In the premiere episode of Baseball Mogul, I found my old Baseball Mogul 2006 installer and decided to play it! Right away, I remembered why I played this game so much: building and managing a team in this game is FUN! The players actually have really specific desires and personalities. As you'll see, the trades and moves are actually pretty realistic.

Also, when you make a really stupid trade offer the opposing GM's say some pretty hilarious stuff. The other teams will also make you trade offers, many of which are stupid, but some that you actually consider.

So, last time, pitcher Casey Fossum told me he wanted to go be with his friend Nick Bierbrodt and join him in the bonds of... fraternal brotherhood? ANYWAY, he wanted to go to the Rangers to be with his BFF.

He'd get his wish!


Making Moves: Starting Rotation and Bullpen

Casey got his wish. I decided to start remaking the team by sending Casey Fossum, pitcher Steve Parris, reliever Jack Cressend, outfielder Darnell McDonald, and infielder Nick Green to the Rangers for young catcher Taylor Teagarden and infielder Joaquin Arias.

Teagarden's career never really panned out in real life, but Arias has been useful here and there. I'm gonna miss none of those guys. It frees up roster space and some payroll. Brown is already paid for. Yes, this is a salary dump, but we get a fair return on talent.

The next move I made looks strange on the surface, trading away two of my starting pitchers, along with a minor leaguer. Denny Neagle and Jimmy Haynes leave the MLB team, along with a spare part in Dicky Gonzalez for... a 19-year old... FELIX HERNANDEZ!

Obviously, I'm going to be careful with Felix, but he was in the Majors in 2005, so he can be part of this rotation.

My rotation going into the season looked to be Kevin Brown, a young Scott Kazmir, Felix, Mark Hendrickson, and Rob Bell. I also have Jason Hammel waiting in the wings.

Currently, the bullpen included Dan Miceli at closer, Shinjo Mori, Mark Guthrie, Travis Harper, Jesus Colome, and Carlos Reyes. It's an OK group. I feel like Guthrie, who was aging and becoming fairly ineffective by this point, was the weak link. So I was looking to replace him.


Making Moves: Lineup and Bench

The lineup needs some work. Carl Crawford, Julio Lugo, Jorge Cantu, Aubrey Huff, Ty Wigginton, Charles Johnson, Johnny Gomes, Rocco Baldelli, and Travis Lee seem fine. But the bench has two catchers in Toby Hall and Mitch Melusky. Outfielders are Tom Goodwin (washed up at this point) and Damon Hollins. Luis Rivas is a decent infielder, though. I feel like Lee, Johnson, and Goodwin are the places I can upgrade.

No one wanted Lee or Johnson straight up or together for any useful pieces. But Goodwin... Those three together could get me a really old Tom Glavine! As much as I love Tommy, that's not a good move for me.

So I went and got Ryan Howard.

It really only cost me Wes Bankston, a good first base prospect, who was a ways away from the majors, Travis Lee, who was on his way out, and Sean Burroughs, who while rated well, was going to be on his way out too – the game said he wanted money. Infielder Greg Norton and catcher Shawn Riggans were throwins.

Howard is cheap until before the 2018 season, and hopefully by then I can afford him. I shed Lee's $2 million plus salary, too. Norton was making $400K plus or so too. I may miss Bankston, but Howard is power now. Burroughs may have been too high a price, but for Howard, I can risk it, especially with BJ Upton on the way up. I also have Joaquin Arias.

Charles Johnson was shipped off to Seattle for reliever JJ Putz. It took a young infielder named Fernando Cortez to get the job done, along with Al Martin, who was just rotting in AAA anyway. Putz will give me a good young arm for the pen and Johnson was making about $2 million when I have plenty of catchers. Putz can replace the aging Mark Guthrie. I'm happy with Mitch Melusky and Toby Hall as my catchers. I have Teagarden waiting in the wings and several other catchers who are decent in the minors.


Ready to GO!


Now that the Devil Rays are looking sort of like a field-able team that's now a lot cheaper. We shall see how we do in the first half of the season, and if we have to shed salary when we're losing, we'll do that. But let's see what talent we really have here now!


Catch the next episode when we play some GAMES!

So I was in desperate need of a new baseball game. They don't really make good ones for the PC anymore, and it's a pain to get any of my old ones to work on Windows 10. I got sick of Out of the Park Baseball. I no longer own a gaming console at this writing, and there really aren't any good baseball games to play online. So, I said, screw it. I wanted to find my old Baseball Mogul game.

AND I FOUND IT!

Baseball Mogul 2006!

To say I was happy is an UNDERSTATEMENT. Yes, that is from like 11 years ago. BUT I DON'T CARE!

So of course, I picked the crappiest team to manage: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays. DEVIL RAYS!

And, yes, they would change their name soon after to just the Rays. But... DEVIL RAYS!

I hate myself.

I picked the Manager difficulty, which is one level below Mogul, the hardest difficulty. I don't hate myself that much. My Mogul name in this franchise is "The Man" because this team is going to answer to THE MAN! OK, that's not very creative, but whatever, I'm having fun.

So, being on the Manager difficulty means that even though my payroll is $48 million, my budget is only $24 million. OK, I do hate myself...

I also chose Simulation mode in the options. I prefer the more historical simulation myself. But without simulation mode, the game is pretty wacky. So, I want things to be pretty much like real life. It's a bit more predictable if you know the players well, which I do.


First Roster Move

So, obviously, the Rays would need some help. They would lose 101 games in 2006, and only win 61. We need some better players. So, my first move, since I had a little cash to play with - $3.28 million. My first move was to sign starting pitcher Kevin Brown for $2.1 million.

Yes, he was 41. But, I needed a decent starting pitcher, and there will be plenty more moves. The good news is that the Rays will have a lot of good players coming up through the farm system. So, a valuable veteran presence would help.

Also, there's something awesome about Baseball Mogul that no other game has. The players have personalities and have really specific demands. Like with pitcher Casey Fossum, who the game tells me wants to be traded to the Rangers so he can be with Nick Bierbrodt. HOW CUTE!

But really, players have FRIENDS in Baseball Mogul and they get bonuses for having their friends around and being happy. I love that about this game.

And Casey Fossum would actually get his wish.

Find out what happens to Casey and the rest of the Rays – erm, DEVIL RAYS – in the next episode of BASEBALL MOGUL!

This is it. 2018 is the year I make my triumphant return to fantasy baseball! Not that it's really that triumphant. I've never won a Fantasy Baseball league, not even my own. I tend to forget about it halfway through the season, honestly, but tend to finish in the top half of the standings pretty often. So, I'm going to try and actually check it at least weekly this time...


I chose a free league – not because I'm poor, though; I don't do paid leagues because I don't want money involved. So on Yahoo Fantasy Baseball, I joined a public 12-team rotisserie league with autopick draft. Choosing Autopick Draft has nothing to do with being lazy. Yes, I have a very busy family life. But the primary reason I made this choice is that I prefer the randomness of autopicks. Yahoo's rankings are usually fine with minor tweaking. I actually am very good at drafting sleepers and have built extremely strong teams before. But I like starting with a random team that I just sort of walk in on.


And this year looks to be a good one!


Yahoo automatically named my team "Rich's Wondrous Team," which is so awesome that I just kept it. The auto-draft actually went well for me, with only a couple of question marks. After swapping some guys around, here's what I had.


C Wellington Castillo
1B Matt Carpenter
2B Robinson Cano
3B Kris Bryant
SS Trevor Story
OF Yasiel Puig
OF Tommy Pham
OF Jason Kipnis

Util Xander Bogaerts (SS)
Util Wil Myers (1B)


BN Jonathan Villar (2B, OF)
BN Mike Moustakas (3B)
BN Chris Davis (1B)
BN Ozzie Albies (2B)
BN Addison Russell (SS)


SP Chris Archer (SP)
SP Jacob deGrom (SP)
RP Edwin Diaz (RP)
RP Brad Peacock (RP)
P Justin Verlander (SP)
P Carlos Martinez (SP)
P Luke Weaver (SP)
P Blake Snell (SP)



This is a really solid start. Kris Bryant is really awesome, so I don't have to say anything about him. Wellington Castillo is a guy I like a lot, but I may want a second catcher on my roster. I like Matt Carpenter more than most people and being eligible at 1B, 2B, AND 3B is awesome. Robinson Cano is still one of the best 2B in the game. Trevor Story is very good, and I also have Xander, so Addison Russell is probably one of the first from this roster to go. I'm not a huge fan of Puig, although he can be solid in Fantasy. I'm a big Tommy Pham fan, so he's good. I think Jason Kipnis can rebound, and he's eligible in the OF.

My only other "outfielder" is Jonathan Villar. While he can be good in streaks, he's probably another one to go. Wil Myers is nice, and he's ranked very highly, but I also have Chris Davis. Also, Eric Hosmer is taking over 1B in San Diego. That may mean Myers picks up OF eligibilty again if he shifts back there; that's bad defensively in "real" baseball, but fine in Fantasy.

Mike Moustakas is awkward because he's still without a team and I have 3B covered with Bryant and Carpenter. I'm torn on him. Ozzie Albies is a cool young second baseman with the Braves. I may keep him as a sleeper. Again, I'm probably dumping Russell but he has upside.

The only thing I don't like about my pitching staff is having two StL pitchers and a swingman as one of my two relievers. I like Luke Weaver, but I really don't want two pitchers from the same team because I'll lose value from one of those spots. I need saves, too, to complement the very good Edwin Diaz. I actually like Blake Snell a lot, so he can stay.

So my wants right now are a backup catcher, two outfielders, a true closer and another starter. Not bad for an autopick draft.

So let's visit the waiver wire first. Starting on February 24 gives me a huge head start on moves.

And look who's there! Corey Dickerson! I dropped Jonathan Villar in a heartbeat for him! The Pirates picked him up from the Rays and they needed him in the outfield. Amazing pickup that hopefully no one beats me to.

The two best relievers on the wire are the Nationals' Brandon Kintzler and the Mets' A.J. Ramos. Kintzler is a set-up man and doesn't strike out as many guys as I'd like from a reliever. Ramos may beat Jeurys Familia in that role, though. I'm not willing to risk Brad Peacock on him, though. It is a weird strategy, but Peacock was so amazing in 2017 for the World Champion Astros that I may benefit from having an extra starter, essentially.

As far as catchers, Yasmani Grandal was sitting there and he's going to get the lion's share of time behind the plate for the Dodgers. I love Yasmani, so I'll dump Russell for him. He may end up taking Castillo's spot, but we'll see.

I also decided it was worth dumping Chris Davis for the Milwaukee Brewers' Zach Davies. I've always been a huge fan of Davies, and apparently so are many Yahoo Fantasy Baseball players. Davis is on the decline and I have a bunch of 1B options already. I can risk him. But Moose, he'll find a team, and if he doesn't, I have time.

So I plucked the best three guys from the waiver wire. We'll let the dust settle on these guys and see what else develops. I may trade Carlos Martinez or Luke Weaver (more likely Weaver) because I like carrying an extra pitcher (because who doesn't like pitching?)

What do you think I should do going forward as far as moves before the season starts? Do you agree with the moves I made so far?

Are you playing fantasy baseball this year? If so, how are your team's prospects looking?

Aaron Small has one of the best baseball stories you'll hear. It took him sixteen years bouncing back and forth between the minor leagues and multiple Major League teams to finally find success at the Major League level. Whenever he'd start to find success, injuries and front offices would set him back. When he did finally get a real shot, he won his first ten games as a pitcher in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Although he was out of Major League baseball after a poor season in 2006, it was still quite a rollercoaster of a career.

Small's Early Career

Aaron Small played both baseball and basketball in high school. He was great at both, but decided to focus on baseball, ultimately. At South Hills High School in West Covina, California, Small actually played baseball with Jason Giambi, Jason's brother Jeremy, and Cory Lidle. (He'd play with Jason later in the Major Leagues, in fact.)

Small was drafted in the 22nd round by the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989. He would get into one game for the Blue Jays in 1994, after a decent season in the minors. In that game, Aaron gave up two runs, including a home run, in 2 innings. He'd be traded for a player to be named later to the Florida Marlins.

His 1995 minor league season, exclusively out of the bullpen, was another good one. He actually enjoyed some success in 7 games for the Marlins, but he walked 6 batters in 6 innings, which demonstrated control issues, The Marlins would put him on waivers, where the Oakland Athletics would pick him up and give him another shot.

Small's Early Success

Small's next Major League chance came after a 1996 season in which he mostly started games. While his ERA wasn't great (4.29), his control had improved, 83 strikeouts to only 28 walks in 120 innings. These peripheral stats prompted Oakland to give him a major league chance. He bombed as a starter in 3 games, but regained himself as a reliever.

To Oakland's credit, they gave Small another chance in 1997! Besides one successful minor league start, Small spent the year in the Oakland bullpen as a mop-up man. While he was at the back of the bullpen, he got into 71 games and pitched 97 innings. His control issues returned, with 40 walks to 57 strikeouts. Still, he was effective enough to provide 1.3 Wins Above Replacement of value while eating some innings. That is nothing to sneeze at.


Small's Rollercoaster Begins

The 1998 season is when the rollercoaster really got started. He bombed for the A's to the tune of a 7.24 ERA in 24 games. He was put on waivers, and the newly formed expansion team Arizona Diamondbacks picked him up. Once again, he found his 1997 form and was decent in 23 games. His 8 walks in 32 innings were acceptable. He was worth 0.3 WAR to them, after being "worth" -0.9 WAR to Oakland.

Then, he bombed in Spring Training for the Diamondbacks and was released. He wouldn't taste the Major Leagues again until 2002. Injuries and ineffectiveness would plague him during that time. He bounced between the minor league teams of the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Anaheim Angels, and Atlanta Braves.

There was a ray of hope in 2001, though. After bombing with the Angels' AAA team, the Atlanta Braves gave him another chance as a relief pitcher, and he did well. While he didn't make the Majors, the Braves gave him another shot in 2002. Injuries destroyed his season and he floundered yet again as a starter. Returning to the pen, he showed enough to get into one Major League game for the Braves. He gave up two runs in one-third of an inning, while walking two.

So, after being let go by the Braves, he caught on with the Cubs. But he was cut at the end of Spring Training. Fortunately, the Florida Marlins came calling. They wanted to use him as a starting pitcher. While he was knocked around in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, some success at AA, and very solid walk-to-strikeout numbers prompted the Marlins to keep him around in 2004. He had a better season, but when he got his Major League callup, he lost his pitch control once again and bombed.

Small's Last Chance?

Would he get another chance? Fortunately, yet another team, the New York Yankees, saw some promise. He would start out at AA in 2005 for the Yankees and move up to AAA. His ERA wasn't good at all, 4.83 between the two stops, but his strikeout-to-walk ratio was solid: 24 strikeouts to 9 walks. The Yankees gave him a spot start on July 20th. He was OK, allowing 3 runs in 5 1/3 innings, and picked up the win. His next game was out of the bullpen on July 23, and he pitched a scoreless inning.

His success was about to begin. The Yankees gave him another start on July 28. He gave up 3 runs again, but this time pitched seven innings, and picked up another win. Although he struck out only a single batter, he walked none and scattered six hits.

On August 5, he pitched an even better game: 6 2/3 innings allowing only 1 run on 7 hits and 2 walks. He only struck out 2 batters, but pitched out of trouble on multiple occasions. He won that game. However, the next start on August 10th was his best yet. He struck out seven batters in seven innings, allowing only a single run With only four hits and two walks, Small's command of the game was clearly improving.

Small's next four games would be out of the bullpen. He would pick up the win in the first of those four by pitching a scoreless inning. His next game would actually be his worst yet, blowing a lead after a poor inning. The Yankees inevitably lost that game, although he wasn't charged with a loss. He followed that up with a rather poor outing in 2 2/3 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk. However, the Yankees won that game. The fourth of those games was actually in relief of an uncharacteristically bad outing from Mike Mussina. Small pitched OK in four innings, although he gave up 3 walks and a hit, but no runs. He would earn the win in that game as the Yankees came back and won.

Small's Success Continues

Small's season only got better from there. His next start was a complete game shutout! His next three starts weren't that great, allowing 4 runs in two of them and 5 runs in another. However, the Yankees offense exploded for a total of 29 runs in those games, so he won them all. This gave him 9 wins on the season, out of nowhere.

His second to last start of the season was a bit sad for Small, because he pitched brilliantly for 6 2/3 innings without allowing a run. But after walking none, giving up only four hits and recording three strikeouts, he pulled from the game. The Yankees went on to lose the game 7-4.

Small's final start of the 2005 season was a mixed bag. He only gave up 2 runs, but allowed 5 walks and 4 hits, including a home run. But four strikeouts and a little bit of luck allowed him to win that game, too. He finished the season with 10 wins.

However, the season wasn't actually over for the New York Yankees. Aaron Small would get one more appearance: Game 3 of the American League Division Series. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good one. He'd follow an ineffective Randy Johnson out of the bullpen and gave up the 2 runs that proved to do in the Yankees in Game 3 against the Angels – taking the loss. The Angels would go onto win that series. It wasn't really Small's fault that they lost the series, but it was a sad way to end what was a magical season for him.

Small's Big Payday

The good news for Aaron Small, however, was that his 2005 efforts would be rewarded. He would earn $1,200,000 for the 2006 season. This was big money for someone who'd spent most of his career in the minor leagues and had endured financial hardship on numerous occasions. Small's 2.7 WAR in only 15 games was incredible, the same amount of value that an above-average Major League pitcher would offer a team in an entire season of work. That looked to be an immense bargain for the Yankees, but it was more money than Small had ever seen in one place.

It was good timing for that payday, too, as 2006 would be Small's last in the Major Leagues. A mix of ineffectiveness and injuries would spell the end of Small's baseball career. He would be "worth" -0.7 WAR. He would start only 3 games for the Yankees in 2006 and only 11 total games. Aaron would never win another game in the Majors, although he would have a couple of decent starts in 2006. Small would be designated for assignment and spend the rest of his season in AAA.

Small would be nearly as bad in his 8 starts and 3 relief appearances in the minor leagues, as well. He would be released by the Yankees after the season. Before the 2007 season, the Seattle Mariners did give Small a minor league contract with a big league invite to spring training. But it didn't work out, and Small hung it up for good.


Small's Other, Even Bigger, Miracle Story

His big league "field of dreams" baseball story is definitely one worth telling. But then, in 2009, Small had an even better story when he miraculously recovered from a near-fatal case of encephalitis. He was in a coma for eight days. It was so bad that he had to learn to walk again.  Miraculously, he would recover and be able to live a full life!

A devout Christian, Aaron Small would tell you that his Christian wife, Macy, and God were his greatest benefactors throughout his career. He likely also believes that it was divine intervention that saved his life in 2009. Whether or not you believe in the power of prayer, his wife's support and his faith in his own abilities as a pitcher definitely were major factors in his eventual success.

The goodwill of the Yankees fans that watched his incredible 2005 season probably helped, too Many of them turned up at the last Old Timer's Day at the Old Yankee Stadium to cheer for him. His rollercoaster career, flash-in-the-pan, and return to life are definitely things worth cheering for!

After baseball, Aaron Small became a leader at the Fairview Baptist Tabernacle in Sweetwater, Tennessee. He and and his wife minister to students. It's no surprise that he's remained devoted to his faith and family. He's a good guy who finally got rewarded for all of those years playing the game he loved.

Aaron, we wish you and your family well!

Alan Trammell was quite a ballplayer. Like his double play mate, Lou Whitaker, though, for whatever reason, the baseball writer voters never gave Trammell the Hall-of-Fame treatment he deserves. But, in 2018, the Veterans Committee finally voted Alan Trammell into the Hall of Fame. It's a nice consolation prize, as their vote means just as much when it comes to being enshrined.

Trammell deserves to be in the Hall. He compiled 70.4 Baseball-Reference Wins Above Replacement (WAR) in his 20 year career. As late as 1993, he was worth 4.2 WAR in only 112 games. He was worth more than 6 WAR six times, with his best ever season coming in 1987, when he finished with 8.2 WAR and second in MVP voting. He lost to George Bell, who only had 5 WAR.

Trammell won 5 Gold Gloves in his career at shortstop. He was worth almost 2 WAR in many seasons for his defense alone. But, his bread and butter was above average offense from the shortstop position.  He only hit more than 20 homers twice in a season, but often posted solid on-base percentages and a career OPS of .767, good for a OPS+ of 110.

His counting numbers may not have been enough for traditional Hall-of-Fame voters. But, his contributions to his team relative to his position versus the rest of the league at the time gave him a case with the baseball veteran voters. FanGraphs only has him at 63.7 career WAR, but that’s still more than enough to be considered and more than many other Hall-of-Famers. Trammell was one of the better players in his day and definitely deserves the recognition.

What's An Alan Trammell Baseball Card Worth?

Like most baseball players, Alan Trammell's rookie cards are his baseball cards with the most valuable. In fact, Alan Trammell has two baseball cards with a lot of value. His most expensive rookie card is the 1980 Topps Rookie Stars #707 that he shares with fellow Hall-of-Famer Paul Molitor!

Trammell and Molitor share the Rookie Stars card with U.L. Washington of the Royals and Mickey Klutts of the Yankees. U.L. Washington had a couple of good years with the Kansas City Royals and had an above average glove. Mickey Klutts didn't do much in the majors. But, because Trammell shares his rookie card with Molitor, this card has sold for $700 to $800 when graded a PSA 9! Fortunately, if that's a bit out of your budget, there are SGC 8.5 and PSA 8 copies available for under $200 as of February 2019.

Alan Trammell's other rookie card was the 1978 Burger King release. It was sort of an oddball issue with a strange checklist and often plagued by centering issues. But if you find a well-centered version graded a PSA 9, you'll expect to pay over $250! You can find excellent condition raw copies for $20 to $30, however, and sometimes even lower. Both Alan Trammell rookie cards have plenty of value and are worth adding to any baseball card collection.

Tigers great Alan Trammell was a great shortstop. Yet, the Tigers great was still in the conversation for the Hall-of-Fame until 2018 when he was finally inducted by the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee.  Meanwhile, his double-play partner, second baseman Lou Whitaker, likewise was no longer eligible to be voted in traditionally due to a lack of support from the Baseball Writers Association voters.

Not only is this sad for Tigers fans, but he is more than deserving of being in the Hall-of-Fame than most of his second base peers, including 2011 inductee Roberto Alomar. While he could still enter the Hall through a Veterans Committee decision, it's clear that he's been snubbed for too long.

Was Lou Whitaker Unfairly Snubbed in the Hall of Fame Voting?

A sponsor of Lou Whitaker’s Baseball-Reference page brings up an excellent point. Alomar had an adjusted OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 116 over his career with 7 teams. Whitaker also had an adjusted OPS of 116 over his career with only one team. They both played about 2300 games and Whitaker amassed 69.7 WAR compared to Alomar’s 63.5 WAR in 12 fewer games. Like Alomar, Whitaker was a Gold Glove-caliber defender and won three Gold Glove Awards. Alomar won 10 Gold Gloves, but compiled only 2.4 defensive WAR. Whitaker had 15.4 defensive WAR.

Of course, both second basemen spent much of their careers alongside plus defensive shortstops. Alomar had Cal Ripken in Baltimore and Omar Vizquel during his Cleveland years. Whitaker had Trammell alongside for virtually his entire career. It’s likely that Vizquel actually made Alomar look even better than he was. But it’s a pretty clear consensus that Alomar was a great glove man. Still,  according to the statistics, Whitaker was even more valuable on the defensive side of the ball.

The main reason that Whitaker isn’t in the Hall of Fame is that, to put it simply, he’s a quiet, humble, low-key guy. He never seemed incredibly concerned about being in the Hall, actually saying that if he didn’t make it the first time to not bring his name up again. Obviously, writers remembered this and most left him off of their ballots. Of course, this was just Whitaker’s humility. But his play should’ve been enough to earn him a place, right?

Alomar and Whitaker By the Numbers

With statistics like WAR (wins above replacement) only now becoming mainstream, baseball card statistics (Average, HR, and RBI) have long been the deciding factors in who is chosen for the Hall of Fame and who’s not. But Whitaker’s and Alomar’s “counting numbers” are relatively the same – 244 HR, 1084 RBI and 2369 hits for Whitaker and 210 HR, 1134 RBI, and 2724 hits for Alomar. None of those are the “shoo-in” numbers, as no major milestones like 300 HR or 3000 hits were reached by either of them. The extra 300 hits do help Alomar’s case, but not incredibly so.

Alomar’s career OPS was higher than Whitaker’s, .814 to .789, but the only real baseball card stat where Alomar had the edge was in career batting average (.300 to .276). Their on-base percentages were very similar, Whitaker at .363 and Alomar at .371. Slugging wise, Alomar also had the edge, .443 to .426. So offensively, Alomar had an edge, but not outrageously so.

The Hall-of-Fame Worth of Gold Glove Awards

Really, the only advantage that Alomar had was his ten Gold Gloves. But after doing some research on Fangraphs.com, it appears that Alomar was not quite the glove man that people believed. For his career, his Total Zone rating was -3. That means Alomar's defense was worth a total of 3 runs below average over his career. By Total Zone, Whitaker was worth 77 runs above average. According to Total Zone, Alomar only had three truly very good seasons at second: 1998 with the Orioles and 1999 and 2000 for the Indians. Most of the time, Total Zone had him being worth negative runs in almost every other season that he played.

In any case, Alomar is definitely still worthy of being in the Hall of Fame. But if he is, then the runs that Whitaker saved on defense put him in the same exact category as Alomar, especially as both had career batting lines 16% above league-average. Alomar was always a higher-profile player on some extremely good teams, however, and so he was seen as a much better player by the writers.

It’s incredible to see just how much better Whitaker was on defense than Alomar, according to the numbers. But considering Alomar added more value on offense, they’re fairly equal. In any case, Lou Whitaker belongs in the Hall of Fame. Hopefully, the Veterans Committee fixes this mistake in the future.


How Much is a Lou Whitaker Baseball Card Worth?

While most of Lou Whitaker's baseball cards don't have the same value as his Hall-of-Fame double play partner Alan Trammell, he does have a very valuable rookie card. That is, if that card is flawless! The 1978 Topps Rookie Stars 2nd Baseman #704 rookie card features Lou Whitaker along with Garth Iorg, Dave Oliver,  and Sam Perlozzo.  In graded PSA 9 condition, this card was selling for as low as $40, although in late 2018 to early 2019, one PSA 9 copy sold for  $67 and another one for $92.

PSA 10 Gem Mint copies of the Lou Whitaker rookie card are rare (PSA only has  45 10's in their population report) and a flawless PSA 10 copy sold for a staggering $999 in January of 2019. Other PSA 10 copies have sold in the past for over $650. PSA 8 copies are much more affordable, though, often at a price point of $30 or less. There were near-mint lots of the card available on eBay for a similar price. The demand is definitely there for the Whitaker rookie card, even though he's not in the Hall of Fame.

Without a doubt, Whitaker being inducted into the Hall of Fame by one of the Era voting committees would do great things for his baseball card values. While his rookie card is the only valuable Lou Whitaker baseball card, the price on high-grade examples of his 1978 Rookie Stars card doesn't seem to be doing anything but growing!