Today’s Lineup…
🎭 Card of the Day - Didn’t you used to carry bats?
🗾 Warren doesn’t play here anymore
🕰️ Time on your hands? Call Dan!
1970 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez (#228) - Card of the Day
In the long history of the major leagues, there have been three players with the first name of “Aurelio”:
Aurelio Monteagudo, who pitched for five teams from 1963 through 1973, with several years “off” in that span for minor league seasoning.
Aurelio Lopez, aka Señor Smoke, who starred for the 1984 Tigers and spent parts of 11 seasons in the majors.
Aurelio Rodriguez, the only hitter among the bunch and Lopez’s teammate with Detroit in 1979.
Shockingly, all three of the Aurelios died between the ages of 44 and 52 in accidents involving automobiles.
(A fourth member of this club, Aurelio Cortes, played for the Cuban Stars West in the Negro National League back in late 1920s. As far as I can tell, details about his death are unknown.)
Aurelio Rodriguez, our subject here, was killed in Detroit at age 52 in 2000 when a car struck him as he was stepping out of a restaurant.
Tragic all around, but Team Aurelio did leave us several lovely baseball cards.
This one, the 1970 Topps Aurelio Rodriguez, is important because it’s his first real card. I mean, unless you want to count his 1969 Topps “rookie” card:
If that one looks familiar, it’s probably because of the longstanding lore around just how the Angels’ batboy, and not their young third baseman, ended up on this card.
At any rate, Rodriguez stuck around the majors until 1983, racking up plenty more hunks of dedicated cardboard en route to 124 home runs among his 1570 hits.
But it was his glove that really made this Aurelio something special. Even though he only won one Gold Glove (1976), Rodriguez racked up 14.7 defensive WAR, almost entirely at the hot corner.
Aurelio Rodriguez was born 76 years ago today.
1984 O-Pee-Chee Warren Cromartie (#287)
After nine years in the majors, free agent Warren Cromartie signed with the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants on December 28, 1983. It would prove to be a fateful move for the Expos’ former corner outfielder, who went on to spend seven years in Japan.
Overall, Cromartie hit .321 with 171 home runs for the Giants, making him something of a cult hero and arguably the most successful MLB export to Japan to that point.
That signing also set up one of the more interesting OPC “now with” baseball cards of all time in 1984.
6 Degrees of Dan Driessen
Like most baseball fans, I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit pouring through statistics and finding connections.
Every once in a while, my rabbit-hole trips yield a truly inane yet irresistible way to waste time. One of my favorites is something I call “6 Degrees of Dan Driessen,” wherein you start with any batter, then click through players listed in “Similarity Scores” on Baseball Reference until you land on the Reds’ former first-sacker.
I wrote up the whole thing in somewhat gory detail right here, if you’re interested. Or you can watch me wile away the minutes playing this makeshift game on YouTube.
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That’s a wrap for today. If you need me, I’ll be over here trying to map my way from Pete LaCock over to Dan Driessen.
Thanks for reading.
—Adam
Aurelio Rodriguez.
The original "A Rod"
Nice mini•bio of Aurelio Rodriguez✓ But U neglect most important fact about him as a ballplayer: "AURELIOROD" possessed 🐐 ARM in history of MLB all infielders!! It was the arm of Dave Parker✓ the arm of Ellis Valentine✓ the arm of Babe Ruth✓ i.e. none better✓
Remove UR head from the asshole of Jay Jaffe & listen much more to old ballplayers such as Rod Carew & Bill Melton✓ JAWS is just another grift✓ Bastard son of Sabermetrics w/ a yamuke✓