Here’s a look back at the 2014 season, identifying singular statistical accomplishments for each team. This first installment looks at the American league.
More after the jump.
2014 Team Firsts – AL Edition
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Author Archives: Doug
2014 Golden Era Mock HOF Election
The Golden Era (1947-72) committee meets on Monday to consider players from that era who meet Hall of Fame eligibility requirements but have not yet been elected. Just for fun, thought we might run our own mock election using the same rules.
More after the jump.
Quiz – some time with the 09ers (stumped)
As a companion to the current Circle of Greats election, here are some of the players featured on this week’s ballot.
They didn’t strike the mother lode like the famous 49ers, but these are the only players born in 1909 to have a particular season batting feat that at least their mothers could be proud of. What is it?
| Rk | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mel Ott |
| 2 | Stan Hack |
| 3 | Billy Herman |
| 4 | Jo-Jo White |
| 5 | Gene Moore |
| 6 | Tom Winsett |
| 7 | Skeeter Webb |
| 8 | Otto Bluege |
| 9 | Chile Gomez |
This was a tough one. The solution is all of these players were born in 1909 and had a season of 100+ games played with twice as many walks as doubles and more strikeouts than RBI. More after the jump.
The Mount Rushmore of the Atlanta Braves
The Braves are one of the National League’s founding franchises, operating continuously since 1876. But, its origins go back even further than that, to the Boston Red Stockings of the National Association, a team that was itself formed from the remnants of the Cincinnati Red Stockings when that club, baseball’s first all-professional team, folded prior to the National Association’s first season in 1871.
The Red Stockings changed their nickname to the Beaneaters in 1883, to the Doves in 1907, the Rustlers in 1911 and finally the Braves in 1912. Except for the 1936 to 1940 seasons when Boston was known as the Bees, the Braves nickname has remained in use ever since, even through two franchise moves, first to Milwaukee in 1953 and then to Atlanta in 1966.
The Braves are the fifth of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!
The Mount Rushmore of the Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates trace their beginnings to the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, one of the American Association’s original teams in 1882. The Alleghenys joined the National League in 1887 and adopted the Pirates nickname in 1891. When the National League contracted from twelve to eight teams in 1900, Barney Dreyfuss acquired a controlling interest in the Pirates and brought to Pittsburgh many of the best players from his former club, the now defunct Louisville Colonels. Included was the gentleman at left, the legendary Honus Wagner.
The Pirates are the fourth of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!
Pitch FX – 2014 Reliever Results, Part 1
Following up from an earlier post on starting pitchers, this post looks at 2014 results for relief pitchers for metrics provided by Pitch FX, the measurement system used by MLB to track every pitch thrown in every major league game. Part 1 looks at reliever results based on pitches thrown in the strike zone and outside of it. Part 2 will look at results based on pitch type, movement and velocity.
Using PitchFX data available at FanGraphs.com, I’ve compiled a series of tables and charts highlighting the 2014 pitching leaders in a variety of statistical categories. Some of the results will make a lot of sense but others may be more surprising. Take a look after the jump.
The Mount Rushmore of the Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds trace their origins to an independent club formed in 1881 that became a charter member of the American Association in 1882, before transfering to the National League in 1890 (an earlier NL Cincinnati Reds club was the progenitor of the AA club, but is considered a separate franchise owing to a year’s gap in the operation of the two entities). More popularly, the Reds identify themselves with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, formed in 1866 and a member of the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) from 1867 to 1870, the latter two years operating as a fully professional club.
The Reds are the third of the original NL clubs in our Mount Rushmore series. Your task is to choose the four players who best represent this franchise. Have fun!
Quiz – 1910 COG Companion (stumped)
Our readers may be aware that COG balloting has been temporarily suspended in the middle of the 1910 round. To tide us over until Part 2 of that round, here’s a quiz involving players born in 1910 and who also share the distinction of a certain seasonal batting accomplishment. What might that be?
| Rk | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Eddie Mayo |
| 2 | Lou Finney |
| 3 | Wally Moses |
| 4 | Burgess Whitehead |
| 5 | Frank Demaree |
| 6 | George Stumpf |
| 7 | Larry Rosenthal |
| 8 | Joe Bowman |
Not much interest in solving this one, so I’ll cut to the chase. These are the only players born in 1910 to have a season with matching double-digit totals for walks and RBI and who also played, at some point in their careers, on the same team as another such player. More after the jump.
The Mount Rushmore of the Chicago Cubs
Fun with PitchFX – 2014 Starting Pitcher Results
Most of our readers are probably familiar with PitchFX, the computerized measurement system used by MLB to track every pitch thrown in every major league game. The system provides a wealth of statistical data, ranging from type of pitch, pitch velocity and break (vertical and horizontal) as well as pitch location and resulting swing and contact rates.
Using PitchFX data available at FanGraphs.com, I’ve compiled a series of tables and charts highlighting the 2014 pitching leaders in a variety of statistical categories. Some of the results will make a lot of sense but others may be more surprising. Take a look after the jump.