baseball obituaries 2020

Don Larsen

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/28407056/don-larsen-pitched-only-perfect-world-series-game-dies-90

dang, i just saw this. here's jaffe's piece: https://blogs.fangraphs.com/imperfect-but-for-one-afternoon-don-larsen-1929-2020/

ed sprague sr, 74

pretty bad pitcher, apart from a solid 1974 campaign with milwaukee

was the orioles scout who signed mike mussina

Jr. hit a very memorable WS home run.

George Nicolau

https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-01-10/george-nicolau-mlb-collusion-drugs-dodgers-dead

Royals owner/Walmart boss David Glass

(yeah, meh)

Just spoke with Mets star Jeff McNeil, who played for John Altobelli, one of the victims of the Calabasas helicopter crash, who managed Brewster in the Cape Cod League in 2012.

Said McNeil: "He's one of the main reasons I’m still playing professional baseball.”

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 26, 2020

roger kahn, author of 'the boys of summer', 92

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/obituaries/roger-kahn-who-lifted-sportswriting-with-boys-of-summer-dies-at-92.html

RIP Rog, even tho ten was probably a little young for me to read the book

I really need to read "The Boys of Summer" again after 30 years.

japanese legend katsuya nomura, 84

catcher who played 26 seasons, hitting .277/.357/.508 with 657 homers (second to oh). also managed for 24 years

tony fernandez, 57

He was so good his first couple of seasons; looked like he was going to be right up there with Ripken and Yount before long. (Probably less impressive analytically, but that was barely around then.) He never stayed at that level, but he had a long, solid career, and his return to the Jays for the '93 WS team was great. So young.

Forgot he was the fourth player in the Carter/Alomar for McGriff/Fernandez trade in 1990. Has there been a bigger-name trade since? I know Alomar hadn't flourished yet, but James had already identified him as a future superstar--I still remember his Alomar entry in The Baseball Book a year or two earlier, where he wrote "GET ROBERTO ALOMAR" whether you were a fantasy player or card collector or whatever. So you had Alomar, one of the 10 best hitters in the game in McGriff, the wildly-overrated-in-retrospect but big-name and big-RBI-guy Carter, and Fernandez, who was still thought of as a possible/probable Hall of Famer. Don't recall a bigger one since, or at least not between two teams--there've been some multi-team transactions along those lines.

Yeah three guys who at their peaks were HOF type talents (one already in, one who will be, and a third in Fernandez who despite maybe never reaching his potential finished with an impressive career WAR due to those early seasons and late career renaissance) and a fourth who was not great but a solid bat in his best years.

So young, I didn't know he was sick. I always think of him as the 22 year old phenom and potential best SS in the game from the '85 division winners. Many people probably remember him as the guy whose error might have given away the '97 WS. Each of his stints with the Jays was memorable in some way. He's one of my favourite players ever and I'm really sorry to hear of his passing.

And yes, that 1990 trade was perhaps the last of its kind. It wasn't about big market vs small market teams, or trying to get value for players before they test free agency, or tanking/rebuilding to prepare for the future. It was a straight up challenge trade of four star players. There may never be another one like it again.

And there was a perfect symmetry to the trade in that the Jays got the best and the least of the four, and the Padres got the middle two guys--things could have gone either way, and if Alomar hadn't developed (which in turn got the Jays over the hump, which brought in Winfield and Molitor, all of which made Carter look better than he was), it could have been a terrible trade for Toronto.

Olerud being able to replace McGriff was a big part of that deal too. iirc he went straight from collage ball to the majors. that aspect was definitely a risk aswell.

orrin freeman, who had been a scout/farm director/special assistant to the gm for the marlins since their inception in 1991

NY/SF Giants ace Johnny Antonelli

https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/2020/02/28/johnny-antonelli-dies-new-york-giants-pitcher-world-series-hero-1954-rochester-ny-businessman/4902150002/

yankees' kelly rodman, one of very few female scouts in the game

not sure of the cause, but she was only ~40

Jimmy Wynn was posted in the ILX thread, but he should get one here too.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/legendary-astros-outfielder-jimmy-wynn-dies-at-age-78/

I was a full-fledged Reds fan by '74, so I remember the phenomenal start the Dodgers had that year.

end of April: 17-6
end of May: 36-14
end of June: 52-24

Still, the Reds almost caught them, only finishing 4.0 out (they were within a game-and-a-half on Sept. 14). I thought Wynn had the same kind of start, but not quite: phenomenal May, surrounded by three good but not spectacular months (and a slow August/September). Really good year overall, though (it was a pitcher's year, I think), and he was 5th in MVP voting, finishing well ahead of winner Garvey and runner-up Brock in WAR (and basically tied with Bench, who finished 4th). Weird: spending the bulk of his career in the Astrodome and Chez Ravine, I just assumed he got killed by his home parks, but for his career he was .256/.376/.443 at home, .245/.355/.429 on the road. One of the great nicknames ever, and one of those guys who was a walking machine before anybody cared.

RIP Toy Cannon

We mourn the death of Ed Farmer who passed away Wednesday night.

Farmer worked as a radio broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox for nearly 30 years, played 11 seasons in the major leagues, including three with his hometown White Sox, and was a strong advocate for organ donation. pic.twitter.com/wx7itjfEYk

— Chicago White Sox (@whitesox) April 2, 2020

al kaline, 85

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2020/04/06/al-kaline-dies-detroit-tigers/505371001

That's a big one. As I just posted on Facebook, though, of all the famous HOF'ers who played most of their careers in the '60s, I have less of a sense of Kaline than any of them.

I remember seeing him on TV at the end of his career.

per Ben Lindbergh on EW, Kaline had the most career HR (399) w/out ever hitting 30 in a year.

There is a lot of love coming out in the articles about Al Kaline, that guy seems to have been well liked by seemingly everyone. I knew him from baseball cards as a kid, but that he was supposed to be the real deal as a player good all the way around.

the most career HR (399) w/out ever hitting 30 in a year

I'd say that pinpoints his relative anonymity outside of Detroit better than anything.

(By which I mean next to Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Yaz, etc.)

Yaz is a pretty good comparison in a lot of ways -- Kaline didn't have nearly the same peak, but both spent most of their career operating not at that superstar peak but at a slightly lower tier of stardom in terms of production. Similar to Cal Ripken and Brett, I guess -- a couple other members of the 20+ seasons with one team club. Kaline also didn't have the same level of fame as any of those guys, probably just a matter of him not having a single season with truly eye-popping counting stats.

disappointing that he never played catcher even for just an inning, would have been cool for Al Kaline to be part of a battery.

o_O

No dad jokes on the obit thread?

I was going to say he was one of the few players of his caliber where it could be argued his best season was his first full one, but his age 20 season (didn’t turn 21 til December of that year) was actually his second full one.

no, it was solid

tbf, he made 18 all-star games, so *someone* recognized he was good

I quoted the battery line on Facebook!

Kaline was definitely highly thought of by other players. All-Star voting wasn't handed over to fans until 1970; I assume all those AS appearances were voted on by players?

Brooks Robinson said he was the best he played against

gen believed he forsook some power for average and walks

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/remembering-al-kaline-mr-tiger-1934-2020/

Al Kaline’s family put a “regular” obit in the Sunday @freep. By blending in, it’s an example of how one-of-a-kind he really was. pic.twitter.com/CR7ej9aZAT

— Matt Friedman (@mattfrieds) April 12, 2020

Glenn Beckert:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/former-chicago-cubs-star-glenn-beckert-dies/

One of those random stats that will stick in my mind forever: he hit .340 one year, when Rod Carew was the only second baseman who did that. (Okay, I checked--.342.)

hank steinbrenner, 63, non-covid-related

https://nypost.com/2020/04/14/hank-steinbrenner-yankees-co-owner-dead-at-63/

jim frey, 88

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/04/14/former-royals-cubs-manager-jim-frey-dies-at-88

Within a few months of Tony Fernandez, Dámaso García.

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2020/04/15/long-time-blue-jays-infielder-damaso-garcia-dies/

RIP I remember being super bummed as a 9 or 10-yr old when he was included in that Chambliss trade

And being down on Rick Cerone

Steve Dalkowski, a wild left-hander who was said to have been dubbed "the fastest pitcher in baseball history" by Ted Williams, died this week in New Britain, Connecticut. He was 80.

Dalkowski, who once struck out 24 batters in a minor league game -- and walked 18 -- never made it to the big leagues.

Writer-director Ron Shelton, who spent five years in the Orioles farm system, heard about Dalkowski's exploits and based the character Nuke Laloosh in 'Bull Durham' on the pitcher.

The A's are mourning the loss of former Athletic minor leaguer Miguel Marte, who passed away earlier this week due to complications from COVID-19. Marte played in the A's system from 2008-2012. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.https://t.co/PV7UEuAuvL pic.twitter.com/mVeLdOUciU

— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 1, 2020

journeyman Matt Keough, AL All-Star as a rookie in 1978 & was selected AL Comeback Player of the Year in 1980, both for the A's.

Tonight my dad and hero Bob Watson has passed away after a long fight with kidney disease.. #Astros #Yankees #RedSox #Braves #Athletics #USABAseball #MLB #1stBlackGM pic.twitter.com/obKe1mwJYc

— K Dubb (@TheReal_KDubb) May 15, 2020

Understand that I realize why, but Watson was the very definition of what James called "the RBI guy with mystique," something you can't have in the era of analytics.

(Don't torture me with what I missed with the '79 WS; it is already one of my life's nagging regrets. I'm tempted to go onto that rules thread I started a couple of weeks ago and add what I'll call the We Are Family Rule, in (dis)honour of me: everyone who ever attended university was at their most pompous and insufferable for those four years.)

I also think Parker--and that shirt--have come to symbolize '70s baseball in the very best sense, like Vida in '71, Oscar Gamble's afro, and Reggie the whole decade. Things where you had to have been there to feel the full nostalgic value that those things carry.

(And Fidrych--can't not mention him.)

*before* the committee selected him i wrote

stats-wise, parker doesn't really belong (although there are, of course HOFers who belong even less). but in his favor i would submit:

- subject of two of the best photos of baseball players ever
- 'the cobra' is a hall-of-fame nickname
- that throw in the all-star game
- on why he wore a star of david necklace: 'because i'm a david and i'm a star'
- i honestly feel like 'fame' should be part of the equation
- a+ surname
- it would make me happy

― mookieproof, Monday, November 4, 2024 8:05 PM (seven months ago)

i hadn't realized until reading the obits that he was the first player to make $1m/yr, and took some shit for being a black guy injured and not playing as well as he had previously

#5 above is maybe a little iffy. why did it take edgar martinez forever to get into the hall when, despite having a significantly lower WAR, david ortiz got in on his first try? the latter has some counting numbers, but i would argue that it's because he was *famous*, and i'm okay with that! (obviously they should both be in.) it's not fair to the guys who toil in kansas city or wherever, but so it goes. and i will fp myself for using this phrase, but parker was iconic

also his last name is the same is mine and my family always referred to him as cousin dave

What's the other Parker photo?

smoking in the dugout

could've also gone with the goalie mask photos tho

Don't think I've ever seen the smoking photo--his tribute to Dick Allen, obviously.

I agree with you 100% on the fame question, with the one caveat that that may one day get Steve Garvey elected (though doubtful at this point, he's been bypassed so many times).

good lord: https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1974.shtml#all_NL_MVP_voting

Steve Garvey was basically the same player as Michael Young or Garret Anderson. Nice players if you can have them, but don’t kick yourself if you don’t.

when i think of steve garvey i think of curiously large and hairy forearms

but he had absolutely nothing on saskatoon 55s slugger gordie howe:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GOxPMu_WYAAed9-.jpg

(happy canada day)

I won't lie: as a 13-year-old, I was unhappy with Garvey winning MVP, but only because I was positive it should have gone to Lou Brock (new stolen base record, and an even lower WAR than Garvey).

Bobby Jenks, 44

Haven't thought about him for years, but as soon as I saw the name, remembered this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjyGihTlFp8

So young.

Re: Posnanski above, even tho i grew up like a decade later, what he describes was very much my experience. Loved watching TWIB before games because I saw all sort of stuff I’d never get the chance to. I’d watch the sports segments on the news, but it was always dominated (in order) by the leafs, jays, hockey, argos and golf. Other baseball happenings were sparsely covered and my relationship with national league players was very much limited to the newspaper leaders/boxscores, my baseball cards, all star games, World Series and very occasional glimpses in highlight reels.

TWIB was crucial. I'm sure that like me, the theme music is hard-wired into your brain.

haha yes

This is sort of interesting re Parker:

Dave Parker is one of 9 players ever to hit a HR off multiple Hall of Famers in the same game.

Parker (Dennis Eckersley & Lee Smith)
Eduardo Pérez (Randy Johnson & Mariano Rivera)
B.J. Surhoff (Pedro Martínez & Dennis Eckersley)
Rickey Henderson (Phil Niekro & Steve Carlton)
Billy Williams (Juan Marichal & Gaylord Perry)
Ted Williams (Early Wynn & Bob Lemon)
Mickey Mantle (Bob Lemon & Bob Feller)
Jackie Jensen (Bob Feller & Hal Newhouser)
Babe Ruth (Red Faber & Ted Lyons)

He did it while a Red.

When did Niekro and Carlton play together (and how did they get into the same game)?

Okay, Cleveland in '87.

Joe Coleman, Tigers workhorse from the early '70s:

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2025/07/10/joe-coleman-death-tigers-mlb/84530940007/

Won 20 twice with the Tigers. He and Lolich had crazy workloads then: Coleman pitched 280+ innings every season from '71-74. He came to the Tigers along with Eddie Brinkman and Aurelio Rodriguez from Washington in the infamous Denny McLain trade, so I use him a lot on Immaculate Grid.

Meanwhile, Lerrin LaGrow is still very much alive.

Lee Elia:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2025/07/10/lee-elia-dies-phillies-cubs-rant/84542368007/

This one will resonate with the Jays fans here: Jim Clancy.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/former-blue-jays-star-pitcher-jim-clancy-dies-at-age-69-team-says/

He was the #2 guys behind Steib in the early '80s. Made the AS team in '82, and was still in the rotation when they won '85 and when they melted down in '87 (was actually a bit surprised--didn't realize he was around that long till I looked up his BRef page). Real '80s kind of pitcher; he was 6'4", and if you look at a pitcher of him, you'd think he was striking out 250+ batters a year. For his career, 5.1 per 9.

Pitchers of Matchstick Men.

https://i.imgur.com/ulQ4NBm.png

Also: classic baseball name.

Looked up Clancy's one ASG in '82. He was the second A.L. pitcher into the game (one scoreless inning); 47 guesses as to who started for the A.L. that year.

Dennis Eckersley

Ryne Sandberg

man...that was when I was really, really into baseball, the Sandberg years

Wow. Caught off guard by this one.
Growing up he was one of those mysterious gods from the NL that I rarely got to actually see. Him and Gwynn and Ozzie were these guys I mostly heard the legends about and wanted to pull their card from a pack, see all those glorious stats

After Whitaker, he must be the 2B I saw play most often. Lots of Sandberg vs. Whitaker debates with Chicagoland relatives back then.

Makes sense that the two are at the top of each other's similarity scores, AND YET only one is in the Hall of Fame -- but maybe this isn't the time for that discussion.

A great player I didn't appreciate enough because I was an Alomar guy. I was convinced Alomar was better because of the Wrigley factor, but both Jaffe and BWar have Sandberg slightly ahead. (BWar has them Whitaker, Sandberg, Alomar; Jaffe almost has them consecutive, with Sandberg, (Utley), Whitaker, Alomar.

I was thinking you could name a certain kind of player a "Sandberg," meaning he started his career ever-so-briefly with one team--Sandberg has 6 AB with the Phillies before being traded--then spent the rest with a second that he was so strongly identified with, the first was essentially forgotten. Trying to think of another example...(thought of Lou Brock, but he actually had three or four seasons with the Cubs).

Sandberg had a "team leader" aura that Alomar could never touch. Has there been another second baseman like that in the past 30 years? The only one I can think of is Altuve. Maybe Pedroia and Biggio too, but they had teammates who outshone them. That's really it.

Wasn’t pedroia sort of known as a dick?

Very!

Has there been another second baseman like that in the past 30 years?

K-Marte, DJLeM, CUtley...

Sandberg had a "team leader" aura that Alomar could never touch.

I guess so...Alomar was the best player on two WS winners. (No need for anyone to remind me of why Alomar's a pariah now.)

I'm advocating for one of the great villains of the past 35 years here--strictly as a player--so, between the spitting and the sexual harrassment charge, I don't expect any allies here. But I would give the edge to Alomar up to and including 2001, and then he falls off a cliff. (I'd also add a third bit of ugliness, obviously less serious than the harrassment allegation; how he sulked his way out town in 1995.)

Utley was never the "leader", his teammates won MVP's he was underrated even by his own team.

Utley:

5 straight years #1 offensive WAR for PHI
5 straight years All-Star
5 straight years MVP vote getter

seems leader-ly to me

Also Marcus Semien of the Texas Rangers... I remember after they won the WS in 2023, Corey Seager complementing Semien as the backbone of the organization and a de-facto captain/heart & soul of the team.

Semien was definitely a leader on the 2021 Jays--I recall that many of the younger players said as much.

I don't mean to harp on Sandberg: again, great, great player. But I don't know if he would have been seen as a leader in his MVP year, a breakout season when he was 24. Clearly the best player on a division winner, but still pretty young. (You could say the same of Alomar when the Jays went back-to-back; for leadership, they had Winfield and Molitor and Carter.) When Sandberg hits his prime from '89 to '92, the Cubs had Andre Dawson; I have to believe he would have been seen as the de facto team leader, although maybe it was him and Sandberg both.

Objectively quantifying any of this stuff, of course impossible.

Nice clip (Shawon Dunston on Sandberg):

https://www.facebook.com/watch?v=1308328540714622

Davey Johnson

Great manager: .562 career winning pct., winning record with 5/5 teams (barely with the Dodgers). As a player, he was more of a Brady Anderson than Anderson himself when he hit 43 HR with the '73 Braves--his career high otherwise was 18.