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Jack McDowell

Jack Burns McDowell (born January 16, 1966) is an American former baseball player. A right-handed pitcher, McDowell played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Anaheim Angels of the Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed “Black Jack“, he was a three-time All-Star and won the American League Cy Young Award in 1993.

McDowell has also been a professional musician, most notably with the rock band stickfigure.

Chicago White Sox[edit]

McDowell was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the first round (fifth pick) of the 1987 amateur draft. After only six games in the minor leagues, he made his Major League debut on September 15, 1987. He pitched seven shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins that day to pick up the win. In four starts, he was 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA.

In 1988, he was 5-10 with a 3.97 ERA in 26 starts for the White Sox, but in 1989, while dealing with various injuries he did not pitch in the Majors, making 16 starts for the AAA Vancouver Canadians, where he was 5-6 with a 6.13 ERA.

By the early 1990s, he had established himself as one of the most dependable pitchers in the game, pitching effectively and recording over 250 innings each season from 1991 to 1993, he was selected to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game each of those years. He won 20 games in 1992 and 22 in 1993, when he won the American League Cy Young Award and led the White Sox to the postseason (they lost in the 1993 American League Championship Series to the Toronto Blue Jays). From 1988 until 1995, his season ERA was consistently between 3.00 and 4.00, well below the league average.^[1] In 1993, he set a modern (post-1950) record by recording a decision in each of his first 27 starts.^[2]

During his baseball career, McDowell played guitar in various groups in the alternative rock genre, usually performing during the off-season.

McDowell’s first band, V.I.E.W., which consisted of him and fellow baseball players Lee Plemel and Wayne Edwards, had two albums, “Extendagenda” and “Replace The Mind.” The band was formed in 1989 and disbanded in 1992. Their most notable accomplishment was touring with The Smithereens in 1992.

His second band, stickfigure, consisted of McDowell, Michael Hamilton, Mike Mesaros and Frank Funaro. They produced the albums Just a Thought, Feedbag, Ape of the Kings and Memonto Mori, before the group disbanded in 2003.^[9][10]

Discography[edit]

• Extendagenda (1991) – V.I.E.W.
• Replace the Mind (1992) – V.I.E.W.
• Just a Thought (1995) – stickfigure
• Feedbag (2001) – stickfigure
• Ape of the Kings (2002) – stickfigure
• Memonto Mori (2003) – stickfigure

• Led National League in Hits (184 in 1988)
• Led National League in Total Bases (329 in 1988)
• Led National League in Doubles (42 in 1988)
• Led National League in Runs Created (113 in 1988)
• Led National League in Extra-Base Hits (79 in 1988)
• Led National League in Batting average (.370 in 1993)
• Led National League in Home Runs (47 in 1996)
• Twice led National League in RBIs (150 in 1996 and 140 in 1997)
• Ranks 69th on MLB All-Time Total Bases List (4,038)
• Ranks 83rd on MLB All-Time Doubles List (444)
• Ranks 43rd on MLB All-Time Home Run List (399)
• Ranks 57th on MLB All-Time RBI List (1,425)
• Ranks 58th on MLB All-Time Extra-Base Hits List (875)
• Ranks 95th on MLB All-Time Intentional Walks List (106)
• Was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 (first Rockies Baseball Player to be inducted)
• Best Comeback Athlete ESPY Award 2001 (Atlanta Braves)
• The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year Award winner 1993 (Colorado Rockies) 2001 (Atlanta Braves)
• First Rockies player ever represented at All-Star Game (1993)
• Rockies Career Leader in At Bats per Home Runs with 15.5.
• His 150 RBI season in 1996 is still a single season record for the Rockies.^[9]
• Won the three Triple Crown categories (BA, HR, RBI) although in different seasons
• Set Rockies record for RBI before the All-Star break (84 in 1997)
• Became the first player in history to win two NL Comeback Player of the Year Awards
• Honored in the docudrama movie Galarraga: puro béisbol (Galarraga: Nothing But Baseball – Venezuela, 2000)
• Honored in the book Andrés Galarraga – Real Life Reader Biography, by writer Sue Boulais (2003)
• Gained induction into the Venezuelan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (2010)

Vaughn was selected by the Brewers in the fourth round (75th pick) of the 1984 amateur draft. A slugger whose batting average dropped below .250 as often as rising above it, he compensated with excellent power. He had three seasons with at least 100 runs batted in, and four with 30 or more home runs – including the 1998 season, when he hit 50 to finish 4th in the major leagues behind Ken Griffey Jr., Sammy Sosa, and Mark McGwire, who set the home run record that season. In 1999, he became the first player in major league history to be traded after a 50-homer season when the Padres traded him to the Cincinnati Reds. Vaughn’s arrival in Cincinnati caused a bit of a controversy with club ownership, as he refused to shave his goatee to comply with the Reds’ policy of no facial hair. Fans urged owner Marge Schott to lift the long-standing policy^[2] that had been in place since 1967, which she eventually did. On the field, Vaughn hit 45 homers and became the second player in major league history to hit 40 or more homers in consecutive seasons with two different teams (one year after Andrés Galarraga became the first).

During his career, Vaughn batted .242 with 355 home runs, 1072 RBI, 1017 runs, 1475 hits, 284 doubles, 23 triples and 121 stolen bases in 1731 games.

Benito Santiago

Benito Santiago Rivera (born March 9, 1965), is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player.^[1] He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball from 1986 to 2005, most prominently as a member of the San Diego Padres, with whom he was a four-time Silver Slugger Award winner as well as a three-time Gold Glove Award winner.^[1] The five-time All-Star was considered the premier catcher in the National League (NL) during his tenure with the Padres.^[2] In 2015, Santiago was inducted into the Padres Hall of Fame.^[3]

Baseball career[edit]

Early years[edit]

Santiago was signed as an amateur free agent by the San Diego Padres on September 1, 1982.^[1] After playing four seasons in the minor leagues, he made his Major League debut with the Padres on September 14, 1986 at the age of 21.^[1] The next year, Santiago established a Major League record for a rookie by hitting safely in 34 straight games.^[4] It was also the longest hitting streak by a catcher in major league history.^[5] He ended the season with what would be career-highs in hits (164), doubles (33) and batting average (.300).^[1] Santiago was the unanimous selection for the 1987 National League Rookie of the Year Award.^[6] Although he struggled defensively, leading the league in errors and passed balls, his hitting performance earned him the 1987 Silver Slugger Award which is awarded annually to the best offensive player at each position.^[7][8]

While Santiago initially made an impression with his offensive statistics, he soon became known for his defensive prowess, most notably for his strong throwing arm.^[9] Santiago was known for his ability to throw out would be base stealers from a kneeling position.^[3][9] In 1988, he led National League catchers in assists and in baserunners caught stealing with a 45% average when the league average was 30%.^[9][10] Although he still led the league’s catchers with 12 errors, it was an improvement over the 22 he had committed the previous season. Santiago was awarded the first of three consecutive Gold Glove Awards in 1988.^[11] Santiago also claimed his second successive Silver Slugger Award as the Padres improved to finish in third place in the National League Western Division.^[12][13]

Although he was hitting for only a .236 average at mid-season in 1989, his defensive reputation earned him the starting catcher’s role in the 1989 All-Star Game.^[14][15] He was awarded the 1989 National League Gold Glove Award for catchers, as the Padres climbed to second place in the season’s final standings.^[16][17]

Santiago rebounded in 1990 and was hitting for a .317 batting average with 9 home runs in mid-June when he was hit by a pitch and had to miss six weeks of the season.^[18] He finished the season with a .270 average along with 11 home runs and 53 runs batted in to earn his third Silver Slugger Award.^[1][19] He was also named as a reserve player for the National League team in the 1990 All-Star Game and won his third consecutive Gold Glove Award.^[20][21]

Before the 1991 season, Santiago asked for a four-year contract worth $11 million, but lost his arbitration case and was awarded a one-year contract worth $1.65 million.^[22] A disgruntled Santiago announced that he would leave the Padres when he became eligible for free agency after the 1992 season.^[22] He was also disillusioned when the Padres traded away players such as Joe Carter and Jack Clark.^[23] In June, Padres manager Greg Riddoch benched Santiago for his lack of hustle on the playing field.^[22] Despite the difficulties, Santiago led the league’s catchers with 100 assists and posted a career-high 87 runs batted in.^[1]

Santiago returned to arbitration before the 1992 season, this time winning a $3.3 million one-year contract that made him the highest paid catcher in professional baseball.^[24] In September 1992, the Padres announced that they would not seek to re-sign Santiago, in what was seen as a cost-cutting measure.^[23][25]

From 1991 to 1994, Santiago wore a jersey with the uniform number 09, making him one of the only major professional sports players to have ever worn a jersey with a leading zero as part of his uniform number.^[26]

Decline and trades[edit]

On December 16, 1992, Santiago signed with the newly established franchise Florida Marlins and hit the first home run in team history. Despite hitting for a .273 average in 1994, he was granted free agency after the season as the Marlins were ready to promote their young catching prospect, Charles Johnson.^[1] On April 17, 1995, the Cincinnati Reds signed him and he briefly recovered his form batting .286.^[1] On January 30, 1996, he joined the Phillies, where he became the first player to hit a grand slam off Greg Maddux in the regular season after Maddux had been pitching for nearly ten years.^[27] Santiago also hit a home run in four consecutive at bats in the same season. Santiago ended the season with a career-high 30 home runs, along with 85 runs batted in, for the last place Phillies.^[1]

Santiago then signed a contract to play for the Blue Jays (1997–1998) where he lost almost the entire 1998 season to a serious injury sustained in a car crash in Florida.^[28] A free agent again, he played 89 games for the Cubs in 1999 and played for Cincinnati in 2000.^[1]

Resurgence with the Giants[edit]

Santiago arrived in San Francisco on March 17, 2001. He played in 133 games and helped the Giants finish in second place, two games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.^[1][29] He shared the 2001 Willie Mac Award with Mark Gardner, which recognized the spirit and leadership of each.^[30] Santiago had another good year in 2002, appearing in 126 games and finishing third among National League catchers with a .995 fielding percentage.^[1] He earned his fifth All-Star berth and ended the season with a .278 batting average with 74 runs batted in as the Giants once again finished second to the Diamondbacks and claimed the National League wild card berth.^[1][31]

The Giants defeated the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the play-offs then met the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2002 National League Championship Series.^[32] Santiago hit two home runs in the series along with 6 runs batted in, and was awarded the League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award as the Giants defeated the Cardinals in five games.^[33] In the 2002 World Series against the Anaheim Angels, Santiago delivered 5 runs batted in as the Giants were defeated in a seven-game series.^[34][35]

In 2003, the 38-year-old Santiago continued to perform well, hitting fifth in the batting order behind Barry Bonds, he appeared in 108 games while posting a .279 batting average with 56 runs batted in.^[1][36]

Later years[edit]

On December 11, 2003, Santiago, again a free agent, signed with the Kansas City Royals. By June 18, he was hitting .274 with six home runs and 23 RBI when he was hit by a pitch from Geoff Geary that broke his hand. After the 2004 season, the Royals traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Leo Núñez, a minor league pitcher. The Pirates let Santiago go after a mere 23 at-bats in favor of giving playing time to young David Ross. Santiago signed with the New York Mets to a minor-league contract, but he appeared in only a handful of games. He opted out of his Triple-A contract, but did not play in the major leagues in 2006.

He was inducted into the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame on August 8, 2015.^[37]

Career statistics[edit]

In a 20-year major league career, Santiago played in 1,978 games, accumulating 1,830 hits in 6,951 at bats for a .261 career batting average along with 217 home runs, 920 runs batted in and an on-base percentage of .307.^[1] He ended his career with a .987 fielding percentage.^[1]

A five-time All-Star, Santiago was known for his strong defensive skills, leading National League catchers three times in assists, once in fielding percentage and once in baserunners caught stealing.^[1] As 2010 began, Santiago was tied for eighth on the all-time list of games caught with Brad Ausmus, with 1,917.^[38]

Tim Wallach

Timothy Charles Wallach (born September 14, 1957) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played seventeen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a third baseman, most notably for the Montreal Expos from 1980 to 1992. A five-time All-Star, Wallach excelled as an offensive and as a defensive player, winning 2 Silver Slugger Awards and 3 Gold Glove Awards. In addition to the Expos, he also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels and coached for the Dodgers and Miami Marlins.

Early life[edit]

Wallach was born in Huntington Park, California, grew up in Tustin in Orange County, and attended University High School in neighboring Irvine.^[1] There he played on the school’s lower-level baseball team during his freshman and sophomore years before being promoted to the varsity team for his last two years.^[1] Wallach was not drafted by a major league team out of high school. He enrolled at Saddleback College and transferred to California State University, Fullerton to play college baseball for the Cal State Fullerton Titans.^[1]

Wallach played for the United States national baseball team in the 1978 Amateur World Series. His stat-line in the series was .395/.455/.763, while having 14 runs and runs batted in (RBIs), both being the second-most in the series. The United States finished second to Cuba in the tournament.^{[citation needed]} Wallach led the Titans to its first Division I title at the College World Series in Omaha in 1979,^[2][3] was named to the all-tournament team, and won the Golden Spikes Award. He was an All-American and named the Sporting News College Player of the Year.^[1]

Career[edit]

Montreal Expos (1980–1992)[edit]

Wallach made his major league debut at the age of 22 on September 6, 1980, against the San Francisco Giants after replacing Ron LeFlore at left field. In his first plate appearance in the top of the 5th inning, he was walked, but in his second plate appearance in the 8th, he hit a home run. Wallach and Brett Pill (September 6, 2011) are the only two players from Cal State Fullerton to hit a home run in their first at bat. Wallach appeared in four other games in that season. He appeared in 71 games in the following season, hitting .236 with 4 home runs and 13 RBIs in 71 games. He appeared in the Expos’ only postseason run while in Montreal, appearing in five games. In Game 1 of the 1981 National League Division Series, he went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk while scoring a run. In the other four games that he appeared in, he went hitless.

1982 was Wallach’s first full-time season, when he hit .268 with 28 home runs, 31 doubles, and 97 RBIs in 158 games. He slightly regressed the following year, hitting .269 with 33 doubles, 19 home runs, and 70 RBIs in 156 games. Wallach earned his first All-Star Game honors in 1984 and 1985; in the latter season he earned his first Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger awards. He regressed a bit the next season, playing in 134 games while having 112 hits, 22 doubles, 18 home runs and 71 RBIs with a .233 batting average, although he led the league in being hit by pitch with 10.

In 1987, Wallach was named to the All-Star Game again while winning his second Silver Slugger Award and finishing fourth in Most Valuable Player voting, doing so in 153 games while setting career highs with a .298 batting average, 123 RBIs and 42 doubles, with the latter leading the major leagues. He regressed a bit the next season, hitting .257 with 32 doubles, 12 home runs and 69 RBIs in 159 games, although he did win his second Gold Glove. He rebounded in 1989, being named to the All-Star Game, playing in 154 games and hitting .277 with 13 home runs, 77 RBIs and a league-leading 42 doubles. He continued his success in 1990, earning his fourth and final All-Star Game appearance, playing in a career high 161 games and hitting .296 with 37 doubles, 21 home runs and 98 RBIs, as well as winning the Gold Glove for the third and final time. He was named team captain prior to the 1991 season, being the first team captain in franchise history. He regressed in production in his final two seasons with the Expos, playing in 301 combined games while having a total of 250 hits, 51 doubles, 22 home runs and 132 RBIs while hitting under .230 both seasons. On December 24, 1992, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tim Barker.^[4]