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Don Money Was "Easy" Money for the Milwaukee Brewers

9/21/2015

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by  R.A. Rowell; Co-Owner of Intent-sive Nature & the Brand Shamans network
PictureDon Money (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
In 2015, Baseball Reference unveiled a new feature highlighting the top players by Wins Above Replacement (better known as WAR) for any given franchise. It also gives the Top WAR leaders for any given season.

While Wins Above Replacement isn’t everyone’s favorite stat, it is a great stat when it comes to comparing players in relation to their contemporaries. When I was perusing the Milwaukee Brewers page, I found a name that I didn't recognize. It was a third baseman by the name of Don Money. The name sounded vaguely familiar, and was in fact, "Easy" Money for the Brewers.


Don Money with the Pirates and Phillies

Don Money was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. They traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for Hall of Famer Jim Bunning and others. Bunning was solid for the Pirates before being traded to LA in 1969, so it would be a good trade for them. As a utility infielder, Money had one above average season for the Phillies, mostly playing third base in 1970 with an OPS+ of 123 (meaning his batting line was 23 percent better than league average). His other three seasons with the Phillies were mediocre, providing most of his value from sheer defensive versatility. He did have a fine season with the glove in 1969 while playing mostly at shortstop.


Don Money with the Brewers

Money was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers after the 1972 season in a trade highlighted by pitcher Jim Lonborg (which also netted the Phillies a good season from pitcher Ken Brett). The Phillies had no idea that they were trading away a future 4-time All-Star. Then again, the guy who took over for Don Money in Philly was some dude named Mike Schmidt.  This third baseman would put up over 100 WAR over his career. Larry Bowa also proved to be fine at shortstop. They did OK in the long term, though.

Still, the Brewers were very happy with that trade. Pitcher Bill Champion had a couple of decent years before giving away all of that value with his next two bad years, becoming a net zero from that deal. Infielder John Vukovich was also terrible, costing the Brewers about a win in 1973 and being about replacement level in 1974.

But Don Money would be a steal, netting the Brewers 27.1 WAR over 11 years. In 1973, the utility man picked up 3.2 WAR, before having a 5 WAR season in 1974, one in which he also netted his first of 4 All-Star appearances. They were all deserved. His other All-Star seasons were 1976 (3.6 WAR), 1977 (5.1 WAR and his best year), and 1978 (4.8 WAR). Not bad for a guy who played all over the infield. In his prime, though, he mostly started at third base, and later first base.


Don Money, All-Star Infielder

By all accounts, Don Money was a very good defensive player. Particularly at third base, Money was such a good fielder that he even picked up the nickname "Brooks" after the Gold Glove third baseman Brooks Robinson. According to the defensive metrics, though, he was very above average in some seasons. But in others, his defense was decidedly below average. Still, his bat was just good enough to consistently keep him an above-average regular.

Money did have some down years. In 1975 he played in only 109 games and his glove wasn’t as good as usual,but his bat still made him an above-average player according to Baseball-Reference - FanGraphs wasn’t as kind. 1979 and 1981 were truly bad seasons. Sal Bando played a lot of third for the Brewers in 1979, and wasn’t great. Money bounced back in 1980 as Bando proved to be done and had a 2+ WAR season even in only 86 games. In 1981, though, he shared time with both Roy Howell and Sal Bando, the latter of whom was truly done - and was about replacement level in 60 games.

The End for Don Money

Money was truly “cashed out” by 1983 and soon after retired from the MLB. The Brewers were okay though, with some Paul Molitor guy taking over full time at third in 1982. While Molitor had already established himself in the bigs as a second baseman, the Brewers decided to go with the better defensive player in Jim Gantner at the keystone, moving Molitor to third. Molitor would go on to be a Hall of Famer, and Gantner was solid, so the Brewers made the correct choices.

Money would actually play a short stint in Japan in 1984. While he actually played fairly well, it was not a good experience for him and his family. .In 1987,  he would return to baseball as a fairly successful minor league manager. Some years later, in 2007, he was named the Southern League Manager of the Year for his work with the Double-A Huntsville Stars. After 2011, he would move into the front office as the Brewers' special instructor of player development.

So, Money did okay. He left Philly to make room for Mike Schmidt. He manned the hot corner for the Brewers well until yet another future Hall of Famer Paul Molitor assumed his role. While he’s no Hall of Famer, Money truly provided some great value and while he was a decently known player in his day, who ended up replacing him on both the Phillies and Brewers overshadowed a true All-Star career.

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What’s the Best Don Money Baseball Card and What’s Its Value?

If you’d like to own one of Don Money’s best baseball cards, that’s easily his 1970 Topps rookie card. Being a high number card, it’s actually a bit rarer than most 1970 Topps cards. Even in raw excellent condition, it’s worth $3 or $4. If it’s graded by PSA, it’s worth considerably more. You can find a PSA 9 copy on eBay in 2019 for $10 to $15. He’s not a hall of famer, but he’s worth having in your card collection if you collect Phillies or Brewers cards, or even just vintage All-Stars.

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MLB - Milwaukee Brewers Name David Stearns as General Manager

9/21/2015

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
Picture
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Congrats to David Stearns for becoming the next GM of the Milwaukee Brewers! The 30-year old will be the youngest current GM in the game, taking over for longtime GM Doug Melvin who is moving into an advisory position with the club. Stearns most recently worked as Houston's assistant GM and the Harvard grad has also served in a baseball operations capacity with the Indians. Knowing the successes both front offices had during his tenure, maybe the young blood of Stearns is just what the Milwaukee franchise needs.

Stearns actually inherits some good things. They have a likeable manager and good baseball guy in Craig Counsell. The Carlos Gomez/Mike Fiers trade brought in some solid young talent. One of those guys, Domingo Santana, is off to an excellent start. The struggling Kyle Lohse comes off the books after this season, leaving Matt Garza as the only albatross contract remaining. Ryan Braun's paydays are huge, but he's had a solid 4 win year. Lind will probably stick around and Khris Davis may be all bat - so the latter may find his way to an AL team in need of a DH.

The rest of the roster definitely needs an overhaul, as this lineup simply isn't cutting it. The Brewers probably miss Marco Estrada in the rotation, although Lind was arguably worth the swap. Jimmy Nelson, Taylor Jungmann and Wily Peralta are all capable major league pitchers and Jungmann in particular has made great strides this year. But the Brewers need two #1 or #1.5 pitchers to compete in what's a stacked NL Central in the future. They also need a couple more consistent bats.

Stearns has his work cut out for him, but he seems to be the right man for the job.
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MLB - Checking in on 5 Traded Stars

9/6/2015

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by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.VE. Media Staff
PictureTroy Tulowitzki has performed well for the Blue Jays so far. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons, Arturo Pardavila III
The 2015 MLB trade deadline saw plenty of stars changing addresses. Today, we’ll take a quick look at 5 players and how their play has altered the fortunes of the franchises who acquired them.

Cole Hamels - Texas Rangers
2-1, 3.89 ERA, 6 starts, 0.8 WAR

Hamels hasn’t been quite the ace that the Rangers were hoping when they acquired him, but he’s provided nearly a win over replacement since joining the team. As it is, Hamels is far from being a rental - he has 3 seasons left on his deal. Moving to the more difficult American League has brought his results down a bit, but he’s still probably an ace moving forward as he makes adjustments to his new environment.


Johnny Cueto - Kansas City Royals
2-4, 4.21 ERA, 7 starts, 0.6 WAR

Cueto started off well in his first start, then pitched brilliantly in next three starts before surrendering six earned runs in back to back starts against the Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. He gave up 4 runs in his last start against the Tigers and was saddled with the loss as the Royals never tied the game or regained the league after his departure. The rental pitcher was acquired more for the playoff run as the Royals are running away with the American League Central division, and despite his last few starts being bad, he’s still been one of their better pitchers recently. Like Hamels, he moved to the more difficult league and still has some adjustments to make.


Carlos Gomez - Houston Astros
.213/.254./.303, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 32 games, -0.1 WAR

The Astros are probably very glad that Gomez is not a rental, as he still has one year remaining on his contract after being acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for a hefty price. He’s been a replacement level player since joining the Astros. This slump is unlikely to continue, fortunately, and he’s still playing above average defense. Fortunately for the Astros, fellow acquisition pitcher Mike Fiers, has pitched extremely well in 4 starts (5 appearances), adding 1 win above replacement.


Troy Tulowitzki - Toronto Blue Jays
.233/.322/.368, 4 HR, 13 RBI, 33 games, 1.3 WAR

While the batting line looks quite uninspiring, roughly league average offense from a shortstop is more than welcome. It also helps that he’s still an above average defender at a premium defensive position. Like some others on this list, he is not a rental, getting to enjoy 5 more guaranteed seasons (4 of which are at $20 million per year, the last of which is at $14MM), plus a team option. Fellow acquisition reliever LaTroy Hawkins has also been a plus, adding 0.4 WAR in only 11 ⅓ innings!

Meanwhile, former Blue Jays shortstop Jose Reyes got off to a very slow start with the Rockies, as he didn’t really want to be there. However, he’s rebounded since to be useful, posting 0.3 WAR in 32 games compared to the 0.5 WAR he posted in 69 games with the Jays this season. The trade looks fine for Toronto so far.


Yoenis Cespedes - New York Mets
.295/.347/.619, 11 HR, 28 RBI, 32 games, 1.4 WAR

While Cespedes probably won’t keep slugging over .600, Yoenis has truly been a fantastic addition for the Mets, who certainly needed the offense. He’s also a decent defensive outfielder, as well. He is a rental, sadly, although he would like to resign with the Mets - he will be a free agent after the season and can’t be offered a qualifying offer. Cespedes so far appears to be the best single acquisition of the trade deadline so far.

The Blue Jays probably have “won” the trade deadline so far with Tulo and Hawkins adding almost 2 wins of value to the team. We’ll see how they fare during their respective Septembers.

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