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1998 Oakland Athletics Season
The Oakland Athletics' 1998 season saw the A's finish with a record of 74 wins and 88 losses. The campaign was the first of the Billy Beane era. While the Athletics finished a distant fourth in the AL West, they improved upon the prior year's dismal output of 65-97. The strong play of Jason Giambi, Matt Stairs and Kenny Rogers highlighted an otherwise forgettable campaign. Rogers' performance was particularly impressive; in arguably the finest season of his career, he won 16 games and posted a 3.17 earned run average (both were the best full-season marks by an Athletics starter since 1992). Additionally, the 1998 season marked Rickey Henderson's fourth (and final) stint with the Athletics. Henderson, at the age of 39, stole a total 66 bases; this total lead the league in that category. Lastly, rookie Ben Grieve collected a Rookie of the Year (ROY) award for his solid debut season. The award was the Athletics' first since Walt Weiss received one in 1988. The Athletics posted a win ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American League West
The American League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The division has five teams as of the 2013 season, but had four teams from 1994 to 2012, and had as many as seven teams before the 1994 realignment. Although its teams currently only reside along the West Coast of the United States, west coast and in Texas, historically the division has had teams as far east as Chicago. From 1998 (when the NL West expanded to five teams) to 2012, the AL West was the only MLB division with four teams. The current champion of this division is the Houston Astros. In 2013, the Houston Astros went from the National League Central to the AL West. That move gives all six MLB divisions an equal five teams and both leagues an equal 15 teams each. Division membership Current members * Houston Astros - Joined in 2013; formerly from the National League West, NL West (1969–1993) and National League Central, NL Central (1994–2012) * Los Angeles AngelsThe Angels were formerly known as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matt Stairs
Matthew Wade Stairs (born February 27, 1968) is a Canadian former professional baseball outfielder, first baseman, and designated hitter, who holds the record for most pinch-hit home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB) history with 23. His pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning of Game 4 in the 2008 National League Championship Series off the Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Jonathan Broxton was called "one of the most memorable home runs in Phillies history". In his career, Stairs played for more teams than any position player in MLB history (12 – technically 13 teams, but 12 franchises, as he played for the Montreal Expos and Washington Nationals); Edwin Jackson holds the record for pitchers and all players at 14. He was the second Canadian-born player ever to hit more than thirty-five home runs in a season, and only the second to hit more than 25 home runs and drive in more than 100 runs in back-to-back seasons. He ranks either first or second in power hitting categories for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
David Newhan
David Matthew Newhan (born September 7, 1973) is an American former professional baseball utility player who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for five teams during eight seasons. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. After serving three seasons as the hitting coach for the Minor League Baseball (MiLB) Lake Elsinore Storm, Newhan was named by the Oakland Athletics to manage its MiLB affiliate, the Vermont Lake Monsters, for the season. He is currently a MiLB infield coordinator for the Los Angeles Angels after previously serving as the assistant hitting coach for the Detroit Tigers for two seasons. Early life Newhan's father is Ross Newhan, a notable baseball writer who received the J. G. Taylor Spink Award in 2000 from the Baseball Writers' Association of America and was honored during ceremonies at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The elder Newhan spent 44 years as a sportswriter in the Los Angeles area, first for the ''Long Beach Press-Telegram and'' then f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997 MLB Expansion Draft
On November 18, 1997, Major League Baseball (MLB) held an expansion draft to allow two expansion teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, to build their rosters prior to debuting in the National League West and American League East divisions, respectively, in the 1998 MLB season. The draft took place in the Phoenix Civic Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Background Following the success of the 1993 expansion, which added the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins, MLB in 1994 set up an expansion committee to add two expansion teams. Tampa Bay and Phoenix were chosen for the two expansion franchises. Procedures Similar to the 1992 expansion draft, both expansion teams selected 35 players. The draft was divided into three rounds. Each team would select 14 players in round 1, 14 players in round 2, and 7 players in round 3. Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar and Arizona general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. oversaw their teams' selections. The Devil Rays and Diamondb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The franchise was established as an expansion team and began play in 1998. The team plays its home games at Chase Field, formerly known as Bank One Ballpark. Along with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Diamondbacks are one of the newest teams in MLB. After a fifth-place finish in their inaugural season, the Diamondbacks made several off-season acquisitions, including future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson, who won four consecutive Cy Young Awards in his first four seasons with the team. In 1999, Arizona won 100 games and their first division championship. In 2001, they won the World Series over the three-time defending champion New York Yankees, becoming the fastest expansion team in major league history to win the World Series, and the only majo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tony Batista
Leocadio Francisco "Tony" Batista Hernandez (born December 9, 1973) is a Dominican former Major League Baseball infielder. He played in the major leagues from to and to , and with the SoftBank Hawks of the Japanese Pacific League in . Career His major league career began in 1996. He played for the Oakland A's, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Montreal Expos, before moving on to Japan for the 2005 season. After returning from Japan he played for the Minnesota Twins and then the Washington Nationals, playing at first base, second base, shortstop, third base and designated hitter. Batista was notable for his unusual, extremely open batting stance in which he would stand almost directly facing the pitcher during the delivery before stepping in to swing. He had good power, hitting 221 home runs, but had only a .251 batting average and seldom walked, with a .298 OBP. He was elected to the American League All-Star team twice in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scott Brosius
Scott David Brosius (born August 15, 1966) is an American former Major League Baseball third baseman for the Oakland Athletics (–) and the New York Yankees (–). Early life Brosius grew up in Milwaukie, Oregon, where he attended Rex Putnam High School before going to Linfield College. He was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 20th round of the 1987 amateur draft and signed on June 9, 1987. Career Brosius became one of the few players to hit a home run in his first major league game, on August 7, 1991. Brosius was the A's starting third baseman through the mid-1990s, although he played almost 300 games in his Oakland career at other positions, primarily in the outfield. In , he batted .304 with 22 home runs, his best year with Oakland; however, his performance declined in 1997 when he finished last in the majors (of those who qualified for the batting title) in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging average. He was traded to the Yankees after the season ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other is the National League (NL)'s New York Mets. The team was founded in when Frank J. Farrell, Frank Farrell and William Stephen Devery, Bill Devery purchased the franchise rights to the defunct Baltimore Orioles (no relation to the current Baltimore Orioles, team of the same name) after it ceased operations and used them to establish the New York Highlanders. The Highlanders were officially renamed the New York Yankees in . The team is owned by Yankee Global Enterprises, a limited liability company that is controlled by the family of the late George Steinbrenner, who purchased the team in 1973. Brian Cashman is the team's general manage ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games primarily at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto. The name "Blue Jays" originates from the bird of the same name, and blue is also the traditional colour of Toronto's collegiate and professional sports teams including the Maple Leafs (ice hockey) and the Argonauts (Canadian football). In 1976, out of the over 4,000 suggestions, 154 people selected the name "Blue Jays." In addition, the team was originally owned by the Labatt Brewing Company, makers of the popular beer Labatt Blue. Colloquially nicknamed the "Jays", the team's official colours are royal blue, navy blue, red, and white. An expansion franchise, the club was founded in Toronto in 1977. Originally based at Exhibition Stadium, the team began playing its home games at SkyDome ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dane Johnson
Dane Edward Johnson (born February 10, 1963) is an American former professional baseball coach and former pitcher. He played parts of three seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Oakland Athletics. Career Johnson attended St. Thomas University and was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 2nd round of the 1984 amateur draft. He played at various levels of the minor league organization from 1984 to 1989. In 1990 he played for the Brother Elephants of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and in 1991 he played for the Mercuries Tigers. He returned to minor league baseball in 1993, playing in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, starting with the Double-A El Paso Diablos and later with the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. He made his major league debut in 1994 with the White Sox, and spent the entire 1995 season with their Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. In 1996 Johnson returned to the Toronto organization, making a brief a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2007 Oakland Athletics Season
The Oakland Athletics' 2007 season was their first since 2004 in which they defended a title. The A's were without Frank Thomas (Toronto) and ace Barry Zito (San Francisco), both players who the A's lost to free agency. They filled the space left by Frank Thomas by signing free agent catcher Mike Piazza to a one-year contract worth $8.5 million to be the team's designated hitter. They were also without Ken Macha, their former manager who was fired after four seasons with the team and replaced by Bob Geren, as well as third-base coach Ron Washington, who accepted the managerial position of the Texas Rangers. It was their first losing season since 1998. Offseason * December 6, 2006: Alan Embree was signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. * December 7, 2006: Jared Burton was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds from the Oakland Athletics in the 2006 rule 5 draft. * February 5, 2007: Ricky Ledée signed as a free agent with the Oakland Athletics. Regular season Season ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walt Weiss
Walter William Weiss (born November 28, 1963) is an American former professional baseball shortstop and manager and current bench coach for the Atlanta Braves. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1987 through 2000 for the Oakland Athletics, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies, and Atlanta Braves. He managed the Rockies from 2013 through 2016. Weiss won the Rookie of the Year award. He was also a member of the National League All-Star Team. Early career Initially drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 10th round of the amateur draft, Weiss decided to put his professional baseball career on hold and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1984, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Wareham Gatemen of the Cape Cod Baseball League where he was named a league all-star and set a league record for most doubles in a season. In June 1985, he was the 12th overall pick in the draft. At the age of 23, he made his first major league appearance f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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