Come heck or high water, I am a Cleveland Indian fan.
Many days ago, as the Indians were sitting on a record of 71 wins, 59 losses, I wrote the following on one brother's FB wall, tagging my other online brother in the note:
"The Indians would have to go 9 and 23 in the remaining 32 games in order to not get to .500 for the year. Get your bets in."
Immediately after that posting they won 1 and lost 6.
We are Indians fans. Losing has become expected, though still a disappointment. Like the Cleveland Browns fan (of which we are also) who died a few months back and requested that six Browns lower him into his grave, so that they could let him down one more time, .... we have expectations of L.
Honestly, we need help. Maybe psychological help. That L stamped on our foreheads isn't healthy.
~ ~ ~
If you follow baseball, though, you know that the season ended much better than I ever would have anticipated. In the end, the Indians ended the season as the hottest team in baseball, reeling off ten straight wins. In the end they were 92-70, beat out both Texas and Tampa for the top wildcard spot, but ended up losing that single game to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Still, a satisfying season for this veteran Indians fan.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Thursday, August 15, 2013
"Triple Crown" and historic seasons
I'm not a Miggy fan. Haven't been since, I think, the drunk driving incident. I have never lost someone to a drunk driver's irresponsible and reprehensible actions, but the whole incident was ... simply reprehensible. The whole, "Don't you know who I am?!" thing... nah. I like my heroes to have a bit of humility, as well as contrition for their massive mistakes. Being drunk is one thing, but driving around as such? No. And the nonsense he pulled with the police... certainly not. Not a hero. And, being the 'old school' baseball fan that I am, character means something to me.
Hence, I am totally not a Barry Bonds fan, but think very highly of Hank "The Hammer" Aaron.
Other than that, Miggy's a good hitter. Okay, a great hitter. But I've been wanting to check out where his season stands historically in comparison to other great seasons since the last time someone won a Triple Crown. So, this is part of that research. I had originally thought that Don Mattingly had a better season in the mid 80's, but... when one uses the word 'better', one must have some sort of standard. Does one simply use the Triple Crown standards? HRs, RBIs, and batting average are nice things, but... even for an old baseball fan like me, they don't say enough.
In 1967, Carl Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award. He deserved the MVP indisputably, unlike Miguel Cabrera last year. His numbers were so far superior to everyone around him that it would have been an absurdity for anyone to vote for anyone else. Interestingly, though, somebody voted for Cesar Tovar of the Minnesota Twins. I remember Tovar. He wasn't an MVP. How he got a #1 vote that year is inexplicable. His big numbers included leading the league in games played (164), plate appearances (726), and at bats (649). And if those numbers aren't compelling enough, how about these biggies?
Hits - 173
Runs - 98 (almost 100)
HRs - 6
Triples - 7
Doubles - 32
RBI's - 47
SB - 19
CS - 11
BB's - 46
SO - 51
Batting Average - .267
On Base % - .325
Pardon me, but this guy could be batting first or second on a team managed by Dusty Baker, eh?
Oh, for the record, the intentional walks that he received that year, the year in which he received one vote for 1st place on somebody's MVP ballot, was ZERO. Apparently he was not a feared hitter.
Go figure.
Yaz, though, received the other 19 first place votes. He led the league in all kinds of categories. Here's a brief list, including some of the sabermetric categories which compelled many to think that Mike Trout was the real MVP of last year's AL season.
One does not see a similar picture when it comes to 2012, and the argument between Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. In fact, if one compares the two in a broad range of categories, one is left wondering how the heck this happened. The following comparisons are amongst all of MLB, not just the American League.
But, enough of about the present, I dug around a bit and found three seasons that were better in terms of the Triple Crown numbers alone. These three seasons each have their tainted points. Two were in the pre-humidor Colorado days, and one was from a known druggie. All three seasons, though, were a good bit better than the season that Miggy had last year, and all three came since the last time a true Triple Crown winner occurred. Here they are:
M
Hence, I am totally not a Barry Bonds fan, but think very highly of Hank "The Hammer" Aaron.
Other than that, Miggy's a good hitter. Okay, a great hitter. But I've been wanting to check out where his season stands historically in comparison to other great seasons since the last time someone won a Triple Crown. So, this is part of that research. I had originally thought that Don Mattingly had a better season in the mid 80's, but... when one uses the word 'better', one must have some sort of standard. Does one simply use the Triple Crown standards? HRs, RBIs, and batting average are nice things, but... even for an old baseball fan like me, they don't say enough.
In 1967, Carl Yastrzemski won the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award. He deserved the MVP indisputably, unlike Miguel Cabrera last year. His numbers were so far superior to everyone around him that it would have been an absurdity for anyone to vote for anyone else. Interestingly, though, somebody voted for Cesar Tovar of the Minnesota Twins. I remember Tovar. He wasn't an MVP. How he got a #1 vote that year is inexplicable. His big numbers included leading the league in games played (164), plate appearances (726), and at bats (649). And if those numbers aren't compelling enough, how about these biggies?
Hits - 173
Runs - 98 (almost 100)
HRs - 6
Triples - 7
Doubles - 32
RBI's - 47
SB - 19
CS - 11
BB's - 46
SO - 51
Batting Average - .267
On Base % - .325
Pardon me, but this guy could be batting first or second on a team managed by Dusty Baker, eh?
Oh, for the record, the intentional walks that he received that year, the year in which he received one vote for 1st place on somebody's MVP ballot, was ZERO. Apparently he was not a feared hitter.
Go figure.
Yaz, though, received the other 19 first place votes. He led the league in all kinds of categories. Here's a brief list, including some of the sabermetric categories which compelled many to think that Mike Trout was the real MVP of last year's AL season.
- WAR - Yaz had 12.4, which made it an historic season. Second place? Brooks Robinson at 7.7.
- Offensive WAR - Yaz, 9.9; 2nd place Killibrew, 7.3.
- Batting Average - Yaz, .326. 2nd place was Frank Robinson at .311. There were only two other players in the American League that year who bat .300 or better.
- OBP - Yaz .418, 2nd place Al Kaline .411, and only Killibrew and Frank Robinson were also above .400.
- Slugging Pct. Get this--Yaz .622, 2nd place Robinson at .576.
- That means he buried the field in OPS when he had 1.040 (in comparison, Miggy had 0.999 last year, which was lower than his previous two season!)
- Runs - Yaz 112, 2nd place Killibrew was the only other at or above 100, with 105.
- Hits - Yaz had 189, which was 16 more than 2nd place Tovar (maybe that's why?)
- Total Bases - here's separation. Yaz had 360, 2nd place Killibrew had 305. Third place dropped off to Robinson's 276.
- Tony Oliva had first place in doubles at 34, with Yaz in third at 31. Very low counts on doubles that year.
- Yaz and Killibrew tied at 44 HRs, nobody else hit 40 or more, and only two others hit 30 or more.
- Yaz was one of only 2 people with 100+ RBI's.
- He was not in the top ten of people in the AL in striking out. He struck out only 69 times.
One does not see a similar picture when it comes to 2012, and the argument between Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout. In fact, if one compares the two in a broad range of categories, one is left wondering how the heck this happened. The following comparisons are amongst all of MLB, not just the American League.
- WAR - Trout 10.9, Miggy 7.3 (fifth place)
- WAR amongst only position players? Miggy got 4th
- Offensive WAR - Trout 8.8, Miggy in 2nd with 7.8
- Batting Average - Miggy in 2nd at .330, Trout in 4th at .326
- OBP - Trout's .399 was 6th, Miggy's .393 was 7th
- Slugging Pct - Miggy's .606 was 2nd, Trout's .564 5th
- Runs scored - Trout was 20 runs ahead of everyone at 129, Miggy in 2nd at 109
- Total Bases - Miggy led everyone with 377, whereas Trout, who began playing a month into the season, came in 9th at 315
- Trout led the majors in SBs with 49
- Miggy led both leagues in extra base hits with 84
- Miggy led both leagues in double plays grounded into at 28
But, enough of about the present, I dug around a bit and found three seasons that were better in terms of the Triple Crown numbers alone. These three seasons each have their tainted points. Two were in the pre-humidor Colorado days, and one was from a known druggie. All three seasons, though, were a good bit better than the season that Miggy had last year, and all three came since the last time a true Triple Crown winner occurred. Here they are:
- Todd Helton, 2001. 49 HRs, 146 RBIs, .336 BA. He also scored 132 runs that year, had 54 doubles, OBP of .432, slugging percentage of .685, OPS 1.116, 402 total bases, and was ninth in MVP voting. Did you hear me? Ninth.
- Larry Walker, 1997. 49 HRs, 130 RBIs, .366 BA. Larry also scored 143 runs, had 208 hits, 46 doubles, 33 SBs(!?), .452 OBP, OPS at an astounding 1.172, slugging percentage of .720, 409 total bases, and was the national league MVP.
- Manny Ramirez, 1999. 44 HRs, 165 RBIs, .333 BA. Manny was definitely Manny that year. Always a big RBI guy, that was his finest season. Also, 131 R's, 34 2B's, OBP .442, slugging percentage .663, OPS 1.105, and came in 3rd in the AL MVP race.
M
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
June 25, 2013
Well, honestly, I haven't been following baseball as tightly as I have for several years. I got a new blackberry at work and ESPN's mobile site isn't nearly as useful and quick as it was prior to this blackberry. I suppose that means this one is technically 'better', but I really preferred the old site. I could read up on every game before and/or after, and never get thrown to one of those 'live' sites that keeps you updated on a game. I could follow the game and simply hit 'refresh'.
I can't figure out how to get BACK to that type of page, so ... haven't read as much on baseball this year. Which is really too bad, because a couple folks are having a tremendous season, my Indians aren't horrible (again... like last year when they were 30-15 after 45 games, but sucked to the end), and the playoffs appear to be heading for new faces.
Chris Davis? Whut. His numbers right now, on June 25th, look good enough for a best season by most current major leaguers.
Josh Hamilton?! Albert? Well...I guess I did sort of see the whole Albert thing coming, darn it. I want them both to play up to their historic greatness, but that isn't working out thus far in 2013.
Will Adam Dunn be the first man ever to bat less than .200 but hit 40 HRs and get 100 RBIs? That'd be wacky. I may have to look to see whether anyone else has done that.
Hey, Yadier, keep improving with age, alright?
What's with Votto's slump? I mean, really? His OBP is down to .440!
Alright, enough for now. I need to come up with a way to keep up on a more daily basis, since ESPN (which sometimes appears to stand for Egalitarian Sexual Preference Network) has muffed it for me.
Later.
I can't figure out how to get BACK to that type of page, so ... haven't read as much on baseball this year. Which is really too bad, because a couple folks are having a tremendous season, my Indians aren't horrible (again... like last year when they were 30-15 after 45 games, but sucked to the end), and the playoffs appear to be heading for new faces.
Chris Davis? Whut. His numbers right now, on June 25th, look good enough for a best season by most current major leaguers.
Josh Hamilton?! Albert? Well...I guess I did sort of see the whole Albert thing coming, darn it. I want them both to play up to their historic greatness, but that isn't working out thus far in 2013.
Will Adam Dunn be the first man ever to bat less than .200 but hit 40 HRs and get 100 RBIs? That'd be wacky. I may have to look to see whether anyone else has done that.
Hey, Yadier, keep improving with age, alright?
What's with Votto's slump? I mean, really? His OBP is down to .440!
Alright, enough for now. I need to come up with a way to keep up on a more daily basis, since ESPN (which sometimes appears to stand for Egalitarian Sexual Preference Network) has muffed it for me.
Later.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Baseball's Top 100???
First of all, I looked through this whole list on ESPN.
As I did so, I found myself disagreeing with several positions. Derek Jeter was way too high. Why was Cy Young placed below so many pitchers? Why did they neglect to make adjustments for the Drug Lords? Why was Pete Rose, all time hits leader, but far over-rated, so high on the list?
Clearly, any thinking baseball fan will have some issues with any such list. But, most baseball fans also love the idea of someone putting together such a list.
I love reading about the history of baseball. I love reading about one man's opinion (or a group of men) on who the best players in history were. There's something about the nostalgia of baseball that is like eating a good chocolate--do it slowly, enjoy every bite, savor every moment.
Recently I read Larry Dierker's "My Team: Choosing My Dream Team From My Forty Years in Baseball". The idea was similar to this Top 100 list. The twist was that he chose two players from each field position, then a group of starting pitchers, and a group of relievers--for his team, then for a second team. His list didn't include the Babe Ruths and Ty Cobbs of baseball, but men who played during his forty years (as indicated in the title). He chose with things like "club house guy" in mind, made note of folks who had been sort of evicted from various teams, put together some folks based upon which would do better against right or left-handed pitching, etc. He included numbers on folks, too, but those were not his only criteria. He was able to go a bit deeper on some things, because he had a more intimate knowledge of the players of whom he spoke.
I would love to find more books like this. Recently I was remembering that early in my life it was baseball that drove me to read. I recalled getting a book about Hank Aaron when I was in third or fourth grade, reading it more than once, and going back to the library for more. Aaron quickly became one of my biggest baseball heroes, though I learned of him at the end of his brilliant career. But I read of other historic greats--Mantle, Mays, Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, .....
What fun!
Speaking of fun, I've been contemplating the possibility of writing my own "best of" list. I've often thought that we needed a new metric to capture the best-of-the-best. WAR seems like a pile of I-can't-touch-this data. It doesn't seem like something the casual fan can grasp. The defensive metrics alone are well beyond the capability of a casual fan to capture. I once tinkered with some ideas on Runs. Maybe I will dig into some of those new-fangled numbers in Baseball Reference or something.
But, one thing keeps coming back to me--I want any list that I create to be casual fan-friendly. There are metrics that the casual fan has used for ages that the sabermetric folks mock. I listen to ESPN's Baseball Today podcast, so I've heard how nasty those mockers can be. Their character is suspect.
Are they right? Well, they are probably right on the numbers. But their nastiness really taints their message. Plus, they love saying things like "Wins don't matter" for pitchers. I understand their point, but that doesn't make me think they are intelligent. Nobody can convince me that King Felix deserved the Cy Young award when he won 13 games. Don't tell me a great pitcher cannot win for a bad team. The 2010 Seattle Mariners were better than the 1972 Phillies. Go tell Steve Carlton you can't win for a losing team. Given a voice, I would have voted for someone like Price or CC. Even Buckholz. The mockers would mock me and audibly speak of my stupidity. That's okay. I have little respect for their hatred. I just can't vote for someone who has a mere 13 wins. What good did they do their team?
But... dangit. When it comes to the sabermetric numbers like WAR, King Felix was the best pitcher. That's just another reason I can't quite trust that number. It doesn't think the way Dierker could by his knowledge of individual players. Who really wants a Barry Bonds in the clubhouse? Nobody. Who wants him in their lineup? Everybody. He is a cancer, like TO in football. A team probably performs at a lower level with such horrific characters in their clubhouse--in spite of what he brings to the table in personal performance.
The King Felix thing reminds me of having Miguel win the Triple Crown. His season was far less impressive than many individual seasons that have happened since 1967, but nobody else stepped up this year. Heck, even Mike Trout's year was more impressive. He missed a month of the season, but set all kinds of rookie records. He had a fabulous season for a veteran. On that point, I stand with the WAR folks. In fact, a quick browse of Baseball Reference shows no less than 38 seasons since 1967 that were superior to Cabrerra's this year. Including, of course, Trout's season--which was shorted by one month.
I'm going to think a bit about this Top 100 idea. I suspect I will create something. Eventually. I will just need to think through what criteria I would use, what the point of my list will be (single team? best of all time? what what?), etc.
Fun to come.
As I did so, I found myself disagreeing with several positions. Derek Jeter was way too high. Why was Cy Young placed below so many pitchers? Why did they neglect to make adjustments for the Drug Lords? Why was Pete Rose, all time hits leader, but far over-rated, so high on the list?
Clearly, any thinking baseball fan will have some issues with any such list. But, most baseball fans also love the idea of someone putting together such a list.
I love reading about the history of baseball. I love reading about one man's opinion (or a group of men) on who the best players in history were. There's something about the nostalgia of baseball that is like eating a good chocolate--do it slowly, enjoy every bite, savor every moment.
Recently I read Larry Dierker's "My Team: Choosing My Dream Team From My Forty Years in Baseball". The idea was similar to this Top 100 list. The twist was that he chose two players from each field position, then a group of starting pitchers, and a group of relievers--for his team, then for a second team. His list didn't include the Babe Ruths and Ty Cobbs of baseball, but men who played during his forty years (as indicated in the title). He chose with things like "club house guy" in mind, made note of folks who had been sort of evicted from various teams, put together some folks based upon which would do better against right or left-handed pitching, etc. He included numbers on folks, too, but those were not his only criteria. He was able to go a bit deeper on some things, because he had a more intimate knowledge of the players of whom he spoke.
I would love to find more books like this. Recently I was remembering that early in my life it was baseball that drove me to read. I recalled getting a book about Hank Aaron when I was in third or fourth grade, reading it more than once, and going back to the library for more. Aaron quickly became one of my biggest baseball heroes, though I learned of him at the end of his brilliant career. But I read of other historic greats--Mantle, Mays, Ruth, Cobb, Gehrig, .....
What fun!
Speaking of fun, I've been contemplating the possibility of writing my own "best of" list. I've often thought that we needed a new metric to capture the best-of-the-best. WAR seems like a pile of I-can't-touch-this data. It doesn't seem like something the casual fan can grasp. The defensive metrics alone are well beyond the capability of a casual fan to capture. I once tinkered with some ideas on Runs. Maybe I will dig into some of those new-fangled numbers in Baseball Reference or something.
But, one thing keeps coming back to me--I want any list that I create to be casual fan-friendly. There are metrics that the casual fan has used for ages that the sabermetric folks mock. I listen to ESPN's Baseball Today podcast, so I've heard how nasty those mockers can be. Their character is suspect.
Are they right? Well, they are probably right on the numbers. But their nastiness really taints their message. Plus, they love saying things like "Wins don't matter" for pitchers. I understand their point, but that doesn't make me think they are intelligent. Nobody can convince me that King Felix deserved the Cy Young award when he won 13 games. Don't tell me a great pitcher cannot win for a bad team. The 2010 Seattle Mariners were better than the 1972 Phillies. Go tell Steve Carlton you can't win for a losing team. Given a voice, I would have voted for someone like Price or CC. Even Buckholz. The mockers would mock me and audibly speak of my stupidity. That's okay. I have little respect for their hatred. I just can't vote for someone who has a mere 13 wins. What good did they do their team?
But... dangit. When it comes to the sabermetric numbers like WAR, King Felix was the best pitcher. That's just another reason I can't quite trust that number. It doesn't think the way Dierker could by his knowledge of individual players. Who really wants a Barry Bonds in the clubhouse? Nobody. Who wants him in their lineup? Everybody. He is a cancer, like TO in football. A team probably performs at a lower level with such horrific characters in their clubhouse--in spite of what he brings to the table in personal performance.
The King Felix thing reminds me of having Miguel win the Triple Crown. His season was far less impressive than many individual seasons that have happened since 1967, but nobody else stepped up this year. Heck, even Mike Trout's year was more impressive. He missed a month of the season, but set all kinds of rookie records. He had a fabulous season for a veteran. On that point, I stand with the WAR folks. In fact, a quick browse of Baseball Reference shows no less than 38 seasons since 1967 that were superior to Cabrerra's this year. Including, of course, Trout's season--which was shorted by one month.
I'm going to think a bit about this Top 100 idea. I suspect I will create something. Eventually. I will just need to think through what criteria I would use, what the point of my list will be (single team? best of all time? what what?), etc.
Fun to come.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The 2012 World Series
When this year's playoffs got past the one game playoff "series", there were five teams left for whom I could cheer. Yes, I know, I'm an Indians fan. Well, when one is an Indians fan, but also a big baseball fan, it is nice to have someone to cheer for when the annual Indians Out Of The Playoffs Magic Number comes around in mid-August (or something).
So, I would have been happy to see the Reds in it until the end. The Big Red Machine (about whom I read recently in a fun-read, "The Machine", by Joe Posnanski) was there when I was getting originally immersed in the world of baseball. I was living on the outskirts of Cleveland (Bedford, Ohio, to be exact), but my grandparents in Columbus were big Reds fans. So, when we visit them during the World Series of 1975, my fandom got a tremendous start by watching the Reds win the big one against the Red Sox. What an awesome year.
Anyway, I would have loved to see the Reds make it all the way. [Sigh]
Here were my five-out-of-eight:
Reds
Rangers (I'm a big Nolan Ryan fan, as well as a Josh Hamilton fan... little did I know NR would say some hard things about JH at the end, but I don't blame him)
Cardinals
A's
Nationals
Ideally, the World Series would have been the Reds against the A's--and the Reds would have won vengeance for the 1972 World Series. Yes! If anyone out there knows of a good video story of that World Series, I'd love to hear about it. Having 7 games in a World Series is ideal, but having 6 of them decided by one run? Holy cow. That's awesome.
A little factoid here--the Reds outscored the A's in that World Series, 22 to 15. Too bad that doesn't offer any real salve to the overall loss.
I would have been cheering for the Rangers, for sure. Watching their sudden and unbelievable demise was painful. Lose the division on the last day? Wow. Nolan, I sure hope you and yours come back to the Big Dance next year (unless the Indians do the never-expected).
I would have cheered for the Cardinals, even though they just won it last year. I love the fact that they made it as far as they did even though they lost a formerly top-notch player to bigger money, lost a HOF manager, and worked with a rookie big league manager. They had a great year, and, in my opinion, were by far the better team than the team that removed them from the World Series. Definitely had a better line-up.
Ah, well.
The A's? Well, though I've never been a fan, Billy Beane has me intrigued. I'd love to see him working his magic for the Indians, but... still, his incredible GMing with the A's brings hope to this small market fan. Keep at it!
Then there's the Nat's. What a story. They stunk so bad that they got the top pick two years in a row--and both have come around to play in the bigs in a good way. I'm looking forward to many years of Strasburg and Bryce. Rise to stardom, guys!
So, clearly, four of my five hopefuls were eliminated in that round. That sucked.
Here we are--a World Series with the Central Division foe Tigers and the Left Coast Giants. Gah. I'll watch, but only because I love baseball. Not even sure who I will cheer for yet. I really didn't want Cabrera to be the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years--I'd far rather that had gone to Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, or our guy Votto. Alas, it was not to be.
Now to get some snacks for the boys tonight.
So, I would have been happy to see the Reds in it until the end. The Big Red Machine (about whom I read recently in a fun-read, "The Machine", by Joe Posnanski) was there when I was getting originally immersed in the world of baseball. I was living on the outskirts of Cleveland (Bedford, Ohio, to be exact), but my grandparents in Columbus were big Reds fans. So, when we visit them during the World Series of 1975, my fandom got a tremendous start by watching the Reds win the big one against the Red Sox. What an awesome year.
Anyway, I would have loved to see the Reds make it all the way. [Sigh]
Here were my five-out-of-eight:
Reds
Rangers (I'm a big Nolan Ryan fan, as well as a Josh Hamilton fan... little did I know NR would say some hard things about JH at the end, but I don't blame him)
Cardinals
A's
Nationals
Ideally, the World Series would have been the Reds against the A's--and the Reds would have won vengeance for the 1972 World Series. Yes! If anyone out there knows of a good video story of that World Series, I'd love to hear about it. Having 7 games in a World Series is ideal, but having 6 of them decided by one run? Holy cow. That's awesome.
A little factoid here--the Reds outscored the A's in that World Series, 22 to 15. Too bad that doesn't offer any real salve to the overall loss.
I would have been cheering for the Rangers, for sure. Watching their sudden and unbelievable demise was painful. Lose the division on the last day? Wow. Nolan, I sure hope you and yours come back to the Big Dance next year (unless the Indians do the never-expected).
I would have cheered for the Cardinals, even though they just won it last year. I love the fact that they made it as far as they did even though they lost a formerly top-notch player to bigger money, lost a HOF manager, and worked with a rookie big league manager. They had a great year, and, in my opinion, were by far the better team than the team that removed them from the World Series. Definitely had a better line-up.
Ah, well.
The A's? Well, though I've never been a fan, Billy Beane has me intrigued. I'd love to see him working his magic for the Indians, but... still, his incredible GMing with the A's brings hope to this small market fan. Keep at it!
Then there's the Nat's. What a story. They stunk so bad that they got the top pick two years in a row--and both have come around to play in the bigs in a good way. I'm looking forward to many years of Strasburg and Bryce. Rise to stardom, guys!
So, clearly, four of my five hopefuls were eliminated in that round. That sucked.
Here we are--a World Series with the Central Division foe Tigers and the Left Coast Giants. Gah. I'll watch, but only because I love baseball. Not even sure who I will cheer for yet. I really didn't want Cabrera to be the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years--I'd far rather that had gone to Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, or our guy Votto. Alas, it was not to be.
Now to get some snacks for the boys tonight.
Friday, October 5, 2012
MVP
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.
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.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Mid-Season Hopeful Projections
It is almost time for the All-Star break, so this morning I was looking around at a few players to see what their current "projections" are for the year. One thing I love about baseball is--the numbers. They intrigue me, fascinate me, get my attention, make me feel giddy and free.
Or something.
So, I'm going to provide somewhat of a "wish list" here, with some of those projections in mind.
World Series
The World Series that I hope for every single year is simply this--Cleveland Indians vs Cincinnati Reds, Indians win in seven.
Yes, I totally realize that this is fantasy. But, heck, this is my baseball blog, right?
I'd even be good with the Indians being down 3-0 after three games--as long as they don't break my heart again like they did in 1997! (Jose Mesa is NOT available now, right?)
World Series II
Okay, since my fantasy World Series is less than likely (Tiger Woods has a better chance of winning another dozen tournaments, in fact), here's what I will hope for this year's World Series:
Texas Rangers vs Whoever, Rangers win it in 5. Or 4. Maybe 6. Just not 7, I don't think those fans deserve that kind of torture again.
And, with the Rangers in mind, let's get on with the projections!
Josh Hamilton
Current Projections: 103 Rs, 178 hits, 30 2B, 2 3B, 51 HR, 148 RBI, 63 BB, 150 SO, .314 Avg, .381 OBP.
I like Josh Hamilton. A lot. I hope that he wins another MVP award this year. In fact, I seriously hope that he out does all of these projections. Let him get 200 hits, bat at least .330, hit at least 50 HRs, maybe top 148 RBIs, walk more, strikeout less. But, the projections are the projections. If he has a couple hot streaks like he had earlier this year, it'd be good. Chances are he'll get out of this slow period for another time or two.
Joey Votto
After my Indians fandom, I am a fan of the Cincinnati Reds. I love how strong Votto has come out of the gate. His current projections are:
104 Rs, 193 Hits, 69 2Bs, 29 HRs, 98 RBIs, 125 BBs, 127 SOs, Avg .350(!!), OBP .471 (Also !!!).
If it weren't for the ridiculous incompetence of Dusty Baker, Votto would have a projection of 150 RBIs by this time. But, no, Baker puts two pathetic OBP folks in front of Votto more often than not. You'd think he was the manager of Ichiro at some point, and believed that hitting 200 singles in a season was as good as having an OBP above .350.
Anyway, Votto needs to pick up the pace just enough to get 200 hits. I read somewhere that there were only two players in history who had 200+ hits and 120+ BBs--Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Now that is some fascinating company.
Adam Dunn
It was painful to watch his numbers last season, but very few people actually seemed to think he was Dunn (see what I did there?). Thus far, he has proven his fans to be correct. He's batting a pathetic .210, but his OBP of .359 is good enough for 43rd place as of today (and far superior to the "HOF" Ichiro's .297, but not quite as strong as Ichiro's lifetime .367 (which, by the way, is better than the folks Dusty has playing in front of Votto)).
Current projections: 90 Rs, 119 Hits (what?), 21 2Bs, 49 HRs (which would be a career high), 119 RBIs (obviously in a better managed lineup than Votto), 131 BBs (crazy), 258 SOs (probably a record), and then the numbers presented earlier.
Some pretty ugly stuff, but some nice stuff, too. I hope he pulls the average up, the OBP, and keeps on pace with the HRs. That'd be great.
Cliff Lee
Um... projected to win Zero games. Never mind.
Albert
Most folks I hear anticipate that he will beat out the current projections. Most believe he will bat .300+, hit 30+ HRs, and have 100+ RBIs. He's a bit on the hot side right now, but we shall see.
Current projections: 627 ABs, 84 Rs, 170 Hits, 43 2Bs, 25 HRs, 98 RBIs, 57 BBs (if he stays hot, that will change rather dramatically), 78 SOs, currently a .271 avg and 331 obp. Those numbers will change.
Or... maybe they won't. I think he's showing wear. Last year didn't look like Albert, and I didn't think he deserved the #1 pre-season ranking that ESPN analysts gave him. I have no idea how they thought that.
CC Sabathia
Unfortunately, as a former Indians fan who follows this heavyweight, CC is currently on the DL. That'll slow his pace towards another 20 W season. Yes, I know the Keith Laws and such of the universe think that W's are meaningless. I don't. There's more to this game than the numbers--there is the human factor that contributes to such things. I would never have voted for a Cy Young for a 12 game winner (or was it 13?). I don't care how fancy your numbers are--you didn't pull a Steve Carlton and win half your team's games. Lame.
Anyway, CC's current projections are: 222 IP, 60 BBs, 218 K's, 19 W's, 6 L's.
Works for me. Go CC. And, fail Yankees.
Matt Kemp
How do you do projections on a guy when the projections currently suggest he will play only 73 games? Never mind.
Yu Darvish
Certainly an interesting figure. I was hearing folks projecting him as the Cy Young before he threw his first major league pitch. Thus far, he hasn't totally damaged their reputations.
Current projections: 207.2 IP, 18 HRs, 107 BB's, 237 K's, 20 W's, 10 L's.
I'd like to see more consistent dominance, because he's pitching for my hopeful World Series winner.
A few others
There are a few other players who intrigue me--some because of the teams they play for, others because they are novelties, or they are having rather significant years. A few other projections:
Adrian Beltre is having a good year--which he needs to do in order to rightly support my Nolan Ryan team. Projected to hit 36 2Bs, 28 HRs, get 105 RBIs, and is batting .323.
Stephen Strasburg, whose innings limits are talked about constantly, particularly because the Nats are actual contenders this year, is on pace for 19 W's, 6 L's, 196 IP's (which, apparently, he will not reach), 257 K's, 57 BB's, and WHIP of 1.08.
R. A. Dickey, the now famed knuckleballer, is on pace to win 24 (!!), only lose 2 (!!!), 229 IP's, 235 K's, a stifling 0.88 WHIP and .190 opponents batting average.
GO R. A. I am totally not a Mets fan, but this story is too good not to cheer for.
So...
I guess time will tell whose excellence continues, who floats to the top, and whether or not my Cleveland Indians become a dominant force in baseball.
[Sigh]... never mind.
Or something.
So, I'm going to provide somewhat of a "wish list" here, with some of those projections in mind.
World Series
The World Series that I hope for every single year is simply this--Cleveland Indians vs Cincinnati Reds, Indians win in seven.
Yes, I totally realize that this is fantasy. But, heck, this is my baseball blog, right?
I'd even be good with the Indians being down 3-0 after three games--as long as they don't break my heart again like they did in 1997! (Jose Mesa is NOT available now, right?)
World Series II
Okay, since my fantasy World Series is less than likely (Tiger Woods has a better chance of winning another dozen tournaments, in fact), here's what I will hope for this year's World Series:
Texas Rangers vs Whoever, Rangers win it in 5. Or 4. Maybe 6. Just not 7, I don't think those fans deserve that kind of torture again.
And, with the Rangers in mind, let's get on with the projections!
Josh Hamilton
Current Projections: 103 Rs, 178 hits, 30 2B, 2 3B, 51 HR, 148 RBI, 63 BB, 150 SO, .314 Avg, .381 OBP.
I like Josh Hamilton. A lot. I hope that he wins another MVP award this year. In fact, I seriously hope that he out does all of these projections. Let him get 200 hits, bat at least .330, hit at least 50 HRs, maybe top 148 RBIs, walk more, strikeout less. But, the projections are the projections. If he has a couple hot streaks like he had earlier this year, it'd be good. Chances are he'll get out of this slow period for another time or two.
Joey Votto
After my Indians fandom, I am a fan of the Cincinnati Reds. I love how strong Votto has come out of the gate. His current projections are:
104 Rs, 193 Hits, 69 2Bs, 29 HRs, 98 RBIs, 125 BBs, 127 SOs, Avg .350(!!), OBP .471 (Also !!!).
If it weren't for the ridiculous incompetence of Dusty Baker, Votto would have a projection of 150 RBIs by this time. But, no, Baker puts two pathetic OBP folks in front of Votto more often than not. You'd think he was the manager of Ichiro at some point, and believed that hitting 200 singles in a season was as good as having an OBP above .350.
Anyway, Votto needs to pick up the pace just enough to get 200 hits. I read somewhere that there were only two players in history who had 200+ hits and 120+ BBs--Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Now that is some fascinating company.
Adam Dunn
It was painful to watch his numbers last season, but very few people actually seemed to think he was Dunn (see what I did there?). Thus far, he has proven his fans to be correct. He's batting a pathetic .210, but his OBP of .359 is good enough for 43rd place as of today (and far superior to the "HOF" Ichiro's .297, but not quite as strong as Ichiro's lifetime .367 (which, by the way, is better than the folks Dusty has playing in front of Votto)).
Current projections: 90 Rs, 119 Hits (what?), 21 2Bs, 49 HRs (which would be a career high), 119 RBIs (obviously in a better managed lineup than Votto), 131 BBs (crazy), 258 SOs (probably a record), and then the numbers presented earlier.
Some pretty ugly stuff, but some nice stuff, too. I hope he pulls the average up, the OBP, and keeps on pace with the HRs. That'd be great.
Cliff Lee
Um... projected to win Zero games. Never mind.
Albert
Most folks I hear anticipate that he will beat out the current projections. Most believe he will bat .300+, hit 30+ HRs, and have 100+ RBIs. He's a bit on the hot side right now, but we shall see.
Current projections: 627 ABs, 84 Rs, 170 Hits, 43 2Bs, 25 HRs, 98 RBIs, 57 BBs (if he stays hot, that will change rather dramatically), 78 SOs, currently a .271 avg and 331 obp. Those numbers will change.
Or... maybe they won't. I think he's showing wear. Last year didn't look like Albert, and I didn't think he deserved the #1 pre-season ranking that ESPN analysts gave him. I have no idea how they thought that.
CC Sabathia
Unfortunately, as a former Indians fan who follows this heavyweight, CC is currently on the DL. That'll slow his pace towards another 20 W season. Yes, I know the Keith Laws and such of the universe think that W's are meaningless. I don't. There's more to this game than the numbers--there is the human factor that contributes to such things. I would never have voted for a Cy Young for a 12 game winner (or was it 13?). I don't care how fancy your numbers are--you didn't pull a Steve Carlton and win half your team's games. Lame.
Anyway, CC's current projections are: 222 IP, 60 BBs, 218 K's, 19 W's, 6 L's.
Works for me. Go CC. And, fail Yankees.
Matt Kemp
How do you do projections on a guy when the projections currently suggest he will play only 73 games? Never mind.
Yu Darvish
Certainly an interesting figure. I was hearing folks projecting him as the Cy Young before he threw his first major league pitch. Thus far, he hasn't totally damaged their reputations.
Current projections: 207.2 IP, 18 HRs, 107 BB's, 237 K's, 20 W's, 10 L's.
I'd like to see more consistent dominance, because he's pitching for my hopeful World Series winner.
A few others
There are a few other players who intrigue me--some because of the teams they play for, others because they are novelties, or they are having rather significant years. A few other projections:
Adrian Beltre is having a good year--which he needs to do in order to rightly support my Nolan Ryan team. Projected to hit 36 2Bs, 28 HRs, get 105 RBIs, and is batting .323.
Stephen Strasburg, whose innings limits are talked about constantly, particularly because the Nats are actual contenders this year, is on pace for 19 W's, 6 L's, 196 IP's (which, apparently, he will not reach), 257 K's, 57 BB's, and WHIP of 1.08.
R. A. Dickey, the now famed knuckleballer, is on pace to win 24 (!!), only lose 2 (!!!), 229 IP's, 235 K's, a stifling 0.88 WHIP and .190 opponents batting average.
GO R. A. I am totally not a Mets fan, but this story is too good not to cheer for.
So...
I guess time will tell whose excellence continues, who floats to the top, and whether or not my Cleveland Indians become a dominant force in baseball.
[Sigh]... never mind.
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