Author Archives: Doug

Lots of hits, but where are the RBI?

Thanks to regular poster Richard Chester for contributing this article and analysis. Richard is a long-time Yankees follower with many stories to tell of days at the Stadium.

Derek Jeter has been piling on the hits this year and attention has been focused on his climb up the ladder of the lifetime hits leader board. Not often observed is his relatively low RBI total, even for a leadoff hitter. As of the date of this writing, 8/2/2012, he is projected to accumulate  213 hits and 50 RBIs. This would out him into a not-so-desirable club of players with 200 or more hits and no more than 50 RBIs.

After the jump, I’ll look some more at this unusual “club”.

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Quiz – Time Warp Trivia

All of these players were active in the 1960s or 1970s. All were journeymen, and all played for at least three franchises.

Besides the above, what is the more specific common thread that unites these players?

Congratulations to yippeeyappee! He identified (in just 28 minutes) that these players played for a 1960s or 1970s expansion franchise in its inaugural season, and are natives of that team’s state/province. Where there were multiple such players, these are the ones who played the most games in that season.

No players on the 1969 Royals or 1977 Blue Jays matched these criteria.

Adam Dunn and triple-W games

In a recent post, John Autin identified that Jim Thome has the most career games with at least one of each of the TTO components – a walk, a strikeout and a home run. John called this phenomenon the “Thome Trifecta”, but I’m going to try a different moniker – triple-W, for a walk, a whiff and a whallop.

The leader in this category for 2012 is Adam Dunn of the White Sox, with 14 triple-W games so far this season, including 3 in a row against the Royals coming out of the All-Star break. After the jump, I’ll take a closer look at this phenomenon.

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End of an era – Ichiro leaves Seattle

Everyone has heard the news now of Seattle trading Ichiro to the Yankees. On one level, just a seller/buyer trade and one that probably wouldn’t have been made but for an injury on the buying team. But, perhaps more significantly, an icon moving from his only team late in his career and not voluntarily, leaving his fans a little perplexed and bewildered but, in this circumstance, also happy for the player who now has a good shot at finally winning a championship.

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Johan and the Mick: a story of platoon advantage

June 1st this season was a milestone date for the New York Mets. The Mets hosted the Cardinals that day and achieved something never previously accomplished in the team’s first 50 seasons of play. That was the day, of course, of Johan Santana‘s no-hitter, the first ever by a Met.

After the break, I’ll take a look at this and other similar games.

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Quiz – Nifty fifty

My apologies for botching this quiz. I somehow left two names off the list below, which I’ve added now. The answer is that these are the only players since 1918 with careers including 50 or more games for each of the following:
– 3 or more walks
– 3 or more strikeouts
– 3 or more hits

Thanks for playing, and sorry again for messing this up.

Since 1918, these are the only players to appear on certain statistical lists at least 50 times. What are these these statistical lists?

Hint: the third time is the charm