The Baseball Buffet for 6/24/2025

Issue #315

What follows is a new feature for 2025 at Now Taking the Field. 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! Let me know what you think of each issue… I can be reached at [email protected].

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 89th day of the season had a partial slate of Monday games:

• TEX 0, BAL 6 - Another disappointing day for the Rangers offense, as they only managed 3 hits and were shut out by Trevor Rogers (8 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) and Andre Kittredge who came in for the ninth inning. The big bat for the Orioles came from leadoff hitter Jackson Holliday who went 3-5 with a HR, a double, and 4 RBI.

• ATL 3, NYM 2 - Juan Soto hit a 2-run HR, but Spencer Schwellenbach otherwise pitched well once again (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K). The Braves scored their three runs early, with Ronald Acuña Jr. continuing to hit well going 2-5 with a HR and a SB. Raisel Iglesias pitched in the eighth, but let up two hits so Dylan Lee (1.77 ERA, 37 K in 35.2 IP) came in for a four-out save, his second on the season.

• NYY 1, CIN 6 - Aaron Judge hit his 28th HR in the first inning, but then Nick Lodolo didn’t let up any additional runs (4.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K), and neither did the four Cincinnati relievers the rest of the way. Gavin Lux hit his fourth HR of the year, and Elly De La Cruz went 3-4 with a HR, a triple, and 3 RBI.

• SEA 11, MIN 2 - Bryan Woo was doing great (6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K) until the sixth when he let up back-to-back HR by Trevor Larnach and Carlos Correa. But that was still good enough for his seventh win of the year, as the Mariners hit three HR off Bailey Ober (7 IP, 7 H, 7 ER, 0 BB, 7 K) by Julio Rodriguez, Luke Raley, and Dominic Canzone. Seattle piled on four more runs in the ninth… including of course yet another HR by Cal Raleigh, his MLB-leading 32nd of the year.

• CHC 2, STL 8 - Pete Crow-Armstrong went 2-3 with two doubles and scored both the Cubs runs. But Chicago starter Ben Brown didn’t do well in this one (5 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), allowing four HR to Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Alec Burleson, and Nolan Gorman. Willson Contreras also contributed going 3-4 with 2 doubles, and Cards starter Matthew Liberatore had a good day (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K).

• AZ 10, CHW 0 - Arizona jumped on the White Sox earlier getting a 5-0 lead after two innings, and an 8-0 lead after five. That included two HR by Pavin Smith and one by Ketel Marte, while D-Backs starter Eduardo Rodriguez was excellent (6 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 K) and Anthony DeSclafani pitched the last three innings to combine for the shutout.

• PIT 5, MIL 4 - Chad Patrick struck out a career-high 9 in just 5 innings, but also let up 9 hits and 4 ER including a 2-run HR to Tommy Pham, his first of the year. Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich had a 2-run HR of his own, his 15th on the season. Overall the Pirates tallied 14 hits, including Nick Gonzalez going 5-5 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI. David Bednar allowed a couple of baserunners in the ninth but still secured his 11th save of the year.

• BOS 5, LAA 9 - Both teams scored early, with the Angels up 5-3 after the first inning’s action, including a leadoff HR by Zach Neto. Walker Buehler struggled with his command in this one (4 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 7 BB, 3 K), as did Garrett Whitlock in relief later: the Angels only had 6 hits in this game, but were given 11 free passes, including four for Taylor Ward, and three each for Mike Trout and Luis Rengifo.

• WAS 10, SDP 6 - The Padres had three HR from Manny Machado, Jake Cronenworth, and Fernando Tatis Jr., but it wouldn’t be enough as the Nationals banged out 15 hits and went 7-14 with runners in scoring position. James Wood went 3-5 with his 22nd HR of the year, Josh Bell was 2-4 with a HR, and CJ Abrams was 3-5 with a SB and 3 runs scored.

I plan to start including the current standings in some form here, but until then… here is a link to the official standings at MLB.com.

Today’s Trivia Question

Returning to my trivia series on the most career games played at each position, how about RF? Again, bonus points for each of the rest of the top five you can name.

Trivia answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.

Who’s on the move?

In this section I won’t list 26th-man moves, or every time a team shuttles relievers back and forth to AAA to keep a stock of fresh arms in the bullpen. I’ll focus on the biggest, more impactful demotions, promotions, and injury list changes (for a full list, see all the latest MLB transactions).

➕ Sent on a Rehab Assignment

• TOR RP Yimi Garcia

🤕 Placed on the IL

• BAL C Maverick Handley - 7-day IL (concussion)

🚼 Placed on the Paternity List

• LAA SS Kevin Newman

❌ Designated for Assignment

• CIN 3B Jeimer Candelario - Not surprising since he was hitting only .113 in 80 at-bats before getting injured this year. But it is a little surprising given he is in year two of a three-year, $42 million contract. Assuming he clears waivers, the Reds will be on the hook to pay his contract… while other teams could take a chance on him at the pro-rated league minimum for the rest of this year. Candelario can play either 3B or 1B, and since he hit 20+ HR in each of the last two seasons, I could see there being some interest.

📝 Signed as Free Agent

• The Arizona Diamondbacks have signed 35-year old catcher James McCann, who has played 11 years in the majors, most recently last year with the Orioles where he had 8 HR and a .234 average in 66 games.

League Leaders

We are down to only two qualified pitchers with sub-2.00 ERA at this point:

• 1.85 - PIT Paul Skenes

• 1.88 - HOU Hunter Brown

• 2.05 - NYY Max Fried

• 2.06 - DET Tarik Skubal

• 2.12 - KCR Kris Bubic

• 2.20 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 2.24 - TEX Jacob deGrom

• 2.49 - SFG Logan Webb

• 2.52 - ATL Chris Sale

• 2.61 - TBR Drew Rasmussen

• 2.61 - PHI Zack Wheeler

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history (for a longer list, see the feature at the Baseball Almanac or the Bullpen feature at Baseball-Reference.com):

📅 On June 24…

• 1908: Early AL New York owners were clearly not the Steinbrenners. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Charging the Highlanders owners with refusing to spend money to build the team, manager Clark Griffith resigns; Kid Elberfeld replaces him following today's 6-6 tie with the A's. New York will fade fast and finish last with 103 losses.”

• 1968: Jim Northrup hits two grand slams in a game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Detroit RF Jim Northrup becomes the sixth American League player to hit two grand slams in one game, connecting in the 5th inning off Eddie Fisher and in the 6th off Billy Rohr, as the Tigers bomb Cleveland, 14 - 3. Denny McLain is the victor. First baseman Willie Smith pitches the last three innings, walking just one and allowing one hit and no runs. Detroit's Don Wert is taken to the hospital following a 6th-inning beaning which shatters his batting helmet. He will miss just a few games.”

• 1970: Reds win the last game played at Crosley Field. As described at baseball-reference.com, “In the last game ever played at Crosley Field, Lee May and Johnny Bench hit back-to-back home runs in the 8th off Juan Marichal to give the Reds a 5-4 win. After the game, home plate is presented to Mayor Eugene Ruehlman and is flown by helicopter to the Reds' new home, Riverfront Stadium.”

• 1979: The AL is introduced to the one and only Rickey Henderson. Rickey Henderson makes his major league debut for Oakland in a 5-1 loss to Texas in the first game of a doubleheader. Henderson goes 2-4 with a double… and of course, a stolen base.

• 1989: Vince Coleman steals his 40th consecutive base. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Cardinals OF Vince Coleman steals his 39th and 40th consecutive bases in a 5-2 loss to the Pirates to break the major league record set by Davey Lopes in 1975. Coleman has not been caught stealing since last September 15th.”

• 1991: 39-year old Dave Winfield hits for the cycle. As described at baseball-reference.com, “California's Dave Winfield goes 5 for 5 and hits for the cycle as the Angels defeat Kansas City, 9-4. In so doing, he becomes the oldest player in history (39) to accomplish the feat. He completes the cycle, the first of his career, in the 8th with a triple off infielder Bill Pecota, making his first pitching appearance. Winfield is the first batter faced by Pecota, who takes over when Tom Gordon's hemorrhoids act up.” (TMI? Sorry.)

• 1993: Slugger Gary Sheffield traded for future franchise player Trevor Hoffman. In what will be an important trade for both teams, the Marlins obtain OF Gary Sheffield and P Rich Rodriguez from the Padres for P Trevor Hoffman, Andres Berumen, and Jose Martinez. Sheffield had led the NL with a .330 average the year before, along with 33 HR and 100 RBI in his age-23 season. Clearly a budding superstar, the Fish will give Sheffield a four-year contract extension in September, and he will be productive for them, including a big 1996 season when he hits 42 HR with 120 RBI, 16 SB, a .314 average, and a league-leading .465 OBP. That said, I’d argue San Diego got the better of the deal as 25-year old Trevor Hoffman blossomed into their closer the following season and stayed in that role until 2008. That included 6 seasons as an All-Star, 13 seasons with 30+ saves, four years with down-ballot Cy Young Award consideration, and countless emotional entrances to “Hells Bells” by AC/DC.

• 1997: Randy Johnson strikes out 19. As described at baseball-reference.com, “At Seattle, the Mariners fall to the Athletics, 4-1, despite a 19-strikeout performance by Randy Johnson. The 19 Ks are the most ever by an American League left-hander. Mark McGwire turns one Johnson fastball into a homer that travels an estimated 538 feet.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Doug Jones (1957) had a 16-year major league career as a reliever with the Indians, Brewers, and five other clubs. He was drafted by the Brewers in 1978 and pitched for them briefly in 1982 but otherwise continued in the minors until making it back up with the Indians in 1986. He became their closer in 1988, the first of five All-Star seasons he’d have in his career. He posted 25+ saves seven times, including in 1992 when he had 36 saves and an impressive 1.85 ERA for the Astros. He almost matched that in his age-40 season with the Brewers in 1997 when he again had 36 saves to go with a 2.02 ERA. Overall for his career he posted 303 saves, a 3.30 ERA, and a 129 ERA+.

• Billy Nash (1865) had a 15-year major league career, spanning from 1884-1898, mostly with the Boston and Philadelphia clubs in the early days of the National League. He mostly played 3B, and was a good runs scorer, with 100+ runs in four seasons, and 90+ runs another three times. He also stole 20+ bases in eight consecutive seasons, with a high of 43 in 1887. He never hit over .300, but retired with a respectable .275/.367/.382 slash line, and a 105 OPS+.

• Jake Stenzel (1867) had a 9-year career in the majors which spanned from 1890-1899. He played for Pittsburgh for most of those seasons, but also spent time with four other clubs. Primarily a CF, Stenzel was a good hitter who scored 100+ runs four times, and had four seasons with 50+ SB, including a high of 69 SB in 1897. His best overall numbers came in the admittedly high-offense season of 1894 when he batted .352 with 150 runs, 39 doubles, 20 triples, 13 HR, 121 RBI, and 61 SB. For his career Stenzel had 292 SB, and an impressive .338/.408/.479 slash line and 134 OPS+.

• Don Mincher (1938) played in the majors for 13 years, spanning from 1960-1972. He played briefly with the Senators in 1960 and then moved with the club to Minnesota where he played through 1966, with the rest of his time spread across four different teams. Mincher was a 1B with some power, hitting 20+ HR five times, though he only played 140+ games in three seasons. A two-time All-Star, overall for his career he had 200 HR, a .249/.348/.450 slash line, and a solid 127 OPS+.

Currently active players who were born on June 24 include BOS Wilyer Abreu, TBR Christopher Morel, CLE Slade Cecconi, CIN Luis Mey, and SFG Tristan Beck.

Today’s Matchups

A full slate of Tuesday games (15), so lots of possibilities. Some games that jump out to me are:

• ATL vs. NYM is game two of a good NL East series, with Spencer Strider (3.89 ERA, 45 K in 37 IP) who has been excellent in his last two starts, going against Frankie Montas who is making his 2025 debut.

• NYY vs. CIN is interesting as it features the strong Carlos Rodón (3.10 ERA, 114 K in 95.2 IP) going for the Yankees, and the Reds debuting 22-year old prospect Chase Burns who has a 1.77 ERA in 13 starts across three minor league levels so far this year. He has had 89 K in 66 IP, with only 38 hits allowed—but will have a big test in facing New York for his first MLB start. Of note, Burns was last year’s #2 overall draft pick out of college, where in his final season at Wake Forest he was 10-1 with a 2.88 ERA and 191 K in 100 IP.

• PHI vs. HOU features a nice pitching matchup in Ranger Suárez (2.20 ERA, 52 K in 57.1 IP) vs. Framber Valdez (3.09 ERA, 99 K in 96 IP).

Also on the bump today are MIL Freddy Peralta, DET Tarik Skubal, KCR Kris Bubic, SEA Luis Castillo, BOS Garrett Crochet, and SFG Justin Verlander.

HR Watch

Predicting who might hit a HR on any given day is a challenge. But here are a few to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• LAD Max Muncy, only 7-32 (.219) but has 4 HR and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

• LAD Freddie Freeman, 7-27 with 2 HR and a double vs. COL Germán Márquez

• STL Alec Burleson, 6-15 with 2 HR and 2 doubles vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• ATH Brent Rooker, 6-14 with 2 HR vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• PHI Kyle Schwarber, only 3-14 but with 2 HR vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• TOR George Springer, small sample but is 3-7 with 2 HR vs. CLE Logan Allen

• NYM Brandon Nimmo, 9-19 with 2 HR, a triple, and 2 doubles vs. ATL Spencer Strider

Hits Watch

If you play MLB’s Beat the Streak mobile game, or otherwise bet on/parlay players to collect hits, I’ll try to provide some good options in this section. In addition to the HR Watch guys listed above, here are some others to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• STL Nolan Arenado, 11-25 with a double vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

• SDP Luis Arraez, 7-18 with a HR and a double vs. WAS Trevor Williams

• PIT Bryan Reynolds, 12-33 (.364) with a HR, a triple, and a double vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• ATL Alex Verdugo, 6-11 with 3 doubles vs. NYM Frankie Montas

• SFG Rafael Devers, 6-11 with a HR and 3 doubles vs. MIA Cal Quantrill

• ATH Gio Urshela, 5-12 vs. DET Tarik Skubal

• BOS Rob Refsnyder, small sample but is 4-8 with a double vs. lefty LAA Tyler Anderson, and Refsnyder hits lefties well.

• TBR Yandy Diaz, small sample but is 4-5 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. KCR Kris Bubic

Who is streaking?

These are players on active hit streaks and who for this reason (if playing) might also be interesting picks to get a hit today:

• 13 - TBR Yandy Diaz

• 12 - AZ Josh Naylor

• 12 - WAS Luis Garcia Jr.

• 11 - TBR Brandon Lowe

• 10 - TBR Jake Mangum

• 10 - TEX Josh Smith

• 10 - HOU Jake Meyers

• 10 - COL Tyler Freeman

• 10 - SDP Luis Arraez

• 8 - TBR Jonathan Aranda

• 8 - MIL Brice Turang

• 7 - KCR Bobby Witt Jr.

• 7 - MIL Joey Ortiz

• 7 - MIL Christian Yelich

• 7 - MIL Isaac Collins

• 7 - SDP Jackson Merrill

Who might struggle today?

Betting against any given player to not get a hit is tough, as guys in the starting lineup get at least one hit in a game more often than not. That said, here are some guys who clearly have struggled against their opposing SP today:

• PIT Tommy Pham, 1-12 with 7 K vs. MIL Freddy Peralta

• PHI Nick Castellanos, 1-12 with 5 K vs. HOU Framber Valdez

• LAD Will Smith, 2-17 with 5 K though one hit was a HR vs. COL Germán Márquez

• TEX Corey Seager, 1-15 with 4 K though the one hit was a HR vs. BAL Charlie Morton

• SFG Wilmer Flores, 1-10 though only 1 K vs. MIA Cal Quantrill

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

The player who had the most major league games played in RF was Roberto Clemente. The all-time top five are:

• 2,305 - Roberto Clemente

• 2,250 - Paul Waner

• 2,182 - Harry Hooper

• 2,174 - Hank Aaron

• 2,161 - Mel Ott

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.

• All-Star Ballot check-in: Leaders in charge; Vlad now 1st at 1st while Acuña, Javy climb, by Manny Randhawa at MLB, 6/23/2025

• The 5 closest All-Star races in final days of Phase 1 balloting, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 6/23/2025

• A's break ground on new Las Vegas stadium, by Martin Gallegos at MLB, 6/23/2025

• 10 incredible Rickey Henderson stats, by Manny Randhawa at MLB, 6/24/2025

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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