Who Is Major League Baseball’s Best Free Agent Signing Ever? Part 1
3rd Of A 3-Part Series On Free Agent Signings
Today: The Best
(10 Thru 1)
Thanks to the courageous stand taken by Curt Flood and Andy Messersmith back in the mid 1970’s, today’s baseball players have been released from captivity. They no longer must remain with the team that signed them to their first major league contract.
Freedom of movement was created. And predictably salaries have skyrocketed. It’s an agent controlled auction. Greed has consumed the game. Agents have become wealthy. Players have become multi millionaires.
Win At All Cost
The win at all cost philosophy is out of control. Teams with deep financial pockets rake in the superstars while the less fortunate suffer. For so many summers it was the New York Yankees who wrote the biggest paychecks.
Last summer however, the Los Angeles Dodgers spent approximately $300M on payroll. They were beaten by the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series.
The loser in all of this is Joe Fan. Although ticket increases varied, parking, concessions and souvenir prices went through the roof. And strangely, the biggest spenders were not always the biggest winners. It still takes more than money to buy a World Series ring.
There have been however, some valued signings that were initiated by intelligent, scrupulous individuals, whose shrewd investments returned some extremely handsome dividends.
No 10. Terry Pendleton
Under The Radar
Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals on June 12, 1982 after having been a seventh round draft selection, Pendleton hit .324 in 67 games during his rookie season. After his debut however, he didn’t exactly light the National League on fire.
In fact, Pendleton’s seven year stay in Missouri could be considered pretty much of a yawner.
In his final season, he managed to hit just six home runs, drive in 58 teammates, hit a robust (?) .230 and had a microscopic OPS of .601. And he accomplished all this in 121 games when he went to the plate on 484 occasions. Not exactly an attractive free agent resume.
But that didn’t deter the Atlanta Braves, who on December 3, 1990 signed Pendleton to a bargain basement 4 yr./$10M deal.
Good Investment
That contract brought immediate returns. In his first year in Georgia the Los Angeles native who graduated from Channel Islands High School in Oxnard, hit .319, slugged 22 home runs. drove in 86 team mates and had an OPS of .880 in 153 games.
In his first three years with the Braves Pendleton whacked 60 round trippers, knocked across 275 runs, never had a batting average under .272 or an OPS below .718.
Yet he left after the 1994 season and was signed by Florida on April 7, 1995.
After hitting .290 with 14 HR/78 RBI/.718 OPS numbers with the Marlins, his career went quickly downhill.
He continued to compile underwhelming figures of .238/11/75/.635 with Florida and Atlanta, then finished up by playing just 50 games with Cincinnati in 1997 and 79 with the Kansas Royals in 1998.
The end came on October 23 when Pendleton was released.
No. 9 ?????? ???????. 
Make no mistake about it, the New York Mets in 1966 perhaps made the WORST DRAFT PICK in the history of baseball, which dates back to the formation of Cincinnati in 1869!
With the first overall selection in that year’s amateur draft, the geniuses who comprised the Mets front office uttered the name of catcher, first basemen, outfielder Steven Chilcott. That scouting department ought to be ashamed of themselves. Was everybody blind?
Chilcott’s illustrious seven year minor league career included stops in such baseball hotbeds as Marion, Auburn, both Winter and West Haven, Visalia, Memphis and Fort Lauderdale. And all of that was before he got promoted all the way up to Triple-A.
In 1970 Chilcott managed to get into at total of 22 games.
But it took three destinations: Buffalo, Winnipeg and Tidewater.
At those instant stepping stones to the major leagues (?) the Antelope Valley High School (Lancaster, CA) product distinguished himself by hitting a jaw dropping .257, quietly nudging five balls over the fence and silently driving in eight team mates.
It didn’t take long for the Mets to kick themselves, only two years in fact for the organization to realize that they had probably committed the game’s biggest blunder!
It was two years later when the No. 2 pick in that 1966 draft, Reginald Martinez Jackson, wearing a Oakland Athletics uniform (the team moved from Kansas City after Jackson’s rookie season), got his feet wet at the major league level.
He had a modest initial season in the East Bay. Twenty nine home runs, 74 runs batted in and a batting average of .250
Reggie Arrives
The following year he exploded. In 1969 Jackson slugged 47 round trippers, knocked in 118 runs, batted .275 and had an incredible OPS of 1.018. It was his coming out season and there was no turning back.
That was the start of a seven year run that saw Reggie whack 238 home runs and drive in 653 team mates. Included in that stretch was the 1973 season in which Jackson poked 32 home runs, had 117 RBI and hit .293 with a .914 OPS.
On April 2, 1976 Jackson was part of a six player trade which involved team mate Ken Holtzman and Orioles Don Baylor and Mike Torrez. After one season in Baltimore (27 HR, 91 RBI, .277 BA, .853 OPS) Jackson was granted free agency.
On November 29 he signed an under valued(?) 5 yr. 2.96M contract with the Yankees. For their investment, New York received 29 HR, 92 RBI, .281 BA and .897 OPS per season.
Then it was on to Anaheim, where Jackson signed a free agent contract on January 22,1982. In five years with the Angels, his numbers (123 HR, 374 RBI, .239 BA, .782 OPS) continued to slide.
The Hall Of Famer (inducted in 1993) completed the full circle by finishing his career in Oakland (15 HR, 43 RBI, .220 BA, .699 OPS) where he played his last game on October 4, 1987.
No. 8. Kirk Gibson.
Like Reggie Jackson, Kirk Gibson finished his career where it began, in Detroit. The Tigers drafted and signed Gibson in 1978.
His first four years were rather nondescript. Twenty seven home runs and 95 runs batted in. But from 1983 to 1987 Gibson averaged right around 25 home runs 81 RBI.
In his first nine years in the Motor City, Gibson’s average fluctuated between .227 and .287 with the exception of 1981 when he hit .328 in just 83 games. Yet the Dodgers were impressed. On January 29, 1988 they inked Gibson to a 3 yr./$4.5M deal.
NL MVP
He returned immediate dividends. Despite a rather pedestrian regular season (25 HR, 76 RBI, .290 BA, .860 OPS), Gibson was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player.
Gibson received 13 of the 24 first place votes cast by the Baseball Writers Association of America to outdistance the Mets Darryl Strawberry 272 to 236. Not surprising then that Gibson was the catalyst in the Dodgers post season wins over the Mets and Oakland.
Despite sustaining injuries to both legs in the National League Championship Series, Gibson and the Dodgers nonetheless upset heavily favored New York (100-60 regular season record).
Gibson contributed a miraculous catch on a soggy turf in Game 3 and then hit decisive home runs in Games 4 and 5. Los Angeles, which lost the season series to the Mets 10-1, won Game 7, 6-0 behind a compete game five hitter from Orel Hershiser.
Historical Season
The swat and swagger of the Bash Brothers – Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire – ignited a powerful Oakland offense that virtually destroyed the American League.
Canseco walloped 42 home runs, thus becoming the first player in major league history to hit at least 40 home runs and and steal at least 40 bases (40) in a season. Canseco also knocked in 124 runs and hit .307.
McGwire wasn’t far behind. He hit 32 round trippers, drove in 99 runs and hit a solid .260.
Oakland made a shambles of the American League West, finishing 13 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins. The Athletics followed that up by impressively sweeping the Red Sox aside in the American League Championship Series.
Not surprising then that Oakland had the best record in baseball (104-58) and that the Dodgers were again heavy underdogs.
So how did Canseco open the series? In his first plate appearance at Dodger Stadium Canseco crushed a grand slam!
Mickey Hatcher clubbed a two run home run in the first, but it took three consecutive one out singles in the sixth, the last by Mike Scioscia, to slice the Dodger deficit to 4-3.
The A’s had the Dodgers right where they wanted them. So they handed the ball to eventual Hall Of Famer Dennis Eckersley to close out the ninth inning.
Eckersley responded with two quick outs. All the A’s needed to do was to retire Dave Anderson, who was waiting in the on deck circle to bat for Alejandro Pena.
But after a walk to Mike Davis, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda called Anderson back to the dugout and sent up the hobbling Gibson.
The count went full and this is what Hall Of Fame broadcaster Jack Buck bellowed to his adoring CBS radio audience:
“Gibson…swings, and a fly ball to deep right field! This is gonna be a home run! Unbelievable! A home run for Gibson! And the Dodgers have won the game, five to four: I don’t believe…what I just saw! I don’t believe what I just saw!”
Bedlam…Insanity…Whatever!
As Gibson hobbled around the field pumping his right fist skyward, pandemonium engulfed 55,983 delirious fans. It was one of the greatest moments in all of sports. Ironically, it was also Gibson’s last at bat of the season. An at bat that perhaps will be remembered forever!
The Dodgers had wrestled the momentum away from the historically dysfunctional Athletics. This time it was Mike Marshall’s turn. His three run home run highlighted a five-run third inning, and Hershiser took care of the rest.
Oakland was able to scratch out just three measly singles off the Los Angeles right hander, who breezed through nine seemingly effortless innings in a workmanlike performance that produced a 6-0 Game 2 triumph.
McGwire’s home run in the bottom of the ninth gave Oakland a 2-1 victory in Game 3, but it only prolonged the agony.
Lasorda pulled Game 4 out the bag in the seventh inning.
With Alfredo Griffin at third and Steve Sax at first, Tracy Woodson hit into what looked like an inning ending double play. But the Dodger manager had Sax on the move and when he beat the throw to second, Griffin scored what proved to be the winning run in a 4-3 Dodger victory.
With Hatcher (filling in for Gibson) and Davis delivering two run home runs, Hershiser cruised to a 5-2, four hit series clinching Game 5 victory.
Sadly, the euphoria that manifested itself during that magical summer in Los Angeles was never again replicated by either Gibson or the Dodgers.
During the 1989 and 1990 seasons Gibson was limited to 160 games. He hit just 17 home runs and drove in only 55 runs.
The next year it was on to Kansas City where his numbers continued to decline (.236 BA, 16 HR, 55 RBI)
He played in only 16 game with Pittsburgh in 1992 before returning to Detroit for the final three seasons of his career where Gibson was a mere shadow of his former self. His statistics mirrored his decline (45 home runs and 169 RBI).
He played his last game for the Tigers on August 10, 1995.
No. 7 Andre Dawson.
Drafted and signed by the Montreal Expos on March 9, 1987, Andre Dawson has to rank as one of the best free agent investments ever.
He spent the first 11 years of his major league career in Canada where hit batted .280, slugged 225 home runs, drove home 838 team mates and had an OPS of .802. Besides being a monster at the plate, the durable Dawson averaged 142 games a season after his rookie year (24).
Under Valued, Over Achieved
But his career year came after signing a 1 yr, $700.000 deal with the Chicago Cubs on December 9, 1992. This had to be the Steal Of The Century!
All Dawson did in his first year in the Windy City was whack 49 home runs, knock in 137 runners, bat .287 and compile an OPS of .896.
He also made history. Dawson is the only player ever to win the Most Valuable Player award on a team that finished in LAST PLACE!
The Cubs bottomed out with a record of 76-85, which placed them in the National League East cellar, 18 1/2 games behind the division winning St. Louis Cardinals.
Ozzie Snubbed?
Understandably, there were arguments aplenty. Dawson received 269 votes from the BBWAA, far outdistancing the Cardinals classy shortstop, Ozzie Smith, who garnered 193 votes. He was the champion Cardinals catalyst, both offensively and defensively.
In 706 plate appearances (AB, BB, HBP, SF, SH) the feisty Smith hit .303, banged out 182 hits, swiped 43 bases, scored 104 runs and had an on base percentage of .392. He was the table setter for a powerful offense that scored 798 runs, second only to the Mets (823).
The Wizard Of Oz
Smith’s glove was as big a contribution to the success of the Cardinals as was his bat.
In 771 total defensive chances (PO, A, E) he committed just ten errors. His fielding percentage of .987 was the best in the league for the fourth straight year. It was the sixth time in the previous seven seasons that Smith was the top defensive shortstop in the National League.
His supporters says that without Smith, St. Louis might not have been able to hold off New York. The Cards won the division by just three games.
Last Is Still Last!
As spectacular as Dawson’s season was, the Cubs still finished at the bottom. So how valuable was Dawson? With him or without him, Chicago still winds up in the cellar!
During his six seasons on the North Side, Dawson slugged 174 round trippers, knocked across 587 runs, hit .285 and accumulated a .834 OPS. But only once, in 1989, did the Cubs manufacture a winning record. They won the National League East with a mark of 93-69.
In 1993 Dawson moved on to Boston for two years (.260 BA, 29 HR, 115 RBI, .738 OPS) and then finished up playing just 121 games during his final two seasons in Florida (.261 BA, 10 HR, 51 RBI, .736 OPS). He played his last game on September 29, 1996.
*No. 6 Jack Morris.
Drafted by the Detroit Tigers on the fifth round of the 1976 amateur draft, it didn’t take Jack Morris long to become the proverbial workhorse in the Motor City.
After posting a 4-6 record in his first two major league seasons, the 6’3, 195 pound right hander virtually exploded on the scene. In his third year he fashioned a 17-7 record which he complemented with a steady 3.28 earned run average. And this was just the beginning.
From that 1977 season through 1990, Morris won 194 games, including 21 in 1986, 20 in 1983, 19 in 1984 and 18 in 1987.
He whiffed 1980 batters, including 232 in 1983, 223 in 1986 and 208 in 1987.
He logged over 200 innings in nine different years and peaked out in 1983 when he hurled 293.2 innings.
He also completed 154 games, something of a novelty in this day and age of the seventh inning specialist, eighth inning set up man and ninth inning closer.
He distinguished his 408 starts as a Tiger with a 3.73 earned run average.
Epitome Of Consistency
Morris was the epitome of consistency. Apparently under appreciated for whatever reason in Detroit, Morris, packed his bags and headed for Minnesota. And on February 5. 1991, he affixed his signature to a poultry 1 yr./$3.7M contract. The Twins should have been charged with grand larceny.
Morris contributed 18 victories to help Minnesota (95-67) march to the 1991 America League West pennant. They won by a comfortable eight games over the Chicago White Sox.
Post Season Heroics
Not so surprising that it was Morris who got the Twins off on the right foot with a 5-4 victory over Toronto in the American League Championship Series opener. He came back to put his stamp on Game 4, going the distance in Minnesota’s 9-3 triumph. After winning the series 4-1 it was on the World Series.
And it was Morris who took the mound for Game 1 of the Fall Classic against the Atlanta Braves. The reliable right hander captured that ever important first game, 5-2.
After the Twins also triumphed in Game 2, 3-2, the Braves got their first win of the series, a 5-4 Game 3 victory that took 12 innings to decide.
Morris went six innings in Game 4 but wasn’t involved in the decision, as Atlanta prevailed, 3-2.
The teams split the next two games. The Braves muscled up in Game 5, winning 14-5 while Minnesota eked out a 4-3 Game 6 victory that consumed 11 innings.
Dominate Performance
But it was Morris who wound play a prominent role in Game 7, an all time series classic.
Not to be denied, Morris pitched ten shutout innings and was rewarded when pinch hitter Gene Larkin’s sacrifice fly to deep left center field scored Dan Gladden from third base.
Gladden led off with a double. He was sacrificed to third by Chuck Knoblauch. Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek were both walked intentionally, setting the stage for Larkin’s heroics in a 1-0 Twins win.
Series Most Valuable Player? JACK MORRIS!
Morris made three starts. His record: 2-0. His earned run average: 1.17
To say the Twins got their monies worth would be a gross understatement.
After his magical year in Minneapolis, Morris moved on to Toronto for two years (28-18,4.87 ERA) before finishing his career in Cleveland (10-6, 5.60 ERA).
He played his last game on August 4, 1994.
No. 5 1997 Florida Marlins.
The foundation for the Marlins miracle rise was actually laid one year earlier, in 1996.
Known for their frugality, Florida’s National League entry actually shattered the piggy bank.
During the winter, the Marlins recruited pitchers Kevin Brown and Al Leiter and the added outfielder Devon White to the roster. They actually bumped the payroll up to $25.2M. Stop the presses. In Florida that was NEWS!!!!!
And there was an immediate impact in the stands. Attendance increased from 1,700,466 to 1,746,767. Improvement on the field was also evident. Florida won 13 more games (80-82) in 1996 than they did the previous year (67-76).
And they moved up the National League East ladder. In 1995 the Marlins finished fourth, 22 1/2 games out of first place. The next season they were third, ONLY 16 back.
Management must have figured out that spending more money equates to winning more games.
In 1977 they went all out.
Bring on Bobby Bonilla, Moises Alou and Alex Fernandez. The sky’s the limit!
The payroll increased buy a whopping (?) $28.3M to an astronomical (for Florida) $53.5M. Insanity hit the front office while hysteria captivated the locals. And the players feed off all the excitement.
At the plate, Alou (23 HR, 115 RBI, .292 BA, .866 OPS) and Bonilla (17 HR, 96 RBI, .297 BA, .846 OPS) had monster summers.
On the hill, Brown followed up 1996 (17-11, 1.89 ERA) with another stellar season. He struck out 205 hitters over 237 innings while compiling a record of 16-8 which he complemented with a 2.69 earned run average. And he surrendered only ten home runs.
Brown, Fernandez (17-12 3.59 ERA) and Leiter (11-9) combined for 44 of the Marlins 92 wins.
Series Sweep
Florida finished second in the National League East and drew 2,364,387 frenzied fans. They qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card participant.
The Marlins made the most of the opportunity. Walk off hits by Edgar Renteria and Alou propelled the Marlins to 2-1 and 7-6 wins while Fernandez breezed, 6-2 for a for a three game sweep of San Francisco.
Next up was Atlanta (101-61), who similarly swept the Astros.
The teams split the first four games before Livan Hernandez struck out an NLCS record 15 hitters while firing a neat three hitter to give Florida the upper hand with a 2-1 triumph. Brown followed up with the clincher, a 7-4 complete game victory.
On To The Fall Classic
The Marlins (who won Games 1, 3 and 5) and Cleveland (who prevailed in Games 2, 4 and 6) were deadlocked after six games. They were also deadlocked after nine innings of Game 7. And after ten innings. But the Marlins celebrated in the bottom of the 11th.
Renteria’s two-out, bases loaded single after Tony Fernandez botched a potential inning ending double play grounder, sent Florida into delirium. It was the first time a Wild Card entrant had won the World Series. And they did it in record time, just five seasons!
Unfortunately the celebration didn’t last long. During the winter the Marlins gutted the franchise.
Gone were Alou (Houston), Bonilla (traded to the Dodgers after just 28 games), Brown (San Diego), Leiter (Mets) White (Arizona) and Fernandez, who missed the entire 1998 season with injuries.
Shades of yesteryear. Florida slashed their payroll to $19.1M, won only 54 games, finished fifth, 52 games out of first place and drew a familiar 1,750,395 unappreciative fans. They have been mired in mediocrity ever since.
No. 4 Ichiro Suzuki
An argument could be made that Ichiro Suzuki’s signing by Seattle doesn’t really qualify as a free agent acquisition. After all, Suzuki played nine seasons for Orix in Japan’s Pacific League before migrating to the United States.
There really wasn’t an all out biding war for the Japanese phenom.
The Mariners won the right to negotiate with Suzuki by posting the highest transfer fee which went to the Orix club. All the team and the player had to do was agree on a salary figure. There was no other competition. It was either stay in Japan or come to America.
But there is no doubt that the inking of Ichiro (the name he still wears on the back of his uniform) was an ABSOLUTE STEAL!!! There is no other way to categorize it,
From 1992 through 2000 with Orix, Suzuki had 1278 hits, scored 658 runs, stole 199 base and had a batting average of .353. His OPS was an out of sight .943. And to think that the first major league contract he signed with Seattle was for 3 years and $27.125M!
It didn’t take long for those in the know to realize that Ichiro was truly something special.
Multiple Awards Winner
How about this for starters. In his first major league season, the 5’11, 170 pounder was the American League’s top hitter (.350), led the league in steals (56), scored 127 runs had an OPS of .838.
He should have been a unanimous selection as the American League’s Rookie Of The Year. But then again, this was his tenth season playing PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL. So was Ichiro really a true rookie?
Maybe that’s why one writer voted for C.C. Sabathia. Suzuki got the other 27 ballots that were cast.
But that’s not all. For an encore Suzuki eked out one of the closest victories ever to capture the American League’s Most Valuable Player award.
Ichiro was the catalyst as the Mariners won a major league record 116 games. That earned him 289 votes from the Baseball Writer’s Association Of America.
Oakland’s Jason Giambi received 281 votes. And they were richly deserved. A powerful left handed hitter, Giambi crushed 38 home runs, knocked across 120 teammates, batted .342 and had a monstrous 1.137 OPS. And his Athletics record of 102-60 was the second best in all of baseball!
A Hitting Machine
Although the Mariners would never reach those heights again, Suzuki would only get better. In his first ten years, Ichiro never had less than 200 hits. The high point was 2004 (262). The low point was the following year when he totaled 206.
Ichiro was a 10-time All Star who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player in 2007 when one of his three hits was the first inside the park home run in All Star Game history. He has also won 10 Gold Gloves.
In his 12 years in Seattle, Suzuki averaged 154 games a season, collected 2533 hits, scored 1176 runs, stole 438 bases. hit .322 and compiled an OPS of .784.
On July 23, 2012 Ichiro was traded to the New York Yankees. In 2 1/2 seasons in the Bronx, he hit 13 home runs, knocked in 84 runs and hit a respectable .281.
Suzuki, who inked a Marlins contract on January 27, 2015, hit one home run and drove in 21 runs in 153 games for Florida last summer.
No. 3 Greg Maddux.
Greg Maddux was drafted in the second round by the Chicago Cubs on June 4, 1984. He put his name on a contract 15 days later. It marked the beginning of one of the greatest careers in Major League pitching history.
Cy Young Is Smiling
After a nondescript first two years in the Windy City (8-18) Maddux exploded. From 1988 through 1992 Maddux won 87 games for the Cubs. He capped his stay in Chicago with a Cy Young Award winning season (20-11, 2.18 ERA).
Next stop was Atlanta, where on December 9 of that year Maddux inked a 5 yr/$28M contract.
He never missed a beat. His first three years in Atlanta produced three more Cy Young Awards (1993, 20-10, 2.63 ERA, eight complete games) (1994, 16-6, 1.56 ERA, 10 CG) (1995, 19-2, 1.63 ERA, 10 CG).
Maddux was not only dominant, but he was a WORKHOUSE.
35 Walks Per Season!
From 1988 through 2006, the San Angelo Texas native, who graduated from Valley High School in Las Vegas, worked over 200 innings every year with the exception of 2002, when he was two outs short of reaching that plateau.
During that span, Maddux started less than 33 games only twice, in 1994 (25) and 1995 (28).
He distinguished his 11 year stay in Atlanta by compiling a record of 194-88 and a solid earned run average of 2.63. Maddux averaged just over 166 strikeouts while allowing just under 35 walks per season.
His ability to place pitches on the outside corners and bottom of the plate had hitters shaking their heads and barking at umpires. His pin point control was meticulous.
After the 2003 season it was back to Chicago where Maddux compiled records of 16-11 and 13-15. He split the 2006 season between Chicago ( 9-11) and Los Angeles (6-3).
Then it was on to San Diego where the crafty 6’0, 170 pound right hander won 14 games, before finishing up his career in 2008 with the Padres (6-9) and the Dodgers (2-4). Maddux pitched his final game on September 27.
Six years later he deservedly was elected to the baseball Hall Of Fame.
No. 2 Randy Johnson.
Randall David Johnson was drafted not once, but twice before signing with Montreal on June 9, 1985. Johnson was first selected by Atlanta on the fourth round three years earlier. But the Walnut Creek, California native opted to accept a baseball scholarship from the University of Southern California instead.
Bad News, Good News
That would turn out to be bad news for Braves but good news for Seattle. The Mariners were indeed fortunate that the Expos decided to give up on Johnson after less than two seasons.
After posting a 3-0 record in his first four starts with Montreal in 1988, Johnson got off to a sluggish start the following summer. All he had to show for seven unimpressive trips to the mound was a record of 0-4 and an earned run average of 6.67.
On May 25th of his second season, the imposing left hander was headed to the Pacific Northwest. Where he quickly blossomed.
He was only 7-9 for the rest of the season, but from 1990 through 1995 Johnson was almost unhitable.
He won 89 games, struck put 1469 batters and captured the Cy Young Award in 1995. During that near perfect season the 6’10 monster won 18 of 20 decisions. He struck out 294 hitters and received 26 of 28 first place votes from the Baseball Writer’s Association Of America.
Joe Table…Who?
Two journalist inexplicably selected Cleveland reliever Jose Mesa. His credentials? Three wins without a loss, 46 saves and an ERA of 1.13. Huh!
Injuries limited Johnson to just eight starts and only 61 1/3 innings the following season, but he still managed a 5-0 record.
He came back with vengeance in 1997 (20-4, 2.28 ERA) and finished second to Toronto’s Roger Clemens (21-7, 2.05 ERA) in the Cy Young balloting.
After getting off to a slow start (9-10, 4.43 ERA) in 1998, Johnson, on July 31 was traded to Houston.
He roared through the National League (10-1, 1.28 ERA) and December 10 was rewarded with a 4 yr./$53M contract from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The year before Johnson arrived in the “Valley Of The Sun”, the D-Backs finished last in the National League West (65-97), 33 games behind the division winning San Diego Padres.
Total Domination!
But from 1999 through 2002 Johnson performed at an elite level. During those four years Johnson made 139 starts and one relief appearance. He won 81 games. He struck out 1417 batters.
And he captured four Cy Young Awards! Not surprising then that Arizona reigned over the National League West in 1999 (100-62), 2001 (92-70) and 2002 (98-64). But in 2001 they reached the top of the mountain.
The D-Backs won the hotly contested Western Division by a scant two games over the San Francisco Giants. Their first round opponent in the Divisional Series was St. Louis.
The Cardinals and the Astros actually tied for the Central Division title (93-69) but Houston won the tie breaker, which pitted Arizona against the Cards, who earned the Wild Card berth.
This series belonged to Curt Schilling. He pitched a three hit shutout to win the opener, 1-0, and another complete game five hitter to win the decisive fifth game, 2-1.
Next up, Atlanta
This time, it was Johnson’s turn to shine. The left hander’s complete game, three hit, 11 strike out performance got Arizona off on the right foot, 2-0. With two scoreless innings from Byung-Hyun Kim, Johnston received credit for the D-Backs 3-2 Game 5 win over the Braves that sent them into the World Series.
Bring On The Bombers!
Johnson threw a masterful three hit, 12 strikeout complete game and allowed only four base runners, to give Arizona a 2-0 series lead with a 4-0 victory over the New York Yankees. But with the series knotted 3-3, Johnson definitely saved his best pitching performance for Game 7.
After throwing 104 pitches en route to a 15-2 route in Game 6, the fearless lefty came in to get the final four outs in a game the D-Backs would win the bottom of the ninth, 3-2.
He (3-0) and Schilling (1-0) were named series co-Most Valuable Players. The duo combined for a 1.40 earned run average and struck out 45 Yankees in 38 2/3 innings.
Johnson remained in the desert three more years, winning 24 (2002), six (2003) and 16 (2004) games before being dealt to the Yankees on January 11, 2005.
The Livermore High School product won 34 games during his two years in New York before returning to Arizona where he combined for a 15-13 record in 2007-2008. He finished his career in San Francisco where he was 8-6.
Johnson, who was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2015, pitched his last game on October 4, 2009.
No. 1 Barry Bonds.
This is a Hot Topic. No question. There are two sides to every discussion. This one is no different. Did he or didn’t he do drugs? Are his records tainted? Should he be eligible for the Hall Of Fame? Is he like or despised? Where is his place in baseball history?
A case for or against Barry Bonds can be energetically argued. Knowledgeable and passionate people are on both sides of the aisle. What he did accomplish however, can not be denied. But how he was able to achieve those milestones can certainly be debated.
Spurns Giants
Drafted out of Serra High School in San Mateo, California by the hometown San Francisco Giants on the second round in 1982, Bonds instead enrolled at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
Three years later, Pittsburgh made him the sixth overall selection. He signed on June 5, 1985. It was the beginning of one the most controversial careers in all of baseball.
After getting his feet wet early in his career, Bonds really came of age in 1990. Not only did he win his first of seven Most Valuable Player awards (he also finished second twice) he also catapulted the Pirates from an 74-88 season the year before to their first of three straight National League East titles.
Bonds hit 33 home runs that summer. He drove in 114 runs. He hit .301. And had an OPS of .970.
Pittsburgh also won pennants in 1991 (98-64) and the following year (96-66). He had a monster season in 1992, clubbing 34 home runs, plating 114 teammates and registering an out of sight OPS of 1.180.
Three Time Losers
It all went for naught however, as the Pirates were eliminated from the playoffs, once by the Reds, 4-2 and twice by the Braves, 4-3.
Except for his rookie year, Bonds never had less than 144 hits in a season and only once, in 1988, did he have less than 32 steals.
He took his resume to the free agent market and on December 8, 1992 he was lured back to San Francisco courtesy of a 6 yr./$43M contract.
In that first season of the post-Bonds Era, Pittsburgh (75-87) tumbled to fifth place in the National League East, 22 games behind the division winning Philadelphia Phillies.
Bonds would never make another move. He spent the last 15 years of his career in a Giant uniform and did not disappoint. The same however, can not be said of his team.
San Francisco won 103 games in Bonds’ first year, finishing one game behind the Atlanta Braves but did not qualify for the playoffs.
Four years later they won the National League West (90-72) but were swept in the divisional series by the eventual World Series winning Florida Marlins, 3-0. In 2000 they finished 11 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers (97-65) but were beaten 3-1 by the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series.
It wasn’t until 2002 that the Giants played in their third World Series since departing New York after the 1957 season.
And this Fall Classic was historic. It was the first time ever that two Wild Card teams were dueling it out for baseball’s top prize. It was northern California against southern California. The Giants against the Angels.
Giant Upset
San Francisco (95-66) started their journey by defeating highly favored East winner Atlanta (102-59), 3-2, in the Divisional Series.
Two-run doubles by J.T. Snow and Rich Aurilla highlighted three run second and fourth innings respectively as the Giants claimed Game 1, 8-5.
Atlanta stormed back to win the next two games, 7-3 and 10-2, with Bonds homering for San Francisco’s final run in Game 3.
Aurilla’s three run home run in the third was the crusher in the Giants 8-3 Game 4 win.
Bonds contributed a solo shot in the fourth as San Francisco won the clincher, 3-1.
Show Me? San Francisco Did!
Next victim were the Central Divisional winners, the St. Louis Cardinals (97-65), who were dispatched in five games.
The Giants went to Missouri and took immediate command, winning games one and two, 9-6 and 4-1.
Despite a sacrifice fly by Bonds, St. Louis recovered (momentarily) to eek out a 5-4 Game 3 victory. But San Francisco made sure the series would not return to St. Louis.
After Bonds scored the tying run on Snow’s two run double in the sixth, St.Louis elected to walk Bonds intentionally with nobody on base in the eight inning of a 2-2 game. The strategy backfired as Benito Santiago crushed the decisive home run in the Giants 4-3 win.
Game 5 was another nail biter. After being shut out for seven innings, Bonds delivered a sacrifice fly to tie the game in the eighth. Then it was consecutive two-out, ninth innings singles by David Bell, Shawon Dunston and Kenny Lofton that produced a 2-1 triumph and sent San Francisco into the World Series.
Angels In The Outfield
Meanwhile Anaheim (99-63) ousted the East winning Yankees (103-58) in four games before pushing aside the Central winners, Minnesota (94-67), 4-1 to capture the American League title.
The teams split the first two Divisional Series games in New York. Jason Giambi tied Game 1 with an eighth inning single before Bernie Williams clinched the Yankees 8-5 triumph with a three run home run.
Back to back home runs leading off the eighth inning by Garret Anderson and Troy Glaus gave the Angels the lead in the second game which they went on to win, 8-6.
Falling behind, 6-1, after 2 1/2 innings, the Angels got an eighth inning RBI double by Darin Erstad and a two run home run from Tim Salmon to register a 9-6 Game 3 victory.
The Angels wrapped up the series with an eight run fifth inning en route to a 9-5 Game 4 triumph.
Shawn Wooten’s home run tied the game, 2-2. Wooten would also deliver a single. Benji Gil contributed two more singles. Scott Spiezo chipped in with a run scoring single and Benji Molina cracked a double before the inning (13 batters) mercifully came to an end.
The Angels hit .376, highest ever in post season play. Not so coincidentally the Yankees staff ERA of 8.21 was their worst in 57 post season series.
Bring On The Twins
Next up for Anaheim was Minnesota.
The Twins opened with a 2-1 victory. It was their last win of the series. The Angels would prevail in the next four games.
A first inning home run by Erstad, a double by Spiezo, who stole home on a double steal with Adam Kennedy, and Brad Fullmer’s two run home run propelled Anaheim to a 6-3 triumph in Game 2.
Home runs by Anderson and Glaus, which broke a 1-1 eight inning tie, were enough for 20-year old rookie Frankie Rodriquez (win) and Troy Percival (save) to nail down the Angels Game 3, 2-1 victory.
Glaus and Spiezo drove in seventh inning runs while Fullmer (two run double) and Molina (two run triple) sealed the Angels 7-1 Game 4 victory an inning later.
Minnesota Mauled
A 10 run explsion in the seventh inning of Game 5 turned a 5-3 Twins lead into a series clinching 13-5 Anaheim victory.
Singles by Spiezio and Molina to start the inning proceeded a Kennedy home run. David Eckstein, Erstad and Salmon followed with singles to load the bases.
Anderson walked to force over the fourth run. One out later Wooten singled in another run. A wild pitch and Spiezio’s two run single resulted in three more runs. Eckstein was hit by a pitch to force over run number nine while the final run scored on Erstad’s ground out to first base.
History Makers
Meanwhile Bonds was just getting warmed up. Not only did he hit a home run in his first World Series at bat, but he is the only player in major league history to hit a home run in his first three Fall Classic games. Despite two home runs by Glaus, the Giants won the opener, 4-3.
The Angels evened the series, winning an 11-10 slug fest after blowing a 5-0, first inning lead. Home runs by Reggie Sanders, David Bell and Jeff Kent helped the Giants claim a 9-8 advantage after five innings.
But three shutout innings by Rodriguez, who retired nine Giants in row on 25 pitches (22 strikes) and Tim Salmon’s two-out, two-run home run broke a 9-9 tie in the eighth. Bonds made it one run game in the ninth with a monstrous home run that landed half way up the bleachers in right field.
Merry Go Round
And for the first time since the seventh game of the 1970 Fall Classic not a single Anaheim player struck out.
The Angels also became the first team in World Series history to bat around in consecutive innings while scoring four runs in both the third and fourth innings. And they did it without hitting a home run. They took a 2-1 series lead thanks to their 10-4 victory.
This time it was the Giants turn to even the series after the Angels jumped off to a 3-0 lead in Game 4.
The strategy to walk Bonds intentionally with two out in the fifth inning backfired when Santiago promptly whacked a three run double to tie the game. Bell’s run scoring single in the eighth completed San Francisco’s comeback. 4-3.
A pair of three run and four run innings highlighted the Giants 16-4 blowout in Game 5. But credit a “save” to Snow, who picked up manager Dusty Baker’s three year old son Darren by his jacket with one hand while crossing the plate on Kenny Lofton’s triple.
Darren was collecting Lofton’s bat, not noticing that Bell was right on Snow’s heals. Thankfully, a possible serious injury was avoided.
Baker Blunder!
A monster home run by Bonds in the sixth followed by another run in the seventh increased San Francisco’s Game 6 lead to 5-0 and put the Giants within eight outs of its first World Series championship since leaving New York.
But in arguably the most controversial move of the series, Baker first removed starting pitcher Russ Ortiz and then handed him the game ball as a souvenir of his much anticipated series clinching victory. Oops!
The Angels weren’t done just yet.
After an at bat that seemingly lasted for eternity, Spiezo guided the baseball into the seats a couple of rows behind the short porch in right field and suddenly the Giant lead had shrunk to 5-3.
Erstad opened the eighth inning with a home run. After Salmon’s single, Figgins was inserted as a pinch runner. Anderson then blooped the ball to shallow left, and when it was misplayed by Bonds. Figgins continued to third and Anderson hustled into second.
Glaus then rocketed a blast over the head of Bonds and the Angels had completed the largest comeback ever in a World Series elimination game with a 6-5 triumph.
Ironically, during the travel day between games five and six, the writers had pre-selected Bonds as the Most Valuable Player of the series. Glaus let his bat do the talking. And he eventually hoisted that trophy.
A Real Yawner
Needless to say, Game 7 was anticlimactic.
John Lackey would become the first rookie to win a Game 7 since 1909 when Pittsburgh’s Babe Adams shut out Detroit, 8-0.
Bengie Molina’s run-scoring double in the second and a bases clearing double by Anderson the following inning was all that Lackey, Brendan Donnelly and Rodriquez needed to secure the 4-1 clincher.
Erstad made it official by capturing Lofton’s high fly to right center field before 44,598 delirious, thunder stick waving fans.
In addition to raising the World Series Trophy for the first time, the Angels became the first American League wild card champion.
They were also the first Fall Classic winner to lose the first game of all three post season series and the first American League non-Eastern Division team to claim the title since the 1991 Minnesota Twins.
Empty Handed
Unfortunately, Bonds would never appear in another World Series.
Yet the powerful slugger had an epic career which included jaw dropping records. During his 15 years in San Francisco, Bonds would hit 586 of his major league record 762 home runs.
The numbers during his 22 year career were beyond impressive.
Bonds would walk a major league record 2558 times, of which 688 were intentional, another record.
He averaged nearly one hit (2935) for every game he played (2986). He was four RBI short of 2000 and had a career batting average of .298. His on base percentage (.444) plus his .607 slugging percentage equaled a monstrous OPS of 1.051.
Bonds was named to the National League All Star team 13 times. He won 12 Silver Slugger awards, eight Gold Gloves and, as previously mentioned, was honored as the league’s Most Valuable Player on seven occasions.
Love him or hate him, the accomplishments between the lines of Barry Lamar Bonds are certainly Hall Of Fame worthy. Whether the individual who owns those credentials belongs enshrined inside the walls at Cooperstown is anything but a slam dunk.
Old Guard vs New Age
Old guard traditionalists, who staunchly support the integrity of the game, are likely to want everything statistical to be achieved on an equal playing field.
New Age cyber metrics geeks might turn their cheeks and look the other way.
In an article by Ted Berg Mike Piazza admitted in his biography that he used the now banned supplement androstenedione when it was legal. He also took amphetamines that were almost commonplace in major league clubhouses.
Piazza hit 427 home runs, The 396 he hit as a catcher are the most in major league history. He never failed a drug test. And his name DID NOT APPEAR in Major League Baseball’s Mitchell Report.
Mike Piazza was elected to the Hall Of Fame in 2016.
There is conjecture that time has a way of healing old wounds. And as the makeup of the balloting writers grows younger, the influence of the veteran scribes may be minimized. What a patient Barry Bonds must be prepared to do then, is to wait on Father Time.
This list was compiled by Carlos Nazario of fansided.com.
*Courtesy of realclearsports.com
John Stellman
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