The baseball world is mourning the loss of former All-Star outfielder Dave Henderson, who passed away this morning at age 57. “Hendu” played for five teams over his 14-year career, including six years each with the Mariners and Athletics. He was the first draft pick in Mariners franchise history and spent a decade as an M’s color commentator on TV and radio after his retirement. The slugger was a member of the Oakland teams that won three straight AL pennants from 1988-90 and captured the 1989 World Series, and Henderson played a big role in that championship with a 1.129 OPS over 39 postseason plate appearances. Of course, Henderson’s most famous playoff moment came in Game Five of the 1986 ALCS as a member of the Red Sox, when he hit a dramatic two-run homer (with two outs and two strikes on him) in the ninth inning to temporarily put Boston ahead, and Henderson then drove in the game’s winning run in the 11th on a sac fly. That victory saved the Red Sox from elimination and sparked an unlikely comeback, as they then beat the Angels in Games Six and Seven to win the pennant.
“Hendu played just two seasons in Boston, but we always regarded him as one of us, and are grateful for the time we were able to enjoy his talent and infectious personality,” Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said in an official statement from the club. “Everywhere he went, Henderson made friends. He was a great ambassador for our game, and we have lost him far too soon.”
We at MLBTR send our condolences to Henderson’s family and countless friends around the game. Here are some news items from around the West divisions…
- It’s a lot easier to win when your team has a high payroll (and/or a wealth of controllable young talent), and as Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times writes, the Mariners are in something of a difficult spot since they’re a consistent mid-range payroll team that has a big chunk of their spending tied up in a handful of star contracts. If the M’s aren’t willing to spend more, Baker notes, then GM Jerry Dipoto will be doubly challenged to find affordable young pieces to fit around those core stars. Given Dipoto’s very busy offseason, it’s hard to say he hasn’t been trying to fulfill that exact goal.
- Giants right-handed pitching prospect Ray Black turned a lot of heads in the Arizona Fall League, Andy Baggarly writes in a subscription-only piece for Baseball America. Black’s fastball topped out at a whopping 104mph in AFL play and he also possesses (perhaps anecdotally) a 98mph changeup. Black, 25, was a seventh-rounder for the Giants in the 2011 draft who has battled a variety of injuries and didn’t being his pro career until 2014. Black has a 3.28 ERA over 60 1/3 minor league innings, exhibiting both some shaky control (6.1 BB/9) and overwhelming strikeout power (18.2 K/9).
- The Dodgers have been linked to both Wei-Yin Chen and Kenta Maeda in free agency rumors, and Steve Dilbeck of the L.A. Times looks at the pros and cons for the club of signing either pitcher. Whatever choice the team makes (if it goes with either starter), Dilbeck thinks the Dodgers need to address their rotation after falling short on a number of offseason pitching targets.
Could it be that the Dodgers don’t want to spend any more money?
Less, you mean? As in way less?
Whatever the Dodgers do they will still lose. Thus igniting more couch fires in the streets of LA
How did Mr D.Henderson die ?
Cardiac arrest
think it was a heart attack after just going through a kidney transplant. .
oh sorry I didn’t see socalshu addressed that..
RIP Hendu
I think one of jack z’s worst moves last off- season was giving seager 100 mil, he certainly didn’t live up to the contract, but sadly he is the only player that they drafted that is a productive mlb player, but we could of used the extra money elsewhere
Not sure what you think 100M buys you now a days.
Seager averaged 4.2 WAR over the last 4 seasons. Thats a 100M+ player.
For sure. It was a steal of a contract. Best positional player on the mariners who had 3y of service time when the deal was signed, compare it to the wild 200m+ deal Cano got, who isn’t nearly has productive as Seager. mariner’s ot a steal of a deal at 7/100m, as Seager is one of the finest young 3b in the game and now is controllable, for a decent salary until 2021 w/22 team option.
To elaborate, after signing a seven-year, $100 million extension, 28-year-old Kyle Seager this year posted a fWAR of 3.9, valued at $31.3 million. Over the past four seasons, Seager has posted 17 fWAR, valued at $125.9 million.
fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=9785&posit…
Thirty-year-old Evan Longoria, whose six-year, $100 million extension does not start until 2017, this year posted 4.2 fWAR, valued at $33.3 million.
In the third year of his eight-year, $138 million extension, 33-year-old David Wright posted 0.9 fWAR, valued at $7.2 million.
In the fifth year of his six-year, $96 million contract, 36-year-old Adrian Beltre posted an fWAR of 4.6, valued at $37 million.
Kyle Seager signed his seven-year, $100 million extension the same offseason now 29-year-old free agent Pablo Sandoval signed his five-year, $95 million contract and 31-year-old free agent Chase Headley signed his four-year, $52 million contract.
This season Sandoval posted an fWAR of a negative 2.0, valued at a negative $15.7 million, while Headley posted an fWAR of 1.5, valued at $12.1 million.
That was arguably one of his better moves, one of the very few that he doesn’t get bashed for so I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know if you expected Seager to hit .330 with 40 HRs and 120 RBIs or whatever numbers, but he has consistently been one of their best hitters for a couple of seasons now.
I was saying that they could of waited to extend seager and sign some complementary peices to add to Cano, Cruz and seager
I ran a youth baseball tourney for many years and Hendu had a kid playing in it one year. I was lucky enough to be able to watch a game and talk to him for much of one of the games. What a class guy he was with a great sense if humor. It is sad to lose such a great guy and an ambassador of the game. I will always remember him as an M, RIP Mr Henderson.
Another article by Baker demanding the Mariners spend money. Shocking. Blindly throwing money at free agents doesn’t solve things just because you’re spending. Admittedly, I think Jason Heyward fits the profile of a player the Mariners should have given $200M to. Sadly, we’ve already sunk that money into Cano. But I think that signing right there should prove that blindly throwing money doesn’t solve glaring organizational (ie: developing your talent) holes.
We won 87 games canos first year, that was our 1st above .500 year in 5 years
Dodgers are rebuilding. They are cheap