My survey response would be I am not really interested in immaculate grid, but I don’t mind Joe writing about it if he wants to. I am sure not everyone likes the stuff I do and I think writers write best about what they enjoy.
You don't necessarily have to go obscure for the weird multi-position combos. Lou Boudreau caught a few games and obviously played a lot of shortstop. Both Jimmie Foxx and Ichiro pitched an inning (lots more of those than catcher/SS though).
For what it’s worth, we had two matching: Nick Castellanos was up to 9% when I did it, Rey Sanchez was at 0.5%. And my Royals shortstop was Jose Offerman at 0.5%, Royals/Tigers was Neifi at 0.5% and Bo Jackson the Angel was 5%.
OK. Different issue. I have heard QUITE ENOUGH positive commentary about Reymond Sanchez from Mr. Posanski. Our host clearly does not know what it was like to be a Cubs fan in the early 90s, to watch Sanchez stroll up to the plate in a high-pressure situation, and screw it up EVERY SINGLE TIME.
After approximately the fourth time this happened, I told him (well, I told the TV) that if he didn’t come through this time I was gonna call him Reymond forevermore. He struck out.
Every now and then, he would come to the plate again at a clutch moment, and I would tell him, “Reymond, if you come through here I will stop calling you Reymond. But he NEVER DID.
So Reymond Sanchez remains Reymond, and I will not, WILL NOT countenance this fool’s errand to get us to forget what Cubs fans know to their bones; he would always, always let you down at the plate.
I actually have some good memories of Sanchez as a Royal. Though he didn't hit any better, he was a sublime fielder. Baseball Reference has him pulling as many balls as he hit to the opposite field. I don't believe this at all. Probably flawed memory, but I felt like he hit every ball to the right of 2nd base.
There was a ball in play almost every time he came up. It may have been weak contact, but it was contact. He didn't walk or strike out or hit home runs. The ball was in play 84.9% of his PAs.
They didn't have modern fielding metrics when he played, but I can tell you he was a joy to watch. But his career sort of tells you that as well. When you have a 69 career OPS+, and hit a home run every 350 PAs in the height of the steroid home run centric era, and still amass over 5000 career PAs, you have to have been a great fielder.
I knew there must be something wrong with the thing when I finally read it, because it is nearly impossible to get a straight 0%. Anyway, I did it when I saw the article (It was actually Saturday morning, but you can go back now) ended up choosing different players, and got a rarity score of 8. I hadn't played for awhile, but I was obsessed with it for a time and you learn a lot the more you play. Also when you put the Royals in it is not even fair, especially since I know an absurd amount about the early (especially the first) Royals teams with obscure players, knowing where they came from and went to.
Across the top I had Hoyt Wilhelm, 0.4% (He is one of those guys who played everywhere), Joe Coleman 0.3% (One of my favorite early baseball cards) Ryne Sandberg 4% (This was my biggest percentage) Second line was the Royals. I went all 1969 on the Royals line, with Ed Kirkpatrick 0.3%, Dave Wickersham 0.6% and Jerry Adair, 0.05% Bottom line I tried to think of 70's players for the catchers, and came up with Ellie Rodriguez 0.3% (Actually thought it would be higher. He was their starter for 2 years. Another 1969 Royal, BTW) and John Wockenfuss 2% (I thought his name was funny when I was a kid) and closed it out with former favorite Royals utility guy Bill Pecota 0.1% (Who I know played every position at least once)
This was fun. I burned out on doing it all the time, but I could do one once per week. I think I like it better doing it the next day, because everyone has done it already and the percentages are real. There had been over 89,600 players when I did it.
For me the fun of Immaculate Grid is - like the baseball card opening Poscasts - someone I haven’t thought of in years suddenly coming to mind. For this one it was John Wockenfuss - someone I knew only from his baseball card, but I thought might’ve caught for the Tigers.
I think Joe needs to up the degree of difficulty and add a third dimension. Maybe use only relievers one day, or guys who played in the same decade, or guys with mustaches, or a chain where each player was a teammate of at least one other player he chose.
I like you doing this, Joe, mainly because even though I am a big baseball fan, I know I have no shot at going 9 for 9, and it is fun to see an expert do it, and the reasoning
You think YOU'RE sad about Javy? We Tigers fans are despondent. And if this is his new normal, we're gonna start feeling like Browns fans... of which I am also one. Wait... it couldn't be... no... is it... is it ME?!
Joe - I can’t believe you didn’t go with Buddy Biancalana as the Royals SS. And what about Bob Boone or Wally Joyner for Angels/Royals? Funny thing about Wally Joyner: like most Angels fans, he was my favorite player for the 4 years he was in Anaheim. Then he signed with the Royals, cried at his press conference, and I realized I didn’t care about him anymore once he wasn’t on the Angels. That was my first real lesson in player loyalty. Let’s just say it prepared me well for Shohei’s departure.
For Cub shortstops, a decent percentage (2%) picked Joe Tinker recalling the "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double-play combination. But I thought the 50s-era "Miksis to Smalley to Addison Street" group might have been better remembered too! They were listed in the opposite order - Smalley was the shortstop - but Eddie Miksis did appear there for the Cubs too. Only 0.01% picked him, and 0.05% picked the better-remembered Smalley (who lost his job to Ernie Banks and fathered the even better-remembered Roy Smalley of the 80s Twins).
For shortstop-catchers, we're seeing the most prolific since WWII play right now, as Isaiah Kiner-Falefa caught 73 games his first two years before moving to short for 2021 and 2022. Moe Berg also came up as a shortstop. And Don Zimmer had never caught in the majors until his 11th season, with the expansion Senators, and then played more behind the plate than anywhere else in his last season in 1965! Other notables include Bobby Bragan (420 at SS and 142 at C, mostly during WWII - the champ since 1901), Biz Mackey (Negro League Hall of Famer who was more of a catcher than anything else, but played everywhere), and Dave Roberts (the former #1 pick, not the current manager - caught 22 and played short in 33 for the 1980 Rangers).
My survey response would be I am not really interested in immaculate grid, but I don’t mind Joe writing about it if he wants to. I am sure not everyone likes the stuff I do and I think writers write best about what they enjoy.
You don't necessarily have to go obscure for the weird multi-position combos. Lou Boudreau caught a few games and obviously played a lot of shortstop. Both Jimmie Foxx and Ichiro pitched an inning (lots more of those than catcher/SS though).
All those Royals queries? AI is on to you, Joe. 🙂
For what it’s worth, we had two matching: Nick Castellanos was up to 9% when I did it, Rey Sanchez was at 0.5%. And my Royals shortstop was Jose Offerman at 0.5%, Royals/Tigers was Neifi at 0.5% and Bo Jackson the Angel was 5%.
OK. Different issue. I have heard QUITE ENOUGH positive commentary about Reymond Sanchez from Mr. Posanski. Our host clearly does not know what it was like to be a Cubs fan in the early 90s, to watch Sanchez stroll up to the plate in a high-pressure situation, and screw it up EVERY SINGLE TIME.
After approximately the fourth time this happened, I told him (well, I told the TV) that if he didn’t come through this time I was gonna call him Reymond forevermore. He struck out.
Every now and then, he would come to the plate again at a clutch moment, and I would tell him, “Reymond, if you come through here I will stop calling you Reymond. But he NEVER DID.
So Reymond Sanchez remains Reymond, and I will not, WILL NOT countenance this fool’s errand to get us to forget what Cubs fans know to their bones; he would always, always let you down at the plate.
I actually have some good memories of Sanchez as a Royal. Though he didn't hit any better, he was a sublime fielder. Baseball Reference has him pulling as many balls as he hit to the opposite field. I don't believe this at all. Probably flawed memory, but I felt like he hit every ball to the right of 2nd base.
There was a ball in play almost every time he came up. It may have been weak contact, but it was contact. He didn't walk or strike out or hit home runs. The ball was in play 84.9% of his PAs.
They didn't have modern fielding metrics when he played, but I can tell you he was a joy to watch. But his career sort of tells you that as well. When you have a 69 career OPS+, and hit a home run every 350 PAs in the height of the steroid home run centric era, and still amass over 5000 career PAs, you have to have been a great fielder.
I knew there must be something wrong with the thing when I finally read it, because it is nearly impossible to get a straight 0%. Anyway, I did it when I saw the article (It was actually Saturday morning, but you can go back now) ended up choosing different players, and got a rarity score of 8. I hadn't played for awhile, but I was obsessed with it for a time and you learn a lot the more you play. Also when you put the Royals in it is not even fair, especially since I know an absurd amount about the early (especially the first) Royals teams with obscure players, knowing where they came from and went to.
Across the top I had Hoyt Wilhelm, 0.4% (He is one of those guys who played everywhere), Joe Coleman 0.3% (One of my favorite early baseball cards) Ryne Sandberg 4% (This was my biggest percentage) Second line was the Royals. I went all 1969 on the Royals line, with Ed Kirkpatrick 0.3%, Dave Wickersham 0.6% and Jerry Adair, 0.05% Bottom line I tried to think of 70's players for the catchers, and came up with Ellie Rodriguez 0.3% (Actually thought it would be higher. He was their starter for 2 years. Another 1969 Royal, BTW) and John Wockenfuss 2% (I thought his name was funny when I was a kid) and closed it out with former favorite Royals utility guy Bill Pecota 0.1% (Who I know played every position at least once)
This was fun. I burned out on doing it all the time, but I could do one once per week. I think I like it better doing it the next day, because everyone has done it already and the percentages are real. There had been over 89,600 players when I did it.
For me the fun of Immaculate Grid is - like the baseball card opening Poscasts - someone I haven’t thought of in years suddenly coming to mind. For this one it was John Wockenfuss - someone I knew only from his baseball card, but I thought might’ve caught for the Tigers.
I think Joe needs to up the degree of difficulty and add a third dimension. Maybe use only relievers one day, or guys who played in the same decade, or guys with mustaches, or a chain where each player was a teammate of at least one other player he chose.
I like you doing this, Joe, mainly because even though I am a big baseball fan, I know I have no shot at going 9 for 9, and it is fun to see an expert do it, and the reasoning
My most obscure choice was Ken Brett for the Royals and Angels (1%) and I have no idea how he popped into my head.
You think YOU'RE sad about Javy? We Tigers fans are despondent. And if this is his new normal, we're gonna start feeling like Browns fans... of which I am also one. Wait... it couldn't be... no... is it... is it ME?!
I still don’t get how that game works. That’s the “alter” part of Alter Kacker.
Joe - I can’t believe you didn’t go with Buddy Biancalana as the Royals SS. And what about Bob Boone or Wally Joyner for Angels/Royals? Funny thing about Wally Joyner: like most Angels fans, he was my favorite player for the 4 years he was in Anaheim. Then he signed with the Royals, cried at his press conference, and I realized I didn’t care about him anymore once he wasn’t on the Angels. That was my first real lesson in player loyalty. Let’s just say it prepared me well for Shohei’s departure.
My first thought for obscure Royals shortstop was Buddy Biancalana. He had an 80 name but a 20 game.
Royals and Angels? How about Bo Jackson?
He was trying for the ones no one else would remember...
Two thoughts:
1. We need to come up with some way that Joe and Mike Schur can combine Immaculate Grid LIVE! with opening baseball cards.
2. We also need to crowdsource a grid so hard that it would stump Joe Posnanski.
There should be a survey option for “This was fun, but it would soon get tiresome”.
For Cub shortstops, a decent percentage (2%) picked Joe Tinker recalling the "Tinker to Evers to Chance" double-play combination. But I thought the 50s-era "Miksis to Smalley to Addison Street" group might have been better remembered too! They were listed in the opposite order - Smalley was the shortstop - but Eddie Miksis did appear there for the Cubs too. Only 0.01% picked him, and 0.05% picked the better-remembered Smalley (who lost his job to Ernie Banks and fathered the even better-remembered Roy Smalley of the 80s Twins).
For shortstop-catchers, we're seeing the most prolific since WWII play right now, as Isaiah Kiner-Falefa caught 73 games his first two years before moving to short for 2021 and 2022. Moe Berg also came up as a shortstop. And Don Zimmer had never caught in the majors until his 11th season, with the expansion Senators, and then played more behind the plate than anywhere else in his last season in 1965! Other notables include Bobby Bragan (420 at SS and 142 at C, mostly during WWII - the champ since 1901), Biz Mackey (Negro League Hall of Famer who was more of a catcher than anything else, but played everywhere), and Dave Roberts (the former #1 pick, not the current manager - caught 22 and played short in 33 for the 1980 Rangers).