Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2015

What's interesting about the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is the same as the Classes of 2013 and 2014...there are some definite shoe-ins.

Truth is, I don't know if the Hall of Fame has had back-to-back-to-back years with so many quality, legitimate first ballot candidates.  To be honest, I can't wait until the Class of 2012 gets enshrined this weekend so we can start talking about the circus atmosphere that will encompass the years that follow. 

Here are the players that will be appearing on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2015.

IN.

Randy Johnson.

With five Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter and a perfect game...Johnson is pretty much as safe a lock to end up in Cooperstown as anyone who ever toed the rubber. Add in 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts, a World Series ring and ten All-Star appearances and yeah...it'll be interesting to see what knuckleheads don't believe he is worthy of going in on the first ballot.

Pedro Martinez.

Once Martinez finally announced he was officially retired, everyone began debating...in or out?  Pedro has a  career .687 winning percentage, sub-3.00 ERA, three Cy Young Awards and is a Boston legend.  Put him in.

John Smoltz.

John Smoltz is a tricky one. At first glance, he doesn't look like he has the numbers to make it to the Hall of Fame. That said, when you look deeper...he's a pretty special player. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher (Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is the other) to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner is also the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. Oh yeah, he also is just the 16th pitcher to surpass 3000 Ks for his career.

Gary Sheffield.

It is amazing to me how polarizing Gary Sheffield is. Me? I love the dude...and what's not to like? A career .292 batting average, 509 home runs and close to 2700 hits...the man is a hitting machine and performed at just about every stop during his 22-year career.

OUT (in random order).

Nomar Garciaparra.
Alright, reality check time. One of my favorite players of all-time is Nomar Garciaparra, so naturally...one would think that I would automatically pencil him in for a 2015 enshrinement. Unfortunately, his career numbers just aren't good enough. He started his career alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and, arguably, overshadowed them at first. However, injuries plagued the Whittier, California native, whereas the other two are legends.

Troy Percival.

It's pretty safe to say that I have a soft spot for closers. Just days ago, I said that John Franco is a Hall of Famer and took massive heat for it. For years, I've been trumpeting the efforts of Lee Smith. That said, I can't get behind Percival. His 358 saves (good for eighth all-time) is spectacular, but the dude never led the league and can't really hold a candle to some of his contemporaries.

Rich Aurilia, Aaron Boone, Paul Byrd, Tony Clark, Jermaine Dye, Alan Embree, Darin Erstad, Kelvim Escobar, Cliff Floyd, Brian Giles, Tom Gordon, Eddie Guardado, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Kevin Millar, B.J. Ryan, Jason Schmidt, Julian Tavarez, Jarrod Washburn and David Weathers

ON THE BUBBLE.

Carlos Delgado.
Delgado attempted a comeback late 2011, but since he never made it back to bigs...here he sits as a first ballot guy in 2015.  Sitting 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, with more than 2000 hits and 1500 RBI, Delgado is not that far from becoming the second player enshrined as a Blue Jay.

Missed any of the other re-hashes from this week?  Be sure to check out 2013 and 2014.  On Friday, your first look at 2017 hits the interwebs.

Countdown to Cooperstown: Class of 2015

What's interesting about the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is the same as the Classes of 2013 and 2014...there are some definite shoe-ins.

Truth is, I don't know if the Hall of Fame has had back-to-back-to-back years with so many quality, legitimate first ballot candidates.  Honestly, I can't wait until the Class of 2012 gets enshrined a year from now so we can start talking about the circus atmosphere that will encompass the years that follow. 

IN.

Randy Johnson.
With five Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter and a perfect game...Johnson is pretty much as safe a lock to end up in Cooperstown as anyone who ever toed the rubber. Add in 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts, a World Series ring and ten All-Star appearances and yeah...it'll be interesting to see what knuckleheads don't believe he is worthy of going in on the first ballot.

Pedro Martinez.

Not that long ago, Martinez finally announced that he was officially retired.  Of course, by not playing in 2010...he is Hall-eligible a year earlier than some of the others that recently hung it up.  In or out?  Pedro has a  career .687 winning percentage, sub-3.00 ERA, three Cy Young Awards and is a Boston legend.

John Smoltz.

John Smoltz is a tricky one. At first glance, he doesn't look like he has the numbers to make it to the Hall of Fame. That said, when you look deeper...he's a pretty special player. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher (Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is the other) to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner is also the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. Oh yeah, he also is just the 16th pitcher to surpass 3000 Ks for his career.

Gary Sheffield.

It is amazing to me how polarizing Gary Sheffield is. Me? I love the dude...and what's not to like? A career .292 batting average, 509 home runs and close to 2700 hits...the man is a hitting machine and performed at just about every stop during his 22-year career.

OUT (in random order).

Nomar Garciaparra.
Alright, reality check time. One of my favorite players of all-time is Nomar Garciaparra, so naturally...one would think that I would automatically pencil him in for a 2015 enshrinement. Unfortunately, his career numbers just aren't good enough. He started his career alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and, arguably, overshadowed them at first. However, injuries plagued the Whittier, California native, whereas the other two are legends.

Troy Percival.

It's pretty safe to say that I have a soft spot for closers. Just days ago, I said that John Franco is a Hall of Famer and took massive heat for it. For years, I've been trumpeting the efforts of Lee Smith. That said, I can't get behind Percival. His 358 saves (good for eighth all-time) is spectacular, but the dude never led the league and can't really hold a candle to some of his contemporaries.

Rich Aurilia, Aaron Boone, Paul Byrd, Tony Clark, Jermaine Dye, Alan Embree, Darin Erstad, Kelvim Escobar, Cliff Floyd, Brian Giles, Tom Gordon, Eddie Guardado, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Kevin Millar, B.J. Ryan, Jason Schmidt, Julian Tavarez, Jarrod Washburn and David Weathers

ON THE BUBBLE.

Carlos Delgado.
Delgado attempted a comeback late last year, but since he never made it back to bigs...here he sits as a first ballot guy in 2015.  Sitting 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, with more than 2000 hits and 1500 RBI, Delgado is not that far from becoming the first player enshrined as a Blue Jay.

Missed any of the other re-hashes from this week?  Be sure to check out 2012, 2013 and 2014 because, tomorrow, your first look at 2016 hits the interwebs.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2015 (so far)

Looking ahead to the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 is tricky...and the reasons are simple.

There are some guys who are definitely retired like Randy Johnson and Nomar Garciaparra. There are guys like John Smoltz who don't look to be coming back. And, of course, there are those who seem to be up in the air as to whether or not they want to play or not a la Pedro Martinez.

Add to that those pesky few who are out there and just not signed (Carlos Delgado and Gary Sheffield)...and 2015 looks murky at best.

IN.

Randy Johnson.
With the uncertainties out there of who is officially retired and who isn't..."The Big Unit" announced he was done following last year. With five Cy Young Awards, a no-hitter and a perfect game...Johnson is pretty much as safe a lock to end up in Cooperstown as anyone who ever toed the rubber. Add in 303 wins, 4875 strikeouts, a World Series ring and ten All-Star appearances and yeah...it'll be interesting to see what knuckleheads don't believe he is worthy of going in on the first ballot.

Pedro Martinez.

Martinez recently announced that he won't be playing at all this season. Of course, he didn't rule out 2011. Memo to Pedro...pack up your .687 winning percentage, sub-3.00 ERA, three Cy Young Awards and status as a Boston legend and reserve a hotel in Cooperstown for July 2015. There is nothing more for Martinez to prove and at this point...all he can do is ruin his reputation.

John Smoltz.

John Smoltz is a tricky one. At first glance, he doesn't look like he has the numbers to make it to the Hall of Fame. That said, when you look deeper...he's a pretty special player. In 2002 he became only the second pitcher (Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley is the other) to have had both a 20-win season and a 50-save season. The 1996 National League Cy Young award winner is also the only pitcher in major league history to top both 200 wins and 150 saves. Oh yeah, he also is just the 16th pitcher to surpass 3000 Ks for his career.

Gary Sheffield.

It is amazing to me how polarizing Gary Sheffield is. Me? I love the dude...and what's not to like? A career .292 batting average, 509 home runs and close to 2700 hits...the man is a hitting machine and performed at just about every stop during his 22-year career.

OUT (in random order).

Nomar Garciaparra.
Alright, reality check time. One of my favorite players of all-time is Nomar Garciaparra, so naturally...one would think that I would automatically pencil him in for a 2015 enshrinement. Unfortunately, his career numbers just aren't good enough. He started his career alongside Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter and, arguably, overshadowed them at first. However, injuries plagued the Whittier, California native, whereas the other two are legends.

Troy Percival.

It's pretty safe to say that I have a soft spot for closers. Just days ago, I said that John Franco is a Hall of Famer and took massive heat for it. For years, I've been trumpeting the efforts of Lee Smith. That said, I can't get behind Percival. His 358 saves (good for eighth all-time) is spectacular, but the dude never led the league and can't really hold a candle to some of his contemporaries.

2005 American League Cy Young Bartolo Colon, Brian Giles, Eddie Guardado, Paul Byrd, Tom Gordon, Jason Schmidt, Darin Erstad, David Weathers, Rich Aurilia, Russ Ortiz, Mark Loretta, Tony Clark, Cliff Floyd and Julian Tavarez.

ON THE BUBBLE.

Carlos Delgado.
There are plenty of rumors out there surrounding Carlos Delgado. Ask him and he'll tell you that he is coming back. Check out his Wikipedia page and he's already been signed by the New York Yankees. Ask me and I will tell you that if he hangs it up now, he's on the bubble when it comes to the Hall of Fame. Sitting 27 home runs shy of 500 for his career, Delgado is not that far from becoming the first player enshrined as a Blue Jay.

There are some more players that haven't played this season that I could have included (Joe Nathan, Jason Isringhausen, Jermaine Dye, Alan Embree and Ron Villone) but as of now...their careers don't appear to be over.

So there you have it...your breakdown of the Hall of Fame Class of 2015 (so far). Be sure to check out this week's re-hashes.

Monday: 2011

Tuesday: 2012

Wednesday: 2013

Thursday: 2014

Andre Dawson...the Last Expo Hall of Famer?

When Andre Dawson enters the Hall of Fame this weekend, he'll be entering as a Montreal Expo. The following take on Dawson the Expo comes from our friend Charley over at Hawk for the Hall.

It is quite possible that Andre could be the last Montreal Expo to be inducted and that in itself would be pretty cool.

The Expos always had the reputation of developing great, young talent only to trade it away or lose them to free agency. Here's a list of former Expos who has or had Hall potential.

Tim Raines. To me he is a Hall of Famer. However, several Hall voters and baseball writers don't see it that way. Raines has been on the ballot three times, netting 24% in votes in 2008, 22.6% in 2009 and 30.4% in 2010. Andre's voting percentage in his first three years is as follows...45.3% in 2002, 50% in 2003 and 2004. There is a fairly significant difference in their first three years.

Vladimir Guerrero. It looks as though Vlad has bounced back from injury and it he gets hot in the sweltering heat of Texas, he has a real shot of being a Hall of Famer. But will he go in as an Expo or an Angel? My guess would be an Angel. Eight years in Montreal, six as an Angel. His numbers are relatively close in those two spans...however he won the American League MVP award in 2004 with the Angels.

Larry Walker. Walker played his first six years as an Expo, but the move to Colorado did wonders for his career, not to mention winning National League MVP in 1997. Whether he accumulated high enough career numbers for voters is up for debate. We'll find out more in January.

Pedro Martinez. Pedro pitched four years in Montreal and won the National League Cy Young award in 1997. But, only 55 of his 219 career wins came north of the border, plus, he won two more Cy Young awards with the Red Sox (1999 and 2000). Is 219 where his win total stops, we'll have to wait and see. But one thing is for sure...he won't wear an Expo hat on his plaque.

Randy Johnson. Hall of Famer...yes. Being inducted as an Expo...no. "The Big Unit" had a very brief stint in Canada...11 games, to be exact, between 1988 and 1989.

Andres Galarraga: He spent eight years wearing an Expos cap, but failed to reach the necessary 5% in 2010 to stay on the ballot next year.

I'm guessing "The Hawk" will be remembered as the last Expo to be honored by the Hall of Fame. How do you see it?

On a similar note, famed Cubs author and "Diamond Gems" host George Castle shared some memories of "The Hawk". You can read them HERE.

2009: The Year That Was

About a week and a half ago, we said “adios” to 2009 and whatever “hello” is to 2010.

Many sites across the interwebs filled the end of the year with their “best of” lists…this is another one of those sites. You see, I’d have been a little more timely, but I was, um…being timely by breaking down the 2010 Hall of Fame ballot.

So, with a big “congrats” to the Baseball Hall of Fame’s newest member Andre Dawson and his supporters and an huge thanks that gave The Hall of Very Good, first, its biggest year to date and second, its biggest day (January 6) to date…here are the Top Ten* stories to hit this site in 2009.

10. On the Eve of 300 (June 4). The night before Randy Johnson notched his 300th career victory, I was able to compile the thoughts of three former Major Leagues that faced off against “The Big Unit”.

9. Talkin’ Baseball with Jeff Cirillo (August 28). The “Talkin’ Baseball” is one of my favorite things to do and they’re pretty popular on the site. I had no idea Jeff played in Mexico.

8. Hall of Fame ballot...2010 style! (December 3). A month before the Hall of Fame announcement was made…The Hall broke down the class of 26. Related, and also popular, was The Hall of Fame Class of 2011 (July 21). It seems people love themselves some Hall of Fame previews and talk of Bert Blyleven (more on that later).

7. Talkin’ Baseball with CJ Wilson (June 22). Talking with CJ and following him on Twitter is what pretty led to me starting “Twitter Tuesday”.

6. Jon Adkins signs Minor League deal with Reds (December 1). When good friend of The Hall Jon Adkins inked his deal with the Reds, I was curious what the Louisville GM had to say. Within minutes he responded and I committed it to the site. Shortly after that, one of my favorite sites, MLBTradeRumors.com, picked up the story.

5. Hall of Fame 2010: Kevin Appier (December 15). Mix together a Hall of Fame profile, a tongue-in-cheek Bert Blyleven reference and the chimps over at Baseball Think Factory and you know what you’ve got? A boatload of hits, gang!

4. Talkin’ Baseball with Seth Swirsky (October 25). Before the season started, I picked up a book by Seth Swirsky at the library. After buying, then reading, his other two…I started exchanging emails with the author and memorabilia collector. On what was the 23rd anniversary of (sorry Red Sox fans) Bill Buckner missing a slow roller up the firstbase line, Seth shared the story of how he came to owning that ball.

3. Twitter Tuesday (every Tuesday). “Infield Chatter”, “The Buzz”, “Follow Friday (Tuesday Style)” and now…“The Wisdom of Tommy Lasorda”, Twitter Tuesday has become a staple over at The Hall.

2. Mustache May (the ENTIRE month of May). Mustache May was conceived years ago when some friends and I decided to celebrate the ‘stache by growing one out. This year, it manifested itself with an endorsement from The American Mustache Institute, interviews with Fergie Jenkins (May 12) and Rollie Fingers (May 29) and, ultimately…an appearance on WGN 720 Radio (May 17).

1. Ten Milestones to Watch for This Season (April 6). The most popular post of the year was one that was initially a slideshow that was conceived to drive traffic (and it did) over at Bleacher Report. One appearance in Hot Clicks and on CBSsportsline.com later…a traffic generator was born.

Honorable Mention: Jim Thome now a Dodger...Hall of Fame next? (September 1). A couple years back, I posted that I didn't think Jim Thome was a first ballot Hall of Fame guy and the Baseball Think Factory chimps lost their collective mind. Almost two years later, I basically say it again...and Rob Neyer links to it.

What story (stories) did you enjoy most? Click on “comments” below and go bananas.

*-“Top Ten”…as defined at The Hall of Very Good’s Facebook page as “a combination of stories I enjoyed combined with the stories that had the most traffic”.

Randy Johnson calls it quits

"Eventually, you have to say it's time," five-time Cy Young Award winner Randy Johnson said during a conference call with reporters Tuesday night.

Last season, "The Big Unit" notched his 300th victory in an injury plagued season with the Giants. Overall, he went 8-6 with a 4.88 ERA.

For his career, the tall lefty compiled a 303-166 record and 4,875 strikeouts, good for second-most in baseball history behind Nolan Ryan's 5,714.

In 2001, Johnson and his slider, "Mr. Snappy", helped lead the Diamondbacks to their only World Series Championship.

Some past links you might enjoy...On the Eve of 300 and 10 Units About Johnson's 300 Victories.

The season that was...June

During batting practice in 1988, Randy Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines. Because of Johnson’s height, Raines exclaimed, "you're a big unit!"

Suffice it to say, the nickname stuck.

At 82 inches tall (or 6’10”), “Unit” is the tallest 300 game winner in history. Before he reached the milestone on June 4, Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens and Gaylord Perry shared the distinction at 6’4”.

Another fun fact, since I assume you all know about the Cy Young Awards and strikeout totals, Johnson is one of only two (Jamie Moyer is the other) players born prior to the Kennedy assassination.

Coindentally…the same number of Major Leaguers (two) were born after Johnson made his big league debut September 15, 1988.

Continuing with the trend of sluggers hitting the 300 home run milestone, Johnson’s former teammate Lance Berkman reached the milestone June 13 against Arizona. Berkman ended 2009 with 313 home runs…good for sixth all-time among switch-hitters.

Mickey Mantle leads the pack with 536. The other switch-hitters with 300 or more homers are Eddie Murray (504), Chipper Jones (416), Chili Davis (350) and Reggie Smith (314).

Four nights later, the Astros saw their catcher Ivan Rodriguez squat behind the dish and caught his record-setting 2227th game against the very team that signed him as a 16 year-old back in 1988...the Texas Rangers.

Unfortunately, he had one of his worst nights in memory in front of his old team by going one-for-five, made two throwing errors and saw the Rangers steal three bases.

Yikes.

"I-Rod" is the all-time leader in hits among catchers and sitting at 2618, it remains to be seen if he's got enough in him to be the first to see 3000. As it is...he's also ranked first all-time among catchers in doubles, putouts and with his 13 Gold Gloves and 14 All-Star Games, he's poised to enter Cooperstown as the greatest catcher ever.

A week later…on the same night the "King of Pop" died...Omar Vizquel became the "Venezuelan Hit King".

I know, I know...dumb seque. But the fact remains...with a first inning single, Vizquel surpassed Luis Aparicio on the all-time list with 2678 hits. He closed out the season with 2704.

One of the fun things about previewing milestones at the start of the season was watching them unfold throughout the year.

With a 4-2 victory over the Mets on June 27, Mariano Rivera become only the second member of the 500 save club.

Trevor Hoffman is the all-time leader with 591 saves, so it remains to be seen if Rivera (who ended the season at 526), can actually reach whatever record ends up being set. What is certain is this...it's going to be a long, long time before someone gets near either one of them.

As it stands, the next active reliever is Billy Wagner with 385 and after that...you're looking at Troy Percival with 358. Thing is, Wagner might not hit 386 and Percival might stay stuck at 358 since both have been hampered with injuries and retirement might be on the horizon for both of them.

Who has a chance at joining Hoffman and Rivera in the 500 Club?

Even though he notched a quarter of his career total of 243 saves in one season, Francisco Rodriguez is young enough at 27 to give them a run for their money.

So congrats to Rivera as you continues to secure his spot in Cooperstown, and let's all meet back here in eight years to see where K-Rod is at.

Earlier in the week, we looked at April and May. As you can probably guess…July is next.

10 units about Johnson's 300

That sound you heard Thursday was a gorilla of monster proportions finally getting removed from the back of Randy Johnson.

That’s right.

As it was first mentioned back in April here at The Hall, Johnson achieved the Grand Daddy of all pitching milestones…300 wins. With a 5-1 victory over the Washington Nationals, the five-time Cy Young award winner became the 24th player to notch 300 wins.

Here are ten things you might not have known about Johnson’s 300 victories.


7566
From his first victory (a 9-4 win on September 15, 1988 against Pittsburgh) to his latest…7566 days have passed. In that time, baseball went from having 26 teams to 30. The Angels went from California to Anaheim to Los Angeles (by way of Anaheim) and most notably…the Montreal Expos (Johnson’s first team) packed up and moved to Washington DC (Johnson’s latest victim). Incidentally, DC not only welcomed a baseball in that time, but they also welcomed four different presidents.

2709
Sure, we all know that with 4845 strikeouts, Johnson is second all-time. But did you know, that in his 300 victories, he struck out 2709 batters? All-time, that total alone would rank him 21st all-time…ahead of such notables as Tom Glavine (2607), Warren Spahn (2583), Bob Feller (2581) and Sandy Koufax (2396).

300
Sure…300 stands for the number of victories thrown by Johnson. 164 of them were home victories, while 136 were achieved on the road. Two victories came out of the bullpen. On July 20, 2001, Johnson stepped in and finished a game that had been postponed from the day before. He chalked up 16 strikeouts in 7 innings, technically setting the record for the most strikeouts in a relief stint. It should be pointed out that in those 300 victories…Johnson has startling 1.84 ERA. By comparison, Greg Maddux has a 1.82 ERA in his 355 wins.

102
In a July 9, 2004 game against his current team the Giants, Johnson hit 102 miles per hour on the radar gun. For the record…this is the fastest pitch recorded in a regular season baseball game. The fastest pitch recorded by a Major Leaguer (103 mph) was by Mark Wohlers in a 1995 Spring Training contest. Wohlers, coincidentally, is NOT one of 560 players that has shared a clubhouse with Johnson.

82
At 82 inches tall (or 6’10”), Johnson is the tallest 300 game winner in history. Before him, Steve Carlton, Roger Clemens and Gaylord Perry shared the distinction at 6’4”. During batting practice in 1988, Johnson, then with the Montreal Expos, collided head-first with outfielder Tim Raines. Because of his height, Raines exclaimed, "you're a big unit!" The nickname stuck.

41
With his first win at Nationals Park, Johnson now has victories in 41 different ballparks against all 30 MLB teams. The only parks he is winless in are Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium (0-1), Memorial Stadium (0-2), New Busch Stadium (0-1) and Citi Field (0-1). With some time, he should be able to knock two off that list. With a time machine…he might be able to get the others.

36
With the 36th pick overall in the 1985 draft, the Montreal Expos selected Johnson from the University of Southern California. Some notables that were drafted before him…Will Clark (2), Barry Larkin (4), Barry Bonds (6) and Rafael Palmeiro (22).

20
On May 8, 2001, Johnson became only the third pitcher to record 20 strikeouts in a game when he squared off against the Cincinnati Reds. But because the game went into extra innings, it was not categorized by MLB as an "official" 20-strikeout game.

2
“The Big Unit” holds the honor of being one of five pitchers (Cy Young, Jim Bunning, Nolan Ryan and Hideo Nomo are the others) to have thrown a no-hitter in both the American and National League. Of his two “no nos”, one is a perfect game…a feat only 16 other pitchers have accomplished. In case you were wondering…Young and Bunning each have a perfect game, whereas Ryan and Nomo do not.

1 (tie)
A career .128 hitter, the lanky “Unit” has hit only one home run. It happened September 19, 2003 against the Brewers and came off of future teammate Doug Davis.

1 (tie)
In what can only be termed “a freak accident”, Johnson struck and killed a dove in a Spring Training game on March 24, 2001. The unlucky bird swooped across the infield just as Johnson was releasing the ball and ended up dead amid a "sea of feathers". The official call was "no pitch”. Check out the video on YouTube HERE.

On the Eve of 300

On the eve of Randy Johnson potentially becoming baseball’s 24th 300 game winner, I had the privilege to put together the thoughts of three former players…Gary DiSarcina, Doug Glanville and Brian McRae.

Enjoy.

HOVG: Each of you had varied success against Johnson. Is there a certain at bat that sticks out in your mind?

GD: I remember my first at bat in the one game play-off in Seattle (in 1995). I was hitting second behind Tony Phillips. Tony struck out and as we walked past each other...he told me that I better get my ass ready to hit because Randy's fastball was unhittable. The first pitch Randy threw me was a fastball in for a called strike. The ball came in looking like a blur and it actually made a sound when it passed by me...sound like a "fffffffffttttttttt". It was the first time I ever heard a ball make a sound when I was hitting. RJ was absolutely untouchable that day.

BM: I don't really remember any one at bat, (but) when you looked ahead to who you'd be facing in a few days and saw Randy Johnson's name you wanted to make sure you got your hits a few days before you saw him.

DG: I think the at bat that sticks out in my mind was my first time I faced him in spring training when he was with Seattle. He was coming off of back surgery and as a young player, I hadn’t even been in the big leagues yet, I saw my name in the line-up against Johnson and I almost had a heart attack. But I grounded out in the first at bat…then I hit a triple to right-center. I had arrived!

HOVG: Each of you hit a home run off of Johnson. What can you tell me about that hit?

GD: It was in the Kingdome and it was a close game. I think we were losing by a couple of runs and I led off the inning late in the game. He had me down to an 0-2 count and he threw a slider that didn't slide but stayed in the middle of the plate. I hit a line drive into the left center gap that just made it over the wall for a home run. It was a good feeling to hit a home run against any pitcher, since I hit so few, but to hit it off a quality pitcher like Randy made it extra special.

DG: Funny enough, I thought I would match up well against Johnson after I hit against him a few times. I always liked power pitchers even though he had finesse to go with it. I hit him well and for a while, there were a couple of pitches he threw that I just missed that I thought “I could hit a homerun off of him one day.” So on one of the easiest swings I took against him, the ball went out. Nothing like putting a legend in “the book.”

BM: It was an inside-the-park job...nothing special.

HOVG: As a fan, you hear sometimes about a pitcher “tipping” his pitches. Did Johnson ever do this?

BM: We never picked up anything, but it wouldn't have mattered much if we knew what he was throwing.

GD: We did know that he tipped his pitches. His glove would be squeezed tighter when he would throw his fastball and his glove would be flared open when he threw his slider or change up. It didn't really matter to the right handed hitters, but the left handed hitters in our line-up liked to know when his slider was coming so they wouldn't bail on it.

DG: There were many times that we actually knew what was coming by the way he changed his glove. To give you a sense of how dominant he was in his prime, you still couldn’t hit him because he could spot the ball so well and, of course, 100 miles per hour is 100 miles per hour. He also does not get a lot of credit for his intelligence on the mound. He had fantastic control and if a pitch wasn’t working well early in the game, he would move to another part of his selection. By adding a split or even some sort of curve…drove you crazy.

HOVG: Lastly, how would you rank Johnson overall?

DG: He was probably the best I ever faced, even though I had success against him. (He was) the ultimate combination of power, control, planning, adaptation. It is hard to choose one “best”, but he is going to get a lot of votes from me.

BM: Best left-handed pitcher I faced. The best pitcher I faced was Pedro Martinez. I had good numbers against him too!

GD: RJ was definitely in the top five of toughest pitchers I have ever faced. He was right up there with Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and Pedro Martinez. I have a lot of respect for Randy and his ability to still be pitching at his age. I enjoy watching him compete against kids almost half his age and still dominate against them. He was one of the fiercest competitors I have ever faced and he brought the best out of everyone he faced. One of the things that surprised me about him was the command he had of all his pitches. I am also impressed with his desire to battle through so many serious injuries and rehab his way back into the starting rotation of a big league team. He is a sure fire Hall of Famer and it will be a well deserved honor for him when he is elected into Cooperstown.

Gary DiSarcina is a veteran of 12 major league seasons…all with the California and/or Anaheim Angels. He was an All-Star in 1995 and carried a .224 batting average against Johnson. In 2005, he was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame. Currently, DiSarcina is the manager of the Lowell Spinners of the New York-Penn League.

Doug Glanville was a first round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs in 1991. In nine major league seasons, he managed a .293 batting average against the 6’10” lefty. Glanville is currently a consultant with Baseball Factory, a high-school player development program. He writes guest columns for The New York Times on baseball and sports in general.

Brian McRae is a second generation player, having followed in the footsteps of his father…Hal McRae. In 1992, they became the fourth father-son combination to serve as manager and player. McRae carries a .162 lifetime batting average against “The Big Unit”. McRae currently finds himself in and out of the broadcast booth as part owner of WHB 810 AM in Kansas City.

Ten Milestones to Watch for This Season

Welcome to Opening Day!

Every season begins with a number of milestones on the horizon (and if you followed the divisional breakdown the last few weeks...you know them), and 2009 is no different. Gone are history-makers like Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Greg Maddux.

So, before the Bronx Bombers open the doors to their newest version of Yankee Stadium, let's look at ten milestones to watch for during the upcoming baseball season.

And because of injury, you'll notice that I conveniently ignored Alex Rodriguez. I harbor no ill will toward the man.

Maybe.

Ron Villone, TBD

Ron Villone, who changes uniforms so fast, team photographers can't keep up with him, will inevitably suit up for his major league record-tying twelfth team. When he takes the bump next, he'll tie pitcher Mike Morgan on the all-time list. Close on their heels? Matt Stairs. Stairs is currently with Philadelphia, his eleventh team.

Adam Dunn, Washington Nationals

The Nationals enter their fifth season since re-locating from Montreal with little to no fanfare. For the four Adam Dunn fans out there, you’ll be glad to know that he’s 22 homers away from 300 for his career, and if he gets to 40 this season, he’ll have done so for six straight seasons. Only Babe Ruth did it more consistently when he hit 40 out in a record seven straight seasons.

Joe Torre, Los Angeles Dodgers

Aside from Manny Ramirez (more on him later), the Dodgers do have some milestones to watch out for. Off the field...or more specifically, in the dugout, manager Joe Torre is 44 wins away from leap-frogging Sparky Anderson (2194) and Bucky Harris (2157) and moving into fifth place on the all-time list.

Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

When 2008 came to a close, Albert Pujols became the only player in major league history to hit at least .300, with 30 or more home runs and at least 100 RBI in each of his first eight seasons. The only other players to accomplish the 100 RBI feat were Al Simmons, who did it in eleven straight, and Ted Williams, who stalled after eight. All in all, “Prince Albert” is 31 home runs away from 350, 23 RBI from 1000 and 53 runs from 1000.

And oh yeah, he just turned 29.

Greg Maddux/Fergie Jenkins, Chicago Cubs

While not exactly a milestone, the Cubs are doing something pretty cool and pretty monumental on May 3. Before the “North Siders” take the field against the Florida Marlins, they’ll retire number 31 for Fergie Jenkins and Greg Maddux. Each hurler won a Cy Young Award and combined for 300 victories while wearing the pinstriped 31.

Carlos Delgado, New York Mets

Raise your hand if you ever thought Carlos Delgado was going to be a member of the 500 home run club. No one? After Gary Sheffield hits number 500, which should have come in the first week of the season...Delgado is up next. The slugger has 469 home runs and should, barring injury, close out the Mets’ first season at Citi Field with a milestone.

Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers

Last year, Ramirez came into the season needing 10 home runs to get to 500. This season, Manny comes in with 527 and looks to pass up Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, and Reggie Jackson on the all-time list. Factor in his 2,392 hits and, by season’s end, you’ll be looking at just the sixth player to have more than 2,500 hits, 500 doubles, 550 home runs and 1800 RBI. The others: Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Willie Mays, Rafael Palmeiro, Frank Robinson, and Babe Ruth.

Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees

Mariano Rivera is 18 saves away from joining Trevor Hoffman as the only two closers with 500 saves. Next on the active list is Billy Wagner with 385. Savor save number 500, baseball fans. It’ll be awhile until we see it again. Saves are tricky to predict because it’s all dependent on how the Yankees fair this season. If you’re curious, Rivera has claimed his 18th save as early as May 29 (in 2004) and as late as August 6 (in 2007).

Gary Sheffield, New York Mets

A major leaguer at 18, Sheffield got off to a quick start by getting his first hit and first home run in the same swing. Now, 498 home runs later, Sheffield is on the cusp of becoming the 25th player to hit 500 long balls. Also worth mentioning, Sheffield comes into 2009 with 1633 RBI. Everyone who is Hall eligible and has more RBI than “Sheff” is enshrined in Cooperstown.

Randy Johnson, San Francisco Giants

Not since Bonds was knocking on the door of every home run milestone have the Giants had a milestone (or two) to watch for. Randy Johnson brought with him to the Bay a number of things worth noting. First and foremost, “The Big Unit” is five victories away from 300 wins. Only 24 pitchers have accomplished the feat. The closest active pitchers include Jamie Moyer (246), Kenny Rogers (219) and Andy Pettite (215).

And while he hasn’t hit 200 or more strikeouts since 2005, it’s worth mentioning that Johnson is 211 Ks away from becoming the second player to strike out 5000 batters. He won’t touch Nolan Ryan’s record at 5714, but burying his closest active competition in Pedro Martinez (3117) and John Smoltz (3011) has to be a little gratifying.

Also within reach for “Unit,” he is 15 hit-batsmen away from surpassing all-time leader Walter Johnson. He probably won’t get there (he has only 10 in the last two seasons), but passing up Eddie Plank (196) is a possibility. Something tells me that, deep down, Johnson wishes that hit-by-pitch magnet and former teammate Craig Biggio (who, ironically, “Unit” NEVER hit in 16 plate appearances) was still out there swinging a bat.