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Read The Transcript Of Today’s Chat Hosted By Former MLB Pitcher Josh Lindblom

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Righty Josh Lindblom was drafted in the third round by the Astros back in 2005.  Instead of signing, he went to the University of Tennessee, and then after a year transferred to Purdue.  Lindblom was able to boost his draft stock during his time there, becoming the Boilermakers’ closer, and was chosen in the second round by the Dodgers in 2008.

Lindblom was quickly considered one of the Dodgers’ top prospects, and seemed on the fast track to the Majors.  He nearly made the team out of camp in spring training ’09, and saw phrases like “future closer” tossed around by Baseball America.

Lindblom reached the Majors in June of 2011 and ended up making 27 relief appearances with a 2.73 ERA that year for the Dodgers.  At the 2012 trade deadline, Lindblom was in the middle of a solid season when the Dodgers traded him and others to the Phillies for Shane Victorino.  After the season, the Phillies shipped Lindblom to the Rangers in a deal for Michael Young.

With the Rangers, Lindblom moved back to a starting role and made his first big league start against the A’s.  However, in December 2013, Lindblom was traded again, this time to the A’s.  He spent most of 2014 at Triple-A without much success, and was designated for assignment after the season.  The Pirates claimed him off waivers, but soon after he was released to sign with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization.

Lindblom made 62 starts from 2015-16 in KBO, and then signed a minor league deal to return to the Pirates after the ’16 season.  He made four big league relief outings for the ’17 Pirates, marking a gap of more than three years between appearances in the Majors.

Having been cut by the Pirates in the summer of 2017, Lindblom returned to KBO to join the Doosan Bears for the 2018-19 seasons.  This time around he dominated, pitching to a 2.68 ERA over 363 1/3 innings.  He won the top KBO pitching award in both of those seasons.  With KBO success, excellent spin rates, and a new approach to pitching, Lindblom was a hot commodity in free agency that winter, nabbing the #42 spot on MLBTR’s top 50 free agents list.  He landed a three-year, $9.125MM contract with the Brewers.

Lindblom’s Brewers debut happened to be the shortened COVID season, though he was still able to make ten starts for the club.  He began the following season in Milwaukee’s bullpen, but wound up spending 2021 and ’22 at Triple-A.  In January of this year, Josh announced his retirement.  He thanked those who helped him throughout his career, noting, “Most of us don’t get to choose when we finish.”  Lindblom tallied 209 innings in the Majors with six different teams, striking out 200 batters.  He was particularly tough on Paul Goldschmidt, punching him out six times in 12 plate appearances.

You can follow Josh on Twitter @JoshLindblom52.  Recently, Josh joined the Brewers’ player development staff.

I reached out to Josh to see if he’d be up for chatting with MLBTR readers, and he spent an hour fielding questions on his fondest MLB memories, the differences between MLB and the KBO, the experience of making the transition between those two leagues, and his new role with the Brewers’ player development staff.  Click here to read a transcript of today’s chat.

Read The Transcript Of Our Live Chat With Former MLB Outfielder Billy Sample

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Of our ever-growing list of current and former MLB players to hold live chats here, Billy Sample is the first to have played in the 1970s.

The Texas Rangers came to be in 1972, and the following year they drafted Sample, a three-sport star, out of Virginia’s Andrew Lewis high school.  He did not sign at that point, instead attending Madison College (now James Madison University).  Sample boosted his stock and became a 10th round pick of the Rangers in 1976.

Billy was a September call-up for the Rangers in 1978, leading off a game against the Brewers and singling to right field on his first Major League pitch.  In 1979, Sample served as the Rangers’ primary left fielder.  He posted a fine .292/.365/.415 line at the plate, striking out only 7.4% of the time.

In 1981, Sample enjoyed a 19-game hitting streak, and in 1983 he ranked fifth in the American League with 44 stolen bases.  He had an excellent 84.6% success rate on swipes that year.

In February of 1985, the Rangers traded Sample to the Yankees with a player to be named later for Toby Harrah.  After one season in New York, Sample was traded again to the Braves.

Though more of a speedster than a home run hitter, Sample left the yard 46 times in his nine-year MLB career.  The list of pitchers he took deep include Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, Mark Langston, Dennis Martinez, and Cy Young winners Vida Blue, Mike Flanagan, Mike Scott, and LaMarr Hoyt.  One of Sample’s many memorable moments included a walk-off home run against the Angels’ Don Aase in 1982.

Sample played during an interesting time in MLB history, being drafted months after free agency came to the sport.  He was part of the 1981 strike, in which 713 games were cancelled, and can count many legendary players as former teammates.

According to his Wikipedia entry, which Billy suggested I reference for his post-playing career, “Sample has broadcast for the Braves, Seattle Mariners, and California Angels, as well as contributing to NPR, CBS Radio, ESPN, and MLB.com. As a writer, Sample has been published in Sports Illustrated and The New York Times, and was one of the columnists at the inception of USA Today’s Baseball Weekly (now Sports Weekly).”  Billy has also written and produced a movie and self-published a book.

Billy graciously lent his time to chat with MLBTR readers today, spending over four hours discussing his career on the field, what life was like for players off the field in his time, the collusion of the ’80s, broadcasting and so much more! Click here to read the transcript!

Are you a current or former MLB player?  We’d love to have you on for a one-hour chat.  Click here to contact us.

Sign Up For The Free MLBTR Newsletter

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Spring Training has begun, and it’s time to check out the free MLB Trade Rumors Newsletter!  The newsletter is written by Cliff Corcoran, who has an extensive resume contributing to Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, Baseball Prospectus, and other outlets.  Cliff will take you through the hot stove highlights of the previous day, boiling down MLBTR’s posts into the essential stories.  It’s a great morning read that will help you stay on top of the biggest MLB stories.

 

This free newsletter arrives via email Monday through Friday in the morning.  Be sure to check your inbox and click the link in the confirmation email.  If you’re not seeing the box to input your email, you can simply click this link to sign up.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By International Scout And Former Pitcher Ryan Sadowski

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Ryan Sadowski was drafted in the 12th round in 2003 by the Giants out of the University of Florida.  He broke into the Majors in 2009 as a 26-year-old, tossing six scoreless frames against the Brewers at Miller Park.  The magic continued in Ryan’s next start against the Astros.  By the time he was scored upon in his third start, Sadowski had opened his career with 16 scoreless innings, a San Francisco Giants record.

Sadowski’s six starts in ’09 represented the entirety of his MLB career.  He jumped to the Lotte Giants in 2010, ultimately spending three years in KBO and making 79 starts.  As he put it in an interview with Bill Francis, “When you’re 26 and you’ve kind of kicked around the minor leagues and gotten a little bit of play in the major leagues and then this opportunity from Asia comes around in a league that had just won a gold medal in the Olympics and had performed in the top two in the WBC the year before, you gotta take it if you’re in my position.”

When his playing days were done, Ryan made a name for himself in international scouting by producing a report that helped the Netherlands beat South Korea in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.  A few years later, he was hired by the Lotte Giants in an international scouting position.  He later moved to KBO’s Kia Tigers.

Currently, Ryan serves as President of Baseball International Group of Scouts, BIGS for short.  As Ryan puts it, “BIGS is a scouting group focused on identifying and providing scouting reports and projections to MLB, NPB, KBO and CPBL teams on the the AAAA players who have not stuck in the major leagues but have found success in AAA. BIGS scouts also evaluate players in the NPB, KBO, and CPBL who are candidates to move to MLB or switch leagues.”  You can follow Ryan on Twitter @incugator.

Ryan held an insightful live chat with MLBTR readers, discussing the differences between MLB and baseball in Asia, emerging markets around the world for baseball talent, which American players are most likely to succeed in Asia, and much more.  Click here to read the transcript.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By Former MLB Hitting Coach Rick Eckstein

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Rick Eckstein’s playing career ended with the 1996 Florida Gators, where he played alongside his younger brother David.  Rick moved directly into a coaching role at the University of Florida, the beginning of what has become a respected career.

Eckstein eventually worked his way up the ladder to become the Nationals’ big league hitting coach for nearly five years, working under manager Davey Johnson from 2009-13.  Nats players Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman, and Stephen Strasburg won Silver Slugger awards under Eckstein’s watch.  After a stint with the Angels as player information coach, Eckstein became an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky.

Following a few years as the Twins’ minor league hitting coordinator, Eckstein was hired as the Pirates’ Major League hitting coach under managers Clint Hurdle and Derek Shelton.  He served in that job for nearly three years.  Rick currently serves as a consultant to MLB hitters, given his vast knowledge and experience in the game.

Rick joined MLBTR readers today for a live chat, covering the new shift rule, working with Davey Johnson, and much more.  Read the transcript here.

Read The Transcript Of Our Live Chat Hosted By Former MLB Scout Tim Kissner

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Today’s chat guest, Tim Kissner, has 22 years of experience as an MLB scout.

Tim was born in Homer, Alaska, and grew up in Juneau.  He played baseball at Mendocino Community College and Oregon State and has a masters degree from Eastern Oregon State College.

Kissner began his MLB career as a part-time scout with the Phillies in 1999.  After a few years with the Indians, Kissner moved back to the Phillies, eventually serving as the team’s Pacific Rim coordinator.  Kissner spent time as the Cubs’ West Coast crosschecker, then joined the Mariners as director of international scouting.  Kissner’s next step was as a special assignment scout with the Mets.  He finished his MLB career back with the Phillies.

In terms of amateur scouting, Kissner signed players such as Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Kendrick, Vance Worley, Scott Mathieson, Andrew Carpenter, Anthony Gose, and Justin De Fratus.  Tim’s Latin American signings include big leaguers Julio Rodriguez, Freddy Peralta, Luis Rengifo, Enyel De Los Santos, and Guillermo Heredia, as well as top prospect Noelvi Marte.  By Tim’s count, the Mariners traded more than 20 of the players he signed there.

Deciding it was time for something new after a career spent scouting all around the world, Tim returned home to become a police officer in Juneau about a year ago.  Tim chatted today with MLBTR readers for nearly two hours, sharing Julio Rodriguez stories, many aspects of the scouting profession, and much more.  Click here to read the transcript.

Read The Transcript Of Our Live Chat Hosted By Former MLB Pitcher Deck McGuire

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Deck McGuire was drafted 11th overall in 2010 by the Blue Jays as a starting pitcher out of Georgia Tech, signing for $2MM.  Baseball America ranked him 95th among all prospects shortly after that.  At the time, BA felt that McGuire’s “good stuff and polish” and college resume would result in a quick path to Toronto’s rotation.

Things went off track for McGuire in 2012 at Double-A, however.  Eventually, the Blue Jays traded McGuire to the A’s for cash considerations in July 2014.  He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in 2015, and another one with the Cardinals after that season.  McGuire continued finding Triple-A jobs, signing with the Reds prior to the 2017 campaign.

After a strong 2017 season as a starter at the Double-A level, the Reds rewarded the tenacious McGuire with a September call-up.  He made his MLB debut at the age of 28, entering a bases loaded situation against the Cardinals and inducing a double play off the bat of Harrison Bader.  McGuire even got to finish that season with a start at Wrigley Field, tossing five scoreless with only two hits allowed and a strikeout of Kris Bryant.

Following the ’17 season, McGuire moved back to the Jays on a minor league deal.  By May, he was working out of the bullpen for the team that had drafted him eight years prior.  In June of that year, the Rangers claimed McGuire off waivers, trading him to the Angels shortly thereafter.  He made it back to the bigs for a few spot starts, also working out of the Halos’ bullpen that year.

After being part of three MLB organizations in 2018, McGuire signed a deal with KBO’s Samsung Lions.  He made 21 starts for that club, including the 14th no-hitter in KBO history.  McGuire landed with the Rays on a minor league deal in February 2020.  That minor league season was lost to the pandemic, and McGuire moved to the Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League for ’21.

McGuire started the ’22 season in the Atlantic League, which he parlayed into another minor league deal with the Reds.  McGuire wrapped up his pitching career last December, writing on Twitter, “For 12 years I got to live out my dream of being a professional baseball player.”

McGuire’s journeyman career was not what anyone expected when the Blue Jays drafted him 11th overall, but his perseverance got him to the Majors for 51 2/3 innings with the Reds, Blue Jays, and Angels.  Even in that brief time he struck out Bryant, Jose Altuve, Rafael Devers, and Ryan Braun, among many others.  McGuire pitched for seven different MLB organizations while also spending multiple seasons overseas.

Asked about his post-retirement plans, Deck wrote in an email, “As of right now my plans are to stay in the game somehow. I’m currently working with some guys and youth teams in my area of Colorado. I’m gonna head back to Georgia Tech in the fall to graduate and be around the program.”  You can follow Deck on Twitter @deckmcguire.

Today, Deck chatted for over an hour with MLBTR readers, talking about the differences between KBO and MLB, the pressure of being a high draft pick, dealing with hecklers, and much more.  Read the transcript here.

MLBTR Is Seeking A Podcast Producer

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As you may recall, MLBTR had a podcast that launched in October 2014 and ran for about a year and a half.  It was hosted by the esteemed Jeff Todd, and we had a lot of fun.

We have decided to relaunch the MLB Trade Rumors podcast!  This time, it will be hosted by Simon Hampton.  In this 30-minute weekly show, Simon will bring on members of the MLBTR writing staff to analyze MLB transactions and to dig in on the sorts of topics we cover regularly on this site.  We’ll be featuring some outside guests as well.

The show is not ready yet, because we need a producer.  We’re seeking someone with experience as a podcast producer.  This person will help us record the show, edit it, and put it on the various platforms.  If you’re interested, please email us at mlbtrhelp@gmail.com and include your qualifications.

If you’re a podcast listener, we’d love your thoughts in the comments about what you’d like to hear (or not hear) in this show.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By Former Yankees Pitcher Humberto Sanchez

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If you were a diehard Yankees fan or prospect watcher about 15 years ago, you likely know the name Humberto Sanchez.  A native of the Bronx, Sanchez was a 31st round pick by the Tigers in 2001, signing for $1MM as a draft-and-follow.  Sanchez started for the World Team in the Futures Game in 2006, and in November he became the key piece in the trade that saw the Yankees send Gary Sheffield to the Tigers.

Before the 2007 season, Baseball America ranked Sanchez the 57th-best prospect in baseball, calling him “the young power arm New York lacked in Triple-A.”  However, by April of 2007, Sanchez needed Tommy John surgery.  Yankees GM Brian Cashman said, “I knew there was a chance [his elbow] needed to be fixed. But we looked at it long term and in 12 months we will have him back.”  As it turned out, Sanchez would need a second procedure six months later, extending his recovery timeline.

17 months after the initial Tommy John surgery, Sanchez made it to The Show.  He told Sean Brennan of the New York Daily News, “When you have surgery, it feels like your dream has died. After surgery you’re thinking your career is pretty much in jeopardy and (getting the call) seems out of reach. You don’t know if you’re going to come back.”  Sanchez made his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium, entering in the top of the eighth with his team ahead by eight runs.  He pitched a scoreless inning, striking out Paul Phillips and getting Jerry Owens and Jim Thome to ground out.

Sanchez entered another game out of the Yankees’ bullpen a week later.  Though no one knew it at the time, Sanchez had thrown his last Major League pitch at the age of 25.  He battled forearm tightness the following year, and the Yankees released him in April ’09.  He re-signed on a minor league deal and picked up 35 2/3 innings across various minor league affiliates.  Sanchez went on to pitch in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, later pitching in the Mexican and independent leagues.  Facing eight batters was not the MLB career Sanchez or anyone else envisioned, but it can be a brutal game and at least he can say he pitched in the Majors.

For the past four years, Sanchez worked as a pitching coach for the Dominican Summer League Red Sox.  At present, he’s preparing to start a logistics venture with his brother.  You can find him on Instagram @Humbe528.  Humberto chatted with MLBTR readers today, talking about his experience playing alongside Yankees legends, what his MLB debut felt like, what it was like being traded, and much more.  Read the full transcript here.

If you’re a current or former MLB player and you’d like to chat with MLBTR readers, contact us here.  It’s fun and easy, and you get to choose which questions you publish and answer.

Read The Transcript Of Our Chat Hosted By MLB Outfielder Brent Rooker

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After being drafted by the Twins in the 38th round out of Mississippi State, Brent Rooker went back to college for another year.  That move paid off, as the Twins took him again in the first round in 2017.  At the time, Baseball America ranked the outfielder/first baseman as a top 100 prospect in the game, writing, “He projects as a middle-of-the-order weapon with power as a strong carrying tool.”

Rooker reached Triple-A in 2019.  The minor league season was cancelled in 2020, but Rooker was able to make his MLB debut in September of that year.  In his sixth game in the Majors, he went deep off the Cardinals’ Daniel Ponce de Leon.  Unfortunately, Rooker’s forearm was fractured on a hit-by-pitch not long after that.

The surgery for that injury went well, and Rooker was back in the bigs in April of ’21.  The left fielder showed promise that year, popping nine home runs in 213 plate appearances for the Twins.  One highlight: a four-hit effort against the Rays, including a home run off Evan Phillips.

The Padres were drawn to Rooker, as they acquired him along with Taylor Rogers in the April 2022 trade that sent Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan to Minnesota.  After a few brief big league looks for San Diego, the Padres traded Rooker to the Royals in August of ’22 for Cam Gallagher.  Finally, in November of last year, the A’s claimed Rooker off waivers from the Royals.

A whirlwind 2022 season saw Rooker as a member of four different organizations.  He still managed to hit 28 home runs in 365 plate appearances at Triple-A.  Rooker joins an A’s team that currently projects to have Ramon Laureano and Seth Brown at the outfield corners and Aledmys Diaz at DH.  The 28-year-old Rooker appears to have little left to prove at Triple-A and is in a good place to compete for playing time as a right-handed power bat.

As Brent notes, he’s at least above replacement level at Twitter, and you should follow him @Brent_Rooker12.  Brent volunteered to chat with MLBTR readers today, and we’re happy to have him!  Click here to read the transcript of the chat, where Brent talks about everything from the mental weight of a serious injury, the biggest gaps between Triple-A and the Majors, his favorite teammates/toughest opponents, clubhouse food spreads and more!

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