Comments on: Mike Cuellar 1937-2010

By: Kahuna Tuna

Kahuna Tuna — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:03:34 +0000

The trade that brought Cuellar from Houston before the '69 season was second only to the Frank Robinson deal as far as adding to the home-grown core of that dynasty.

I'd agree with you, JVD. I noticed that good-field, no-hit prospect Enzo Hernández came to the Orioles along with Cuéllar before the 1969 season and was part of the package traded to San Diego for Pat Dobson before the '71 season, and I wondered whether the Orioles of that era (say, '61 to '73) tended to trade disproportionately with NL and/or second-division teams. The answer is No as to the NL teams and Yes as to the second-division teams; the significant trades were split pretty much evenly between over-.500 and .500-and-below teams.

The really good Orioles teams of the mid-'60s to late '70s were built mostly through amateur signings and, later, the amateur draft. Consider the following signings and draft selections:

1959 — Boog Powell, Dean Chance
1960 — Dave McNally
1961 — Andy Etchebarren, Darold Knowles, Eddie Watt
1962 — Dave Johnson, Mark Belanger
1963 — Wally Bunker, Dave Leonhard, Jim Ray, Jim Palmer
1964 — Mike Epstein, Sparky Lyle, Merv Rettenmund
1965 — Roger Freed
1966 — Terry Crowley
1967 — Bobby Grich, Don Baylor, Johnny Oates
1968 — Junior Kennedy, Al Bumbry, Rich Coggins
1969 — Don Hood, Mike Barlow, Wayne Garland
1970 — Jim Fuller, Doug DeCinces
1971 — Kiko Garcia
1972 — Mike Willis
1973 — Mike Parrott, Eddie Murray, Mike Flanagan, Jerry Garvin, Mark Lee

Some serious talent listed here, including HoFers Palmer and Murray and HoF snub Grich, plus several All-Stars and good players later traded for future Oriole regulars. As for the others, Ray and Lyle were drafted by other clubs before reaching the big-league level. Freed was traded to the Phillies for Grant Jackson. Chance, Willis and Garvin were taken in the '60 and '76 expansion drafts and became solid performers, at least briefly, for their new teams.

By: JDV

JDV — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:52:28 +0000

Cuellar was such a huge part of those great Oriole teams. Everyone remembers Palmer, but for this left-handed kid it was McNally and Cuellar, and now they're both gone. The trade that brought Cuellar from Houston before the '69 season was second only to the Frank Robinson deal as far as adding to the home-grown core of that dynasty. Over a six-year stretch, he won 125 games...talk about under-rated. I do have a VHS tape commemorating the '70 Series, and I'll be viewing it again this week.

By: DoubleDiamond

DoubleDiamond — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 18:38:41 +0000

Baseball helped me learn how to pronounce a lot of the common and not so common Hispanic last names. I didn't realize that the Mike Cuellar I read about in the newspaper (mainly the Washington Star) and the Mike I heard about on the radio whose last name I pictured as being spelled something like Quayar were the same person for a while. This was not long after Motorola had introduced a Quasar model T.V. (Hockey has helped me learn to pronounce some French and other foreign names.)

In 1974, Cuellar got off to a hot streak. I remember one game in which he took a no-hitter late into the game. I think #35 has been one of my favorite numbers because he wore it with the Orioles. Later, when I was still an Orioles fan, Mike Mussina wore #35 but then took it with him to the Yankees. Among today's players, my favorite #35 is another lefthander, Cole Hamels.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 11:31:39 +0000

Correction, the Baseball Hall of Shame 4, pages 177-9.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:58:15 +0000

Great Pitcher, but very superstitious. Read The Baseball Hall of Shame, pages 177-9, for more details. One story had him wearing blue clothes and eating only Chinese food on days he was slated to pitch. Another had him refusing to pitch without his lucky hat. One he got his lucky hat he proceeded to throw a shutout against the Cleveland Indians.

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 02:39:16 +0000

Kevin pointed me towards an article written about Cuellar that was posted the day before he died.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_hispanicaffairs/2010/04/baseball-legend-mike-cuellar-struggling-in-orlando-hospital.html

By: Andy

Andy — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 02:06:10 +0000

Here is a nice piece by Kevin at Orioles Card "O" the Day, an Orioles baseball card blog.

By: the Wayward O

the Wayward O — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 01:59:56 +0000

i am amazed at the utter dearth of cuellar video hanging around on the Internet.

there is video of him pitching in the 1970 WS on a DVD that i watched recently but nothing that lets one really look at his "junkball" style.

By: Brian

Brian — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 20:44:18 +0000

He split the CYA w/ Denny McClain in 1969 and pitched great in the WS. RIP, Mike Cuellar.