint: One player has taken home six, another has taken home four. Like Tatis Jr., one of the five players was an outfielder, with others being a catcher and three 3B.)

Trivia answers are at the bottom of each newsletter.

AL Silver Sluggers

The 2025 AL Silver Slugger Award winners were announced yesterday (the NL winners were announced on Thursday, and I listed them in yesterday’s edition). These are voted on by MLB managers and coaches, and go to the offensive player at each position. I’ll indicate in parentheses when a player has won multiple times.

• 1B - ATH Nick Kurtz

• 2B - NYY Jazz Chisholm Jr.

• 3B - CLE José Ramírez (6)

• SS - KCR Bobby Witt Jr. (2)

• C - SEA Cal Raleigh

• OF - NYY Aaron Judge (5)

• OF - MIN Byron Buxton

• OF - DET Riley Greene

• DH - TOR George Springer (3)

• U - DET Zach McKinstry

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.

First Base

An interesting mix of guys here, starting with slugger Pete Alonso, 20/30 man Josh Naylor, and contact-hitter supreme, Luis Arráez. There are some aging veterans too, like Paul Goldschmidt, Carlos Santana, and Justin Turner, and a former Marlins’ player who busted out in Korean Baseball in 2025.

• Pete Alonso (NYM) - 30 years old, five-time All-Star, had 38 HR, 126 RBI, and a resurgent .272 average in 2025… and had a career high of 41 doubles which tied for the league lead

• Josh Naylor (SEA) - 28 years old, posted 20 HR, 92 RBI, and .295 average in 147 games with the D-Backs and Mariners. Also turned on the jets to steal 30 bases with only 2 CS (his previous career high was 10 SB).

• Luis Arráez (SDP) - 28 years old, contact hitter who rarely strikes out, and even in an off year he batted .292 and led the NL with 181 hits. He is a three-time batting champion and active leader with a .317 mark.

• Ryan O’Hearn (SDP) - 32 years old, 17 HR and a .281 average in 144 games with the Orioles and Padres. Offers some versatility as he can also play the corner OF spots.

• Paul Goldschmidt (NYY) - 38 years old, power has diminished with only 10 HR in 146 games in 2025, but did raise his average back up to .274 after a career-low .245 mark in 2024

• Josh Bell (WAS) - 33 years old, only hit .237 but had 22 HR in 140 games for the Nationals

• Rhys Hoskins (MIL) - 32 years old, missed part of the season so only had 12 HR in 90 games, with a .237 average

• Ty France (TOR) - 31 years old, didn’t provide much offense for the Twins and Jays with a .257 average and 7 HR in 138 games; but is good defensively as he took home his first Gold Glove Award in 2025

• Wilmer Flores (SFG) - 34-years old, after playing a lot of SS, 2B, and 3B earlier in his career he now seems to be mostly a DH and 1B. Had 16 HR and 71 RBI in 125 games for the Giants last year.

• Carlos Santana (CHC) - 39 years old, can still play good defense and draws walks, but only hit .219 with 11 HR in 124 games for the Guardians and Cubs in 2025

• Rowdy Tellez (TEX) - 30 years old, a fan favorite wherever he is playing, had 17 HR in 112 games for the Mariners and Rangers, though only a .228 average

• Justin Turner (CHC) - 40 years old, in his 17th major league season he batted only .219 with 3 HR in 169 AB

• Dominic Smith (SFG) - 30 years old, showed he can still hit with a .284/.333/.417 slash line and 114 OPS+ in 63 games for the Giants

• LaMonte Wade Jr. (LAA) - 31 years old, had 18 HR in 2021 and 17 HR in 2023, but struggled in 2025 with a .167 average and only 2 HR in 80 games. Doesn’t hit LHP at all, but could be a platoon player as he can also play the corner OF spots.

• Donovan Solano (TEX) - 37 years old, limited playing time and a .247 average for the Mariners and Rangers in 2025

• Lewin Díaz - 28 years old, played some for the Marlins from 2020-2022, but only had a .181 average with 13 HR in 112 games. But he had demonstrated many times the ability to hit AAA pitching well, and then in 2025 he blew up in the Korean league, hitting 50 HR with 158 RBI, and a .314/.381/.644 slash line.

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 8…

• 1966: Frank Robinson becomes first player to win an MVP in both the AL and NL. “Triple Crown winner Frank Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles is the unanimous choice as American League MVP. He becomes the first major league player to win the award in both leagues.”

• 1983: Dale Murphy wins his second consecutive NL MVP Award. “Atlanta Braves outfielder Dale Murphy, who hit .302 with 36 home runs, 121 RBI and 30 stolen bases in the National League, joins Ernie Banks, Joe Morgan and Mike Schmidt as one of the players who has won the MVP Award in consecutive years. Murphy receives 21 of the 24 first-place votes cast.”

• 1989: Jerome Walton wins NL Rookie of the Year over teammate Dwight Smith. “Chicago Cubs outfielder Jerome Walton wins the 1989 National League Rookie of the Year Award, collecting 22 of 24 first-place votes to defeat teammate Dwight Smith. They are the first teammates to finish 1-2 in the NL voting since Philadelphia Phillies rookies Jack Sanford and Ed Bouchee in 1957. Walton also becomes the first Cubs player to win rookie honors since Billy Williams, in 1961.”

• 2004: Jason Bay wins the NL Rookie of the Year. “Jason Bay, who hit .282 with 26 home runs and 82 RBI, becomes the first Pittsburgh Pirates player, as well as the first Canadian, to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Giancarlo Stanton (1989)

• 16-year major league career so far, playing for the Marlins from 2010-2017 and the Yankees from 2018-2025

• Five-time All-Star

• Led the NL with 37 HR in 2014, then won the NL MVP Award in 2017 after leading the league with 59 HR and 132 RBI

• Has had 30+ HR seven times

• From 2018-2025 with the Yankees has hit 18 postseason HR in 177 AB

• Overall so far has 453 HR, 1,169 RBI, a .258/.345/.528 slash line, and a 137 OPS+

Tony Cuccinello (1907)

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 1930-1945, as a 2B and 3B for the Cincinnati Reds, Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Bees/Braves, New York Giants, and Chicago White Sox

• Batted .312 as a rookie in 1930, and then .315 with 39 doubles and 11 triples the next season

• Two-time All-Star, he had modest power with four seasons with 10+ HR, but was a generally good fielder and so received down-ballot MVP votes five times

• Overall had a .280/.343/.394 slash line and a 104 OPS+

• He was the older brother and uncle, respectively, of former major league players Al Cuccinello and Sam Mele

John Denny (1952)

• 13-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1974-1986, mostly with the Cardinals, Phillies, and Indians

• Led the NL with a 2.52 ERA in 1976, then in 1983 he led the NL in wins with a 19-6 record, and posted a 2.37 ERA to win the NL Cy Young Award

• Overall had a 123-108 (.532) record, a 3.59 ERA, and a 105 ERA+

Edgardo Alfonzo (1973)

• 12-year major league career, spanning from 1995-2006, mostly with the Mets and Giants

• Batted .304 with 41 doubles, 27 HR, 123 runs, and 108 RBI in 1999, then was an All-Star in 2000 with a .324 average, 40 doubles, 25 HR, 109 runs, and 94 RBI

• Was a generally good defensive infielder, playing mostly 2B and 3B. In 1999 he was part of an elite defensive Mets infield that included Robin Ventura at 3B, Rey Ordonez at SS, and John Olerud at 1B.

• Overall had 146 HR, a .284/.357/.425 slash line, and a 105 OPS+

Jeff Blauser (1965)

• 13-year major league career, spanning from 1987-1999, mostly as a SS for the Braves

• Two-time All-Star, in 1993 when he had 15 HR, 16 SB, 110 runs, and a .305 average, and then in 1997 when he had 17 HR, 90 runs, and a .308 average

• Overall had 122 HR, a .262/.354/.406 slash line, and a 102 OPS+

José Offerman (1968)

• 15-year major league career, spanning from 1990-2005, mostly with the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Royals

• Two-time All-Star, once as a SS and once as a 2B

• Had 20+ SB four times, including a high of 45 in 1998

• Scored 100+ runs and led the AL in triples in both 1998 (13) and 1999 (11)

• Overall had 172 SB, 840 runs, a .273 average, and a .360 OBP

Jerry Remy (1952)

• 10-year major league career, spanning from 1975-1984, his first three seasons with the Angels and the rest with the Red Sox

• Played mostly 2B, and had some speed on the bases with 30+ SB in each of his first four seasons

• Didn't have much power, with only 7 HR in 4,963 career plate appearances

• Was an All-Star in 1978 with a .278 average, 30 SB, and 87 runs

• Overall had 208 SB and a .275 average

• After retiring Remy was a color commentator for televised Red Sox games for 33 years until his death in 2021. He also is the author of three books about baseball, and several children's books about Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster. (Wikipedia)

Ed Kranepool (1944)

• 18-year major league career, spanning from 1962-1979, all as a 1B, LF, and RF with the New York Mets

• Had only modest power with 10+ HR eight times but a high of only 16 HR in 1966

• Was a member of the 1969 Miracle Mets World Series champions

• Late in his career was primarily used as a pinch-hitter, with a .277 average in that role overall but a .293 average during his final three seasons

• Remains the all-time leader in games played for the Mets

• Overall had 118 HR and a .261 average

In addition to Giancarlo Stanton, other currently active players who were born on November 8 include CHC Moisés Ballesteros, BOS Yasmani Grandal, and PIT Mike Burrows.

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.

"Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer." - Ted Williams

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Fernando Tatis Jr. joins the following five players who have won multiple Platinum Glove Awards:

• 6 - 3B Nolan Arenado - 2017-2022

• 4 - C Yadier Molina - 2011-2012, 2014-2015

• 2 - 3B Adrian Beltré - 2011-2012

• 2 - OF Alex Gordon - 2014, 2020

• 2 - 3B Matt Chapman - 2018-2019

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.

• Ranking all 30 MLB rosters as the offseason gets going, by Mike Petriello at MLB, 11/7/2025

• Best of the best: Tatis, Witt awarded Platinum Gloves, by Manny Randhawa at MLB, 11/7/2025

• The best Japanese players of all time, by Manny Randhawa at MLB, 11/7/2025

• Not as Many Mexican-Born Players As Fans Might Expect, by Andrew Sharp at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 11/8/2025

• Revised: Top Ten Men Left Out of Hall of Fame, by Dan Schlossberg at Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 11/8/2025

• The Strange and Unpredictable Career of Paul DePodesta, by Joe Posnanski at JoeBlogs, 11/7/2025

• Record-breaking autographed baseball picks up another award -- a Clio, by Josh Jackson at MLB, 11/7/2025

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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