Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose players who had 30 steals in a season with the Blue Jays. There were 15 players with 30 steals for the Blue Jays. Here are some examples:

Rajai Davis

Rajai Davis focused on baseball in college. A well-rounded athlete whose biggest asset is his speed, he was drafted in the 38th round of the 2001 amateur draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis was signed by scout Charlie Sullivan and made his pro debut that summer. Originally a second baseman out of school, he was converted to the outfield. He hit .262/.364/.274 for the GCL Pirates that year with 11 steals in 14 tries. He also went 1 for 12 with two walks for the Williamsport Crosscutters. In 2002, Rajai returned to the lowest level, going at a .384/.436/.554 clip for the GCL Pirates with 24 steals in 30 tries. He was 0 for 4 with Williamsport and 6 for 14 with 6 walks for the Hickory Crawdads. An off-year may have knocked him out of baseball but instead he dominated that season. Davis led the Gulf Coast League in batting average, OBP, hits (86), at-bats (224), total bases (124) and extra-base hits (25, tied for the lead with Joey Votto). He was one point behind the slugging leader, Hanley Ramirez. He made the GCL All-Star team, but at 21 was old for the level and did not make Baseball America’s list of the league’s top 20 prospects. The league did not pick an MVP but Topps named him the GCL Player of the Year.

Shannon Stewart

Shannon Stewart was an outfielder and one of the most free-swinging lead-off hitters in the game. At Southridge High School in Miami, FL, he was a three-sport standout in track, baseball, and football. As a senior, he was an All-Dade County selection in baseball. As a junior, he was an All-Dade County selection in football.

Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round (19th pick) of the 1992 amateur draft, Stewart made his major league debut on September 2, 1995. He fluctuated between the majors and minors over the next several seasons, eventually finding a place in the everyday Blue Jay lineup by the end of 1997.

Homer Bush

Homer Bush batted a scorching .380/.421/.465 in 45 games (71 at bats), then made two pinch running appearances in the Fall Classic. Homer was part of the Yanks offering to the Toronto Blue Jays for Roger Clemens prior to the next season, along with pitchers Graeme Lloyd and David Wells. In his lone season of regular activity, 1999, Homer hit .320/.353/.421 in 128 games. His bat cooled considerably in 2000 and he was gone from the bigs after 9 games back in the Bronx in 2004. A regular at Yankee Old-Timer’s Day festivities, he resurfaced in the game as a coach for the Eugene Emeralds in 2014.

In 2022, he managed the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the MLB Draft League and in 2023 was appointed manager of the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League.

His son, Homer Bush Jr. was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 4th round of the 2023 Amateur Draft.

Otis Nixon

Otis Nixon stole more bases in the 1990s than anyone else.

He first caught attention with some great seasons in the New York Yankees minor league system in the early 1980s. In 1980, he scored 124 runs in 136 games for the Greensboro Hornets of the South Atlantic League, thanks to an OBP of .412 and 67 stolen bases. In 1981, he stole 72 bases for the AA Nashville Sounds, maintaining an OBP of .413 in spite of a .251 batting average, as he drew 110 walks. In 1982, between Nashville and AAA Columbus, he stole 107 bases, drew 108 walks and scored 90 runs. This was the height of the 1980s stolen base era, as Rickey Henderson set the single-season major league stolen base record, while Vince Coleman would set the minor league record the following year. He returned to Columbus for a full season in 1983 and stole another 94 bases in 138 games, hitting .291 and scoring 129 runs while drawing 96 walks. He was clearly ready to start in the majors at that point, but his teams focused on his weaknesses rather than his strengths: he had almost no power (his last professional homer had been hit in 1980 and he had never collected as many as 20 extra-base hits in a season) and he had never reached the magic .300 mark as a hitter. As a result, it would take him a number of years to establish himself as a major league regular.

Lloyd Moseby

Lloyd Moseby was signed as a 1st round pick in the 1978 amateur draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and scout Wayne Morgan. He played only 2+ years in the minors, hitting .300 and slugging .500 at every stop.

Moseby played 12 years in the majors, mostly with the Blue Jays. He was sixth in the American League in batting with a .315 average in 1983, led the AL in triples with 15 in 1984 and was named to the All-Star team in 1986.

Moseby had both power and speed, so he was in the top five in Power/Speed Number five times in his major league career. The similarity scores method shows Andy Van Slyke, a contemporary, as the most similar player.

All 15 Players

You can see all 15 players with 30 steals for the Blue Jays on Stathead. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who had 30 steals in a season with the Blue Jays | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 | August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose players who had 30 steals in a season with the Astros. There were 23 players with 30 steals for Houston. Here are some examples:

Jose Altuve

Jose Altuve stands only 5′ 6″, making him one of the shortest players in the 21st century. He was signed by scout Wolfgang Ramos for the Houston Astros in 2006 and began his pro career with the VSL Astros the next summer.

He played in the Futures Game, then reached the majors with Houston in 2011. He was called up on July 20th, replacing Jeff Keppinger, who had been traded to the San Francisco Giants the previous day. In his first game that same day, he was Houston’s starting second baseman against the Washington Nationals and went 1 for 5. On August 20th, he hit the first inside-the-park home run for the Astros since Adam Everett in 2003 when he led off the 1st inning against the Giants with a drive to deep left-center that allowed him to round the bases without even having to slide. It was his first major league homer, coming off Madison Bumgarner, and set his team off to a 7-5 win over the defending World Champions. For his rookie year, he hit .276/.297/.357 in 57 games.

Michael Bourn

Michael Bourn was an All-Star center fielder known for his exceptional speed and defensive prowess.

Willy Taveras

Willy Taveras was signed by scout Winston Llenas for the Cleveland Indians in May 1999. He made his pro debut for the DSL Indians that summer.

Taveras was one of the best batters for the Dominican Republic in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, going 2 for 7 with 6 walks to lead the team in OBP. He was thrown out trying to steal in his lone attempt, gunned down by Kenley Jansen at third base in the 9th inning of a 3-2 loss to the Dutch national team. He was later thrown out at home by Concepción Rodríguez in a win over Panama. Surprisingly, Taveras did not score in 3 games despite his numerous times on base.

His cousin Leody Taveras is a minor league outfielder.

Jeff Bagwell

Jeff Bagwell played fifteen seasons with the Houston Astros and, along with Craig Biggio, was the face of the club for many years.

Bagwell was born and grew up in Boston idolizing Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski. Selected by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1989 amateur draft, he was named the Double A Eastern League’s MVP in 1990, his first full season of professional baseball. He led the league with 160 hits and 220 total bases, tying for the lead with Mike Twardoski with 24 doubles and finishing second to Luis Mercedes (.334) with a .333 batting average. He seemed well on his way to following in Yaz’s footsteps to Fenway Park. But a little over a year after signing with the BoSox, Bagwell became part of one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history. On August 30th, he was traded to the Houston Astros for journeyman relief pitcher Larry Andersen. Andersen had a 1.23 ERA for the Sox that season, helping the team to a division title, then left as a free agent. The Astros ultimately got the better of the deal.

Craig Biggio

Craig Biggio retired at the end of the 2007 season with the longest term of service with the same club in Major League Baseball. He had played with the Houston Astros since 1988, reaching the bigs a little over one year after being the team’s first round pick, beginning as a catcher, but switched to second base during the 1992 season. He remains the only player in baseball history to be named to an All-Star Game as both a catcher and a second baseman. He would also play two seasons as the team’s center fielder. In his first All-Star Game, in 1991, he became the first catcher to have interference called against him when Paul Molitor’s bat hit his glove mid-swing. At the time of his retirement, he had played 20 seasons with the same team.

All 23 Players

You can see all 23 players with 30 steals for Houston on Stathead. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who had 30 steals in a season with the Astros | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 | August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose players who had 30 steals in a season with the Angels. There were 14 players with 30 steals for Los Angeles. Here are some examples:

Mike Trout

Mike Trout is a three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and 2014 AL MVP centerfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, all achieved in his first three seasons in Major League Baseball. The twenty-three-year-old’s start, which began as a 19-year-old in 2011 and included winning the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year Award and #2 finishes in the 2012 and 2013 AL MVP races, is generally regarded as one of the greatest in the sport’s history.

Trout was a first-round pick in the 2009 amateur draft and was named baseball’s top prospect after the 2010 season. He is the son of Jeff Trout, who was a minor league teammate of Greg Morhardt, the scout who signed Mike for the Angels.

Erick Aybar

Erick Aybar is the brother of Willy Aybar and the uncle of three brothers all known as Wander Franco: Wander Javier Franco, Wander Alexander Franco and Wander Samuel Franco. He was signed as an amateur free agent in 2002 by scouts Leo Perez and Clay Daniel for the Anaheim Angels. He made his pro debut that summer for the Provo Angels, his time there coinciding with author Matt McCarthy, who chronicled his taste of the minors in his 2009 memoir Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound With a Minor League Misfit. Aybar hit over .300 in each of his first four minor league seasons, hitting lots of triples and getting lots of stolen bases. A peak year for Erick was 2004 with Rancho Cucamonga, when he hit .330 with 14 home runs and 11 triples. He stole 51 bases and was caught 36 times. 2006 found him in Triple A ball with Salt Lake, where he hit .283 in a partial season.

Bobby Abreu

Bobby Abreu was one of the most gifted players in the major leagues during his 18-year career, possessing ample power, speed and a superb batting eye. He was extremely durable and hit over .300 six times, stole 20 or more bases fourteen times, drove in 100 or more runs nine times, hit over 20 homers nine times, worked over 100 walks twelve times with an OBP of more than .400 ten times and registered a career OBP of nearly 40 percent (.395). In the field, he was a steady, though unspectacular, performer. Abreu had two 30/30 seasons (becoming the first member of the Philadelphia Phillies to do so) and seven consecutive 20/20 seasons. Despite his superior talent and outstanding statistics, he was (rather curiously) only a two-time All-Star selection.

Luis Polonia

Luis Polonia was a speedy journeyman with a high batting average who played 12 years in the big leagues. His speed resulted in many triples but he was not a wise baserunner and led his league in times caught stealing five times (3 in the majors, 2 in the minors). He appeared in 1,379 major league games with a .293 average. He was in the top five in triples four different times, and in the top five in stolen bases three times. Not a particularly strong defensive outfielder, Dennis Lamp once said “If you hit him 100 fly balls, you could write a book about it: Catch-22.

Gary Pettis

Gary Pettis had been a right-handed hitter throughout his amateur career. When he signed with the California Angels, scout Loyd Christopher noted that Pettis signed with his left hand. This led to the team’s conversion of Pettis into a switch-hitter (Source: 1979 Baseball Guide).

Pettis’ brother, Stacey Pettis, was a minor league outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and California Angels from 1981 to 1987. His nephew is Marquis Pettis.

When the Angels first brought him to minor-league camp, they were determined to make Pettis an infielder; he only got to show off what he could do as an outfielder as the result of an outfielder’s injury.

All 14 Players

You can see all 14 players with 30 steals for Los Angeles on Stathead. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who had 30 steals in a season with the Angels | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 | August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Mariners and Astros. There were 73 players who played with both Houston and Seattle. Here are some examples:

Randy Johnson

Randy Johnson is, along with fellow Hall of Famers Lefty Grove, Warren Spahn and Sandy Koufax, among the greatest left-handers in Major League history. He stands 6′ 10″ tall, reached 300 wins in 2009 and is second on the all-time strikeout list, with 4,875.

He struck out 18 or more batters in a single game four times. He tied Roger Clemens‘ and Kerry Wood‘s nine-inning strikeout record when he fanned 20 Cincinnati Reds batters on May 8, 2001 (Byung-hyun Kim relieved Johnson after nine innings with the game tied, 1-1). He struck out 19 twice in 1997 as a member of the Seattle Mariners against the Oakland Athletics on June 24th and against the Chicago White Sox on August 8th. On September 27, 1992, he struck out 18 Texas Rangers over eight innings while pitching for Seattle. He also holds the record for most strikeouts in a relief appearance: on July 18, 2001, he took over on the mound for Curt Schilling in the 3rd inning in a game that was started the previous day but suspended. Facing a San Diego Padres line-up stacked with left-handed hitters, he breezed through, striking out 16 batters in 7 innings and not giving up a run as he picked up the 3-0 win.

Larry Milbourne

Larry Milbourne played for the New York Yankees in the 1981 World Series and collected 3 RBI.

In 1989 and 1990, he played for the three teams in the Senior Professional Baseball Association. Milbourne batted a combined .363 for the three teams. He played 8 games for the St. Lucie Legends, 4 for the Orlando Juice, and 20 for the Gold Coast Suns.

While with the Houston Astros, his nickname was “Devil”. His brother, Monty Milbourne, was a minor leaguer in the Chicago White Sox chain.

Craig Reynolds

Craig Reynolds is the father of minor league infielder Kyle Reynolds. He finished 3rd in the Gulf Coast League in hitting in 1971.

Leon Roberts

Leon Roberts holds the major league record for most home runs by a player born on January 22nd (78). In the middle of his MLB career, he tried out for the Houston Oilers of the NFL and made the team as an end and punter. He had planned to play only on Sundays and then full-time after the baseball season [1]. The Houston Astros found out his ruse and raised his salary to get him to quit football.

In 1989, Roberts played for the Winter Haven Super Sox of the Senior Professional Baseball Association and later replaced Ed Nottle as the club’s manager. He hit .290 with 8 homers and 44 RBI in 65 games for the club. In 1990, he played for the San Bernardino Pride of the SPBA. He played in 25 games and was batting .300 with 3 home runs and 22 RBI when the league folded.

Mike Hampton

Mike Hampton won 148 games in 16 seasons in the majors. He was a two-time All-Star and widely regarded as one of the best hitting pitchers of his era.

Selected by the Seattle Mariners in the sixth round of the 1990 amateur draft, Hampton reached the majors with the team in 1993, going 1-3 in 13 games and giving up 18 earned runs over 17 innings. He made 3 starts, going 0-3 with a 16.71 ERA, while faring better out of the bullpen, where he went 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA and 1 save. Following the season, he was traded to the Houston Astros, along with Mike Felder, for Eric Anthony.

All 73 Players

You can see all 73 players who played with both Houston and Seattle on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Mariners and Astros | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Brewers and Astros. There were 99 players who played with both Milwaukee and Houston. Here are some examples:

Jim Wynn

Jim Wynn had an excellent 15-year major league career. He was one of the many youngsters who played on the Houston Colt 45’s in the early 1960s. His lifetime .250 batting average is better than it appears because he played most of his career in the second dead-ball era and he played in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. His 128 OPS+ puts him in a tie with Goose Goslin, Mickey Cochrane, John Olerud, Keith Hernandez and others.

Additionally, he was an excellent power hitter given those circumstances and he added enough walks to reach a .366 on-base percentage. Wynn hit 291 career home runs; his 37 round trippers in 1967 were second in the National League behind Hank Aaron at 39. His 148 walks in 1969 were a National League record for many years.

He finally was traded to a competitive team for the 1974 season, and his performance (he was 5th in the MVP voting) helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the pennant. Although Steve Garvey won the MVP award, Wynn had a much higher on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS+ that year.

Nori Aoki

Nori Aoki is a two-time Central League batting champion and current NPB lifetime batting champion who spent six seasons in Major League Baseball.

Aoki won the Tokyo Big Six University League batting title in the spring of 2002 and was a fourth-round pick of the Yakult Swallows in the 2003 NPB draft. In 2004, he led the minor Eastern League in batting average and OBP and saw limited time with Yakult, going 3 for 15 at the plate. Aoki became a regular with the Swallows in 2005 and had an amazing rookie campaign. He batted .344/.387/.417, became the second rookie to win a batting title, was third in the Central League with 29 steals, fourth with 100 runs scored and 7th in OBP. Aoki was a fairly two-dimensional player of speed and contact as he did not walk much or show real power. Additionally, he struck out 113 times, ruining the impression of a contact specialist. On the other hand, he broke the Central League record for hits (202, breaking Bobby Rose’s record by 10) and became the second player in Nippon Pro Baseball history to have 200 hits in a season (Ichiro Suzuki had been the first). He shattered Ichiro’s singles record of 151 with 166 such hits (Norihiro Akahoshi broke Ichiro’s record earlier in the year but Aoki surpassed him by the end). He set a new NPB record with 61 multi-hit games, breaking the mark set by Shigenobu Shima of 60 a year earlier. For his work, Norichika won the Rookie of the Year award in the Central League and made the Best Nine. While it may be questionable if a free swinger can maintain high averages for a long time, Aoki’s collegiate and minor league careers seemed to indicate it was certainly feasible in his case.

Danny Darwin

Danny Darwin is the brother of Jeff Darwin. Darwin played long enough to have teamed with both Sandy Alomar Sr. and Roberto Alomar, and to also have played with both Bobby Bonds and Barry Bonds.

With the Tulsa Oilers in 1977, he went 13-4 with a 2.51 ERA, leading the Texas League with 4 shutouts.

He showed quite an improvement after the All-Star break in 1988. Before the break, he went 3-8 with a 4.69 ERA. After the break, he went 5-5 with a 2.68 ERA while pitching for the Houston Astros.

Mike Fiers

Mike Fiers was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 22nd round of the 2009 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Charlie Sullivan and made his pro debut that summer.

Fiers reached the majors as a September call-up in 2011, making his debut for the Brewers on September 14th. Facing the Colorado Rockies that game, he allowed 2 hits and struck out 2 over a scoreless inning of relief work. he only pitched twice for the Brewers, giving up no runs in his two innings of work.

All 99 Players

You can see all 99 players who played with both Milwaukee and Houston on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Brewers and Astros | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Mariners and Angels. There were 111 players who played with both Los Angeles and Seattle. Here are some examples:

Alvin Davis

Alvin Davis played nine seasons in the majors, hitting 160 home runs and posting a .380 on-base percentage. He was the 1984 American League Rookie of the Year and was very popular with Seattle Mariners fans during his eight years with the team.

Davis played college ball at Arizona State University where he was a teammate of Marty Barrett. Davis had 200 RBI in four years at ASU. During college he played for the 1980 Alaska Goldpanners, hitting .400. Two of his teammates there were Kevin McReynolds and Harold Reynolds. Davis was signed as a 6th round pick in the 1982 amateur draft by the Mariners and scout Bob Harrison.

Davis was a very popular player in Seattle at a time when the team wasn’t winning many games. Their best finish in his years with them was fourth.

Harold Reynolds

Harold Reynolds had a 12-year career in the major leagues as a second baseman. A multi-talented player, he won three Gold Gloves, led the American League once with 60 stolen bases in 1987, and led the league in triples once with 11 in 1988. He also achieved quite a bit of visibility after his playing days as a television sportscaster.

Reynolds was born in Oregon in 1960, and was signed as the #2 pick in the secondary phase in the 1980 amateur draft by the Seattle Mariners and scout Jeff Malinoff. He worked his way up the Mariners’ minor league organization pretty quickly, hitting well at every stop. He particularly impressed with the Calgary Cannons in 1985 when he hit .363/~.440/.514 in 52 games.

After a couple of cups of coffee in the major leagues in 1983 and 1984, and time spent as a backup in 1985, he became a big league starter in 1986.

Chone Figgins

Chone Figgins pronounced his first name “Shawn”. He played twelve years in the big leagues, mostly for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and was once 10th in the voting for AL MVP – in 2009, when he made the All Star team. Although he didn’t usually lead the league in offensive categories, he was once the league leader in stolen bases and once in walks. His .330 batting average was sixth in the 2007 American League. He was a multi-position player, appearing in 640 games at third base, 279 at second base, 253 in center field, and at least 25 games at each of left field, shortstop and right field. He appeared in the 2002 World Series.

He is the brother of Angels scout Demetrius Figgins.

Kendrys Morales

Kendrys Morales broke into the Cuban Serie Nacional in fine form in 2001-2002. After being named the best junior player in Latin America by the Pan American Baseball Federation in 2001, Morales hit .324 his rookie season for the Industriales. He was third in the Serie Nacional in homers (21), RBI (82) and total bases (203). The 3B-OF set rookie records with 114 hits, 82 RBIs, 21 home runs, 46 extra-base hits and 60 runs. His hit record was broken by César Prieto 18 years later. He became the first teenager to make the Cuban national team since the legendary Omar Linares two decades earlier. In the 2002 Intercontinental Cup, Morales hit .270/.310/.459 with 15 RBI in 10 games for Cuba, which won a Gold Medal after Silvers in the prior two Intercontinental Cups. Morales was second to Yobal Dueñas in RBI that tourney, but did not make the All-Star team as Feng-An Tsai was chosen at first base.

Mark Langston

Mark Langston was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2nd round of the 1981 amateur draft. He was drafted on June 8th, and signed on June 17th by scout Bob Harrison. He spent his initial pro season with the Bellingham Mariners, winning 7 and losing 3 for a 3.39 ERA. He did not finish among the top 10 in ERA but fanned 97 in 85 innings and was one of two hurlers chosen for the Northwest League All-Star team, alongside Brian Hunter. In 1982, he was pitching for the Bakersfield Mariners, winning 12 and losing 7 with a 2.54 ERA. He was 5th in the California League in ERA and whiffed 161 in 177 1/3 IP; only Tim Conroy and Curt Young struck out more that year. On the other hand, Langston walked 102 hitters, also finishing third in the Cal League in that department.

All 111 Players

You can see all 111 players who played with both Los Angeles and Seattleon Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Mariners and Angels | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Brewers and Angels. There were 113 players who played with both Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Here are some examples:

Jonathan Lucroy

Jonathan Lucroy debuted in the majors at age 23.

Lucroy had an impressive high school career. As a freshman, he was honorable mention for the state of Florida. He made All-State as a junior, then hit .450 with 10 homers as a senior, finishing with the school record of 20 home runs. He jumped right in during his freshman year of college too, hitting a team-high .379 with a .427 OBP and .544 slugging percentage, driving in 48 in 54 games and making no errors afield. He made second-team All-Sun Belt Conference (finishing 5th in the conference in average) and was named a Freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger. Baseball America chose J.P. Arencibia instead in that role.

Jim Edmonds

Jim Edmonds set the St. Louis Cardinals team record for home runs by an outfielder in 2000 with 42 and hit .336 with runners in scoring position in 2001.

In December of 2007, Edmonds was traded to the San Diego Padres for about one million dollars and infield prospect David Freese. After hitting just .178 in 26 games with the Padres, he was released in May 2008 and signed with the Chicago Cubs shortly thereafter. After sitting out the 2009 season, Jim signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers in January 2010, and made a comeback, earning a spot on the team in spring training. He hit well enough to play regularly and raise the interest of the playoff-bound Cincinnati Reds, who acquired him in return for young OF Chris Dickerson on August 9. Between the two teams, he hit .276 with 23 doubles and 11 homers in 86 games. However, his season ended suddenly on September 21 in a game against the Brewers: starting at 1B, he hit a homer off David Bush in the 2nd inning, but injured his right achilles tendon while circling the bases and had to leave the game. As a result, he missed the postseason as well. It turned out to be his last major league at-bat: he signed a minor league contract with the Cardinals before the opening of spring training in 2011, but announced his retirement on February 18 when he realized his Achilles tendon had not healed properly.

Devon White

Devon White was outfielder and baserunning coordinator in the Washington Nationals’ farm system from 2008-2010. He joined the Chicago White Sox as a minor league baserunning coordinator in 2011 and 2012. He became the hitting coach of the Buffalo Bisons in 2017, then was position coach for Buffalo in 2018-2019. He was scheduled to coach for Buffalo in 2020 before the season was cancelled due to Covid-19 then did return to Buffalo in 2021-2022.

White’s daughter, Davellyn Whyte, played basketball at University of Arizona

Ken McMullen

Ken McMullen had a sixteen-year career in the majors. Despite being overshadowed by contemporary Brooks Robinson, he was regarded one of the better-fielding third basemen of his era, and he showed moderate power at the plate. Mickey Mantle once called him the most underrated player in the American League.

Jim Slaton

Jim Slaton remains the all-time leader in pitcher wins, innings pitched and shutouts for the Milwaukee Brewers.

In 1989, he played for the Fort Myers Sun Sox of the Senior Professional Baseball Association.

Slaton spent more than a decade as a minor league coach. He was a coach for the Oakland A’s organization with the Southern Oregon A’s (1991-1993) and AZL Athletics (1994). He was then pitching coach for the Daytona Cubs (1995-1996), Lancaster JetHawks (1997-1998), and Tacoma Rainiers (1999-2003).

He was a roving pitching instructor for the Seattle Mariners in 2004, and was the Mariners’ bullpen coach from 2005 to 2007. Slaton was the pitching coach for the Las Vegas 51s in 2008 and moved to the Albuquerque Isotopes in 2009-2010. Slaton left Albuquerque in July 2010 to attend to his ailing father and was replaced by Glenn Dishman. He joined the Dodgers as interim bullpen coach in 2012 while Ken Howell dealt with some diabetes-related issues.

All 113 Players

You can see all 113 players who played with both Los Angeles and Milwaukee on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Brewers and Angels | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Brewers and Blue Jays. There were 105 players who played with both Toronto and Milwaukee. Here are some examples:

Paul Molitor

Paul Molitor played twenty-one years in the major leagues, getting over 3,000 hits and achieving a number of other standards typically associated with the Hall of Fame. He is ninth on the all-time list for hits, eleventh for doubles, eighteenth for runs scored and thirty-sixth for stolen bases. Although he never won the MVP Award, he was second in 1993.

Molitor was on Team USA that won the 1975 Intercontinental Cup. He drove in four against Puerto Rico. In the finale, he drew a first-inning walk from Tomoyasu Hagino, stole second and came home on a Ron Hassey double to start a 8-0 US rout of Japan.

Charlie Moore

Charlie Moore played fifteen years in the majors, all but one with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was slightly built for a catcher (5′ 11″, 180 pounds), but this physical build gave him great versatility as a ballplayer. He was as good an outfielder as he was a catcher, and an athletic baserunner also (he finished his career with more triples (43) than home runs (36)).

The son of minor league pitcher Charlie Moore Sr., Moore saw the majority of his playing time behind the plate early in his career. In 1982, one year after the Brewers acquired catcher Ted Simmons, he was moved to right field where he appeared in 115 games. Despite hitting just .254 during the regular season that year, he hit .462 in the ALCS against the California Angels and batted .346 in the World Series versus the St. Louis Cardinals. He was the Brewers’ regular right fielder in 1983 as well, then returned to catching.

Mike Matheny

Mike Matheny was a poor-hitting catcher who was outstanding defensively, however. He won four Gold Gloves during his career. He went a full season without committing an error in 2003. He retired from playing when his doctor refused to give him medical clearance following a concussion that made him miss the last four months of 2006. He became a minor league instructor in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and on November 13, 2011, was named to replace Tony LaRussa as the club’s manager in 2012. He defeated five other finalists for the job, but was given huge shoes to fill, given LaRussa’s tremendous managerial record, capped by a World Series title two weeks earlier.

Marco Estrada

Marco Estrada was drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 6th round of the 2005 amateur draft. He was signed by scouts Brian Hunter and Brian Parker and made his pro debut that summer.

Estrada made his major league debut by pitching two scoreless innings for the Nationals against the Philadelphia Phillies on August 20, 2008. He had no decisions and a 7.82 ERA in 11 games that season, then went 0-1, 6.14 for Washington in 2009, then was claimed off waivers by the Milwaukee Brewers as spring training was starting in 2010.

Shaun Marcum

Shaun Marcum was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 3rd round of the 2003 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Ty Nichols and made his pro debut that summer.

Marcum missed all of the 2009 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2008. He had established himself as a top starter in his second full season for the Toronto Blue Jays, with a 3.29 ERA in 25 starts in 2008. He came back to be the Jays’ opening day starter in 2010, taking a no-hitter into the 7th inning before giving up a walk, a hit to Vladimir Guerrero and a three-run game-tying homer to Nelson Cruz. He ended up with a no-decision.

All 105 Players

You can see all 105 players who played with both Toronto and Milwaukee on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Brewers and Blue Jays | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Mariners and Blue Jays. There were 117 players who played with both Toronto and Seattle. Here are some examples:

John Olerud

John Olerud was an All-Star, Gold Glove first-baseman who spent the bulk of his 17-year big league career in the American League. A lifetime .295 hitter, he was the 1993 American League batting champion with the Toronto Blue Jays, and owns two World Series rings earned starring with the Jays in 1992 and 1993.

Olerud came up with Toronto as a 20 year-old rookie in 1989. In an extremely lopsided trade he was dealt eight years later to the New York Mets for Robert Person, a 27-year-old future journeyman who was then an undistinguished 5-5 with a 4.07 ERA just two years into his career. Olerud’s days in Toronto were highlighted by a .363 BA, 24 HR, 107 RBI, 54 double 1993 campaign, in which he led the AL in OBP (.473), OPS (1.072), and OPS+ (189) in addition to batting average and doubles. He was a regular on the great 2001 Seattle Mariners team that won 116 games, hitting .302 with 21 home runs.

Omar Vizquel

Omar Vizquel played 24 seasons in the major leagues and set a number of longevity records at shortstop. He was originally signed as a free agent for the Seattle Mariners by scout Marty Martinez on April 1, 1984.

Vizquel won nine Gold Gloves with the Cleveland Indians. In 2005, he won his first National League Gold Glove while playing for the San Francisco Giants and repeated the feat the following season. He has the best fielding percentage for a shortstop in history, and in 2007, passed Ozzie Smith for most double plays. Vizquel tied and passed fellow Venezuelan Luis Aparicio for career games at the position in the two games of a May 25, 2008 doubleheader against the Florida Marlins. In 2009, Vizquel became the third player in major league history to play shortstop at age 42, following Luke Appling (1949) and Honus Wagner (1916). That season, he also passed Aparicio for most hits by a player born in Venezuela.

Vizquel had over 12,000 major league plate appearances, putting him at #17 on the all-time list when he retired. Most of the players near him on the list are in the Hall of Fame.

Vizquel is a drummer who did a rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Broadway” on a CD of songs performed by baseball players.

Justin Smoak

Justin Smoak was the 11th player selected in the 2008 amateur draft, taken by the Texas Rangers. He came to the majors less than two years later.

R.A. Dickey

R.A. Dickey was a star pitcher at the University of Tennessee and won a bronze medal for the United States at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He was 1-0 with a 2.51 ERA as Team USA‘s ace in the 1994 Baseball World Cup but walked 8 in 14 1/3 IP.

After they drafted Dickey in the first round of the 1996 amateur draft, the Texas Rangers‘ medical staff discovered that he was missing a crucial tendon in his throwing elbow, and that it was unexplainable that he could pitch at any level with such a condition. They offered him only a nominal contract, fully expecting that he would break down in short order. However, his arm held up and he managed to reach the major leagues in 2001. He was a regular member of the team’s pitching staff in 2003 and 2004 as a swingman, although he never managed to post an ERA under 5.00. He began to experiment with throwing a knuckleball after that. He made the Rangers’ staff at the beginning of 2006 but in his sole appearance on the mound on April 6th, he gave up 6 home runs, one less than Charlie Sweeney‘s all-time record, to earn a ticket back to AAA.

J.A. Happ

J.A. Happ was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round of the 2004 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Bob Szymkowski and made his pro debut that summer with the Batavia Muckdogs. After splitting the next season between the Lakewood BlueClaws and the Reading Phillies, he made three stops in 2006: the Clearwater Threshers, Reading again, and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. He began 2007 with the Ottawa Lynx and was called up to the majors to make a start for the Phillies on June 30th. He gave up five earned runs in four innings against the New York Mets and was then returned to AAA.

All 117 Players

You can see all 117 players who played with both Toronto and Seattle on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Mariners and Blue Jays | Immaculate Grid Answers for Grid 121 August 1, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.

Are you hooked on Immaculate Grid, the daily trivia game from Baseball Reference? We sure are! We’ll warn you right now—this blog post contains spoilers. But if you’re looking for a little help with today’s grid (or you already filled it out and want to know who else qualified) read on.

To fill out today’s grid, you need to choose a player who played for both the Phillies and Blue Jays. There were 96 players who played with both Toronto and Philadelphia. Here are some examples:

Mickey Morandini

Mickey Morandini was the All-Star SS in the 1987 Intercontinental Cup, the lone American named to that All-Star team. He hit .404/~.433/.684, with a tourney-high 8 doubles. He led the Americans with 16 runs and 13 RBI, well shy of Omar Linares on both fronts, as the U.S. won silver. He was just 1 for 13 with 3 walks for Team USA in the 1988 Baseball World Cup, playing primarily DH with Ty Griffin at second base and Dave Silvestri at short. He was signed as a 5th round pick in the 1988 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies and scout Tony Lucadello.

He turned an unassisted triple play on September 20, 1992 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jeff King was the batter.

Scott Rolen

Scott Rolen was a second round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1993 amateur draft and was a seven-time Rawlings Gold Glove award winner. He was the 1997 NL Rookie of the Year. He only became eligible for that award through a freak occurence. In a game on September 7, 1996, he collected his 130th at-bat early in the game – the limit to still be considered as a rookie the following season – then was hit by a pitch in his following time at the plate. That counts as a plate appearance, but not as an at-bat, and because the injury he sustained ended his season, he was eligible for the award the next year. Ironically, Todd Hollandsworth became the Rookie of the Year in 1996 under very similar circumstances.

Besides Rolen’s defensive skills, he was also a very good offensive player. From 1997 to 2002 Rolen was the main offensive threat for the Phillies. He only earned his first All-Star nod in 2002, but once the ice was broken, he returned regularly, amassing seven All-Star nods for his career.

José Bautista

José Bautista was a journeyman swingman/reliever who saw action in nine seasons between 1988 and 1997. His finest season came upon his return from a year in minor league exile, crafting a 10-3, 2.82 record in 58 games (7 starts) and 111 2/3 innings with the 1993 Chicago Cubs. He holds the record for fewest pitches in a complete game (8 innings or more) when he unleashed 70 pitches against the Seattle Mariners in a 1-0 loss as a member of the Baltimore Orioles on September 30, 1988.

Roy Halladay

Roy Halladay spent his first 12 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays and later played for the Philadelphia Phillies. He set the Blue Jays’ season record for wins in 2003.

As a child, he played American Legion, Babe Ruth and Little League baseball. He graduated from Arvada West High School in Arvada, Colorado in 1995 where he played baseball and basketball. He was a first team All-Conference and All-State selection for three years and named League and State MVP two years. He also was also a member of the second All-State team in basketball. The Blue Jays selected him in the first round of the 1995 amateur draft, 17th overall. The scout was Chris Bourjos.

Halladay made his debut in 1995 with the GCL Blue Jays, going 3-5 (.375) with a 3.40 ERA in 10 games and 50 1/3 innings pitched. In 1996 with Dunedin in the Florida State League, he went 15-7 (.682) over 27 games and 164 2/3 innings. His ERA was 2.73. Doc split 1997 between Knoxville in the Southern League and Syracuse in the International League. In his 7 games in Knoxville, he was 2-3 (.400) with a 5.40 ERA over 36 2/3 innings. In Syracuse, he appeared in 22 games with 125 2/3 innings, with a 7-10 record (.412) and a 4.58 ERA.

A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett spent parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues. He tossed a no-hitter and made his lone All-Star appearance in his final season.

Burnett was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1995 draft. Fellow major leaguer Craig Monroe was also taken in this round, several spots higher than Burnett. He was traded to the Florida Marlins for Al Leiter in 1998, one of several very good young players the Marlins acquired when they dismantled their 1997 Championship team. He made his big league debut on August 17, 1999, facing the Los Angeles Dodgers and allowing just one hit (a solo home run to Todd Hollandsworth) in 5 1/3 innings to earn a 6-1 victory. He saw limited action his first two seasons, 20 starts between 1999 and 2000. His first brush with fame came May 12, 2001, when he pitched a 3-0 no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. His second start of the season, the base paths were still busy for the Friars as A.J. walked 9 while striking out 7. He ended the season with a solid 11-12 record and a 4.05 ERA for the young Marlins, giving a hint of future stardom. His five shutouts in 2002 led the National League and established a Marlins single-season record that was later tied by Dontrelle Willis. He was also first on the club’s career shutout list, with 6, until 2002, and ended his Florida career with 8 (since passed by Willis as well). He improved to 12-9, 3.30 that season and seemed ready to form a tremendous duo with Josh Beckett.

All 96 Players

You can see all 96 players who played with both Toronto and Philadelphia on Baseball Reference. Good luck with your grid!

The post Players who played for the Phillies and Blue Jays | Immaculate Grid Answers Jul 25, 2023 appeared first on Baseball Reference Blog.