Now I know what you're thinking. If A-Fraud had the best third baseman season of the last 30 years, he had to have had the best shortstop season. But thankfully my Judeo-Christian friends we have been saved! But not be Jeter!? This is an outrage! Obviously our Lord and Savior is saving his best for last.
Top 20 Shortstop Seasons since 1979 (per Win Shares)
1. Robin Yount, 1982 - Milwaukee Brewers 38.6 Win Shares
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
1982 26 MIL AL 156 635 129 210 46 12 29 114 14 3 54 63 .331 .379 .578 166 367 4 10 2 1 19
2. Alex Rodriguez, 2000 - Seattle Mariners 37.2
3. Alex Rodriguez, 2001 - Texas Rangers 36.8
4. Cal Ripken, 1984 - Baltimore Orioles 36.7
5. Alex Rodriguez, 2002 - Texas Rangers 35.5
6. Derek Jeter, 1999 - New York Yankees 35.3
7. Cal Ripken, 1983 - Baltimore Orioles 35.3
8. Alan Trammell, 1987 - Detroit Tigers 35.1
9. Alex Rodriguez, 1996 - Seattle Mariners 34.0
10. Cal Ripken, 1991 - Baltimore Orioles 33.7
11. Ozzie Smith, 1987 - St. Louis Cardinals 32.9
12. Derek Jeter, 2006 - New York Yankees 32.7
13. Robin Yount, 1983 - Milwaukee Brewers 32.6
14. Rich Aurilia, 2001 - San Francisco Giants 32.6
15. Alex Rodriguez, 2003 - Texas Rangers 32.5
16. Barry Larkin, 1992 - Cincinnati Reds 32.3
17. Miguel Tejada, 2002 - Oakland A's 32.0
18. Nomar Garciaparra, 1999 - Boston Red Sox 31.6
19. Barry Larkin, 1996 - Cincinnati Reds 30.6
20. Barry Larkin, 1995 - Cincinnati Reds 30.4
In one of his recent entries kkk talked about his favorite looking baseball cards. This got me be remembering one of my favorite baseball card collecting habits from my childhood, buying those store brand baseball sets. Stores like K-Mart and Toys 'R' Us would have their baseball cards, typically produced by Topps, that would feature star players or rookies. The sets were cheap and the cards were all glossy which was still a very unique feature back in the late 80's.
The first such set I remember buying was the 1987 Topps Toys 'R' Us Rookies set. It was a set of 33 cards featuring the rookies from the 1986 season. I took terrible care of the cards and now I don't even remember where they are but I do still remember those black boarded cards. I couldn't find individual pictures of the cards but I did find a site that showed that displays the entire set. Here are the links:
1. Andy Allanson, 2. Paul Assenmacher, 3. Scott Bailes, 4. Barry Bonds, 5. Jose Canseco, 6. John Cerutti, 7. Will Clark, 8. Kal Daniels, 9. Jim Deshaies
OMG Bonds and Canseco's cards were together, it was a sign!!!
10. Mark Eichhorn, 11. Ed Hearn, 12. Pete Incaviglia, 13. Bo Jackson, 14. Wally Joyner, 15. Charlie Kerfeld, 16. Eric King, 17. John Kruk, 18. Barry Larkin
See a relatively thin John Kruk.
19. Mike LaValliere, 20. Greg Mathews, 21. Kevin Mitchell, 22. Dan Plesac, 23. Bruce Ruffin, 24. Ruben Sierra, 25. Cory Snyder, 26. Kurt Stillwell, 27. Dale Sveum
28. Danny Tartabull, 29. Andres Thomas, 30. Robby Thompson, 31. Jim Traber, 32. Mitch Williams, 33. Todd Worrell
As you see 1986 produced a pretty impressive crop of rookies and some several infamous names as well. I had been thinking of trying to do a Reward Redo that wasn't an MVP vote but every other award in baseball only allows three players to be voted on a ballot. So I figured I'd do a Top 10 list of the best rookie season from 1986.
In my first entry about my very first game I mentioned that Wally Joyner was robbed by Jose Canseco in the '86 ROY voting and I'll put that claim to the test. They were the only two to receive first place votes on the A.L. side with Mark Eichhorn and Cory Snyder receiving some secondary support. In the N.L. the award was won by Todd Worrell who had already become nationally known as he had been a late season call up in '85 and made the Cardinals postseason roster. He became a household name due to being involved in the infamous blown call by Don Denkinger in Game 6 of the World Series that would eventually cost the Cardinals the series. Worrell was a near unanimous choice as Kevin Mitchell was the only player to a receive a first place vote.
So who was the best rookie of 1986?
#10
147 ERA+, 2.59 K/BB, 1.21 WHIP, 23.1 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#9
.272/.299/.500, 62 RC, 115 OPS+, .276 EQA, 24.6 VORP, 13 Win Shares
#8
.287/.343/.444, 62 RC, 121 OPS+, .284 EQA, 22.1 VORP, 14 Win Shares
#7
.277/.344/.466, 53 RC, 125 OPS+, .290 EQA, 21.6 VORP, 14 Win Shares
#6
.250/.320/.463, 80 RC, 109 OPS+, .277 EQA, 24.6 VORP, 16 Win Shares
#5
175 ERA+, 1.78 K/BB, 1.23 WHIP, 26.5 VORP, 19 Win Shares
#4
.240/.318/.457, 86 RC, 115 OPS+, .286 EQA, 30.2 VORP, 21 Win Shares
#3
.270/.347/.489, 87 RC, 124 OPS+, .290 EQA, 35.4 VORP, 15 Win Shares
#2
.290/.348/.457, 95 RC, 119 OPS+, .292 EQA, 41.1 VORP, 21 Win Shares
#1
246 ERA+, 3.69 K/BB, 0.96 WHIP, 66.4 VORP, 21 Win Shares
Canadian Greats? He was born in San Jose.
Okay I was right that Jose Canseco robbed someone but it was actually Mark Eichhorn. Yes a middle reliever was the top rookie of 1986. He had actually made his MLB debut back in 1982 but didn't get another shot in the majors until four years later. He didn't make a start but pitched in 157 innings (five innings short of qualifying for the ERA title), striking out 166, and posting a 1.72 ERA in what would be by far his best year.
One more thing here's the career Win Shares rankings for the 33 players in that 1987 Topps Toys 'R' Us Rookies set. Ya big shock who's #1.
1. Barry Bonds 661
2. Barry Larkin 347
3. Will Clark 331
4. Jose Canseco 272
5. Wally Joyner 253
6. Ruben Sierra 222
7. Danny Tartabull 188
8. Kevin Mitchell 178
9. John Kruk 156
10. Robby Thompson 155
11. Kal Daniels 112
12. Pete Incaviglia 107
13. Dan Plesac 106
14. Todd Worrell 105
15. Mike LaValliere 95
16. Paul Assenmacher 86
17. Cory Snyder 85
18. Mark Eichhorn 83
19. Bruce Ruffin 76
20. Mitch Williams 75
21. Kurt Stillwell 73
22. Bo Jackson 72
23. Jim Deshaies 68
24. Dale Sveum 55
25. Eric King 50
26. John Cerutti 45
27. Andy Allanson 27
28. Scott Bailes 26
29. Andres Thomas 23
30. Greg Mathews 22
31. Charlie Kerfeld 15
32. Jim Traber 11
33. Ed Hearn 5
2007 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out so as planned I'm going to do individual profiles on each player on the ballot. I'll go in the order of career Win Shares starting at the bottom. No player on this year's ballot is nearly bad as Gary DiSarcina being on last year's ballot and there are quite a few Hall of Very Good players making their first appearance on the ballot. But we start off with a very dubious addition to this year's ballot.
Bobby Witt - Starting Pitcher
Texas Rangers 1986-1992, 1995-1998
Oakland Athletics 1992-1994
Florida Marlins 1995
St. Louis Cardinals 1998
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 1999
Cleveland Indians 2000
Arizona Diamondbacks 2001
Awards
None
League Leader
None
Career Ranks
K: 69th
K/9: 64th
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Pitching - 33 (696) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 11.0 (696) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 7.0 (1050) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Kevin Gross, Mike Moore, Jim Clancy, Steve Renko, Scott Erickson, Steve Trachsel, Bump Hadley, Tim Belcher, Floyd Bannister, Tom Candiotti
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacment Level (WARP3)
1986: 3/2.0
1987: 6/3.9
1988: 10/3.8
1989: 5/2.0
1990: 17/6.4
1991: 0/0.2
1992: 8/4.5
1993: 11/5.8
1994: 4/2.8
1995: 9/4.4
1996: 10/4.7
1997: 11/5.4
1998: 1/0.3
1999: 8/2.8
2000: 0/0.0
2001: 2/1.1
Career Win Shares: 102
Career WARP3: 49.9
Would He Get My Vote?
No, shockingly as that might seem. Only had one good year in 1990 when he went 17-10 with a 3.36 ERA which was one of only four seasons that he had an ERA+ of 100 or better. Now any player who played at least 10 years can appear on the ballot but there is still a nomination process where a handful of players don't get on the ballot but there is always a few that make no sense as to why anyone would nominate them and Witt is definately one this year. If you're going to include Bobby Witt on the ballot why even bother with a nomination process? Not that it really matters in the end.
I know that you are all thinking, "The regular season ended four days ago and I've already forgotten who was good and who sucked this year." Well my friends the annual Bored Player Rankings are here to help you!
Starting with position players, each list includes 30 players who had the most plate appearances at each position. Now these lists always end up including players who weren't true everyday players and end up populating the bottom of the list. So this year I'm going to highlight the worst everyday player at each position so we can all point and laugh at them.
Catcher Rankings
1. Joe Mauer, Twins
31.2 Win Shares
55.5 VORP
11.8 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 25 MIN AL 146 536 98 176 31 4 9 85 1 1 84 50 .328 .413 .451 134 242 1 11 8 1 21
2. Brian McCann, Braves
3. Geovany Soto, Cubs
4. Russell Martin, Dodgers
5. Ryan Doumit, Pirates
6. Chris Iannetta, Rockies
7. Bengie Molina, Giants
8. Kurt Suzuki, A's
9. Dioner Navarro, Rays
10. Kelly Shoppach, Indians
11. Yadier Molina, Cardinals
12. Chris Snyder, Diamondbacks
13. Jason Kendall, Brewers
14. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox
15. Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers/Yankees
16. Ramon Hernandez, Orioles
17. Brian Schneider, Mets
18. Gerald Laird, Rangers
19. Rod Barajas, Blue Jays
20. Chris Coste, Phillies
21. Jesus Flores, Nationals
22. Miguel Olivo, Royals
23. Jason Varitek, Red Sox
8.7 Win Shares
-1.0 VORP
5.3 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 36 BOS AL 131 423 37 93 20 0 13 43 0 1 52 122 .220 .313 .359 74 152 0 2 3 6 13
24. Brandon Inge, Tigers
25. John Buck, Royals
26. Kenji Johjima, Mariners
27. Jeff Mathis, Angels
28. Jose Molina, Yankees
29. Carlos Ruiz, Phillies
30. Paul Bako, Reds
Hey look another position where the A's had the worst everyday player! How I got through this season without slitting my wrists, I'll never know.
Third Basemen Rankings
1. David Wright, Mets
29.1 Win Shares
66.2 VORP
10.6 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 25 NYM NL 160 626 115 189 42 2 33 124 15 5 94 118 .302 .390 .534 143 334 0 11 5 4 15
2. Chipper Jones, Braves
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
4. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs
5. Troy Glaus, Cardinals
6. Evan Longoria, Rays
7. Jorge Cantu, Marlins
8. Melvin Mora, Orioles
9. Casey Blake, Indians/Dodgers
10. Ty Wigginton, Astros
11. Adrian Beltre, Mariners
12. Carlos Guillen, Tigers
13. Alex Gordon, Royals
14. Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres
15. Edwin Encarnacion, Reds
16. Mike Lowell, Red Sox
17. Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks
18. Garrett Atkins, Rockies
19. Scott Rolen, Blue Jays
20. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals
21. Blake DeWitt, Dodgers
22. Chone Figgins, Angels
23. Joe Crede, White Sox
24. Jose Bautista, Pirates/Blue Jays
25. Willy Aybar, Rays
26. Pedro Feliz, Phillies
27. Geoff Blum, Astros
28. Bill Hall, Brewers
29. Jack Hannahan, A's
5.4 Win Shares
3.8 WARP3
-9.5 VORP
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 28 OAK AL 143 436 48 95 27 0 9 47 2 0 55 131 .218 .305 .342 77 149 3 5 4 2 5
30. Jose Castillo, Giants/Astros
It's 300th Blog Entry Spectacular!
Or just another random list.
Biggest surprise about this list is how little Ken Griffey Jr. shows up on it but he did spend a lot of years in the hitter friendly Kingdome.
Top 20 Center Fielder Seasons since 1979 (per Win Shares)
1. Carlos Beltran, 2006 - New York Mets 38.3 Win Shares
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2006 29 NYM NL 140 510 127 140 38 1 41 116 18 3 95 99 .275 .388 .594 150 303 1 7 6 4 6
2. Rickey Henderson, 1985 - New York Yankees 37.7
3. Jim Edmonds, 2004 - St. Louis Cardinals 36.0
4. Willie McGee, 1985 - St. Louis Cardinals 35.9
5. Ken Griffey Jr., 1997 - Seattle Mariners 35.7
6. Lenny Dykstra, 1990 - Philadelphia Phillies 35.2
7. Andy Van Slyke, 1992 - Pittsburgh Pirates 34.6
8. Fred Lynn, 1979 - Boston Red Sox 34.0
9. Robin Yount, 1989 - Milwaukee Brewers 33.5
10. Ichiro Suzuki, 2007 - Seattle Mariners 33.4
11. Bernie Williams, 1999 - New York Yankees 33.1
12. Dale Murphy, 1984 - Atlanta Braves 32.5
13. Al Bumbry, 1980 - Baltimore Orioles 32.5
14. Lenny Dykstra, 1993 - Philadelphia Phillies 32.4
15. Dale Murphy, 1982 - Atlanta Braves 31.8
16. Dale Murphy, 1983 - Atlanta Braves 31.6
17. Kirby Puckett, 1988 - Minnesota Twins 31.5
18. Tim Raines, 1984 - Montreal Expos 31.5
19. Kirby Puckett, 1992 - Minnesota Twins 31.3
20. Robin Yount, 1988 - Milwaukee Brewers 31.3
For the first time in a while I actually felt like writing a real blog entry and doing one of my favorite, but time consuming, series of entries the "Where'd The Go?" series. This time around I picked a Brewers team since they are finally relevant again. While the Brewers do have the Cubs breathing down their necks in their attempt to break the franchise's 25 year postseason drought, they at least do appear to finally be on their way to their first winning season in 15 years so I will look back at that team.
The 1992 Milwaukee Brewers have always stuck in my mind only because that season they were the only team during the regular season to have a winning record against the A's as County Stadium was always house of horrors for Oakland for whatever reason. The Brewers won 92 games that year under first year manager Phil Garner, finishing four games behind the eventual World Champion Blue Jays in the East. That on the surface would make it sound like a close race but in reality the Brewers were never a serious factor and it was 20-7 September when the Blue Jays were comfortably ahead already that propelled them up the standings. Between June 6th and September 18th the Brewers spent just one day in 2nd place in the East before finally overtaking the Orioles for good on September 19th. This team would have almost the last remnants of the 1982 Harvey's Wallbangers as it would be both Paul Molitor and Jim Gatner's last year with the team and Robin Yount would retire after the following season.
C: B.J. Surhoff (.252/.314/.321, 1.9 VORP, 16.2 Win Shares) - This was Surhoff's final season as a regular catcher as he would only play 33 more games behind the plate, the last coming in 1995 which was also his last year with the club. Signed as a free agent with Baltimore where he'd be a remarkably consistent if not great hitter. They traded him in a deadline deal to the Braves in 2000 but he'd return to the Orioles in 2003 playing his final three years there.
1B: Franklin Stubbs (.229/.297/.368, -2.8 VORP, 6.8 Win Shares) - Stubbs was a former big time prospect for the Dodgers who never lived up to the hype and was toast by age 30. He was actually even worse in '91 (.213/.282/.359) but the Brewers were stuck with him after signing him to a two year contract after his one good season in 1990 while in Houston. Played one more year in the Majors with Detroit. His #1 similarity score is Ken "The Hawk" Harrelson so maybe he has a future as a god awful announcer.
2B: Scott Fletcher (.275/.335/.360, 12.5 VORP, 17.4 Win Shares) - A slick fielding second baseman, this was Fletcher's only year in Milwuakee. Signed as a free agent with the Red Sox where he spent two years and then had his final year in 1995 with Detroit. His main claim to fame is he was a part of the Harold Baines/Sammy Sosa trade in 1989.
3B: Kevin Seitzer (.270/.337/.367, 11.7 VORP, 15.6 Win Shares) - Seitzer had an odd career as his best season's where his rookie year (1987) and his next to last year (1996). Could hit for average, draw a walk, and played a decent third base but never really stood out partly because he had almost no power. Signed with the A's following this year, which I now just remembered, where he struggled. They gave up on him quickly by releasing him in July and went right back to Milwaukee where he started hitting again. Traded to the Indians during his shockingly good age 34 year in '96 in a waiver deadline deal for Jeromy Burnitz and would retire after the following season.
SS: Pat Listach (.290/.352/.349, 36.4 VORP, 20.7 Win Shares) - One of the great mystery Rookie of the Year winners who people years from now, and maybe even today, who look back at old award winners and will ask "Who the hell was Pat Listach?" He beat out Kenny Lofton for the award despite Lofton having the better season and well it would be understatement to say Listach didn't do much of anything else after 1992. Brewers traded him to the Yankees in late 1996 as part of a Graeme Lloyd/Bob Wickman swap but he never played for them. Played one season in Houston before being out of the Majors.
LF: Greg Vaughn (.228/.313/.409, 5.7 VORP, 15.6 Win Shares) - Vaughn was the only legit power threat in the '92 Brewers line up as he led the team with 23 homeruns, Paul Molitor being the only player on the team with more than 10. His breakout year would be the followings season but he was wildly inconsistent for most of his career. Traded in a deadline deal to the Padres in 1996 where he'd have his best year in 1998 when he hit 50 homeruns and finished 4th in the MVP voting. He was then traded after that season to the Reds where he spent one year there, played three seasons in Tampa Bay, and one partial season in Colorado in 2003 before retiring.
CF: Robin Yount (.264/.325/.390, 14.4 VORP, 20.1 Win Shares) - As already mentioned this was Yount's next to last season and he was still a decent enough player but had clearly declined quite a bit since his second MVP season of 1989. Probably could have hung on a couple of more years past 1993 as a back up but decided to retire at age 37. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
RF: Darryl Hamilton (.298/.356/.400, 27.0 VORP, 18.0 Win Shares) - Dante Bichette actually played more games in right field than any other Brewer but was more of a platoon player as Hamilton saw more action playing all three outfield positions. Adequate hitter, good glove centerfielder, Hamilton spent seven years in Milwaukee. Signed as a free agent with Texas after 1995 where he spent just one season and then signed with the Giants. They traded him a deadline deal ('92 Brewers: Deadline Deal Kings) in 1998 to the Rockies for Ellis Burks which ended being a really stupid trade for Colorado. He'd be traded in yet another deadline deal in 1999 to Mets where he accoding to his Wiki entry he didn't get along with Bobby Valentine and put a "hex" on the Mets after being released in 2001. Now works in the Commissioner's Office shining Bud Selig's shoes or something.
DH: Paul Molitor (.320/.398/.461, 58.7, 28.4 Win Shares) - Still an excellent hitter at age 35, I placed him 4th in my 1992 A.L. MVP Redo. After 15 years in Milwaukee he departed thru free agency to Toronto in 1993 where he had even a better season and placed 2nd in the MVP voting that year. He would have one of the great postseason performances of all-time leading the Blue Jays two a second straight World Championship and winning the World Series MVP. Signed with his hometown Twins after 1995 to finish out his career, retiring after 1998. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
Starting Rotation
Bill Wegman (120 ERA+, 48.2 VORP, 15.5 Win Shares) - Wegman pitched 261 2/3 innings in 1992 which I'm guessing didn't do wonders for his arm as he didn't pitch that many combined the next two seasons. Couldn't find much of anything on him but I assume he had problems previously as he made only 13 starts in 1989 and 1990. Out of the Majors after 1995.
Jaime Navarro (115 ERA+, 45.7 VORP, 15.4 Win Shares) - Very erratic, innings eater this was one of Navarro's best years. After a poor year in 1994 he was picked up by the Cubs where he put together a couple of decent seasons. This led the White Sox to sign him to a four year deal after 1996 which ended up being a disaster as he posted ERA's of 5.79, 6.36, and 6.09 the next three seasons. They got the Brewers to take him them off their hands in 2000 but in five starts he had an ERA of 12.74 before they released him. Picked up by the Rockies and was sent to Triple-A but they released him a month later then the Indians gave him a shot but obviously he hadn't had anything left. Bounced around the minors thru 2003.
Chris Bosio (106 ERA+, 34.4 VORP, 13.1 Win Shares) - This was Bosio's last year in Milwaukee. For some reason I remember not liking him and I have no idea why. Anyways he would sign a big money, four-year deal with the Mariners after this season. While he'd be decent the first couple of seasons he was plauged with injuries most of his stay in Seattle and once the contract was up after 1996 so was his career.
Ricky Bones (84 ERA+, 5.6 VORP, 4.1 Win Shares) - Was acquired shortly before the season from the Padres in the Gary Sheffield trade. Played on seven teams in 11 years, Milwaukee was the only place that Bones had an extended stay. Had one good season as a starter in 1994 but by 1996 he was so bad that he was a PTBNL in the before mentioned trade with the Yankees that had Pat Listach thrown in. Pitched just seven innnings down the stretch for the Yankeess giving up 11 runs. Bounced around from Cincinnati, Kansas City (decent year as a short reliever in '98), Baltimore, and finally Florida.
Closer: Doug Henry (95 ERA+, 2.5 VORP, 5.7 Win Shares) - Brewers had a great bullpen in '92 but for whatever reason stuck with Henry as their closer. A late bloomer, Henry made his MLB debut at age 27 the year before and the following season would be his last as a closer. Spent the rest of his career as your typical journeyman, middle reliever as he'd be good one year and bad the next. Traded to the Mets after 1994, went to the Giants in 1997, then to the Astros, back to the Giants, and finally finishing out his career in 2001 with the Royals.
The importance of the Ratings Percentage Index has been greatly devalued in the last two years by the tournament committee. Before 2006 not a single Top 30 school in the RPI had been left out the tournament but in the last two years three schools in the Top 30 have been sent to the NIT (Missouri State and Hofstra in 2006, Air Force in 2007). Nevertheless the RPI is still used to consider who gets into the tournament and I was curious to see which schools for each year since the creation of the RPI in 1994 were the lowest rated RPI team to get an at large bid and how they faired in the tournament. Or maybe I just needed an excuse for an entry and am not really interested in this at all. You make the call!
1994
George Washington (#61 in RPI, 10 seed)
-def. 7 seed UAB 51-46
-lost to 2 seed Connecticut 75-63
1995
Minnesota (#66 in RPI, 8 seed)
-lost to 9 seed Saint Louis 64-61
1996
California (#52 in RPI, 12 seed)
-lost to 5 seed Iowa 74-64
1997
Georgetwon (#57 in RPI, 10 seed)
-lost to 7 seed UNC Charlotte 79-67
1998
Western Michigan (#58 in RPI, 11 seed)
-def. 6 seed Clemson 75-72
-lost to 3 seed Stanford 83-65
1999
New Mexico (#74 in RPI, 9 seed)
-def. 8 seed Missouri 61-59
-lost to 1 seed Connecticut 78-56
2000
Pepperdine (#52 in RPI, 11 seed)
-def. 6 seed Indiana 77-57
-lost to 3 seed Oklahoma State 75-67
2001
Oklahoma State (#49 in RPI, 11 seed)
-lost to 6 seed USC 69-54
2002
Wyoming (#63 in RPI, 11 seed)
-def. 6 seed Gonzaga 73-66
-lost to 3 seed Arizona 68-60
2003
N.C. State (#53 in RPI, 9 seed)
-lost to 9 seed California 76-74
2004
Air Force (#70 in RPI, 11 seed)
-lost to 6 seed North Carolina 63-52
2005
N.C. State (#63 in RPI, 10 seed)
-def. 7 seed Charlotte 75-63
-def. 2 seed Connecticut 65-62
-lost to 6 seed Wisconsin 65-56
2006
Seton Hall (#58 in RPI, 10 seed)
-lost to 7 seed Wichita State 86-66
2007
Stanford (#63 in RPI, 11 seed)
-lost to 6 seed Louisville 78-58
Enough of the worst, it's time for the best. Now instead of OPS+ for these lists I'll be using Win Shares since it rates a player's all around game rather than just their offense, although the defensive measures are very flawed. Just like the worst lists I'm picking a year to start with and this time around I'm going with 1979. The reason is that I was born on October 1, 1978 which was the last day of the 1978 regular season (among the winning pitchers that day were Luis Tiant, Ferguson Jenkins, and Rollie Fingers...ya I'm really getting old), so essentially these are the best single seasons of my lifetime.
Obviously there's going to be one glaring problem with these lists and that's the 1981, 1994, and 1995 strike shortened seasons will all be very underrepresented. And well...fuck it. I'm not going to worry about it.
Note Win Shares Above Average is used to break ties.
Top 20 Catcher Seasons since 1979 (per Win Shares)
1. Mike Piazza, 1997 - Los Angeles Dodgers 38.6 Win Shares
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
1997 28 LAD NL 152 556 104 201 32 1 40 124 5 1 69 77 .362 .431 .638 185 355 0 5 11 3 19
2. Gary Carter, 1985 - New York Mets 33.3
3. Mike Piazza, 1998 - Los Angeles Dodgers/Florida Marlins/New York Mets 33
4. Mike Piazza, 1996 - Los Angeles Dodgers 32.9
5. Gary Carter, 1982 - Montreal Expos 31.3
6. Darrell Porter, 1979 - Kansas City Royals 30.8
7. Victor Martinez, 2007 - Cleveland Indians 30.8
8. Joe Mauer, 2006 - Minnesota Twins 30.8
9. Darren Daulton, 1992 - Philadelphia Phillies 30.8
10. Mike Piazza, 1993 - Los Angeles Dodgers 30.5
11. Gary Carter, 1984 - Montreal Expos 30.2
12. Gary Carter, 1980 - Montreal Expos 30
13. Javy Lopez, 2003 - Atlanta Braves 29.7
14. Darren Daulton, 1993 - Philadelphia Phillies 28.6
15. Jorge Posada, 2000 - New York Yankees 28.6
16. Paul Lo Duca, 2001 - Los Angeles Dodgers 27.9
17. Jorge Posada, 2003 - New York Yankees 27.8
18. Terry Kennedy, 1982 - San Diego Padres 27.8
19. Ivan Rodriguez, 1999 - Texas Rangers 27.6
20. Rick Wilkins, 1993 - Chicago Cubs 27.5
Finally I have an excuse to update this dying blog as HardballTimes.com has release the first Win Shares of the year and I know you are all excited. Okay maybe not, but it least allows me to take my first look of the year at the MVP races in both leagues. Being that we're less than two months into the season you have to take most things so far with a grain of salt. Taking a look back at my first MVP Watch from last year only two players from each league were in my final fictional MVP ballot (Albert Pujols, Lance Berkman in the N.L. and Jim Thome, Travis Hafner in the A.L.).
Last season Pujols led the N.L. race wire to wire in my view but he of course lost out to Ryan Howard in the real vote. This year Pujols is off to a very slow start by his standards and is no where in the early MVP picture. Right now it is three players vying for the top spot in Barry Bonds, J.J. Hardy, and Jose Reyes. Hardy's fast start seems a bit fluky but Bonds and Reyes could both certainly be in the race the whole year.
10. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins
.316/.399/.536, 36 RC, 154 OPS+, .328 EQA, 19.4 VORP, 8.4 Win Shares
9. Carlos Beltran, Mets
.301/.385/.523, 34 RC, 147 OPS+, .316 EQA, 19.0 VORP, 8.9 Win Shares
8. Russell Martin, Dodgers
.314/.390/.468, 35 RC, 128 OPS+, .308 EQA, 16.7 VORP, 11.4 Win Shares
7. Todd Helton, Rockies
.361/.480/.538, 35 RC, 166 OPS+, .348 EQA, 23.5 VORP, 9.3 Win Shares
6. Prince Fielder, Brewers
.287/.370/.586, 38 RC, 153 OPS+, .313 EQA, 18.0 VORP, 10.2 Win Shares
5. Jake Peavy, Padres
235 ERA+, 4.05 K/BB, 0.98 WHIP, 25.3 VORP, 8.3 Win Shares
4. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
.344/.420/.557, 36 RC, 166 OPS+, .341 EQA, 28.7 VORP, 9.2 Win Shares
3. J.J. Hardy, Brewers
.311/.353/.595, 39 RC, 150 OPS+, .310 EQA, 21.5 VORP, 12.4 Win Shares
2. Barry Bonds, Giants
.282/.503/.618, 36 RC, 200 OPS+, .381 EQA, 22.5 VORP, 10.4 Win Shares
1. Jose Reyes, Mets
.313/.392/.484, 38 RC, 140 OPS+, .315 EQA, 23.7 VORP, 11.5 Win Shares
In the A.L. last year there was the MVP race was a complete debacle...as I picked Derek Jeter as my clear choice for MVP and the world stood still. Oh and Justin Morneau won the real MVP despite being the 3rd best player on his own team. Jeter is off to great start and is in the Top 5 but the #1 spot at the moment was an easy choice although certainly not someone you would have thought of coming into the season. Might raise some eyebrows with two Yankees above two Red Sox on the ballot at the moment but it really gives you an idea of how bad the Yankees have been beyond A-Rod and Jeter.
10. Grady Sizemore, Indians
.270/.393/.454, 36 RC, 129 OPS+, .308 EQA, 18.0 VORP, 10.0 Win Shares
9. B.J. Upton, Devil Rays
.309/.391/.550, 32 RC, 146 OPS+, .314 EQA, 18.3 VORP, 10.4 Win Shares
8. Orlando Cabrera, Angels
.312/.360/.435, 32 RC, 116 OPS+, .281 EQA, 15.5 VORP, 11.3 Win Shares
7. Curtis Granderson, Tigers
.286/.347/.583, 36 RC, 144 OPS+, .305 EQA, 19.6 VORP, 9.9 Win Shares
6. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
.347/.429/.535, 39 RC, 154 OPS+, .322 EQA, 22.0 VORP, 9.3 Win Shares
5. David Ortiz, Red Sox
.319/.436/.596, 40 RC, 171 OPS+, .335 EQA, 23.6 VORP, 9.0 Win Shares
4. Derek Jeter, Yankees
.367/.444/.494, 45 RC, 157 OPS+, .319 EQA, 23.8 VORP, 10.8 Win Shares
3. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
.306/.396/.676, 46 RC, 187 OPS+, .340 EQA, 29.1 VORP, 10.1 Win Shares
2. Vladimir Guerrero, Angels
.335/.444/.613, 40 RC, 186 OPS+, .348 EQA, 28.1 VORP, 11.0 Win Shares
1. Magglio Ordonez, Tigers
.361/.441/.710, 48 RC, 203 OPS+, .365 EQA, 34.5 VORP, 12.3 Win Shares
Since my 1991 Mariners entry was flushed and I doubt I’ll try to type it again anytime soon so I might as well do 1991 A.L. MVP redo which does feature a Mariner player being underrated by the voters. But the main reason this particular MVP was interesting is that it’s one of those cases with where player on a losing team won the award. Now in the 1987 N.L. MVP redo Andre Dawson was shown to be one of the worst choices ever, nevermind that he played on a last place team. For the 2003 A.L. MVP redo A-Rod was shown to be perfectly acceptable choice for the award but just not my choice.
In 1991 Cal Ripken had the best year offensively of his career and won the MVP by somewhat of a close margin over Cecil Fielder despite playing on a Orioles team that lost 95 games, the next to worst record in the league. What likely helped Ripken win the award was that the two division winners, Minnesota and Toronto, lacked a standout candidate. Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar both received first place votes but neither cracked the top 4 and really neither should have received a first place vote. Kirby Puckett was the only Twins player in the Top 10 and did not receive a first place vote. The rest of the A.L. after that was highly competitive as nine teams won between 81 and 87 games that season.
Looking at the basic, writer friendly numbers my guess as to why Ripken won the award over the likes of Fielder and Jose Canseco was due to both Fielder and Canseco having batting averages in the .260’s so they gave the nod to Ripken even though those two both topped Ripken in homeruns and RBI. It’s a good thing that the writers did vote Ripken over Fielder as he would have been a terrible choice and the classic case of writers giving the award to a player simply because he lead the league in RBI, which nine voters used that line of thinking and chose Fielder as their MVP. Despite his prodigious counting stats Fielder only finished 9th in the league in slugging and that was while playing in a hitter’s park. Per Win Shares and VORP, Mickey Tettleton was the best player on the Tigers that year but he didn’t receive a single vote. Sandwiched between Fielder and Canseco was the White Sox young slugger Frank Thomas who was in his first full season. Thomas led the league in OBP and OPS but managed just one first place vote. The most surprising snub in the voting was Ken Griffey Jr. who already had emerged as one of the best and most popular players in baseball while helping the Mariners to their first ever winning record yet he only placed 9th. My only guess is he got penalized for not being a power hitter at that point as he hit only 22 homeruns but did hit 42 doubles.
Actual Results
1) Cal Ripken 2) Cecil Fielder 3) Frank Thomas 4) Jose Canseco 5) Joe Carter 6) Roberto Alomar 7) Kirby Puckett 8) Ruben Sierra 9) Ken Griffey Jr. 10) Roger Clemens 11) Pal Molitor 12) Danny Tartabull 13) Jack Morris 14) Chili Davis 15) Julio Franco 16) Devon White 17) Scott Erickson 18) Rick Aguilera 19) Rafael Palmeiro 20) Robin Ventura 21) Dave Henderson
#10
.307/.357/.502, 120 RC, 138 OPS+, .316 EQA, 52.4 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#9
.322/.389/.532, 130 RC, 155 OPS+, .333 EQA, 69.5 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#8
164 ERA+, 3.71 K/BB, 1.05 WHIP, 74.8 VORP, 26 Win Shares
#7
.341/.408/.474, 113 RC, 146 OPS+, .332 EQA, 70.1 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#6
.316/.397/.593, 114 RC, 171 OPS+, .346 EQA, 62.8 VORP, 28 Win Shares
#5
.325/.399/.489, 128 RC, 147 OPS+, .328 EQA, 64.7 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#4
.266/.359/.556, 113 RC, 157 OPS+, .333 EQA, 59.0 VORP, 31 Win Shares
#3
.327/.399/.527, 117 RC, 155 OPS+, .334 EQA, 68.2 VORP, 30 Win Shares
#2
.323/.374/.566, 138 RC, 162 OPS+, .337 EQA, 94.8 VORP, 34 Win Shares
#1
.318/.453/.553, 140 RC, 180 OPS+, .365 EQA, 81.9 VORP, 34 Win Shares
This was like the 2003 A.L. MVP as neither of the Top 2 is a wrong pick and when you have two evenly matched candidates like this I do give the nod to the player who played on a winning team. I also gave Thomas the 1992 A.L. MVP and he won the ’93 & ’94 awards in real life. I haven’t put the numbers in for those two years but I think I’ll have to look into that and see if the Big Hurt should have had four straight MVP awards. This was a tough ballot to put together as I changed 3 thru 9 a few times and even looking at it now I’m not entirely settled on it.
Devon White - Centerfielder
California Angels 1985-1990
Toronto Blue Jays 1991-1995
Florida Marlins 1996-1997
Arizona Diamondbacks 1998
Los Angeles Dodgers 1999-2000
Milwaukee Brewers 2001
Awards
1988 AL Gold Glove - OF
1989 AL Gold Glove - OF
1991 AL Gold Glove - OF
1992 AL Gold Glove - OF
1993 AL Gold Glove - OF
1994 AL Gold Glove - OF
1995 AL Gold Glove - OF
All-Star Selections: 3 (1989, 1993, 1998)
League Leader
None of note
Career Ranks
None of note
Hall of Fame Stats
Gray Ink: Batting - 41 (581) (Average HOFer ≈ 144)
HOF Standards: Batting - 21.3 (651) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Batting - 34.5 (502) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Batters in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Batters: Amos Otis, Claudell Washington, Brady Anderson, Chet Lemon, Marquis Grissom, Johnny Callison, Felipe Alou, Cesar Cedeno, Johnny Damon, Gary Matthews
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1985: 0/0.1
1986: 2/0.6
1987: 17/7.1
1988: 11/5.0
1989: 14/6.2
1990: 7/3.5
1991: 24/10.3
1992: 19/7.5
1993: 20/8.8
1994: 11/5.4
1995: 12/4.3
1996: 18/5.7
1997: 9/2.6
1998: 18/5.1
1999: 12/3.4
2000: 2/0.4
2001: 11/3.1
Career Win Shares: 207
Career WARP3: 79.2
Would he get my vote?
No. During his prime he was an outstanding defensive centerfielder, very deserving for most of the Gold Gloves he won, and a good base stealer but outside of 1991 was never that much of hitter. Only had a career OBP of .319, never hit higher than .283, and struck out a lot which is not a good combination. His similar batters make him look better than he was as only Marquis Grissom had a lower career OPS+.
I "reviewed" the draft from 20 years ago so might as well do the one from 10 years ago. Like the 1993 draft, this draft featured quarterbacks being selected #1 and #2 overall. Also like that draft the #1 pick (Drew Bledsoe) turned out to be much better than the #2 pick (Rick Mirer) but in 1998 it was by a much larger scale as we would have a future Hall of Famer at #1 and all-time bust at #2.
1. Indianapolis - Peyton Manning, QB, Tennessee
My WEST COAST BIAS~ convinced myself that the next guy would be the better quarterback.
2. San Diego - Ryan Leaf, QB, Washington State
25 Career Games, 48.4% Comp Pct, 50.0 QB Rating, 14 TD, 36 Int, and a handful of public temper tantrums.
3. Arizona - Andre Wadsworth, DE, Florida State
Knee injuries killed his career barely after it got started.
4. Oakland - Charles Woodson, CB, Michigan
Outstanding early in his career but nagging injuries slowed him down quite a bit.
5. Chicago - Curtis Enis, RB, Penn State
Held out, showed up out of shape, and then blew out his knee. Pretty much useless.
6. St. Louis - Grant Wistrom, DE, Nebraska
Eight year starter but a tad overrated.
7. New Orleans - Kyle Turley, T, San Diego State
My guess is he'll end up killing someone during the usual, post-NFL lineman depression stage of his life.
8. Dallas - Greg Ellis, DE, North Carolina
Has had a career resurrection the last couple of years.
9. Jacksonville - Fred Tayor, RB, Florida
Passed the 10,000 yard rushing mark this past season.
10. Baltimore - Duane Starks, CB, Miami
Really good his first few years in the league, although probably helped by a great Ravens defense around him, and then flamed out pretty quickly once he left Baltimore.
11. Philadelphia - Tra Thomas, T, Florida State
Ten year starter and selected to three Pro Bowls.
12. Atlanta - Keith Brooking, LB, Georgia Tech
Overrated but still has had a pretty good career.
13. Cincinnati - Takeo Spikes, LB, Auburn
Was one of the best linebackers in the league for a few years.
14. Carolina - Jason Peter, DE, Nebraska
Check out his Real Sports segment to find out what happened to him.
15. Seattle - Anthony Simmons, LB, Clemson
Decent for a few years.
16. Tennessee - Kevin Dyson, WR, Utah
Place in NFL history is cemented due to the Music City Miracle and the final play of Super Bowl XXXV but really nothing special as a player.
17. Cincinnati - Brian Simmons, LB, North Carolina
Eight year starter.
18. New England - Robert Edwards, RB, Georgia
Infamously blew out his knee in an NFL flag football game on the beach during Pro Bowl week after his rookie year.
19. Green Bay - Vonnie Holliday, DE, North Carolina
Another decent UNC defensive player.
20. Detroit - Terry Fair, CB, Tennessee
Seven interceptions in four years.
21. Minnesota - Randy Moss, WR, Marshall
His off the field problems dropped him this far. Still pissed he broke Jerry Rice's single season, receiving touchdown record this past year which I thought was near unbreakable.
22. New England - Tebucky Jones, S, Syracuse
Nothing special.
23. Oakland - Mo Collins, G, Florida
Five year starter but was pretty terrible.
24. N.Y. Giants - Shaun Williams, S, UCLA
Just a warm body.
25. Jacksonville - Donovin Darius, S, Syracuse
Throws a nice lariat.
26. Pittsburgh - Alan Faneca, G, LSU
Seven time Pro Bowl selection.
27. Kansas City - Victor Riley, T, Auburn
Was a decent run blocker, terrible pass blocker.
28. San Francisco - R.W. McQuarters, CB, Oklahoma State
Great name, pretty good punt returner, awful cornerback.
29. Miami - John Avery, RB, Mississippi
XFL's all-time leading rusher.
30. Denver - Marcus Nash, WR, Tennessee
Four receptions in 11 career games.
Other Notable Picks
33. Arizona - Corey Chavous, CB, Vanderbilt
35. Chicago - Tony Parrish, S, Washington
38. Dallas - Flozell Adams, T, Michigan State
39. Buffalo - Sam Cowart, LB, Florida State
44. Miami - Patrick Surtain, CB, Southern Miss
46. Tennessee - Samari Rolle, CB, Florida State
48. Washington - Stephen Alexander, TE, Oklahoma
58. San Francisco - Jeremy Newberry, C, California
64. Chicago - Olin Kreutz, C, Washington
65. St. Louis - Leonard Little, DE, Tennessee
72. Philadelphia - Jeremiah Trotter, LB, Stephen F Austin
76. Seattle - Ahman Green, RB, Nebraska
78. Cincinnati - Mike Goff, G, Iowa
91. Denver - Brian Griese, QB, Michigan
92. Pittsburgh - Hines Ward, WR, Georgia
93. Indianapolis - Steve McKinney, C, Texas A&M
111. N.Y. Jets - Jason Fabini, T, Cincinnati
119. San Francisco - Lance Schulters, S, Hofstra
139. Tennessee - Benji Olson, G, Washington
173. Minnesota - Matt Birk, C, Harvard
180. San Francisco - Fred Beasley, FB, Auburn
187. Green Bay - Matt Hasselbeck, QB, Boston College
199. Atlanta - Ephraim Salaam, T, San Diego State
226. Arizona - Pat Tillman, S, Arizona State
Now on to relief pitchers and it's not surprising the majority of these season come before the Dennis Eckersley era of closers. In fact you won't find Eck or Mariano Rivera in the Top 20 but the list should give you a better appreciation for Dan Quisenberry. Maybe the most impressive season on the list though is by Eric Gagne's 2003 year as he did it in only 82 1/3 innings. Also reminds you how far he has fallen.
Top 20 Relief Pitcher Seasons since 1979 (per Win Shares)
1. Dan Quisenberry, 1983 - Kansas City Royals 27.8 Win Shares
Year Ag Tm Lg W L G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H R ER HR BB SO HBP WP BFP IBB ERA *ERA+ WHIP
+--------------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+--+------+----+----+----+---+----+----+---+---+-----+---+---+-----+-----+----+-----+
1983 30 KCR AL 5 3 69 0 0 0 62 45 139.0 118 35 30 6 11 48 0 0 536 2 1.94 210 0.928
2. Eric Gagne, 2003 - Los Angeles Dodgers 25.0
3. Jim Kern, 1979 - Texas Rangers 24.9
4. Doug Corbett, 1980 - Minnesota Twins 24.0
5. Willie Hernandez, 1984 - Detroit Tigers 24.0
6. Dan Quisenberry, 1984 - Kansas City Royals 23.7
7. Dan Quisenberry, 1985 - Kansas City Royals 23.1
8. Bruce Sutter, 1984 - St. Louis Cardinals 23.0
9. Mike Marshall, 1979 - Minnesota Twins 22.7
10. Bruce Sutter, 1979 - Chicago Cubs 22.4
11. Jeff Montgomery, 1993 - Kansas City Royals 22.3
12. Bob James, 1985 - Chicago White Sox 21.8
13. Dan Quisenberry, 1982 - Kansas City Royals 21.5
14. John Wetteland, 1993 - Montreal Expos 21.4
15. Keith Foulke, 2003 - Oakland A's 21.4
16. Mark Eichhorn, 1986 - Toronto Blue Jays 21.0
17. Jeff Shaw, 1997 - Cincinnati Reds 20.9
18. Sid Monge, 1979 - Cleveland Indians 20.8
19. Greg Minton, 1982 - San Francisco Giants 20.7
20. Bob Stanley, 1983 - Boston Red Sox 20.7
I'm throwing the Designated Hitter rankings in this entry as they don't need their own entry. For the DH list it is made up of the top 14 in plate appearances
And now see the pain I had to go through in watching prized prospect Daric Barton be a colossal flop in his rookie year.
First Basemen Rankings
1. Albert Pujols, Cardinals
35.1 Win Shares
96.8 VORP
13.5 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 28 STL NL 148 524 100 187 44 0 37 116 7 3 104 54 .357 .462 .653 190 342 0 8 34 5 16
2. Lance Berkman, Astros
3. Mark Teixeira, Braves/Angels
4. Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
5. Justin Morneau, Twins
6. Adrian Gonzalez, Padres
7. Carlos Delgado, Mets
8. Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
9. Carlos Pena, Rays
10. Ryan Howard, Phillies
11. Prince Fielder, Brewers
12. Joye Votto, Reds
13. Derrek Lee, Cubs
14. Jason Giambi, Yankees
15. Adam LaRoche, Pirates
16. Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays
17. James Loney, Dodgers
18. Mike Jacobs, Marlins
19. Ryan Garko, Indians
20. Ron Belliard, Nationals
21. Casey Kotchman, Angels/Braves
22. Paul Konerko, White Sox
23. Nick Swisher, White Sox
24. Kevin Millar, Orioles
25. Doug Mientkiewicz, Pirates
26. Rich Aurilia, Giants
27. Todd Helton, Rockies
28. Daric Barton, A's
9.3 Win Shares
-7.4 VORP
2.5 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 22 OAK AL 140 446 59 101 17 5 9 47 2 1 65 99 .226 .327 .348 85 155 6 3 5 3 6
29. John Bowker, Giants
30. Ross Gload, Royals
Designated Hitter Rankings
1. Aubrey Huff, Orioles
23.1 Win Shares
58.4 VORP
7.9 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---
2008 31 BAL AL 154 598 96 182 48 2 32 108 4 0 53 89 .304 .360 .552 137 330 0 7 7 3 9
2. Milton Bradley, Rangers
3. Jim Thome, White Sox
4. David Ortiz, Red Sox
5. Jason Kubel, Twins
6. Hideki Matsui, Yankees
7. Cliff Floyd, Rays
8. Matt Stairs, Blue Jays/Phillies
9. Billy Butler, Royals
10. Gary Sheffield, Tigers
11. Frank Thomas, Blue Jays/A's
12. Craig Monroe, Twins
13. Travis Hafner, Indians
14. Jose Vidro, Mariners
This week I spent five minutes working on the poll instead of the usual ten.
1. Texas
2. Alabama
3. Penn State
4. Oklahoma State
5. Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Florida
8. Utah
9. USC
10. Ohio State
11. LSU
12. TCU
13. Pittsburgh
14. Boise State
15. Texas Tech
16. Missouri
17. Georgia Tech
18. Boston College
19. Minnesota
20. South Florida
21. Northwestern
22. BYU
23. Florida State
24. Ball State
25. Tulsa
You've seen the rest, now you'll see...more of the rest. It's my own personal college football Top 25 that shouldn't be read by anyone. I did this for about a month last year before getting Bored with it and I expect the same this year.
We're not even halfway through the season but were already down to 13 BCS conference unbeatens and 18 total in Division I-A. My feeling is at this point if you are still undefeated I'm going to rank you, regardless of schedule and conference affiliation. Also I try to keep the rankings based what you've done so far this year and who you've played which will explain why I have Texas Tech so low as they should be embarrassed for scheduling such a weak non-conference schedule and there is no justification to rank them in the Top 10 at the moment. I'm sure I will end up contradicting myself as early as this poll though, plus I'm taking about ten minutes to put this together.
1. Alabama
2. Oklahoma
3. Penn State
4. LSU
5. Missouri
6. Texas
7. BYU
8. Utah
9. South Florida
10. Boise State
11. Vanderbilt
12. Auburn
13. Georgia
14. Kansas
15. Wisconsin
16. Florida
17. USC
18. Northwestern
19. Connecticut
20. Ball State
21. Oklahoma State
22. Tulsa
23. Kentucky
24. Texas Tech
25. Virginia Tech
Is Hanley Ramirez the most underrated player in baseball right now? Of course playing for the Marlins doesn't help him.
Shortstop Rankings
1. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins
32.5 Win Shares
80.7 VORP
10.9 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 24 FLA NL 153 589 125 177 34 4 33 67 35 12 92 122 .301 .400 .540 148 318 0 4 9 8 5
2. Jose Reyes, Mets
3. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies
4. Stephen Drew, Diamondbacks
5. Jhonny Peralta, Indians
6. J.J. Hardy, Brewers
7. Cristian Guzman, Nationals
8. Michael Young, Rangers
9. Derek Jeter, Yankees
10. Mike Aviles, Royals
11. Orlando Cabrera, White Sox
12. Ryan Theriot, Cubs
13. Yunel Escobar, Braves
14. Miguel Tejada, Astros
15. Marco Scutaro, Blue Jays
16. Jason Bartlett, Rays
17. Nick Punto, Twins
18. Brendan Harris, Twins
19. Erick Aybar, Angels
20. Edgar Renteria, Tigers
21. Yuniesky Betancourt, Mariners
22. Maicer Izturis, Angels
23. Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
24. David Eckstein, Blue Jays/Diamondbacks
25. Bobby Crosby, A's
26. Cesar Izturis, Cardinals
27. Jeff Keppinger, Reds
5.7 Win Shares
0.6 VORP
1.5 WARP3
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG *OPS+ TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
2008 28 CIN NL 121 459 45 122 24 2 3 43 3 1 30 24 .266 .310 .346 70 159 6 5 3 2 14
28. Jack Wilson, Pirates
29. Julio Lugo, Red Sox
30. Khalil Greene, Padres
Jose Rijo - Starting Pitcher
New York Yankees 1984
Oakland Athletics 1985-1987
Cincinnati Reds 1988-1995, 2001-2002
Awards
1990 World Series MVP
All-Star Selections: 1 (1994)
League Leader
1991: W/L Pct., WHIP
1993: Strikeouts, K/9
Career Ranks
K/9: 34th
K/BB: 90th
Best Performance
September 25, 1993 - Cincinnati at Colorado
Pitched a complete game, one hitter in Mile High Stadium with a Charlie Hayes single in the 2nd being the only hit.
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Pitching - 9 (250) (Average HOFer ≈ 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 93 (228) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 20.0 (289) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 28.0 (446) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Sid Fernandez, Bruce Kison, Gary Peters, Ray Culp, Bob Veale, Bob Ojeda, Mike Scott, Don Wilson, Sonny Siebert, Joe Horlen
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1984: 1/0.8
1985: 4/2.3
1986: 5/2.2
1987: 0/0.0
1988: 15/6.3
1989: 9/3.8
1990: 17/6.4
1991: 17/6.9
1992: 19/7.6
1993: 26/11.5
1994: 11/6.1
1995: 4/1.8
2001: 2/0.3
2002: 2/1.1
Career Win Shares: 132
Career WARP3: 57.1
My Stupid Opinion
This is Rijo's second different appearance on the HOF ballot as he was also on the 2001 ballot (received just one vote) but he made a comeback with the Reds later that year. Very good pitcher in the early 90's including a Cy Young caliber year in 1993 but the 257 innings he pitched that season probably did in him as his elbow was never the same. Ended up having four different Tommy John surgeries so he belongs in the infirmary wing of the HOF.
I’ve wanted to do another one these for a while now and to tie it in with the 1986 TSM Baseball Simulation League (only two spots left, sign up today!) so figured I should pick a team from 1986 which is about as much thought as I put into picking the ’86 Texas Rangers for this entry, although they had a very interesting, young outfield.
The Rangers were coming of a 99 loss season in 1985 and were fielding one of the younger teams in the league entering the ’86 season. They would spend a good portion of the first half of the season in first place in the A.L. West but lost the lead for good in early July to the eventual division champion Angels. The stayed within striking distance through most of August but the Angels were able to coast to the division crown in September.
C: Don Slaught (.264/.308/.449, 14.5 VORP, 11.6 Win Shares) – Good hitting catcher but was rarely used full-time due to his poor defense. Rangers acquired him a four team deal before the ’85 season and he would be traded three more times in his career. Traded to the Yankees after the ’87 season he then signed with the Pirates in 1990 where he would have his longest tenure and best years. Signed with the Reds in 1996 but was dealt to the Angels before ever playing a game in Cincinnati, then traded in waiver deadline deal later that year to the White Sox. Signed with San Diego in 1997 but was released in May which marked the end of his career.
1B: Pete O’Brien (.290/.385/.468, 40.4 VORP, 23.9 Win Shares) – This was a career year for O’Brien during a solid four year stretch from ’83 to ’87. Rangers would trade him in a package deal to the Cleveland for Julio Franco following the ’88 season. Signed a four year deal with the Mariners after 1989 which ended up being a complete disaster for Seattle.
2B: Toby Harrah (.218/.332/.367, 3.1 VORP, 6.6 Win Shares) – Last season of a 17 year career spent primarily as a third baseman and shortstop. Had an excellent plate patience (had a career high .432 OBP at age 36 a year earlier) and hit for decent power but was very poor defensively.
3B: Steve Buechele (.243/.302/.410, 2.4 VORP, 12.2 Win Shares) – Ever have one of those players that you irrationally hated when you were younger and can’t remember why? Buechele was one of those guys for me. Pretty good defense but never much with the bat. Traded to Pittsburgh in a waiver deal in 1991 who then would trade him midseason the following year to the Cubs. Released by them in 1995, he then returned for I suppose a nostalgia return to the Texas that lasted 19 days.
SS: Scott Fletcher (.300/.360/.400, 35.5 VORP, 19.9 Win Shares) – Another career year here, I already talked about him in the 1992 Milwaukee Brewers entry.
OF: Ruben Sierra (.264/.302/.476, 9.4 VORP, 11.2 Win Shares) – Gary Ward was the primary left fielder this season for the Rangers and had a few more plate appearances but I couldn’t pass up talking about “The Village Idiot.” Never became the next Roberto Clemente as some had pegged him, he showed a lot of promise early in his career with a couple of outstanding years in 1989 and 1991 but peaked in his mid-20’s. Traded in a blockbuster deadline deal to the A’s in 1992 for a rat piece of shit. I was thrilled at the time but after the ’92 season Sierra decided to bulk up and become more of a power hitter which did not pay off. Had very much worn out his welcome by 1995 and was traded to the Yankees for fellow disgruntled outfielder Danny Tartabull. Traded again almost exactly a year later to the Tigers for Cecil Fielder who would toss him off to the Reds following season. For the next ten years he bounced to the Blue Jays, White Sox, Mets (minors only), Indians, back to the Rangers, Mariners, Rangers yet again, Yankees again, and finally the Twins in 2006. Did sign a minor league deal with the Mets last season but nothing came of it.
CF: Oddibe McDowell (.266/.341/.427, 23.1 VORP, 19.8 Win Shares) – Quite possibly the greatest first name in the history of first names, this was as good as would get for Oddibe as his career flamed pretty quick. Was part of the deal for Julio Franco following the ’88 season, wouldn’t last very long in Cleveland as they dealt him to the Braves midseason in ’89. Put up some solid numbers in half a season with Atlanta but came back down to earth again the following year. Didn’t appear in the Majors between 1991 and 1993 before making a return to the Rangers in 1994 as a back up.
RF: Pete Incaviglia (.250/.320/.463, 16.4 VORP, 16.1 Win Shares) – There was a lot of buzz about Incaviglia going into the season as he made the Rangers without playing a single game in the minors after putting up record numbers at Oklahoma State. Certainly had a lot of power but his inability to make consistent contact kept his homerun totals down as the 30 he hit this season as rookie would end up being a career high. Was released by the Rangers before the 1991 season, would spend the next two years in Detroit and Houston. In 1993 he signed with the Phillies where he made a pretty good contribution as a platoon player on their pennant winning team. Spent one more season there before playing a year Japan and then returning to Philly in 1996. They would trade him a waiver deadline deal to Baltimore later that year, would bounce around to three more teams and was out of the Majors after 1998.
DH: Larry Parrish (.276/.347/.509, 32.6 VORP, 16.7 Win Shares) – Already discussed him in the 1980 Montreal Expos entry, this was one of his best seasons.
Rotation
Charlie Hough (114 ERA+, 33.2 VORP, 14.2 Win Shares) – It’s amazing when you look back at Hough’s career that he wasn’t a regular starting pitcher until age 34. The knuckeballer was 38 at this point (looked 50) and was in the middle of the best stretch of his career. Signed as a free agent with the White Sox after 1990, spent two years there and then was part of the expansion Marlins for the final two years of his career.
Ed Correa (102 ERA+, 27.8 VORP, 10.3 Win Shares) – Correa was only 20 years old and this was his only full season in the Majors. Had 189 strikeouts but also 126 walks so I’ll just guess he threw hard but had no clue where it was going most of the time. Played just one more year in the Majors.
Bobby Witt (79 ERA+, -2.2 VORP, 3.4 Win Shares) – This was Witt’s rookie year and he clearly wasn’t ready. In his first two seasons he threw 300 1/3 innings and walked 283 batters. Yikes. Only had one good year in 1990 and would be part of the before mentioned Sierra/Shit trade in 1992 to Oakland. Signed with the Marlins in 1995 but would be traded back to Texas later that season. Dealt to the Cardinals in 1998, he became a nomad the rest of his career but did pick up a World Series ring in his final year in 2001 with Diamondbacks.
Jose Guzman (95 ERA+, 10.2 VORP, 6.1 Win Shares) – Yet another young pitcher, I always thought he was Juan Guzman’s brother but I was wrong. After a decent year in 1988 shoulder problems would cost him full two seasons but did comeback to have two more solid years in Texas. He parlayed that into a lucrative four year deal with the Cubs which was good for him and bad for the Cubs as his arm problems returned in 1994 and didn’t pitch a single inning for them the last two years of the deal.
Closer: Greg Harris (152 ERA+, 30.4 VORP, 14.3 Win Shares) – This was the only year that Harris was really a closer per say as most of his career was a long reliever/swingman. Had several stops in his career with his longest being in Boston from 1989 to 1994. His claim to fame is that in this game (next to last appearance of his career) as a member of the Expos he became the only pitcher in the 20th century to throw from both sides of the mound.
A while back I mentioned that during some post-Christmas giftcard shopping I made an impulse buy purchasing a DVD box set titled College Football's Greatest Games: University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish Collector's Edition. Even though I'm not a Notre Dame fan I purchased the set due to it being the only one if it's kind out there for college football and it was released by A&E Home Video who did the World Series box sets that I've done write ups for. Now since the set is geared torwards Notre Dame fans it does contain some games that are far from "great" but are important in Notre Dame history. Here's the game list:
1966 vs. Michigan State - "Game of the Century" (2nd Half only)
1977 vs. USC - "Thee Green Jersey Game"
1978 vs. Texas - Cotton Bowl
1979 vs. Houston - Cotton Bowl
1988 vs. Miami - "Catholics vs. Convicts"
1989 vs. West Virginia - Fiesta Bowl
1992 vs. Penn State - "The Snow Bowl"
1993 vs. Florida State
The USC, Texas, and West Virginia games are not good games. The USC game is just there for it being the first game the Irish wore green jerseys and the Texas and West Virginia wins wrapped up their last two national championships. The other five games are all true classics. I don't know if I'll do a write up for them all but the one game I definately wanted to watch was the infamous "Catholics vs. Convicts" game.
On a side note I did purchase both the 1977 and 1987 World Series box sets but don't know when I'll get around to doing write ups for them.
October 15, 1988 - #1 Miami (4-0) at #4 Notre Dame (5-0)
-Miami carried a 36 game regular season winning streak into this game and a 16 game winning streak overall with their last loss coming in the infamous 1987 Fiesta Bowl to Penn State. Quarterback Steve "Better Than Troy Aikman" Walsh had yet to lose as a starter.
-This game took place the same day as Game 1 of the World Series that year between the A's and Dodgers or as I call it the "Worst Day in Sports History."
-The opening package by CBS is fantastic as they play it up as a battle of old school, Notre Dame, vs. new school, Miami. To this day I think the opening montage to CBS' college football coverage in the late 80's and early 90's was the best in sports. Brent Musberger and Pat Haden have the call.
Miami Offense
QB: Steve Walsh
RB: Cleveland Gary, Leonard Conley
WR: Randall Hill, Dale Dawkins
TE: Rob Chudzinski
C: Bobby Garcia
G: Mike Sullivan, Barry Panfil
T: Darrin Bruce, John O’Neill
Notre Dame Defense
NG: Chris Zorich
DT: George Williams, Jeff Alm
DE: Arnold Ale, Frank Stams
LB: Wes Pritchett, Mike Stonebreaker
CB: Todd Lyght, Stan Smagala
S: George Streeter, Pat Terrell
Notre Dame Offense
QB: Tony Rice
RB: Anthony Johnson, Mark Green
WR: Steve Alaniz, Ricky Watters
TE: Derek Brown
C: Mike Heldt
G: Mike Brennan, Joe Allen
T: Andy Heck, Dean Brown
Miami Defense
DT: Russell Maryland, Shane Curry
DE: Greg Mark, Bill Hawkins
MLB: Bernard Clark
OLB: Randy Shannon, Rod Carter
CB: Donald Ellis, Kenny Berry
S: Bobby Harden, Bubba McDowell
-Loooove looking at the old score updates as the game is going on. Wyoming ranked #14!?
FIRST QUARTER
-Frank Stams forces Walsh to fumble on the opening possession and Notre Dame recovers near midfield, although I’m not so sure it was a fumble. Stams hits Walsh’s shoulder as he cocks to throw but the ball doesn’t come loose until Walsh starts moving his arm forward and looks like it should have been ruled an in complete pass. Irish don’t take advantage though and go three and out.
-Ironically enough on Miami’s second possession, Stams hits Walsh again with the ball coming loose before Walsh’s arm goes forward and this time it’s called an incomplete pass. Pat Haden agrees with both calls for what that’s worth.
-Miami’s new head coach for 2007, Randy Shannon is a starting linebacker for the Hurricanes here.
-Rocket Ismail is just a freshman at this time and isn’t a starter but makes his presence known early with a 22 yard reception on Notre Dame’s second possession to convert the first of four 3rd down conversions on the drive. Tony Rice scores the first touchdown of the game on an option keeper from seven yards out.
-Musberger calls Walsh one of the best 3rd down college quarterbacks ever seen. Of course that very next play he throws an easy pick to D’Juan Francisco for Miami’s second turnover in their first three possessions. Very next play after Walsh’s interception, Russell Maryland forces Rice to fumble to turn the ball back over to Miami.
SECOND QUARTER
-Miami ties the game on a Walsh eight yard touchdown pass to Andre Brown.
-Rice hits Ismail on a 62 yard bomb down to the Miami 25. Ismail juggles the catch and stumbles to the ground or otherwise he would have taken it the distance as he beat Bubba McDowell who misjudged the ball and jumped too early trying to pick it off. Drive concludes with nine yard touchdown pass dump off to fullback Braxston Banks on a 3rd down to put Notre Dame back up 14-7.
-Miami quickly advances past midfield on their next possession but Frank Stams continues to be a beast in this game as he tips a Walsh pass that is picked off by Pat Terell who takes it 60 yards for the touchdown. The Irish were looking like they could potentially blow out Miami at this point in the game.
-With the departure of Michael Irvin and Brian Blades, Hurricanes were really lacking at wide receiver here as Walsh’s most effective target is Cleveland Gary out of the backfield. That being said Miami moves the ball almost exclusively through the air in this one as they couldn’t get anything on the ground against the Notre Dame defense.
-On the score updates during the game, Vanderbilt beat #20 Florida 24-6 and it notes that Florida hasn’t won at Vandy since 1966. That trend has just kind of changed the last couple of decades.
-On 4th and 4 on the Notre Dame 23, Miami goes for it and Walsh hits Leonard Conley in the flat with no Irish defenders around him and takes it the distance to get Miami back in the game.
-Notre Dame plays it conservative near the end of the half and goes three and out. Miami gets good field possession but Walsh nearly throws another pick six on the first play of the drive as his intended receiver doesn’t look for the ball coming and Todd Lyght almost picks it off with no one in front of him to prevent him from taking it the distance. Miami moves quickly from there ending with Walsh hitting a wide open Gary from 15 yards out with 21 seconds left in the half to tie it up, 21-21. Gary already had seven catches for 88 yards.
THIRD QUARTER
-On the opening possession, Rice throws a wounded duck that is picked off by McDowell. Miami proceeds to give the ball right back on a Conley fumble on their first play of the half.
-Notre Dame moves into field goal range on the next possession but McDowell blocks the field goal attempt by Billy Hackett. It was a 43 yard attempt into the wind so probably would have been a miss as it is.
-Miami can’t move the ball on their next possession and Jimmy Johnson gambles with a fake punt, with the direct snap to the upback but Notre Dame stuffs it and gets the ball on the Miami 46. On the very next play Rice hits Ricky Watters for a 44 yards gain and Pat Eilers runs it in for the score from there to put the Irish back up 28-21.
-Notre Dame’s short ranger kicker Reggie Ho jumps up and down like an idiot after every successful extra point. Musberger mentioned earlier in the game that he’s missed a few so guess wasn’t always a guarantee it’d go through for him, thus the reason to celebrate.
-Miami drives to the Notre Dame 25 but Walsh throws his third interception of the game as lineman Jeff Alm makes a leaping interception on a dump off attempt to one of the backs.
-Notre Dame marches to Miami 11 before their next drive stalls and they settle for a Ho field goal to extend the lead to 31-21.
FOURTH QUARTER
-Miami had come back from 30-14 deficit with five and a half minutes to go against Michigan earlier in the year in Ann Arbor to win 31-30.
-Miami moves quickly to down inside the Notre Dame 10 but the Irish hold and force Miami into a Carlos Huerta field goal to trim the lead to 31-24.
-Near disaster on the ensuing kick off as Ismail has a brain fart and badly misplays the kick but falls on it back at their own 11. Notre Dame then later in the drive almost has another huge misplay on a 3rd and short as Rice makes a bad pitch to Watters that he can’t handle, the ball gets kick around all the way back to the 24 before the Irish recover to avoid giving the Hurricanes great field position.
-Now we reach the big controversy about this game. With about seven minutes to go Miami goes for it on a 4th and 7 from the Notre Dame 11 and converts on Gary’s 11th reception of the game but as he tries to dive for the goal line he supposedly fumbles and the Irish recover at the 1. Looking at the replay it looks fairly clear that A) his knees hit the ground, B) the ball had broken the plane of the endzone before it came loose, and C) the ground caused the fumble. The only thing I’m unsure of is if his knee hit before he crossed the plane but at the very least should have been First and Goal at the 1. Pat Haden completely agrees with the officials yet again and Musberger doesn’t protest. Jimmy Johnson to say the least is not pleased.
-You can’t stop Frank Stam, you can only hope to contain him. On Miami’s next possession he forces another Walsh fumble, this one legit, and the Irish recover on their 28 with 3:30 to go. It was Walsh’s fifth turnover of the game, seventh turnover overall by the Hurricanes. Walsh would throw for 424 yards in this game but obviously gets completely overshadowed by the turnovers.
-They go back to the controversial Gary “fumble” and Haden says he was bobbling the ball before he it the ground which again the replay doesn’t show any of what he supposedly sees. Even though Haden played at USC, Miami was the most hated team in college football at the time so I got the impression watching this game Haden really wanted to see Miami lose.
-Shannon sacks Rice on 3rd and long, forcing a fumble, and Miami recovers on the Notre Dame 15 with 2:14 to go. Great, entertaining game but god damn has it been sloppy.
-Hurricanes immediately face another 4th and 7 from the Notre Dame 11. This time there is no controversy as Walsh hits Brown for the touchdown to make it 31-30 with 45 seconds left in the game. Since we’re still several years away from overtime in college football Miami decides to go for two. Walsh tries to hit Conley in the corner of the endzone but it is deflected away by Terrell. Miami probably would have kept their #1 ranking if they settle for the tie, especially since they were on the road, but it would have been quite the pussy move at the same time to do so.
-Notre Dame recovers the onside kick and runs out the clock to hand Miami their first regular season loss in over three years. The Irish ran the able from there on their way to their last national championship to date.
Chuck Finley - Starting Pitcher
California/Anaheim Angels 1986-1999
Cleveland Indians 2000-2002
St. Louis Cardinals 2002
Awards
None
All-Star Selections: 5 (1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 2000)
League Leader
1993: Complete Games
1994: Innings
Career Ranks
K: 23rd
K/9: 55th
Best Performance
May 23, 1995 - New York at California
Matches his career high 15 strikeotus while two hitting the Yankees in Mariano Rivera's MLB debut.
Hall of Fame Stats
Black Ink: Pitching - 6 (363) (Average HOFer ≈ 40)
Gray Ink: Pitching - 156 (86) (Average HOFer ≈ 185)
HOF Standards: Pitching - 27.0 (170) (Average HOFer ≈ 50)
HOF Monitor: Pitching - 53.5 (230) (Likely HOFer > 100)
Similar Pitchers in HOF: None
Top 10 Similar Pitchers: Mark Langston, Mike Torrez, Vida Blue, Doyle Alexander, Mickey Lolich, Fernando Valenzuela, Curt Simmons, Billy Pierce, Orel Hershiser, Joe Bush
Year-by-Year Win Shares & Wins Above Replacement Level (WARP3)
1986: 4/1.8
1987: 3/1.7
1988: 8/4.1
1989: 19/7.0
1990: 23/9.6
1991: 14/5.9
1992: 11/4.1
1993: 19/8.4
1994: 14/7.1
1995: 12/6.5
1996: 16/8.7
1997: 11/4.8
1998: 17/7.2
1999: 14/5.7
2000: 16/7.7
2001: 3/1.9
2002: 9/4.9
Career Win Shares: 213
Career WARP3: 97.0
My Stupid Opinion
Although it might not be saying much, Finley is probably the second best first ballot player this year. Was an extremely durable pitcher as in his 15 years as a starter he pitched more than 180 innings in 13 of them. Probably was a tad underrated as the Angels were rarely contenders during his career. Ranks in the Top 30 all-time in strikeouts but also ranks in the Top 30 all-time in walks. In the end though he'll end probably be remembered best for getting his ass kicked by his then wife Tawny Kitaen.
