The Baseball Buffet for 12/1/2025

12/7: Hall of Fame’s Contemporary Baseball Committee voting results announced

12/7-12/10: Winter Meetings in Orlando

12/9: 2026 Draft lottery, where the top six picks in the next amateur draft are determined. All 18 non-playoff teams are eligible, but the teams with lowest record during the 2025 season have the best chances. Exceptions are that teams that pay into revenue sharing cannot select in the lottery in back-to-back years, and teams can’t get a lottery pick in three consecutive seasons. As a result, the Nationals, Angels, and Rockies are not eligible. Therefore, the White Sox have the best odds for the #1 pick at 27.73%, while the Astros have the worst odds at 0.34%. See this article by Joe Trezza at MLB for the full list of teams that are in the mix this year.

12/10: Rule 5 Draft

1928: The NL was interested in the DH first. “National League President John Heydler becomes the first person to propose a baseball rule change calling for a tenth man, or a designated hitter, to bat in place of the pitcher. The NL will vote in favor of the proposal, but the American League will turn it down.”

1953: The Red Sox acquire Jackie Jensen. “The Boston Red Sox trade for slugger Jackie Jensen, sending P Mickey McDermott and OF Tom Umphlett to the Washington Senators. Jensen will average 25 home runs a year for his seven seasons in Fenway, lead the American League in RBI three times, and win the Most Valuable Player Award in 1958. A fear of flying will end his career prematurely.”

1956: Two future Hall of Famers win Rookie of the Year honors. “Outfielder Frank Robinson of the Cincinnati Redlegs is unanimously voted the National League Rookie of the Year. In the American League, Chicago White Sox shortstop Luis Aparicio is voted Rookie of the Year with 22 points, beating out Baltimore's Tito Francona and Rocky Colavito of the Indians.”

1964: Houston becomes the Astros. “The Houston Colt .45s officially change their nickname to "Astros." The change coincides with the team's impending move from Colt Stadium to the Harris County Domed Stadium, also known as the Astrodome. The change in name for the three-year old franchise is prompted by a dispute with the Colt firearm company and the team's proximity to NASA headquarters.”

1971: Ernie Banks’ playing career comes to an end. “The Chicago Cubs release longtime star and future Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, ending his 19-year major league career. The Cubs also announce that Banks will serve as a coach on manager Leo Durocher's staff next season. Mr. Cub finishes his playing career with 512 home runs and 1,636 RBI.”

Hall of Famer

17-year major league career, spanning from 1989-2005, mostly as a RF with the Expos and Rockies

Five-time All-Star, and winner of seven Gold Glove Awards

Won three NL Batting Titles while with the Rockies, with a .363 average in 1998, .379 in 1999, and .350 in 2001

Led the NL with 44 doubles in strike-shortened 1994, and led the NL with 49 HR in 1997 when he took home the NL MVP Award with 143 runs, 130 RBI, 33 SB, and a .366 average

Had 100+ RBI five times, 100+ runs four times, and 15+ SB seven times

His numbers benefited somewhat by playing his home games at Coors Field from 1995-2004, as over his career he had a .381/.462/.710 slash line over 2,501 PA at Coors

Overall had 383 HR, 1,311 RBI, 1,355 runs, a .313/.400/.565 slash line, and a 141 OPS+

18-year major league career, spanning from 1969-1986, mostly with the Giants, Reds, and Mets

Five-time All-Star

Was NL MVP in 1977 after leading the league with 52 HR, 149 RBI, and 124 runs. Also led the NL with 40 HR in 1978, and 121 RBI in 1976 and 120 RBI in 1978.

Had 20+ HR in ten seasons

Overall had 348 HR, 1,239 RBI, a .274/.338/.480 slash line, and a 126 OPS+

13-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1905-1917, mostly with the Cubs, but with his last few years spread over three other clubs

Had a very strong rookie season in 1905, going 18-14 with a 1.42 ERA which equates to a 205 ERA+

Continued to dominate for the next four seasons winning 17-24 games each year, and posting ERA marks of 1.65, 1.69, 2.03, and 1.78

Had more mixed results after that, but went 21-10 with a 2.23 ERA in the Federal League in 1915

Overall had a 182-106 (.632) record, a 2.28 ERA, and a 123 ERA+

13-year major league career, spanning from 1940-1953, mostly as a SS for the Cardinals

Seven-time All-Star

Provided outstanding defense as a SS, which was a big reason he won the NL MVP Award in 1944, as he only hit .267 with 6 HR and 63 RBI for the World Series Champion Cardinals that year.

Generally a light hitter, he had a career .263 average and 36 HR in 6,143 PA. Led the NL with 38 doubles in 1942.

17-year major league career, spanning from 1991-2007, with the first half spent with the Reds, and the second half spread across seven different clubs

Was an All-Star in 1995 and that year hit .306 with 28 HR, 99 RBI, and 36 SB

Provided a nice combination of power and speed, with 20+ HR eight times and 20+ SB eight times

Was a fairly good RF defensively, and also spent some time in CF and LF

Overall had 305 HR, 304 SB, a .267/.343/.487 slash line, and a 115 OPS+

First-round draft pick (9th overall) by the Cubs in 2011

So far has had a 12-year major league career, mostly with the Cubs and Tigers

Three-time All-Star

Has had 20+ HR four times, including in 2018 when he posted a career high 34 HR, with 21 SB, 101 runs, a .290 average, and an NL-leading 111 RBI, coming in second in the NL MVP vote

Free swinger who has struck out a lot during his career, and rarely takes a walk

A good and versatile defender, he has played SS the most often, including in 2020 when he took home a Gold Glove Award. Has also spent time at 2B, 3B, and CF.

Overall so far has 192 HR, 115 SB, and a .252 average.

10-year major league career, spanning from 1934-1947 (missing 1942-1945 for military service), all with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brooklyn Dodgers

An All-Star as a 3B in four consecutive seasons from 1938-1941

His best offensive season came in 1939 when he batted .300 with 10 HR, 87 RBI, and 14 SB

Was a major league manager for the Washington Senators from 1957-1960, and then briefly was the first manager when the franchise became the Minnesota Twins the following season.

Born Harry Arthur Lavagetto, he was nicknamed "Cookie" while in the minor leagues. He was signed by Oakland Oaks general manager Cookie Devincenzi, and became known as "Cookie's boy" and eventually just "Cookie"

Overall had a .269/.360/.377 slash line and a nearly even 99 OPS+

369 - Todd Helton

258 - Larry Walker

239 - Vinny Castilla

235 - Nolan Arenado

227 - Charlie Blackmon

227 - Carlos González

201 - Dante Bichette

Finding a perfect free-agent match for every team, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 11/30/2025

Which version of these top free agents will their next teams be getting?, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 11/30/2025

What to expect from Tatsuya Imai? Here are 5 MLB comparisons, by David Adler at MLB, 11/30/2025

It's December 1, But There's Still Live Baseball!, by Benjamin Chase at

Here's the Pitch: the IBWAA Newsletter, 12/1/2025

7 Baseball Cards that Covered the Field...and Court...and Ice, at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 11/30/2025