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Post by donniebaseball23 on Aug 15, 2024 15:43:00 GMT -5
Tony Gwynn = pretty decent hitter Since the 1988 season, STATS Inc has kept a record of batting performance on the two-strike counts. They discovered the average non-pitcher sees his batting average decline by about 28% when down to his last strike, which means that most players hit under .200 in those at-bats. In the twenty years worth of data, there is only one player who has been a .300 hitter when down to his last strike, and no one else is even close. It's Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The data covers his last 14 seasons and nearly 70% of his career plate appearances. In over 2000 plate appearances where he was down to his last strike, Gwynn hit .302. That's miles ahead of the next best player, Ichiro Suzuki, who trails Gwynn by nearly 35 points, way back at .268. When Gwynn was having his worst seasons hitting with two strikes, he was still better than anyone else. If you split Gwynn's 14 seasons into his best and worst seasons, in the bottom seven seasons he hit .272, still 4 points better than Ichiro's overall 2-strike average. Gwynn's most amazing accomplishment came in the five-year span from 1993 to 1997 (age 34-37). In that period, Gwynn hit an incredible .337 when he was down to his last strike. That two-strike average was only 8% less than his overall batting mark of .368. To emphasize even further how remarkable this was, consider: Gwynn had a higher batting average with two strikes on him during that five-year span than any other hitter achieved in all his at-bats! Mike Piazza came the closest, hitting .3367 in all his ABs. RELATED FACT: In 2009, Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox hit 18 points higher after 0-2 counts (an MLB-best .319) than he did overall (.301). Some other wild stats on Gwynn: After hitting .289 upon being called up in 1982, Gwynn hit at least .309 in each of his final 19 seasons. Including his last, at age 41, when he hit .324, mainly as a pinch hitter at that point. In "full seasons" (400 or more PA), he struck out <20 times 8 times, including 6 straight seasons (1991-1996). He struck out just 434 times in his 20 year career, or ~22 times a season. The MOST he struck out in 1 season was 40, in 1988 (521 PA). Gwynn hit no lower than .317 in any of his last 11 seasons. He won 4 straight batting titles from 1994-97 and hit .371 during that span Gwynn's best season was arguably 1997 in which he hit .372 (220-592), with a career best 17 HR and 119 RBI, to go along with 49 2B. He finished just 6th in the MVP voting. Gwynn finished with a remarkable 3141 hits, but he battled minor/nagging injuries throughout his career. Only 5 times would he play >150 games and over his last 14 seasons, missed an average of 43 games per season. Imagine how many hits he would've finished with f he could have stayed healthy. Safe to say, we'll probably never see another hitter quite like Tony Gwynn. Great writeup on Gwynn! Sorry to say I didn't follow baseball as much back then to appreciate him when he was playing. I think he would have been one of my favorite players. He was around in the early prime of my baseball obsession, but I didn't come to fully appreciate his greatness until he was almost done. I remember being in forecaster school in Biloxi and watching his and Ripken's last games back-to-back days. They let Gwynn pinch hit at the end of the game to get his last AB and take a final bow at home against the Rockies (I believe he grounded out). By-the by, he was hitting almost .390 into mid-August that summer, though his playing time was mostly limited to pinch hitting...that's still insane at 41. He was never the enormous star he should have been being relegated to a baseball outpost like San Diego. Imagine the level of superstardom he would have achieved if he played for a "blue blood" franchise like the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, or Cubs... |
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Post by inger on Aug 15, 2024 15:46:37 GMT -5
ROGER CONNOR
. Connor retired in 1897 with 138 career HR. Babe Ruth’s 139th was hit on 18-Jul-1921. Brouthers’ 58th had passed the career total of Harry Stovey. Connor was a switch-hitter and threw lefty.
In 1881 Connor became the first player to win a game in the bottom 0f the ninth with a grand slam.
Connor purchased a minor league team after his playing days. He bought the Waterbury team of the Connecticut League.
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Post by pippsheadache on Aug 15, 2024 18:17:56 GMT -5
Tony Gwynn = pretty decent hitter Since the 1988 season, STATS Inc has kept a record of batting performance on the two-strike counts. They discovered the average non-pitcher sees his batting average decline by about 28% when down to his last strike, which means that most players hit under .200 in those at-bats. In the twenty years worth of data, there is only one player who has been a .300 hitter when down to his last strike, and no one else is even close. It's Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn. The data covers his last 14 seasons and nearly 70% of his career plate appearances. In over 2000 plate appearances where he was down to his last strike, Gwynn hit .302. That's miles ahead of the next best player, Ichiro Suzuki, who trails Gwynn by nearly 35 points, way back at .268. When Gwynn was having his worst seasons hitting with two strikes, he was still better than anyone else. If you split Gwynn's 14 seasons into his best and worst seasons, in the bottom seven seasons he hit .272, still 4 points better than Ichiro's overall 2-strike average. Gwynn's most amazing accomplishment came in the five-year span from 1993 to 1997 (age 34-37). In that period, Gwynn hit an incredible .337 when he was down to his last strike. That two-strike average was only 8% less than his overall batting mark of .368. To emphasize even further how remarkable this was, consider: Gwynn had a higher batting average with two strikes on him during that five-year span than any other hitter achieved in all his at-bats! Mike Piazza came the closest, hitting .3367 in all his ABs. RELATED FACT: In 2009, Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox hit 18 points higher after 0-2 counts (an MLB-best .319) than he did overall (.301). Some other wild stats on Gwynn: After hitting .289 upon being called up in 1982, Gwynn hit at least .309 in each of his final 19 seasons. Including his last, at age 41, when he hit .324, mainly as a pinch hitter at that point. In "full seasons" (400 or more PA), he struck out <20 times 8 times, including 6 straight seasons (1991-1996). He struck out just 434 times in his 20 year career, or ~22 times a season. The MOST he struck out in 1 season was 40, in 1988 (521 PA). Gwynn hit no lower than .317 in any of his last 11 seasons. He won 4 straight batting titles from 1994-97 and hit .371 during that span Gwynn's best season was arguably 1997 in which he hit .372 (220-592), with a career best 17 HR and 119 RBI, to go along with 49 2B. He finished just 6th in the MVP voting. Gwynn finished with a remarkable 3141 hits, but he battled minor/nagging injuries throughout his career. Only 5 times would he play >150 games and over his last 14 seasons, missed an average of 43 games per season. Imagine how many hits he would've finished with f he could have stayed healthy. Safe to say, we'll probably never see another hitter quite like Tony Gwynn. One of the easiest things it was to be was being a fan of Tony Gwynn. A class act all the way. I loved how he and fellow San Diegan Ted Williams bonded. Two guys who could talk hitting at a level very few people ever could. We had a thread on here awhile back about his unreal success against the Maddux-Glavine-Smoltz Triumverate. Anyway you slice his numbers they are amazing. |
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Post by pippsheadache on Aug 15, 2024 18:39:26 GMT -5
DAN BROUTHERS Brouthers had 15 TB in a G on 10-Sep-1886. Klein racked up 16 in a G on 10-Jul-1936. Get a load of the black ink! www.baseball-reference.comIn case you didn’t notice, he led the NL in OPS and OPS + for six consecutive seasons. Upon retirement he served as a night watchman and press box attendant at the Polo Grounds. Dennis James Brothers somehow got the nickname, “Big Dan” "Brouthers really was a great hitter, one of the most powerful batters of all time... I don't think I ever saw a stronger hitter." - John McGraw "Frank Bancroft... thinks that Brouthers is the greatest hitter the world ever saw..." - Sporting Life, October 28, 1893 His 171 adjusted OPS was the best of his century and #7 all time. Most don’t know the correct pronunciation of his name is BROO-thers… Guys who know a lot more about nineteenth century baseball than I do always rate Brouthers at or near the top as the greatest player of that era, usually in the conversation with Cap Anson and Ed Delahanty and maybe Buck Ewing, Roger Connor or King Kelly. He was large for a guy born in 1858 -- 6'2" and over 200 pounds, which would probably equate to something like 6'5" and 240 today. He was notoriously hard to strike out for such a free swinging guy. A guy from my area named Ray Kerr wrote the only bio of Brouthers that I am aware of, although I haven't read it. As you noted, John McGraw found employment for Brouthers with the Giants when Big Dan was down on his luck. One of the things I admire about McGraw was how he always found a way to put former players who were having a tough patch on his payroll. |
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Post by ypaterson on Aug 15, 2024 18:43:08 GMT -5
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Post by pippsheadache on Aug 15, 2024 18:53:10 GMT -5
Anything that tries to reestablish the role of the starting pitcher is fine by me. I don't know if this is something the union needs to approve, because I think younger pitchers have become so accustomed to an early departure that they would oppose it. I think Jonathan Swift would favor it, though. |
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Post by inger on Aug 15, 2024 23:57:21 GMT -5
JAKE BECKLEY
With 22 triples in 1890 and 19 each 1891-1895, every year but 1 in the Top 5. Imaginca 1B leading the league in triples or have at least 6 straight seasons with 19+ triples. Or any player for that matter.
Showing he much he was universally trusted, he was the home plate ump on 09-Sep-1906(2)between his Cards & CIN. The latter prevailed.
According to Baseball, the Biographical Encyclopedia, Beckley “developed a hidden ball trick that was all his own: he hid the ball under a corner of the base, and when the runner took a lead, Beckley quickly reached under the base, grabbed the ball, and tagged the runner out. One day he reportedly lifted the wrong corner of the bag, and Honus Wagner zipped down to second, laughing all the way.” …
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Post by inger on Aug 15, 2024 23:59:50 GMT -5
I like it. Might allow some tweaks to allow circumstances to allow pulling the starter in a “threatening situation”, like at least two runners on during the sixth inning… |
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Post by ypaterson on Aug 16, 2024 9:49:35 GMT -5
I like it. Might allow some tweaks to allow circumstances to allow pulling the starter in a “threatening situation”, like at least two runners on during the sixth inning… I'm happy that the topic is getting conversation. Batting averages are back to where they were in the late '60s...not a time most baseball fans remember as a golder era for fan interest. |
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Post by inger on Aug 16, 2024 11:19:31 GMT -5
I like it. Might allow some tweaks to allow circumstances to allow pulling the starter in a “threatening situation”, like at least two runners on during the sixth inning… I'm happy that the topic is getting conversation. Batting averages are back to where they were in the late '60s...not a time most baseball fans remember as a golder era for fan interest. It ruined Mickey’s exit to an extent. Only smart fans know how great he still was… |
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Post by inger on Aug 16, 2024 11:46:18 GMT -5
SILVER KING
In 1888 for STL in the AA, he had 64 starts and completed them all. STL was in the American Association, a major league 1882-1891. His team captured the league crown with 92 wins, 45 of which were Silver King’s.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch said in 1918, Silver King—Charles Frederick Koenig—had not attended a baseball game since his career ended 20 years earlier at age 29…
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Post by ypaterson on Aug 16, 2024 11:58:01 GMT -5
I'm happy that the topic is getting conversation. Batting averages are back to where they were in the late '60s...not a time most baseball fans remember as a golder era for fan interest. It ruined Mickey’s exit to an extent. Only smart fans know how great he still was… The supporting cast hurt Mickey's numbers. In his final season, 1968, he drew more walks than anyone else in baseball except Yaz. His walk numbers far surpassed Frank Robinson, Willie McCovey, Harmon Killebrew and everyone else not named Yaz His OPS was 3rd among first basemen and he was 24th in MLB in home runs. Just my opinion, but I think he was frustrated playing on a bad team. www.mlb.com/stats/walks/1968www.mlb.com/stats/1968?position=1B |
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Post by Max on Aug 16, 2024 12:18:04 GMT -5
Speaking of the year 1888. In 1888 my eldest Uncle's favorite player was born. Hall of Famer Zack Wheat.
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Post by pippsheadache on Aug 16, 2024 12:45:44 GMT -5
Speaking of the year 1888. In 1888 my eldest Uncle's favorite player was born. Hall of Famer Zack Wheat. That is so cool. A fine player who is largely forgotten. Sort of a mentor to his fellow Dodger outfielder Casey Stengel. Casey used to talk about how much he thought of Wheat when he would get on one of his rambles. Although he played almost entirely with Brooklyn, he was one of those late-career greats with a little mileage left on them who was astutely signed by Connie Mack to supplement already great A's teams in 1927 and 1928. Besides Wheat he brought in Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and a second act for Eddie Collins to join the likes of Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane. In each case Mack got genuine contributions from his geriatric signees. |
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Post by Max on Aug 16, 2024 14:40:17 GMT -5
Speaking of the year 1888. In 1888 my eldest Uncle's favorite player was born. Hall of Famer Zack Wheat. That is so cool. A fine player who is largely forgotten. Sort of a mentor to his fellow Dodger outfielder Casey Stengel. Casey used to talk about how much he thought of Wheat when he would get on one of his rambles. Although he played almost entirely with Brooklyn, he was one of those late-career greats with a little mileage left on them who was astutely signed by Connie Mack to supplement already great A's teams in 1927 and 1928. Besides Wheat he brought in Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker and a second act for Eddie Collins to join the likes of Jimmie Foxx and Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane. In each case Mack got genuine contributions from his geriatric signees. Thanks for sharing all that great MLB history. |
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