Willie Wilson, all-star center-fielder with the dominating Kansas City Royal teams of the 1970s and 1980s showed up recently as one of the players in a quiz I was researching. Rest assured you quiz afficionados will get your chance to try your luck, but first I wanted to tell you about what I found to be a truly startling result.

Those who remember Willie will recall a lightning-fast singles hitter who, unfortunately, couldn’t take a walk to save his life. Thus, he ended up his playing days with a .285/.326/.376 slash, good for just a 94 OPS+. But, wait. Wilson parlayed that 94 OPS+ into a nice 46 career WAR in just over 2000 games. How many outfielders have done that? Actually, only Willie. And, among those with a career OPS+ of 95 or worse, there’s nobody else even close.

So, how did Willie rack up the WAR? More after the jump.

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Orioles 3, @Rays 1 — Baltimore’s 2-run burst with two outs in the 2nd stood up behind Ubaldo Jimenez and three RPs who got 10 outs to sweep the carpet clean, giving the O’s their second night alone in first place. Coming off his first good outing of the year, Jimenez was nicked right off the bat, walking leadoff man Ben Zobrist to trigger Tampa’s opening run. But in the next half, after David Price brushed aside the first two, J.J. Hardy doubled to the gap, and Steve Pearce whistled a full-count fastball to the seats.

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In honor of Yogi‘s induction into the COG, a related quiz involving players who have a particular game accomplishment since 2012 that no other player has managed. What is it?

Or, maybe it is over? Congratulations to Richard Chester! He correctly identified that since 2012 only these players have produced the game-winning margin at the earliest possible moment, via a 1st inning lead-off home run on the road, en route to a shutout of the home team.  After the jump, more on getting ahead early and making it count.

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Happy 70th birthday to a pioneer, who debuted 50 seasons ago by striking out Charley Smith. And a very happy 83rd to one of his teammates. Now, on to a bunch of first starts tonight — most of which I won’t get to, ’cause we lead with the wild finish:

@Pirates 2, Giants 1 — “Here’s the throw to the plate, the slide, and he is … out!!  We go to the 10th inning!”

Wait …

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These players enjoy the distinction of a certain seasonal batting feat since 1901 of which only they can boast. What is it?

Bonus: Hebner’s season is the most recent with what related accomplishment?

Congratulations to the Goof and Stuart! They teamed up to solve the two parts of today’s quiz, both related to efficient run production. In particular, only our quiz players have a season since 1901 with 80+ RBI produced from fewer than 100 hits. Richie Hebner’s season doing that is also on a second list of players with an 80 RBI season since 1901, with RBIs amounting to more than half of total bases. More after the jump.

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This post is for voting and discussion in the 57th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats (COG).  This round completes the addition, that was begun in the previous round, of those players born in 1925.  Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading →

It got late early in this round’s balloting, as Yogi Berra ran away with the voting. Yogi becomes the 56th inductee into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. Continue reading →

@Marlins 5, Dodgers 4 — Miami blew a Jose Fernandez win in the 9th, but they still walked off smiling after Jeff Baker’s winning double. Baker had come up short pinch-hitting in the 7th with two ducks on the pond, but he seized his next chance and bagged the second winning hit of his 10-year career.

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Adam Dunn is now three years removed from his historic cratering to a 54 OPS+ in 2011. Since then, he has compiled almost as many strikeouts as total bases, but has still managed a modestly respectable 112 OPS+ with a nice total of 80 home runs and almost 200 RBI.

That one season of 54 OPS+ is the only time in Dunn’s 14-year career that he’s finished south of 100. While nobody else can say that about an OPS+ season in the 50s, other players have turned in truly dreadful campaigns the only time they’ve been below 100 OPS+. More after the jump on the very worst single seasons in otherwise consistently good careers.

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@Reds 6, Brewers 2 — Johnny Cueto gave up two solo homers, but nothing else until an infield single in the 8th, lasting through that frame for the 4th straight game. Cincy tallied three in the 4th off Yovani Gallardo, sandwiching a HBP, and Cueto singled home another in the 6th. Tyler Thornburg’s 13-game scoreless streak died in a 2-run 7th, and all the while, Cueto kept firing strikes.

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