You probably know that if you type a search term into Google, it will give you a few autocomplete suggestions for that search, giving you an indication of the most popular searches done by the public.
Here’s an example: Continue reading
It’s hard to believe that Jorge Posada and Jason were once considered to be in a similar class. But through most of the early-to-mid 2000s, the two players were often lumped together as star catchers for teams that were in contention every year.
However, looking at each guy’s final line, they ended up worlds apart. Continue reading
It’s been years since people learned to look at OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) to judge a player’s season. Let’s say a player qualified for the batting title with a .750 OPS. Was that a good season? Continue reading
Graham, our friend over at Baseball Past and Present, has embarked on a cool project to find the 9 best players in history (by position, obviously.) He’s narrowed down the choices on a ballot to make it easy, such as picking the best center fielder among Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Ken Griffey. Easy, right?
He’s also commissioned an artist to make a set of team cards for the winning players. Neat stuff–go over and fill out your ballot today!
Brett Myers / Icon SMI
The Astros have announced that Brett Myers is going to be their closer in 2012. Is it a good idea? Continue reading
What do you think of these two players:
Player A: 9014 plate appearances, 414 doubles, 416 homers, 1604 RBI, .320 BA, .920 OPS
Player B: 9102 plate appearances, 332 doubles, 348 homers, 1298 RBI, .277 BA, .789 OPS
Look at that difference in OPS–huge, right? Player A drove in a lot more runs with a much higher batting average.
Among players with 9300 to 9700 career plate appearances, the player with the closest OPS to Player A is Al Simmons. The player with the closest OPS to Player B is Ted Simmons. That’s a pretty good representation of those numbers–Player A is a Hall of Famer while Player B is merely “really good”.
So who are these two players really? Continue reading
1964 Topps #11
Which teams have fielded the same 4 infielders for the most games in a season? Click through to find out. Continue reading
Thanks to reader John Williams for posting this idea on the suggestions page.
Gustavo Molina / Icon SMI
Paul Konerko homering / Icon SMI
Paul Konerko was a first-round draft pick by the Dodgers in 1994. Coming into the league with high expectations, he bounced around early, first getting traded to the Reds and later to the White Sox. He was a good player for Chicago from 1999 to 2002, playing second fiddle (and sometimes even third or fourth fiddle) to Frank Thomas, Magglio Ordonez, and even Carlos Lee.
Then, in 2003, as Konerko was in what should have been his prime Age 27 season, he posted a stinker instead. He had a .234 batting average, 83 OPS+, and lead MLB with 28 GiDPs.
Many people wrote him off at that point, figuring he’d never recover enough to become a star. And yet–that’s exactly what he’s done. Quietly, he’s posted some fantastic seasons lately and may have crept into consideration for the Hall of Fame. Continue reading
In 2011, there were 185,245 plate appearances and 34,488 strikeouts, meaning that 18.6% of PAs resulted in strikeouts. This number is obviously the same whether you look at it from the batters’ standpoint or the pitchers’–both groups averaged the same 18.6% strikeout rate.
Among batters, though, we know there is a large variation in strikeouts. Among those who qualified for the batting title, Drew Stubbs (205) and Mark Reynolds (196) led the way while Juan Pierre (41) and Jose Reyes (41) had the fewest. That range of a factor of 5 is larger than that of pitchers. Among starters who qualified for the ERA title, Justin Verlander (250) and Clayton Kershaw (248) had the most while Brad Penny (74) and Josh Tomlin (89) brought up the rear. (Penny and Tomlin also pitched many fewer innings, and their K/9 rates were even closer to the leaders’.)
Click through for a histogram of the 2011 season broken down.