"Deans List 2011" or Which Players Have the Most Seniority on His Team

In what has been a tradition for this humble little blog around this time is the subject of "Deans". 

What is this blog's definition of dean?  The idea goes back to 1986 Topps and their Team Leaders subset.  To review, each of the subjects Topps used for their 1986 Topps' Team Leaders cards were the players on each team that was with their team the longest (for example, the 1986 Angels team leader card had the caption "Depicted on Front: Bobby Grich, Dean of the Angels, Continuous Service Since: 11/24/1976.") Well, for this blog's purposes, the player who debuted with his team the earliest, and remained with the team without being traded or released, is considered the "Dean" of his team. 

There will be examples below (and I'll make sure to include them on the list below) of a player debuting with his team earlier than the "Dean" being listed, but because he may have been traded, signed with another team, etc, and then returned, the "Continuous Service" thing no longer applies.  Case in point, in 2011, Kerry Wood returned to the Cubs after a 2-year run in the American League.  Even though he made his MLB debut with the Cubs in 1998, because he went on his two year sojourn with Cleveland and the Yankees, he is no longer considered the Cubs' "Dean" due to his continuous service ending after the 2008 season.  Get the idea?  Okay, moving on.

This year, not only will I include each team's "Dean," but the person who would be dean if the first person left the team (think of this as first runner-up).  Again, this is determined by when the player made his debut with the team.  In almost all but five cases, this is the player's MLB debut.  The first time I compiled this list, I listed the player in order of least tenured dean to the "Dean of Deans."  Last year, the players were alphabetically by city.  This year's list will be done in the same fashion.  So is the dean of your team last year still the dean of your team today? Let's find out. (Players team status as of Thursday, 08/04/2011; 2010 deans as of 08/06/2010).

• Arizona Diamondbacks-
  2011: Stephen Drew (MLB debut 07/15/2006); 2010: Brandon Webb. Webb did not play for the D-Backs in 2010, and signed with the Texas Rangers for the 2011 season (even though he has yet to appear in a game for them).  Next in Line:  Chris Young (MLB debut 08/18/2006).
• Atlanta Braves-
  2011: Chipper Jones (MLB debut 09/11/1993); 2010: Jones. The "Dean of Deans," Chipper is having a renaissance of sorts for the Braves in their first year since Bobby Cox retired.  He was voted by his peers to be the backup third baseman for the NL All-Star Team.  Next in Line:  Tim Hudson (Braves debut 04/04/2005).
• Baltimore Orioles-
  2011: Brian Roberts (MLB debut 06/14/2001); 2010: Roberts. He wears #1 for the O's, and he's #1 in continuous service for the team too.  He hasn't played much due to injuries in the last two years.  Next in Line:  Nick Markakis (MLB debut 04/03/2006).
• Boston Red Sox-
  2011: Tim Wakefield (Red Sox debut 05/27/1995); 2010: Wakefield. It's not that hard to believe that the knuckleballer who started his career with the Pirates is still in Boston after more than 16 seasons. He ranks third amongst the active deans in terms of longevity with his team.  Next in Line:  Jason Varitek (MLB debut 09/24/1997).
• Chicago Cubs-
  2011: Carlos Zambrano (MLB debut 08/20/2001); 2010: Zambrano. The "Big Z" has returned to form since his personal problems during the middle of the 2010 season.  He is one of three players left from the 2003 NL Central Champs.  Next in Line:  Aramis Ramirez (Cubs debut 07/23/2003).
• Chicago White Sox-
  2011: Paul Konerko (White Sox debut 04/05/1999). 2010: Konerko. The Sox' captain has a number of good years on him, and this year has been a renaissance of sorts for the first baseman in terms of his clutch hitting and power.  He is one of three players left from the 2005 World Series winning team.  Next in Line: Mark Buehrle (MLB debut 07/16/2000).
• Cincinnati Reds-
  2011: Bronson Arroyo (Reds debut 04/05/2006); 2010: Aaron Harang. Harang signed with the Padres after the 2010 season. The next two in line of continuous service were also acquired by the Reds.  The longest serving home-grown talent on the Reds' roster is Homer Bailey, but that makes him fourth on the list of seniority.  Next in Line:  Brandon Phillips (Reds debut 004/09/2006).
• Cleveland Indians-
  2011: Travis Hafner (Indians debut 03/31/2003). 2010: Hafner. Okay, I made a mistake here (again). Last year, Hafner was actually with the Rangers before being traded to the Tribe after the 2002 seson.  Next in Line:  Grady Sizemore (MLB debut 07/24/2004).
• Colorado Rockies-
  2011: Todd Helton (MLB debut 08/02/1997). 2010: Helton. He's been a mainstay for the Rox for fifteen seasons. He is just as much "Mr. Rockie" in the same way as HOF Tony Gwynn is "Mr. Padre." Next in Line:  Aaron Cook (MLB debut 08/10/2002).
• Detroit Tigers-
  2011: Brandon Inge (MLB debut 04/03/2001); 2010: Inge. A bit of a quandary here.  Inge as DFA'd by the Tigers, but acceted his assignment to Toledo.  Does this make the man next in line the new "dean" or is it because he's still with the organization as a whole that Inge keeps the title?  It can't be Ramon Santiago because he was traded to, and played for, the Mariners for a couple of seasons before returning to the Motor City.  Next in Line:  Ryan Raburn (MLB debut 09/12/2004). 
• Florida Marlins-
  2011: Josh Johnson (MLB debut 09/10/2005); 2010: Johnson.  Johnson, the staff ace, signed a long term contract with the team, ensuring that he will remain in Miami for a long time to come.  Next in Line:  Hanley Ramirez (Marlins debut 04/03/2006).
• Houston Astros-
  2011: Wandy Rodriguez (MLB debut 05/23/2005); 2010: Rodriguez. The Astros have seen a lot of turnover and loss of star power these last two years.  But Wandy is one of two players remaining from the 2005 NL Champions.  Next in Line:  Humberto Quintero (Astros debut 06/04/2005).
• Kansas City Royals-
  2011: Mitch Maier (MLB debut 09/23/2006); 2010: David DeJesus. DeJesus was traded at the end of the 2010 season to Oakland.  The youth movement that the Royals started back in 2007 has now been together for five seasons.  Maier, by debuting towards the ed of the 2006 season, is now the Royal with the most continuous service time. Next in Line: Alex Gordon (MLB debut 04/02/2007).
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-
  2011: Maicer Izturis (Angels debut 04/05/2005); 2010: Scot Shields. Shields, who announced his retirement in 2011, was the final link to the Angels 2002 World Series team.  Maicer is a former Expo who did not join the team that would be the Nationals.  And for all six years of the Nat's existence, he's been patrolling the infield at Angels Stadium for the Halos.  Next in Line:  Ervin Santana (MLB debut 05/17/2005).
• Los Angeles Dodgers-
  2011: Jonathan Broxton (MLB debut 07/29/2005); 2010: Broxton. Although both Juan Castro and Dioner Navarro are back in LA, Broxton still holds down the fort in the Dodgers' bullpen and in terms of continuous service.  Next in Line:  Hong-Chin Kuo (MLB debut 09/02/2005).
• Milwaukee Brewers-
  2011: Rickie Weeks (MLB debut 09/15/2003); 2010: Weeks. The high powered offense and of the Brew Crew starts with Weeks, who was voted a starter for the 2011 ASG. Next in Line:  Corey Hart (MLB debut 05/25/2004).
• Minnesota Twins-
  2011: Michael Cuddyer (MLB debut 09/23/2001); 2010: Cuddyer. Cuddyer's been around the Twins for so long, that he was there when there was talk of contracting the Twins in 2001. He made his All-Star debut in 2011, but has been playing for the Twin Cities since the threat of contraction.  Loyalty has its privileges, and the Twin know how to keep their veterans happy.  Next in Line:  Justin Morneau (MLB debut 06/10/2003).
• New York Mets-
  2011: Jose Reyes (MLB debut 06/10/2003); 2010: Pedro Feliciano. Feliciano signed with the cross-town Yankees for the 2011 season.  It wasn't that long ago that Reyes was a highly touted second baseman prospect for the Metropolitans.  But in eight seasons, he has held court at shortstop at both Shea Stadium and Citi Field.  Next in Line:  David Wright (MLB debut 07/21/2004).
• New York Yankees-
  2011: Mariano Rivera (MLB debut 05/23/1995); 2010: Rivera. He shows no sign of slowing down, and the Bombers are wont to keep him in Yankees pinstripes from now until he reaches the HOF.  He still ranks second for tenure among active "deans."  Next in Line:  Derek Jeter (MLB Debut 05/27/1995).
• Oakland Athletics-
  2010: Kurt Suzuki (MLB debut 06/12/2007); 2010: Eric Chavez. Chavez left Oakland for the bright lights of the Bronx for the 2011 season, ending his sixteen-year affiliation with the A's.  Suzuki, the young catcher for an extremely young team, is the newly installed dean of the A's because Mark Ellis was traded to Colorado on June 30.  He also is now the dean with the least amount of "tenure" among the 30 men featured today.  Next in Line:  Daric Barton (09/10/2007).
• Philadelphia Phillies-
  2011: Jimmy Rollins (MLB debut 09/17/2000); 2010: Rollins. Still the Dean in Philly, and still setting the table for the mashers who dominate the lineup for the Fightin' Phils.  Next in Line:  Chase Utley (04/04/2003).
• Pittsburgh Pirates-
  2011: Ryan Doumit (MLB debut 06/05/2005); 2010: Doumit. Joe Beimel, a Pirate in 2001, did return to the Steel City in 2011.  But as the Pirates try to break .500 for the first time since 1992, Doumit remains the team leader in service as the Bucs were on the buying side of the trade deadline.  Next in Line: Paul Maholm (MLB debut 08/30/2005).
• St. Louis Cardinals-
  2011: Albert Pujols (MLB debut 04/02/2001); 2010: Pujols. Albert has ruled in St. Louis for more than a decade.  Will he still be with the team in 2012 as he reaches free agency?  Next in Line: Chris Carpenter (Cardinals debut 04/09/2004).
• San Diego Padres-
  2011: Tim Stauffer (MLB debut 05/11/2005); 2010: Stauffer. Stauffer leads the Padres in team longevity for the second year in a row.  Which is saying something considering that more than half of the present roster consists of first-time Padres.  Next in Line:  Heath Bell (Padres debut 04/03/2007). 
• San Francisco Giants-
  2011: Matt Cain (MLB debut 08/29/2005); 2010: Cain.  Although Ryan Vogelsong, a Giant in 2000, was the feel-good story at this year's All-Star Game, it is Cain that holds the title of Giants' dean.  Next in Line:  Brian Wilson (MLB debut 04/23/2006).
• Seattle Mariners-
  2011: Ichiro Suzuki (MLB debut 04/02/2001); 2010: Suzuki. Ichiro is now the only player left left from that 100 + win season back in 2001.  And after him, and the man next in line in tenure, the roster consists of players who were Mariners beginning in 2009 onwards, and that includes Miguel Olivo, who caught for Seattle's finest in 2003.  Next in Line:  Felix Hernandez (MLB debut 08/04/2005).
• Tampa Bay Rays-
  2011: B. J. Upton (MLB debut 08/02/2004); 2010: Carl Crawford. Croawford was one of the biggest free agent signings before the 2011 season.  "Bossman Jr" is now truly the boss in terms of continuous service for the Rays.  Next in Line:  James Shields (MLB debut 05/31/2006).
• Texas Rangers-
  2011: Michael Young (MLB debut 09/29/2000); 2010: Young. Darren Oliver, a Ranger in the 1990's, may have found his way back to Texas, but this is definitely Michael Young's team. Although some on commented on this blog about his "selflessness," leave no doubt that Young has been one of the reasons why the Rangers have been successful these past few seasons.  Next in Line:  C. J. Wilson (MLB debut 06/10/2005). 
• Toronto Blue Jays-
  2011: Aaron Hill (MLB debut 05/20/2005); 2010: Vernon Wells. Hill finds himself as the newest Dean of the Blue Jays after Jason Frasor was traded to the White Sox before the trading deadline.  Chris Woodard, a Blue Jay from 1999, returns to the team in 2011. Jason McDonald would have been it, except he played for Detroit for part of the 2005 season.  Next in Line:  Adam Lind (MLB debut 09/02/2006).
• Washington Nationals-
  2011: Ryan Zimmerman (MLB debut 09/01/2005); 2010: Jason Bergmann. Livan Hernandez and the recently retired Matt Stairs are former Expos who returned to the organization in 2011.  Bergmann is now in the Athletics' minor league system.  But it is now Zimmeran who is the Nats' dean.  And it's definitely his team...until Strasburg and Harper show up anyway.  Next in Line:  Jesus Flores (MLB debut 04/04/2007).

So of the thirty teams, we have 9 new "deans." Five started out with different teams (Arroyo, Hafner, Izturis, Konerko, Wakefield). That means that the other 25 have stayed with their present teams since they made their big league debut.

If Topps were to do Team Cards again in their "game-changing" 2012 Topps set, maybe they could make the above 30 players the focus of the card, just like it was in 1986.  But then again, maybe they should expand the set to more than 660 cards first (another topic for another day).  But as of the time I did the research the 30 deans lead their respective teams in continuous service to their organization.  And only the GM's can take that title away from them.
Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The "Deans" of 2010...Revisiting the Players Who've Been with Their Teams the Longest.

It was last year at this time, just before the 2009 trading deadline, that I visited the idea of the "Deans". To review, each of the subjects Topps used for their 1986 Topps' Team Leaders cards were the players on each team that was with their team the longest (for example, the 1986 Angels team leader card had the caption "Depicted on Front: Bobby Grich, Dean of the Angels, Continuous Service Since: 11/24/1976." Now granted, I can't determine service time for the present set of deans, but what did use last year as the deciding factor as to who each team's 2009 dean was by which player debuted the earliest during the season.

Last year, I listed the deans by latest debut with team (which was at the time Jeremy Hermida of the Marlins) to earliest (Chipper Jones of the Braves). This time, we'll just go ahead and rank them by city alphabetically as we're going to compare this year's dean to the dean from the first list (or any updated posts since the first one). So is the dean of your team last year still the dean of your team today? Let's find out. (Players team status as of Friday, 08/06/2010; 2009 deans as of 07/31/2009).

• Arizona Diamondbacks-
  2010: Brandon Webb (MLB Debut 04/22/2003); 2009: Webb. Although he's been out for most of the 2010 season, but he's still on the team, and there have been reports that he might actually pitch in the bullpen for the remainder of the 2010 season.
• Atlanta Braves-
  2010: Chipper Jones (MLB debut 09/11/1993); 2009: Jones. In what may also be Bobby Cox' last year at the helm of the Braves, so it may also be Chipper's swan song as well. He is still the "Dean" of the deans, making his debut almost seventeen years ago. To tell you how long Chipper has been with the Braves, teammate Jason Heyward was only four years old when Chipper made his debut (Heyward was born on 08/09/1989).
• Baltimore Orioles-
  2010: Brian Roberts (MLB debut 06/14/2001); 2009: Melvin Mora. Mora, who had been with the O's since 07/29/2000, is now with the Colorado Rockies. Leaving Roberts as the leader of a young O's team.
• Boston Red Sox-
  2010: Tim Wakefield (Red Sox debut 05/27/1995); 2009: Wakefield. It's not that hard to believe that the knuckleballer who started his career with the Pirates is still in Boston after more than 15 seasons. He ranks third amongst the active deans in terms of longevity with his team.
• Chicago Cubs-
  2010: Carlos Zambrano (MLB debut 08/20/2001); 2009: Zambrano. In what has been a pretty bad year for "Big Z," with the demotion, the suspensions, and rumors of his time with the Cubs being short, he still is with the team that he started with back in 2001. If he had left town, Aramis Ramirez would be the only player left from the Cubs' magical 2003 season.
• Chicago White Sox-
  2010: Paul Konerko (White Sox debut 04/05/1999). 2009: Konerko. The Sox' captain has a number of good years on him, and this year has been a renaissance of sorts for the first baseman in terms of his clutch hitting and power.
• Cincinnati Reds-
  2010: Aaron Harang (MLB debut 08/09/2003); 2009: Harang. The Reds' pitcher could finally see some action in the postseason if the Reds win the division.
• Cleveland Indians-
  2010: Travis Hafner (MLB debut 03/31/2003). 2009: Jake Westbrook. Okay, I made a mistake here. Last year, I wrote that the dean of the Indians was Victor Martinez. However, in a situation similar to Webb's this year, I failed to account that Jake Westbrook was actually the "dean" of the Tribe over V-Mart (Westbrook made his Indians debut on 04/11/2001, and was injured all of 2009 which is why I didn't see his name with the 2009 team). And Westbrook was still the dean of the Indians...until he was traded to the Cardinals. Now Hafner, who I declared the Indians' dean in a "Monthly Comment Mailbag" (which I have to do as I'm two months behind), is now truly the team's tenure leader.
• Colorado Rockies-
  2010: Todd Helton (MLB debut 08/02/1997). 2009: Helton. The long-time Rockie leads the team in a number of their hitting statistics, and is one of the Rox' best home-grown talents, if not the best.
• Detroit Tigers-
  2010: Brandon Inge (MLB debut 04/03/2001); 2009: Inge. Been around Motown for so long, he remembers what it was like when the Tigers lost more than 100 games a season.
• Florida Marlins-
  2010: Josh Johnson (MLB debut 09/10/2005); 2009: Jeremy Hermida. Hermida was traded to the Red Sox in another one of the Marlins' annual fire sales. Johnson, the ace of the Marlins, and a two-time All-Star, signed a long term contract with the team, ensuring that he will remain in Miami for a long time to come.
• Houston Astros-
  2010: Wandy Rodriguez (MLB debut 05/23/2005); 2009: Lance Berkman. With both Berkman and Roy Oswalt now on playoff contenders (Yankees and Phillies respectively), the dean of the now mega-young Astros is Wandy, who remains one of the few remaining players from the 2005 NL pennant winning team.
• Kansas City Royals-
  2010: David DeJesus (MLB debut 09/02/2003); 2009: DeJesus. Since Mike Sweeney left the Royals, KC has been on a perpetual youth movement. DeJesus, however remains one of the holdovers from the team's last winning season in 2003.
• Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-
  2010: Scot Shields (MLB debut 05/26/2001); 2009: Shields. One of the few remaining players from the Angels 2002 World Series squad. Shields may not be the Halos' closer, but their bullpen wouldn't be as good as it is without Shields in it.
• Los Angeles Dodgers-
  2010: Jonathan Broxton (MLB debut 07/29/2005); 2009: Broxton. He and fellow 2010 All-Star Hong-Chin Kuo are 1-2 in tenure for the Dodgers.
• Milwaukee Brewers-
  2010: Rickie Weeks (MLB debut 09/15/2003); 2009: Bill Hall. With Hall traded to the Mariners and now with the Red Sox, Weeks is now the longest serving Brewer on the 2010 squad. He's only 27 years old boys and girls.
• Minnesota Twins-
  2010: Michael Cuddyer (MLB debut 09/23/2001); 2009: Cuddyer. Cuddyer's been around the Twins for so long, that he was there when there was talk of contracting the Twins in 2001. Many playoff appearances, and stars like Mauer and Morneau, have kept Cuddyer, and the Twins, happy in Minneapolis.
• New York Mets-
  2010: Pedro Feliciano (MLB debut 09/04/2002); 2009: Feliciano. The Mets middle reliever has provided stability and reliability in the Mets' bullpen. He is a workhorse who has pitched in more than 86 games in each of the last two seasons, and is on pace to pitch in more than half of the Mets games again in 2010.
• New York Yankees-
  2010: Mariano Rivera (MLB debut 05/23/1995); 2009: Rivera. The Yankees long-time reliever beats out Yankee captain Derek Jeter by four days. He is also in second place for tenure among active "deans."
• Oakland Athletics-
  2010: Eric Chavez (MLB debut 09/08/1998); 2009: Chavez. Despite all the injuries the A's third baseman has had to endure these last few years, he has been around long enough to see Jason Giambi leave for the Yankees, and his return to Oakland seven years later.
• Philadelphia Phillies-
  2010: Jimmy Rollins (MLB debut 09/17/2000); 2009: Rollins. The Phillies shortstop is the veteran of the team, anchoring the shortstop position for Philadelphia since 2000.
• Pittsburgh Pirates-
  2010: Ryan Doumit (MLB debut 06/05/2005); 2009: Jack Wilson. Surprisingly, the Pirates didn't make too much noise at the trading deadline. Last year, Wilson, Ian Snell, Freddy Sanchez and John Grabow, the teams' 1-2-3-4 in tenure, were all traded to contending teams.
• St. Louis Cardinals-
  2010: Albert Pujols (MLB debut 04/02/2001); 2009: Rick Ankiel. I caught heck last year listing Ankiel as the dean of the Cardinals. I mean, he had debuted earlier than Albert, and even though he may have been off the team for a number of years, no other team took him, and he made his comeback with the Cards. That's why he was on the first post. With Ankiel, once a pitcher, now an outfielder, playing across the state in Kansas City, the undisputed king of longevity in St. Louis is Pujols.
• San Diego Padres-
  2010: Tim Stauffer (MLB debut 05/11/2005); 2009: Jake Peavy. Peavy was traded to the White Sox towards the end of last season. This makes Stauffer, one of the Padres bullpen wizards, as the team dean. Chris Young, the extremely tall pitcher for the Pads' is next in line.
• San Francisco Giants-
  2010: Matt Cain (MLB debut 08/29/2005); 2009: Randy Winn. Winn left the Giants for the Yankees in 2010, only to be released and latch on with the Cardinals. Cain, one of the aces of the Giants rotation, is now the dean with the least amount of "tenure" among the 30 men featured today.
• Seattle Mariners-
  2010: Ichiro Suzuki (MLB debut 04/02/2001); 2009: Suzuki. Ichiro, along with Albert Pujols, have dominated the headlines since they made their debuts on the same day in 2001. He proved to be the real deal when he arrived in 2001, and is now the only player left left from that 100 + win season.
• Tampa Bay Rays-
  2010: Carl Crawford (MLB debut 07/20/2002); 2009: Crawford. If there is one man that isn't taking the team's recent run of success these past few years for granted, it's Crawford. He was around for many of the team's disastrous seasons at Tropicana Field, and is one of the main reasons why they are doing well today.
• Texas Rangers-
  2010: Michael Young (MLB debut 09/29/2000); 2009: Young. MLB's most underrated (or is that unknown) superstar has been around the Rangers long enough to see Ivan Rodriguez leave the team, and come back to them (for that brief period of time last year). Like another long time player who plied his trade in Texas (Houston, that is), it doesn't matter where you put him, at second, at short, or at third, he will produce as long as he's in the lineup.
• Toronto Blue Jays-
  2010: Vernon Wells (MLB debut 08/30/1999); 2009: Roy Halladay. Halladay was subject to trade rumors last year, and when the dust settled and he was still with Toronto, he was still the dean. When he was traded to Philadelphia, that left Wells as dean.
• Washington Nationals-
  2010: Jason Bergmann (MLB debut 08/28/2005); 2009: Nick Johnson. Johnson was the last National to play for the Montréal Expos before the move to DC. When Johnson was traded to the Yankees, Bergmann became the team's dean. Ryan Zimmerman, the team's talented third baseman, is next in line.

So of the thirty teams, we have 11 new "deans." Three started out with different teams (Harang, Konerko, Wakefield). That means that the other 27 have stayed with their present teams since they made their big league debut.

Sure, in five years, all these guys could either retire or move on to other teams, but as of this moment, they've all been around their teams longer than anyone. And no one, except their GM's maybe, can take that away from them.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Last Expo Has Left the Nationals!!!

I swear this will be the last "Deans" post I do this season. But as July 31 is the non-waiver trading deadline, there have been a lot of trading between teams all over the place. One that might have flown under the radar sent Nick Johnson of the Washington Nationals to the Florida Marlins for pitcher Aaron Thompson.

What makes this significant is that Nick Johnson was the Nationals' last link to the Montréal Expos, as he was with the organization in 2004, the teams final year in Canada. This makes pitcher Jason Bergmann the longest tenured Washington National on the team, making his MLB debut on 08/28/2005 (Ryan Zimmerman, the teams 1st round draft pick in 2005 is next, debuting 09/01/2005). Jason, also known as Jay, also becomes the Dean with the least amount of tenure of any of the 30 teams, now behind Jeremy Hermida of the Florida Marlins.

Bergmann, who was drafted into the Expos organization, never played in Montréal. So technically, he will always be a National (unless, of course, he gets traded). And he does have Topps cards, although not in the 2009 Topps base set, nor is he scheduled to appear in the U & H set.

Maybe he'll return in 2010.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The Monthly Comment Mailbag - July 2009 Edition

Since we missed doing this last month, this edition of the Monthly Comment Mailbag will include comments from both June and July. But before I begin, Indians Victor Martinez was traded today to the Boston Red Sox for pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. With Cliff Lee traded earlier in the week, Travis Hafner is the new Dean of the Cleveland Indians, making his Indians debut on 03/31/2003 (beating out Jhonny Peralta by two-and-a-half months).

On with the comments...

Chris Harris, who I didn't realize actually reads my humble little blog, commented that I "most famous (or infamous) Topps Gold-Exclusive card of them all: the Brien Taylor autograph from 1992 Topps Gold (#793)." Well, I did only because the regular set had 792 cards and his card was #793. His card obviously did not replace the checklist, so writing about his card was never an option for me. You have to give me credit on getting Kerry Woodson mentioned at least.

To gritz76, I don't know how or why Wakefield got snubbed in this year's base set. You'd think because he plays for the BoSox that he'd get a card (isn't it a rule that every Red Sox player get a card???) For the record though, Wakefield did not get a card in both the 1995 Topps (although he did appear in the 1995 Traded set, his first Topps Red Sox card) and the 2000 Topps sets (in this case, he did not even show up in that year's Traded set either).

To 2009 A & G Codebreaker JD's Daddy, hope you found that Wally card. If not, you'll find it as the bonus card from this year's 15-card Red Sox team set. And no, shorthanding the base set isn't the reason to create an update set, but because of the limit that Topps puts on THEMSELVES, they have to cut players and then team collectors have to hope that the update set will include them. This can all be avoided if Topps went back to the 792 card set. But I digress.

To bailorg and Sharpe, I knew I'd get heat for saying Ankiel was the Cardinals' Dean over Albert Pujols, and I did look to see if Ankiel was ever DFA'd (designated for assignment), but I couldn't find any information on that at all. Does being removed from the 40 man roster (which I did find) constitue being removed from MLB service time??? I don't know the logistics on that. Hey, if the Cards could get rid of Ankiel, then there would be no doubt, right???

To dayf the Cardboard Junkie, you must have missed my post about regarding the first ten bonus cards appearing in 2009 Topps Hobby Factory sets. Here is the original post. And to save time, the players who make up card numbers 1-10 are:

• 1 David Price, Rays
• 2 Rick Porcello, Tigers
• 3 Ryan Perry, Tigers
• 4 Brett Anderson, Athletics
• 5 David Freese, Cardinals
• 6 Koji Uehara, Orioles
• 7 Elvis Andrus, Rangers
• 8 Trevor Cahill, Athletics
• 9 Andrew Bailey, Athletics
• 10 Jordan Schafer, Braves

To madding, I'd love to see those too. Chris Harris, Mr. Stale Gum himself, actually posted a link to the website of Chris Speakman, the artist who's drawings will make up the cards. To get a better view of Mr. Speakman's work, go to sportspropaganda.com. Needless to say, they are awesome.

And finally, to friend of the blog TDLindgren, while the sell sheets do show that the Legends of the Game inserts will include Ruth as a Red Sock, and other legends in the unis of other teams, I did not see anything regarding more SP's, especially of said players pictured on different teams. I am hoping that there are no SP's in the U & H set. I'm still short five of the MLB SP's right now (still crying about seeing that the girls from Dinged Corners gave a Mike Schmidt SP card to a Phillies fan, but hey, I snooze, I lose).

So that's it for this month's edition of the Monthly Comment Mailbag. Keep on leaving those comments. That way I know that people are still reading my blog. If all goes well, this should be the first month (July 2009) where I reach 4,500 unique visits in a month (according to SiteMeter), which would be a record high for me. But then again, who's really counting right???

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

And in a Shocking Development...

John Grabow's term as Dean of the Pittsburgh Pirates lasted less than 24 hours. Not long after I wrote about him and his lack of a Topps card, he and Tom Gorzelanny were traded to the Chicago Cubs for Kevin Hart (who was the pitcher on the winning side today vs. the Astros), and two other players.

The new Dean is Ryan Doumit, and unless he gets traded, he gets the title (beating out Zach Duke by less than a month).

At least Doumit has Topps cards (which I will scan and post this evening).

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Updating the Dean's List...What Do You Mean He Doesn't Have a Topps Card???

The new "Dean" in Pittsburgh is John Grabow. Want his Topps card? He doesn't have one!!!
Roy Halladay is still a Blue Jay. Cliff Lee left for the Phillies (V-Mart is still the dean though). And in beautiful Pittsburgh, PA, the Pirates are in sell-off mode again. And boy have they been dealing.

Jack Wilson, the Pirates previous "Dean," is now in Seattle along with pitcher Ian Snell, in exchange for Jeff Clement (who should be able to get more playing time with the Bucs than he would have with the M's), Ronny Cedeño (Cub fans, he's still around...), and three minor leaguers.

Freddy Sanchez (who would have been next after Snell), is now with San Francisco, who the Pirates were playing this week. In effect, Sanchez packed his stuff from the PNC Park home locker room and joined his new teammates in the visitors' locker room. Not only did the Giants sweep the Pirates this week, they took their best player with them.

So who does that leave as the current "Dean" of the Pirates? The answer might surprise everyone but the most die-hard Pirates fan. It's relief pitcher John Grabow, who made his MLB debut on September 14, 2003. He beats out Ryan Doumit (06/05/2005).

Now, if you're looking for a Topps John Grabow card to add to your Dean's list...

FORGET IT!!!
You're not going to find one. According to the number one source of the hobby, Grabow has 75 cards TOTAL (this number includes parallels, minor league cards and other random inserts. This does not include the team cards that has everyone squeezed together onto one card)!!! Guys like Jeter, Pujols, et. al, get more than 75 cards in a year from both Topps and UD each, and this guy has only 75 total??? And of which, his only Topps cards were from the Topps Total sets (2002 and 2005) where EVERYBODY had a card. His 2005 card was shared with Mike Gonzalez. What??! Then again, I don't feel so bad, because even in all their efforts to include everyone in their base and update sets, even UD has missed him a couple of years (he shows up in 2006, 2007, and 2009, but not in 2008 for some reason).

I know he plays for the Pirates. I know that he's only a middle relief pitcher. But Topps, could you at least make an effort to get this guy on a card??? At least give him a spot as one of the TBD's on the 2009 Topps Updates and Highlights set. There are 19 TBD's on the intial checklist, three of which you have reserved for "TBD Veterans." Don't you think it'd be a good idea to include him, since he's been with the Pirates the longest???

Then again, there has been interest in him as well...from the Yankees. I'm sure that if he gets traded there, he'll get a card (isn't the rule that EVERY Yankee gets a card???). But it's a travesty to Pirates fans everywhere that he doesn't have a regular Topps card to call his own. Make an effort, Topps. Add Grabow to the set.

This is why I want Topps to bring back the 792 card sets again.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

The "Deans" of 2009...or The Players Who've Been with Their Teams the Longest.

The inspiration for tonight's topic was because the Cubs were in Washington, DC, last weekend to play the Nationals (formerly the Montréal Expos), and it got me thinking about if any of the current players on the DC side were still with the team during that final year in Montréal in 2004. It turns out that on the 25-man Nats roster, there is still one guy who can claim to have been a member of "lés Expos." More on that later.

It then got me to thinking about the other 29 teams and which of their current players have been on their teams the longest. In this day and age of free agency, there aren't that many players who've stuck around with their original teams. But twenty years ago, loyalty was a premium, and many of baseball's best players either played for one team for their entire career, or stayed with a team for a long, long time, before riding off into the sunset with another team.

In the 1986 Topps set, the team leaders cards for the 26 teams featured the players who were considered the "Deans" of the team. The dean meaning, "active player with their present team for the most consecutive amount of years." In the example below, after the 1985 season, Bobby Grich was the "Dean of the Angels, Continuous Service Since: 11/24/1976."




As you can see, Lee Smith was the "Dean of the Cubs, Continuous Service Since: 09/01/1980." This would mean that both men have played for their respective teams the longest. Every other player on the team came AFTER these guys came aboard.


Well, back to the point. I started looking around to see if any of the baseball websites had a list of the current "deans" on each team. Needless to say, I couldn't find one. But, undeterred, I went onto Baseball Reference, looked up each of the present 30 team's histories, and tonight, I have a list of the 30 active players who've played the most consecutive years on their respective teams. I can say that the man with the longest tenure on his team has been around since 1993, and the "Dean" with the shortest amount of service time with his team made his major league debut on 08/31/2005. Many "Deans" were easy to find as the player had been around for more than 9-10 years. But for those who had been around for five years or so, or if I had to break a tie between two or even three players (which I did for a couple of teams as you will see), the "Dean" was the man who made his major league debut the earliest.

So without further ado, here are the 2009 "Deans" of the Major Leagues (as of 07/22/2009). Starting with the player who has been around the longest with his team, but is the shortest amount of time (does that even make sense???):

• Jeremy Hermida, Dean of the Florida Marlins, MLB debut 08/31/2005 (if we started this at the beginning of the year, the Dean would have been Logan Kensing, who debuted 09/10/2004. But Kensing was traded to the Nats earlier this year).


• Randy Winn, Dean of the San Francisco Giants, Giants debut 08/02/2005 (I'm sure you're thinking it should be Rich Aurelia. However, between 2004-2006, Aurelia was a Mariner, Padre, and Red, before returning to the Giants).


• Jonathan Broxton, Dean of the Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB debut 07/29/2005 (beats Hong Chin-Kuo by a month and change).


• Nick Johnson, Dean of the Washington Nationals, Expos debut 05/28/2004 (making Nick the last Expo player still in the organization).


• David DeJesus, Dean of the Kansas City Royals, MLB debut 09/02/2003.


• Aaron Harang, Dean of the Cincinnati Reds, Reds debut 08/09/2003.


• Brandon Webb, Dean of the Arizona Diamondbacks, MLB debut 04/22/2003.


• Pedro Feliciano, Dean of the New York Mets, MLB debut 09/04/2002 (this was a surprise as I thought it would have been at least Jose Reyes).


• Bill Hall, Dean of the Milwaukee Brewers, MLB debut 09/01/2002.


• Carl Crawford, Dean of the Tampa Bay Rays, MLB debut 07/20/2002.


• Jake Peavy, Dean of the San Diego Padres, MLB debut 06/22/2002.


• Michael Cuddyer, Dean of the Minnesota Twins, MLB debut 09/23/2001.


• Carlos Zambrano, Dean of the Chicago Cubs, MLB debut 08/20/2001.


• Scot Shields, Dean of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, MLB debut 05/26/2001 (this took me by surprise as well. I would have guessed Chone Figgins).


• Jake Westbrook, Dean of the Cleveland Indians, Indians debut 04/11/2001.


• Jack Wilson, Dean of the Pittsburgh Pirates, MLB debut 04/03/2001.


• Brandon Inge, Dean of the Detroit Tigers, MLB debut 04/03/2001.


• Ichiro Suzuki, Dean of the Seattle Mariners, MLB debut 04/02/2001.


• Michael Young, Dean of the Texas Rangers, MLB debut 09/29/2000.


• Jimmy Rollins, Dean of the Philadelphia Phillies, MLB debut 09/17/2000.


• Melvin Mora, Dean of the Baltimore Orioles, Orioles debut 07/29/2000.

The following players made their team debut in the 1990's. Long time veterans are starting to show up now:

• Rick Ankiel, Dean of the St. Louis Cardinals, MLB debut 08/23/1999 (I know what you're thinking...this should be Albert Pujols right??? Well, Ankiel was never given his unconditioanl release from the team while he was figuring himself out in the minors. He debuted two seasons before Phat Albert. That makes him the man with the longest in terms of consecutive seasons on the team. Now, if Ankiel was actually RELEASED from the team, and then came back to the Cards a few years later, that's a different story. I know I'm going to get a lot of heat on this one...).


• Lance Berkman, Dean of the Houston Astros, MLB debut 07/16/1999.


• Paul Konerko, Dean of the Chicago White Sox, White Sox debut 04/05/1999 (most people forget that he was with the Reds and Dodgers before joining the Pale Hose).


• Roy Halladay, Dean of the Toronto Blue Jays, MLB debut 09/20/1998 (now, in the event he is traded, the title of Dean will then go to Vernon Wells, who made his debut on 08/30/1999).


• Eric Chavez, Dean of the Oakland Athletics, MLB debut 09/08/1998 (even with all the injury-plagued years, he's stayed around. Heck, he was there when Jason Giambi left the A's, and he was still around when Giambi came back).


• Todd Helton, Dean of the Colorado Rockies, MLB debut 08/02/1997 (if they haven't given him the title of Mr. Rockie the way Tony Gwynn was Mr. Padre, then something is horribly wrong).


• Tim Wakefield, Dean of the Boston Red Sox, Red Sox debut 05/27/1995 (spent a couple of seasons with the Pirates. I didn't realize that he had been with Boston this long).


• Mariano Rivera, Dean of the New York Yankees, MLB debut 05/23/1995 (yes, Mariano is the Dean. Derek Jeter made his debut four days later, Jorge Posada debuted in September of that year).

And finally, the man with the longest tenure on any team:

• Chipper Jones, Dean of the Atlanta Braves, MLB debut 09/11/1993 (yes, that's 1993, 16 years ago. I hadn't even graduated high school yet...)

Amazing that of the thirty players, seven started out with different teams (Winn, Johnson, Harang, Westbrook, Mora, Konerko, Wakefield). That means that the other 23 have stayed with their present teams since they made their big league debut. And Konerko and Wakefield have made Chicago and Boston their homes respectively, after being traded to the clubs, for more than ten years.

So there you have it, guys who've shown their loyalty to their teams, after all these years. Sure, in five years, all these guys could either retire or move on to other teams, but as of this moment, they've all been around their teams longer than anyone. And no one, except their GM's maybe, can take that away from them.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama