Baseball Guru
06-21-2002, 05:43 PM
June 13, 2002
By Jonah A. Berger
jonah@thecloser.com
One of the many great things about this game are the numbers that come along with it. Sure, Barry Bonds hits a lot of home runs, but if nobody kept track, how would we know where he stands in history? Can you imagine if batting averages were never calculated? Back in 1941 when Ted Williams hit .406, if there were no box scores or numbers to crunch, all we'd remember is that Williams was really good and "had a lot of hits" that year.
Stats have become as part of the game as balls and strikes, hot dogs and beer, organ music and the grounds crew. They allow us to differentiate between a .300 hitter and a scrub weighing in at .179. They allow us to bring in middle relief after big, bad aceman throws pitch No. 115. They allow us to follow alongside the search to break records that stand for years, decades, and forever.
Welcome to Stats in the Belfry, your weekly journey into the minds of those who still appreciate on-base percentages, strikeout to walk ratios, quality starts and blown saves.
AND YOU THOUGHT STEVE JELTZ WAS BAD
Devil Rays' OF Greg Vaughn could go 50 for his next 70 and still be hitting under .300 (.293 to be exact). Vaughn's 35-for-220 start (.159) has to be one of the worst in baseball history, and if you take away his 15 extra-base hits, he's hitting just .098 (20-for-205).
YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Sandwiched between the Phillies' Jeremy Giambi (4.5) and the Reds' Adam Dunn (4.3) for the major league lead in "pitches per plate appearance" is Rangers 2B Mike Young (4.3). Giambi and Dunn have a great eye at the dish, walking 44 and 58 times, respectively. As for Young, he's looked at ball four just 13 times in 216 plate appearances.
THE TRUTH STURTZE
How awful has Devil Rays P Tanyon Sturtze been this year? Off to an 0-7 start, Sturtze leads all pitchers in doubles surrendered with 30 -- in just 83 innings. In a 5-3 loss to the Twins on May 1, Sturtze gave up 11 hits -- six in the form of two-baggers -- in just 5 1/3 innings.
AT LEAST THERE'S A MALL THERE
Although they finished in second place with an 85-77 record, the Twins were 25th in all of baseball last season in home attendance, averaging a paltry 22,286 fans per contest. This season, through 66 games, Minnesota is playing better ball and have a four-game lead in the weak AL Central. Has anyone noticed in Twinkie land, you ask? Well, through 37 home games, the home team is averaging just 20,207 fans -- a dropoff of nine percent. Imagine if they were losing!
THAT'S ERIC, NOT ERROR
Sure, he's a rook with a hot bat, but it's no secret that Toronto 3B Eric Hinske has had his troubles with the glove this season. In just 162 chances at the hot corner, Hinske has made 15 errors -- the most in baseball at any position. On the other end of the stick is Atlanta 3B Vinny Castilla, who has just one miscue in 168 chances. And if we delve a little further into the numbers, you'll see that last year's miscue leader at 3B was San Diego's Phil Nevin, who made just 27.
ACHILLES GIL
Not only do Orioles C Geronimo Gil (pronounced "heel") and Tigers C Mike Rivera (recently demoted to AAA) lead the bigs in passed balls with nine, but the Tigers as a whole have had 14 -- four more than the aforementioned Orioles. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, the team with the fewest passed balls in all of baseball is the Marlins, who've yet to have a passed ball all season.
SAY IT AIN'T MO
The question: What do all these players have in common: Royce Clayton, Johnny Damon, Joe Randa, Carlos Guillen, Danny Bautista, Randy Winn, Chad Hermansen, A.J. Hinch, Tom Wilson, Damon Minor, and Jared Sandberg?
The answer: They've all out-homered Mets 1B Mo Vaughn this season.
By Jonah A. Berger
jonah@thecloser.com
One of the many great things about this game are the numbers that come along with it. Sure, Barry Bonds hits a lot of home runs, but if nobody kept track, how would we know where he stands in history? Can you imagine if batting averages were never calculated? Back in 1941 when Ted Williams hit .406, if there were no box scores or numbers to crunch, all we'd remember is that Williams was really good and "had a lot of hits" that year.
Stats have become as part of the game as balls and strikes, hot dogs and beer, organ music and the grounds crew. They allow us to differentiate between a .300 hitter and a scrub weighing in at .179. They allow us to bring in middle relief after big, bad aceman throws pitch No. 115. They allow us to follow alongside the search to break records that stand for years, decades, and forever.
Welcome to Stats in the Belfry, your weekly journey into the minds of those who still appreciate on-base percentages, strikeout to walk ratios, quality starts and blown saves.
AND YOU THOUGHT STEVE JELTZ WAS BAD
Devil Rays' OF Greg Vaughn could go 50 for his next 70 and still be hitting under .300 (.293 to be exact). Vaughn's 35-for-220 start (.159) has to be one of the worst in baseball history, and if you take away his 15 extra-base hits, he's hitting just .098 (20-for-205).
YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
Sandwiched between the Phillies' Jeremy Giambi (4.5) and the Reds' Adam Dunn (4.3) for the major league lead in "pitches per plate appearance" is Rangers 2B Mike Young (4.3). Giambi and Dunn have a great eye at the dish, walking 44 and 58 times, respectively. As for Young, he's looked at ball four just 13 times in 216 plate appearances.
THE TRUTH STURTZE
How awful has Devil Rays P Tanyon Sturtze been this year? Off to an 0-7 start, Sturtze leads all pitchers in doubles surrendered with 30 -- in just 83 innings. In a 5-3 loss to the Twins on May 1, Sturtze gave up 11 hits -- six in the form of two-baggers -- in just 5 1/3 innings.
AT LEAST THERE'S A MALL THERE
Although they finished in second place with an 85-77 record, the Twins were 25th in all of baseball last season in home attendance, averaging a paltry 22,286 fans per contest. This season, through 66 games, Minnesota is playing better ball and have a four-game lead in the weak AL Central. Has anyone noticed in Twinkie land, you ask? Well, through 37 home games, the home team is averaging just 20,207 fans -- a dropoff of nine percent. Imagine if they were losing!
THAT'S ERIC, NOT ERROR
Sure, he's a rook with a hot bat, but it's no secret that Toronto 3B Eric Hinske has had his troubles with the glove this season. In just 162 chances at the hot corner, Hinske has made 15 errors -- the most in baseball at any position. On the other end of the stick is Atlanta 3B Vinny Castilla, who has just one miscue in 168 chances. And if we delve a little further into the numbers, you'll see that last year's miscue leader at 3B was San Diego's Phil Nevin, who made just 27.
ACHILLES GIL
Not only do Orioles C Geronimo Gil (pronounced "heel") and Tigers C Mike Rivera (recently demoted to AAA) lead the bigs in passed balls with nine, but the Tigers as a whole have had 14 -- four more than the aforementioned Orioles. What's the big deal, you ask? Well, the team with the fewest passed balls in all of baseball is the Marlins, who've yet to have a passed ball all season.
SAY IT AIN'T MO
The question: What do all these players have in common: Royce Clayton, Johnny Damon, Joe Randa, Carlos Guillen, Danny Bautista, Randy Winn, Chad Hermansen, A.J. Hinch, Tom Wilson, Damon Minor, and Jared Sandberg?
The answer: They've all out-homered Mets 1B Mo Vaughn this season.