TRIVIA 2019

Wow--another amazing bit of trivia attached to him, which I'll post later.

it is not true. there are three different guys with this same first name (yes i cheated)

Right--the other two are involved in the other (bizarrely morbid) piece of trivia. So I guess the question is, supply the name or any one of the three players.

This must have been the link you landed on:

http://valueoverreplacementgrit.com/2011/12/10/5-vowel-players-a-historical-look/

Shouldn't they have renamed the site Vowels Over Replacement for that one post?

Six catchers in the modern era (1901-) have posted an OPS over 1.000 for a full season. Name them.

mauer
piazza
yogi
bench
carter
pudge-rod

Piazza (3x) and Mauer correct, not the rest

posey?

no

hints: 3 pre-expansion catchers and a more recent ringer

Fisk
Gibson
I feel like we're missing more of the PED/HGH era guys like LoDuca or the Molinas.

I peeked and I'd barely heard of that ringer.

fwiw willson contreras is at .962 this season and it kinda seems like his WAR should be higher than it is

Pre-expansion--pre-'62 or pre-'69?

I'm guessing either Dickey or Cochrane did it at least once in the '30s.

Javy Lopez in 2003?

I remember grabbing him for my fantasy squad in a desperation move early in the season off waivers and he went on to just crush it that season, 43 HR and some ridiculous BA.

shit I think that may have been in a season just shy of a full season, I feel like he missed the early part of that year?? my second guess based on WMC’s comment is a guy I randomly came across recently when checking out some ‘90s orioles squads — Chris Hoiles.

for those of you playing at home

Dickey
Gabby Hartnett
Campanella
Chris Hoiles

I always use pre-expansion to mean before the first modern one, in the AL in 1961

Kind of a pointless distinction anyway in the context of the question--no catcher was logging a 1.000+ OPS between 1961 and 1969.

(Stumped on the other two; betting that one of them came out of the 1930 season.)

Piazza, Dickey, Hartnett, Campanella, Hoiles. There are technically two others, neither of which I think anyone will get--one guy goes back to the 1900s, the other is recent but only played 61 games at catcher that year (70 PA shy of qualifying for a batting title, so you may not be counting him).

the six answers above (cribbed from a Posnanski question) are all qualifiers.

The non-qualifier was Napoli in 2011.

51 players have homered in their last major-league AB. After the best and most famous player to do this (easy), who were the next two best and most famous?

There's a guy on the list of 51 who, you could argue, was more famous than the two runners-up I had in mind. So stick with best--the other guy definitely wasn't one of the three best.

By overwhelming demand: Albert Belle and Jim Edmonds were the two answers I had in my mind, but I missed Mickey Cochrane. Tony Kubek was the one who might possibly be more famous than Belle or Edmonds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_with_a_home_run_in_their_final_major_league_at_bat

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2019-09-16/baseball-trivia-contest-sabr-convention-san-diego

Billy Beane & Barry Bonds share the same middle name: Lamar

Looking at players been on three World Series winners, I don't think it occurred to me until I saw it that John Lackey is the only player to win with three different clubs (Angels, Red Sox & Cubs).

that can't be correct...

ah sorry, your criteria was 3 and only 3 (ie, not >3) world series winners.

...but even so... still not correct!

5 others (3 if you don't count BRO/LAD):

Dave Stewart (LAD,OAK,TOR)
Lonnie Smith (PHI,STL,KCR)
Bullet Joe Bush (PHA,BOS,NYY)
Clem Labine (BRO,LAD,PIT)*
Roger Craig (BRO,LAD,STL)*

Smith played for a 4th team (ATL) in the WS but they lost.

...twice! 1991 & 1992.

only got 28/48 here (missed some very obvious contemporary mgrs)

https://www.sporcle.com/games/minnmich/played-and-managed-in-a-world-series?t=baseball

ALDS was the first time this season that Arron Boone used the same lineup for more than two consecutive games.

Willie Mays hit the most career homers in extra innings, with 20.

Jack Clark is second, with 18.

Hope you're having a good day. https://t.co/r9Sop7VVCe

— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) December 13, 2019

very nice. btw, i forgot to provide the answer to my 'who are the 4 cardinals who were catchers who are in the hall of fame?' trick question from the other trivia thread

the answers are:

ted simmons
roger bresnahan
joe torre
branch rickey

https://www.sporcle.com/games/gbrisbee/baseball-spoonerisms

i got four, probably should have gotten a fifth, might have taken a week and not gotten any others

That was idiotic, but Chatt Mapman made me laugh.

somehow puzzled out six before giving up with 3:30 left on the clock.

was disappointed that Schurt Killing didn't make it, but I also have no idea how'd you'd write a clue for that one