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Committee Chairman

Committee Chairman

Kirk Buchner, "The Committee Chairman", is the owner and operator of the site.  Kirk can be contacted at [email protected] .

Jon Jay

Jon Jay had a 12-year career as an outfielder, but he was not known for his power-hitting. He hit only 37 home runs throughout his career. However, he did have seven seasons in which he had over 100 hits and batted over .290 five times. Jay's willingness to help his team is also reflected in his ranking in the top 100 all-time in Hit by Pitch. He spent most of his career with St. Louis, where he played for six seasons and won a World Series in 2011. He also played for San Diego, Chicago (NL), Kansas City, Arizona, Chicago (AL), and Los Angeles (AL). Jay had a lifetime batting average of .283 with 1,087 hits.

John Axford

John Axford, a Canadian baseball player, started his career in the Majors by replacing Hall of Fame reliever Trevor Hoffman in Milwaukee. Although he was a starting pitcher in the Minors, Axford performed well as a relief pitcher, saving 24 games in 2010 and leading the National League with 46 saves the following season (2011). His impressive performance earned him the NL Rolaids Relief Award and a ninth-place finish in the Cy Young voting.

In the subsequent season, Axford recorded 35 saves but his ERA was over four. Unfortunately, he was unable to regain his previous dominance, but he still managed to accumulate 144 saves during his 11-year career. In addition to Milwaukee, he played for St. Louis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Colorado, Oakland, Toronto, and the L.A. Dodgers.

Joakim Soria

Joakim Soria began his career in the Mexican League before being selected in the Rule 5 Draft by the Kansas City Royals from the San Diego Padres organization. This turned out to be a wise investment for KC as Soria finished seventh in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2007, with 17 Saves. Over the next three seasons, Soria established himself as one of the best closers in baseball, earning All-Star Game selections in 2008 and 2010 and recording 105 Saves. Although he finished tenth for the Cy Young in 2010, he was arguably better in his first All-Star year, with 42 Saves, a 1.60 ERA and a WHIP of 0.861. However, Soria's performance slumped in 2011 (28 Saves, 4.03 ERA, 1.276 WHIP), and he missed the entire 2012 season due to Tommy John Surgery to repair a torn UCL. Although he made a comeback, he was never the same as before.

Over the next nine seasons, Soria played for nine different teams (Texas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Kansas City again, Chicago (AL), Milwaukee, Oakland, Arizona, and Toronto), all out of the bullpen where he was sometimes again the closer. During this period, he had 69 Saves and a total of 229. While Soria never regained his past glory in Kansas City, he was good enough to find work for nearly a decade after.

Jay Bruce

Jay Bruce is a former baseball player who is best known for his time with the Cincinnati Reds. He was a three-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger.

Bruce was a premier power hitter for the Reds for many years. In 2008, Bruce finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. That season, he had 21 home runs and 52 RBIs, which was arguably his worst season as a member of the Reds. However, he gradually increased his power numbers and had three consecutive 30-home run seasons, during which he had over or close to 100 RBIs. Bruce was an All-Star in both 2011 and 2012. He won Silver Sluggers in 2012 and 2013 and finished tenth in MVP voting that year.

Cincinnati traded Bruce to the New York Mets in 2016, shortly after he went to his third All-Star game. That season, he finished with his career-best 36 home runs. However, the struggling Mets waived Bruce, and he signed with Cleveland. He later returned to the Mets as a free agent, but his second stint only lasted a year. His power was fading, and he was eventually traded to the Seattle Mariners. Bruce finished his career with the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. He retired with 319 home runs and 951 RBIs.