If Your Birthday is January 10th...

...you share it with Oscar Gonzalez.  The Dominican outfielder showed good power with 11 homers for the 2022 Guardians, before his production dropped off the following year.  After being waived, he tried to make the '24 Yankees in spring training -- I caught him in a March game against the Phillies -- and then during the summer with AAA Scranton Wilkes-Barre. which visited Syracuse on July 9th.
Next month he'll head to Arizona to try and catch on with the Padres.

The biggest bat with a January 10th birthday belonged to Willie McCovey.  The Giants legend wrote his ticket to Cooperstown with 521 homers over 22 seasons, while teaming with fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays in one of baseball's most dynamic power duos. His prowess in pulling the ball led to the Giants dubbing the part of China Basin just beyond the right field wall and concourse as McCovey Cove.  More than 160 "splash hits" have landed there since the ballpark opened, while boaters trying to recover those homers add a unique touch to Giants home games.

Willie's 44 is among the retired numbers and names honored above the left field corner in Oracle Park.




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