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Ronald Acuña Jr. joins Bad Bunny’s agency (sort of), Mason Miller’s medical breakthrough and we catch up with MLB’s oldest living player. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
The agency of Ronald Acuña Jr. and Bad Bunny
A week ago, I learned two things. One: the artist Bad Bunny owns a sports agency, and two: that agency recently found itself in a sticky situation with the Major League Baseball Players Association. Yesterday we learned that the agency had signed Ronald Acuña Jr… Well, sort of.
Let’s start with Rimas Sports, the agency. Rimas (“rhymes” in Spanish) was released last year and his roster includes names like Francisco Alvarez of the Mets and Wilmer Flores of the Giants. One of his agents, William Arroyo, recently had his MLB license revoked, and two others awaiting certification would have their certifications denied.
We still don’t have precise details on exactly Why the license was revoked, although other agencies had filed complaints against Rimas in the past, alleging that non-agents had acted as agents and that players had received incentives to change agencies (none of both is permitted).
It was a bit surprising to learn that Rimas was welcoming one of gaming’s biggest stars so soon after the news broke. But there is a catch.
As Britt Ghiroli reports, it appears that Rimas will not represent Acuña in the traditional sense of the term “sports agent.” For this, he will continue to be represented by Rep 1 Baseball. Rather, it appears that Rimas will handle Acuña’s “marketing and off-field activities.”
Represent players on those questions do not require MLBPA approval and therefore MLBPA certification is not necessary.
Meanwhile, according to Ghiroli’s report, “dozens” of players – many of whom are Rimas clients – have requested to be added to the MLBPA’s “do not call” list, meaning it is prohibits other agencies from contacting them. This is a decision that must be triggered by the players and not their agencies.
This is a curious situation, and one certainly worth monitoring as more information becomes available.
Ken’s notebook: Appreciate John Sterling
The coolest thing about New York Yankees broadcaster John Sterling’s retirement might be how much the players appreciated him. I learned that by reading Brendan Kuty’s story Monday, in which Aaron Judge said his parents, Wayne and Patty, loved hearing Sterling on the radio. And that was reinforced that night, when Chicago Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman recalled his time with the Yankees from 2019-2021.
Tauchman explained that Yankees players, in their brief retreats to the clubhouse during games, liked to listen to the radio broadcast, hoping to hear one of Sterling’s signature home runs. The players enjoyed the calls – “All Rise” for Aaron Judge, “Like a good Gleyber, Torres is here,” for Gleyber Torres, and many others. Sterling was part of the Yankees experiment. And they loved the role he played.
Sterling deserves the hero’s farewell he’ll receive Saturday at Yankee Stadium — he called 5,420 of the Yankees’ regular-season games, including 5,060 in a row from September 1989 to July 2019, plus 211 of their postseason games. But at first, when the Yankees announced his retirement, I was afraid people would dwell on the occasional mistakes he made, especially in recent years. In case you haven’t noticed, the world in the age of social media isn’t particularly kind.
A sports media columnist in New York seemed happy to point out Sterling’s weaknesses, but Yankees fans rarely seemed to challenge their game man, viewing Sterling almost as a beloved uncle. Whatever mistakes Sterling made, they were entirely understandable, even endearing. For heaven’s sake, this man is 85 years old!
Sterling’s distinctive voice, unique style and above all his incredible longevity are all part of his fabulous legacy. To think he didn’t join the Yankees until he was 50. Prior to that, he was a broadcaster for the MLB’s Atlanta Braves, the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets, the Atlanta Hawks and the New York/New Jersey Nets and the NHL’s New York Islanders.
I first discovered Sterling when I was a teenager on Long Island in the late 1970s, listening to Islanders games and hearing his trademark cry: “Islander goal!” Island goal! Island goal! My father, a New York Rangers fan, thought Sterling was ridiculous. But I came to revel in his eccentricities, as so many Yankees fans did in later years.
The fans got it. The players got it. He was one of a kind.
More: Sterling stories from those who know him well.
How Mason Miller started throwing 100
Last week we told you about Mason Miller, the A’s closer who throws harder than anyone in baseball. Today, Stephen Nesbitt shares how Miller went from going under 90 mph in college to regularly hitting triple digits. Here is an excerpt from the lede:
Mason Miller is a major player due to failing a drug test.
That was when Miller was playing Division III ball at Waynesburg University, a school 50 miles south of Pittsburgh and a million miles from the majors. Miller was a local kid with a decent arm but a 7.00 ERA in two college seasons. He landed a finance internship at a local hospital after his sophomore year, but the required drug test was flagged as diluted. When Miller objected, the lab coordinator ran another test and told Miller there were two possibilities in play, and “neither one is good.” Either Miller had diluted the sample in an attempt to manipulate the test result, or he had dangerously low blood sugar levels.
It turns out that Miller suffered from type 1 diabetes.
In the years since, Miller has gained 65 pounds of muscle and double digits on his fastball. When we wrote last week, he had made six of the 10 fastest throws this year. He now has eight of the top 10with Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals (sixth place, 102.4 mph) and Justin Martinez of the D-Backs and Nate Pearson of the Blue Jays (tied for 10th, 102.3) the only interlopers in Miller’s domain.
Meet the Oldest Former MLB Player, Art Schallock
We end it with a great one today. Dan Brown interviewed Art Schallock, who turns 100 next week. Schallock is the oldest former MLB player and, as you would expect, the man has some stories.
Like the time the Yankees made room on the roster for Schallock to make his big league debut… choosing Mickey Mantle from the minor leagues. (Mantle then homered against Schallock – the last of 11 homers allowed by the left-hander during his five-year career.)
Schallock also shared (and bought comics for) Yogi Berra and held Ted Williams hitless in two at-bats. His memory is still vivid; he remembers details of his time in the minor leagues, including Hollywood stars in the PCL. It’s worth reading just for the story of his wife’s reaction to him being traded to the Yankees.
Statistically speaking, Schallock’s career is rather unremarkable – he accumulated -0.3 bWAR over those five seasons – but in the hands of a master storyteller like Brown, he’s a time machine to the golden age of baseball. I highly recommend it.
Speaking of players with ties to Ted Williams, Tyler Kepner’s “Sliders” column today includes quotes from 85-year-old Jack Fisher, who pitched in the Mets’ first game at Shea Stadium and gave Williams the 521st and final home run. As always, there’s a cornucopia of baseball journalism in the column, including advice from the Royals’ Seth Lugo on how to use a Pringles can to help you throw a curveball.
Baseball Card of the Week
One of my favorite things about buying old cards is coming across a player I don’t know. This 1959 Topps Gino Cimoli is one of those cards. When I find one, I usually start with the player’s. Baseball Reference Pagewhere i can find her SABR Organic Project link.
Fun facts I discovered about Cimoli: He occasionally went to school with purple feet (his father made wine), he signed with the Dodgers after the 3 a.m. (!!!) visit of a scout and he scored the last point at Ebbets Field. After his baseball career, he worked for UPS as a delivery driver and used his truck as a makeshift ambulance after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake.
Handshakes and High Fives
This week’s Weird & Wild column from Jayson Stark discusses just how historically bad the White Sox are this year. But you should know by now that it doesn’t stop there. As always, read Jayson and marvel at the little universe that is revealed each week.
The New York Mets revealed their City Connect uniforms this morning, and they’re immediately contenders for the best in the game. Tim Britton talks you through the design process.
Jack Leiter’s debut wasn’t quite what he hoped for. But as Cody Stavenhagen writes, struggles are nothing new for Leiter since his selection.
This is Yimi García’s 10th year in the league. This seems awfully late for a “breakout” season, but boy, does he ever have one.
Both the Astros and Twins were expected to win their respective divisions. We have 10 reasons why Houston and Minnesota both stumbled.
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(Top photo: Robert Edwards / USA Today)