Is any other great baseball player’s Hall of Fame case met with less objective thought than Larry Walker’s?
In 1997, Walker hit .366/.452/.720. He hit 49 home runs and 46 doubles, stole 33 bases, played his typical stellar rightfield defense, and, for good measure, was hit by 14 pitches. Five other times, Walker’s on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) topped 1.000, something no player in either league accomplished in 2014.
Matt Cain, ace of the Giants’ world championship teams in 2010 and 2012, saw his performance fall off sharply in 2013 and was a non-factor in 2014, pitching ineffectively through the first half of a season that was cut short by a wonky elbow. After surgery, Cain is said to be feeling fine and raring to go for 2015.
But, is there a reasonable expectation that Cain can regain the elite form he displayed prior to 2013? I’ll look at that question after the jump.
Defensive metrics, while still controversial, have come a long way from the raw fielding percentages and error counts that once were all that was commonly available. In Part 1, this post presents a view of team defensive statistics from 2014, using two of the advanced defensive metrics in use today. Part 2 will focus on individual players, identifying the best and worst fielders at each position.
More after the jump.
This post is for voting and discussion in the 83nd round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG). This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1906. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading
Jim Thome was never a mass-market superstar, and wasn’t one to attract controversy — he had a reputation as one of the nice guys in baseball. Neither was his COG support controversial, as the voters embraced him strongly in his first round of eligibility, quickly making him the 82nd inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Jim and the voting after the jump. Continue reading
From 1901 through 2000, no team played at least .536 ball in a 10-year span without any Hall of Famers — except these:
With Derek Jeter’s retirement, the 2015 season will begin without an active 3000 Hit man. But, that should change soon, likely with an unusual confluence of such hitters.
More after the jump.
This post is for voting and discussion in the 82nd round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG). This round adds to the list of candidates eligible to receive your votes those players born in 1970. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading
It was a close race between two players who had just joined the holdover list, Luke Appling and Bill Dickey. In the end it was Dickey who prevailed by a single vote, winning induction as the 81st member of the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Bill and the voting after the jump Continue reading
The Giants have operated continuously since their NL debut as the New York Gothams in 1883. The Giant nickname was adopted two seasons later and was preserved after the franchise moved to San Francisco in 1958.
The Giants are the sixth of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!