Issue #700

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! ⚾

There were no games yesterday, as we were still in the midst of the All-Star break. We have one game scheduled for this evening—the result of MLB’s negotiated contract with ESPN to air a single game to kick off the second half of the season:

  • NYM Christian Scott (2-1, 3.17 ERA in 54 IP) vs. PHI Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.75 ERA in 97 IP)


MLB Leaders

As we are concluding the All-Star break, I thought I'd share out several leaderboards for less prominent statistics, metrics I don't regularly include here. Today I'll start with some pitching leaderboards (though the first three are lists you don't want to be on!):

Most HR Allowed

  • 26 - ATH Jeffrey Springs

  • 23 - WSH Zack Littell

  • 22 - CHC Shota Imanaga

  • 21 - HOU Mike Burrows

  • 20 - 6 players tied

Most Hit Batsmen

  • 16 - CWS Anthony Kay

  • 13 - NYM Nolan McLean

  • 12 - WSH Cade Cavalli

  • 11 - HOU Spencer Arrighetti

  • 10 - SFG Trevor McDonald

  • 10 - PIT Yohan Ramírez

  • 10 - DET Framber Valdez

Most Walks Allowed

  • 55 - PIT Bubba Chandler

  • 53 - LAA José Soriano

  • 52 - SFG Robbie Ray

  • 50 - BAL Kyle Bradish

  • 49 - CLE Joey Cantillo

  • 48 - CIN Andrew Abbott

Highest Grounded Out to Air Out ratio

  • 1.62 - PHI Cristopher Sánchez

  • 1.57 - SFG Logan Webb

  • 1.55 - STL Andre Pallante

  • 1.50 - PHI Jesús Luzardo

  • 1.49 - LAA José Soriano

  • 1.44 - NYM Nolan McLean

  • 1.42 - SFG Landen Roupp

  • 1.40 - BAL Kyle Bradish

  • 1.32 - DET Framber Valdez

Highest K/9 IP

  • 13.55 - TOR Dylan Cease

  • 13.54 - MIL Jacob Misiorowski

  • 11.09 - PHI Jesús Luzardo

  • 10.91 - TEX Jacob deGrom

  • 10.80 - PIT Paul Skenes

  • 10.74 - ATL Chris Sale

  • 10.64 - CLE Gavin Williams

  • 10.48 - NYM Nolan McLean

Lowest BB/9 IP

  • 1.54 - TBR Drew Rasmussen

  • 1.62 - TBR Nick Martinez

  • 1.73 - SEA Bryan Woo

  • 1.77 - PHI Cristopher Sánchez

  • 1.79 - LAD Justin Wrobleski

  • 1.89 - SEA Logan Gilbert

  • 1.90 - NYY Cam Schlittler

  • 1.96 - SEA George Kirby

  • 1.97 - TEX Jacob deGrom

  • 1.99 - PIT Paul Skenes

Highest K/BB Ratio

  • 6.19 - MIL Jacob Misiorowski

  • 5.76 - TBR Drew Rasmussen

  • 5.76 - PHI Cristopher Sánchez

  • 5.55 - TEX Jacob deGrom

  • 5.48 - NYY Cam Schlittler

  • 5.42 - PIT Paul Skenes

  • 5.12 - MIN Joe Ryan

  • 5.10 - SEA Bryan Woo

  • 4.96 - SEA Logan Gilbert

  • 4.74 - PIT Braxton Ashcraft


Today’s Trivia Question

One of today's Birthday Boys is Terry Pendleton, who won the NL MVP Award in 1991 while with the Atlanta Braves. Which four other players have won the NL MVP Award for the Atlanta Braves? (Hint: One player did it twice.)

(Trivia answers are provided for paid All-Star subscribers of the Baseball Buffet.)


🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Joe Jackson, Terry Pendleton, Larry Jansen

Currently active players who were born on July 16 include ARI Ildemaro Vargas, TEX Jarred Kelenic, and BAL Michael Siani.


Baseball Quote of the Day

One of today's Birthday Boys is Shoeless Joe Jackson, so here are some good quotes from him (curated from The Baseball Almanac):

"God knows I gave my best in baseball at all times and no man on earth can truthfully judge me otherwise."

"Hey, big mouth (yelling out to a heckler), how do you spell triple?"

"When I was up there at the plate, my purpose was to get on base anyway I could, whether by hitting or by getting hit."


Good Reads - BONUS for Free Subscribers today!

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

Get more baseball goodness for less than 10 cents a day!

What you see in this issue of The Baseball Buffet is an abridged version. All-Star subscribers receive the following, every day of the week:

  • Game summaries for every game

  • Current MLB standings

  • Notable player transactions… injuries, call-ups, free agent signings, trades, etc.

  • Rotating statistical leader lists

  • Current hitting streaks of seven or more games

  • On this day in baseball history…

  • Career summaries for each of The Birthday Boys

  • Daily Hitter Watch and Pitcher Watch lists - who has historically done well or poorly against their matchup today?

  • Good Reads… my favorite recent baseball articles from other writers

  • … and the answers to the daily trivia questions!

  • … and during the offseason I still publish every day, covering trades, free-agent signings, and other hot-stove season news!

Become an All-Star subscriber to The Baseball Buffet today for $7 a month, or just $35 a year—that’s right, get 12 months for the price of only 5. That is less than 10 cents a day for maximum baseball goodness delivered to your inbox every morning!


⚾ I hope you enjoyed the newsletter today! ⚾

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.

This newsletter was produced with beehiiv.

New to Now Taking the Field? Become a subscriber and get each article in your email inbox so that you don’t miss anything!

Subscribe

Keep Reading

© 2026 Now Taking the Field.
beehiivPowered by beehiiv