Baseball Today – 2011 Major League Baseball

 Baseball Today  No Responses »
Nov 282011
 

Baseball Money

A Baseball Team Got it Right

Congratulations to the Cleveland Indians for having the common sense to sign outfielder Grady Sizemore to a one-year, incentive-based contract. The former all-star has played in only 210 of a possible 486 games over the past three years. Sizemore’s base salary in 2012 will be $5 million, and he can make another $4 million based on plate appearances. All baseball contracts should be structured this way.

National League Most Valuable Player

Congratulations to Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun. Braun made

Milwaukee Brewer Ryan Braun

Milwaukee baseball history by becoming the first player from the city to win the National League Most Valuable Player Award since Henry Aaron in 1957 did it with the Milwaukee Braves. We got to see how great Braun is during the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Ryan Braun was also part of a record-tying four member 30-30 Club. Joining Braun were Matt Kemp, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ian Kinsler. For a while it looked like Kemp was going to have a shot at a Triple Crown but faded at the end.

Detroit Tiger Pitcher Justin Verlander

Cy Young and MVP!

I have to admit that I was disappointed when I heard that Justin Verlander had won the American League MVP honor. He received 13 of 28 first-place votes and 280 points.

Boston outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was second in this year’s voting with four first-place votes and 242 points. Verlander got over 3 times the number of first place votes. He played in 34 games compared to Ellsbury’s 158 games. In those 158 games, he scored 119 runs, drove in 105 and batted .321. Add 32 home runs and 212 hits and not too many players have had better years. Toronto outfielder

Boston Red Sox Jacoby Ellsbury

Jose Bautista (five firsts, 231 points), had similar numbers in 148 games. Rounding out the top five are New York Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson (three firsts, 215 points) and Detroit first baseman Miguel Cabrera (two firsts, 193 points).

I wonder what Adrian Gonzalez is thinking. In 159 games he scored 108 runs, drove in 117 and batted .338.

Major League Baseball is the Best

After watching the Cardinals and Rays complete remarkable comebacks to make the playoffs it would be hard to argue against baseball being the best sport. The 73,425,568 fans that attended baseball games in 2011 would agree. I would put Game 6 of the 2011 World Series in the top ten all time of best games played in any sport.

Two Wild Card Teams Added

Now baseball has agreed to add another wild card team. This will make for a higher number of playoff races coming down the wire. I am disappointed that the two wild card teams will play a one-and-done format. One bad game and your season is over. I would have liked to seen a best of three. Some would argue that playing three games would punish the division winners, because they would have to sit around and wait. Well, what happens when a team sweeps their opponent and the other league’s series goes seven games? The team that swept sits around and waits. If you are concerned that a three game format would extend the season into November, then take two games off the regular season.

Even after adding two more wild card teams, baseball still has the lowest percentage (33) of its teams making the postseason.

Could Instant Replay be Next?

I’m somewhat encouraged that baseball continues to improve its product. My hope is that they start to take a more proactive approach to implementing instant replay. The other thing that needs to be changed is having the All-Star game determine who gets home field advantage in the World Series. The team with the best record should have the home field advantage. This year, Texas had the best record, but St. Louis got to play game 7 at home.

I like the move of Houston to the American League. Even though the sale of the Astros was dependent of on the move, I think in the long run everybody in baseball benefits. An intrastate rivalry will develop between the Astros and the Texas Rangers that will make Astro fans forget about the National League.

I am also pleased that the inter-league games will be spread out. American League teams will no longer have to go through nine-game stretches without their designated hitter or National League teams having to use a DH spot they are not sufficiently equipped to fill.

Collective Bargaining Agreement

I would like to thank the players and management for working together that resulted in the announcement of a preliminary Collective Bargaining Agreement. This means we will have uninterrupted play through 2016.

A Hall of Fame Infield?

I wonder if the current Yankee infield of Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Can and Alex Rodriguez could someday all be members of the Hall of Fame.

The 2011 Major League Baseball Season

These are some of my favorite memories of the 2011 Major League Baseball season:

  1. On July 9, 2011, Derek Jeter fortified his place in baseball history with his

    Derek Jeter 3000th Hit

    3000th hit, becoming the 28th player in MLB history to reach the mark, and only the second shortstop after Honus Wagner. Derek Jeter homering for his 3,000 hit and going 5-for-5 with the game-winning RBI on that fairy tale day at Yankee Stadium.

  2. Mariano Rivera earning a record 602nd save.

  3. Minnesota Twins' Thome

    The secret assault of Jim Thome to record his 600th home run. Thome is only the 8th player in baseball history to hit 600+ home runs.

  4. Franciso Liriano, Justin Verlander and Ervin Santana pitching no-hitters
  5. The incredible pitchers’ duel between Chris Carpenter and Roy Halladay in a sudden-death elimination game.
  6. Watching Texas Ranger manager Ron Washington show his emotions in the dugout.

  7. St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols

    Albert Pujols homering three times in a World Series game.Only Babe Ruth (twice) and Reggie Jackson had done it before.

  8. Tony La Russa managing his sixth league championship and third World Series title. He ranks third with 2,728 wins over 33 seasons as manager. Only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763) won more. I wish he had stayed around long enough to at least pass McGraw.
  9. The thrill of watching Cardinal David Freese’s heroics.
  10. Tiger’s Justin Verlander and Dodger’s Clayton Kershaw both won the pitching Triple Crown in their respective leagues (Wins, ERA and Strikeouts). This is the first time there’s been dual pitching Triple Crowns since 1924.
  11. Toronto Blue Jays Jose Bautista proved that 2010 wasn’t a fluke as he

    Toronto Blue Jay Jose Bautista

    claimed the home run title again in 2011. His 43 home runs were two more than New York Yankees’ Curtis Granderson. Bautista is the first player to win the title in two straight years since Alex Rodriguez did it in 2002-03.

  12. Watching Tampa Bay Rays Sam Fuld play defense. There is no better example of his all-

    Tampa Bay Ray Sam Fuld

    out play that a game against the Chicago White Sox, soaring through the air to rob Juan Pierre of a bases loaded triple.

  13. Evan Longoria winning the wild-card with a solo home run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

    Tampa Bay Rays Evan Longoria

 

 

 

Baseball History – Baseball Firsts

 Baseball History  No Responses »
Nov 072011
 

As I do research for my blog posts I come across interesting bits of baseball trivia. One of the great things about baseball is its history. There so many stories to be told. Below are a few baseball firsts that you may or may not be aware of.

1901 Chicago White Sox

The New American League

The Chicago White Sox won the first American League game played in history. On April 24, 1901, it didn’t look good for the league’s debut. With four games scheduled, three were rained out. Chicago defeated Cleveland 8-2, with pitcher Roy Patterson getting the first win. The White Sox name was adopted only 10 days prior to the start of the season. Newspapers complained that they could not get the name ‘Chicago White Stockings’ on one line for a headline. The White Stockings name was the very first pro team in Chicago in the mid-1800s.

The Cubs in the World Series

Joe Tinker who was mostly known for being a part of a famous double-play combination hit the first Chicago Cub home run in a World Series. Tinker’s two-run shot came in game two of the 1908 World Series against the Tigers.

Joe Tinker

The Cubs won the game 6-1, then the series four games to one. Tinker is perhaps best known for the “Tinker to Evers to Chance” double play combination in the poem “Baseball’s Sad Lexicon,” written by the New York Evening Mail newspaper columnist Franklin Pierce Adams in July 1910. Tinker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946.

Extra, Extra, Extra

Babe Ruth in 1921

Babe Ruth was the first player in Major League history to slug over 100 extra base hits in one season. Ruth had 119 extra base hits in 1921 with the Yankees. He had 44 doubles, 16 triples and 59 home runs. The number that surprises me the most is the 16 triples. Ruth just missed 100 three other times with 99 (’20), 99 (’23) and 97 (’27). Since then, fourteen other players have compiled at least 100 extra base hits. The last time was in 2001 when four players reached or exceeded the century mark in extra base hits.

The Most Valuable Player

Jimmie Foxx was the first player in history to win three season MVP Awards. Foxx won two with

Jimmie Foxx

the Athletics in 1932 and 1933. His third came with the Boston Red Sox in 1938. He almost had his fourth in 1940, but finished runner-up to Joe DiMaggio of the Yankees. Barry Bonds has won the most MVP awards with seven. He won four in a row from 2001 to 2004.

A Dominating Lefty

Sandy Koufax was the first pitcher to throw four no-hitters, and they were all in a four-year span. His last one was a perfect game. Koufax of the Dodgers accomplished this from 1962-

Sandy Koufax

1965. He retired in 1966 at the age of 31 with elbow problems. Even so, he went 27-9 with a 1.76 ERA in that final season and won his third Cy Young Award. He finish his shorten career 165-87 record and a 2.76 ERA

The Hits King

Pete Rose was the first switch-hitter in the National League to win a batting title. Rose, a National League switch-hitter won his in 1968 with the ‘Big Red Machine’ of

Pete Rose

Cincinnati. Rose batted .335 and finished .003 points above Pittsburgh’s Matty Alou for the title, and .018 ahead of brother Felipe of Atlanta who finished third. Rose also finished second in the MVP voting in 1968 to pitcher Bob Gibson of the Cardinals. Mickey Mantle was the first American Leaguer to win a batting title in 1956.

Clemens in Better Times

In 2001, Roger Clemens was the first pitcher in Major League history to win 20 games and

Roger Clemens

have only one loss in the season. Clemens ended up going 20-3 in his 2001 Yankee season. For his efforts, he was awarded his sixth Cy Young Award.

A Great Beginning

On August 23, 2001, Colorado Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings threw a shutout and hit a home run in his first Major League game. This was the first time in 100 years for this to happen. He appeared in seven games

Jason Jennings

with a 4-1 record. Jason went 4-for-15 with a double and home run, batting .267 for the season. In 2002, Jennings was 16-8 and batted .306. However, he never had another winning season, retiring in 2009 with a 62-74 career record.

 

Player Spot Light – Why Isn’t Ron Guidry in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

 Player Spot Light  No Responses »
Sep 162011
 

Ron Guidry

Ron Guidry‘s first full Major League season was 1977. Starting in the majors at the age of 26, he lost four to five years of his prime. He only pitched in 10 seasons where he had at least 20 starts. He won 20 games three times, in 1978 (25-3), 1983 (21-9) and 1985 (22-6). During the 1977 season, he led the Yankee starting rotation with a 16-7 record. He finished ninth in the league in wins and in strikeouts with 176. His 2.85 ERA was fourth best in the league. Guidry finished seventh in Cy Young voting. In addition, he compiled a 2-0 post season record helping the Yankees win the 1977 World Series.

One of the Best Years by a Pitcher

In 1978, Guidry compiled one of the most dominating seasons in baseball history. Nicknamed “Louisiana Lightning”, Guidry went 25-3, struck out a club-record 248 batters, and led the league with a 1.74 ERA and 208 ERA+. He completed 16 of his 35 starts including 9 shutouts en route to a unanimous selection as the American League’s Cy-Young-Award recipient and finished second to Jim Rice in the MVP voting.

Sets Yankee club record

He led the Yankees to a dramatic comeback from 14.0 games behind the Boston Red Sox to capture their second straight World Championship. On June 17, 1978 vs. the California Angels at Yankee Stadium, Guidry shattered the club’s single-game record for strikeouts with 18. Guidry was the Yankees’ co-captain with Willie Randolph from 1986 through his retirement in 1989. He remains in the Top 10 on the Yankees’ all-time list in games pitched (368), innings pitched (2392.0), wins (170), winning percentage (.651), strikeouts (1778) and shutouts (26). A four-time American-League All-Star.

In 1979, Guidry again led the league with a 2.78 ERA. He went 18-8 that season in 30 starts, and struck out 201 batters and finished third in Cy Young voting.

The following three seasons, he won a total of 42 games, finished seventh in Cy Young voting again, and led the league once in WHIP and strikeouts to base-on-balls ratio.

In 1983, Guidry went 21-9, finished fifth in MVP voting, and completed 21 of 31 starts. 1984 was an off year going 10-11 with a 4.51 ERA. He bounced back in 1985 finishing first in the league in wins again while compiling a 22-6 record, his third 20 win season, and finished second in Cy Young voting.

In Guidry’s final three seasons (age 35-37) he didn’t win more than 9 games in any year. Still, in total, he had six top-10 Cy Young finishes, winning in 1978. His finished his short career with a record of 170-91, 3.29 ERA, 2,392.0 IP, and 1,178 strikeouts. He twice led the league in wins, winning percentage and ERA and once for complete games and shutouts.

Guidry's number 49 retired by Yankees

Yankees Retire Guidry’s Number

Only sixteen New York Yankees have had their number retired and Guidry’s number 49 is one of them. He was an ace for two championship teams and a Cy Young Award winner who at times was the best pitcher in baseball.

Let’s not forget the post season. Guidry was on two World Series Championship teams in 1977 and 1978. He has a post season record of 5-2 with 3.02 ERA

Guidry Belongs in Cooperstown

He was, for a decade, one of the best pitchers in the game. Had he come into the league at an earlier age, I believe he would have been a lock for the hall. Even so, I think the numbers he put up were some of the best ever and as such, he should be given serious consideration for induction into the baseball Hall of Fame.

Baseball Rules – Should Pitchers be Considered for the Most Valuable Player Award?

 Baseball Rules  No Responses »
Sep 132011
 

American League MVP Award

Baseball’s Most Valuable Player

The Major League Baseball (MLB) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the most “outstanding” player in the American and National Leagues. Since 1931, the award has been voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America(BBWAA).  The BBWAA has two writers in each league city that are eligible to vote. The BBWAA does not have a clear-cut definition of what “most valuable” means. As a result, voting is based on the personal judgment of the individual voters. There are a few generic rules that were drafted in 1931 for determining the winner of the MVP award.  The BBWAA (Baseball Writer’s Association of America) rules: (1) Actual value of a player to his team, that is, strength of offense and defense; (2) Number of games played; (3) General character, disposition, loyalty and effort; (4) Former winners are eligible; and (5) Members of the committee may vote for more than one member of a team. Like I said, these rules are pretty vague and the voting is totally subjective. There isn’t anything here that would indicate

Lefty Grove, Philadelphia Athletics

that a pitcher isn’t eligible. The precedent has already been established. Since 1931 20 pitchers have won the MVP award. Since the inception of the Cy Young Award in 1956, only nine pitchers have

Dennis Eckersley

won an MVP and Cy Young award in the same year. The last pitcher to accomplish this was Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland Athletics in 1992. From 1956 through 1966, only one Cy Young Award was given for all of major league baseball. In 1967, two Cy Young Awards became the norm, one for each league. My feeling is that an everyday player having an exceptional year has more impact on his team’s success than a pitcher appearing in 35-40 games. Having said that, I also believe a pitcher can have such an outstanding year that he too could be his team’s most valuable player. To take it a step further, I don’t think that if a pitcher should win the MVP that he is automatically the Cy Young winner. I guess that is why over the past 55 years only nine pitchers total from both leagues have been both their league’s best pitcher and it’s most valuable player in the same year. “Best” and “Most Valuable” are two different evaluations. They aren’t mutually exclusive because it is possible, although unlikely, to be both. For example, Felix Hernandez, last year’s Cy Young winner as the “best” pitcher, finished 16th in the “most valuable” player voting. That doesn’t sit well with the voters who believe it’s impossible to be considered “most valuable” when  you’re playing

Justin Verlander

once every five days, on average, as a starting pitcher.

Is Justin Verlander More Valuable?

However, in 2011, there is Detroit Tiger‘s right-hander Justin Verlander, probably the best pitcher in the league, and possibly the most valuable player. Verlander is 22-5 for the Tigers, who lead the American League Central by 8 1/2 games over the Chicago White Sox. He has a 2.44 ERA, four complete games and two shutouts. Verlander averages about 7 innings per start, which means the guys in the Tigers’ bullpen, can get some rest on the days he pitches. However, let’s not forget that Detroit, lead by Miguel Cabrera, has a pretty good offensive team, ranking 4th in the American League in runs scored. Baseball statistics now include sabermetrics, which is the equivalent of “new math”. Two of these new statistical measurements related to a pitcher are WHIP and ERA+. Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched (WHIP) is the measurement of the number of base runners a pitcher has allowed per inning pitched. It measures a pitcher’s ability to prevent batters from reaching base. A pitcher with a WHIP of 1.0 or smaller over the course of a season will usually be among the league leaders. Currently Justin Verlander’s WHIP is 1.163. Verlander’s ERA+ (ERA adjusted to his league and ballpark) is 166, which is slightly lower than Josh Beckett’s 168. Pedro Martinez, who is no longer active, had an ERA+ of 202 or higher in five different seasons. In 2000, Martinez had an ERA+ of 291, second highest in baseball history. He didn’t win MVP in any of those years. Last year’s American League Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez had an ERA+ of 174. With four or five more starts to go, should Verlander win at least three more games and reach the 25 win plateau things could get enough more interesting. Only three other pitchers in the five-man rotation era have won 25 games. They are Bob Welch (1990 Athletics) 27-6, ERA 2.95 and a WHIP of 1.22, Ron Guidry (1978 Yankees) 25-3, ERA 1.74 and a WHIP of .946  and Tom Seaver (1969 Mets) 25-7, ERA 2.21 and a WHIP of 1.04. However, none of them won the MVP in those respective seasons. Seaver finished second to Willie McCovey in the 1969 MVP voting. Guidry finished second to Jim Rice in the 1978 MVP voting. Welch finished ninth (4 other pitchers ahead of him) in the 1990 MVP voting, with Rickey Henderson winning the award. So, even 25+ wins doesn’t guarantee a pitcher the MVP award. Verlander has some strong competition. I think there are six everyday players that are having good enough seasons that they qualify as MVP candidates. This should be one of the most interesting chases for postseason awards in the big leagues.

A Case for the Every Day Player

Verlander  has to be the leading candidate for the 2011 American League Cy Young Award, but do his numbers out shine these everyday players?

Miguel Cabrera

Player Average HRs RBI Runs Scored OBP SLG % OPS
Miguel Cabrera .329 26 95 97 .432 .555 .987
Curtis Granderson .265 39 111 127 .368 .564 .932
Robinson Cano .301 25 106 94 .343 .525 .868
Jose Bautista .305 41 98 98 .443 .627 1.07
Adrian Gonzalez .339 25 108 101 .406 .555 .961
Jacoby Ellsbury .317 26 91 104 .376 .533 .909

(through 9-11-11)

You could easily make a case for each of these players. The only one that probably has a lesser probability of winning is Jose Bautista because he isn’t playing on a contender. Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury may split the vote and reduce their chances. Curtis Granderson is currently in a downward spiral, but still

Curtis Granderson

has a chance to snap out of it and finish strong. Bottom line for me is if I had a vote, I would wait another three weeks and see where everything stands after the 162 games have been played. It’s definitely going to be interesting.

Account Suspended

Account Suspended

This Account Has Been Suspended