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Baseball Statman

September 1, 2016

Down the Stretch They Come...

And "Down the Stretch" they come...to borrow a phrase from our horse-racing friends!!!

As the 2017 season comes into its final full month, the stakes are high for those teams battling for the opportunity to get into the playoffs and the race will be on for those players clamoring for each league's individual honors!

Taking a look at the results of my Top Offensive Performer Formula, the Top 10 players in the American League are:

Jose Altuve, Houston Astros, 72.300
Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox, 64.300
Josh Donaldson, Toronto Blue Jays, 57.300
David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox, 47.000
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels, 45.833
Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles, 32.000
Edwin Encarnacion, Toronto Blue Jays, 26.500
Dustin Pedroia, Boston Red Sox, 24.750
Mark Trumbo, Baltimore Orioles, 18.500
Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays, 18.333

And, the Top 10 performers in the National League are:

Daniel Murphy, Washington Nationals, 58.000
Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs, 50.500
Nolan Arenado, Colorado Rockies, 49.000
Jordan LeMahieu, Colorado Rockies, 37.500
Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers, 35.000
Anthony Rizzo, Chicago Cubs, 32.833
Jean Segura, Arizona Diamondbacks, 31.875
Freddie Freeman, Atlanta Braves, 29.375
Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks, 27.000
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds, 25.000

Jose Altuve and Daniel Murphy have jumped out to enjoy fairly respective margins in their leagues. It is nice to see young names in the Top 10 in both leagues, but is also amazing that David Ortiz is 4th in the junior circuit and the guy is going to retire at the end of the season. Both Altuve and Mookie Betts placed in the Top 10 in 10 out of the 12 categories that I utilize in this formula. Interestingly, they both failed to land in the Top 10 in both Home Runs and Walks. Over in the National League, Corey Seager has all but wrapped up the National League Rookie of the Year Award as he is currently fourth in the T.O.P. rankings for the league. Fellow youngsters Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado appear to be fixtures in the T.O.P. rankings for years to come!!

February 24, 2016.

I am FINALLY resuming the blog. I apologize for the long delay in making posts!!

September 16, 2016

Oh Those Two-Out Runs...

Having worked in the Philadelphia Phillies' minor league system for nine years (1979-1987) and being a resident of eastern Pennsylvania since January of 1979 (after receiving my Master's degree from The Ohio State University in December of 1978), I have followed the Phillies' fortunes (or misfortunes) pretty closely for the last 38 seasons!

Last night's 15-2 loss by the Phillies to the Pittsburgh Pirates was one of those games that has a tendency to drive me crazy...

You see, I look at situations in a baseball game such as how many runs the pitchers allow to score with two outs on the scoreboard. One of the things that truly bugs me is the inability of the pitcher to record that last out to get out of the inning. Sometimes you just have to give the batters credit because we have all seen that hitting can be contagious. You just begin to wonder how tough it is to get that final out to allow your team to get back to the dugout to take their hacks at the opposing pitcher.

Well, in last night's contest, below is a detailing of a few items that took place with the Philadelphia pitchers on the mound:

Phillies' starter David Eickhoff allowed six runs to score; all six runs came via the home-run route; four homers were hit off Eickhoff-of which the first three were solo shots and the last one was a three-run, two-out blast in the seventh inning (off the bat of Jordy Mercer). That homer by Mercer was the start of the two out free-for-all!!!
Andrew McCutchen came up with two outs in the eighth inning and proceeded to hit his second home-run of the game.
Then, in the ninth inning, Severino Gonzalez entered the game for Philadelphia. Eventually, he had two outs with runners on first and second and all hell broke loose. Gonzalez then permitted consecutive doubles to plate three runs and walked the final batter he faced. Enter Colton Murray who proceeds to allow the last five runs scored by Pittsburgh via a single, single, double and single. The score at the end of the game: 15-2.
The first seven runs Pittsburgh scored were via homers.
The final 12 runs scored by the Pirates came with two outs.

For the year, Phillies' relievers have been toeing the rubber when 273 runners have crossed home plate (either their own or inherited runners). They have:

allowed 55 (20%) to score with no outs;
allowed 109 (40%) to score with one out;
allowed 109 (40%) to score with two outs (yes, the same number as with one out).

FYI, the relievers have allowed 50 inherited runners to score.

So, what have we learned by reviewing this game...take notice of how many runs are scored with two outs...I think it would amaze you!!! You can see why it drives me nuts...

Good Day, Good Baseball.

STADIUM UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Baseball is the images that emanate from the spring training camps in Florida and Arizona…the sweet sound of the ball hitting the bat or popping into the leather of the catcher’s mitt. Spring training reminds us that better weather and warmer temperatures are on the way…

that the winter doldrums are nearly over…that the sport that hibernates during the winter is ready to come alive to blossom and thrive in the spring, summer and early fall…

is just around the corner.

September 15, 2016

Shutouts Here, There and Everywhere...

Upon reviewing the box scores for the games played in the Major Leagues last night (September 14th), the one item that stood out was the fact that there were FIVE SHUTOUTS among the 15 games. That is the most shutouts in a single day in MLB for the 2016 season. On 10 other occasions, four shutouts was the highest number thrown. Additionally, what caused this situation to be so unique is the fact that the home team was shutout in each of the contests!

And, has been the trend in today's era of baseball, there was not a complete game thrown by any of the victorious five starting pitchers! In fact, of the 240 shutouts thrown thus far in the 2016 campaign, there have been only 31 complete games. Certainly a far cry from the decade of the 1960s when complete game shutouts were rampant...especially in 1968!!

The teams who were shutout last night were:

Boston Red Sox by the Baltimore Orioles
Kansas City Royals by the Oakland Athletics
St. Louis Cardinals by the Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds by the Milwaukee Brewers
New York Yankees by the Los Angeles Dodgers

And, in the two shutouts tossed the night before (September 13th), both Los Angeles area teams failed to tally a run as the Dodgers were whitewashed on the road by the New York Yankees and the Angels were held scoreless at home by the Seattle Mariners!

SPRING TRAINING IS UPON US!!!

Now that Super Bowl 50 has come and gone, baseball fans all over the globe can set their attention that yearly ritual...the migration of all baseball personnel to Florida and Arizona for the start of Spring Training!!!

I will be going to Spring Training for the first time since 1994 when I went to both Arizona and Florida while working for Fleer Trading Cards. In fact, I was fortunate enough to go in both 1993 and 1994.

During those treks, my job on behalf of Fleer was to sign players to baseball card contracts prior to their becoming members of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The goal was for Fleer to have a player's FIRST "Rookie Card." Once a player became a member of the MLBPA, Fleer had the rights to use that player's images and likenesses on a baseball card. So, the fun was in doing the research as to which players were good prospects (as opposed to "suspects") and whether or not a competing company (such as Topps, Upper Deck, Donruss, etc) had previously done a card of that particular player.

In going to Arizona and Florida, I had a "hit list" of players I targeted and wanted to talk to in person, thus, I would arrange my schedule to go to the various Spring Training camps of the players whom I wanted to sign. Naturally, prior to traveling to Arizona or Florida, I had to make arrangements with the media relations department of each club for a media pass for the game that day (or night), arrive early enough at the ballpark to be able to talk to that player, and then offer that player a Fleer contract.

The catch was...

Would the player be willing to sign a contract on the spot and accept the check that I had for him...without calling his agent?!? That was the key...being able to convince the player to put his name on the contract! If a player refused, then I would simply tear up the check intended for him right in front of him and throw it in the trash. You would not believe the look on that player's face (and the players around him) when I did that. It was an interesting experience for both me and the players.

I repeated this process on many occasions in Arizona and Florida. For a lifelong baseball fan, being paid to talk to baseball players and then watching the Spring Training games was the ultimate. Plus, you had the opportunity to run into the veteran players as well. What memories!!! Great reflections!!!

So, in a few weeks when I board a jet to Arizona for five day's worth of games (actually nine games in those five days), all those memories will come flooding back to me and bring a smile to my face!

I plan on bringing my thoughts and observations to you in this space during that trip...

Stay tuned!!!