From the Field: Jacob Wilson, ss, Oakland Athletics
…
Jacob Wilson is an exciting prospect. In 2024, his first season of pro ball after being drafted by Oakland with the 6th overall pick of the 2023 draft, he carried a .447 OBP and 1.142 OPS over three levels. Do you want to get promoted to the majors? That is how you do it. And the Athletics thought the same thing, calling Wilson up in July 2024. While he does not have a ton of power when you get on base like he does–all while playing a strong shortstop–you can overlook that. It’s interesting how he looks like an upgraded version of his dad, Jack Wilson, who spent 12 seasons in the majors playing shortstop.

The Cleveland Guardians drafted pitcher Braylon Doughty with the 36th overall pick of last season’s draft. I was happy to get his autograph on such a nice card, that way I don’t have to worry about trying to find some way to get him this season.
…
Doughty, a high school pick, has lots going for him. With a fastball that touches the high 90’s, Doughty projects as a top-of-the-rotation starter. He also had fantastic numbers his senior year (50.1 innings, 85 strikeouts, and only 10 walks). He is widely regarded as one of Cleveland’s Top 10 prospects and arguably their best pitching prospect coming into the 2025 season.

New Arrival: Ray Durham, if, Oakland Athletics
…
When I think of Ray Durham, I think about the 2002 Oakland Athletics. That is the same season made famous in the movie “Moneyball”. And while I love that movie, the baseball nerd in me would like to point out that the film left out much of what made that 103-win Oakland team special. This included its insane rotation of Tim Hudson, Barry Zito, and Mark Mulder, and the 30+ HR seasons of Eric Chavez and Miguel Tejada. That was such a fun team.
…
Another transaction was Oakland trading for the Chicago White Sox Ray Durham. Durham, a two-time All-Star, was an offensively minded second baseman. Oakland had used a rotation of Mark Ellis, Frank Menechino, Randy Velarde, and Jeremy Giambi at second. The hope was that Durham could stabilize the position and add a spark to the lead-off spot. And he did well enough: following the trade Durham had a 115 OPS+ and hit extremely well in the playoffs.

New Arrival: Spencer Horwitz, if, Pittsburg Pirates
…
Baseball is not always a fast game until it is. Example: infielder Spencer Horwitz.
…
On 10 December, the Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays made a small market blockbuster trade. Cleveland sent IF Andrés Giménez and pitcher Nick Sandlin to Toronto in exchange for Spencer Horwitz and OF prospect Nick Mitchell. It was a decent trade, I thought. Horwitz was only 26, has some pop, can take a walk, and technically could play first or second base. And goodness knows Cleveland likes their position flexibility.
…
Little did I know that Cleveland had plans for Horwitz that did not involve him swinging a bat. Almost immediately he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for pitchers Luis Ortiz, Michael Kennedy, and Josh Hartle. Another decent trade. Goodness knows the Guards needed the help in the rotation. The only downside was that in his hours-long tenure with the Guards, I quickly scooped up the above autograph and his first minor league card…probably should have given it a day or two.
…
All and all I am happy with all these moves. Cleveland has roughly a dozen players who are middle infielders who need major league at-bats. And Andrés Giménez was expensive for a glove-first second baseman on a small market roster. So here is hoping one of Juan Brito, Tyler Freeman, or Gabriel Arias pan out.

From the Field: Gideon Antle, of, North Greenville University Trailblazers
…
Another player on my shortlist to get on Thursday night was North Greenville’s outfielder Gideon Antle. Antle spent the last two seasons playing at Ohio University, and put up some impressive numbers. In 2024 he hit .350 with a .398 OBP (or .401, if you look at baseballreference) and 10 HR, and was All-MAC Second Team. There is no reason to think he won’t put up even better numbers with the Trailblazers this season.

From the Field: Eddie Taubensee, c, Cleveland Guardians
…
I am from Cleveland. I grew up watching those 90’s Cleveland baseball teams dominate the American League Central. Ed Taubensee played a big role in that success, though not quite how you might think. So it was thrilling to see that he is a coach with the University of North Greenville and visiting the islands this week.

…
In late-1991 Cleveland had their eye on a light-hitting but toolsy outfielder named Kenny Lofton. When Cleveland reached out to talk trade, the Astros said they were in the market for a left-handed hitting catcher. And, as luck would have it, Cleveland had just that in a well-regarded prospect named Eddie Taubensee.
…
While the trade is a no-brainer in hindsight, at the time it was not. The Cleveland front office thought highly of Taubensee. But Taubensee was blocked by Sandy Alomar Jr on the depth-chart. Eventually, Cleveland pulled the trigger, tossing in pitching prospect Willie Blair to sweeten the deal.
…
Taubensee would go on to have a solid career. In his prime from 1994-1999 he was a bat-first catcher with a .814 OPS and 109 OPS+. He probably should have made an All-Start team during that period, but he was playing in the same era as Mike Piazza, Iván Rodríguez, and Javy López, and that is a tough group for anyone to crack.

D2 baseball season is here in Hawaii. It’s very exciting. Even better, Hawaii Pacific is opening the season against some fantastic teams, including the 2022 National Champions North Greenville. The Trailblazers visiting the islands is special, and they had a bunch of players whose autographs I was hoping to get, with starting pitcher Brody Fowler near the top of the list. Fowler was one of several players highlighted as potential draft prospects in the D2 newsletter that I follow on substack, and the game went on Thursday it was easy to see why.
…
As luck would have it, Fowler was the starting pitcher for the Trailblazers. He went 5 innings, allowing only two hits and striking out 4. Hawaii can hit (they put up 31 runs in their first two games of the season), so shutting them down isn’t nothing. It was a dominant performance.
…
I am hoping to go back tonight–assuming the rain stays away–to knock out a few other players.

Outfielder Milton Bradley should have probably had a better career than he ended up with.
…
For a hot second, it was all working out. Cleveland traded for Bradley in 2001, hoping he could replace Kenny Lofton. Replacing Lofton is not a small order, considering he was one of the most dynamic leadoff hitters in baseball history. But by 2003, it looked like Bradley was on his way to doing just that: In 377 at-bats he had a 147 OPS+, including a .421 OBP and 10 HR. He also stole 17 bases. Bradley’s numbers would have been better, but he lost the last six weeks of the season to injury. Cleveland liked what they saw, and that winter signed him to a $1.73 million, one-year contract.
…
But as talented as Bradley was, he was a notoriously difficult personality. It was a problem that plagued him in Montreal and continued in Cleveland. In the Spring of 2004, he was involved in a series of on and off field incidents that forced Cleveland to trade him to the Dodgers for pitching prospect Andrew Brown. It was a terrible trade. Cleveland also sent outfield prospect Franklin Gutiérrez to LA, who would develop into a very good defensive outfielder. Andrew Brown would only ever throw 10 innings in Cleveland. Oof.
…
Bradley would have a couple more good seasons, including an All-Star selection in 2008 with Texas, but he was hounded by injuries and personality clashes that continually sapped any real momentum in his career. He was out of baseball by mid-2011.
…
Worth noting: If Bradley stayed with Cleveland in 2004, he would have been part of a very good outfield along with Grady Sizemore, Matt Lawton and Coco Crisp. Granted, it probably would not have helped the team improve on their 80-82 record–Cleveland’s starting pitching was a mess–but still. They had something good there.

From the Field: Britton Beeson, of, The University of Hawaii

…

The University of Hawaii had its alumni game this past week and was a chance for me to knock out some team newcomers. On the short list of players I was excited to get was outfielder Britton Beeson.

…

Breeson transferred from Fullerton College, a junior college. Last season he hit a blistering .323 with a .410 OBP. Despite the high on-base numbers, he also had pop, hitting 12 HR. He also set the school record for RBI, with 66. Hawaii has several very talented players vying for the corner outfield spots, but it’s hard for me to imagine him not being a full-time starter sooner rather than later.

New Arrival: Joe Morgan, 2b, Cincinnati Reds
…
Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan was good. When Morgan was at the top of his peak, from 1972-1977, he carried a .429 OBP and averaged 22 HR a season. And, the icing on the cake, was that he was a Gold Glove defensive second baseman. And remember this was all in the 70’s, when middle infielders were not known for their offensive contributions.
…
All told, Morgan would be selected to 10 All-Star teams, win five Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and win back-to-back MVP awards. He would amass 100 career WAR, which puts him 31st all-time. He is also the only player to win back-to-back MVP awards at the same time as winning back-to-back World Series.