SB Nation Detroit Editor's Pick
The Rare Spring Training Trade - 1984
by Jim Bunn on Feb 28, 2012 8:57 PM EST
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PrintA little historical work by Michigan Jim deserves promotion. -- Kurt
After Jim Leyland's comments over the weekend about a possible roster surprise there have been comments about how rare a Spring training trade is. I'll agree it doesn't happen often but there was a memorable trade at the end of Spring training in 1984,
The Tigers had a solid team anchored by the likes of Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Chet Lemon, Lance Parish, Jack Morris and Dan Petry. The missing component was a closer. Aurelio Lopez had done an adequate job in the bullpen saving 66 games after coming to Detroit, from the Cardinals, prior to the 1979 season. But Tiger Brass did not have faith in Lopez as a closer and all Winter there had been talk of trading for that missing piece.
On March 24 Bill Lajoie pulled of the trade that would help the Tigers start 35-5 and go wire to wire in first place. The Tigers sent fan favorite back up catcher John Wockenfuss and 1980 #1 draft pick, outfielder Glenn Wilson to the Phillies for a journeyman first baseman, Dave Bergman and a former Cubs pitcher Willie Hernandez.
I (and a slew of Tiger fans) thought it was a terrible trade. Wockenfusswas the charismatic and funny back up catcher witha flair for an occasional dramatic home run. Wilson had shown promise as an outfielder of the future and was the 1980 #1 draft pick. Coming to Detroit was a first baseman Dave Bergman who was on his 4th team in 7 years and he had never really experienced League success along with the centerpiece of the deal Willie Hernandez, the journeyman reliever that had spent 7 years with the Cubs and 1 in Philadelphia.
Wockenfuss played two years for the Phillies playing in 108 games before he retired after the 1985 season. Glenn Wilson had a solid baseball career, but he was only in Philly through 1980. The Tigers fared much better.
Dave Bergman was one of the 1984 heros's playing a defensively stellar first base and having one of the most memorable at bats of the season against Toronto. I forget how many pitches he fouled off before hitting the dtamatic home run but it was truly amazing to watch and for me was one of those highlights they will talk about whenever the 84 guys get together. Willie Hernandez was the relief pitcher version of Justin Verlnder in 1984 whenhe won both the Cy Young and the MVP awards. His appearances as closer after Aurelio Rodriguez had pitched the 8th inning were things of beauty and he ended up saving. He appeared in 80 games, finished 68 and saved 32. He wasn't perfect but he was damned close to perfection as a reliever.
Spring training trades are indeed rare but that March 24, 1984 trade with Philadelphia may have bee one of the top Tiger trades of all time. The 1984 season is now one for the ages and it would probably not have happened if Bill Lajoie hadn't decided to make a roster surprise 10 days before the season began.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bless You Boys writing staff.
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nice....
I was very young at this time, but remember the 84 run as my first ride as a Tiger fan.
Country Strong
Nice memories...
and good job with the story, it was a nice read. (And we all know you meant Lopez not Rodriguez.)
Aurelio Rodriguez = Tiger 3rd Baseman
That run during the early 1984 season was truly amazing. We couldn’t get all the games on TV back then, but it was great to hear Ernie call the games. They were shot out of a cannon that season. It would be nice to get a similar start this season.
by Parrothead Mike on Feb 28, 2012 11:32 PM EST reply actions
I seem to recall Glenn Wilson making a base running error in spring training
and Sparky made some off color remark in the press after the game. There was commentary that suggested he didn’t have much patience with young players, and Wilson and Ho Jo got the brunt of that. I’m not sure about how accurate that is. After all, Sparky brought along quite a group of young talent build around Parrish, Gibson, Whitaker, Trammell, and Morris. But it wasn’t long before Wilson was on his way to Philly, and Hernandez was a Tiger.
"King of Minutiae"
Sparky didn't bring in most of those
He started in late 1979, but Tram, Sweet Lou, Lance, and Morris had become regulars before that. Sparky saddled Gibby with his ridiculous platitudes comparing him to Mickey Mantle which only made Gibby’s strike outs that much more dramatic. HoJo was gone the next year for Walt Terrel.
Nope, Sparky was not good with the young-uns.
Sparky inherited a bunch of young players that were developing together
and he saw what he liked, and promised a championship within five years. Sure enough, he brought them along (never said he brought them in) and got the title within five years. Listen to Gibby going on and on about how Sparky taught him about how to play baseball “the right way”.
"King of Minutiae"
Bergman fouling all them pitches off
that was when Bergman became a star. Thanks for remembering it seems like it was 18 pitches
I also remember him pulling a hidden ball trick
He acted like he was throwing it back to the pitcher after a pickoff move, but kept it right in his glove. The runner on 1st went to lead off again and Bergman immediately tagged him out. That’s actually my favorite Bergman memory because it was when I was a kid and that sort of thing seemed pretty cool to me then. (Actually, I still think it’s pretty cool, but maybe it’s against unwritten rule #106.3b)
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Johnny Wockenfuss
The Don Kelly of the 1980s.
"Virtually all tactical ploys—the sacrifice bunt, the stolen base, the hit-and-run—operate on average to reduce run scoring." -- Eric Walker
How rare are spring trades?
I got curious and had to research this a bit. I couldn’t think of one, and it turns out that DD has not made a single major trade once spring training began, before the start of the season.
A couple of big name or popular players were traded or released just before opening day, but only after they really didn’t make the team. A couple of bench players were acquired for minor leaguers. That’s about it.
2011- Nothing
2010- 3/30 Nate Robertson for Jay Voss
2009- 3/30 Rudy Darrow for Josh Anderson
3/31 Released Gary Sheffield
2008- Feb 5- Michael Hernandez for Armando Galarraga
2007- Feb 7- Jeff Frazier for Yorman Bazardo
2006- 3/26/06- Released Carlos Pena
2005- Feb 9- Roberto Novoa, Bo Flowers, and Scott Moore for Kyle Farnsworth
Apr 2nd- Steve Colyer for Matt Ginter
2004- Jan- Ramon Santiago and Juan Gonzalez for Carlos Guillen
4/1/04- Cody Ross for Steve Colyer
2003- Mar 29- PTBNL for AJ Hinch- assigned Hinch to minors
2002- Nothing
"King of Minutiae"
Robertson for Voss sure is looking nice
He pitched pretty well at AA last season
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby
by InLeylandWeTrust on Feb 29, 2012 12:34 PM EST up reply actions
That's more of an addition-through-subtraction sort of deal
Voss could be a bat boy and it would still be a good trade.
Voss is actually an interesting player to me. Not really much of a prospect, but he’s a lefty that quietly had a very good season despite bouncing around a bit between levels. They should probably test him at AAA this year, but it’s a crowded house – even if one of the 6 SP prospects takes #5.
I think Voss could see time with the Tigers this year if he does well.
The other sports are just sports. Baseball is a love. ~Bryant Gumbel, 1981
Exactly
The fact that Voss has the potential to contribute ANYTHING to the big league club makes it a steal.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby
by InLeylandWeTrust on Feb 29, 2012 2:09 PM EST up reply actions
The point that I'm making is that DD has never traded for any significant player during spring training
Neither Anderson, Ginter, nor Colyer spent a full season with the Tigers after being acquired.
"King of Minutiae"
No I know that
I’m just happy we got something of use from the Robertson trade, I wasn’t previously aware that’s how we got Voss. I’m not saying it is a major deal or anything, just kind of surprised when I saw it.
"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." -Rogers Hornsby
by InLeylandWeTrust on Feb 29, 2012 10:36 PM EST up reply actions
Sparky Anderson on Dave Bergman's at bat: "The greatest at bat I have ever seen in my life."
A few more details..
It was nationally televised on ABC’s Monday Night Baseball.
It was the bottom of the 10th of a 3-3 game.
The Jays had Roy Lee Jackson on the mound.
Bergman and Jackson battled for over 10 minutes.
After reaching a 3-2 count, Bergman fouled off 7 consecutive pitches.
The 8th pitch Bergman hit into the upper deck of Tiger Stadium, sending Tigers fans into hysterics.
I was watching that night, and I agree with Sparky. Bergman’s at bat was the best I’ve ever seen.
And as John B. Wockenfuss fan, I have to mention his batting stance is one of my all time favorites: http://youtu.be/ckw7V7U2eMs
I'm owner/editor of The Wayne Fontes Experience a deputy editor at Bless You Boys, host the Bless You Boys Podcast and co-host The Knee Jerks podcast.
Classic!
You couldn’t really get a close up of the wiggling fingers on the bat in that clip, but the stance is a classic. Used to immitate that all the time. I was hoping that Johnny B would line one into the gap so we could hear George say “they’re gonna wave eeeem eeeein” as Herndon rounded third.
My sister had nicknames for most of the Tigers. Wockenfuss was “walking fist”, and she’d make a motion like the yellow pages logo.
Bergman’s AB was a classic. Polanco had one where he fouled off something like 13 straight pitches, then hit an RBI single if I remember correctly.
"King of Minutiae"
That's why I like Big Al - As old as me but better memory
Al should be the BYB historian!
I wasn’t sure who the pitcher was against Bergman. I did know it was Monday Night Baseball against Toronto and I was pretty sure it was 10th inning. I agree with Al that it was the single best MLB at bat I can remember.
And as far as mixing up my Aurelio’s, I read the damn thing twice before posting and STILL missed the wong last name.
My brother called to tell me the post was on the front page and said that at least I didn’t use the last name of Baseball’s THIRD Aurelio. Of course he wouldn’t tell me who it was so I had to go to the “Interweb thing” and try and track it down.
My brother was right there WAS a third Aurelio that pitched in the Majors: Aurelio Monteagudo. Born a Cuban he became a Venezuuelan citizen and then pitched for five teams from 1966-1973. Aurelio Lopez did not start his MLB career until 1974
or they would have all played at the same time. Tragically the only Major League players with all of the vowels in their first name, died young. Monteagudo was 43 when he was killed in a traffic accident. Lopez also died in a traffic accident at 47 and Aurelio Rodriguez was hit by a car and killed in Detroit at age 53.
I remember that AB, also
That whole season was amazing, but Bergman’s HW was one of the most memorable. I remember that I was up late, past my bedtime, but couldn’t miss the ending. There was a sense of inevitability that Bergman was going to hit it out and that they’d win, only a question of how many pitches it was going to take.
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