Mike McCann's Field of Fotos

  Quilvio Veras , who scored the first run in Safeco Field history. Since I never snapped a photo of the Dominican native during his playing or coaching career, it seemed right for the ballpark where he made history to serve as his "stand in." On July 15th, 1999, the Padres 2nd baseman singled off Jamie Moyer to lead off the top of the 3rd inning.  After Eric Owens sacrificed him to center, Phil Nevin broke the scoreless tie with an RBI grounder to the hole to put San Diego on top.  Veras later added another single and, in the top of the 9th with the Padres down a run, ended his productive day with a bases loaded walk that tied the game.  Owens followed with a sacrifice fly for the go-ahead run in what became a 3-2 San Diego victory. Quilvio Veras, who broke in with the Marlins, played seven big league seasons. He led the NL with 56 stolen bases in 1995, while finishing third for Rookie of the Year.  Four years later with the Padres, he saw his only post-season ...

Patrick Corbin , who pitched like an ace for the Diamondbacks in 2017 and '18, before signing a huge free agent contract with the Nationals. He did well enough in his first Washington season, winning 14 and earning the victory in the seventh and deciding game of the World Series -- the city's first championship since 1924. But, as a warning to clubs signing long and pricey deals with pitchers, it's been all downhill since; 17-42 the last three years, with ERAs all on the wrong side of 4.50.  Last season, the upstate New York native hit rock bottom, losing 19 games.  With two seasons (and roughly $45 million) left on his deal, and the Nats, up for sale and in rebuilding mode, will Washington try and deal him as "damaged goods" for another player with a bad contract?  Stay tuned.  

Orlando Hernandez : a great nickname "El Duque," that distinct leg kick -- and a clutch pitcher for the Yankees in the late '90s and early 2000s.  The Cuban expat made a splash after arriving in the U.S., earning World Series rings his first three seasons in the Bronx, as well as a fourth with the 2005 White Sox. Hernandez aged gracefully, and finished out his career with a pair of winning seasons on the 2006-'07 Mets, while past the age of 40.  

Noah Syndergaard , the pitcher with the superhero nickname, and early in his career, nearly superhero skills.  Drafted by the Blue Jays and traded to the Mets in the RA Dickey deal, he debuted in 2015, the year the Mets won their most recent pennant and finished 4th for NL Rookie of the Year (and earned New York its only victory in that fall's World Series).  Big seasons were on tap in '16 and '18, sandwiched around an injury-wrecked 2017; three years later Tommy John Surgery cost him nearly two full seasons. Signing as a free agent with the Angels, he went 5-8 with diminished velocity before a deadline trade to the Phillies, where he went 5-2 and helped break their post-season drought.  Surprisingly, the Dodgers made him the most appealing offer as he heads back to the West Coast next year. But the big question: how did he become known as Thor? While there could be some inspiration in his trademark long, flowing hair, the answer stems from a 2013 Halloween tweet that sho...

Manny Machado , the South Florida native and a free agent who helped turned the Padres into an NL West powerhouse. Breaking in with the Orioles, he was an all star in his rookie season (2013) when he led the AL with 51 doubles and won a Gold Glove. Six years later, he signed a then-record deal with San Diego, where he's finished in the Top 5 for MVP twice in four years and helped lift the Padres to the NLCS this past season, where they fell to the upstart Phillies.  Just 30, and one of the most feared hitters in the NL, Machado could well a free agent a year from now.  His San Diego contract includes an opt out following the upcoming season. ( My image is from Game 3 of the 2022 NLCS with the Padres visiting the Phillies .)

Lou Piniella , "Sweet Lou" the Bronx fan favorite and a steady contributor when the Yankees resumed their place among baseball's power teams during the late '70s and early '80s. The Tampa native waited a long time for his chance to shine: originally  signed by Cleveland, he bounced to the Senators and Orioles organizations, spending seven years in the minors before being taken by the Pilots in the 1969 AL expansion draft.  They flipped him to the Royals just before opening day, where he made history as the first batter in the club's first game -- as well as the first player on a first year club to be named Rookie of the Year.  Three more solid KC seasons were followed by an off-year in 1973 -- and a trade to the Yankees for Lindy McDaniel, in what proved to be one of New York's best deals of the decade. An outfielder and DH on five Yankee division winners and two World Series champions, Piniella later managed the club and spent the first half of 1988 as GM...

Kris Bryant , the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and NL MVP a year later when the Cubs broke their 108 year championship drought.  Though he remained a consistent performer in Chicago, the magic never returned to Wrigley,  Traded to the Giants in the middle of his walk year (2021), as the Cubs chose to tear down their club and rebuild, he helped San Francisco complete its club-record 107-win season before signing a free agent deal with the Rockies. Things didn't go as planned in his first Colorado season, where he played in just 42 games before going on the shelf with a foot injury.

Jacob deGrom , the news of whose signing with Texas rocked the baseball world over the weekend before the opening of the Winter Meetings.  The 2014 Rookie of the Year and two-time Cy Young Award winner made no secret of his intentions to shop himself around this winter -- the big surprise was how early he chose his new team, and how he apparently never gave the Mets a chance to match the Rangers offer.   His five-year, $185 million dollar contract pushes Texas' free agent outlay the last two years two-thirds of the way to a BILLION DOLLARS. Chew on that for a moment.  Trying to close the gap with the reigning World Champion Astros and the young, rising Mariners, the Rangers might not be done writing big checks and shaking up its roster under new skipper Bruce Bochy.   Let's not forget the risk Texas takes on; this is a pitcher who turns 35 next June, who has missed more than half his starts over the past two years.  Injuries mean rehab starts like the ...