Size Doesn't Matter
You look at the players who play in the majors now, and some of them a huge physical specimens. Arron Judge, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, James Wood. All are 6’4″ or taller. Large does not always mean better, but you are more likely to be a power hitter with some size to you. But…
You look at the players who play in the majors now, and some of them a huge physical specimens. Arron Judge, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, James Wood. All are 6’4″ or taller. Large does not always mean better, but you are more likely to be a power hitter with some size to you. But being small does not mean you cannot excel in the major leagues.
Nutrition, exercise, are just part of the reason today’s athletes are so big. A lot of it has to do with the fact that men and women have grown taller over the years naturally. Evolution one might call it. My mom was 5’5″, my dad was 5’7″. I am 6′ even. My son, whose mom was 5’1″, is 5’8″. My daughters, whose mom was 5’6″. are both 5’10”. Can’t explain it, just biology at work and maybe a messed-up gene pool.
Before the modern era, there were many players who were short in stature. One of Brooklyn’s first real stars stood just 5’4″. Keeler played for Brooklyn for 5 seasons. His BA? .388. He even hit 14 homers in that span, pretty good for the dead ball era. What I find amazing is that in 5 seasons, Keeler struck out just 36 times. In his 19-year career, Willie struck out just 136 times in 8,591 at bats. I would love to see a modern-day hitter even come close to that mark.
Let’s look at some small in stature players who have had nice careers as major leaguers. We will look at some of the active guys first, then go into those who played in the past. The first one is Jose Altuve of the Astros. Dodger fans despise the guy for good reason, but his skills on the field are unmistakable. In his 16-year MLB career, he has a .302 lifetime BA. And for a guy who is only 5’6″ he has surprising power. 259 career homers attest to that. The first four years of his career he never hit more than 7. In the last ten, he has hit 31 twice, and 20 or more five times. He also has 3 batting titles and an MVP award to his credit. He has only 1 gold glove. He also has 27 homers in the post season.
Ozzie Albies, the Braves second baseman, has had a very nice 10-year career. He is 5’7″. He does not have the same type of power that Altuve has, but he too has hit 30 or more homers twice. He has two other seasons when he hit 24. He is a .266 career hitter with 165 career homers and 609 driven in. He was a huge part of the Braves 2021 run to the championship. Albies is a solid defender and has enough speed on the bases to be a pest.
Javier Sanoja is the Marlins utility player. This is his 3rd season with Miami, and he is hitting .281. He is not a power hitter, just 7 career homers, but his contact numbers have improved. His OPS+ is 108. He won the gold glove last year as the best utility player in the NL. He is 5’7″.
A kid to watch is OF, Carlos Cortes of the A’s. In 40 games in his rookie campaign last year, he hit .309/4/14 with an OPS of .866. He is even better so far this year, in 44 games he is hitting .336/5/17. He has walked more than he has struck out, 18-15. His OPS is .954 and he has a ,423 OBP. So far playing RF for the A’s he has not made an error. He is 5’7″ 195 lbs.
Caleb Durbin of the Red Sox is just 5’6″. He had a good rookie year finishing 3rd in the ROY voting. So far this year, he has been unable to recapture that magic. He is hitting .163 with a single homer. He hit 11 last year. Not exactly a defensive whiz in the outfield. He hit .308 in the LCS against the Dodgers last year when he was with the Brewers.
Some of the players still playing who are short in stature and yet have performed well, Cedric Mullins 5’8″, Donovan Solano, 5’8″, Daulton Varsho 5’8″, Alejandro Kirk 5’8″, former Dodger, Justin Dean is also 5’8″. Mookie is just 5’9″. Jose Ramirez is also just 5’9″. Marcus Stroman is 5’7″. Tony Kemp, who is currently out of the game, was just 5’6″.
Looking back, there are several shorter players I can recall seeing play or having their baseball cards. The first one I would like to write about is one I actually saw play at old Wrigley Field in LA when he was with the Angels, Albie Pearson. Pearson was 5’5″ and mostly played CF. He was originally signed by the Red Sox in 1953 as an amateur free agent. He was traded to the Senators along with Norm Zauchin for Pete Runnels in January of 1958. He was traded to the Senators in May of 59. Up to that point in his career, he was about a .220 hitter with no power. His life changed after he was taken by the Angels in the draft in 1960. In the 1961 season, he found himself. He hit .288. He had an OBP of .420. He slugged 7 homers. Through 1965, he was the Angels primary CF. He hit .304 in 63 and made his only All-Star team. He led the league in runs scored in62 with 115. His career BA was .270. Albie passed in February of 2023. He was 88.
Hall of Fame SS, Rabbit Maranville was just 5’5″. He played in the majors for 23 years and 5 different teams, including a short stint in Brooklyn in 1926. He was just a .258 hitter but was considered one of the better SS in his era. Played on the Braves WS champion team in 1914 and was on the losing Cardinal team in 1928. He was elected to the Hall in 1954, the same year he died.
Freddie Patek started out with the Pirates in 1968. At just 5’5″ he played mostly shortstop for the Bucco’s. He was part of a six-player trade in 1971 that sent Bruce DalCanton, Jerry May and himself to the Royals for Jim Campanis, Jackie Hernandez and Bob Johnson. His fortunes turned for the better with the Royals where he was a member of the 76-78 Royals who won 3-straight division titles only to lose each time to the Yankees in the LCS. Played for 14 years, ending his career with the Angels in 1981. He was a career .241 hitter. He led the AL in triples in 1971 with 11.
Bobby Shantz was 5’6″. He won the MVP award in 1952 when he was 24-7 for the Philadelphia A’s. His WHIP that year was a league leading 1.048. He never came close to having that kind of season again, as a matter of fact, he won more than 10 games just once in the next 12 seasons. He finished with a career record of 119-99 and a respectable 3.38 ERA. He pitched for 7 different teams including the Yankees over his 16-year career.
Hall of Famer, Joe Morgan began his career with the Houston Colt-45s in 1963. He would play for Houston for 10 years. Then in 1971, he was traded to the Reds with Cesar Geronimo, Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, and Denis Menke, for Tommy Helms, Lee May and Jimmy Stewart. That trade brought the Reds some players who would become key members of the Big Red Machine. None more so than Morgan. Morgan would win two MVP awards on that star studded team, 75-76, World Champion years. His career BA was .271 but he had surprising power for a small guy hitting 268 homers. He would finish his 22-year career in Oakland, and he was on the Phillies 83 NL pennant winning team.
Jimmy Rollins, like Morgan was 5’7″. He was the star SS for the Phillies for 15 years. He won the MVP award in 2007 when the Phillies inexplicably lost the LDS to the Rockies in 3 games. He was a member of the Phils 2008 championship team. He was a soldi defensive SS and won 3 gold gloves. He hit .264 for his career and had 231 homers. He hit .221 for the 2015 Dodgers in 144 games with 13 homers.
The Dodgers have had several players who were under 5’11”. Maury Wills, Dave Roberts, Pee Wee Reese, Jim Wynn, the Toy Cannon was 5’10” Charlie Neal, Billy Cox, Nick Punto was 5’9″. Steve Garvey and Ron Cey were both 5’10”. So, it is not always the size of the person, it is the size of his heart and his desire to succeed.
MiLB GAME SUMMARY REPORTS
OKC Comets 9 – Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 2
RHSP River Ryan looks as if he is ready to join LAD in some capacity. He completed 6.0 innings, allowing 1 unearned run, 4 hits, 0 BB, and 8K. He threw 87 pitches (67 strikes).
RHRP Jerming Rosario allowed a solo HR in the 7th inning, for the Space Cowboys’ final run.
LHRP Jake Eder pitched 1.2 scoreless innings allowing 1 BB, and getting 3 K. After striking out the first two batters in the 9th, RHRP Wyatt Mills entered to get the final out. Mills did strike out the one batter he faced to close out the game.
Offensively, OKC scored 9 runs on 10 hits and 6 BB. The Comets struck fast in the 1st. RF Zach Ehrhard drew a BB, 2B Tommy Edman singled, and DH James Tibbs III hit a 3-run HR (13).
In the 2nd, C Eliézer Alfonzo drew a BB, was forced at 2B by 1B Seby Zavala. Ehrhard doubled (13) home Alfonzo. Edman followed with a single, but Ehrhard was out at home.
In the 3rd, CF Jack Suwinski singled and came home on 3B Tyler Fitzgerald’s double (6). It was 5-1 after 3.
In the 5th, Suwinski tripled (1) and scored on LF Ryan Fitzgerald’s RBI single.
Tibbs III hit another 3-run HR (14) in the 6th after Zavala and Edman both walked.
- Zach Ehrhard – 2-4, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (13)
- Tommy Edman – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs
- James Tibbs III – 2-5, 2 runs, 6 RBI, 2 HRs (14)
- Jack Suwinski – 2-5, 2 runs, triple (1)
Zach Ehrhard has had a fantastic month of May. In 84 PA, Zach hit .323/.476/.477/.953, 7 doubles, 1 HR, 18 BB vs 10 K. Zach is also the primary CF.
Tulsa Drillers 6 – NW Arkansas Naturals (KC) 1 – 7 innings
This was Game 1 of what was supposed to be a DH, but the 2nd game was postponed.
LHSP Adam Serwinowski pitched his second consecutive solid start. For the 1st 5.1 innings, Serwinowski was brilliant. No runs, 1 hit, 2 BB, and 8 K. After his 8th K, Adam gave up a single and BB before being lifted for RHRP Antonio Knowles. Knowles got out of the inning, but not before allowing an RBI single, charged to Serwinowski.
RHRP Cam Day closed it out in the 7th.
In the 3rd, LF Josue De Paula drew a BB. Three consecutive singles by DH Mike Sirota, SS Elijah Hainline, and RF Zyhir Hope scored 2 runs.
In the 4th, the Drillers doubled their run total. 2B Jake Gelof singled and stole 2nd. Gelof scored on CF Chris Newell’ RBI single. Newell stole 2nd, and scored on JDP’s double (14).
In the 6th, Gelof singled and scored on Newell’s HR (5).
- Chris Newell – 2-3, 2 runs, 3 RBI, HR (5)
- Zyhir Hope – 2-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI
- Jake Gelof – 2-3, 2 runs
- Josue De Paula – 1-3, 1 BB, 1 run, 1 RBI, double (14)
Dayton Dragons (Reds) 12 – Great Lakes Loons 3
LHSP Jakeob Wright had a rough 3.2 innings. He allowed a run in the 1st from a single, SB, and 2 WP. He semi-unraveled in the 2nd. He hit a batter, gave up a double, 2 strikeouts but for the 2nd batter, Wright threw his 3rd WP, the batter reached and a run scored. After a 3rd K, Wright walked the next batter, and another batter reached on E6 with a run scoring and the bases remain loaded. A 2-run double ended the scoring in the 2nd.
In the 4th, Wright allowed a single and BB. He recorded two outs and was relieved by RHRP Davis Chastain. Chastain surrendered a 2 -run double.
LHRP Justin Chambers and RHRP Reynaldo Yean allowed 5 additional runs.
DH Jose Meza homered (6) in the 2nd for the Loons 1st run.
1B Jose D. Hernandez singled but was thrown out at 3B after C Bryan Gonzalez Garcia singled. Garcia scored on LF Chuck Davalan’s double (12). Davalan scored on CF Eduardo Quintero’s single.
- Chuck Davalan – 2-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, 2 doubles (12)
- Jose Meza – 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (6)
Visalia Rawhide (Dbacks) 8 – Ontario Tower Buzzers 6
DH Jaron Elkins led off the bottom of the 1st with a HR (6).
RHSP Tyler Gough recently promoted from ACL pitched the 1st 3.1 innings. He did not allow a run, gave up 1 hit, and struck out 2. In the 4th, Gough struck out the 1st batter and was relieved by RHRP Accimias Morales.
Morales struck out the 1st batter he faced but he reached on a passed ball. Morales walked the next batter, and the 2 runners moved to 2nd and 3rd on 2nd PB. After a strikeout, Morales gave up a 2-run single (both unearned).
Ontario tied the score in the bottom of the 4th. CF Brendan Tunink drew a walk, and moved to 3rd on 1B Easton Shelton’s single. Shelton moved to 2nd on the play. Tunink scored on a WP.
RHP Jesus Tillero entered and pitched a scoreless 5th. But in the 6th, Tillero gave up 5 singles, a walk, a WP and a double to score 5 runs.
Ontario picked up 2 in the 7th after a single by Tunink, and a HR (11) by Shelton. They picked up 2 more in the 8th after 3B Chase Harlan homered (7), SS Joendry Vargas singled and scored on Tunink’s double (9).
Tillero surrendered a HR in the 9th giving the Rawhide the 8-6 win.
- Brendan Tunink – 2-3, 1 BB, 2 runs, 1 RBI, 2 doubles (9)
- Easton Shelton – 2-4, 1 run, 2 RBI, HR (11)
- Chase Harlan – 1-3, 1 HBP, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (7)
- Jaron Elkins – 1-3, 1 run, 1 RBI, HR (6)
ACL Brewers 4 – ACL Dodgers 3
CF Alek Thomas made his Dodger organization debut and went 1-3 with a BB and run scored.
SS Daniel Mielcarek had 2 singles, and DH Aidan West had the other hit.
More from Dodger Talk
Dodgers Food Trailer
I did this interview a couple of weeks ago with Chef Mike, who runs the Dodgers Food Trailer for the Great Lakes Loons. They are there for every home and road regular season and playoff game. They prepare three meals a day for approximately 50 people (players and coaches). Since games end late most evenings, they do not prepare breakfast. Many of their hotels have a complimentary breakfast anyway. However,…
Meet LAD 2026 Draft Picks 1-12
3 picks were High School players (2 SS and 1 OF). There was a college OF, college catcher, college SS, and 10 college pitchers. Of all the talk for a need for a catcher, the only catcher the Dodgers selected was Luke Bard, son of LAD bullpen coach Josh Bard. Bard was a 4th year senior from Houston Christian University. He is not a prospect, so the Dodgers are still…
Interview with Paul Beachy – Team Bus Driver For The Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers Minor League Team)
It’s been a few days since I did this interview. We have evidently been working my son-in-law (the video guy) like a rented mule at US Water Systems. However, I am taking him to London with me in a few days, so maybe Watford will buy him a pint as a tip, but he’s a dang Red Sox fan, so there is that! I thought that it would be interesting…
Thanks for Your Service: Chris Taylor
I was going to do this post when Chris announced he was retiring, then he changed his mind, but since the chances of him ever playing for the Dodgers again are slim and non-existent, I will go ahead with this post. He unretired, went on the IL, then decided to call it quits on May 24th. Taylor was born in Virginia Beach VA on August 29th, 1990. He attended Great…
Discussion (81)
Disagree, not disagreeable
Power can play differently in baseball, though most of those guys out there now are bigger than the players of past generations. Hank Aaron was only 180 pounds, Willie Mays was only slightly bigger than me. Mickey Mantle was 5’11” 195. (So is Alex Freeland). Remember the name Hack Wilson? 5’6”, 190. 56 home runs 191 RBI’s in 1930. He must have been built like a pit bull. Newton’s second law: Force = mass x acceleration. Move that hard heavy stick quickly and the ball will travel. And ballparks are smaller than ever. Power alleys are only about 370’. Heck I can still hit a ball that far. Of course it’s a golf ball with a 7 iron.
The all-time all-small team has to include Hack Wilson. He packed 190 pounds into a 5-6 frame and still holds the season RBI record at 191.
I do not think anyone is complaining. I think we all see a glut of good OF prospects, and they all cannot make MLB with the Dodgers.Some will have to be moved. You can see that, right? What they get in return is the question. Which ones do they keep? How will other teams value them? Many fans like to speculate. I like to speculate. You don’t. There are countless publications that deal with your facts. But blogs are more fit for civil banter on what the future may hold, or observations of what just happened.Yes, we have no control as to what AF/BG may do, but apwxulative discussion isn’t irrelevant. It is enjoyable, and that does make it relevant. Yes, I am serious, and this is not a joke.
I am going Freeland going down. Kim is more apt to assume the Kiké role than Freeland. Edman’s 60 day IL clock has expired , so he can be added any time. He started his rehav on March 26, giving the Dodgers 17 days to activate him…unless he has a setback. Rehab assignment starts the 20 day to activate clock for position players.
I like Hyeseong Kim. I think he could be the super utility player like CT3, Kiké, or Tommy Edman, a role the Dodgers greatly value. CT3 is gone, Kiké is probably in his last year with LAD (if he plays with them this year), and Edman will probably assume the 2B position when he returns in less than 3 weeks. He started his rehab on March 26, and the 20 day clock has started I still think the Dodgers love the idea of Alex Freeland winning the 2B job. I keep reading how superlative Kim is defensively, and I am not disputing that. But Freeland is not getting the same attention, and he is proving to be a better 2B defensively than advertised. This year defensively: • Alex Freeland – In 271 innings, +5 DRS and +3 OAA at 2B • Hyeseong Kim – 108 innings, 0 DRS and 0 OAA at 2B • Hyeseong Kim – 202 innings, +1 DRS and 0 OAA at 2B Freeland’s DRS puts him even with Nico Hoerner and +2 DRS ahead of Brice Turang. His OAA puts him well below Hoerner, but above Turang. Now if you disagree with DRS and OAA as credible defensive metrics, please advise as to what your metric is, other than your eyes. I would love to review another metric. While I have never read anything on the subject, I would not be surprised if the Dodgers see Freeland as Brice Turang Lite or Nico Hoerner Lite. Turang got a long runway at 23 and it paid off handsomely for Milwaukee when he turned 24. He has been improving every year. Hoerner took a bit longer before he stuck at 2B (age 25), but he has been excellent since. With a “significant tear” in Kiké’s oblique, it will be a loooonggg recovery and rehab. I am not a doctor, so I couldn’t even hazard a guess as to how long, and nobody is saying yet. When Edman does come back, I would guess he would assume the everyday 2B position where he has won a MLB GG. I would further guess that Kim would assume the Kiké role, and Freeland would be optioned back to OKC. Freeland is not a utility guy. He needs to play every day. I am not sure I see that happening with the Dodgers. I concur that Kim is an elite runner. As a LH batter, his time from home plate to 1B is 4.10, tied for 4th best in MLB. But the Dodgers do not run much. He is 5 – 1 in SB – CS. The Dodgers are more concerned with CS than enamored with SB. So while he may possess elite speed, it is not being utilized. Why doesn’t he bunt more? He squared up on Wednesday, but didn’t offer at a strike. FWIW, Kim has not been measured for even one ”bolt” in 36 competitive runs. A “bolt” is defined as – “Any run where the Sprint Speed (defined as “feet per second in a player’s fastest one-second window”) of the runner is at least 30 ft/sec.” For comparison, Tampa Bay’s Chandler Simpson had a 3.97 HP to 1B speed, 96 competitive runs, and 35 bolts. Kim and Freeland are two different hitters. Kim is more Luis Arraez, while Freeland is more Brice Turang. Neither one has reached that level, and probably will never reach it. Freeland drives the ball into the gaps when he is hitting. Right now, he hits too many ground balls and is too selective (IMO). Thus, he is swinging at too many pitchers pitches. He is not going to learn to hit MLB pitching in the air in MiLB. He needs a team to be patient with him. Kim can use his elite speed to bring the infield in more so he can bunt or slash going oppo (Brett Butler), or hard hit ground balls through the hole. He is not going to improve by trying to elevate his launch angle. His average exit velo, hard hit %, and barrel % is in line with Arraez But his whiff rate is nowhere close.
Nope. I am going to try and get up there for the Dodger series in August I think it is. I will check it out and rate it on a puke level.
Saw a video of Danny DeVito cheering on Nick Punto and I was inspired.
I left out Hack Wilson too.
If I were picking out an all-time short team, Hack would have been on it. He would also be on the all-time oddball characters team, and the world champion drinking team. Hack was the inspiration for Tom Hanks character in A League of Their Own.
Kim’s pros: Speed, defense. Cons: No power strikes out too much. He is versatile in that he can play 3 infield positions and the outfield. Freeland is a switch hitter, and if he hits from both sides, there is no reason for a platoon.
Great analysis Jeff. Thanks again. I do look at defensive metrics. I am surprised to see Kim’s range slightly below league average. My eyes tell me he’s the quickest guy out there. Bad jumps? Everything I read about his work ethic tells me it’s outstanding. He wants to succeed. He doesn’t have much experience at this level, and what experience he has had has been sporadic. Same could said for Freeland. Difficult to break into this 26. If it weren’t for injuries it’s possible we wouldn’t see either of these guys. And those prospects? Pick one to break in every year or so and trade the others for expensive proven veterans at any position not filled by gazillion dollar free agents. Oh wait, is that about to change? Never heard of “bolts”. Interesting stat. Home to first is telling. So is home to second, which is a 60 yard dash with a 90 degree left hand turn in it. The 60 used to be a thing. Isn’t anymore. Anybody remember Herb Washington?
Splits might be. Too early to tell.
I think both of those guys are elite defenders. I feel like Kim makes tough plays look routine. I know the Dodgers don’t run a lot but with the bigger bases and a pitch clock they’re smart enough to utilize Kim’s strengths. The one problem is stealing bases that lead to Ohtani being intentionally walked. I’d like to see one of them get hot and grab that position even if it’s just until Tommy Tanks returns. Then again maybe they just move Edman around the diamond and prefer Freeland or Kim grab 2B with Kike out. Hopefully George avoids surgery. Even if he’s just a 4th outfielder as Mark suggests, he’s a real weapon. George is the true Brett Butler comparison but with Way More speed. I wish Kim could bunt. I can’t say I’m excited by the Ward decision but I hope he does well enough that they can move him. They’re doing River Ryan a disservice if they keep him in the minors. Just my opinion on that.
Success at AAA does not always equate to success at MLB. No argument. Too many Jarred Kelenic’s to prove that. But James Tibbs III is succeeding at PCL exceedingly well. His PCL rankings: • HR #1 • Hits #5 • Doubles #3 • RBI #3 • BA #15 • OBP #12 • SLG #2 (Behind A’s Henry Bolte) • OPS #2 (Behind A’s Henry Bolte) • XBH #1 • ISO #3 He is also a 1st round pick, so the results are not unexpected. The International League does not train the AAA players on the East Coast any better than the PCL. He is comping pretty well with Henry Bolte who was just promoted to MLB with the A’s, and is performing better than SFG’s Bryce Eldridge was before he was called up. While Bolte is not going to be ROY, he is nonetheless having a good start to his career. Will he keep it up? Bolte is a 22 year old CF who is joining a team with other youngsters like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom, who all matriculated from the PCL. Leo De Vries is not at AAA yet, but he is on his way. If JTIII’s PCL numbers are skeptical, does that mean that every PCL player he is outproducing should also be questioned? That being said, I agree he should not have been called up.
I was never destined to play beyond high school. Too much trauma and drama on the homefront. One reason I went into the Army was to get away from all of that. Quit school and joined at 17. Best decision I ever made.
Bear, I showed my wife the headline of your article this morning. She just laughed!
Neither one can hit
That is what was said about Jordan Walker, and others who did not start hitting right out the gate.. Are 24 year olds supposed to hit MLB pitching right out of MiLB? Would you have given up on Brice Turang? There were many on the LAD blogosphere who gave up Andy Pages. I am not sure either will hit or will not hit? I am not giving up on either.
Here is a good synopsis on River Ryan. https://x.com/dodger_daily/status/2060393496935288976?s=20 And another. https://x.com/TJStats/status/2060366607134642460?s=20
Good takes Hawk. I agree with all that. And bunting? Nope. In today’s game the third base line is available to left handed hitters and they just don’t take advantage. Even Mickey Mantle would bunt for hits when all the infielders were back. I read somewhere he had 87 bunt hits in his career. These guys? Nope.
I would buy rounds of shots if Kim (or anyone fast) incorporated the bunt down the 3b line into his game. It’s ridic that nobody bunts anymore. It’s also ridic no big man tries learning the sky hook ala Kareem.
I bet the Padres wish they NEVER made the River Ryan trade with the Dodgers. If I was a GM and AF called, I ‘d hang up.
Isaac Paredes?
Great stuff
I never believed in Matt Beaty. One dimensional player whose obe dimension wasn’t even that hood.