Issue #499
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! ⚾
Yesterday was another quiet Hot Stove day, though as reported in an article at MLB by Paul Casella and Christina De Nicola, there was one trade:
Marlins get OF Esteury Ruiz
Dodgers get pitching prospect Adriano Marrero
Esteury Ruiz is a speedster who saw limited action for the Dodgers last year, mostly as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner. He did more at AAA, with a .304 average, 16 HR, 97 runs, and 63 SB in 106 games. He will turn in 27 years old in February, and is only two years removed from having 67 SB and a .254 average for the Athletics in 2023. And in 2022 he batted .332 with 16 HR, 114 runs, and 85 SB in 114 games between AA and AAA.
Ruiz wasn’t going to see much action with the loaded Dodgers in 2026, and even with the Marlins he would seem mostly likely to again be a defensive OF replacement (he can play all three spots) and of course a great pinch-runner. The Marlins OF already has Kyle Stowers, Jakob Marsee, Griffin Conine, and Heriberto Hernández as leading options, but if Ruiz can show them something during spring training, he could crack the roster and be a useful piece.
Right-handed pitcher Adriano Marrero is an 18-year old prospect out of Cuba, and will presumably make his debut at Rookie or A-level, after pitching 10 games with a 3.82 ERA and 35 K in 33 IP in Dominican Summer League in 2025.
In other news… Andrew Heaney retires
An article by Paul Casella at MLB reports that left-handed pitcher Andrew Heaney is retiring after 12 major league seasons. Heaney was the first-round draft pick (9th overall) by the Marlins in 2012, and pitched for them briefly in 2014. He then played seven years for the Angels, followed by time spent with the Dodgers, Rangers, and Pirates.
As Casella notes, Heaney played a role for the Rangers in 2023 by earning “the win in Game 4 of the World Series, tossing five innings of one-run ball against the D-backs to bring the Rangers within one victory of the title.” Now 34, Heaney retires with a 56-72 record, a 4.57 ERA, and 1,156 K in 1,136.2 IP.
Today’s Trivia Question
One of today’s Birthday Boys (see below) is the great Sandy Koufax. Even though he retired after his age-30 season in 1966, he still ended up tied for third in strikeouts during the 1960s, with 1,910 K. Can you name the pitcher who tied him with 1,910 K, and the two pitchers who had more strikeouts than that from 1960-1969?
Counting Down the Days to 2026
A temporary new feature here at the Baseball Buffet… players by uniform number!
We are now just 2 days away from turning the page on the year. Lots of players have worn the #2 for a year or two, here or there. But here are some of the most prominent to do so for extended periods:
SS Derek Jeter - Yankees (1995-2014)
2B Charlie Gehringer - Tigers (1932-42)
2B Nellie Fox - White Sox (1953-63) and the Colt .45s/Astros (1964-65)
2B Red Schoendienst - Cardinals (1946-56, 61-63)
SS Troy Tulowitzki - Rockies (2007-15, Blue Jays (2015-17)
3B Alex Bregman - Astros (2016-24), Red Sox (2025)
SS Xander Bogaerts - Red Sox (2014-22), Padres (2023-25)
SS Hanley Ramirez - Marlins (2006-12)
On this day in baseball history…
Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. All quoted descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.
📅 On December 30…
1943: One Babe traded for another Babe. “Happy New Year to a couple of Babes that swap places. The Philadelphia Blue Jays (Phillies) send much-traveled first baseman Babe Dahlgren to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for catcher Babe Phelps and cash considerations. A former Yankees first baseman, Dahlgren gained most of his notoriety after replacing Lou Gehrig when the "Iron Horse's" playing streak ended in 1939.”
1970: The Expos trade for Ron Hunt. “The San Francisco Giants trade popular second baseman Ron Hunt to the Montreal Expos for first baseman Dave McDonald. Hunt will be a solid starter for three seasons in Montreal, while McDonald will be sold back to the Expos less than a year later.”
2023: The Braves take a chance on Chris Sale. “The Red Sox send P Chris Sale, their one-time ace who has been battling a string of injuries these past four seasons, to the Braves for IF Vaughn Grissom. The Red Sox throw in $17 million to help cover part of Sale's remaining contract. The move will turn out great for Atlanta as Sale will be the Comeback Player of the Year in the NL, as well as the winner of the Cy Young Award.”
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Sandy Koufax (1935)
Hall of Famer
12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1955-1966, entirely with the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers
Came up as a 19-year old and was a strikeout pitcher but also wild for his first six seasons
Was an All-Star for his next six seasons, and from 1963-1966 had one of the best four-year stretches of all-time. He led the NL in ERA five years in a row, and won three NL Pitching Triple Crowns and three Cy Young Awards in 1963, 1965, and 1966 with 300+ strikeouts each year, ERA marks of 1.88, 2.04, and 1.73, and records of 25-5, 26-8, and 27-9.
Threw four no-hitters, including one perfect game
Was also exceptional in four World Series, including winning the WS MVP in 1963 and 1965, and overall posting a 0.95 ERA and 0.825 WHIP with 61 K in 57 IP across 8 games (7 starts).
He retired after the 1966 season, at only age 30, due to wear and tear on his pitching arm, which had been dubbed "The Left Arm of God."
Overall had a 165-87 (.655) record, 2,396 K, a 2.76 ERA, and a 131 ERA+
A.J. Pierzynski (1976)
19-year major league career, spanning from 1998-2016, mostly with the Twins and White Sox, but with some time spent with five other clubs
Two-time All-Star, and was frequently amongst the AL leaders in various defensive catching statistics
Had some pop, with 15+ HR four times, and a career-high of 27 HR in 2012
Overall had a 188 HR, 909 RBI, and a .280/.319/.420 slash line
Tyler Anderson (1989)
First-round draft pick (20th overall) in 2011 by the Rockies
So far has pitched 10 years in the major leagues, spending time with six different clubs, including the Angels for the past three seasons.
Two-time All-Star, including in 2022 for the Dodgers when he had his best season with a 15-5 record, a 2.57 ERA, and 1.002 WHIP
Is currently a free agent after posting a 4.56 ERA over 26 starts and 136.1 IP for the Angels in 2025
Grant Balfour (1977)
12-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2001-2015, mostly with the Rays, Athletics, and Twins
A right-handed reliever, he had a tidy 1.54 ERA over 58.1 IP for the Rays in 2008.
Had two strong seasons as the Athletics' closer with 24 saves and a 2.53 ERA in 2012, and then 38 saves and a 2.59 ERA in 2013
Overall had 84 saves, a 3.49 ERA, and a 119 ERA+
In addition to Tyler Anderson, other currently active players who were born on December 30 include CHW Derek Hill, KCR John Rave, KCR Drew Waters, and Nick Hernandez (free agent).
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.
There is a lot of wisdom in quotes from one of today’s Birthday Boys, Sandy Koufax (sourced from The Baseball Almanac):
"People who write about spring training not being necessary have never tried to throw a baseball."
"Pitching is the art of instilling fear."
"Show me a guy who can't pitch inside and I'll show you a loser."
"A guy that throws what he intends to throw, that's the definition of a good pitcher."
"I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it."
"I can't believe that Babe Ruth was a better player than Willie Mays. (Babe) Ruth is to baseball what Arnold Palmer is to golf. He got the game moving. But I can't believe he could run as well as (Willie) Mays, and I can't believe he was any better an outfielder."
"In the end it all comes down to talent. You can talk all you want about intangibles, I just don't know what that means. Talent makes winners, not intangibles. Can nice guys win? Sure, nice guys can win - if they're nice guys with a lot of talent. Nice guys with a little talent finish fourth and nice guys with no talent finish last."
"The game has a cleanness. If you do a good job, the numbers say so. You don't have to ask anyone or play politics. You don't have to wait for the reviews."
"The only time I really try for a strikeout is when I'm in a jam. If the bases are loaded with none out, for example, then I'll go for a strikeout. But most of the time I try to throw to spots. I try to get them to pop up or ground out. On a strikeout I might have to throw five or six pitches, sometimes more if there are foul-offs. That tires me. So I just try to get outs. That's what counts - outs. You win with outs, not strikeouts."
Today’s Trivia Answer
Bob Gibson had the most strikeouts in the 1960s with 2,071, followed by Jim Bunning with 2,019. Then Sandy Koufax and his teammate Don Drysdale are tied for third with 1,910. Rounding out the top ten are: Juan Marichal, Sam McDowell, Jim Maloney, Jim Kaat, Bob Veale, and Camilo Pascual.
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.
20 exciting prospects set for professional debuts in 2026, by Ben Weinrib at MLB, 12/29/2025
1 breakout candidate for each MLB team in 2026, by MLB writers, 12/29/2025
25 reasons baseball was the BEST in 2025, by Sarah Langs at MLB, 12/29/2025
1 fun (or weird) highlight for each 2026 first-time HOF candidate, by Brian Murphy at MLB, 12/29/2025
Sandy Koufax's most memorable moments, by Chris Haft at MLB, 12/30/2025
A triple play is rare -- this guy helped turn SEVEN of them, by Manny Randhawa at MLB, 12/29/2025
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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