The Baseball Buffet for 7/18/2025

Issue #339

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 113th day of the season again didn’t have any games, as we were still getting through the All-Star break. But games are back on today!

Today’s Trivia Question

One of today’s “Birthday Boys” (see below) is early 20th century star Harry Davis, who led the AL in HR in four consecutive seasons (1904-1907, albeit with modest totals ranging from 8-12 HR each year). Who are the only other three players to lead the AL or NL in HR in four or more consecutives seasons?

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 Paxton Schultz

• TOR CF Daulton Varsho

• LAA CF Chris Taylor

• KCR Hunter Harvey

League Leaders

Before games start up again and I start cycling through my standard league-leading hitting and pitching categories, I figure I’ll list the current leaders in fielding errors:

• 13 - SFG Willy Adames

• 12 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 12 - SDP Manny Machado

• 11 - ATL Austin Riley

• 11 - AZ Eugenio Suárez

• 11 - NYY Anthony Volpe

• 10 - TBR Junior Caminero

• 10 - LAD Max Muncy

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 July 18…

• 1948: Pat Seerey hits four HR in a game. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Pat Seerey, chunky White Sox left fielder, hits four home runs, the last in the 11th inning, to lead Chicago to a 12-11 victory over the Athletics in Philadelphia. Seerey is the fifth major league player to accomplish the feat and is the only player in major league history to twice reach 15 or more total bases in a game, having totaled 15 bases in 1945. Fat Pat's first shot is over the LF bleachers' roof off Carl Scheib, the next two - off Scheib and Bob Savage - are on the roof, and the last, off Lou Brissie, into the upper LF stands. Brissie, the fifth pitcher, is the loser against Howie Judson. The A's take the second game, 6 - 1, in five innings as Seerey is 0 for 2. On the 24th, Seerey will become the first player to strike out seven times in a doubleheader.”

• 1962: The Twins get two grand slams in the first inning. As described at baseball-reference.com, “Minnesota is the first 20th-century club to hit two grand slams in one inning when Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew connect in a team-record 11-run 1st inning against Cleveland. Barry Latman and Jim Perry serve the grand gophers. The Twins coast home, 14-3.”

• 1970: Willie Mays collects his 3,000th hit. As described at baseball-reference.com, “San Francisco's Willie Mays, at the age of 39, strokes a single off Montreal's Mike Wegener for his 3,000th hit. Mays' safety comes in his 2,639th game and he joins Hank Aaron, who stroked his 3,000th a month earlier. Aaron's was hit in his 2,460th game. The Giants coast to a 10-1 victory.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys🎉

• Joe Torre (1940) is a Hall of Famer who had an 18-year major league playing career, first primarily as a catcher before shifting to 3B and 1B. The first half of his career was with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves, while the second half was with the Cardinals and finally the Mets for his last three seasons. Torre was a high-average hitter who paced the NL with a .363 mark in 1971, while also leading the league that year with 230 hits and 137 RBI and taking home the NL MVP Award. He also had some power, hitting 20+ HR six times, including a high of 36 in 1966. A nine-time All-Star, Torre retired as a player with 252 HR, 1,185 RBI, a .297/.365/.452 slash line, and a 129 OPS+. Younger fans however will remember Torre for what came next, which was an outstanding career as a manager. He had led the Mets (1977-81), Braves (1982-84), Cardinals (1990-95), and then later the Dodgers (2008-10) too, but it was with the Yankees (1996-2007) that he had by far his greatest success. Admittedly their roster was stocked with talent, but Torre guided them to 10 division titles, six AL pennants, and four World Series Championships, including three in a row from 1998-2000.

• Torii Hunter (1975) was the first-round draft pick (20th overall) of the Minnesota Twins in 1993 and went on to have a 19-year major league career. He was an outstanding defensive CF for the Twins and later the Angels, taking home nine Gold Glove Awards. A five-time All-Star, Hunter also was a capable hitter who had some pop, including 11 seasons with 20+ HR. Overall, Hunter compiled 353 HR, 1,391 RBI, 195 SB, a .277/.331/.461 slash line, and a 110 OPS+.

• Harry Davis (1873) had a 22-year major league career spanning from 1895-1917, though for the last six of those seasons he played very sparingly and was primarily a coach, a role he continued with for the Philadelphia Athletics through 1927. Primarily a 1B, Davis spent most of his career with the A’s and was a good hitter, leading the AL in HR each year from 1904-1907, albeit with modest totals of 10, 8, 12, and 8. He had earlier led the NL with 28 triples while playing with Pittsburgh in 1897, and led the AL in doubles three times as well. Overall for his career he had 1,001 runs scored, 145 triples, 285 SB, a .277/.335/.408 slash line, and a 119 OPS+.

• Ben Sheets (1978) was the first-round draft pick (10th overall) of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999 and was an All-Star in the majors quickly in 2001. That was his first of four All-Star campaigns, , including in 2004 when he had career bests with a 2.70 ERA and 264 strikeouts. After that season, injuries started to become an issue for Sheets, and ultimately his career ended after just 10 seasons in the majors, during which time he compiled 94 wins, a 3.78 ERA, and a 113 ERA+.

• Eugenio Suárez (1991) is currently the slugging 3B for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and is now in his 12th season in the majors. He has had six seasons with 30+ HR, including this year as he already has 31 HR in just 95 games played. His career high is 49 HR which he had in 2019, one of three seasons in which he also led his league in strikeouts. A two-time All-Star, Suárez thus far has 307 HR, a .249/.330/.464 slash line, and a 113 OPS+.

• Johnny Hopp (1916) had a 14-year major league career, playing a mix of the OF and 1B, with the first half spent with the Cardinals and the remainder with five other clubs. His two best offensive seasons came in 1944 when he scored 106 runs with 15 SB and a .336 average, and then in 1946 when he was an NL All-Star with 21 SB and a .333 average. Overall, Hopp compiled a .296/.368/.414 slash line and a 113 OPS+.

• Mike Greenwell (1963) was a third round draft pick of the Red Sox in 1982 and went on to have a 12-year major league career, entirely with Boston. In his first full season in 1987 he hit 19 HR with 89 RBI and a .328 average, and then had his best season in 1988 with 22 HR, 119 RBI, 16 SB, and a .325 average. A 2-time All-Star, Greenwell overall had 130 HR, a .303/.368/.463 slash line, and a 121 OPS+.

In addition to Eugenio Suárez, other currently active players who were born on July 18 include CLE Kyle Manzardo and STL Ryan Helsley.

Today’s Matchups

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

• SFG vs. TOR is the start of an inter-league series between two winning clubs, with Justin Verlander still looking for his first win of 2025 (0-7, 4.70 ERA, 67 K in 76.2 IP) and Chris Bassitt looking for his 10th win (9-4, 4.12 ERA, 104 K in 107 IP).

• BOS vs. CHC is also the start of an interesting inter-league series, with Lucas Giolito (3.36 ERA, 64 K in 72.1 IP) coming in hot having given up only 1 ER in his last three starts (20.2 IP). The Cubs will counter with Colin Rea (3.91 ERA, 65 K in 92 IP).

• HOU vs. SEA is the start of an important AL West series. Brandon Walter (3.98 ERA, 40 K in 40.2 IP) is slated to pitch for Houston, while as of the time of this writing Seattle’s starter is still TBD (perhaps Luis Castillo?)

• MIL vs. LAD is the start of a series between two winning NL clubs, with Quinn Priester (3.55 ERA, 70 K in 88.2 IP) up against Tyler Glasnow (3.52 ERA, 28 K in 23 IP) who is hoping to have a strong and healthy second half.

Also on the mound today are SDP Dylan Cease and ATL Spencer Strider.

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:

• SFG Rafael Devers, 8-17 with 3 HR and 2 doubles vs. TOR Chris Bassitt

• PHI Max Kepler, small sample but is 3-6 with 2 HR and a double vs. LAA Tyler Anderson

• DET Gleyber Torres, 4-13 with 2 HR vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• WAS Nathaniel Lowe, 5-11 with 2 HR vs. SDP Dylan Cease

• TOR George Springer, 6-16 with 2 HR vs. SFG Justin Verlander

• KCR Adam Frazier, 8-17 with 2 HR with a double vs. MIA Sandy Alcantara - Note: Frazier was just traded back to the Royals from the Pirates.

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:

• DET Matt Vierling, 8-18 with a HR and a double vs. TEX Patrick Corbin

• BAL Gunnar Henderson, 7-17 with a HR and a double vs. TBR Taj Bradley

• BAL Ryan O’Hearn, 5-12 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. TBR Taj Bradley

• CLE Steven Kwan, 6-12 vs. ATH JP Sears

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:

• 16 - TBR Chandler Simpson

• 14 - SEA J.P. Crawford

• 11 - MIL Jackson Chourio

• 10 - BOS Ceddanne Rafaela

• 9 - BOS Roman Anthony

• 9 - TOR Bo Bichette

• 9 - TEX Adolis Garcia

• 7 - KCR Vinnie Pasquantino

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:

• MIL Christian Yelich, 1-11 with 5 K vs. LAD Tyler Glasnow

• HOU Victor Caratini, 2-20 with 8 K vs. SEA Luis Castillo (if pitching, TBD)

• HOU Christian Walker, 2-15 with 5 K vs. SEA Luis Castillo (if pitching, TBD)

• LAA Taylor Ward, small sample but is 1-7 with 6 K vs. PHI Jesús Luzardo (if pitching, TBD)

• MIA Jesús Sánchez, small sample but is 0-7 with 5 K vs. KCR Seth Lugo (if pitching, TBD)

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾

Today’s Trivia Answer

Besides Harry Davis, the only other three players to lead the AL or NL in HR in four or more consecutives seasons are:

• Frank Baker in the AL from 1911-1914 (4)

• Babe Ruth in the AL from 1918-1921 (4) and again from 1926-1931 (6)

• Ralph Kiner in the NL from 1946-1952 (7)

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.

• No need to wait: Let the trading begin!, by Thomas Harrigan at MLB, 7/17/2025

• 10 trade targets to watch as Deadline approaches, by Mark Feinsand at MLB, 7/17/2025

• 10 things I learned behind the scenes in the replay room, by Anthony Castrovince at MLB, 7/17/2025

• 1 goal for each team in the second half, by MLB writers, 7/17/2025

• Here are the biggest steals from the 2025 MLB Draft, by Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, Sam Dykstra, and Joe Trezza at MLB, 7/15/2025

• Raleigh on pace for 60 HRs ... who else can reach that in '25?, by Daniel Kramer at MLB, 7/16/2025

• Here are our favorite picks from the Draft -- one for each team, by Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo, Sam Dykstra, and Joe Trezza at MLB, 7/16/2025

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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