Tag: SABR

Stay Home With SABR initiative launched

This is an e-mail I received as a SABR member today so I thought that I would share it. If you are a baseball fan and have ever wondered what SABR is all about this might be a good time to check it out.

SABR logo

Stay Home With SABR!

MARCH 31, 2020 — SABR has announced the Stay Home With SABR initiative, an eight-week effort from April 1 to May 31, 2020, to assist in limiting the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

During this time, all new membership dues SABR receives will be split with Heart to Heart International, a nonprofit organization that distributes urgently needed equipment and medication to partners around the world during this global crisis.

Beginning next week, SABRcast with Rob Neyer will be recorded via online livestream, featuring nationally known guests plus an interactive Q&A in which all baseball fans can participate. The first live show, which will feature ESPN announcer Jon “Boog” Sciambi, will air at 5:00 p.m. MST on Monday, April 6 at SABR.org/sabrcast and the archives will be available online afterward.

SABR will also share all virtual meetings with our members throughout the world at SABR.org and our social media channels. SABR’s Emil Rothe Chicago Chapter will host Facebook Live chats at Facebook.com/SABRChicago with The Athletic’s Melissa Lockard at 3:00 p.m. CDT on Saturday, April 4; author Scott Lindholm at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, April 5; and Negro League Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick at 11:00 a.m. CDT on Saturday, April 11.

Thousands of articles, stories, oral history interviews, and multimedia clips from SABR’s vast research collection — including free e-books from the SABR Digital Library, the Baseball Research Journal archives, and the Baseball Biography Project and Games Project — are already freely available for all baseball fans to read and share with neighbors, friends, and family.  

“While current circumstances have changed how our community engages, I’m confident SABR and its members will emerge stronger than ever,” SABR Chief Executive Officer Scott Bush said. “We are asking baseball fans across the world to join us by staying home and supporting this effort through membership if possible.” 

To learn more about SABR, or to sign up for a monthly or annual membership, visit SABR.org.

Remembering 1965 – Part 9 – Not all peaches and cream for Versalles or Mele

Zoilo Versalles
Zoilo Versalles

Zoilo Versalles the Minnesota Twins enigmatic shortstop of the early 60’s would go on to win the 1965 American League Most Valuable Player Award at the age of 25 and become the first player in franchise history (Senators or Twins) to win that award. Versalles however; was not the easiest player to manage and was a high maintenance player as this incident in the April 17, 1965 Sporting News describes. Manager Sam Mele and coach Billy Martin worked hard to keep Zoilo on the straight and narrow and it paid off in 1965.

I was fortunate enough to get to see Versalles play and he was a skilled shortstop but his focus was not always there and that weakness led to numerous errors on routine plays. If you want to know more about the man who Twins fans called “Zorro” you might want to check out his SABR Bio.

The Sporting News also covers Don Mincher‘s request to be traded and all the rookies that were fighting to make the Twins roster that season.

Sporting News April 17, 1965

By this date in 1965 the Twins had played five games, four of them at Met Stadium and had a 4-1 record putting them in a tie for first place. According to the “TWINS JOURNAL” (by John Snyder):

“A week before the Twins opener, Metropolitan Stadium was covered by five inches of snow. Rain and melting snow caused rivers to rise, turning the entire state into a disaster area. Twelve people died in Minnesota because of the floods. Due to a pair of postponements, the Twins opened the season by playing their first three games against three different teams, the Yankees, Tigers, and Indians”.

The temperature on opening day (April 12) at game-time was 44 degrees along with an 18 MPH wind. Flood waters forced Twins players Jim Kaat, Rich Rollins, Bill Bethea, and Dick Stigman to be brought to the stadium by helicopter due to rising flood waters of the Mississippi River. The Twins won their opener 5-4 in 11 innings in front of 15,388 shivering fans. The next three games at the Met due to the bad weather brought in “crowds” of 2,382, 4,492, and 3,273 fans. The Twins were happy to leave Minnesota behind and they went to New York where they beat the Yankees 7-2 on April 21. Due to the inclement weather the Twins played only five games during the first 10 days of the 1965 season.

2013 Twins draft summary

 

Kohl Stewart
Kohl Stewart

Each year after the June amateur draft is completed I try to put together a draft summary that shows at a quick glance how the Twins drafted. The Twins first pick (fourth over-all) this year is RHP Kohl Stewart from Houston, Texas St. Pius High School. Stewart is a consensus four-star prospect as a quarterback and has a football scholarship waiting for him at Texas A&M. But according to numerous reports Stewart feels that his future is with baseball and he is expected to sign with the Twins in the next few days. Several reports have Stewart as “the highest ceiling pitcher” in this years draft. Keith Law, ESPN states that: “He hit 96 mph and sat 92-94 consistently, showing a plus slider at 85-88, a hard curveball at 79-82, and even a few change-ups at 83-84 with decent arm speed.” With their second pick the Twins continued taking pitching and selected RHP Ryan Eades from LSU.

When the smoke cleared after three days of drafting the Twins had selected 40 players and will probably sign about 30 of them. Between 1998 and 2009 the Twins signed an average of 23.41 drafted players per year but between 2010 and 2012 they signed an average of 30.33 drafted players per year so it looks like the team realized they need to bring new blood into the organization the last few years.

Although the Twins history in drafting pitching is atrocious, that does not stop them from trying and this year they used 24 of their 40 picks on pitchers. Seven are lefties and 17 throw from the right side. Based on the Twins drafting history, I think I might have a better chance of winning the Powerball then the Twins do of drafting an “ace” pitcher but you have to give them credit for trying. It will only cost me $2 to try to win the Powerball but the Twins will have to shell out about $4.5 million this year to see if they hit the jackpot with Kohl Stewart.

The Twins drafted zero first baseman this year. If you are a first baseman and looking to be drafted, you don’t want the Twins to select you because since 1990 the Twins have drafted and signed only three first baseman that have worked their way up the minor league ladder to wear a Twins uniform. In 1999 the Twins selected Terry Tiffee in round 26 and he played in just 17 games at 1B for Minnesota. In 1995 the Twins picked Doug Mientkiewicz in the fifth round and he played first base in 628 games as a Twin. In 1991 the Twins used their first pick to select Dave McCarty and he played a total of 86 games at first base for Tom Kelly before he was sent packing. Previous to that you had first baseman like Dan Masteller and Steve Dunn. You have to go all the way back to 1978 when the Twins took Minnesota native Kent Hrbek in round 17 to find a top-notch first baseman that the Twins drafted. For those of you wondering about Justin Morneau, he was drafted in round 3 in 1999 but he was drafted as a catcher. It seems a lot easier for the Twins just to “create” first baseman from players that fail to meet expectations at other positions or when size or age catches up with them rather then waste a draft choice trying to find one.

 

 Twins 2013 draft

Position College High School Bats Right Bats Left Switch Hitter LHP RHP
C 3 1 3 1 0 n/a n/a
1B 0 0 0 0 0 n/a n/a
2B 1 0 1 0 0 n/a n/a
SS 2 1 1 2 0 n/a n/a
3B 1 0 0 1 0 n/a n/a
OF 6 1 5 2 0 n/a n/a
P 17 7 n/a n/a n/a 7 17
Totals 30 (75%) 10 (25%) 10 6 1 7 17

rookie card
rookie card

According to Baseball America, the Minnesota Twins 1989 draft is rated in the top ten drafts that any team has ever had. That year the Twins drafted two AL Rookies of the Year in Chuck Knoblauch (first round) and Marty Cordova (tenth) as well as two 20-game winners in Denny Neagle (third) and Scott Erickson (fourth). And 52nd-rounder Denny Hocking—drafted as a catcher— became one of the lowest-drafted players to reach the majors. What team had the best draft ever? To find out, you need to  check out a great piece called “The History and Future of the Amateur Draft” by John Manuel on the SABR site that I know you will enjoy if you have any interest in the draft process at all.

UPDATE as of June 19 – Twins sign first-round draft pick RHP Kohl Stewart and also sign 22 other players from the 2013 First-Year Player Draft completed earlier this month. Press Release can be found here.

This Day in Twins History – January 6, 1967

Joseph HaynesTwins Executive Vice President Joe Haynes suffered a heart attack while shoveling snow at his Hopkins , Minnesota home on January 6, 1967 and died at the age of 49. Haynes was signed by the Washington Senators as a free agent in 1937. During spring training in 1938 Haynes met and became smitten with Thelma Griffith who was at the time Clark Griffith’s personal secretary and was the daughter of Bruce Robertson whose sister Addie was Senator owners Clark Griffith’s wife. Although Thelma and Calvin were never formally adopted by the Clark and Addie Griffith, they were raised by the Griffith’s as their own children.

After just 2 years in the low minors Haynes made his major league debut as a reliever for the Washington Senators on April 24, 1939 at Fenway Park and picked up his first big league win while allowing 1 earned run in 2.2 innings in a 10-9 Washington victory in 10 innings. Haynes pitched for the Senators in 1939 and 1940 before hurting his arm and was sold to the Chicago White Sox in January 1941 by his future father-in-law. Haynes ended up marrying Thelma Griffith in 1941 and pitched for the White Sox for eight years from 1941-1948. Haynes led the league in pitching appearances in 1942 and in 1947 Haynes had a league leading 2.42 ERA. In 1948 Haynes was selected to the AL All-Star team although he did not make an appearance in the game. Haynes continued to have off and on arm issues and was traded to the Cleveland Indians in November 1948 who then flipped him a month later back to the Washington Senators where he again pitched through the 1952 season before being released.

Haynes pitched in the majors for 14 seasons putting up a 76-82 won/lost record with a 4.01 ERA in 379 games with 147 of them being starts. Haynes was a pitch to contact pitcher giving up more hits than innings pitched but he had an HR/9 mark of 0.5 which was pretty darn impressive. Haynes served as the Senators minor league pitching instructor in 1955 and moved into the front office in 1956 and kept his position when the team moved to Minnesota in 1961. After Haynes passed away in 1967,  his widow, Thelma Griffith Haynes, continued to serve as an executive vice president, assistant treasurer, and part owner of the Twins until they were sold to Carl Pohlad in 1985.

Joe Haynes SABR bio.

This Day in Twins History – March 6, 2006

(Photo by: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Six years ago today, Minnesota Twins star outfielder and Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett passed away at the age of 45 from a stroke he suffered a day earlier. The youngest of nine children born into poverty in a Chicago housing project, Kirby Puckett was the Minnesota Twins first round pick (and third over all) in the 1982 amateur draft. After just 224 minor league games in Elizabethton (rookie), Visalia (A ball), and Toledo (AAA ball) Kirby was called up by Minnesota and made his big league debut on May 8, 1984 against the California Angels in Anaheim Stadium and he never played in the minors again. In his rookie season in 557 at bats, Kirby had only had 12 doubles, 5 triples, 0 home runs, and 16 walks. This lack of power was rare but even more unusual for a player that two years later hit 31 home runs with a .537 slugging percentage.

Puckett played for 12 years in a Minnesota Twins uniform hitting .318 in 1,783 games while hitting 207 home runs and knocking in 1,085 more. Though his numbers were not exceptional, Puckett was voted into Cooperstown on the first ballot in 2001. His respect and enthusiasm for the game factored in as much his .318 average, 1989 batting title, six Gold Gloves, 10 All-Star game appearances and two championship rings. The man known simply as “Puck” was immensely popular with baseball fans everywhere. Fans loved his style, especially the high leg kick that preceded his swing. Twins public address announcer Bob Casey, who became a close friend, introduced him with vigor before every at-bat, “KIR-beeeeeeeeee PUCK-it.” “I wore one uniform in my career and I’m proud to say that,” Puckett once said.

On September 28, 1995 in the bottom of the first inning in a game at the Metrodome, Puckett was hit by a pitch from Cleveland Indians starter Dennis Martinez that broke his jaw in what turned out to be his last at-bat of the 1995 season and his last at bat in a major league game. Puckett woke up one morning the following spring and couldn’t see out of his right eye. It was eventually diagnosed as glaucoma, forcing him to call it quits that July. It was a sad ending to a brilliant career.

After his career ended prematurely, Puckett tried to remain upbeat but his personal life began to deteriorate. Shortly after his induction to Cooperstown, his then-wife, Tonya, accused him of threatening to kill her during an argument – he denied it – and described to police a history of violence and infidelity. In 2003, he was cleared of all charges from an alleged sexual assault of a woman at a Twin Cities restaurant. He kept a low profile after the trial and eventually moved to Arizona. His relationship with the Twins organization ended in 2002, but the Twins kept trying to re-establish a connection and get him to come to spring training as a guest instructor. Puckett put on considerable weight, as well and his weight gain concerned friends and former teammates. Kirby suffered a massive stroke early Sunday, March 5th  at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona and passed away the following day.

Baseball Digest article called “The game I will never forget” as told by Kirby Puckett to George Vass

SABR BioProject write-up on Kirby can be found here.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune obituary for Kirby can be found here.

Elmer (Wall Crusher) Valo

March 31, 2011 – Elmer Valo played in 1,806 games in the major leagues between for the A’s, Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Yankees, and the Senators/Twins between 1940 and 1961 sandwiched around his military service in 1944-1945. Oddly enough, while he was with the Philadelphia A’s they moved and became the Kansas City A’s, when he was with the Brooklyn Dodgers they moved and became the Los Angeles Dodgers, and when he was with the Washington Senators they moved and became the Minnesota Twins, no other major league player can say that.

Elmer Valo was born on March 5, 1921 in Rybnik, Czechoslovakia and passed away on July 19, 1998 in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. Valo, an outfielder by trade only played for the Twins in 33 games in 1961 getting 36 plate appearances and hitting only .156, primarily as a pinch-hitter before the Twins released him on June 17 and he signed with the Phillies for 50 more big league games in his final major league season.

Although his Minnesota Twins career was very short, Elmer Valo had a most interesting baseball career and life and I wanted to share it with you. I am not going to rewrite a lot of what has already been written about the Wall Crusher but I will point you to a number of articles about him that I know you will enjoy if you enjoy reading about baseball going back to the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s.

SABR Biography – Elmer Valo

John Brattain wrote a piece called “Pinch Me I’m Elmer Valo” for The Hardball Times in February 2005.

Elmer Valo: Baseball Digest’s First “Cover Boy”

Baseball in Wartime – Elmer Valo

TheDeadballEra.com – Elmer Valo Obituary

Did you know that among players with at least 100 bases on ball in a season, the best walks-to-strikouts ratio, 6.31, belongs to Elmer Valo of the 1952 Philadelphia A’s who had 101 walks to just 16 strikeouts?

Lenny Green – One of the original Twins

November 13, 2010 – The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) is a great organization and one of the wonderful projects they have going on is the Baseball Biography Project. One of the many biographies they have completed is about former Minnesota Twins outfielder Lenny Green. Leonard Charles Green was born January 6, 1933 in Detroit, Michigan. Lenny signed with the Baltimore Orioles as a amateur free agent prior to the 1955 season and made his major league debut in August of 1957. Green was traded to the Washington Senators during the 1959 season and played for the Senators for two years before the team moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. Green had good seasons for the Twins in 1961 and 1962 before losing his job to Jimmie Hall in 1963. Lenny was part of a big three team trade in 1964 and wound up with the Angels who gave him little playing time before selling him back to his original team in Baltimore. The next spring, 1965, he was again sold, this time to the Reds Sox. Green played for the Red Sox for two years and then finished his career with his home town Detroit Tigers in 1966 and 1967. Take a few minutes and read about one of the original Minnesota Twins by clicking here. I am not sure why right now but back in 1961 when the Twins played here in their first season, I was 13 years old and Lenny Green was my first “favorite” Twins player.

Former Twins 1B Joe Lis passes away

Joe LisOctober 19, 2010 – Joseph Anthony Lis Sr., 64, passed away Sunday, October 17, 2010, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Evansville, Indiana. Lis was born August 15, 1946, in Somerville, N.J.

Joe Lis signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1964 and ended up playing in the major leagues with the Phillies 70-72, the Minnesota Twins in 73-74, and the Cleveland Indians in 74-76 and the Seattle Mariners in 1977. Lis also spent some time in the White Sox and Tigers minor league systems.

Lis played in the minors for all or parts of 12 season’s and put up some decent numbers in 1,337 games, getting 4,492 at bats, and hitting 236 home runs while getting 604 RBI’s to go along with a .277 batting average. Lis was really never able to land a full time starting job in the big leagues. Lis’s best season may have been with the Minnesota Twins in 1973 when he appeared in 103 games, getting 253 at bats and hitting .245 with 9 home runs, 25 RBI’s and 37 runs scored. When his major league career ended after the 1977 season, Joe had played in all or part of 8 big league seasons, appearing in 356 games with 780 at bats and hitting 32 home runs and knocking in 92 RBI’s while hitting for a .233 average.

After retiring from baseball, Lis coached youth baseball for over 30 years and in his spare time he enjoyed golf, fishing, and spending time with his grandchildren. Joe Lis owned and operated the Joe Lis Baseball School since 1991 and also worked in insurance since 1989. The obituary for Joe Lis can be found in the Evansville Courier & Press. You can also find a very nice SABR biography about Joe Lis by clicking here. We at Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the Joe Lis family in their time of sorrow.

Know your franchise history

HOF "Goose" Goslin

August 22, 2010 – The Society for American Baseball Research is a great organization and one of the wonderful projects they have going on is the Baseball Biography Project. One of the many biographies they have completed is about Washington Senator Hall of Famer Leon Allen Goslin, better known as Goose Goslin. Goose was born October 16, 1900 in Salem, New Jersey and passed away on May 15, 1971. Goslin played in the majors for 18 seasons with the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and the Detroit Tigers. Goslin was a slugging clutch-hitting outfielder who had some issues judging fly balls and some say that is how he earned the nickname of “Goose”. Goose Goslin was voted in to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by The Veterans Committee in 1968. Here is a quote from Goose Goslin that I borrowed from Baseball-Almanac.com – “It was just a game, that’s all it was. They didn’t have to pay me. I’d have paid them to let me play. Listen, the truth is it was more than fun. It was heaven.” – Goose Goslin. Take some time and read about this Washington Senators legend by clicking here.

Know your franchise history

HOF catcher Rick Farrell

July 18, 2010 – The Society for American Baseball Research is a great organization and one of the wonderful projects they have going on is the Baseball Biography Project. One of the biographies they have completed is about Hall of Famer Richard Benjamin Ferrell who was born on October 12, 1905 and passed away on July 27, 1995. In 1947, after 18 major league seasons with the Browns, Senators, and Red Sox, Rick Ferrell retired as the longest playing catcher in the American League. His record 1,806 games would stand for more than 40 years, surpassed finally by another Hall of Famer, Carlton Fisk in August 1988. A stout defender and choosy batter, Ferrell was an eight-time All-Star who caught a rotation of four knuckleball pitchers for the 1945 Washington Senators team that lost the American League pennant in the final week of the season. Take a few minutes and enjoy a trip back in time and read about this baseball catching great by clicking here.