Worldwide Sports News

1945
Harry Grabiner, the longest-tenured executive in White Sox history and certainly one of the longest-running employees overall, resigned as GM of the club. While not really formally holding a GM title, Grabiner had run the White Sox in tandem with three generations of Comiskey ownership, dating back to 1915. He first caught on with the team in 1905, selling scorecards; the 15-year-old got the job after noticing owner Charles Comiskey working the Comiskey Park infield after a rainstorm and asking if he could help out. By 1916, Grabiner was the team secretary (the de facto GM), at just 26. In 1939 upon the death of Comiskey’s son, Louis, the will stipulated that Grabiner was guaranteed another 10 years of employment in running the White Sox. However, Grabiner’s health was in decline, forcing his leave six years later.

Grabiner would soon return to baseball, as part of Bill Veeck’s ownership group in Cleveland. Meanwhile in Chicago, sabermetrics pioneer Les O’Connor took over the club for the next three seasons.

Also on this day came some administrative news of a different sort. With Hall of Fame voting at this time occurring just once every three years, just one player and two people overall had been elected to the Hall of Fame over the previous five years. With a massive pileup of worthy players were clogging the ballot, Cooperstown decided to hold a runoff election in order to get more players into the Hall — but the move was ineffective, as no one reached the necessary 75% for election. That included legendary White Sox hurler Ed Walsh, who received just 137 of 247 (55.5%) of votes, finishing third overall on the ballot.

1948
After six years with the White Sox (interrupted right in the middle by three seasons lost to military service in World War II), Taffy Wright was sold to Philadelphia. Wright logged 12.5 in his White Sox career, was an average or better player in four of six seasons, and earned MVP votes in three. By 1948, with the right fielder’s WAR winnowed down to 0.5 over a full season of play, Chicago cut ties. He would play one subpar season for the Athletics and would not see the majors again, although Wright would stay active in the minors until 1956, at age 44.

1951
In an outrageous turn, White Sox outfielder Minnie Miñoso lost the American League Rookie of the Year award to Gil McDougald of the New York Yankees, 13 votes to 11.

There are two objectionable areas in particular, when reviewing this hack voting. First is the fact that Miñoso finished much better than McDougald in MVP voting, which drew from a bigger and better spread of voters, 120-63. Miñoso finished fourth in the AL and actually received one first-place vote of the 22 ballots cast. McDougald finished ninth, with just 63 votes. Among all hitters who were “serious” candidates (i.e. Top 10 on the ballot), Miñoso’s WAR was highest, at 5.4 (McDougald sat at 4.5).

Second was the pure stats breakdown. Beyond the WAR advantage, Miñoso had the best OPS (.922) among Top 10 finishers, and also led the league in steals, with 31. Miñoso also led McDougald in basically every offensive category besides home runs (10, to McDougald’s 14).

1972
After accomplishing one of the greatest individual seasons in franchise history and barely missing the Triple Crown, White Sox first baseman Dick Allen was named the MVP of the American League by the Baseball Writers Association of America. 

Allen led the league with 37 home runs, 113 RBIs, a .603 slugging percentage and 99 walks. He led the Sox with a .308 batting average, drove in 19 game-winning runs, stole 19 bases, scored 90 runs and was only .0005 points shy of leading all AL first basemen in fielding. He was the overall MLB leading vote-getter for the All-Star team. 

In the MVP race, Allen garnered 21 of 24 first place votes, for 321 points. Joe Rudi of the A’s was second, with 164 points.     

2000
Jason Giambi edged out Frank Thomas for AL MVP, 371 votes to 285. Giambi hit .333 with 43 homers, 137 RBIs and 7.8 WAR, while the two-time White Sox winner batted .328 with 43 homers, 112 RBIs and 6.0 WAR.

The fact that Giambi later admitted to steroid use during the 2000 season has long given Thomas and his backers cause to dispute the award, but in truth Thomas’ reputation as a two-time winner (and leader of the division-winning White Sox) got him into second place to begin with.

Per WAR, several other players had more just cause for AL MVP than either Giambi or Thomas, beginning with Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martínez, with 11.7 WAR. And if you believe, very reasonably, that the MVP should be restricted to position players, then both Alex Rodriguez (10.4 WAR, third-place finisher) and Darrin Erstad (8.3, 8th) had better cases than either Giambi or Thomas and at least three other AL hitters had a better case than Thomas.

There’s a lot of old timey baseball things that don’t exist in the modern MLB. One notable one is ties. Now, it’s not that they didn’t play extra innings back in the early decades, they did. The issue was that for a long time stadiums did not have lights. Eventually, things got to a point where you literally could not play anymore. Leagues like NPB in Japan still have ties, but MLB has specifically created rules (the extra innings automatic runner) to ensure that games don’t go too long and end with a winner.

However, that wasn’t always the case. Sometimes, that could lead to some funny box scores, like this one from 1919.

Very early in the 1919 season, the Yankees were hosting the Washington Senators on May 11th. The game that day was a makeup one after a scheduled meeting two days prior was postponed due to “wet grounds.” There’s another old timey baseball thing that you don’t really see today.

The Yankees faced a difficult task that day as starting on the mound for Washington was future Hall of Famer Walter Johnson. However, Yankees starter Jack Quinn was up to the challenge himself, although it would be a difficult journey. In the second inning, the Senators put their first two runners on base thanks to a single and an error, but Quinn managed to work around that by getting two big strikeouts for the first two outs.

That would become a pretty common occurrence for the Yankees on the day. In the third, Quinn allowed a single to Johnson himself, before getting out of the inning with a double play. In the fourth, Quinn got an out on a fielder’s choice play at home and then had to strand the bases loaded, but managed to do so.

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ offense wasn’t exactly holding up their end of the bargain against Johnson. Roger Peckinpaugh had actually singled in their second at-bat of the day, but he ended up stranded at second. After that, Johnson retired the next 28 batters. If you did the math correctly, you may have realized that’s more consecutive batters retired than what a pitcher does in a regulation perfect game. Johnson was already an all-time great at this stage of his career, but he was especially dealing in this one.

Meanwhile as his offense was giving him nothing, Quinn was continually having to dodge bullets. He had to work out of further bases loaded jams in the sixth and eighth innings. Eventually, the game drifted into extra innings. In the 10th, Quinn worked around two runners. The Yankees’ offense then finally ended their dry spell when Home Run Baker drew a two-out walk. Somewhat understandably, he tried to make something happen by stealing second, but he got thrown out to end the inning.

After all that, the Yankees arguably had the better of the chances in extras. Quinn only allowed one runner in extra innings and promptly picked him off. Meanwhile, the Yankees had two runners on against Johnson, but failed to capitalize. Finally in the 12th, when George Halas (yes, that one) grounded out to end the inning, that also ended the game. It was believed that there was a law at the time that said Sunday games had to be over by 6:00 PM. The clock was nearing that time, and the game was called after a conference between umpires and managers. Reportedly, the law did not actually state the game had to end by 6, but it was a cold and damp day and neither team looked likely to cash in.

Both starting pitchers ended up going all 12 innings, but their stat lines couldn’t look any more different other than the runs column. Quinn allowed 10 hits and four walks in his 12 innings, facing 49 batters. Meanwhile, Johnson allowed just two hits and a walk, and his 37 batters faced was only one more than the minimum possible for his day.

At the end of every season, I like to write a “Stupidest Game of the Season” retrospective post. Had Pinstripe Alley been around in 1919, I think there’s a good chance this game would’ve made that list.

*State

Go Cards.

Rumor fly fast and furious this time of year, and with the owners planning to lockout the players on December 1, cutting off free agency until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, things have gotten off to a fairly speedy start. Of course, a rumor of interest could come from an agent trying to drum up interest in their client, or from a lower ranking executive just generally mentioning a player as being a fit. None of this means there’s a signing imminent, but BBWAA writer Francys Romero noted recently that the Tigers have shown interest in right-handed reliever Raisel Iglesias. That’s pretty vague, so I wouldn’t get too sold on the likelihood of a deal, but we’ll explore it anyway.

The 36-year-old right-hander has racked up 130 saves for the Atlanta Braves over the last four seasons. His recent peak was the 2024 campaign in which he posted a 1.95 ERA with a 2.65 FIP and was among the most valuable relievers in baseball. He hasn’t been quite that sharp the past two seasons, but he’s still a very good reliever and would immediately become the Tigers’ top dog.

Iglesias has had a much wilder ride than most major leaguers. A budding young closer on National teams for his native Cuba, Iglesias was caught fleeing through the mountains to try and defect. He was detained briefly but upon release escaped again and made his way to Haiti. A tryout in 2023 in Mexico City convinced the Cincinnati Reds to offer him a seven year deal worth $27 million. They tried to convert him into a starter in 2015, but abandoned that project the next season and he played out his contract with excellent success until he was traded to the Angels in 2020. They subsequently dealt him to Atlanta, where he played the past four seasons. Last year, the Braves signed him again to a one year, $16M deal and he made the All-Star gave for the first time in 2026.

Iglesias has since put together a decade plus of good to great relief work with rare consistency. In all that time, he’s posted an ERA over 2.75 just twice. Basically, he keeps the walks down, strikes out an above average percentage of hitters and doesn’t have a notable issue with giving up home runs.

From 2020-2022, Iglesias hit a peak where he was sitting 96 mph and punching out over 30 percent of hitters he faced. He was never quite in the elite class, but he was certainly among the nastiest relievers in the game. Now he’s just plain nasty, but it’s still plus stuff with good command. He features one of the best changeups in baseball and it’s a time tested weapon at this point.

Iglesias sits 94-95 mph these days and mixes plenty of sinkers in with his fourseam fastball, which is his primary pitch. It’s a pretty unique set of fastballs in that neither pitch moves that much, but from a funky, low three-quarters, short arm slot, they’re really hard to differentiate for hitters. Add to that a changeup that looks exactly the same as the fourseam-sinker combo and then disappears, and you have a pitcher that really baffles hitters, gets whiffs, and rarely allows them to land their A swing.

The fly in the ointment is that Iglesias will be 37 next year, and if you’ve read my concerns about Emilio Pagán, well Iglesias is better but the same fears as velocity declines and mileage adds up are present. We’ll leave it at that. The Tigers have had no luck at all with older free agent pitchers.

Iglesias would fulfill the Tigers desire for a high leverage reliever who can handle either-handed hitters. He’s tougher on lefties, but handles right-handers just fine too. He does occasionally break out his slider against right-handers, and while he only used it 7.5 percent of the time last year it’s still a solid pitch in its own right. The changeup is just the monster weapon in this repertoire, and might help Iglesias to continue to age well despite losing a full mile per hour off his fastball over the past two seasons. So far he’s held up pretty well. It’s probably wise to expect at least a little continued decline, but even so he’ll likely be the Tigers best right-handed arm unless peak Will Vest returns or River Ryan or another starter converts and dominates.

The other problem, is that while the Atlanta Braves went and spent bigger than expected to land RHP Evan Phillips, they may very well turn right around and offer Iglesias another deal. The Tigers are just interested. Probably a lot of teams are interested. The crop of good relievers this offseason isn’t exactly huge, and several names are off the board already. At this point I’d be pretty happy to land Iglesias but there is probably going to be a fair bit of competition for him now.

Right now, I’d probably put a low likelihood of this rumor turning into Raisel Iglesias to Detroit. If only because there are no particular ties to the Tigers for Iglesias. Ben Clemens of FanGraphs suggests he’ll get a one-year deal for $13 million, but also suggests that a lot of teams will be in on him. Those two things aren’t really compatible. If the Tigers want him, something like two years, $24 million might be what it would take. Some certainty for a player as a very uncertain offseason begins might be the ticket to luring him to pick the Tigers over the one year, $16 million that seems likely. We’ll see if they want him quite that much.

A lot of guys got cups of coffee with the Braves this year, including some true cups of coffee (just one appearance). Hunter Stratton added some nuance: not only did he get a true Braves cup of coffee, but he was part of two trades following that.

How Acquired

Stratton was a midseason trade acquisition by the Braves in 2025, acquired for minor league outfielder Titus Dumitru and cash on July 1, after the Pirates designated him for assignment in late June of that year.

The moribund Braves had him ride the shuttle quite heavily that year, as he was recalled five times in the span if two months.

What were the expectations?

Stratton had a nice-ish 2024 (0.7 fWAR in 37 2/3 innings, 84 ERA-, 80 FIP-, 98 xFIP-), but his season abruptly ended when he ruptured his patellar tendon running to cover home plate after a wild pitch. Given his injury status, the Pirates non-tendered him and re-signed him to a minor league deal; he was still working his way back from the injury with just (awful) appearances in 2025 when the Pirates sent him to the Braves.

Stratton worked 16 1/3 innings with the Braves down the stretch in 2025, but aside from a low ERA, he didn’t really offer anything of interest (52 ERA-, 102 FIP-, 110 xFIP-). His story in Triple-A was the same: an undeservedly low ERA and nothing else particularly great. However, he was on the 40-man roster, which meant he’d be yo-yo-level depth for the Braves in 2026, unless they needed his 40-man roster spot. Stratton was projected to be perhaps a below-average reliever, but not one the Braves were going to devote a dedicated bullpen spot to.

2026 Results

Stratton spent the first month of the season at Gwinnett; the Braves called him up on May 1. He got into one game: May 2, against the Rockies, where he threw the top of the ninth in a blowout win (strikeout, single, double play). The Braves optioned him to Gwinnett the next day; he spent another six-ish weeks there before the Braves decided they did need his 40-man roster spot, and designated him for assignment.

In a twist of fate, the next day, the Braves traded him for former teammate Joey Bart, who was the guy who couldn’t corral the wild pitch that led to Stratton’s season-ending injury in 2024 and may have altered the course of his career.

Then, things got a bit weird: the Pirates basically activated him from the minors to pitch two times in three games against the Braves, and then sent him down again. Basically, Stratton made three MLB appearances in 2026, and all three involved the Braves. At the Trade Deadline, the Pirates then traded him again, this time for the Padres’ Andrew Moore, a very fringy relief prospect. The Padres didn’t call up Stratton over the course of the season, but he remains on their 40-man roster.

All in all, Stratton’s three-appearance 2026 was kind of the reverse of his recent appearance, in a tiny sample: he had 0.1 fWAR, but with a 125 ERA-, 31 FIP-, and 42 xFIP-.

What went right?

Well, he actually pitched pretty well in two of his three outings, and actually earned a shutdown in a losing effort against the Braves in his final MLB appearance of the year. He came in with a four-run deficit and more on base and benefited from a fielder’s choice to end that frame. Then, after the Pirates scored two in the next frame, he shut the Braves down with a couple of strikeouts — but the Braves later turned it into a blowout anyway.

Plus, amid all the moves, Stratton retains his 40-man roster spot, so he seems likely-ish to pitch in the majors again in 2027, provided that there’s a 2027 season and he actually keeps said 40-man roster spot.

What went wrong?

For a second consecutive year, no one really seemed interested in giving Stratton a lot of runway at the MLB level. Part of it is that he just hasn’t done enough in the minors since his knee injury to make him an exciting callup. In 2026 at Triple-A, he had an ERA and estimators all in the 4.00s for the Braves; they were good in a few games with Triple-A Indianapolis (Pirates) but, with the El Paso Chihuahuas (Padres), all he could muster was another low ERA, poor estimators line.

Another issue for Stratton is just that his arsenal doesn’t make him an appealing add. His fastball is hard but lacks the “rise” you’d expect given its velocity, and the fact that deadens any fade on it means that it ends up looking very similar to his hard cutter. His slider has great shape and maybe he’d benefit from throwing a billion of them and nothing else, but there’s also a command issue there. Until he straightens some stuff out (but not literally; that fastball is straight enough), yo-yo guy might be Stratton’s role.

2027 Outlook

The Padres have a pretty top-heavy bullpen at this point, led by best-reliever-in-baseball Mason Miller, but they don’t have a lot of interesting depth, such that Stratton currently projects to have a decent workload at replacement level. Of course, the Padres will probably make some additions, which will cost Stratton his presumed spot if they happen. That said, there are many worse bullpens out there, so someone could probably use him to eat innings, whether he figures out how to be more effective or not, a la the Braves in 2025. But, given the way team control works in MLB, he’s not guaranteed to stick with a team like that, unless the Padres decide to move on.