Backroads and Ballplayers #62
Stories of the famous and not-so-famous men and women from the days when baseball was "Arkansas' Game." Always free and always short enough to finish in one cup of coffee.
Some Arkansas Draft History, and No-Hitters
When I began my usual Monday column my desk was covered with yellow notes. I write to myself often, and sticky notes are my go-to stationery. When I was an educational technology consultant, my colleagues often reminded me that I could put notes on my phone. I was proud to reply. “I do that,” and show them my phone with a half dozen yellow notes attached.
My best-laid plans are often interrupted by current events. This week is certainly one of those posts. After all, a group of lost stories from 1915 can wait on some history about Arkansans taken in the MLB Draft, thoughts on no-hitters, and a little historical fiction I am calling Field of Dreams II
MLB Draft - Hagen Smith Goes Number 5
One less-than-exciting outcome of the MLB Draft is that early first-round picks are likely to be chosen by less glamorous teams. The Chicago White Sox certainly qualify. Even in good years, the American Leaguers from the South Side are Chicago’s other team.
Despite their current hard times, the White Sox have won a World Series since the Orioles, Tigers, Twins and a dozen other AL teams have won the Fall Classic. And, we may not have to wait long to see Hagen Smith in a big-league game.
The current White Sox seem to be headed toward the worst record in the majors and perhaps one of the most dismal seasons of all time, but their scouting guy said all the right things. Director of Scouting, Mike Shirley, sounded like a team spokesman from a contender. “Obviously, you want to be delicate. You want to make sure you build them up, [...]make sure they’re major-league ready”
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SEC Pitcher of the Year, Hagen Smith, posted 11 quality starts and 11 double-digit strikeout games this spring. He earned a 9-2 record, 2.04 ERA, and 161 strikeouts across 84.0 innings.
A native of Bullard, Texas, Smith was also honored as national pitcher of the year by the College Baseball Foundation and Perfect Game. He was named the starting pitcher on the All-SEC first team and a consensus first-team All-American.
Smith is the 10th Razorback to be chosen in the first round. He is the fourth Razorback pitcher to be selected in the first round of the MLB Draft and the third Hog to be drafted in the top-five picks. Remember while thinking about the daunting task of pitching for the Chicago White Sox, the projected bonus for the fifth overall pick is $7,763,700.
A Little Draft History
This would make a good trivia question at the local coffee shop. What Arkansans were taken in the first two picks in the MLB draft? Don’t Google that, but no, it isn’t Torii Hunter. There are three correct choices (see below), but I have a favorite simply because of his love for his home state.
My guy was a pretty good major-leaguer who was born in Portland, Arkansas (Ashley County), in 1959. His name is Loyd Anthony Moseby and he was the number two selection in 1978. By the way, a guy named Bob Horner was taken number one that year and went on to be the National League Rookie of the Year that same year.
The Jays brought 20-year-old Lloyd Moseby up to the majors in May of 1980. He hit nine home runs in each of his first three years and his batting average over those three challenging seasons was .233.
In the mid-1980s, Moseby suddenly found his stroke. He won a Silver Slugger Award in 1983 and finished 15th in the American League MVP vote. He hit 18 homers in that break-out season and drove in 81 runs. In 1984, Moseby led the league in triples, and he hit 18 home runs in both 1984 and 1985. In 1986, Moseby was named to his only All-Star team.
Moseby, Jesse Barfield, and George Bell combined to give Toronto one of the outstanding outfields of the decade. The trio led the Jays to ALCS appearances in 1985 and 1989.
Over an excellent 12-year career, Moseby hit .257 with 169 home runs and 737 RBIs. Loyd Moseby was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame on June 16, 2018, and the Ashley County, Arkansas Hall of Fame in 1988.
“They had a banquet in Crossett, and I was honored along with Barry Switzer. It was a nice thing for the people there to do for me.” — Loyd Moseby 1992
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“Most people don’t know I’m from Arkansas, but I’m proud to say I was born in Portland and lived there until I was 9 years old,” Moseby, 30, said this week when the Tigers came to Arlington Stadium to play the Texas Rangers. “I have a tremendous amount of ties there. A lot of my family still lives there.” Moseby’s parents moved his family to Oakland, Calif., when he was 9, but his mother –who died last year – and father moved back to Portland five years ago. “They wanted to move back to Arkansas and get away from the crowd, Moseby said. “They were tired of the city.”
—Arkansas Baseball Encyclopedia, Arkansas Gazette 5-19-1990
Remember No Hitters?
I spoke at a bookstore about a year ago along with three fiction writers. I was intimidated. One of them was a 20-something who writes young adult books and her turn came after mine. She opened with how impressed she was by folks who write non-fiction because they have to be perfectly accurate. She claimed making things up was much easier. I can’t see it.
But, I will give historical fiction a try…
Preface: Last week Paul Skenes had a no-hitter going after seven innings. The amazing Mr. Skenes is enjoying a rookie year that defies the usual “adjustment period” expected from a guy who had not pitched a single big-league inning before this season.
The crowd was on its feet as he left the mound for the seventh time. Most did not suspect he had reached his pitch count and was finished for the day. The next morning I expected the Sports Center guys to be highly critical of the Pirates’ manager, Derek Shelton. “What has happened to the game,” would likely be the first question. Instead, each of the second guessers applauded Shelton for sticking to the plan.
Field of Dreams II (Fiction?)
On September 21, 1934, manager Frankie Frisch met Paul Dean coming off the field after the bottom of the seventh inning. The Cards had gone up 2—0 on the Dodgers in the seventh and historic Ebbits Field had gone eerily quiet. Paul Dean, the Cardinals Rookie from Arkansas, had not allowed a hit.
“Paul I have to talk to you,” Frisch said with a concerned look on his weathered face. “I had a dream last night that I need to tell you about. I swear I was wide awake, but I guess not,” the old manager continued. “A fellow who called himself Tom John came to me in the hotel and told me about the future of baseball. This guy John said that in forty years or so, players are going to learn to throw a baseball harder than the human body can stand, and they are going to spin a breaking ball with so much pressure on their arm that it will seriously injure their elbow.”
“Skip, I had the same dream with the same visitor,” Dean replied with a gasp. “I am really afraid! I have pitched almost 700 innings before my 21st birthday, and I pitched two extra-inning games last week. I think you should take me out and let the bullpen try to hold the lead.”
By this time Frisch and Dean had moved to a corner of the dugout away from the other players. Dean continued, “That feller Tom John told me if I would pitch fewer innings and not do any barnstorming after the season, I would make the Hall of Fame. If I don’t stop trying to pitch a complete game every time out, I will ruin my arm.”
“John says a guy named Dr. Jobe will learn to take a tendon from somewhere in a pitcher’s body and move it to his damaged elbow, but it will be a spell, Jobe is only nine years old,” Dean whispered.
I haven’t written the ending, but in the real world of 1934, of course, Frisch could not pull Daffy Dean. He pitched a complete game no-hitter and down the stretch, the Deans pitched in eight of the Cards’ last 10 games. Following a boast by Dizzy Dean that, “Me ‘n Paul will problee win all four” World Series games, the Deans did just that.
Paul won 19 games again in 1935, but after almost 1,300 innings-pitched in five years and dozens of barnstorming dates in October and November, arm problems doomed his career. After 1935, Paul Dean would record only 12 more big-league wins in an injury-shortened career that ended in 1942.
Tommy John became the namesake of Dr. Jobe’s innovative surgery in 1974. Other than the unofficially blacklisted Roger Clemens, Tommy John has the most pitching victories of pitchers not in the Hall of Fame.
Hagen Smith had Tommy John surgery at age 16.
May 12, 2001 - A. J. Burnett Makes History
In 1995, I was the guidance counselor at Pottsville High School. We had a pretty good baseball team. I recall that Pottsville won the conference regular season, but Central Arkansas Christian won the district tournament and later in May, the state tournament. CAC had a youngster named A. J. Burnett.
Burnett was drafted by the New York Mets in the eighth round of the 1995 MLB draft. The Mets traded him to the Marlins where Burnett made his major league debut in 1999.
On May 12, 2001, A. J. Burnett became the last Arkansas-born pitcher to pitch a big-league no-hitter. A no-hitter is always newsworthy, but Burnett’s is one of the most unusual in baseball history.
Despite not allowing a hit, Burnett’s historic complete-game shutout was not exactly a masterpiece. Burnett threw 129 pitches and walked nine. All eight Padres in the starting lineup, except pitcher Wascar Serrano, reached base during the game. Burnett walked every starting position player except second baseman Damian Jackson at least once and Ryan Klesko and Bubba Trammell twice. Jackson earned his free pass the hard way when Burnett hit him with a pitch in the fourth inning.
Burnett’s unusual feat remains the no-hitter with the second-most walks-allowed in history, after Jim Maloney's no-hitter in 1965, in which 10 batters earned a free pass.
"I threw maybe 10 curveballs all game. We were just working in and out all night. This is a great feeling. I never thought the second start back I'd throw a no-hitter." - A.J. Burnett
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