Issue #543
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! ⚾
Lots of news from the sports world yesterday of course, with the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, plenty of Winter Olympics happenings, and more. For offseason baseball news, not so much… with one free agent signing of note:
Mets sign OF MJ Melendez. According to an article by Jason Foster at MLB, the Mets are signing OF MJ Melendez to a 1-year deal for $1.5 million.
Melendez played three full seasons for the Royals from 2022-2024, with 16-18 HR each year, but also with low BA and OBP numbers, including only a .206 average and .273 OBP in 2024.
In 2025, Melendez really struggled early, and was sent down to AAA Omaha. He did better there, with 20 HR, 20 SB, and a .261 average in 107 games. For the Royals on the year he only hit .083 with 1 HR in 23 games.
Outlook: Obviously Juan Soto is the Mets’ RF, and presumably Luis Robert Jr. will be their primary CF. So Melendez will compete for time in LF with Carson Benge, Tyrone Taylor, and Brett Baty (who no longer will see much playing time in the infield given the importing of Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, and Bo Bichette). Melendez was originally a catcher, so if he makes the roster coming out of Spring Training, and if the Mets only have two primary catchers, then he could serve as an emergency third backstop (a position he admittedly hasn’t played since 2023).
Today’s Trivia Question
Continuing my recent trivia theme, which four Hall of Famers played their entire careers with the Pittsburgh Pirates?
New MLB Game: Daily Walkoff
MLB recently announced a new trivia game called the Daily Walkoff, “an officially licensed daily trivia game built for baseball fans everywhere.” As described in the announcement:
“Daily Walkoff challenges fans to test their knowledge of MLB teams and players through fast, team-specific trivia puzzles. Players select an MLB team and sort player tiles into the correct trivia columns. Each completed column earns a base hit — four hits score a run and win the game. Miss three times, and it’s game over.
What sets Daily Walkoff apart is its scale: 30 new puzzles are released every day -- one for each MLB team. Whether you follow a single club or pride yourself on knowing the entire league, there’s always a fresh challenge waiting.”
Check it out here: www.mlb.com/app/atbat/daily-walkoff
Countdown to Spring Training!
Continuing with this fun series… Spring Training games are now just 11 days away, so here are some top players who had uniform #11 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.
OF Paul Waner - Pirates (1932-39)
SS Barry Larkin - Reds (1988-2004)
SP Carl Hubbell - Giants (1933-43)
3B/DH Edgar Martínez - Mariners (1987-2004)
3B José Ramírez - Guardians (2014-2025)
SS Luis Aparicio - White Sox (1956-62, 68-70), Orioles 1963-67), Red Sox (1971-73)
SP Lefty Gomez - Yankees (1932-42)
SS Jimmy Rollins - Phillies (2001-14), Dodgers (2015)
C Bill Freehan - Tigers (1963-76)
3B/1B Darrell Evans - Braves (1969-76, 89)
SP Dizzy Trout - Tigers (1941-52)
SS Jim Fregosi - Angels (1962-71)
2B Chuck Knoblauch - Twins (1991-97), Yankees (1998-2001), Royals (2002)
OF Brett Gardner - Yankees (2008-21)
3B Doug DeCinces - Orioles (1974-81), Angels (1982-87)
3B/1B Ryan Zimmerman - Nationals (2006-21)
OF/DH Hal McRae - Reds (1968-72), Royals (1973-87)
3B/SS/2B Toby Harrah - Senators/Rangers (1971-78, 85-86), Indians (1979-83), Yankees (1984)
3B Ken Caminiti - Astros (1987-94, 1999-2000) and two other clubs
SP Yu Darvish - Rangers (2012-17, Cubs (2018-20), Padres (2021-25)
3B Rafael Devers - Red Sox (2017-25)
SS Don Kessinger - Cubs (1964-75), Cardinals (1976-77), White Sox (1978-79)
SS Roy McMillan - Reds (1951-60), Braves (1961-64), Mets (1964-66)
SS Bo Bichette - Blue Jays (2019-25)
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 9…
1901: Don’t drink the sea water. “Giants and Pirates outfielder Tom O'Brien, 28, dies in Phoenix, AZ. A popular player with the Giants, O'Brien played for Pirates in 1900, then accompanied the Giants and Superbas last fall on a trip to Cuba for a series of exhibition games. On the boat trip over, he was told that if he drank enough sea water he'd be sick, but would then be cured of any sea sickness. Both O'Brien and Kid Gleason became violently ill following the prescription, but O'Brien was so affected that all his internal organs were damaged, and he never recovered.”
1920: Banning foreign substances. “The Joint Rules Committee bans all foreign substances or other alterations to the ball by pitchers, including saliva, resin, talcum powder, paraffin, and the shine and emery ball. A pitcher caught cheating will be suspended for ten days. The American League allows each club to name just two pitchers who will be allowed to use the pitch for one more season. The National League allows each club to name all its spitball pitchers. No pitchers other than those designated will be permitted to use the banned pitch, and none at all after this season (however, the designated pitchers will eventually be allowed to use the pitch for the rest of their careers).”
1927: The Giants bring Edd Roush back. “The Giants send versatile George Kelly, along with cash, to the Reds for truculent holdout OF Edd Roush. The Giants sent Roush to the Reds in 1916.”
2001: Derek Jeter signs a big 10-year deal. “After 13 months of negotiations, Derek Jeter and the Yankees finalize a $189 million, ten-year contract. The deal makes the All-Star shortstop second only to Alex Rodriguez ($252 million/10 years) as highest-paid player in the history of the sport.”
🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉
Row 1: Vladimir Guerrero, Heinie Zimmerman, Tex Hughson, Vic Wertz
Row 2: John Kruk, Mookie Wilson, Clete Boyer, Pete O’Brien
Vladimir Guerrero (1975)
Hall of Famer
16-year major league career, spanning from 1996-2011, mostly with the Expos and Angels
Nine-time All-Star, including in 2004 when he won the AL MVP Award after batting .337 with 39 HR, 126 RBI, and a league-leading 124 runs
Hit 25+ HR an impressive twelve times, with highs of 42 HR in 1999 and 44 HR in 2000
Had 100+ RBI ten times and 100+ runs six times
Had 37 SB in 2001 and 40 SB in 2002, but otherwise never had more than 15 SB in a season
Had mixed results as a RF, often leading his league in errors but possessing a strong arm and so leading his league in RF assists three times
Overall had 449 HR, 1,496 RBI, 1,328 runs, a .318/.379/.553 slash line, and a 140 OPS+
His brother Wilton Guerrero played 8 years in the major leagues, and his son is Vladimir Guerrero Jr., current star 1B for the Toronto Blue Jays
Heinie Zimmerman (1887-1969)
13-year major league career, spanning from 1907-1919, mostly playing 3B and 2B with the Cubs and Giants
Was a good hitter during the deadball era, with his best season coming in 1912 when he earned the NL Triple Crown by leading the league with a .372 average, 14 HR, and 104 RBI. He also had 23 SB, 14 triples, 95 runs, and led the league with 41 doubles and 207 hits.
Later led the NL in RBI with 83 in 1916 and 100 in 1917
Had 15+ SB six times, but his high was a modest 24 SB in 1916 (when he was also caught 20 times)
Overall had 175 SB, a .295/.331/.419 slash line, and a 121 OPS+
Tex Hughson (1916-1993)
8-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1941-49, all with the Red Sox (missing 1945 for military service)
Three-time All-Star
Led the AL in wins with a 22-6 record in 1942. Also had a 2.59 ERA and led the league with 281 IP, 22 CG, and a modest 113 K.
Had a 18-5 record and 2.26 ERA in 1944, and then a 20-11 record and 2.75 ERA in 1946
Overall had a 96-54 (.640) record, a 2.94 ERA, and a 125 ERA+
Vic Wertz (1925-1983)
17-year major league career, spanning from 1947-1963, mostly with the Tigers, Indians, Red Sox, and Browns
Four-time All-Star
Hit 20+ HR six times, with a high of a 32 HR in 1956 for the Indians
Had 100+ RBI five times, with highs of 133 RBI in 1949 and 123 RBI in 1950 for the Tigers
Played mostly RF early in his career, then switched to 1B for the second half
Overall had 266 HR, 1,178 RBI, a .277/.364/.469 slash line, and a 122 OPS+
John Kruk (1961)
10-year major league career, spanning from 1986-1995, mostly as a 1B and OF with the Phillies and Padres
Three-time All-Star
Hit 20 HR with 91 RBI in 1987 for the Padres, and then 21 HR and 92 RBI in 1991 for the Phillies
Had a good eye and so had a .400+ OBP four times
Overall had 100 HR, a .300/.397/.446 slash line, and a 134 OPS+
After retiring as a player, Kruk became a baseball analyst for ESPN. He is now a color commentator for Phillies' games on NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Mookie Wilson (1956)
12-year major league career, spanning from 1980-1991, as a CF for the Mets and Blue Jays
Was a consistent hitter, batting between .271-.279 each year from 1981-1985, then improving to .289-.299 the next three seasons
Had 20+ SB eight times, with highs of 58 SB in 1982, 54 SB in 1983, and 46 SB in 1984
Born William Hayward Wilson, he was nicknamed Mookie as a small child
Overall had 327 SB and a .274 average
Clete Boyer (1937-2007)
16-year major league career, spanning from 1955-1971, with the Yankees, Braves, and Athletics
Was a defense-first 3B, only winning one Gold Glove finally in 1970, but that was in part because while with the Yankees he was up against the Orioles' Brooks Robinson for the award. He frequently led or was among the leaders in several 3B fielding statistics.
Only had a career .242 average and .299 OBP, but had some pop with 15+ HR four times, including career highs of 26 HR and 96 RBI in 1967
Pete O'Brien (1958)
12-year major league career, spanning from 1982-1993, mostly with the Rangers and Mariners
Had between 16-23 HR six times and 80+ RBI five times
Was a generally good fielder at 1B
Overall had 169 HR, a .261/.336/.409 slash line, and a 104 OPS+
Currently active players who were born on February 9 include LAA Logan O'Hoppe, STL Bruce Zimmerman, KCR Jac Caglianone, NYM Vidal Bruján, and ATL Brewer Hicklen.
New Baseball Books!
The following are some books that are newly published in February, 2026:
Ron Shandler's 2026 Baseball Forecaster: And Encyclopedia of Fanalytics
by Brent Hershey, Brandon Kruse, Ray Murphy, and Ron Shandler
Triumph Books
February 3, 2026
272 pages
Diamond Classics II: The Best Baseball Books Since 1989
by Mike Shannon
McFarland
February 13, 2026
306 pages
Baseball Magic and Mayhem in St. Louis: The 1926 Cardinals, World Series Champions
by Kevin J. Abing
McFarland
February 4, 2026
218 pages
Heyday of Willie, Duke, and Mickey, The: New York City Baseball's Golden Age amid Integration
by Robert C. Cottrell
Bloomsbury Academic
February 5, 2026
344 pages
Baseball Quote of the Day
One of today's Birthday Boys (see above) is John Kruk. A fan-favorite, both as a player and then since as a broadcaster and analyst, Kruk has given us lots of great quotes full of both wisdom and humor. Here is just a sample, starting with arguably his most famous one:
"I'm not an athlete, I'm a baseball player."
On himself being an All-Star: "It's amazing that fans want to see me play. It's kind of scary. I guess that's what is wrong with our society."
On hitting knuckleballs: "You just hope it hits your bat in a good spot."
On his style: "I try to dumb down out there. They tell you to stay within yourself, so that's what I do. Mentally, I'm not gonna out-think myself to often."
"On this Twitter thing, at least five people a day say 'bring back the mullet.' My wife told me I'm not allowed. Troy Tulowitzki wants me to grow a rat-tail for his charity. I was like, 'What the heck is a rat-tail?'"
"Too many managers manage by what the postgame press conference is going to be."
"You hear players, media people, say that it's tough to play in Philly in front of these fans, to those people I say: you didn't have the guts to succeed here!"
"I would think I drive most hitting coaches crazy. During one single at-bat I used six different stances on six pitches. Oh yeah, I also struck out. So what do I know?"
"The average person would never guess that I am a baseball player. They would probably mistake me for the beer man."
"Let's be honest. We're losing by eight runs, and all I'm thinking about at that point is getting back to the hotel by midnight because that's when room service closes. All of a sudden we start getting hits and more hits, and I'm saying, 'I'm not going to make it.' If you're not going to get room service you might as well win."
"If I ever become a vegan can you punch me in the face as hard as you can?"
Today’s Trivia Answer
Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski, Willie Stargell, and Pie Traynor are Hall of Famers who played their entire careers with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.
Each team's top storyline entering Spring Training, by MLB writers, 2/8/2026
7 hopeful predictions to beat the winter blues and celebrate spring, by Will Leitch at MLB, 2/8/2026
This season's best projected rookies are ..., by Brian Murphy at MLB, 2/8/2026
Kershaw, Rizzo, Votto join NBC's MLB pregame coverage for 2026, by Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru at MLB, 2/8/2026
4 ways the Red Sox can beat their projection and vie for an AL East title, by Andrew Simon at MLB, 2/8/2026
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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