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Randy Milligan


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#1 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 20 February 2022 - 09:36 AM

 

I remember the walks stood out on the back of his baseball card as a kid. 


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#2 NewMarketSean

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Posted 20 February 2022 - 06:05 PM

Oh yeah. He was a OBP monster.
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#3 The Epic

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 06:27 AM

I think I told this story a few times but I'll share it again.

 

My grandfather took me to a baseball card convention once when I was a kid, and Randy Milligan was there, signing stuff. I got in line to see him, and when I finally talked to him, I told him, "You're one of my favorite players, but why do you walk so much?" He laughed it off.

 

There was a game that night, and on a 3-2 pitch, he swung and missed on a pitch outside of the zone. I blame myself for that.  :oops:


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#4 Nigel Tufnel

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 09:32 AM

He was my favorite Oriole back in the day.  I always thought that Frank Robinson played Traber over Milligan too much in 1989, and it probably cost the O's the pennant, because Traber was horrible.



#5 Mike B

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 10:13 AM

I always liked Milligan.  He played the game right.


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#6 Nigel Tufnel

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 11:10 AM

I was at what might have been the best game of Milligan's career - 4 for 5 with a homer, two doubles, 4 runs, and 4 RBI against the Blue Jays.  He also walked.  As I remember it, his only out was a would-be home run that George Bell robbed.  It was also the first game with two Black managers.

 

Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles Box Score, June 27, 1989 | Baseball-Reference.com



#7 SBTarheel

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 11:53 AM

I went to the same dentist as Randy Milligan back in the day, Dr. Harry Shaw, in Woodlawn, right across from Security Mall. Anyway, the Orioles were in the midst of a little slump in late July, Early August of '89, and were down 6-0 to the Red Sox in the last game of the series, and were about to lose first place for the first time in a while. We chipped away at the lead, and then Moose hit a big homer late in the game to complete the comeback (this game was covered in the "Why Not" documentary)..anyway, the next day i was actually in the waiting room at the dentist office and he walked in..Being the obnoxious baseball dork that I've always been I just had to say something about the homer the night before, he smiled and said "Man, I just closed my eyes and swung". Great personal memory! 

 

EDIT, here's the boxscore:

https://www.baseball...198908020.shtml


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#8 mweb08

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 06:25 PM

Underappreciated is right. He should have been given much more opportunity during his career. He was an upper echelon bat in '89 and '90 and good in the next few years yet wasn't treated that way because people didn't properly value players like him back then.   



#9 TwentyThirtyFive

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 06:31 PM

Interesting that he took so long to break in as the #3 overall pick. I havent looked at his minor league numbers though.

#10 makoman

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 06:58 PM

Interesting that he took so long to break in as the #3 overall pick. I havent looked at his minor league numbers though.

In '81 at age 19 had an 833 OPS in low A. In '82 went to high A and had only a 731 OPS. Repeated in '83 and had an 831 OPS. Had an 877 OPS in '84 in AA at 22, but only 62 games. I guess he was hurt. Then in '85 they had him play in AA the whole year again, and he had an 870 OPS. Then in '86 he apparently started in AA again, and had a 900 OPS in 78 games before finally getting 21 games in AAA. In '87 he had a 1033 OPS in a full year of AAA before getting a 3 game cup of coffee at age 25. The Mets were good and had Keith Hernandez playing every day so it's reasonable I guess that he never came up, but maybe they should have traded him earlier.

 

Traded to Pittsburgh in '88 spring training, and again spent half the year in AAA. Came up and had a 769 OPS in 40 ML games. The Pirates were decent but Sid Bream shouldn't have blocked anyone like Hernandez did, Miliigan hit better than Bream. Traded to Baltimore in the '88 offseason and finally was in the majors for good.

 

I think if we had a #3 pick that produced like that and was held back like that today we'd all be at the warehouse with pitchforks and torches.


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#11 TwentyThirtyFive

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 07:08 PM

In '81 at age 19 had an 833 OPS in low A. In '82 went to high A and had only a 731 OPS. Repeated in '83 and had an 831 OPS. Had an 877 OPS in '84 in AA at 22, but only 62 games. I guess he was hurt. Then in '85 they had him play in AA the whole year again, and he had an 870 OPS. Then in '86 he apparently started in AA again, and had a 900 OPS in 78 games before finally getting 21 games in AAA. In '87 he had a 1033 OPS in a full year of AAA before getting a 3 game cup of coffee at age 25. The Mets were good and had Keith Hernandez playing every day so it's reasonable I guess that he never came up, but maybe they should have traded him earlier.

 

Traded to Pittsburgh in '88 spring training, and again spent half the year in AAA. Came up and had a 769 OPS in 40 ML games. The Pirates were decent but Sid Bream shouldn't have blocked anyone like Hernandez did, Miliigan hit better than Bream. Traded to Baltimore in the '88 offseason and finally was in the majors for good.

 

I think if we had a #3 pick that produced like that and was held back like that today we'd all be at the warehouse with pitchforks and torches.

Good stuff. I guess he was truly underappreciated. Also wonder if he had a stigma associated with him fair or not. Drugs?? Bad attitude?? Injury prone??



#12 Nigel Tufnel

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 07:24 PM

Yeah, hard to believe now, but in 1988 teams didn't really understand that walks were good. All they noticed was that he didn't have a ton of power for a guy playing first base.

#13 makoman

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 07:33 PM

Yeah, hard to believe now, but in 1988 teams didn't really understand that walks were good. All they noticed was that he didn't have a ton of power for a guy playing first base.

His wRC+ from '88 to '93, the first one 40 games but the rest over 100, were 133, 145, 156, 121, 118, and 138. But he was a first baseman who only hit 20 homers once so not really any good for the time I guess.



#14 BSLChrisStoner

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Posted 21 February 2022 - 09:02 PM

Yeah, hard to believe now, but in 1988 teams didn't really understand that walks were good. All they noticed was that he didn't have a ton of power for a guy playing first base.


Roland Hemond valued the walks.

#15 NewMarketSean

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Posted 22 February 2022 - 08:52 AM

I was at what might have been the best game of Milligan's career - 4 for 5 with a homer, two doubles, 4 runs, and 4 RBI against the Blue Jays.  He also walked.  As I remember it, his only out was a would-be home run that George Bell robbed.  It was also the first game with two Black managers.

 

Toronto Blue Jays at Baltimore Orioles Box Score, June 27, 1989 | Baseball-Reference.com


Jay Tibbs with the CG!


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#16 Nigel Tufnel

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Posted 22 February 2022 - 09:02 AM


Jay Tibbs with the CG!

 

Just your run of the mill 13 hit, 6 run complete game.



#17 Old Man

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Posted 22 February 2022 - 10:34 AM

Was the first Moose before Mussina. :)

 

Pretty old article, but good read

https://tht.fangraph...orgotten-moose/


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#18 Mike B

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Posted 22 February 2022 - 11:36 AM


Jay Tibbs with the CG!

6 runs-13 hits and 3 walks all on 127 pitches.  There is 0 chance that line happens in today's game.

 

Flanny took the loss for the Jays.  I still get sad when I see Flanagan's name.


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