Some of our regular readers were commenting recently on the uniqueness of Alphonso Soriano. Their view was that it is difficult to really describe the type of player that he is since there are so few similar players to compare him to.
That got me thinking about how that uniqueness might best be described. As our commenters knew so well, it’s not easy. Soriano’s like a lot of players, in certain ways, but quite unlike them in others.
After the jump, some thoughts on the enigma that is Alfonso.
These are all speedy players (at least 130 career stolen bases, and 25 or more at least twice), And, they have a bit of pop in their bats (at least 90 career HR, and double digits at least twice). But, these are the only players since 1901 with a particular season batting feat.
What is this unusual batting accomplishment?
| Rk | Player |
|---|---|
| 1 | Grady Sizemore |
| 2 | Curtis Granderson |
| 3 | Alfonso Soriano |
| 4 | Hanley Ramirez |
| 5 | Randy Winn |
| 6 | Brian Roberts |
| 7 | Lou Brock |
| 8 | Devon White |
| 9 | Mark Grudzielanek |
Congratulations to bells! He identified that these are the only players with a season of more than 60 extra-base hits, but at least 10 fewer RBI (alternatively, a season of 50+ RBI and at least 10 more XBH produces the same result).
A follow-up to the Batters’ edition post from last week, here are the pitchers who have reached significant career milestones this season.
Some you will know, but there will be some surprises too. More after the jump.
Here’s a seemingly random assortment of batters. Yet, these are the only players with a post-war season (since 1946) achieving a particular batting feat. What is it?
| Player |
|---|
| Rico Carty |
| Dusty Baker |
| Raul Mondesi |
| Roy Sievers |
| Sam Mele |
| Manny Jimenez |
| Larry Doby |
| Chris Singleton |
Hint: the fact that these players were all outfielders is not germane to the answer.
Congratulations to Richard Chester and Gary Bateman! They teamed up to identify that these are the only players to qualify for the league batting title in their rookies seasons, while batting .300 with 150 or fewer hits and 10 or more home runs.
More on precocious batters after the jump.
How is your favorite veteran ballplayer doing? He may have passed a notable career milestone and you missed it. To find out, or if you just have a fascination for round numbers, here’s a review of this year’s milestone moments and a look ahead to those still to come.
Here is an oddball assortment of pitchers, including a HOFer and an All-Star caliber pitcher, but mainly journeymen and the truly obscure. Yet, all of them share a common career accomplishment. What is the peculiar career feat that only these live-ball era (since 1920) pitchers can boast of?
| Player |
|---|
| Eddie Rommel |
| Dave Koslo |
| Bill Swift |
| Elam Vangilder |
| Paul Hartzell |
| Vito Tamulis |
| Dizzy Dean |
| Ralph Birkofer |
| Rosy Ryan |
To tell you something you already know, the youngster in Baltimore, that kid named Machado, is a pretty fine ballplayer. Had a very creditable run at the all-time doubles mark before slowing down in the dog days. And, a very steady job at 3rd base – silky smooth hands and footwork, an effortless gun for an arm, and a particular highlight reel play that I, for one, will not soon forget. Mind-boggling to think that he just turned 21.
But, there’s another young 3rd baseman who has received very little ink indeed. Name of Nolan Arenado, a 22 year-old rookie in Colorado. Hasn’t yet shown much of a bat, but take a look at his defensive totals, currently showing 3.4 dWAR in just 109 games (Nolan didn’t get called up until the end of April).
Here’s the kicker: barring injury, Machado and Arenado will post the two best defensive third base seasons ever, as measured by WAR Fielding Runs.
More after the jump.
The players in this quiz share a single game accomplishment since 1961 that no other player has matched. What is this feat?
| Player | Notes |
|---|---|
| Jose Lopez | Ichiro was the only player to appear in this game and the Edgar Martinez game |
| Edgar Martinez | A player who appeared in the George Bell game had 5 RBI in this game |
| Juan Gonzalez | Gonzalez’s team had 15 hits and lost, despite 4 runs by the starting 3rd baseman in the Edgar Martinez game |
| Chad Kreuter | Krueter was one of 7 starters with a hit, a run and an RBI, roughing up the starting pitcher in the Don Mattingly game |
| George Bell | Toronto had a grand slam in this game. But, not by Bell. Two players on the losing side would later manage that team. |
| Candy Maldonado | Three Mets grounded into double plays in this game. One Met who didn’t go GIDP played in the Vince Coleman game. |
| Don Mattingly | This game was two days after the Coleman game. Yankees roughed up a rookie starter with a higher BB/9 than H/9. |
| Vince Coleman | A teammate had 3 steals and 3 runs, but Coleman still lost to a club with two former Yankee WS champions |
| Russ Nixon | The starting catcher opposing Nixon was a future manager of Nixon’s team |
| Ernie Banks | An All-Star infielder had 3 hits for the winners, a team that player would later manage |
Congratulations to William J. He correctly identified that the quiz players each had 3 sacrifice flies in a game, the only players to do so since sacrifice flies were first counted officially in 1954. Those games and the clue explanations are after the jump. Continue reading
HHS reader Jacob identified that Zack Cozart is currently leading the NL in both sacrifice hits (i.e. sacrifice bunts) and sacrifice flies. Should Cozart still have the same standing at the end of the season, he would become the first player since the sac fly was first officially recorded in 1954 to lead his league in both categories in the same season. Not only that, he would become just the fifth player to lead in both categories at any point in a career.
More on sacrifice hitting after the jump.
They teased us last year, but this time it’s finally going to happen. Yes, barring an almost complete collapse, the Pittsburgh Pirates will indeed break the longest streak of futility in the history of the majors. Twenty seasons of losing baseball are coming to an end in the Steel City, and it could be official as early as Labor Day.
The last Pirates team to win more than it lost was back in 1992. How long ago was that? Consider:
More on the end of an era after the jump.