Alright, I'll just come out and say that I think Mike Trout is the MVP of the AL this year.
No, I'm not that big on all the latest metrics. WAR is a nice number, but there are two different versions. There is only one RBI number--and everybody knows how it works. There is a "historic" WAR number in the possession of Mike Trout--which is pretty cool, considering the fact that he wasn't an Angel until a month into the season. But that can also be said of all his other numbers. For example, he is the only player to ever have 30 HRs, 40+ SBs, and 125+ runs. He came very close to getting into an exclusive 30 HR / 50 SB club, but everybody in the stadium on the last night knew he was going for it, so an average catcher caught him doing so. Which, by the way, was only the fifth time this year that he was caught stealing.
Who would have thought that Mike Trout would tie Albert Pujols in HRs for the year?
Nobody. Not even I, who believed Pujols was already on the decline.
But Mike Trout hit a HR in the major leagues before Pujols did this year. Yup, beat him by one day, though Pujols had played 27 games by the time he hit his first, while Trout had played in six. In the end, they tied at 30.
Thirty?! Ten years and 240 million dollars for a man who hasn't hit .300 in two years, hit only 30 HRs, had 105 RBIs, OBP of only .343, and a WAR of merely 4.6. He was in 8th for RBI's (a stat that many of the new folks think is meaningless... which I still don't get, because runs are kind of important), 10th in HRs (tied with his rookie teammate who didn't play a whole season), and nowhere near the top ten in WAR.
I'm sorry, I really like Pujols, but his year totally indicates the Angels made a huge mistake. I can (and do) hope that he comes back and wins the Triple Crown next year.
And, speaking of the Triple Crown, ... really? How did Cabrera end up being the one to get this unusual award? Well, for one, by the sad demise of Pujols, who should have earned at least one of those leading categories. Also, by the Yankee skipper removing Granderson from the last game when he was hot on the trail of the HR lead. Also, by the caffeine-free Hamilton bailing out during the last two weeks of the season.
Cabrera had a tremendous year, yes. It is arguable that this isn't his "career year". I congratulate him on winning the Triple Crown, but I wish he hadn't. First, because he plays for Detroit (remember--I'm an Indians fan). Second, because I would prefer having Hamilton or Pujols or Votto pull it off (there are no Indians who would be even remote possibilities--at least not since Manny). Third, because it will probably mean all the stodgy old reporters will vote for him rather than Trout, who clearly deserves the award.
[Sigh]. Whatever.
Showing posts with label Triple Crown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Triple Crown. Show all posts
Friday, October 5, 2012
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Triple Crown
I've been following the Triple Crown race that Albert Pujols and Joey Votto have been putting on. Whoever this Gonzalez guy is, though, he apparently is taking over the race.
Pujols is not having a career year. In fact, as of this writing, his batting average is a full 21 points lower than his career average! If he had a "normal" Albert year this year, he may be a shoe-in for the Triple Crown. I believe I read somewhere that he won the Triple Crown for the decade of 2000's. What an incredible feat that is. I like Pujols. He does pretty much everything right. If there's one thing I'd say I didn't like about Albert, it was the one time when someone else won the MVP and he questioned it. I happened to agree that year--the award belonged in Albert's hands, but that's not the point. It was very un-Albert-like to say what he said. Other than that, he appears to do everything well and do everything right.
Joey Votto plays for my second favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds. Though I am an Indians fan at my very core, the Reds caught my attention as a boy and have never let go. Part of that had to do with the fact that my grandparents were Reds fans. I still remember sitting in their bedroom watching the Reds in the World Series back in 1976. I loved it. I was snagged. I could hope Votto wins just because he's a Red.
Prior to Gonzalez showing up on the scene, these two were battling it out for the Triple Crown. I would have been happy with either one winning.
But who in the world is this Gonzalez kid? Of course, the people of Colorado could easily be saying that about Joey Votto.
I've been keeping tabs on the race. I even instituted a simple "Triple Crown Index" in which I simply add the current rank of each player in each category to determine the score. This morning, Gonzalez leads with 5 points (1st in RBIs, 1st in batting average, 3rd in HRs). Pujols has plummeted to 10 points (remember, his batting average is considerably lower than normal). Votto is middling at 7 points.
So, as the current race has piqued my interest, I figured I'd look back at some prior Triple Crown winners to see how things have gone in the past. I know I've looked at this previously, but it has been years.
Some of my old favorites were winners. I had forgotten that Frank Robinson won it while playing with the Orioles back in 1966. His numbers that year were very Pujols-ian: .316 average, 49 HRs, 122 RBIs. Not a strong batting average, really, but in that time it worked. This year's batting averages were looking similar in the NL until Gonzalez kicked into high gear.
The last winner was Carl Yastrzemski, in 1967. It's a bit wild to me that we had two triple crown winners in a row, and in the same league. Carl's numbers: .326 average, 44 HRs, 121 RBIs. Again, good numbers, but... they certainly wouldn't cut it this year.
I was curious, so I looked up Pujol's average numbers. If we take out this year's numbers, but leave in his rookie year, he averages 40.7 HRs, 123.6 RBIs, and a batting average of .334. Someone like that lurking in the AL would have spoiled both of these triple crowns.
I also noticed that there were triple crown winners in every decade from the 1870s to the 1960s except for the 1910s. The triple crown winner in the 1870s did it with 4 HRs in 1878. That's pretty funny. One I hadn't known was that Ty Cobb got a triple crown in 1909. He hit a walloping 9 HRs that year.
Perhaps the most impressive triple crowns were those of Rogers Hornsby.
1922 - .401 avg, 42 HRs, 152 RBIs
1925 - .403 avg, 39 HRs, 143 RBIs
There's another thing I'd love to see happen again--hitting .400. I remember following Rod Carew's pursuit back in 1977. He ended up batting .388--still quite remarkable. I hoped to see Wade Boggs approach it, but .... Oh, and George Brett. I loved that guy, and was intrigued by his good-hitting pitcher brother, Ken. George hit .390 in 1980, the last time anyone seriously approached hitting .400.
Wait! I had forgotten about Tony Gwynn, until I pulled this up:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/batting_avg_season.shtml
He hit .393 in 1994--high enough to rank as the 37th highest batting average in major league history.
I'll continue keeping my eye on this current triple crown race. And, for those of you who are curious, I'll be posting my "Triple Crown Index" on Twitter.
Play ball!
Pujols is not having a career year. In fact, as of this writing, his batting average is a full 21 points lower than his career average! If he had a "normal" Albert year this year, he may be a shoe-in for the Triple Crown. I believe I read somewhere that he won the Triple Crown for the decade of 2000's. What an incredible feat that is. I like Pujols. He does pretty much everything right. If there's one thing I'd say I didn't like about Albert, it was the one time when someone else won the MVP and he questioned it. I happened to agree that year--the award belonged in Albert's hands, but that's not the point. It was very un-Albert-like to say what he said. Other than that, he appears to do everything well and do everything right.
Joey Votto plays for my second favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds. Though I am an Indians fan at my very core, the Reds caught my attention as a boy and have never let go. Part of that had to do with the fact that my grandparents were Reds fans. I still remember sitting in their bedroom watching the Reds in the World Series back in 1976. I loved it. I was snagged. I could hope Votto wins just because he's a Red.
Prior to Gonzalez showing up on the scene, these two were battling it out for the Triple Crown. I would have been happy with either one winning.
But who in the world is this Gonzalez kid? Of course, the people of Colorado could easily be saying that about Joey Votto.
I've been keeping tabs on the race. I even instituted a simple "Triple Crown Index" in which I simply add the current rank of each player in each category to determine the score. This morning, Gonzalez leads with 5 points (1st in RBIs, 1st in batting average, 3rd in HRs). Pujols has plummeted to 10 points (remember, his batting average is considerably lower than normal). Votto is middling at 7 points.
So, as the current race has piqued my interest, I figured I'd look back at some prior Triple Crown winners to see how things have gone in the past. I know I've looked at this previously, but it has been years.
Some of my old favorites were winners. I had forgotten that Frank Robinson won it while playing with the Orioles back in 1966. His numbers that year were very Pujols-ian: .316 average, 49 HRs, 122 RBIs. Not a strong batting average, really, but in that time it worked. This year's batting averages were looking similar in the NL until Gonzalez kicked into high gear.
The last winner was Carl Yastrzemski, in 1967. It's a bit wild to me that we had two triple crown winners in a row, and in the same league. Carl's numbers: .326 average, 44 HRs, 121 RBIs. Again, good numbers, but... they certainly wouldn't cut it this year.
I was curious, so I looked up Pujol's average numbers. If we take out this year's numbers, but leave in his rookie year, he averages 40.7 HRs, 123.6 RBIs, and a batting average of .334. Someone like that lurking in the AL would have spoiled both of these triple crowns.
I also noticed that there were triple crown winners in every decade from the 1870s to the 1960s except for the 1910s. The triple crown winner in the 1870s did it with 4 HRs in 1878. That's pretty funny. One I hadn't known was that Ty Cobb got a triple crown in 1909. He hit a walloping 9 HRs that year.
Perhaps the most impressive triple crowns were those of Rogers Hornsby.
1922 - .401 avg, 42 HRs, 152 RBIs
1925 - .403 avg, 39 HRs, 143 RBIs
There's another thing I'd love to see happen again--hitting .400. I remember following Rod Carew's pursuit back in 1977. He ended up batting .388--still quite remarkable. I hoped to see Wade Boggs approach it, but .... Oh, and George Brett. I loved that guy, and was intrigued by his good-hitting pitcher brother, Ken. George hit .390 in 1980, the last time anyone seriously approached hitting .400.
Wait! I had forgotten about Tony Gwynn, until I pulled this up:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/batting_avg_season.shtml
He hit .393 in 1994--high enough to rank as the 37th highest batting average in major league history.
I'll continue keeping my eye on this current triple crown race. And, for those of you who are curious, I'll be posting my "Triple Crown Index" on Twitter.
Play ball!
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