Hello everyone, and welcome to the show. If you’re accessing this podcast, you’ve already listened to Rounders: A History of Baseball in America, our main show, and you’ve signed up as an exclusive email subscriber. Thanks so much for continuing to support both of these projects.
So let’s get the show going, starting with memorable historical moments that happened this week
This Week’s Quick Hits
On December 19, 1934, Future Hall of Famer Al Kaline, who will amass 3,007 hits in 20 years with the Tigers, is born in Baltimore.
On December 20, 1921, owners voted at the major league meetings to return to a best-of-seven world series. The American League voted to return to the best-of-seven format, while the major of National League votes went to keeping the then-current best-of-nine series. Commissioner Landis cast the deciding vote, and the best-of-seven format was reinstated.
On today, December 22, 1962, Harris County, TX, voters approved a bond issue to complete the financing of a new all-weather stadium to house the Houston Colt 45s. That stadium would later go on to be known as the infamous Astrodome.
On December 23, 1962, Jerry “The Sage” Manuel was born in Hahira, GA. He managed the Chicago White Sox from 1998 to 2003 and the New York Mets from the middle of 2008 to 2010. He won manager of the year in 2000 after leading the Sox to a 95-win season, and a surprising first-place finish.
On Dec 24, 1967, Jim Lonborg, an American League Cy Young award-winner and pitcher for the 1967 pennant-winning Red Sox, fell while skiing and damaged his left knee. Lonborg went on to pitch 12 more seasons in the majors, but never reached the same success he experienced before this accident.
And on Christmas Day, 1973 - Nellie Fox, who led the AL in hits four times, won three Gold Gloves, played in 12 All-Star Games, and was AL MVP for the 1959 White Sox, was finally inducted into the Hall of Fame. The announcement came 23 years after his death.
Focus Story: The Post-Humous Induction of Nellie Fox
An induction into the baseball hall of fame is a momentous occasion in any player’s life. It comes with interviews, parties, ceremonies, and all-around well-wishes from friends, families, and fans. Those celebrations didn’t happen for Nellie Fox, as he was voted in after his death. Why did that happen? Let’s take a look:
To quickly overview his career, Jacob Nelson Fox (also known as “Nellie”) was one of the best second basemen of all time, and statistically the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in MLB history. He played in the big leagues from 1947 to 1965 and most of his career with the Chicago White Sox.
His list of accolades is long. They include:
12 American League all-star appearances
An AL Most Valuable Player in 1959 (he was the only 2B to win it until 2008 when the Red Sox’s Dustin Pedroia won the award)
3 AL Gold Gloves
A career .288 batting average with 2663 hits, 35 home runs, and 790 runs batted in.
He hit .300 or more six times
He led the AL in singles eight times (seven of them in consecutive seasons) His career fielding percentage was .984, and he led the league in fielding average six times as a second baseman.
In 1959, he led the "Go Go" Chicago White Sox to the American League Pennant championship
He also coached the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers after his playing career ended.
So what kept Nellie from being inducted while alive?
The detractors point to two main factors, and they tie into using sabermetrics to judge his career:
Nellie Fox was a below-average hitter for his career (93 OPS+ - on-base plus slugging).
He also only had a career WAR (wins above replacement rating) of 49.
If you take those two metrics into consideration he only stacks up to 64% of other players currently in the Hall.
He was always right on the line regarding votes by the writers, but never got the 75% he needed for induction. In his final chance on the ballot, he got 74.7% - close but just not enough.
In the late 1990s, a group of fans formed the Nellie Fox Society to promote his case for induction. The group grew to as many as 600 members. In 1997, the Hall of Fame's Veterans Committee finally elected him posthumously.
Tell me if you think Nellie’s career warranted a Hall of Fame induction.
Current News
1) Mets will pay roughly $111M in luxury tax penalties for the 2023 season.
That figure is higher than what 10 MLB teams will pay their entire 26-man rosters next season. Chris Cwick from Yahoo Sports reports, " This spending level is unprecedented in baseball. Cohen [the Mets’ owner] will run out a team that will cost roughly $100 million more than the previous record for the highest payroll in the sport, per Passan.
To recap the Mets’ offseason signings have included:
Carlos Correa for 315 million
Brandon Nimmo for 162 million
Edwin Diaz for 102 million
Justin Verlander for 86 million
Kodai Senga for 75 million
Jose Quintana for 26 million
Omar Narvaez for 15 million
Adam Ottavino for 14.5 million
David Robertson for 10 million
Omar Narvaez for 15 million
2) Baseball’s Rule Change Shifts the Market for Left-Handed Pull Hitters
According to an article from the Wall Street Journal’s Lindsey Adler, the upcoming rule changes might specifically benefit left-handed pull hitters.
Beginning in 2023, the MLB will ban defensive shifts. These strategies have specifically hurt southpaw hitters for years. So it stands to reason that banning these strategies will lead to an offensive revival for these same players. Some names that should see stat surges are:
Former National League MVP Cody Bellinger
Outfielders Andrew Benintendi and Joey Gallo
Infielders Anthony Rizzo and Brandon Belt
“If I were a left-handed hitter, I would be having a little party right now”
said Russell A. Carleton, a researcher and writer at Baseball Prospectus who has done extensive analysis about the effects of defensive shifts.
It will be interesting to see this major new rule's impact in the upcoming season.
Thanks for Supporting the Show!
That's all for this edition of This Week in Baseball History. Be sure to check back next week for more memorable moments, news, and updates from around the league!
This Week in Baseball (12-19-22)