Cowtipper

One more batch, because this project is fun, new and novel: Who was Kevin Batiste? Kevin Wade Batiste (October 21, 1966 – April 2, 2024) was an American professional baseball player who had a brief stint with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1989. Drafted by the Blue Jays in the second round of the 1985 amateur draft, Batiste was called up to the majors in June 1989 and played in six games. However, his major league career was abruptly interrupted when he was arrested at Oakland International Airport on June 24, 1989, for carrying a loaded handgun in his checked luggage. Following this incident, Batiste was sent back to the minor leagues and never returned to the majors. After retiring from professional baseball at the age of 23, he transitioned to playing football for the University of Houston, having been a top high school quarterback before his baseball career. Batiste passed away in Tomball, Texas, at the age of 57. Who was Billy Bean? William Daro "Billy" Bean (May 11, 1964 – August 6, 2024) was an American professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres, as well as for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). A standout athlete from Santa Ana High School, Bean excelled in baseball at Loyola Marymount University before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1986. He made an impressive MLB debut in 1987 but had a career marked by brief stints in the majors. After his playing career ended in 1995, Bean publicly came out as gay in 1999, becoming only the second MLB player to do so. He later became a prominent advocate for inclusion and diversity within sports, serving as MLB's first Ambassador for Inclusion and later as Vice President for Social Responsibility and Inclusion. Bean's personal life was marked by tragedy, including the death of his partner in 1995, which he kept secret at the time. In his later years, Bean continued to champion LGBTQ+ rights and diversity in sports until his death from acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 60. Who was Larry Brown? Larry Leslie Brown (March 1, 1940 – April 13, 2024) was an American professional baseball infielder who played for the Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, and Texas Rangers from 1963 to 1974. He was the younger brother of fellow Major League Baseball player Dick Brown. Larry Brown's career was marked by his steady, albeit low, batting averages, peaking at .253 between 1964 and 1969. A notable moment in his career occurred on May 4, 1966, when he suffered a severe skull fracture after colliding with teammate Leon Wagner during a game against the New York Yankees. This injury led to a significant decline in his playing abilities, yet he continued to play, eventually transitioning to a part-time role. Over his career, Brown hit .233 with 47 home runs and 254 RBIs. He was recognized for his strong plate discipline, ranking in the top ten for best at-bats per strikeout ratio in 1968 and 1969, and his fielding skills, with a career fielding percentage of .966. Despite his modest offensive statistics, Brown's contributions were valued in the dead-ball era of the 1960s. He passed away in Stuart, Florida, at the age of 84.

Don Wert recently died. https://lancasteronline.com/news/local/world-series-champion-and-lancaster-county-native-don-wert-dies-at-86/article_639e1506-6320-11ef-a73e-b3e7c25421ea.html Who was Don Wert? Donald Ralph Wert (July 29, 1938 – August 25, 2024), nicknamed "Coyote," was an American professional baseball player who played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball from 1963 to 1971. He spent the majority of his career with the Detroit Tigers, where he was recognized as an excellent fielder and was a member of the 1968 World Series championship team. Although overshadowed by Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, Wert earned a reputation as one of the best defensive third basemen of his era. His career highlights include being named an All-Star in 1968 and delivering the game-winning hit that secured the American League pennant for the Tigers that same year. Born in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, Wert attended Franklin & Marshall College before signing with the Tigers as an amateur free agent in 1958. He struggled offensively after being hit in the head by a pitch in 1968, which marked a turning point in his career. Wert played his final season with the Washington Senators in 1971 before retiring with a .242 career batting average, 929 hits, 77 home runs, and 366 RBIs in 1,100 games. Pete Daley recently died. There are no articles available, but his passing is listed on Baseball Almanac. https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=daleype01 Who was Pete Daley? Peter Harvey Daley (January 14, 1930 – August 22, 2024) was an American professional baseball catcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1961 for the Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Athletics, and Washington Senators. Known for his defensive skills, Daley maintained a .993 fielding percentage over his seven-season career. He posted a .239 batting average with 18 home runs and 120 RBIs in 391 games. His most productive season came in 1956 with the Red Sox, where he achieved career highs in batting average, home runs, and RBIs. After being traded to the Athletics in 1960, Daley shared catching duties before being selected by the Washington Senators in the expansion draft, ending his major league career in 1961. Prior to his MLB debut, Daley played in the minor leagues and served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. After retiring from baseball, he worked in sales and eventually settled in Newbury Park, California. Daley passed away at the age of 94 in Marysville, California. Jim Brady recently died. https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2024/08/23/former-ju-president-big-league-pitcher-james-j-brady-jr-dies-at-88/74909975007/ Who was Jim Brady? James Joseph Brady Jr. (March 2, 1936 – August 18, 2024) was an American economist, educator, university administrator, and former professional baseball pitcher. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Brady earned three degrees from the University of Notre Dame. He served as the eighth president of Jacksonville University from 1989 to 1996, following roles as dean of both the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and Davis College of Business. Before his tenure at Jacksonville University, Brady chaired the economics department at Old Dominion University and was a member of the economics faculty at Notre Dame. As a baseball player, Brady was signed by the Detroit Tigers in 1955 as a "bonus baby" while still an undergraduate. Despite being sidelined by injury during his first season, he made his MLB debut in 1956. Nicknamed "Diamond Jim" due to his lucrative signing bonus, Brady's brief major league career consisted of six relief appearances, during which he struggled with a high ERA of 28.42. He was later sent to the minor leagues, where he played until 1961 before retiring from baseball. After his athletic career, Brady returned to Notre Dame to complete his education, eventually earning a master’s and Ph.D. He later taught at Old Dominion University and briefly served as the university’s baseball coach. Brady remained active in academia and sports, even coaching Team USA to a bronze medal in the 1973 Intercontinental Cup. He later worked as an arbitrator in North Florida. Brady passed away in Jacksonville at the age of 88.

That would actually be a good project for this thread. I'll use ChatGPT to create brief biographies of big leaguers who died in 2024. It will derive its information from Wikipedia and the Baseball Reference Bullpen, so it won't be making stuff out of whole cloth. ChatGPT is great for providing synopses of stuff. Let's start with three. Who was Hank Allen? Harold Andrew "Hank" Allen (July 23, 1940 – May 29, 2024) was an American professional baseball player who primarily played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers, and Chicago White Sox between 1966 and 1973. Born in Wampum, Pennsylvania, Allen was the elder brother of notable MLB player Dick Allen and Ron Allen, who also had a brief MLB career. Hank Allen began his professional career with the Philadelphia Phillies but made his MLB debut with the Senators, where he had a standout performance in September 1966, hitting .387. Despite showing promise, he struggled to secure a regular spot in the lineup and was known for his versatility, playing multiple positions throughout his career. His most productive season came in 1969 with the Senators, where he achieved career highs in several offensive categories. Over his seven-season MLB career, Allen hit .241 with 6 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 104 runs in 389 games. After his baseball career, Allen transitioned to Thoroughbred horse racing, becoming a trainer and owner based in Maryland. He made history in 1989 as the first African-American trainer in 78 years to saddle a horse in the Kentucky Derby. His horse, Northern Wolf, also set track records at Laurel Park and Pimlico. Allen remained connected to baseball as a scout, eventually working for the Houston Astros. He passed away in Bethesda, Maryland, in 2024 at the age of 83. Who was Brant Alyea? Garrabrant Ryerson Alyea (December 8, 1940 – February 4, 2024) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis Cardinals. Notably, Alyea became the ninth player to hit a home run on his first MLB pitch during his debut in 1965. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, and raised in Rutherford, New Jersey, Alyea was a multi-sport athlete in high school before being signed by the Cincinnati Reds and later drafted by the Senators. His most successful season came in 1970 with the Minnesota Twins, where he achieved career highs in batting average, home runs, and RBIs, including two seven-RBI games. Alyea also had a successful stint in winter ball in Venezuela, leading the league in home runs and RBIs at various times. After his baseball career, Alyea managed the crap tables at the Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He passed away in 2024 at the age of 83. Who was Cuno Barragan? Facundo Anthony "Cuno" Barragan (June 20, 1932 – May 12, 2024) was an American professional baseball player who served as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs from 1961 to 1963. Born in Sacramento, California, Barragan was a right-handed batter and thrower, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds. He attended Sacramento City College and California State University, Sacramento. Barragan made a memorable debut in Major League Baseball by hitting a home run in his very first at-bat on September 1, 1961, off San Francisco Giants pitcher Dick LeMay. Over his MLB career, he played in 69 games, collecting 33 hits, including six doubles and a triple, and recorded 14 RBIs with a batting average of .202. Despite his brief career, Barragan's unique name and one-time appearance as a player earned him a place in baseball lore, humorously noted in The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book. He was inducted into the Mexican American Hall of Fame in 1973 and later honored in the Sacramento City College Hall of Fame for his contributions to baseball and football. Barragan passed away from heart failure in Placer County, California, at the age of 91.

Vasil, Hamel & Tidwell, each of whom the Mets have pinned some level of hope on, have all struggled mightily at Triple-A this year :-(.

Bean signed an autograph for me through the mail in 2017. He also sent a short note. Jim Umbarger, who played in the 1970s, died in July. No articles yet, but Baseball Almanac has him listed as deceased.

Former MLB umpire Larry Poncino: https://www.afterall.com/obituaries/LarryPoncino

More: Nelson Chittum: https://www.legacy.com/funeral-homes/obituaries/name/nelson-chittum-obituary?pid=207280386&v=batesville Mel Held: https://www.krillfuneralservice.com/obituaries/melvin-held

Recently promoted to Syracuse.

Doug Creek: https://ramblinwreck.com/georgia-tech-baseball-mourns-passing-of-doug-creek/ Reyes Moronta: https://aroundthefoghorn.com/posts/sf-giants-announce-the-passing-of-hard-throwing-reliever-reyes-moronta-01j4cnqxzn25 Gary Dotter: https://www.wileyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/Gary-Richard-Dotter?obId=32489037 Denny Lemaster: https://news.monroelocal.org/obituary-and-funeral-service-denver-clayton-denny-lemaster-85/ Mike Ferraro: https://nypost.com/2024/07/26/sports/former-yankee-player-coach-mike-ferraro-dead-at-79/

Megill should've been traded. Blackburn did better than I expected.

Finished his pro career with a 15-6 record and a 1.90 ERA.

All these years later, he's still going. Eight seasons into his pro career and he hasn't even reached Triple-A. But—he's also still just 24!

One of these days he'll make the majors. He's gotta. .306/.363/.441 in 2022. .298/.346/.425 at Triple-A in 2023. .328/.376/.428 at Triple-A this year. .294 career average. .312 Triple-A average. The fates must align at some point.

He missed all of 2023 and 2024 (so far), but supposedly he's due back pretty soon.

He's still around, currently at Triple-A. Great K rate in the minors this year (13.5 per 9) but awful ERA (10.38).

It was a horrible March/April that really hurt him. March ERA: 15.43. April ERA: 10.13. May ERA: 5.47. June ERA: 4.26. July ERA: 3.86. ERA since beginning of May: 4.59. Since beginning of June: 4.05. His season ERA has declined nearly every appearance since his first one.

Jerry Walker: https://www.theadanews.com/oklahoma/former-mlb-great-jerry-walker-passes-away/article_35410c56-4514-11ef-8182-471ede0bbed0.html

I have taken over the team for now to try and improve it...we've gotten it to move up a place in the standings. Someone come and take this while we're on a hot streak!

Here's what the team currently looks like. I removed Diaz because he wasn't getting many points in this league.

"Accidental Fentanyl Intoxication" is being cited as cause of death. Sounds like he bought what he thought was the good stuff, but it was laced with the bad stuff.

I've done a little work on this team to improve it. Surely someone must want it! Consider all the possibilities! Edwin Diaz is on the team.

Gordy Lund: https://www.friedrichsfh.com/obituaries/Gordon-Thomas-Lund?obId=31561390 Johnny Jeter: https://www.goodsamaritanfuneralhome.com/obituary/johnny-jeter Jimmy Hurst: https://patch.com/alabama/tuscaloosa/tuscaloosa-baseball-legend-former-big-leaguer-jimmy-hurst-dead-52

Looking for someone to adopt an abandoned team. It's a fixer-upper, but could be a fun project for the latter half of the season. The top players are: Marcell Ozuna Vinnie Pasquantino CJ Abrams Will Smith Kyle Tucker Corbin Burnes Maikel Garcia You could slam your team full of starting pitchers and ascend up the ranks quickly that way, as you have a TON of team innings pitched left to use up. If you want it, send along your email address and I'll transfer the team.

Danny Fife: https://www.mlive.com/highschoolsports/2024/05/legendary-clarkston-basketball-coach-dan-fife-passes-away-at-74.html Tony Scott: https://www.mlb.com/news/former-mlb-player-tony-scott-dies John Upham: https://cooperstownersincanada.com/2024/05/23/former-cub-and-windsor-coaching-legend-john-upham-dies-at-83/ Hank Foiles: https://www.pilotonline.com/2024/06/04/hank-foiles-94-was-a-legend-at-granby-high-and-spent-11-seasons-in-the-major-leagues/

06/08/24 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Zebulon Vermillion on the full-season injured list.