Yankee Judgernaut Rolls On

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After 5 straight games scoring at least 8 runs, the Yankees reached the 60 game mark scoring 353 runs and belting 102 home runs, the latter a new Yankee record, and the former the third highest Yankee total of the expansion era.

Leading the Pinstripers is phenom Aaron Judge, boasting leading marks in the AL triple crown categories, other AL firsts in WAR, walks, runs, total bases and runs created, and 2nd place in OBP, SLG, OPS, oWAR and right field TZR. More after the jump.

Five straight games of 8+ runs is the longest Yankee streak of the expansion era, and part of 21 such games over their first 60, tied with the 114-48 club of 1998 and the most since the DiMaggio Yankees of 1939. Those ’39 Bombers are also the last Yankee team with more than the 11 games of 10+ runs that this year’s club has posted over its first 60 contests. At its current pace, New York will score 953 runs for the season, within range of the 1998 (965) and 2007 (968) clubs that have the highest Yankee totals since their 1930s teams.

New York’s 102 homers are 7 more than the last Yankee world championship team in 2009, and 23 more than the 1961 club that famously featured a pair of Yankees chasing the Babe‘s then record total of 60 in a season. Mickey Mantle had 19 round-trippers at this point in the 1961 season with Roger Maris at 22, one more than the 21 dingers that Judge has belted (the most home runs by a Yankee after 60 games are 27, by Ruth in 1928 and Mantle in 1956). Projected to a full season, New York would belt 275 round-trippers this year, 30 more (!) than the record total of the 2012 team, and 35 more than the 1961 club.

Judge’s 21 home runs project to 57 for the season, a total that would smash Mark McGwire‘s rookie record of 49 in 1987 (McGwire had 20 home runs at this point of the season). Judge’s current .344 BA is within striking range of Ichiro‘s .350 mark in 2001 (ichiro was at .356 after 60 games), the highest rookie BA since George Watkins’ .373 in 1930. Judge’s current .450 OBP has been bettered only by Shoeless Joe Jackson (.468 in 1911) in a rookie season, while his current SLG (.718), OPS (1.168) and OPS+ (202) all lead the best rookie season totals.

Judge’s current 4.1 WAR projects to 11.1 for the season, a total that would surpass Mike Trout‘s rookie record of 10.8 WAR in 2012. Judge’s (.450) and Trout’s (.461) OBP marks so far this season are on pace to match or better Jim Thome‘s .450 OBP in 1996, the best of the expansion era in an age 25 season. Similar story for SLG with Trout (.742) and Judge (.718) trailing only Babe Ruth’s .847 in 1920 among 25 year-olds. For OPS and OPS+ at age 25, Trout (1.203/222) and Judge (1.168/2.02) sandwich Mantle (1.177/221 in 1957) and trail only Ruth (1.379/255). For WAR per PA among qualified age 25 seasons, Trout and Judge this season are trailing only Ruth and Mantle.

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Voomo Zanzibar

7 years ago

Watkins hit .373

Paul E

7 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

Yes. And never hit like that again. Kind of odd, no?

Doug

7 years ago

Reply to Paul E

He was a 30 year-old rookie, so decline phase would probably hit pretty quickly.

no statistician but

7 years ago

Reply to Doug

Doug: I think you’re looking at the wrong ’30.’ The year was 1930, when the NL collectively batted .303, and Watkins was one of ten starters or platooners on the Cards who hit .300 plus. His .373 in 424 PAs was second on the team, actually, to Showboat Fisher’s .374 in 286 PAs. Given Watkins’ high figure, he was still only 6th in the league in BA, and all of those ahead of him had far more PAs. Virtually veryone dropped off in subsequent years, not just Watkins, by the way.

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Doug

7 years ago

Reply to no statistician but

All true, of course, but Watkins didn’t come close to his 141 OPS+ the rest of his career. His next best was 122 OPS+ in 1932 which gave him the same WAR (2.8) as 1930, but in 20% more PA.

no statistician but

7 years ago

Reply to no statistician but

Not to go off on a tangent, but the 1930 and 1931 Cardinals, NL champs both years, had very similar stats, despite dropping from 1004 to 815 runs scored and from784 to 614 runs allowed. They finished first in the league both years in doubles, second in triples, fifth in HRs, third in BA, second in ERA and runs allowed. The team OPS+ both years: 98. The team’s ERA+ both years: 116.

Paul E

7 years ago

Reply to no statistician but

and, the Cardinals’ Pythagorean W/L is .639 and .638 – that’s incredibly consistent

Paul E

7 years ago

Reply to Paul E

Forget that comment – per baseball reference it’s .630 versus .610 for Pythagorean calcualtions
Mea culpa

Ken

7 years ago

Reply to no statistician but

One of my favorite stats on the decline of offense from 1930 to 1931 was Chuck Klein’s RBI totals. In 1930 he had 170, but did not lead the league. In 1931 he had 121, a drop of 49, but DID lead the league.

Paul E

7 years ago

How about that Harry Lumley? Brooklyn slugger of the early 20th century, probably the ‘oddest’ of the 25 year old leaders for OPS+. Not a great career as injuries wrung him out…..

Doug

7 years ago

Reply to Paul E

6.2 WAR for age 25, 3.0 WAR for the rest of his career. Only rookie to lead his league in 3B, HR and SO. Lumley’s 134 career OPS+ is second only to Kal Daniels (138) among players with 300 R and 300 RBI in a career of fewer than 3000 PA. Was made Player-Manager in 1909, and stopped putting himself in the lineup (55 games that year, after 127 the previous year before a broken ankle shelved him for the rest of the season). Brooklyn lost 98 games in 1909 (actually a small improvement) but Lumley’s managerial career was over,… Read more »

Paul E

7 years ago

Reply to Doug

Kalvaski was the bomb. An absolute on-base machine who drive the ball…and couldn’t stay healthy

Voomo Zanzibar

7 years ago

As of right now, Joey Gallo has the only season with 200+ PA and
BA under .200 (.199)
SLG over .500 (.510)

If he keeps it up (down), he’ll be on an island.
Next best (worst):

.217 … Ryan Schimpf
.227 … Carlos Pena
.231 … Art Shamsky
.233 … Sam Horn
.235 … Paul Sorrento

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Doug

7 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

BA less than 40% of SLG, min. 100 PA.

Paul E

7 years ago

Reply to Doug

Neil Chrisley ? Never heard of nor ran across his name before

e pluribus munu

7 years ago

Reply to Paul E

His ’59 Topps card was in every pack I bought for a month and you couldn’t trade him for anyone.

Paul E

7 years ago

Reply to e pluribus munu

1200 minor league games played – hey, “practice makes perfect”

Author

Doug

7 years ago

Reply to e pluribus munu

Is it just me or does Chrisley not look like he’s aged ten years between the photos on his 1958 and 1959 cards?

e pluribus munu

7 years ago

Reply to Doug

Playing for the Nats could take a toll.

Voomo Zanzibar

7 years ago

Ian Happ just had the 10th searchable game with
4+ RBI and
4+ SO

All since 1982.
But only once since 2003.
Derek Norris in this game:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN201505290.shtml

Doug

7 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

Six of the ten, including Happ, had a grannie account for all of the RBI. Reggie Jackson did it twice, both after age 35.

Happ now has one, two, three and four-run home runs, all in his first 27 games. All six of his home runs have come on the first or second pitch.

Author

Doug

7 years ago

The Twins set a new post-1913 franchise record with 28 hits against the Mariners on Tuesday. Broke the old record of 27 by the Senators against the Indians in 12 innings on May 16, 1933, their AL championship season.

David P

7 years ago

Interesting article by Ben Lindbergh showing that the recent increase in home runs is likely due to a juiced ball.

https://theringer.com/2017-mlb-home-run-spike-juiced-ball-testing-reveal-155cd21108bc

And note that one of the comments on the article is by TAFKAJA (The Artists Formerly Known As John Autin).

Doug

7 years ago

Reply to David P

Really interesting article, David. Thanks.

e pluribus munu

7 years ago

Reply to David P

Seeing John and Doug on the same comment string brought to the surface some nostalgia. John’s reservations notwithstanding, I thought the argument by Lindbergh was well articulated and pretty nuanced.

David P

7 years ago

While most teams now eschew the bunt, the Indians continue to use it in situations that make absolutely no sense. Last night was a prime example. They’re facing Nik Turley, a 27 year old rookie and former 50th round draft pick, making his second career start. So Clayton Kershaw he ain’t. In the first inning, Turley hits a batter and gives up a double. Now in the second, he starts the inning by giving up 3 singles. So he’s clearly struggling. In steps, Lonnie Chisenhall with runners on first and second, no one out. Now granted, Chisenhall often sits against… Read more »

Voomo Zanzibar

7 years ago

Mashiro Freakin TaWacky

4 IP
10 SO
8 H
5 ER

10 SO with no more than 4 IP has now been done 7 times.
All since 2013.

Doing it and giving up 5+ ER?
Tanaka is number 3.

He joins Noah Syndegaard and Danny Salazar:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN201506020.shtml
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHA/CHA201404100.shtml

David P

7 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

Odd that Tanaka has been by far the Yankees worst starter, given that coming into the season he was considered the only starter they could rely on.

On the plus side, they won´t have to get into a bidding war this offseason to retain his services. Pretty much guaranteed that he’ll opt-in to the final 3 years of his contract.

Author

Doug

7 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

Tanaka is the first of the 7 with 10 SO to also allow 3 HR.

David P

7 years ago

Yanks are now 5 games behind their Pythagorean record, which is quite strange since they’ve outperformed their Pythagorean record almost every year for the past 25 years or so.

David P

7 years ago

Reply to David P

Last Yankees team to finish more than 5 games below their Pythagorean record was the ’75 team which went 83-77 vs a 91-69 Pythagorean record.