A common and legitimate criticism of using RBI as a measure of a hitter’s effectiveness is that RBI are opportunity-based and, therefore, good RBI totals may simply be an indicator of more RBI opportunities. To address this limitation in raw RBI totals, this post looks at players who are most proficient in driving in runs when they are presented with that opportunity (namely, when runners are in scoring position).

Using this approach, Albert Pujols, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez emerge as the most proficient expansion era run producers with RISP, with Frank Thomas just a hair behind.

My thanks to regular HHS contributor Richard Chester for suggesting the idea for this post. More after the jump.

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Monday’s home teams went 2-8. That’s no big deal, but the MLB home win percentage is .520 this year, the lowest full-season mark since 1971. The past 10 years averaged .542 –a two-win difference over 81 games, compared to this year’s figure. Seven of the top 12 teams by overall W% have a better record on the road, including three division leaders.

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It took 59 rounds of voting to elect the great Cubs second baseman (to go along with the great Cubs shortstop/first baseman and the great Cubs third baseman previously elected), but in a closely contested round, Ryne Sandberg was chosen as the 68th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Sandberg and the voting after the jump. Continue reading →

This post is for voting and discussion in the 69th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round completes the addition to the ballot those players born in 1916. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

Continuing from an earlier post on the NL, here are some statistical oddities to watch for as the 2014 season winds down.

Betcha didn’t know that …

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Game Notes is running on fumes … passed our innings limit … can’t find that sharp-biting slider. But here’s what we’ve got; hit it if you can!

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As the season rounds the quarter pole and heads into the stretch drive, here’s a compilation of some of this season’s statistical oddities.

Betcha didn’t know that …

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What to make of Kyle Gibson’s pattern of good and bad outings?

Game Scores aren’t a great measure of Gibson’s performance, because he isn’t a strikeout pitcher (which could be a factor in the pattern). But I’ll show that picture, then move on to my main point:

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 68th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round begins to add to the ballot those players born in 1916. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

Bob Feller had a quick impact on professional baseball: major leaguer at 17, star by 19, superstar by 21. He had a quick impact on our voting as well, appearing on nearly 60% of the ballots in his first round and now on over 70% of the ballots. This time it was enough to get him elected, by a wide margin, as the 67th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. Most Happy.

More on Feller and the voting after the jump. Continue reading →