Your Expansion Seattle Mariners!!!

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Here's how the first round of the MLB draft went for 1983. Yet again, the Toronto Blue Jays have the first pick. This makes it the 5th time in their 7 year history that they've had the #1/#1 pick.

1. Toronto: Kevin Mitchell, 3B
2. Oakland: Roger Clemens, SP
3. Atlanta: Dwight Gooden, SP
4. Baltimore: Jose Rijo, SP
5. Philadelphia: Bret Saberhagen, SP
6. Chicago (NL): Jeff Robinson, SP
7. Minnesota: Danny Jackson, SP
8. Oakland: Steve Farr, SP
9. San Diego: Eric Davis, CF (Dammit! I wanted him!)
10. Pittsburgh: Zane Smith, SP
11. Cleveland: Mark Gubicza, SP
12. Los Angeles: Mark Thurmond, SP
13. Milwaukee: Mark Langston, SP
14. San Francisco: Joe Hesketh, SP
15. Oakland: Ron Robinson, SP
16. Minnesota: Jay Tibbs, SP
17. Texas: Danny Tartabull, SS
18. Los Angeles: Kirby Puckett, CF (FRAK!!! I missed him by 1 spot!
    
19. Seattle: Ivan Calderon, LF
20. Cincinnati: Mickey Tettleton, C
21. Montreal: Kurt Kepshire, SP
22. Houston: Bill Krueger, SP
23. Pittsburgh: Randy O'Neal, SP
24. Baltimore: Rex Hudler, 2B
25. Baltimore: Carl Willis, MR
26. New York (NL): Terry Pendleton, 3B
27. Boston: Tom Browning, SP
28. Boston: Alvin Davis, 1B

[BoilerRocketScientist]

American League

The Outstanding Pitcher Award for 1983 has been presented and the AL winner is Dave Rozema of Detroit. "It's always nice to receive an award like this," said Rozema. "I just hope I can improve on my performance next year and be in the running again," the Tigers star told reporters.

Rozema excelled with an impressive 23-11 record in 37 starts including 20 complete games! In 292.2 innings he yielded 268 hits and 44 walks, while striking out 121 and compiling a fine 2.89 ERA.

National League

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a rising superstar or maybe even a budding Hall-of-Famer in the making. It's Frank Pastore, this year's NL Outstanding Pitcher Award selection. This blossoming hurler wowed fans, peers and sportswriters with a fabulous performance.

Pastore compiled a 16-9 record in 33 starts, tallied 136 strikeouts in 254.1 innings and recorded a 1.95 ERA. Other clubs managed only a .216 batting average against him.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Both recipients were very well deserved and each flirted with the Triple Crown of their respective leagues falling short in the batting average category while and each led their league in runs scored.

American League

The votes have been tallied and the winner of the AL Outstanding Hitter Award has been named. It was awarded today to Harold Baines from Detroit for his great year at the plate. He put up some impressive numbers, including a .324 batting average and a .382 on-base percentage this year while racking up 24 doubles, 16 triples, 44 home runs, 159 RBIs and 121 runs scored. He led the Majors with 395 total bases.

National League

One of the NL's most coveted honors is the Outstanding Hitter Award. When the votes were tabulated, the 1983 recipient was the standout first baseman of the New York Mets, Kent Hrbek. He starred this season with a .329 batting average, 208 hits, 46 home runs, 153 RBIs, .401 OBP and 119 runs scored.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Orioles Trade for McGee

11/09/1983 - The Houston Astros addressed a concern today, coming to terms with the Baltimore Orioles on a trade that will send 25-year-old center fielder Willie McGee from the Astros to the Orioles in exchange for 29-year-old starting pitcher Chuck Rainey and 23-year-old minor league catcher Doug Gwosdz.

McGee has put up a career batting average of .305 with 146 hits, 5 homers and 53 RBIs.

In his whole career, the 29-year-old Rainey has won 29 and lost 43, piling up 257 strikeouts and 294 walks in 657.2 innings with a 4.61 ERA. Opponents have hit .276 against him.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Seattle Arbitration Hearings

Well, I had 9 players enter arbitration and contrary to prior years the team lost overall 5-4 in favor of the players.

Mike Heath, C - Awarded $130K after asking for $211K - LOSER
Mike Witt, SP - Awarded $325K after team offered $250K - WINNER
Tim Wallach, RF - Awarded $217K after team offered $145K - WINNER
Dave Stapleton, SS - Awarded $386K after team offered $325K - WINNER
Al Woods, LF - Awarded $150K after asking for $212K - LOSER
Sheldon Burnside, MR - Awarded $130K after asking for $215K - LOSER
Cal Ripken, 3B - Awarded $129K after asking for $215K - LOSER
Tom Gorman, CL - Awarded $251K after team offered $175K - WINNER
Alan Wirth, SP - Awarded $215K after team offered $90K - WINNER

[BoilerRocketScientist]

Seattle Players File for Free Agency

11/13/1983 - Four players announced that they would forgo arbitration and file for free agency. They are Don Gullet (SP), Andre Thornton (1B), Bruce Kison (SP), and Richie Zisk (LF). Gullet and Thornton leave after 5 years of very productive output for the team. Zisk was pivotal during the 2 World Series winning seasons while last year he opted for free agency with little success. He did come back mid-season to fill in for an injured Tim Wallach. Kison's two-year stint was overshadowed by missing most of 1983 with injuries.

All four players leave with a Type A designation. Here's hoping they all make it on someone's roster next season!

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/13/1983 - Four Trades

The general manager of the Minnesota Twins has signed off on a trade for Cincinnati's 31-year-old minor league catcher Barry Foote. To complete the deal, the Twins will send 27-year-old center fielder Rick Peters to the Reds. To date Peters has a .293 career batting average and has totaled 3 home runs while Foote has career numbers with a .235 average and a total of 32 home runs.

The Cardinals have reached a deal with Kansas City, sending 25-year-old right fielder Pat Sheridan to the Royals in exchange for 29-year-old reliever Terry Leach. Reports had been hinting at a deal in recent days, but weren't confirmed until this afternoon.

Officials for Chicago confirmed that they have traded 26-year-old first baseman Danny Heep to the Toronto Blue Jays. In return, the White Sox will receive 28-year-old reliever Mike Parrott and 24-year-old minor league left fielder Rod Allen. His lifetime stats show Heep has batted .291 and collected 579 hits, 22 home runs and 245 RBIs. During his career Parrott has appeared in 156 games, logging 214 innings with 88 strikeouts. He has carved out a 4.71 ERA with 12 wins and 5 losses and posted 6 saves.

Today at a press conference the San Diego Padres announced a trade has been completed with the Montreal Expos. The Padres have shipped 28-year-old minor league catcher Pat D Kelly to the Expos for 28-year-old closer Jeff Reardon and 24-year-old minor league catcher Ron Tingley. Reardon has made 191 relief appearances and has 57 lifetime saves.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/15/1983 - Trading Places

• Cleveland and Baltimore have made a swap. Players involved in the transaction are the Indians 27-year-old catcher Terry Kennedy and the Orioles 35-year-old third baseman Ron Cey and 24-year-old center fielder Alejandro Sanchez. Looking at his all-time stats, Kennedy has a career .286 average with 671 hits, 124 doubles, 12 triples, 52 home runs and 323 RBIs to date. He has scored 278 runs, walked 154 times and stolen 1 bases. His career numbers show Cey is batting .252 with a total of 247 home runs.

• You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you find a deal anyway. The Baseball News Network is reporting that Montreal and Los Angeles have made a swap with 30-year-old left fielder Warren Cromartie being shipped to the Dodgers and in return the Expos would get 26-year-old shortstop Ed Jurak. The Los Angeles general manager said the two sides were close to a blockbuster trade before agreeing upon a smaller scale transaction. "This is just a bit of housekeeping compared to what we wanted to do," he said. "I won't name names, but the potential deal we were close to making would have certainly grabbed some headlines." A source inside the Montreal organization said the two sides might not be done dealing, and another transaction could be in the works. Cromartie has a career .284 average with 862 hits, including 157 doubles, 35 triples and 33 homers, collected 316 RBIs, scored 373 runs and compiled a .332 OBP. Jurak boasts a career batting average of .236 with 223 hits, 3 homers and 85 RBIs.

• There were plenty of hugs and handshakes passed out as 25-year-old second baseman Glenn Hoffman left the Pittsburgh Pirates today en route to joining the Detroit Tigers organization. 27-year-old catcher Jody Davis will be traveling to Pittsburgh Pirates to complete the swap. Hoffman has a career .275 batting average and .317 on-base percentage. He has recorded 195 hits with 30 doubles, 2 triples, 10 homers, 82 RBIs and scored 77 runs since coming into the league. His career numbers show Davis is currently carrying a .226 lifetime batting average with 12 home runs and 60 RBIs.

• In a move that has left many fans wondering, the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded 29-year-old minor league center fielder Denny Walling to the San Francisco Giants. In return, the Pirates receive 30-year-old reliever Luis Sanchez and 24-year-old left fielder Roy E Johnson. All-time Walling has played in 260 games, batted .254 with 4 home runs and 104 base hits. In his career Sanchez has appeared in 82 games and earned no saves with 59 Ks in 95 innings. He has a record of 4 wins and 3 losses and a 2.94 ERA.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/21/1983 - Tigers Re-Sign Trammell

Talk of a deal between Detroit and Alan Trammell came together today as the two sides inked a deal worth $2,220,000 over 3 years. Trammell is highly regarded around Major League 1977 for his talents and is expected to add that extra spark to the Tigers roster. Lifetime Trammell is hitting .270 with 163 doubles, 4 triples, 37 home runs, 333 RBIs and 400 runs scored. He has appeared in 853 games to date and delivered 847 hits.

11/21/1983 - Angels & Phillies Make Swap

California and Philadelphia announced today in a joint press conference that 26-year-old catcher Ozzie Virgil Jr will be going to the Phillies in exchange for 29-year-old closer Win Remmerswaal and 21-year-old minor league third baseman Kelly Gruber. "It'll be exciting to join a new organization," one player said. "Some of us could use a fresh start." The players have each passed physicals and are expected to report by day's end. In his career Remmerswaal has converted 114 saves. In 311 games, he has registered a 20-28 won-lost mark with 233 strikeouts in 342.1 innings and compiled a 3.44 ERA.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/25/1983 - Toronto Trades for Dravecky

Everybody is overjoyed with a trade consummated today by the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers. In the deal Toronto got 27-year-old starting pitcher Dave Dravecky and 24-year-old minor league first baseman Jim Adduci from Texas and dealt 29-year-old third baseman Glenn Gulliver to the Rangers. The general managers that made the swap are happy and the players are happy, too. One of the GMs commented, "This was a good swap for all concerned." Gulliver boasts a lifetime batting average of .227 with 102 hits, 3 homers, 47 runs scored and 37 RBIs. Dravecky has crafted a 6-11 won-lost record in his career with a 3.58 ERA.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/28/1983 - Astros Make First Free Agent Splash

Rumors of a deal between Jim Morrison and Houston finally bore fruit today as the two sides faced a packed press corps. Astros officials looked very pleased as they outlined the terms of the new deal. Morrison will earn $800,000 per year for 5 years, and is expected to make a solid addition to his new club. Lifetime Morrison has hit .293 with 801 hits, 87 home runs, 399 RBIs and scored 406 runs.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/29/2013 - Astros Re-Sign Harrah

Toby Harrah took the Astros up on their lucrative $2,530,000 deal today, ending speculation on which baseball metropolis he would call home next year. But the signing came at too high a price, say longtime fans who think the club is too focused on players whose prime years have passed them by. In his career the 35-year old Harrah has compiled a .252 batting average and collected 1632 hits, 163 home runs and 799 RBIs.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

11/30/1983 - Chicago Crime Spree?

Chicago announced today Bruce Sutter will be forced to miss 2 weeks because of a knee contusion the closer received when he was robbed at gunpoint. Sutter has 142 saves in his career. In 421 games and 510 innings, he has a 48-36 won-lost mark and has struck out 478 batters. His ERA is 2.61.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/02/1983 - Twins Get Carter

Minnesota fans embraced the signing of Gary Carter today with a few doubts. While most were appreciative that the club had signed a solid ballplayer, they were also concerned about his reputation as a "me first" kind of guy. Carter was signed for $4,580,000 over 5 years. In his career Carter has hit for a .286 average and totaled 1326 hits, 208 home runs and 711 RBIs.

12/02/1983 - Astros' Money Talks

In what local scribes are hailing as huge, the Astros inked a $1,480,000 deal with second baseman Don Money. Team Officials expect Money to fill an immediate void on the roster and felt the deal would make them an instant playoff contender. During his 2112-game career Money has batted .259 and collected 2039 hits, 252 home runs and 1005 RBIs.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/03/1983 - Angels Net Nettles

Despite his solid numbers, some fans questioned the value of the Graig Nettles signing even as California officials paraded him before the media this afternoon. Nettles will surely bring a lot to the club, but he comes at a price of $1,630,000 over 2 years. His career numbers show Nettles has batted .255 and collected 1889 hits, 341 home runs and 1140 RBIs.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/04/1983 - Twins Ink Christenson

Feedback was positive in Minnesota today as the club announced a 4-year, $2.8M agreement with starting pitcher Larry Christenson, one of the league's marquee players. On his lifetime ledger sheet, the 30-year-old Christenson has won 112 and lost 116 with a 4.18 ERA.

12/04/1983 - Orioles Swap With Mets

It has been in the rumor mill for several weeks, but today team officials for New York and Baltimore confirmed an agreement. The Mets dealt 27-year-old right fielder Ron Roenicke to the Orioles for 33-year-old left fielder Otto Velez. As far as career numbers Roenicke has compiled a .234 batting average and collected 258 hits, 12 home runs and 123 RBIs. During his career Velez has hit for a .273 average and totaled 1039 hits, 170 home runs and 606 RBIs.

12/05/1983 - Royals Sign Rogers

Kansas City fans could barely contain their jubilation as Steve Rogers, considered one of the best at his position, opted to sign with the club. The deal, estimated at $1,460,000 over 2 years, is seen as a masterstroke for the General Manager's office and could well go down as one of the shrewdest moves in club history. In his career Rogers has 155 victories and 132 defeats and recorded an ERA of 3.41.

12/05/1983 - Twins-Tribe Trade Announced

You can't always get what you want, but sometimes you find a deal anyway. The Baseball News Network is reporting that Minnesota and Cleveland have made a swap with 28-year-old right fielder Mark M Corey being shipped to the Indians and in return the Twins would get 30-year-old starting pitcher Chris Knapp and 24-year-old center fielder Alejandro Sanchez.

The Cleveland general manager said the two sides were close to a blockbuster trade before agreeing upon a smaller scale transaction. "This is just a bit of housekeeping compared to what we wanted to do," he said. "I won't name names, but the potential deal we were close to making would have certainly grabbed some headlines." A source inside the Minnesota organization said the two sides might not be done dealing, and another transaction could be in the works.

In a career spanning 292 games, Corey has batted .285 with 310 hits, 33 home runs, 175 RBIs, and 153 runs scored. So far in his career, the 30-year-old Knapp has put up a 4.90 ERA with 47 wins and 69 losses.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/10/1983 - Seattle Signs Right Fielder

Word of a huge deal between Jack Clark and Seattle broke on BNN minutes before a deal was officially announced. The premiere right fielder signed a 3-year, $2.3M contract to move north from San Francisco to Seattle. He is definitely capable of putting together big money campaigns, which is exactly what the Seattle owners needed to enhance their portfolio. In his career Clark has compiled a .256 batting average and collected 992 hits, 137 home runs and 548 RBIs. We have a glut of right-fielders now and I'll hope to transition one of them to a center fielder in the minors. I'll also look at moving one for some depth. Fortunately, Clark was only a Type B Free Agent so he won't cause me a draft pick.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/12/1983 - Off-Season Injury News

The Seattle Mariners will be without left fielder Bill Buckner. He has a strained abdominal muscle, which will sideline him for approximately 6 weeks. The Mariners manager called the loss of Buckner "a tough break." During his career Buckner has hit .303 with 2108 hits, 148 home runs, 934 RBIs and scored 872 runs. I had just signed Buckner to a 3-year, $2.0M contract and have him pegged to be our DH for the upcoming year. He should be ready by Spring Training.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/13/1983 - Atlanta Wins Lottery for C Downing

A wave of jubilation swept over Atlanta today as fans and team officials celebrated the signing of Brian Downing. Despite the fact that the Atlanta Braves will have to pay out $2,340,000 over 3 years, he will certainly draw fans to the park. Let's just hope they don't crank up ticket prices! In his 1306-game career Downing is hitting .256 with 1071 hits, 77 home runs, 543 runs scored and 490 RBIs.

[BoilerRocketScientist]

12/16/1983 - Padres Sign Third Baseman

Darrell Evans and San Diego put the finishing touches on a $823,333-a-year deal that will keep the 36-year-old in a San Diego uniform for 3 years. Team officials reportedly held their breath at the last moment, since Evans had second thoughts mulling over other offers. Evans boasts a career batting average of .238 with 1377 hits, 235 homers and 833 RBIs.