baseballsisco

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Schilling is complicated to say the least. This article just keeps things baseball related.

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Feliz Domingo mi gente. Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 650 for Saturday January 11, 2025.

Man, this is one legendary grid that I put together here. Six Hall of Famers (Carlton, Halladay, Palmer, Ripken, Gwynn and Walker) and three legends (Schilling, Gooden and Teixiera.)

The Silver Slugger for the pitching position is hard to guess, especially when you throw a 20+ win season into the mix. Luckily the Silver Slugger was created in 1980 so the number of pitchers to have won it is manageable. The key for me was to think about NL pitchers since pitchers batted in the NL until 2021 when the Universal DH rule was enacted in 2022. I had no idea who to pick. I got lucky with Doc Gooden. I though that he won the award in 1985 when he won 24 games. But he actually won the award in 1992.

I made a comment on a post the other day concerning Tony Gwynn. How was he not voted to the Hall Unanimously. He received 97.6% of the vote. Come on now.

Curt Schilling is one of the best postseason pitchers in the history of the game. 11-2 with a 2.33 ERA, 4 complete games, 2 shutouts, 120 Ks and only 25 BB in 19 games and a WHIP of 0.968. Add that to his 20-year regular season stats of  216-146 with a career 3.46 ERA, 83 CG, 28 SHO, 3,116 K's and 711 Walks and a 1.137 WHIP. Political views, business issues and personality aside, there is no reason in terms of Baseball why he isn't in the Hall.

Well that's all for now folks. On to grid 651.

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A recap of the 1986 pitching race between fellow Mexicans Fernando Valenzuela and Teddy Higuera to 20-wins. Give it a read.

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Happy Saturday one and all. Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 649 for Friday January 10, 2025.

Otis Nixon was one of the most consistent base stealers during the late 1980s to the late 1990s. From 1998 to 1998, Nixon stole 498 bases with a career high 72 in 1991. He stole 50 or more five times and 40 or more ten times. Surprisingly, Nixon never made an All-Star team.

On my Yankees line, I chose three members of the 1996 World Champion Yankees team. Gerald Williams, John Wetteland and David Weathers played pivotal roles on that title winning team.

Teddy Higuera joined his fellow Mexican pitcher Fernando Valenzuela as 20-game winners. Both Fernando and Higuera reached fhe 20+ win plateau in 1986. Fernando was the first to 20 and finished the season with 21 wins. Higuera is one of four Mexican pitchers to win 20+ games in a season (Valenzuela (1986), Higuera (1986), Esteban Loiaza (2003), Julio Urias (2021.)

Well that's all for now folks. Have a great weekend.

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Here is a story on how Luzinski hit a ball so far at Veterans Stadium, which hit the replica Liberty Bell high above centerfield. Give it a read.

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Happy Friday!!! Here's my MLB Immaculate Grid number 648 for Thursday January 9, 2025.

The grids can be real funny sometimes. For example, yesterday's post had a grid which had one of the highest scores I've had at 179. Today I scored 13 WITH Pete Rose in one of the boxes. And he didn't even have the highest percentage in the grid. That honor belongs to Brian Downing at 7%. Sometimes you just can't predict your score.

I have a nice mix of 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s in today's grid. "The Bull" Greg Luzinski was a pure masher for the Phillies and White Sox. I would put him at a notch higher than his mashing contemporaries Rob Deer and Pete Incaviglia. Where he differs from today's players is in his relatively low strikeout rate for a power hitter. Take the 1975 season where he finished second in the NL MVP race. Luzinski finished with 151 Ks. But he played in 161 games, racked up 179 hits (35 2B/3 3B/34 HR) with 102 RBIs and 89 walks. He finished exactly at .300 and his slash line was .300/.394/.594 for an OPS of .988. He never had a season of more than the aforementioned 151 Ks. It's amazing how the game has changed from then to now.

Well thats all for now folks. On to grid number 649.

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Happy Thursday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 647 for Wednesday January 8, 2025.

This has to be one of the highest scoring grids that I've had in a long time. With the exception of the Cubs line and to a degree the MVP line, the grid was busted by the St. Louis Cardinals. I almost went with Pujols for Cardinals/.300+ AVG hitter. But I wasn't sure if his average stayed over .300 after his California tenure with the Angels/Dodgers. Hint: it didn't.

Not surprisingly Stan "The Man" Musial got 67% of the vote in that box. How can you not pick him with his CAREER .331 BA. And what's even more impressive is that his .331 BA leaves him tied for 25th on the all time list. Ty Cobb is at the top with a .366 career batting average.

I thought that picking Steve Carlton or Bob Gibson would break my Cardinals/200+ wins box. Wainwright did a good enough job doing so with 32% of the vote. And he finished with exactly 200 wins for his career.

Another 32% voted for Andy Van Slyke for the Cardinals/Pirates box. For the life of me I couldn't think of anyone else for that box. Still can't. Any suggestions?

Well that's all for now folks. On to grid number 648. Have a good night?

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Happy Wednesday everyone!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 646 for Tuesday January 7, 2025.

Im going to jump head first with this one. For those of you who say that Derek Jeter is overrated, check this out. While he takes lumps for his defense, Hall of Famer Jeter had a stellar overall career. It took me a while to try and find someone else aside from him who was drafted in the first round AND had a 200+ season. Jeter didn't have one 200+ season. He had eight. Who has the most? Just two guys named Ichiro and Rose. Jeter is tied for 4th all-time with 8 200+ hit seasons with Gehrig, Waner and Keeler. Only the aforementioned Ichiro, Rose and Ty Cobb have had more 200+ hit seasons.

Speaking of 200+ seasons, Darin Erstad might have had the most quietest 200+ hit season in Baseball History. I knew he had hit 200 for the 2000 Angels. But damn, he had 240 hits!!!! And he only finished 8th in the AL MVP voting.

Marquis Grissom was quite the underrated player in his day. He was a beast on that 1996 Braves team hitting .308 with 209 hits, 32 2B/10 3B/23 HR with 74 RBI. He was an even better player on those early 1990s Montreal Expos teams.

Bake McBride!!! I was trying to find a way to use him and Dusty Baker in the same grid. Unfortunately Dusty didn't fit any of the other boxes. I've always loved the name Bake McBride. Such a classic baseball name. Well thats all for now folks. On to grid 647.

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Happy Tuesday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 645 for Monday January 6, 2025.

I've used the majority of the players here in the grid in the past. The Rockies line might be one where I've rarely used the players. If ever.

Vinny Castilla was part of the Blake Street Bombers Rockies lineup along with Andres Galarraga, Larry Walker and Dante Bichette. In 1997 the quartet demolished opposing pitching for a combined 156 HRs and 501 RBIs!!! From 1995 to 1999 Castilla averaged 38 HRs, 112 RBI with a very respectable 89 Ks. Castilla must have loved that Mile High air because when he went back to Colorado for the 2004 season, he hit 35 HRs with 135 RBIs. He definitely liked playing in Colorado.

Well thats all for now folks. On to grid 646.

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Happy Monday everyone!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 644 for January 5, 2025.

I couldn't help myself when I had the opportunity to put childhood friends Darryl Strawberry and Eric Davis on the LA Dodgers/SF Giants and Cincinnati Reds line. For those who don't know, both Strawberry and Davis are from South Central L.A. and have played against each other since they were both 12-years old.

People love to recognize the accomplishments of Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. And deservedly so. But people forget how good of a player Ken Griffey Sr. was in his own right. Sr. was a solid piece to the Cincinnati Reds Big Red Machine teams of the mid to late 1970s. He was also a valued member of the New York Yankees teams of the mid 1980s.

Well thats all for now folks. Been a long day at work. On to grid 645. Have a good night.

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I hope everyone is having a blessed and relaxing Sunday. Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 643 for January 4, 2025.

These "Played…" position categories always create unique picks. I try to use utility players in these since they've played multiple, if not all, the positions at one time of their career. I also try to use old school players since most of them also played multiple positions throughout their career.

The catcher line was the easiest and hardest to fill. Easy with Kiner-Falefa and Martin. I got lucky with Yogi at C/3B. That was a shot in the dark that hit. I also got lucky with the Pitching line.

I recently read an article on Wilson Valdez on how he was the second position player after Brent Mayne to record a win since 1968. He was also noted as being first player to start a game in the field recording a win since Babe Ruth did it in 1924. Where I got lucky was with Alvaro Espinoza. I vaguely remembered him pitching a game for the Yankees in the late 1980s. The memory is grainy as what the video footage would look like today. 😁

Am I the only person who chose Rafael Santana? I don't think I've ever seen 0.000% on a box.

Thats all for now folks. On to grid 644. Have a great day.

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Happy Saturday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 642 for Friday January 3, 2025.

I drew a big blank with the Boston/Astros box. I knew Roger Clemens played for both but no one else came to mind. So I went with the sure pick and so did 38% of people on the grid.

The 10+ win season/Silver Slugger category was definitely interesting. With pitchers no longer hitting league-wide, I had to kind of think of which starters were also decent hitters. Mad Bum was an obvious choice. For his career, Baumgarner had 109 hits with 19 doubles, 19 homers and 65 RBIs. Not too shabby.

The under 3.00 ERA line can easily be filled with closers. Though I chose starters in two of the three boxes, I couldn't help but pick Dan Quisenberry for the Royals/Under 3.00 ERA box. Quisenberry closed games in an era where two and even three inning saves were normal. He led the AL in saves five times with a minimum of 128 innings pitched in each of those seasons. Consider that from his prime of 1980 to 1985, Quisenberry averaged 69 games a season with 63 games finished for an average of 35 saves and 121 innings pitched. Quisenberry was a solid part of the early to mid 1980s Royals teams that made the playoffs four times (1980/1981/1984/1985) with two World Series appearances (1980/1985) and one World Series victory in 1985.

Well that's all for now. On to the grid number 643. Have a great weekend.

[baseballsisco]

Happy Friday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 641 for Thursday January 2. 2025.

There are some interesting names in this grid. I have no clue how the name Jim Fregosi came to mind when looking at this grid. I knew he was solid player for the then Los Angeles/California Angels. I guess I got lucky picking him since he wasn't much of an outfielder.

Steve "Bye Bye" Balboni must have had one of the slowest Home Run trots in the history of the game. 😄

Vic Power was one of Baseball's greatest characters and helped to revolutionize how first base was played. He was athletic and it showed on how he manned first.

We all know Tommy John due to the surgery that bears his name. But most people don't realize how good of a pitcher he was in his day.

Have a great day!!! On to grid number 642.

[baseballsisco]

Happy New Year everyone!!! Hope everyone has a blessed and safe New Year 2025. Baseball season is right around the corner. I'm going to do my best to accomplish a grid everyday. So here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 640 for January 1, 2025.

While I try to keep the the Washington Nationals line with players who actually played in D.C., I couldn't help but use three legends from the Montreal Expos days. Rock Raines, El Presidente Martinez and The Kid Gary Carter are hard to pass up when they can be used in a grid.

I'm not saying this because I'm a Yankees fan but damn, Bernie Williams will go down as one of the most underrated players in the history of MLB. He was a solid player, a leader and a beast in the postseason.

When you think of Gold Gloves in Baltimore its hard not to pick the Human Vacuum Cleaner Brooks Robinson. But his 16-straight GGs would have broken my grid. Fellow Hall of Famer Jim Palmer fit the bill.

That's all for now folks. On to MLB Immaculate Grid number 641. Have a great day!!!

BaseballSisco

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Happy World Series Friday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 571 for Thursday October 24, 2024.

If I'm not mistaken, aside from Charlie Hayes, this grid has a number of players that I haven't used in a grid. BTW, I wish there was a way to keep track of that. But I digress.

Dave Stewart was one of the most intimidating pitchers daring the late 1980s and early 1990s. Stewart out together four straight 20+ win seasons from 1987 - 1990 for the Oakland A's. In 1988, Stewart led the AL with 37 starts of which he completed 14. He would repeat as league leader in starts and complete games in 1990 with 36 starts and 11 CG with 4 shutouts. During that stretch, he averaged 265 innings oitcher per season with a league best 275.2 in 1988 and 267 in 1990. Stewart put up numbers that a vast majority of starters today can't even imagine reaching.

How is Jeff Kent not in the Hall of Fame. The guy has 2461 hits and 377 homers as a second baseman. That's good for 13th all time in hits amd number one in homers for a second baseman. He was a four time All-Star, four time Silver Slugger and top three in MVP voting winning the 2000 NL MVP while playing on the same team as Barry Bonds. If he was an outfielder then I can see it. But as a second baseman? He deserves another look by a Veterans committee for the Hall.

Well that's all for now folks. Who ya got in game 1!!! Yanquis or Doyers. Let me know. On to grid number 572.

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Happy Thursday night all. Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 570 for Wednesday October 23, 2024.

I often try to not use Montreal Expos players in the Washington Nationals boxes. It's hard since the Nats haven't played in D.C. for very long. So when it comes to the Nats and a 30+ SB box, I could have gone with such players as Tim Raines and Marquis Grissom. But at least for this box Trea Turner fit the bill. Before being traded to the Dodgers in 2021, Turner had four seasons of 30+ SB with a league high 43 in 2018 and a career best 46 in 2017.

Staying with the 30+ SB line, Carlos Beltran had three 30+ SB seasons with the Royals. Willie McGee played in arguably the golden era for stolen bases. McGee had four 30+ SB seasons with a career high of 56 swipes in 1985.

Going back to the Expos, the aforementioned Marquis Grissom and Otis Nixon were adept base stealers in their own right. Grissom had three seasons of 50+ SB with a a league leading 76 in 1991 and 78 in 1992. Nixon had four seasons of 50+ SB with a career best 59 for the Blue Jays/Dodgers in 1997. Since I've seemed to be stuck in the SB realm, Amos Otis stole a league best 52 bases for the 1971 Royals.

Well thats all for now folks. On to the Immaculate Grid number 571.

[baseballsisco]

Happy Wednesday!!! Here is my MLB Immaculate Grid number 569 for Tuesday October 22, 2024.

Why couldn't the grid have chosen a different team than the Diamondbacks. Having the DBacks ruined my 1970s/1980s player motif. In the 2000÷ hits line, I chose Dwight Evans, Rusty Staub and Bill Buckner. Each player had 2400+ hits with Staub and Buckner having more than 2700+ hits each. Each player put in 20+ years in the MLB. All three were consistent players.

Its not often that I can use somewhat obscure Yankee players in the grid. Mike Torrez might be better known for being the pitcher who gave up the famous (or infamous in Red Sox nation 😉) Bucky "F'N" Dent homer on October 2, 1978 at Fenway Park. This was hit in a one game playoff to decide who would win the AL East.

Dave Kingman was one of the most prolific homer run hitters of his generation. Finishing with 442 homers, he had a home run to at-bat ratio of one home run every 15.11 at-bats, which is tied for 20th all-time with Juan González. His longest homer was measured at 530 feet away from home plate at Wrigley Field. His homer hit one of the houses across the field from Wrigley on May 17, 1979 during is career best 48-homerun season.

Jay Johnstone was one of baseball biggest pranksters and characters. As primarily a utility player, his career spanned 20-seasons playing for eight teams. He was part of two World Series teams playing for the 1978 Yankees and 1981 Dodgers. He passed away on September 26, 2020 at the age of 74.

That's all for now folks. On to grid number 570!!!