Issue #559

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! ⚾

Not much in the way of free agent signings or trades yesterday. This morning I noticed that, according to an article by Mark Bowman at MLB, Braves veteran starter Chris Sale has agreed to a one-year, $27 million contract that includes a $30 million option for 2028.

But beyond that news, I’ll jump right into the Spring Training game highlights (here is a link to all of the games from yesterday):

  • TOR 3B Kazuma Okamoto hit his first HR as a Blue Jay, going 1-2 with 2 RBI

  • BOS SP Connelly Early, who is gunning for a rotation spot after a 4-game audition last year, did well with 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

  • TBR SP Drew Rasmussen had a good first spring start with 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

  • DET SP Tarik Skubal was strong in his first Spring start with 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

  • MIN P Mick Abel, who is a rookie competing for a rotation spot, did well with 3 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

  • PIT P Bubba Chandler, who is a rookie being counted on to join the Bucs' rotation this year, held the Yankees back in the first inning, and struck out 2 in 1.2 IP, but had control issues allowing four walks and 4 runs in the second inning. Another promising rookie starter, Hunter Barco, struck out three but also had some control issues (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K)

  • SFG CF Jordan Lawler went 3-4 with his second HR of the Spring so far

  • CLE 3B José Ramírez went 2-3 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI

  • CHC pitcher Ben Brown, who is competing for a depth rotation or bullpen role, did well with 2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

  • ATH SP J.T. Ginn, in his third season and competing for a rotation spot, did well with 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

  • MIL CF Brandon Lockridge, who is competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster, went 2-4 with his second HR of the spring

See my appearance on the Almost Cooperstown podcast!

I’m happy to share that I was the guest on the Almost Cooperstown podcast, recorded Wednesday last week and made available yesterday (here is the YouTube link, but also available on Spotify, Apple, and other podcast locations).

Hosted by the father-and-son team of Mark and Gordon Kolier, the three of us discussed my work with The Baseball Buffet over the past year, and then bantered on current baseball news and gave our takes on each of the six divisions for 2026.

After my book was published in 2019, I did over 100 sports radio and podcast interviews as a sort-of promotional tour of sorts. Like then, this was great fun so I really appreciate Mark and Gordon having me on. I hope to do more podcasts like this, so if any readers could introduce me to the hosts or producers of their favorite baseball shows… I’d appreciate the connections!


Today’s Trivia Question

Yesterday’s trivia question, prompted by Bobby Bonilla’s birthday, asked who had the most HR during the ten year period from 1986-1995 (the answer was Joe Carter). One of today’s Birthday Boys (see below) is Eddie Murray. So I’ll ask the similar question, but focus on the 80s decade: Eddie Murray is third in HR between 1980-1989, which two players had more HR than him in the 80s? (Bonus points if you can name the two guys who come after Murray and rank fourth and fifth in HR during the 1980s.)


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 February 24…

  • 1896: The NL adopts some key changes. “The National League adopts changes in the National Agreement. The minor leagues are divided into six classifications based on population, and new draft fees are instituted. The league also forbids players from deliberately soiling baseballs, and declares that "a ball cutting the corners of the home plate, and being requisite height, must be called a strike." It also empowers umpires to eject players.”

  • 1917: The Red Sox sell Smoky Joe to Cleveland. “Smoky Joe Wood, his arm dead at 26, is sold by the Boston Red Sox to Cleveland for $15,000. He will become an outfielder after one last, losing start on the mound, and will play five more years.”

  • 1926: Hall of Famer Eddie Plank dies of a stroke at 50. “Southpaw Eddie Plank, winner of 327 games in 17 years, dies at 50 in his native Gettysburg, PA.”

  • 1948: The White Sox trade pitcher Ed Lopat to the Yankees. “The Chicago White Sox trade Ed Lopat to the New York Yankees for Aaron Robinson, Bill Wight and Fred Bradley. Lopat will star for seven seasons in pinstripes, winning 21 in 1951 and going 16-4 in 1953. Robinson's main value to the Sox will come at the end of the season when he's swapped for another lefty pitcher, Billy Pierce.”

  • 1966: Tom Seaver almost joins the Braves. “University of Southern California pitcher Tom Seaver is signed by the Braves. The deal will later be voided by the Commissioner because there is a rule against signing players while their college season are ongoing, and the USC stand-out will be selected by the New York Mets in a special draft.”


🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Row 1: Honus Wagner, Eddie Murray, Wilbur Cooper
Row 2: Mike Lowell, Bronson Arroyo

Honus Wagner (1874-1955)

  • Hall of Famer

  • 21-year major league career, spanning from 1897-1917, mostly with the Pirates

  • He was the star of the NL during his era, the counterpoint to Ty Cobb in the AL. And he is still generally considered to be the greatest SS of all-time given his elite hitting and defense, and also an overall, all-time top-20 MLB player.

  • Won an impressive eight batting titles, hit .350+ six times, including a high of .381 in 1900

  • Led the NL in triples three times, doubles seven times, hits twice, runs twice, and RBI four times

  • Was an elite base-stealer as well, leading the NL five times with eight consecutive seasons with 40+ SB

  • Overall had 3,420 hits, 643 doubles, 252 triples, 1,739 runs, 1,732 RBI, 723 SB, a .328/.391/.467 slash line, and a 151 OPS+

  • See also the recent article Honus Wagner card originally pulled 117 years ago sells for over $5 million, by Brent Maguire at MLB, 2/22/2026

Eddie Murray (1956)

  • Hall of Famer

  • 21-year major league career, spanning from 1977-1997, with 13 seasons for the Orioles, and the rest spread between the Dodgers, Mets, Indians, and Angels

  • Won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1977 after batting .283 with 27 HR and 88 RBI

  • Eight-time All-Star, and won three Gold Glove Awards at 1B

  • Never won an MVP Award, but came in the top-five in his league's MVP voting an impressive six times

  • A very reliable, consistent power source, he hit 20+ HR an impressive 16 times... but never hit over 33 HR in a season. There is a reason he was nicknamed "Steady Eddie."

  • Had 100+ RBI six times, 100+ runs three times

  • Overall had 3,255 hits, 1,627 runs, 1,917 RBI, a .287/.359/.476 slash line, and a 129 OPS+

Wilbur Cooper (1892-1973)

  • 15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1912-1926, mostly with the Pirates

  • Won 15+ games nine times, and 20+ games four times, including leading the NL in wins with a 22-14 record in 1921
    Had a nice run of ERA marks between 1.87 and 2.67 for five consecutive seasons from 1916-1920

  • Was a workhorse with between 265 to 327 IP for eight seasons in a row, leading the NL in complete games twice

  • Overall had a 216-178 (.548) record, a 2.89 ERA, and a 116 ERA+

Mike Lowell (1974)

  • 13-year major league career, spanning from 1998-2010, first drafted by the Yankees but then mostly playing for the Marlins and Red Sox

  • Four-time All-Star, and won a Gold Glove Award at 3B in 2005

  • Hit 20+ HR six times and had 100+ RBI three times, with highs of 32 HR in 2003 and 120 RBI in 2007

  • Did well for the Red Sox in 2007 in the ALDS and ALCS, and then was World Series MVP after going 6-15 (.400) with 3 doubles, a HR, 6 runs, and 4 RBI

  • Overall had 223 HR, 952 RBI, a .279/.342/.464 slash line, and a 108 OPS+

Bronson Arroyo (1977)

  • 16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 2000-2017, mostly with the Reds, Pirates, and Red Sox

  • Had 14+ wins six times, with a high of a 17-10 record in 2010 for the Reds, when he also took home the Gold Glove Award for his defense on the mound

  • Overall had a 148-137 record, a 4.28 ERA, and a 101 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on February 24 include TEX MacKenzie Gore, LAD Miguel Rojas, STL Zak Kent, LAA Robret Stephenson, TEX José Herrera, and Michael Stefanic (free agent).


Baseball Quote of the Day

One of today’s Birthday Boys (see above) is the great Honus Wagner. Here are some vintage, old-timey quotes from him:

"In all my years of play, I never saw an ump deliberately make an unfair decision. They really called them as they saw 'em."

"There ain't much to being a ballplayer, if you're a ballplayer."

"I won't play for a penny less than fifteen hundred dollars."

"Things were changing fast by that time, women were beginning to come to the ball parks. We had to stop cussing."

"I am honored to have John Lloyd called the Black Wagner. It is a privilege to have been compared with him."

"I don't make speeches. I just let my bat speak for me in the summertime."

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾


Today’s Trivia Answer

Mike Schmidt and Dale Murphy had the most HR from 1980-1989. Here is the leaderboard, including all players with 200 or more HR:

  • 313 - Mike Schmidt

  • 308 - Dale Murphy

  • 274 - Eddie Murray

  • 256 - Dwight Evans

  • 250 - Andre Dawson

  • 230 - Darrell Evans

  • 225 - Tony Armas

  • 225 - Lance Parrish

  • 223 - Dave Winfield

  • 216 - Jack Clark

  • 215 - Darryl Strawberry

  • 210 - Jim Rice

  • 208 - Tom Brunansky

  • 207 - Gary Carter

  • 204 - Cal Ripken Jr.

  • 201 - Kent Hrbek


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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