Issue #539

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! ⚾

News from yesterday included one of the few major remaining free agents sign with a new team:

Tigers sign SP Framber Valdez. According to an article by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, the Tigers are signing left-hander Framber Valdez to a 3-year, $115 million contract.

  • Valdez has pitched in the major leagues for eight years, all with the Astros. A two-time All-Star, he has been very durable with 28-31 starts in each of the past four seasons. In 2025 he had a 13-11 record, a 3.66 ERA, and 187 K in 192 IP.

  • An extreme groundball pitcher, he so far he has a 81-52 (.609) record, a 3.36 ERA, a 124 ERA+, and 1,053 K in 1,080.2 IP.

  • Outlook: Valdez will slot as the Tigers’ #2 starter behind ace Tarik Skubal. The rest of their starting rotation will likely include Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Reese Olson, with other options being Troy Melton, Drew Anderson, and Keider Montero. It seems like the Tigers are going for it in 2026 in the relatively weak AL Central Division. Signing Valdez for three years gives them an ace for 2027/2028 should they fail to sign Skubal beyond this year, or if things go poorly and they opt to trade Skubal at this year’s deadline.

Yesterday also had two other free agent signings of note:

Red Sox sign IF Isiah Kiner-Falefa. According to an article by Jared Greenspan and Ian Browse at MLB, the Red Sox are signing veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a 1-year deal.

  • Kiner-Falefa will turn 31 in late March, and has played eight years in the major leagues, starting with four seasons for the Rangers, and then spending time with the Yankees, Pirates, and two stints with the Blue Jays.

  • He is very versatile defensively, as he first came up as a C/3B/2B, then was a SS for two full seasons, and over the past three years played a mix of SS, 3B, 2B, and OF. His fielding is solid or better anywhere he plays, and he won a Gold Glove Award at 3B in 2020.

  • In 2025 he hit .262 with 2 HR and 15 SB in 138 games for the Pirates and Blue Jays.

  • Outlook: The Red Sox no doubt are hoping former first-round draft pick Marcelo Mayer has a good spring and can claim the starting 3B job. If he doesn’t, then Kiner-Falefa could see a lot of games at 3B. Otherwise, IKF will presumably be in the mix at 2B along with Romy Gonzalez, David Hamilton, and Kristian Campbell, and he can of course backup Trevor Story at SS. He probably won’t be needed in the OF, unless the Red Sox trade away some of their depth there.

Padres sign IF/OF/DH Miguel Andujar. According to an article by Theo DeRosa at MLB, the Padres are signing veteran infielder and DH Miguel Andujar to a 1-year, $4 million contract.

  • Andujar will turn 31 in early March, and has had an up-and-down career over nine years in the major leagues. As a 3B with the Yankees in 2018 he came in second in the AL Rookie of the Year Award vote after batting .297 with 27 HR, 92 RBI, and 47 doubles.

  • Several injuries hampered his playing time and his performance for the next several years, but he has done better the past two years. In 2024 he hit .285 in 75 games for the Athletics, and then in 2025 he hit .318 with 10 HR and 44 RBI in 94 games for the Athletics and Reds.

  • Outlook: Andujar bats right-handed and has fairly even splits, but does hit LHP better than RHP. That pairs nicely with Gavin Sheets who is a lefty and definitely hits RHP better than LHP. So although Andujar has not played a lot at 1B thus far, they could make a good platoon pair. He could also see a lot of ABs as a DH, and he can serve as a reserve corner OF and a backup to Manny Machado at 3B too.

RIP, Mickey Lolich (1940-2026)

As noted in an article by Jason Beck at MLB, longtime LHP Mickey Lolich passed away recently at the age of 85. Beck’s article is a nice write-up and includes some good video clips too. Here are a few career of Lolich’s career highlights:

  • 16-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1963-1979, mostly with the Tigers

  • Three-time All-Star, including in 1971 when he led the AL with 308 strikeouts, 29 complete games, and in wins with a 25-14 record

  • Posted a 22-14 record and career-best 2.50 ERA in 1972

  • On a loaded Detroit Tigers squad, he was the 1968 World Series MVP after winning three complete games with a 1.67 ERA.

  • Overall had a 217-191 (.532) record, 2,832 K, a 3.44 ERA, and a 104 ERA+


Today’s Trivia Question

One of today's Birthday Boys (see below) is the great Hank Aaron. He is of course the Braves all-time franchise leader in HR, having hit 733 of his 755 career HR with them. Eight other players have hit 200+ HR while with the Braves — how many can you name?


Countdown to Spring Training!

Continuing with this fun series… Spring Training games are now just 15 days away, so here are some top players who had uniform #15 for extended periods of time (and the teams they wore it with). The following list is an extended version of what I shared in December when I was counting down the last couple of weeks until the end of the year.

  • SP Red Ruffing - Yankees (1932-1942)

  • 1B/3B Dick Allen - Phillies (1964-69, 75-76), Cardinals (1970), Dodgers (1971), White Sox (1972-74)

  • OF Jim Edmonds - Cardinals (2000-07)

  • OF Carlos Beltran - Royals (2000-04), Mets (2005-11), Giants (2011), Astros (2004, 2017)

  • SP Tim Hudson - Athletics (2000-04), Braves (2005-13)

  • C/1B Joe Torre - Braves (1960-68)

  • 2B Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox (2007-2019)

  • C Thurman Munson - Yankees (1969-79)

  • OF George Foster - Reds (1971-81), Mets (1982-86)

  • 2B Davey Lopes - Dodgers (1972-81)

  • C Darrell Porter - Brewers (1971-76), Royals (1977-80), Cardinals (1981-85)

  • OF Tim Salmon - Angels (1992-06)

  • 1B Cecil Cooper - Brewers (1977-87)

  • OF Shawn Green - Blue Jays (1994-99), Dodgers (2000-04), Diamondbacks (2005-06)

  • 3B Kyle Seager - Mariners (2011-21)

  • SP Dan Haren - Athletics (2006-07), Diamondbacks (2008-10), and two other clubs

  • SP Doug Drabek - Pirates (1987-92), Astros (1993-96), and two other clubs

  • C Tim McCarver - Cardinals (1963-69, 73-74)


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 5…

  • 1897: Old Hoss dies after illness at a relatively young age. “Pitcher Charley Radbourn dies in Bloomington, Illinois, at age of 42. In an 11-season career, Radbourn played for the Providence Grays, Boston Beaneaters, Boston Reds and Cincinnati Reds, compiling a 309-195 record with 1,830 strikeouts and a 2.67 ERA. He posted at least 20 wins in nine seasons, including 59 in 1884 and 48 a year before. Affectionately nicknamed "Old Hoss", Radbourn will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.”

  • 1935: Babe Ruth is released by the Yankees. “At 39 years of age, home run king Babe Ruth is released by the New York Yankees. He will sign with the Boston Braves to play one more season, but will not complete it.”

  • 1942: The Braves trade for Tommy Holmes. “The Boston Braves obtain outfielder Tommy Holmes from the New York Yankees for Buddy Hassett and Gene Moore in one of the best trades in Braves history. Hassett will hit .284, then join the Navy and never make it back to the major leagues. The much-traveled Moore will never play for the Yankees. Holmes couldn't break into New York's All-Star line-up, but he will be a .302 career hitter and will lead the Braves to the National League pennant in 1948.”


🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Hank Aaron, Roberto Alomar, Roger Peckinpaugh, Al Worthington

Hank Aaron (1934-2021)

  • Hall of Famer

  • 23-year major league career, spanning from 1954-1976, mostly with the Braves

  • All-Star in 21 consecutive seasons, and was NL MVP in 1957 after batting .322 and leading the league with 44 HR, 132 RBI, and 118 runs

  • Hit 30+ HR 15 times and 40+ HR 8 times, leading the NL four times

  • Led the NL in batting average twice, with a .328 average in 1956 and a career-high .355 in 1959

  • Led the NL in RBI four times, runs three times, and doubles three times

  • Won three Gold Glove Awards as a RF

  • Did well in the postseason with a .362/.405/.710 slash line with 6 HR in 17 games

  • Overall is the all-time MLB leader with 6,856 total bases and 2,297 runs, is second all-time in HR with 755, third in hits with 3,771, and fourth in runs with 2,174. Had a .305/.374/.555 slash line and a 155 OPS+.

Roberto Alomar (1968)

  • Hall of Famer

  • 17-year major league career, spanning from 1988-2004, with the Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles, Indians, Mets, White Sox, and Diamondbacks

  • 12-time All-Star and won 10 Gold Glove Awards at 2B

  • Had 30+ SB eight times, with highs of 53 SB in 1991 and 55 SB in 1993

  • Had 100+ runs six times, including an AL-leading and career-high 138 runs in 1999

  • Had some pop too, with 15+ HR five times, with a high of 24 HR and 120 RBI in 1999

  • Generally did well in the postseason, including winning the ALCS MVP with the Blue Jays in 1992 and overall having 20 SB and a a .313/.381/.443 slash line in 58 games

  • Overall had 210 HR, 474 SB, 1,508 runs, a .300/.371/.443 slash line, and a 116 OPS+

Roger Peckinpaugh (1891-1977)

  • 17-year major league career, spanning from 1910-1927, mostly with the Yankees, Senators, and Indians

  • Was a good defensive SS and frequently among the league leaders in various fielding statistics

  • Had 15+ SB five times and a high of 38 SB in 1914

  • Scored 109 runs in 1920 and then a career-high 128 runs in 1921

  • Overall had 205 SB, 1,006 runs, and a .259 average

  • Upon retiring as a player he became the Indians manager from 1928-1933, and then returned to manage them again in 1941

Al Worthington (1929)

  • 14-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1953-1969, mostly with the Giants and Twins

  • Was a mixed starter and reliever early in his career with the New York and San Francisco Giants, then became a dedicated reliever in the second half of his career

  • Had 14-21 saves and an ERA below 3.00 each year from 1964-1968

  • Overall had 111 saves, a 3.39 ERA, and a 110 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on February 5 include NYY Cam Schlittler, CIN Nick Lodolo, CHC Daniel Palencia, NYM Austin Warren, and LAA Kaleb Ort.


Baseball Quote of the Day

With Hank Aaron as one of today’s Birthday Boys (see above), obviously I had to include some good quotes from him. Here is just a sample:

"If I knew exactly what I know now and had it to do over, I'd be a switch hitter. No telling what I could have done."

"My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging."

In playing ball, and in life, a person occasionally gets the opportunity to do something great. When that time comes, only two things matter: being prepared to seize the moment and having the courage to take your best swing."

"Failure is a part of success. There is no such thing as a bed of roses all your life. But failure will never stand in the way of success if you learn from it."

"I never smile when I have a bat in my hands. That's when you've got to be serious. When I get out on the field, nothing's a joke to me. I don't feel like I should walk around with a smile on my face."

"The pitcher has got only a ball. I've got a bat. So the percentage in weapons is in my favor and I let the fellow with the ball do the fretting."

"Guessing what the pitcher is going to throw is 80% of being a successful hitter. The other 20% is just execution."

"The triple is the most exciting play in baseball. Home runs win a lot of games, but I never understood why fans are so obsessed with them."

"The thing I like about baseball is that it's one-on-one. You stand up there alone, and if you make a mistake, it's your mistake. If you hit a home run, it's your home run."

"I had just turned 20, and Jackie told me the only way to be successful at anything was to go out and do it. He said baseball was a game you played every day, not once a week."

"I looked for the same pitch my whole career, a breaking ball. All of the time. I never worried about the fastball. They couldn't throw it past me, none of them."

"I think what separates a superstar from the average ballplayer is that he concentrates just a little bit longer."

"In baseball, there is something electrifying about the big leagues. I had read so much about (Stan) Musial, (Ted) Williams and (Jackie) Robinson. I had put those guys on a pedestal. They were something special. I really thought they put their pants on different, rather than one leg at a time."

"I don't want people to forget Babe Ruth. I just want them to remember Henry Aaron."

⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾


Today’s Trivia Answer

Here is the Braves’ franchise All-Time HR leaderboard:

  • 733 - Hank Aaron

  • 493 - Eddie Mathews

  • 468 - Chipper Jones

  • 371 - Dale Murphy

  • 368 - Andruw Jones

  • 271 - Freddie Freeman

  • 239 - Joe Adcock

  • 215 - Bob Horner

  • 214 - Javy López

Wally Berger is next with 199, and Ronald Acuña Jr. should get onto this list soon as he has 186 HR.


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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