Tag / Dansby Swanson

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Driving Them In Again

Last Friday, the White Sox dropped 22 runs on the Royals, setting the high-water mark for the most runs I’ve seen a team score in person.  That record lasted less than a week.  Yesterday, the Cubs bested them by a run in their 23-3 victory against the Padres, thanks to a franchise-record tying eight home runs.  Dansby Swanson carried the day with three home runs and eight RBIs.

A small caveat here is that the Cubs scored the final eight runs against a position player, while the White Sox managed to get all 22 of their runs against actual members of the Royals pitching staff.

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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2025

Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2025.  With the end of spring training in sight and Opening Day right around the corner, let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading into the 2026 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Luis Robert 25
Tim Anderson 24
Andrew Vaughn 17
Yoan Moncada 16
Eloy Jimenez 14
Gavin Sheets 14

Hits

Name Total
Tim Anderson 218
Yoan Moncada 133
Luis Robert 111
Andrew Vaughn 102
Eloy Jimenez 98

Runs

Name Total
Tim Anderson 117
Luis Robert 65
Yoan Moncada 64
Andrew Vaughn 50
Andrew Benintendi 50

RBI

Name Total
Tim Anderson 73
Luis Robert 64
Yoan Moncada Continue reading →
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Landing A Big Fish

With the city of Chicago focused on the Bears playoff game against the Packers on Saturday night, the Cubs tried to steal the spotlight, signing third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract.  It’s the third-largest overall contract in Cubs history, behind only Jason Heyward’s $184 million deal signed prior to the 2016 season and Dansby Swanson’s $177 million deal signed prior to 2023, but the average annual value, including deferrals, is higher than both of those contracts.  The deal also reportedly includes a no trade clause.

This is the second straight offseason that the Cubs have targeted Bregman, who will turn 32 shortly after Opening Day.  He signed with the Red Sox last year, but opted out of his contract and re-entered free agency after slashing .273/.360/.462 with 18 home runs in just 114 games. Adding Bregman to the lineup pushes second-year player Matt Shaw into a utility role, which should leave him free to attend any future MAGA rallies should, say, Alex Jones choke on a Cheddarwurst.

This move follows the acquisition of starting pitcher Edward Cabrera earlier last week, signaling that the Cubs are preparing to go all-in for 2026 after falling in the NLDS last fall and with a number of key players hitting free agency following this season.

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Braves All Time Leaders – Through 2025

To paraphrase from a famous movie, the one constant through all the years has been baseball.  With the winter meetings starting today, we continue our look at the all-time leaders in both offensive and defensive categories for all 30 teams. Today, we take a deeper dive into the Atlanta Braves.

The Braves began life in Boston, joining the National League in 1876, before moving to Milwaukee in 1953 and, finally, landing in Atlanta in 1966.  I’ve seen 165 players don the Braves uniforms in the 22 games of theirs that I’ve attended live, including Games Three and Four of the 2003 NLDS against the Cubs at Wrigley Field and a 2021 game against the Yankees at Truist Park on my way home from a trip to Florida.

Home Runs

Name Total
Chipper Jones 3
Freddie Freeman 3
Brian McCann 2
Jeff Fancoeur 2

Hits

Name Total
Chipper Jones 10
Vinny Castilla 9
Brian McCann 8
Freddie Freeman 8

Runs

Name Total
Chipper Jones 6
Andruw Jones 6
Freddie Freeman 5
Ozzie Albies 5

RBI

Name Total
Chipper Jones 7
Brian McCann 7
Freddie Freeman 7

Doubles

Name Total
Brooks Conrad 2
Gary Sheffield 2
Freddie Freeman 2
Nick Markakis 2
Dansby Swanson 2

Triples Continue reading →

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2025 All Star Break Batting Leaders

With the All-Star Game in the books and a few days of rest before the unofficial second half kicks off, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders for the 23 games I’ve attended so far this season, starting with:
Home Runs

Name Total
Andrew Benintendi 4
Lenyn Sosa 3
Andrew Vaughn 2
Miguel Vargas 2
Jake Meyers 2
Dansby Swanson 2
Mike Tauchman 2
Kyle Manzardo 2
Austin Slater 2

Hits

Name Total
Andrew Benintendi 18
Lenyn Sosa 18
Chase Meidroth 16
Luis Robert 15
Miguel Vargas 14

Runs

Name Total
Chase Meidroth 12
Andrew Benintendi 10
Continue reading →
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2024 All Star Break Batting Leaders

With the All-Star Game in the books and a few days of rest before the second half kicks off, let’s take a look at the first half offensive leaders for the 18 games I’ve attended so far this season, starting with:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul DeJong 4
Luis Robert 2
Andrew Vaughn 2
Gavin Sheets 2
25 tied with  1

Hits

Name Total
Paul DeJong 14
Andrew Vaughn 14
Gavin Sheets 13
Nicky Lopez 10
Luis Robert 8
Eloy Jimenez 8

Runs

Name Total
Andrew Vaughn 8
Gavin Sheets 8
Continue reading →
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Active Batting Leaders – Through 2023

Last month, we looked at the overall leaders on both sides of the ball from all of the games I’ve attended between 1984 and 2023.  With the end of spring training in sight, Opening Day is right around the corner.  Let’s take another look at those numbers, limiting it to players that are still active heading in to the 2024 season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 49
Tim Anderson 24
Luis Robert 20
Yoan Moncada 16
Avisail Garcia 15

Hits

Name Total
Jose Abreu 273
Tim Anderson 218
Yoan Moncada 133
Avisail Garcia 101
Yolmer Sanchez 93

Runs

Name Total
Jose Abreu 129
Tim Anderson 117
Yoan Moncada 64
Avisail Garcia 58
Luis Robert 50

RBI

Name Total
Jose Abreu 159
Tim Anderson 73
Yoan Moncada Continue reading →
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All Time Batting Leaders – Through 2023

Last week, we took our annual look at the all-time leaders in pitching stats for the now 1,083 games I’ve attended (and identified) between 1984 and 2023.  With the first full squad spring training workout in the books, it’s time to move over to the other side of the ball and take a look at the offensive stat leaders for those games, starting with our first category:

Home Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 93
Jose Abreu 49
Sammy Sosa 42
Aramis Ramirez 41
Derrek Lee 40
Jermaine Dye 40

Hits

Name Total
Paul Konerko 366
Alexei Ramirez 300
Jose Abreu 273
Derrek Lee 255
A.J. Pierzynski 239

Runs

Name Total
Paul Konerko 200
Derrek Lee 140
Alexei Ramirez 134
Jose Abreu 129
Aramis Ramirez 120

RBI

Name Total
Paul Konerko 235
Jose Abreu 159
Aramis Ramirez 158
Alexei Ramirez 140
Derrek Lee 134

Doubles Continue reading →

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2023 Final Batting Leaders

Another season of baseball season is in the books, with the White Sox disappointing their fans with their worst record since 1970 while the Cubs teased their fanbase with expectations of the postseason before their September swoon.  Let’s take a look back at the offensive leaders for the 43 games that I attended this season.

Home Runs

Name Total
Luis Robert 10
Jake Burger 6
Andrew Vaughn 6
Christopher Morel 4
Dansby Sawnson 4

Hits

Name Total
Andrew Benintendi 39
Eloy Jimenez 29
Luis Robert 28
Andrew Vaughn 28
Elvis Andrus 27

Runs

Name Total
Andrew Benintendi 21
Luis Robert 19
Continue reading →
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Hey Now, You’re An All Star

With just one week left before the All-Star break, the reserve rosters were announced today for both leagues.  The Cubs scored three All Stars, with shortstop Dansby Swanson and pitcher Marcus Stroman both making the team for the second time in their careers while pitcher Justin Steele makes it for the first time.  For the disappointing White Sox, center fielder Luis Robert Jr. earns his first All Star nod.  The four will be heading to Seattle for next Tuesday’s festivities.