MLB Weekly Digest Jan. 29th Edition

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The previous week n MLB was about a quartet of former great players being selected to the Hall of Fame, a club in the National League deals away another asset, and a team signs an outfielder to a multi-year contract.

Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman Highlight 2018 Hall of Fame Class

Three phenomenal hitters and a stellar reliever were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Wednesday.

Third baseman Chipper Jones, outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, infielder Jim Thome and reliever Trevor Hoffman will be celebrated as part of the Hall’s Induction Weekend July 27-30 in Cooperstown, N.Y., including pitcher Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell, who were elected in December by the Modern Baseball Era Committee.

Jones was the leading vote-getter in this class, by receiving 97.2 percent of the vote in his first of eligibility. Guerrero received 92.9 percent of the vote in his second year on the ballot, followed by Thome at 89.8 percent and Hoffman with 79.9 percent.

Jones won the 1999 NL MVP and compiled a career .303 batting average with 2,726 hits and 468 home runs in 19 seasons, all with the Atlanta Braves.

He is one of 52 Hall of Famers who spent their entire career with one franchise. Jones is one of nine hitters all-time to compile a .300 average, .400 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage and 400 homers.

Jones had a fantastic career in a Braves uniform and will be remembered as one of the best hitting third basemen.

Guerrero, who turns 43 next month will be the youngest current Hall of Famer. He won the American League MVP in 2004 with the Anaheim Angels, by compiling a .337 average with 39 home runs, 126 RBIs and led the league in runs scored (124) and total bases (366)

He was selected as an All-Star nine times, batted .300 in 12 consecutive years, had four 200-plus hit seasons, collected 100 or more RBIs 10 times, and scored 100 or more runs six times.

Guerrero was also a terrific outfielder and had a cannon for an arm. He played in the Majors for 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, and Angels.

Thome was a slugger in every sense of the word as he mashed 612 home runs (eighth all-time) over his illustrious 22-year career. He is one of five players in history with at least 500 home runs, 1,500 runs scored, 1,600 RBIs and 1,700 walks, joining Barry Bonds, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.

Thome also had a very good home run rate, which among the best all-time.

He played 13 years for the Cleveland Indians and was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles.

Thome had prodigious power and could change the complexion of a game with one mighty swing.

When Hells Bells came on in the stadium, that could mean just one thing, it was time for Hoffman to convert another save.

He accomplished this feat 601 times in his career, and this total is second to the 652 saves recorded by Mariano Rivera.

Hoffman spent 18 years in MLB with the San Diego Padres, Florida Marlins, and Milwaukee Brewers. He was selected as All-Star seven times and had 30 or more saves in 14 of 15 seasons from 1995 to 2009.

The key to his longevity was his signature changeup, a pitch that mystified opposing hitters throughout his entire career. He will be remembered as one of the best closers in the history of the game.

Brewers Acquire OF Christian Yelich from Marlins for Four Prospects

The Miami Marlins continued their fire sale this offseason by dealing outfielder Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The Marlins acquired outfielders Lewis Brinson and Monte Harrison, infielder Isan Diaz, and pitcher Jordan Yamamoto.

The Marlins have dealt their best assets this offseason to cut payroll. Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon, Marcell Ozuna and now Yelich have new teams.

Meanwhile, the Brewers have control of a talented outfielder for at least the next four years, and possibly a fifth year, if they exercise his 2022 team option at $15 million.

Yelich posted substantial numbers for the Marlins last year. He compiled a .282 batting average and .807 OPS in 156 games with 18 homers, 81 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and a 117 OPS+.

The addition of Yelich will represent a significant upgrade in the outfield for the Brewers.

The Brewers weren’t the only team that had a chance to acquire Yelich.

The Toronto Blue Jays had a chance to acquire Yelich, but they didn’t want to deal top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr., per Craig Mish of Sirius XM.

Brewers Ink Lorenzo Cain to Five-Year, $80 Million Contract

The Brewers weren’t content with the acquisition of Yelich as they signed free agent outfielder Lorenzo Cain to a five-year, $80 million contract, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.

Cain had a solid campaign in 2017 with the Kansas City Royals, by accumulating a .300 batting average and .803 OPS with 15 homers, 49 RBIs, 86 runs scored and 26 stolen bases.

This marked the third time in the last four seasons that Cain had a batting average .300 or higher.

It took many months for Cain to sign a contract, but his patience worked out, as he signed a lucrative deal with the team that initially drafted him.

Cain not only knows how to handle the bat but is an excellent defender.

The addition of Cain and acquisition of Yelich gives the Brewers a terrific outfield, along with Ryan Braun.

These two moves have put the Brewers in a fantastic position to contend for a division title or Wild Card berth.

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Chris Lacey

Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.
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Chris Lacey
Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.

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