Some Yankees Never Shared Their Glory
PLUS: BRAVES WORRY HOW AGE, INJURIES MAY IMPACT STARTING ROTATION
Pregame Pepper
Pittsburgh’s decision to extend ace pitcher Mitch Keller for another five years may be a sign this longtime cellar-dweller is ready to compete . . .
With Ronald Acuna Jr. sidelined by inflammation around his meniscus on the same knee in which he tore his ACL in 2021, the Braves might be wise to bring back Adam Duvall, who somehow remains an unsigned free agent . . .
Another 2021 post-season stud, Eddie Rosario, is also still on the market . . .
Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto says he has fixed a hole in his swing . . .
Pitcher Michael Lorenzen, who can also play center field or pinch-hit, wants a raise from his $9.25 million salary — even though his ERA ballooned to 8.01 over his last 30 1/3 innings pitched in 2023 . . .
The latest players criticizing their own teams for free agent filibusters are Rafael Devers (Red Sox) and Mike Trout (Angels) . . .
Tommy Pham, now 36, helped Arizona win the NL pennant last year with a .772 OPS in the playoffs and had an fWAR of 1.8, matching Teoscar Hernandez, in the regular season. Hernandez got a one-year, $23 million deal from the Dodgers while Pham has been entirely overlooked.
Leading Off
Yankees That Didn't Share ("Exclusive Seasons")
By Paul Semendinger, Ed.D.
I love watching baseball, but sometimes I think I like researching baseball history even more.
The other day I discovered an original list of Yankees that is quite unique. I encourage fans of other teams to find similar lists in their team's histories. When one seeks information, he never knows what he'll find. This is list of Yankees is one that I do not believe anyone, anywhere, has ever compiled.
In the history of the Yankees, there have been eight times when one single player played every inning of every game at a specific position. These are the Yankees who didn't share. No player ever did this more than once, and the most famous Iron Man in Yankees history, Lou Gehrig, never did it even once. (It's absolutely true, you could look it up. I did.)
I have coined the term "Exclusive Seasons" for players who have accomplished this feat.
On this list of Yankees, there are only two Hall of Famers. Two of the other players are little known Yankees in spite of this unique accomplishment.
Without further ado, here is the list of the Yankees who didn't share, ones that are in exclusive company:
Roger Peckinpaugh, shortstop - 1914
Wally Pipp, first base - 1917
Red Rolfe, third base - 1939
Joe Gordon, second base - 1940
Joe DiMaggio, center field - 1942
Billy Johnson, third base - 1943
Nick Etten, first base - 1944
Snuffy Stirnweiss, second base - 1944
The first question, I suspect one might ask, is how close did Lou Gehrig ever get to having a "selfish season?" He came pretty close four times:
In 1926, Gehrig played all but nine innings at first base for the Yankees. The other two players that spent time there were Babe Ruth (believe it or not) and Fred Merkle, who gain gained infamy for his base runner blunder in 1908.
In 1927, Gehrig played first base in 1,386 innings, but little-known Cedric Durst covered the position in three innings. In 1929, Durst again played first base in three innings depriving Gehrig of this honor (one invented be me almost a century later).
In 1933, Gehrig came within 10 innings of having an "Exclusive Season." Infielder Lyn Lary and good ol' Babe Ruth covered those other innings.
One might also note that no Yankees player did that in the post-World War II years.
The player who came the closest was Roy White who, in 1972, played 1,370.1 innings in left field for the Yankees. Rusty Torres played all of three innings that season to deprive Roy White of this distinction.
Paul Semendinger has authored numerous books. His newest, 365.2: Going The Distance. A Runner's Journey hits the bookshelves on March 12. Paul also wrote Scattering the Ashes, The Least Among Them, Impossible is an Illusion, and he worked with Roy White on his autobiography From Compton to the Bronx. Paul runs the Yankees site Start Spreading the News.
Cleaning Up
Rotation Questions Dog the Braves As Exhibition Play Begins
By Dan Schlossberg
The biggest question mark on baseball’s best team might not be resolved this spring.
Although the Atlanta Braves led the majors with 104 wins last year, they used 16 starting pitchers — and avoided getting into bidding wars for two-time Cy Young Award recipient Blake Snell or recent World Series hero Jordan Montgomery.
When spring training started in North Port, manager Brian Snitker and pitching coach Rick Kranitz knew they had the pitcher with the most strikeouts last year and the game’s only 20-game winner. Both were the same man: Spencer Strider.
Atlanta also anticipated a strong season from southpaw Max Fried, a perennial Cy Young contender when healthy but the victim of assorted ailments that dogged him in both of the last two post-seasons.
Fried can be a free agent this fall, however, and has extra motivation to double his $15 million salary — perhaps in his native Southern California.
There’s another southpaw in Chris Sale, a seven-time All-Star who once started three consecutive All-Star Games. But his checkered injury history is so worrisome that the Braves’ brass is determined to limit his innings pitched during the season so that he has something left for the playoffs.
Fourth in line is Charlie Morton, a big-game pitcher past his 40th birthday and almost certainly in the last year of his career. He won 14 games last year, riding his curveball up and down all season but generally pitching well. He too missed the post-season, however.
When it comes to the fifth and final spot, the competition gets interesting. Candidates range from 20-year-old AJ Smith-Shawver, who made his big-league bow last season, and former World Series star Ian Anderson, due back from Tommy John surgery in mid-season.
Another survivor of elbow surgery, Huascar Ynoa, is throwing well in camp and might even prove valuable as a pinch-hitter; before the designated hitter became universal, he hit both of the last two home runs delivered by an Atlanta pitcher.
Not to be overlooked are Bryce Elder, who started last season in Triple-A Gwinnett but reached Atlanta in time to make the NL All-Star team, and Reynaldo Lopez, a hard-throwing reliever being stretched out as a starter this spring. He has past experience in that role so it’s nothing new for him.
Dark horses abound too: Darius Vines, Daysbel Hernandez, and Allan Winans all showed flashes of promise in limited action last year and several non-roster pitchers came to camp in the hope of upsetting a pretty solid apple-cart.
Elder had a 12-4 record and 3.81 ERA last year, numbers that suggest he’d have a leg up on the opposition. But he also has minor-league options remaining so he could very well become the first Atlanta All-Star to open the following season in the minors.
Perhaps the most intriguing candidate is J.J. Niekro, son of Joe and nephew of Phil. He pitched a scoreless inning of relief in his first outing this spring and could be the third Niekro to pitch for the Braves in the big leagues.
With all other positions closed save for a few bench spots, the battle for rotation berths is the lone question-mark as the Braves gear for their seventh successive NL East title. No other club has a longer active streak.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is the author of 41 books, including an upcoming Hank Aaron biography. His email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia: Acuna Brothers Could Form Barbershop Quartet in Uniform
Just when National League pitchers are fed up to here with how to pitch Ronald Acuna, Jr., it turns out the Atlanta superstar has three younger brothers playing in the minor leagues . . .
Luisangel signed with the Texas Rangers in July 2018 but was dealt to the New York Mets in July 2023 for former three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer plus cash to defray the enormous cost of the pitcher’s contract . . .
Then there’s 18-year-old infielder Bryan Acuna, currently in the Minnesota Twins organization. He hit one home run, knocked in 14 runs, and stole four bases while posting a .185/.327/.227 slash line in 119 at-bats in the Florida Complex League in 2023.
Now the youngest of four Acuna brothers has reached a verbal agreement with another rival of the Braves — the Philadelphia Phillies — even though 12-year-old Kenny Acuna won't be eligible to formally sign with the club until January 2028 . . .
The kid siblings will have trouble following the example of their eldest brother, who won unanimous National League MVP honors after becoming the first player in baseball history to hit 40 home runs (41) and steal 70 bases (73) in the same season.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles Monday and Tuesday editions, Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] does Wednesday and Thursday, and Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com] edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HTP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.