Almost Cooperstown

2nd baseman Ryne Sandberg is deservedly in the Hall of Fame. So is Roberto Alomar. On the other hand, Bobby Grich, Lou Whitaker, and Jeff Kent are not, and it's unlikely that Robinson Cano will ever make it for off-the-field reasons. Chase Utley has a chance, and Jose Altuve is on track. We compared all of these players stats and careers and it's amazing how much alike their careers were or have been so far. Only 20 2B have ever been elected to the HOF. Gordon makes a great point that the historical HOF era committees should vote more regularly than every few years. Chase Utley did not play his entire career with the Phillies as he played four different seasons for the Dodgers. Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! And please tell your friends. www.almostcooperstown.com

Braves Max Fried had gotten off to a spotty start to his season but his 92 pitch shutout in an hour and 54 minutes vs. the Marlins announced he's just fine. Shohei Othani has 17 doubles already which is on pace for an all-time record. How about Elly De La Cruz? 1.7 bWAR in a month. If he keeps up what he's done in April he will have a bWAR more than 10 and 100+ stolen bases. The Guardians and Brewers continue to surprise, the Braves and Dodgers not so much. The Astros are facing a critical upcoming week vs. Cleveland and 1st place Seattle. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/NE5G28PYIls Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! And please tell your friends. www.almostcooperstown.com

58 of the 273 (21%) players elected to the Hall of Fame played only for one franchise. As Gordon pointed out, before baseball had free agency players did not move around nearly as much not because they didn't want to but because they were not allowed to! We talk about the only set of teammates that were elected to the HOF in the same year. There are 9 teams that lack a one team Hall of Famer. That number will drop to 8 once #Twins Joe Mauer is inducted this July. There are plenty. of Hall of Famers who didn't quite make the one team idea. Players like Ron Santo who played his entire career with the Cubs until he went crosstown for his last season to play for the rival White Sox. Pie Traynor has 2,416 career hits not more than 3,400. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/snUQMLsQS1I Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! And please tell your friends. www.almostcooperstown.com

The Angels were 9-9 for a moment this week with Mike Trout leading the way. Could they possibly make the playoffs? Then they proceeded to lose 3 straight. Same old. AL West is a dogfight even with the Astros still mired in last place. The Twins have been having trouble scoring. They could use a good week coming up as the Guardians are sailing even without Shane Bieber and can that last? Royals hanging tough but the Tigers are treading water. Yankees without Gerritt Cole are neck and neck with the Orioles in a tight division that has all 5 teams over .500. 32-year old Cam Booser (pictured) made his MLB debut for the Red Sox and it's quite a story. The Mets have won a lot lately but have gained no ground on the Braves and Phillies who've been equally as good. The Nationals are better than the Marlins which we did not expect. Brewers and Cubs at the top of the NL Central and this could get interesting. Pirates sliding back a bit and the Reds have steadied and are poised. The Cardinals are bumping along but are not far behind. Is there anything wrong with the Dodgers? Watching the top three hitters Betts, Ohtani, and. Freeman is a treat. Even Will Smith is a force. But the rest of the lineup has been bad to awful. The Diamondbacks, Padres, and Giants are all close in talent as well as the standings. The Rockies are happy the Marlins play in the NL since some of the negative attention is deflected to Miami. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FEO3JOeMyyM Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

Having a discussion around MLB player union issues can easily make your eyes roll. So we sprinkled in a little Scott Boras since he's one guy everyone loves to hate. Except for his clients of course. When MLB brought in the MiLB players into the union 2 years ago it went kind of quietly but it's no small deal. Rumors of mutiny within the MLBPA have come around Harry Marino who's been termed an 'insurgent lawyer' looking to rankle players into thinking about what Tony Clark and his office has done for them. Or not done. Is it time for a change? We talk a little about the history of baseball player unionization which goes back as far as 1885 and Hall of Famer, John Montgomery Ward. They even discussed salary caps in 1885. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yYFZ-qm4yvo Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

Are the Pirates and Royals for real? Both teams have gotten off to great starts but we've seen it before. We're at nearly 10% of the 2024 season has been played and there are a bunch of things that are happening as predicted. But not everything! Shohei Ohtani is great as is Juan Soto. The Dodgers are good. So are the Yankees and Braves. But those teams have issues as all teams do. Just think in 3 weeks we will be 25% through the season and perhaps by then the surprise teams will have shown they might hang around and not be the 2023 Pirates. Injuries continue to play a big part and there's no sign that an increase in injured arms for pitchers are going away. Games have been a little slower, hitting is down and strangely steals are too, But it's SO early. George Springer will turn 35 this season. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jkUTc8tqEsg Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

If the expression 'chicks dig the long ball' is still true as it was in the 1990s when Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine did a TV spot about the baseball's obsession with home runs, today's pitchers love to light up the radar with triple digits or at least get as close to that as they can. Pitching labs are the newest tool to get the most out of a pitcher's repertoire. But is all this efficiency helping pitchers stay healthy? Why are more pitchers getting TJ surgery than they used to? Dr. James Andrews noted that before he retired his patient population had flipped from professionals and college players to youth baseball players not even 16 years old sometimes! What can be done? We talk about how things got to where they are and a few ideas on how MLB and baseball in general can pull away from the new generation of throw harder and harder pitchers. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0Vl2KGZhB60 Intro & Outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

What was the signature moment of the past full week in MLB? Ronel Blanco's no hitter? The earliest date for a no-hitter in history! Or was it Bryce Harper's three home runs in a game last week? It might have been a few moments when star pitchers Eury Perez (Thursday), Shane Bieber (Friday) and Spencer Strider (Saturday) all went down with UCL injuries and face Tommy John surgery. On our next podcast we will talk about the constant chase of velocity by pitchers. The Braves look good as do the Dodgers, Yankees and Orioles. The Guardians and Tigers have started well as have the Pirates and Brewers. Texas has done a good job so far and they are still finishing a wrap-around 4 game series with the Astros. Intro & outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

How do you feel about Major League Baseball players giving each other a hot foot during the game? It was fairly commonplace for a long time but no longer. Being thought of as a character is not as cute as it once was either. Is it because MLB players make too much money? Are there still any good pranks being played in MLB? We talk about a few of the better pranks and others that turned out to be a bit mean. Intro & outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

MLB 2024 Opening Day has come and gone but there was drama in New York at 2nd base with new Brewer Rhys Hoskins and Mets Jeff McNeil. Each week of the season on Monday we will recap the week that was with games through Saturday and we will try to keep it to 30 minutes or less. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8taZmsDEp-I Thanks for the intro and outro music this season courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

We had such a good time last year in Episode 401 talking with Author Michael Ortman who wrote 'Opening day 50 for 50' where he recounted attending 50 straight opening days. We talked about some of this year's opening day matchups, why some pitchers are declining to take the opening day start, which was unthinkable not that long ago! We also get serious and talk again about Curt Flood, Dick Allen, and that they both should be in the Hall of Fame and maybe will get there this winter when the Classic Baseball Committee meets on players, execs, umpires and influencers in baseball before 1980 are re-looked at to see whose been overlooked. Michael has his own personal story to tell about adopting 3 African-American children after he and his wife had three of their own. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7JEjE1cVsIQ Thanks for the intro and outro music this season which is. courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

Here we are, the 1st episode in season 5 where we offer our predictions in order of finish of all the MLB teams. Who will be be the 2024 MVP in each league? Who will win the Cy Young in each league? Who will be Rookie-of-the-Year in 2024? Are the Dodgers really the class of the National League? How about the Texas Rangers? Can they repeat? Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7JEjE1cVsIQ Thanks for the intro and outro music this season which is. courtesy of Mercury Maid! Check them out on Spotify or Apple Music. Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

When it comes to Pat Ahearne, it's a really interesting story. He was the NCAA CWS MVP in 1992 when his Pepperdine Waves went all the way. That effort surely helped Pat get his 1st MLB contract with the Detroit Tigers. He pitched 4 games for them in 1995 starting three of them, over a two week period in June. But he was not able to make it back to the big leagues. Yet he kept on persevering playing another 15+ years in various locations professionally all over the globe. These days Pat does some remote analytics and coaching at www.thewayofbaseball.com and has launched a retail tea business called www.insidecornertea.com based on his experiences traveling and tasting tea in many different countries. Watch the episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TQd5YKxNiXg Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

The last of our 6 division previews. It might be saving the best for last although the AL East might tip the scales. Dylan Cease to the Padres will make a difference and the Padre lineup is formidable, but who can top Betts, Ohtani, and Freeman as a top three in the lineup. The D'Backs will not catch anyone by surprise this year and their additions of Eugenio Suarez and Eduardo Rodriguez are important. The Giants think they can compete and the Rockies know they can't. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gOE0TWWhRWU Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

The NL Central is better than the AL Central. But that's about it. The Cubs with new manager Craig Counsell will be a top division contender with the Reds being heard from as well. The Brewers, Cardinals, and Pirates have some issues. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RBe0xEchXxs Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

Our 4th division primer on the NL East. The Braves and Phillies are the class of the division with the Mets, Marlins and Nationals all hoping that they are the team that will surprise. We talk about all 5 teams 40-man rosters, and who the best players are in the division. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WcpmH0kB3jc Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

We noted that Rangers are under-appreciated. The Astros are still formidable and the Mariners not to be ignored. The AL West will be fun to watch this season unless you're a fan of the Angels or A's. The 3rd of our 6 division breakdowns. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/gkUf2J4Wjco Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

Jose Ramirez is one of the best players fans under-appreciate. The Guardians are not at the top of the list of AL Central favorites but should not be ignored either. We talk about the rosters of all 5 teams in what will be a dogfight of teams all lacking a key ingredient. This is the second of what will be 6 consecutive podcasts doing division primers. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XxmiwUBJe84 Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

While we didn't pick the teams which we will do in our season preview episode, we did dig deep into each team's 40 man roster. The AL East is the best division in baseball and yet we had trouble picking more than 3 top starting pitchers! This is the first of what will be 6 consecutive podcasts doing division primers. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mlgaQiltFAY Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com

2024 MLB Spring Training has begun and would-be rookies impact teams ultimate performance (think Corbin Carroll and Evan Carter last year) more and more frequently . But some Rookie's of the Year never reach the heights they touched in their first campaign. That doesn't mean they don't have a career and flame out after a couple of years, although that can happen too. We also cover this year's crop of rookies that might be in the running for 2024 Rookie of the Year. Mark mentioned Royce Lewis as a ROY and it was not Royce buy Kyle Lewis in 2020 who won the AL award. He's done little since. And since we recorded this episode on the weekend the Cubs did finally sign Cody Bellinger! Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/UmntDoHqUos Please subscribe to our podcast and thanks for listening! If you have a suggestion for an episode please drop us a line via email at Almostcooperstown@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Twitter/X @almostcoop or visit the Almost Cooperstown Facebook page or YouTube channel. If you can please give the podcast 4 or 5 star rating! www.almostcooperstown.com