And now we come to the final installment of this series. It's the right fielders. You know the guys I'm talking about. The ones who hit for power and gun down baserunners.
All I can say about the National Leaguers early on is dang! From 1954 to 1972 you see nothing but Hall of Famers: Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson and Roberto Clemente. Over in the AL you have Al Kaline and some Hall of Very Gooders: Hank Bauer, Rocky Colavito, Roger Maris, Bob Allison and Tony Oliva. Interestingly enough, Maris wasn't even the most valuable right fielder in the game the year he hit those 61 homers. Frank Robinson's only AL topper season was 1966, the year of his Triple Crown.
Bobby Bonds ends the NL's Hall of Famer streak. Reggie Smith was a two-time topper in center field, and he did the same as a right fielder. Reggie Jackson was the AL's best seven times between 1969 and 1980. Shucks, I suppose that's why he's in the Hall of Fame. Dave Parker topped the NL three times in four seasons at his impressive peak. Dave Winfield only shows up twice.
Ken Singleton may be underrated, but his poor fielding ensured that he'd only top the league once. Sixto Lezcano, Jack Clark and Dwight Evans did it twice, and I have no idea how guys like Jay Johnstone, Leon Roberts and Mike Davis crept in here. Tony Armas may have been a "two true outcomes" kind of guy, but his good fielding and a career year at the plate made him co-best for 1980. Pedro Guerrero and Tom Brunansky were a pair of solid sluggers who had their moments in the sun.
The National League between 1984 and 1991 was mainly a battle between Tony Gwynn and Darryl Strawberry. One of those guys continued producing for the next decade and ended up in the Hall of Fame. The other was derailed by drugs and ended up in the "What Could Have Been" file. Jesse Barfield was a back-to-back topper in 1985 and 86, and Devon White barely outdid him in 1987. Despite qualifying for the Rookie of the Year Award in 1987, White finished fifth in the voting. Jose Canseco took three of four between 1988 and 1991, losing out only to Ruben Sierra in 1989.
Larry Walker may have been the best NL right fielder of the '90s, topping the league four times. When Walker wasn't beating out the competition, guys like David Justice, Reggie Sanders and Sammy Sosa were able to shine through. Speaking of Sosa, it's cool to see that he was the best National League right fielder in 1996. I remember the Cubs being criticized for signing him to a large extension in the middle of the 1997 season. Turns out they were just locking up the best guy at his position at the time. We all know Sosa won the MVP next year, but ironically, Vladimir Guerrero beat him out value-wise. In the American League the '90s seems to be a toss-up between Paul O'Neill, Manny Ramirez and Tim Salmon. Rob Deer manages to weasel his way in there during a weak 1992 though.
Bobby Abreu, Ellis Burks, Gary Sheffield and Brian Giles. Fine players all, but each stands atop the NL right field rankings only once. J.D. Drew, to my utter surprise, does it twice. The last two seasons have seen probable one-timers Corey Hart and Ryan Ludwick take the title. The AL this decade has belonged to Ichiro Suzuki three times, Magglio Ordonez twice and Trot Nixon, Vladimir Guerrero and Nick Markakis once each (I know Manny Ramirez won it in 2000, but I lumped him in with the '90s earlier).
Five of these guys were toppers in both leagues. Robinson, Smith, Winfield, Lezcano and Vladimir Guerrero.
The NL team leaders are the Braves and the Padres (didn't expect that second one) with four each. Over in the AL the Yankees take leadership of their fifth position with five.
So that's it for this series. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sure my methodology could use some improvement, but I'm satisfied with it for now. Perhaps in the future I'll be able to rerun this series with more extensive and accurate results as more data becomes available.
Showing posts with label Best by Position 1954-2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best by Position 1954-2008. Show all posts
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Best Center Fielders By Season, 1954-2008
Those who play a mean center field and know how to use the lumber may be the most romanticized players in baseball. Just look at the top of this chart:
Willie, Mickey and The Duke. Willie Mays owned the NL between 1954 and 1970. Duke Snider only beat him out once, and it isn't until Mays started aging that you saw blips from guys like Adolfo Phillips and Jimmy Wynn. Al Kaline only barely beat out Mickey Mantle in 1959. Jimmie Hall had a good run from 1963 to 1965, topping the AL in the bookend seasons and barely finishing behind Mantle in the middle (books?) season.
Tommie Agee earned every bit of that 1966 American League Rookie of the Year Award by being the best center fielder in the Junior Circuit. Paul Blair and Reggie Smith alternated the next four seasons before Bobby Murcer had his two years of domination. The "other" center field Willie in the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, Willie Davis, finally got to top the league in 1971. Cesar Cedeno took it three times between 1972 and 1975.
Billy North was a solid player on a great team, and Elliott Maddox was the first guy so surnamed to top the league in center. The better-known and more famously-gloved Garry Maddox did it twice over in the National League. Like Agee before him, Fred Lynn was a league-topping super rookie in 1975.
The late '70s didn't seem to have any consensus best center fielder in either league. George Hendrick, Lee Mazzilli, Mickey Rivers, Lyman Bostock and Amos Otis all show up. Bostock's death a year after topping the league is especially tragic. Who knows what might have been?
Dale Murphy and Andre Dawson have their Hall of Fame proponents, but their peaks overlapped and neither one was a topper more than twice. 1984 to 1986 was a good period for National League center fielders. Kevin McReynolds, Willie McGee and Lenny Dykstra's teams all won the pennant in their topping years. Eric Davis breaks the streak. Even today many Red fans lament the fact that he never reached his full potential. Speaking of Dykstra, I wouldn't have pegged him as a three-time topper. Too bad he was injured all the time.
Dwayne Murphy and Chet Lemon are two three-time toppers who seem to be mostly forgotten today. Criminal. It's no surprise that Rickey Henderson became an AL topper when he was moved to center field. Brett Butler did it three times, once in the AL, twice in the NL, as did Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett (minus the league change). Andy Van Slyke did it twice. Robin Yount won the MVP in 1989, but his per-game value at his position was shared by a barely-qualifying Ellis Burks.
Most people would tell you without a second thought that Ken Griffey Jr. was the best center fielder of the '90s. As a four-time league-topper he probably was, but he didn't own the position the way I would've expected him to. In that same era Kenny Lofton topped the AL twice and the NL once. Bernie Williams did it three times, even though no one seems to consider him truly great. Jim Edmonds didn't just become a star once he moved to the National League, he co-topped the AL in 1995.
The second half of the '90s was as volatile as the latter portion of the '70s in the NL. Marquis Grissom, Ray Lankford, Lance Johnson, Lofton, Andruw Jones, Carl Everett and Brian Giles all spent time at the top. Of that group only Jones would rise again. From 2000 to 2005 Jones and Edmonds battled for the title of best National League center fielder each year.
Carlos Beltran emerged atop the AL in 2002, and Milton Bradley, who saw far less playing time, barely beat him out in 2003. Beltran topped the NL twice more after going to the Mets. Aaron Rowand, despite his famous overratedness, topped each league once. Now there's one I didn't see coming. The Royals probably weren't too disappointed after losing Beltran, since his replacement, David DeJesus, turned in a fluke topping year where he barely beat out Grady Sizemore, the man with the reputation. Sizemore was no match for Curtis Granderson's great 2007 season either.
The two NL teams with the most leaders are the Mets and Dodgers, with four each. The AL leader is (hey, I called it!) the Yankees with six.
Next time we'll conclude this series with a look at the right fielders. Hope you have a good arm!
Willie, Mickey and The Duke. Willie Mays owned the NL between 1954 and 1970. Duke Snider only beat him out once, and it isn't until Mays started aging that you saw blips from guys like Adolfo Phillips and Jimmy Wynn. Al Kaline only barely beat out Mickey Mantle in 1959. Jimmie Hall had a good run from 1963 to 1965, topping the AL in the bookend seasons and barely finishing behind Mantle in the middle (books?) season.
Tommie Agee earned every bit of that 1966 American League Rookie of the Year Award by being the best center fielder in the Junior Circuit. Paul Blair and Reggie Smith alternated the next four seasons before Bobby Murcer had his two years of domination. The "other" center field Willie in the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, Willie Davis, finally got to top the league in 1971. Cesar Cedeno took it three times between 1972 and 1975.
Billy North was a solid player on a great team, and Elliott Maddox was the first guy so surnamed to top the league in center. The better-known and more famously-gloved Garry Maddox did it twice over in the National League. Like Agee before him, Fred Lynn was a league-topping super rookie in 1975.
The late '70s didn't seem to have any consensus best center fielder in either league. George Hendrick, Lee Mazzilli, Mickey Rivers, Lyman Bostock and Amos Otis all show up. Bostock's death a year after topping the league is especially tragic. Who knows what might have been?
Dale Murphy and Andre Dawson have their Hall of Fame proponents, but their peaks overlapped and neither one was a topper more than twice. 1984 to 1986 was a good period for National League center fielders. Kevin McReynolds, Willie McGee and Lenny Dykstra's teams all won the pennant in their topping years. Eric Davis breaks the streak. Even today many Red fans lament the fact that he never reached his full potential. Speaking of Dykstra, I wouldn't have pegged him as a three-time topper. Too bad he was injured all the time.
Dwayne Murphy and Chet Lemon are two three-time toppers who seem to be mostly forgotten today. Criminal. It's no surprise that Rickey Henderson became an AL topper when he was moved to center field. Brett Butler did it three times, once in the AL, twice in the NL, as did Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett (minus the league change). Andy Van Slyke did it twice. Robin Yount won the MVP in 1989, but his per-game value at his position was shared by a barely-qualifying Ellis Burks.
Most people would tell you without a second thought that Ken Griffey Jr. was the best center fielder of the '90s. As a four-time league-topper he probably was, but he didn't own the position the way I would've expected him to. In that same era Kenny Lofton topped the AL twice and the NL once. Bernie Williams did it three times, even though no one seems to consider him truly great. Jim Edmonds didn't just become a star once he moved to the National League, he co-topped the AL in 1995.
The second half of the '90s was as volatile as the latter portion of the '70s in the NL. Marquis Grissom, Ray Lankford, Lance Johnson, Lofton, Andruw Jones, Carl Everett and Brian Giles all spent time at the top. Of that group only Jones would rise again. From 2000 to 2005 Jones and Edmonds battled for the title of best National League center fielder each year.
Carlos Beltran emerged atop the AL in 2002, and Milton Bradley, who saw far less playing time, barely beat him out in 2003. Beltran topped the NL twice more after going to the Mets. Aaron Rowand, despite his famous overratedness, topped each league once. Now there's one I didn't see coming. The Royals probably weren't too disappointed after losing Beltran, since his replacement, David DeJesus, turned in a fluke topping year where he barely beat out Grady Sizemore, the man with the reputation. Sizemore was no match for Curtis Granderson's great 2007 season either.
The two NL teams with the most leaders are the Mets and Dodgers, with four each. The AL leader is (hey, I called it!) the Yankees with six.
Next time we'll conclude this series with a look at the right fielders. Hope you have a good arm!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Best Left Fielders By Season, 1954-2008
It's probably the only position where you could play either a weak-armed speedster or a slow-footed slugger. It's left field! Who tops each league each season?
Well, we unsurprisingly see some Hall of Famers here: Monte Irvin, Ted Williams, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock, Willie Stargell, Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson. Barry Bonds on pure production alone deserves to join their ranks someday, but it remains to be seen whether the voters will deem him worthy. Manny Ramirez, despite being less publicly hated than Bonds (though not by me), may face the same dilemma. Pete Rose is here too, but we all know he's a special case.
There are a significant number of guys here who are considered deserving outsiders or just on the borderline too: Del Ennis, Minnie Minoso, Rocky Colavito, Frank Howard, Tim Raines and Albert Belle. Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and Carl Crawford are still wait-and-sees. Not much to say about the aforementioned guys except that we know they are/were great. It's the rest of the list that's interesting.
Bob Cerv was essentially a one-hit wonder, but what a season it was: .305/.371/.592 batting line, 38 homers and a 159 OPS+. He never produced like that over a full season again. Carlos Quentin's 2008 was great, but after an injury-plagued 2009 he may end up just like Cerv. Mitchell Page's rookie season was outstanding and his second was very good, but he fizzled out after that. These guys are the ones who look unusual here based on name recognition. Tommy Davis was only great for about two years, but his profile is considerably higher because he played for the Dodgers and had such a long career.
One underrated Dodger though, is Wally Moon. Would you believe he was the National League's best left fielder twice in a three-year span and was second-best the year he wasn't? The 1960 AL tie is an oddity, as neither man shows up anywhere else. One was a mediocre player in the middle of a career-best three-year stretch (Tito Francona) and the other was an aging star who'd been overshadowed by better players throughout his career (Gene Woodling).
Bob Allison, Boog Powell and Tony Gonzalez were consistently good offensive players throughout their careers, but none was an all-time great. The 1969 Miracle Mets owe a lot of their success to Cleon Jones having a well-timed peak, as he was the best NL left fielder that year.
When Yankee fans tell you how great one of their old players was it's usually safe to brush it off as a combination of buying into one's own hype and the halo effect. Sometimes though, a Yankee does manage to be better than his national reputation. Case in point: Roy White. Between 1970 and 1976 he was the best American League left fielder three times. I remember watching old Yankee games from the "Bronx Zoo" era on Classic Sports Network as a kid and wondering who this Roy White guy I'd never heard of was. It turns out he was a longtime Yankee stalwart enjoying some championships at the end of his career. Who knew?
Rico Carty only tops the league once, but he comes in second a few times, which makes him underrated in my book. Joe Rudi topped the sevens for two of the three Athletic three-peat seasons, and Tommy Harper shows up at his second position, previously topping the AL at third base in 1970. 1975 was a good year for completely un-noteworthy left fielders. Nothing against Gary Matthews, Claudell Washington and Richie Zisk, but there's not much to say about them. None of them ever topped the league again, and I'd hardly consider any of them Hall of Very Gooders. Hall of Above Averagers, maybe. I dunno. George Foster was the NL's best three times in four years, interrupted only by Greg Luzinski in 1978. It's no wonder Foster was considered a possible future Hall of Famer at one point.
Willie Wilson's defense, baserunning and average made him the best in the AL just before Rickey Henderson's emergence. He might've given Henderson a run for his money if he'd had the overall on-base skills. Lonnie Smith and Jose Cruz aren't considered all-time greats by many people, but they were both two-time league toppers in the '80s. Kirk Gibson topped the AL in 1987, then went to the NL in 1988 where topped that league, won the MVP and delivered one of the most dramatic homers in World Series history. All-in-all, not a bad two-year run.
Rickey Henderson's last year as a topper was 1992, and his immediate successors were a Juan Gonzalez/Greg Vaughn tie. Albert Belle emerged soon after that, but Rusty Greer outdid him twice in the middle of his peak, as did B.J. Surhoff in 1997, Belle's disappointing first year in Chicago. Luis Gonzalez can hold his head up high knowing he was the only man to better Barry Bonds as best NL left fielder between 1990 and 2004.
Was left field a dead zone in the American League between 1999 and 2002 or what? Johnny Damon, Darin Erstad, Bobby Higginson and Jacque Jones come out as the leaders in those years. I remember Damon's hot streak in 1999 and Erstad's monster 2000, but I never would've expected Higginson or Jones to pop up here. Amazing. Cub fans wish Alfonso Soriano could repeat his performance from 2006, since they're stuck with him for five more years, and Coco Crisp parlayed his great 2005 into a stint with the Red Sox. What a group.
The NL team with the most toppers is the Giants, with five. Right behind them are the archrival Dodgers and the Pirates with four. The Red Sox and their left field legacy lead the AL with six, but the Athletics are a close second with five.
Next time we'll get to the last "up-the-middle" position, and one where the Yankees have traditionally been very strong: center field. Will the Yankees' be mentioned at the bottom of the post like the Red Sox were in this one? We shall see!
Well, we unsurprisingly see some Hall of Famers here: Monte Irvin, Ted Williams, Frank Robinson, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Carl Yastrzemski, Lou Brock, Willie Stargell, Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson. Barry Bonds on pure production alone deserves to join their ranks someday, but it remains to be seen whether the voters will deem him worthy. Manny Ramirez, despite being less publicly hated than Bonds (though not by me), may face the same dilemma. Pete Rose is here too, but we all know he's a special case.
There are a significant number of guys here who are considered deserving outsiders or just on the borderline too: Del Ennis, Minnie Minoso, Rocky Colavito, Frank Howard, Tim Raines and Albert Belle. Matt Holliday, Jason Bay and Carl Crawford are still wait-and-sees. Not much to say about the aforementioned guys except that we know they are/were great. It's the rest of the list that's interesting.
Bob Cerv was essentially a one-hit wonder, but what a season it was: .305/.371/.592 batting line, 38 homers and a 159 OPS+. He never produced like that over a full season again. Carlos Quentin's 2008 was great, but after an injury-plagued 2009 he may end up just like Cerv. Mitchell Page's rookie season was outstanding and his second was very good, but he fizzled out after that. These guys are the ones who look unusual here based on name recognition. Tommy Davis was only great for about two years, but his profile is considerably higher because he played for the Dodgers and had such a long career.
One underrated Dodger though, is Wally Moon. Would you believe he was the National League's best left fielder twice in a three-year span and was second-best the year he wasn't? The 1960 AL tie is an oddity, as neither man shows up anywhere else. One was a mediocre player in the middle of a career-best three-year stretch (Tito Francona) and the other was an aging star who'd been overshadowed by better players throughout his career (Gene Woodling).
Bob Allison, Boog Powell and Tony Gonzalez were consistently good offensive players throughout their careers, but none was an all-time great. The 1969 Miracle Mets owe a lot of their success to Cleon Jones having a well-timed peak, as he was the best NL left fielder that year.
When Yankee fans tell you how great one of their old players was it's usually safe to brush it off as a combination of buying into one's own hype and the halo effect. Sometimes though, a Yankee does manage to be better than his national reputation. Case in point: Roy White. Between 1970 and 1976 he was the best American League left fielder three times. I remember watching old Yankee games from the "Bronx Zoo" era on Classic Sports Network as a kid and wondering who this Roy White guy I'd never heard of was. It turns out he was a longtime Yankee stalwart enjoying some championships at the end of his career. Who knew?
Rico Carty only tops the league once, but he comes in second a few times, which makes him underrated in my book. Joe Rudi topped the sevens for two of the three Athletic three-peat seasons, and Tommy Harper shows up at his second position, previously topping the AL at third base in 1970. 1975 was a good year for completely un-noteworthy left fielders. Nothing against Gary Matthews, Claudell Washington and Richie Zisk, but there's not much to say about them. None of them ever topped the league again, and I'd hardly consider any of them Hall of Very Gooders. Hall of Above Averagers, maybe. I dunno. George Foster was the NL's best three times in four years, interrupted only by Greg Luzinski in 1978. It's no wonder Foster was considered a possible future Hall of Famer at one point.
Willie Wilson's defense, baserunning and average made him the best in the AL just before Rickey Henderson's emergence. He might've given Henderson a run for his money if he'd had the overall on-base skills. Lonnie Smith and Jose Cruz aren't considered all-time greats by many people, but they were both two-time league toppers in the '80s. Kirk Gibson topped the AL in 1987, then went to the NL in 1988 where topped that league, won the MVP and delivered one of the most dramatic homers in World Series history. All-in-all, not a bad two-year run.
Rickey Henderson's last year as a topper was 1992, and his immediate successors were a Juan Gonzalez/Greg Vaughn tie. Albert Belle emerged soon after that, but Rusty Greer outdid him twice in the middle of his peak, as did B.J. Surhoff in 1997, Belle's disappointing first year in Chicago. Luis Gonzalez can hold his head up high knowing he was the only man to better Barry Bonds as best NL left fielder between 1990 and 2004.
Was left field a dead zone in the American League between 1999 and 2002 or what? Johnny Damon, Darin Erstad, Bobby Higginson and Jacque Jones come out as the leaders in those years. I remember Damon's hot streak in 1999 and Erstad's monster 2000, but I never would've expected Higginson or Jones to pop up here. Amazing. Cub fans wish Alfonso Soriano could repeat his performance from 2006, since they're stuck with him for five more years, and Coco Crisp parlayed his great 2005 into a stint with the Red Sox. What a group.
The NL team with the most toppers is the Giants, with five. Right behind them are the archrival Dodgers and the Pirates with four. The Red Sox and their left field legacy lead the AL with six, but the Athletics are a close second with five.
Next time we'll get to the last "up-the-middle" position, and one where the Yankees have traditionally been very strong: center field. Will the Yankees' be mentioned at the bottom of the post like the Red Sox were in this one? We shall see!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Best Shortstops By Season, 1954-2008
Who's the most important defender? Shortstop! Shortstop! And who tops the league at shortstop each season?
The shortstop crop in the '60s and '70s was famously weak. In fact, from 1962 to 1977 there are no Hall of Fame toppers. Luis Aparicio has the reputation from that era, but he only leads his league twice. Ernie Banks, his crosstown counterpart, completely dominated the NL from 1955 to 1961. Cub fans didn't have much to cheer for in those days, but the best player in baseball at perhaps the most glorious position might have brightened up the North Side ever so slightly. Pee Wee Reese precedes Banks as the NL's best shortstop, and we can only wonder how many more times he was a league-topper in the pre-Retrosheet era. Harvey Kuenn also deserves some mention as a two-time leader.
The late Woodie Held was the American League's best shortstop three years in a row. Can you believe it? I remember coming across his entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia back in the day and wondering why you never heard about this guy, as he appeared to be pretty good. I guess he was better than even I realized.
After Banks was moved to first base the NL sees the likes of Maury Wills, Denis Menke and Dick Groat inherit his spot. Gene Alley surprised me with a three-year run at the top too. The best AL shortstop of the '60s era seems to be Jim Fregosi, who topped the league three times. One-hit wonders like Eddie Bressoud, Ron Hansen, Zoilo Versalles, Dick McAuliffe and Rico Petrocelli make up most of the remaining group.
The one AL guy from the '60s I didn't mention was Bert Campaneris. He topped the AL five times between 1968 and 1977, including all three years of the Athletics' three-peat. He's often struck me as severely underrated, and these findings back up that striking. He's no Hall of Famer, but he deserves to be remembered.
Cincinnati (and Joe Morgan) favorite Dave Concepcion shows up atop the NL four times. Impressive, but I don't think those credentials are enough for the Hall in such a weak era for shortstops. Bud Harrelson, Chris Speier and Garry Templeton each show up twice in the same era. Those first two surprise me more than the last. None were truly great, though. Mark Belanger was never much of a hitter, but his defense was so good that he was able to top the AL twice.
Poor Dickie Thon. Best National League shortstop twice before that beaning. Ozzie Smith was surely the NL shortstop of the '80s, but would he have held that title if Thon's career had stayed on track?
Robin Yount topped the AL four times in five years. Some consider him overrated, but his longevity combined with his peak make it clear why he's in the Hall of Fame. Cal Ripken almost couldn't help but be overrated due to The Streak. Still, he'd be my pick as AL shortstop of the '80s, and his six-in-nine topping stretch proves his reputation to be reasonably well-deserved. The guy who beat him out those other three years, Alan Trammell, was no slouch either.
Ozzie Smith's NL successor was Barry Larkin, a no-doubt Hall of Famer. Topping the league ten of twelve seasons? That's either an elite player or the best of a truly horrid group. All evidence suggests the former. The only guy to beat out Larkin in the NL during the '90s was Jeff Blauser, and that was only because Larkin was injured for half the season.
No wonder Pat Listach was Rookie of the Year in 1992. He was a league-topper. Too bad he fizzled out after that.
We all remember the AL's "Big Three" shortstops (Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter), but John Valentin was the best in the Junior Circuit for three years before they emerged. After Valentin, one of the Big Three topped the AL each year until 2004.
As much as we Yankee-haters want Derek Jeter to be overrated, he comes out on top twice in the '90s and again in 2006 (and probably will again once I run the numbers for this season). All the "Jeter isn't the best shortstop on his own team" talk seems a little weaker when you realize that A-Rod isn't quite the dominant force he's often portrayed as. Like I said last time, he's one of the great ones, but perhaps not quite as transcendent as his reputation would have you believe.
The 2000 NL season probably deserves an asterisk. Barry Larkin and Rafael Furcal fell just short of my minimum innings requirement, and both provided more value per game than Rich Aurilia. Would their production have dropped off had they played more? Who knows? All I know is that Rich Aurilia is now a two-time NL topper. Edgar Renteria follows in Aurilia's footsteps with the same accomplishment.
When Jimmy Rollins won the 2007 NL MVP there were some who argued that Hanley Ramirez was the more valuable shortstop. Looks like Fangraphs disagrees. Jhonny Peralta shows up twice, much to my surprise. Hey, would you have believed it? Felipe Lopez, Jose Reyes, Miguel Tejada and Orlando Cabrera have each had turns at the top too.
The NL team with the most men on this list is the Cardinals, with four. The AL leader, also with four, is the Red Sox.
Next time we'll be getting to the outfield. While outfielders often get lumped into one big group, I think each individual outfield position is important enough to merit its own post. The frequent shifting of outfielders made data compilation frustrating at times, but I think the effort was worth it. Next time I post this blog will be sporting a list of left fielders.
The shortstop crop in the '60s and '70s was famously weak. In fact, from 1962 to 1977 there are no Hall of Fame toppers. Luis Aparicio has the reputation from that era, but he only leads his league twice. Ernie Banks, his crosstown counterpart, completely dominated the NL from 1955 to 1961. Cub fans didn't have much to cheer for in those days, but the best player in baseball at perhaps the most glorious position might have brightened up the North Side ever so slightly. Pee Wee Reese precedes Banks as the NL's best shortstop, and we can only wonder how many more times he was a league-topper in the pre-Retrosheet era. Harvey Kuenn also deserves some mention as a two-time leader.
The late Woodie Held was the American League's best shortstop three years in a row. Can you believe it? I remember coming across his entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia back in the day and wondering why you never heard about this guy, as he appeared to be pretty good. I guess he was better than even I realized.
After Banks was moved to first base the NL sees the likes of Maury Wills, Denis Menke and Dick Groat inherit his spot. Gene Alley surprised me with a three-year run at the top too. The best AL shortstop of the '60s era seems to be Jim Fregosi, who topped the league three times. One-hit wonders like Eddie Bressoud, Ron Hansen, Zoilo Versalles, Dick McAuliffe and Rico Petrocelli make up most of the remaining group.
The one AL guy from the '60s I didn't mention was Bert Campaneris. He topped the AL five times between 1968 and 1977, including all three years of the Athletics' three-peat. He's often struck me as severely underrated, and these findings back up that striking. He's no Hall of Famer, but he deserves to be remembered.
Cincinnati (and Joe Morgan) favorite Dave Concepcion shows up atop the NL four times. Impressive, but I don't think those credentials are enough for the Hall in such a weak era for shortstops. Bud Harrelson, Chris Speier and Garry Templeton each show up twice in the same era. Those first two surprise me more than the last. None were truly great, though. Mark Belanger was never much of a hitter, but his defense was so good that he was able to top the AL twice.
Poor Dickie Thon. Best National League shortstop twice before that beaning. Ozzie Smith was surely the NL shortstop of the '80s, but would he have held that title if Thon's career had stayed on track?
Robin Yount topped the AL four times in five years. Some consider him overrated, but his longevity combined with his peak make it clear why he's in the Hall of Fame. Cal Ripken almost couldn't help but be overrated due to The Streak. Still, he'd be my pick as AL shortstop of the '80s, and his six-in-nine topping stretch proves his reputation to be reasonably well-deserved. The guy who beat him out those other three years, Alan Trammell, was no slouch either.
Ozzie Smith's NL successor was Barry Larkin, a no-doubt Hall of Famer. Topping the league ten of twelve seasons? That's either an elite player or the best of a truly horrid group. All evidence suggests the former. The only guy to beat out Larkin in the NL during the '90s was Jeff Blauser, and that was only because Larkin was injured for half the season.
No wonder Pat Listach was Rookie of the Year in 1992. He was a league-topper. Too bad he fizzled out after that.
We all remember the AL's "Big Three" shortstops (Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and Derek Jeter), but John Valentin was the best in the Junior Circuit for three years before they emerged. After Valentin, one of the Big Three topped the AL each year until 2004.
As much as we Yankee-haters want Derek Jeter to be overrated, he comes out on top twice in the '90s and again in 2006 (and probably will again once I run the numbers for this season). All the "Jeter isn't the best shortstop on his own team" talk seems a little weaker when you realize that A-Rod isn't quite the dominant force he's often portrayed as. Like I said last time, he's one of the great ones, but perhaps not quite as transcendent as his reputation would have you believe.
The 2000 NL season probably deserves an asterisk. Barry Larkin and Rafael Furcal fell just short of my minimum innings requirement, and both provided more value per game than Rich Aurilia. Would their production have dropped off had they played more? Who knows? All I know is that Rich Aurilia is now a two-time NL topper. Edgar Renteria follows in Aurilia's footsteps with the same accomplishment.
When Jimmy Rollins won the 2007 NL MVP there were some who argued that Hanley Ramirez was the more valuable shortstop. Looks like Fangraphs disagrees. Jhonny Peralta shows up twice, much to my surprise. Hey, would you have believed it? Felipe Lopez, Jose Reyes, Miguel Tejada and Orlando Cabrera have each had turns at the top too.
The NL team with the most men on this list is the Cardinals, with four. The AL leader, also with four, is the Red Sox.
Next time we'll be getting to the outfield. While outfielders often get lumped into one big group, I think each individual outfield position is important enough to merit its own post. The frequent shifting of outfielders made data compilation frustrating at times, but I think the effort was worth it. Next time I post this blog will be sporting a list of left fielders.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Best Third Basemen By Season, 1954-2008
Third base is one of those odd positions. Steve Treder has called it "The Crossroads" due to its place smack dab in the center of the defensive spectrum. Few great players make a name for themselves as third basemen, but most of the men on the following list did:
What a surprise. Mike Schmidt dominates the NL spot from 1974 to 1987. In 1985, the one year he didn't top the league, he was deployed primarily at first base. While he didn't top the majors each year, there's no denying Schmidt was the most productive third baseman ever to play the game.
The NL was generally the superior league for hot cornermen up through the Schmidt era. Eddie Mathews dominated the decade between 1954 and 1963, but Ken Boyer occasionally gave him a run for his money. Ron Santo inherited Mathews' throne in the mid-'60s, and Tony Perez and Dick Allen show up in the same time frame. All of them either are or (in my opinion) should be in the Hall of Fame (though Boyer is debatable). We get three sub-greatness guys (Joe Torre, Richie Hebner, Darrell Evans) right before the Schmidt era begins.
I once read an internet discussion where someone claimed that the only reason Brooks Robinson had such a lofty reputation was because the American League hadn't seen any truly great third basemen in a while when he came along. Indeed, I never would've guessed that Ray Boone was the AL's best third baseman three years straight, or that Frank Malzone or Eddie Yost ever claimed the title. It's interesting to note that Brooks was never far and away the best at his position during the '60s. Clete Boyer, Pete Ward, Ed Charles and Harmon Killebrew all either bested or tied him at various points. At least Clete's great 1961 season means there's one year in this database where two brothers held the top spot at the same position in each league.
Sal Bando was pretty much Robinson's successor in the AL, though good years from Tommy Harper and Graig Nettles kept him from a stranglehold on the title. Speaking of Nettles, that 1971 tie is the only season where he shows up at the top. He is, however, pretty consistently in the top one-third of qualifying third basemen during his peak years. I don't support the Hall of Fame case put forth by some biased Yankee fans, but he's a clear Very Gooder.
After a brief detour (Eric Soderholm? Really?), George Brett takes his place as Bando's AL successor. He only has four years at the top, but they come in a five-year span, a peak to be proud of in a strong era for third basemen. Buddy Bell and Doug DeCinces each peek through twice before Wade Boggs takes the title five years straight (the middle of a seven-in-nine-years run).
How about that Edgar Martinez? Three straight years topping the AL! Just imagine if he'd been able to stay there his whole career! He'd be a no-brainer Hall of Famer next year instead of a debatable one. Robin Ventura, one of my favorites, gets a year in after Martinez, then Boggs shows up for the eighth and final time.
Over in the NL we see Matt Williams three times, Ken Caminiti twice and blips from guys like Bobby Bonilla, Howard Johnson, Terry Pendleton and Gary Sheffield. Of course, that's just the ten years post-Schmidt.
Edgardo Alfonzo, better known as a second baseman, takes it in 1997. Over in the AL we see Jim Thome, better known as a first baseman, take it in 1995 and 1996. Tony Fernandez, better known as a shortstop, takes it in 1999. Funny. You could construct an entire infield out of these '90s toppers.
After Alfonzo, Chipper Jones has a nice three-year run. He won't be back until 2008. I don't think anyone (including myself) has ever considered Scott Brosius anything other than a role player, but he was in fact twice the AL's best third baseman. Who would've thunk it? Of course, Jeff Cirillo's numbers are better than Brosius' in 1998. If the Brewers hadn't moved to the NL that year he might've topped the AL two straight seasons.
The NL this decade has been pretty much up-for-grabs. Scott Rolen takes it twice (including 2002, the year he was traded to St. Louis), and the rest of the picture is populated with flashes-in-the-pan like Phil Nevin, Adrian Beltre and Morgan Ensberg. In fairness to Beltre though, he did do it again in the AL with much less impressive stats than in his incredible 2004 season. Two bright young stars, Miguel Cabrera and David Wright, show up in 2006 and 2007.
The AL this decade has been more consistent. Troy Glaus gets a year in at the top, but the next four years belong to Eric Chavez and Corey Koskie. Chavez I could believe, since he had the reputation, but Koskie surprised me. I didn't realize baseball was losing such a good player when Koskie's career prematurely ended.
Of course, Alex Rodriguez has dominated the position since moving to third, right? Well, not quite. In 2004, his first year at third, he lost out to Chavez. In 2005 he took it, but next year he finished just behind a two-way tie between the aforementioned Beltre and (I'm not making this up) Mark Teahen. In 2007 and 2008 he took it again. Is A-Rod a tad overrated? I'm inclined to say yes, though he's obviously still one of the greats.
Overall, the Braves lead the NL with four league-toppers, while the Athletics and Yankees share AL leadership with four each.
Next time it's the "6" position, the most important on the field, the shortstop. So uh, yeah, that should be fun. See you then.
What a surprise. Mike Schmidt dominates the NL spot from 1974 to 1987. In 1985, the one year he didn't top the league, he was deployed primarily at first base. While he didn't top the majors each year, there's no denying Schmidt was the most productive third baseman ever to play the game.
The NL was generally the superior league for hot cornermen up through the Schmidt era. Eddie Mathews dominated the decade between 1954 and 1963, but Ken Boyer occasionally gave him a run for his money. Ron Santo inherited Mathews' throne in the mid-'60s, and Tony Perez and Dick Allen show up in the same time frame. All of them either are or (in my opinion) should be in the Hall of Fame (though Boyer is debatable). We get three sub-greatness guys (Joe Torre, Richie Hebner, Darrell Evans) right before the Schmidt era begins.
I once read an internet discussion where someone claimed that the only reason Brooks Robinson had such a lofty reputation was because the American League hadn't seen any truly great third basemen in a while when he came along. Indeed, I never would've guessed that Ray Boone was the AL's best third baseman three years straight, or that Frank Malzone or Eddie Yost ever claimed the title. It's interesting to note that Brooks was never far and away the best at his position during the '60s. Clete Boyer, Pete Ward, Ed Charles and Harmon Killebrew all either bested or tied him at various points. At least Clete's great 1961 season means there's one year in this database where two brothers held the top spot at the same position in each league.
Sal Bando was pretty much Robinson's successor in the AL, though good years from Tommy Harper and Graig Nettles kept him from a stranglehold on the title. Speaking of Nettles, that 1971 tie is the only season where he shows up at the top. He is, however, pretty consistently in the top one-third of qualifying third basemen during his peak years. I don't support the Hall of Fame case put forth by some biased Yankee fans, but he's a clear Very Gooder.
After a brief detour (Eric Soderholm? Really?), George Brett takes his place as Bando's AL successor. He only has four years at the top, but they come in a five-year span, a peak to be proud of in a strong era for third basemen. Buddy Bell and Doug DeCinces each peek through twice before Wade Boggs takes the title five years straight (the middle of a seven-in-nine-years run).
How about that Edgar Martinez? Three straight years topping the AL! Just imagine if he'd been able to stay there his whole career! He'd be a no-brainer Hall of Famer next year instead of a debatable one. Robin Ventura, one of my favorites, gets a year in after Martinez, then Boggs shows up for the eighth and final time.
Over in the NL we see Matt Williams three times, Ken Caminiti twice and blips from guys like Bobby Bonilla, Howard Johnson, Terry Pendleton and Gary Sheffield. Of course, that's just the ten years post-Schmidt.
Edgardo Alfonzo, better known as a second baseman, takes it in 1997. Over in the AL we see Jim Thome, better known as a first baseman, take it in 1995 and 1996. Tony Fernandez, better known as a shortstop, takes it in 1999. Funny. You could construct an entire infield out of these '90s toppers.
After Alfonzo, Chipper Jones has a nice three-year run. He won't be back until 2008. I don't think anyone (including myself) has ever considered Scott Brosius anything other than a role player, but he was in fact twice the AL's best third baseman. Who would've thunk it? Of course, Jeff Cirillo's numbers are better than Brosius' in 1998. If the Brewers hadn't moved to the NL that year he might've topped the AL two straight seasons.
The NL this decade has been pretty much up-for-grabs. Scott Rolen takes it twice (including 2002, the year he was traded to St. Louis), and the rest of the picture is populated with flashes-in-the-pan like Phil Nevin, Adrian Beltre and Morgan Ensberg. In fairness to Beltre though, he did do it again in the AL with much less impressive stats than in his incredible 2004 season. Two bright young stars, Miguel Cabrera and David Wright, show up in 2006 and 2007.
The AL this decade has been more consistent. Troy Glaus gets a year in at the top, but the next four years belong to Eric Chavez and Corey Koskie. Chavez I could believe, since he had the reputation, but Koskie surprised me. I didn't realize baseball was losing such a good player when Koskie's career prematurely ended.
Of course, Alex Rodriguez has dominated the position since moving to third, right? Well, not quite. In 2004, his first year at third, he lost out to Chavez. In 2005 he took it, but next year he finished just behind a two-way tie between the aforementioned Beltre and (I'm not making this up) Mark Teahen. In 2007 and 2008 he took it again. Is A-Rod a tad overrated? I'm inclined to say yes, though he's obviously still one of the greats.
Overall, the Braves lead the NL with four league-toppers, while the Athletics and Yankees share AL leadership with four each.
Next time it's the "6" position, the most important on the field, the shortstop. So uh, yeah, that should be fun. See you then.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Best Second Basemen By Season, 1954-2008
Second base. The cornerstone. Possibly the most aesthetically glorified position in baseball. We love those guys who can turn the double play. You know my methodology, let's see what it gives us.
Wow. So much inconsistency, particularly in the AL. Only two AL second basemen bested the league four straight seasons, and both played for the Twins: Rod Carew and Chuck Knoblauch.
Based on reputation, Nellie Fox was the best second baseman of the '50s. He shows up three times in the four years between 1957 and 1960. Between 1954 and 1958 he only shows up once. Is he overrated? As a big Nellie Fox fan I'd like to think not, but I must admit he's nothing close to the inner circle of great second basemen.
One player it is safe to call overrated is Bobby Richardson. From what I've read, he was considered the best AL second baseman of the '60s. Only once does he show up atop the AL, and that's 1963. Jerry Lumpe and Dick McAuliffe show up there more often than he does. I think it's more accurate to say that Richardson played in a weak era for second basemen and only got national recognition because his team won a bunch of pennants. Interestingly, Lumpe originally came up in the Yankee system. If the Bronx Bombers had held onto him he probably would've gotten his due.
Red Schoendienst, Don Blasingame and Bill Mazeroski each show up twice in the NL during that era. Jim Gilliam shows up three times. Mazeroski may have been a great fielder, but it's hard to say his defense pushed him to any type of elite level. I've never felt he belonged in the Hall, even though Bill James does. Frank Bolling shows up once in each league.
Joe Morgan bests the NL for the first time in 1965 and for the last time in 1982. That's some longevity right there. During that span he led a total of 11 times. Now that's inner circle of great second basemen. Sorry, Nellie.
I would never have expected Ron Hunt to show up here three times. I guess getting hit by pitches is a silent value-raiser. Davey Johnson also had a brief moment in the sun that coincided with the Orioles' dominance.
Things start to get interesting in the late '70s. We see an era where two third basemen, one playing out of position (Bill Madlock) and another who'd move there later (Ken Oberkfell), both show up. Bump Wills came out on top of the AL in his rookie year of 1977, but he finished a mere third in the Rookie of the Year voting.
Three players emerge in the AL who all have interesting cases: Bobby Grich, Willie Randolph and Lou Whitaker. Grich has his Hall of Fame supporters, but only thrice was he the league's best second baseman. Playing in the shadow of Rod Carew can do that to you sometimes. Randolph also shows up three times, but there's a difference of nine years between the first and last times, proving the longevity factor. He rarely gets discussed as a possible Hall of Famer, and while I don't quite think he belongs, he's closer than many people may realize. It's rare to see an underrated Yankee. As for Whitaker, between 1982 and 1991 he bests the league seven times. He's got more Hall supporters than Randolph or Grich, and after doing this exercise I think I'd have to count myself among them.
Ryne Sandberg had the reputation over in the NL, and he definitely showed up in his 1984 MVP season. He didn't come out on top again until 1988 though, and after being narrowly beat out by Robby Thompson in 1989 he led until 1992. Bill Doran, on the other hand, shows up three times between 1983 and 1987. Might he be a better candidate for NL second baseman of the '80s than Sandberg?
Roberto Alomar, like Bump Wills before him, topped his league in his rookie year. Also like Wills, he failed to win the ROY, placing fifth in the voting. Of course, Alomar didn't do so bad with the rest of his career. He went on to top his league four more times, the last being in 2001. While he wasn't the dominant force he was often made out to be, he was clearly one of the better second-sackers in the game when he wasn't the best.
After Sandberg's run at the top of the NL ended Craig Biggio was there to take over for him. He led five straight years from 1994 to 1998. Following Edgardo Alfonzo's strong 1999, Jeff Kent began a three-year run of his own. Yes, that's right. Only three years. Don't be blinded by the power numbers. In 2003 and 2004 he was bested by Marcus Giles and Mark Loretta, respectively. For real.
The last seven years have had seven different AL leaders. Dustin Pedroia, Robinson Cano, Alfonso Soriano and Bret Boone probably come as no surprise, but what about Brian Roberts, Placido Polanco and Orlando Hudson? You never know who'll emerge in a given year. The NL has been much more steady, with Chase Utley owning not just the NL, but all of baseball since 2005.
Overall, the NL team with the most leaders during this era is the Giants, with six. The Dodgers are right behind them with five, and the Reds and Cardinals each have four. In the AL it's a tie between the Yankees and Tigers with five. The Orioles and Rangers follow with three each.
Next time it's the hot cornermen. You won't be surprised at all who holds the record for most years as a league topper. Some others might widen your eyes a little though. Stay tuned!
Wow. So much inconsistency, particularly in the AL. Only two AL second basemen bested the league four straight seasons, and both played for the Twins: Rod Carew and Chuck Knoblauch.
Based on reputation, Nellie Fox was the best second baseman of the '50s. He shows up three times in the four years between 1957 and 1960. Between 1954 and 1958 he only shows up once. Is he overrated? As a big Nellie Fox fan I'd like to think not, but I must admit he's nothing close to the inner circle of great second basemen.
One player it is safe to call overrated is Bobby Richardson. From what I've read, he was considered the best AL second baseman of the '60s. Only once does he show up atop the AL, and that's 1963. Jerry Lumpe and Dick McAuliffe show up there more often than he does. I think it's more accurate to say that Richardson played in a weak era for second basemen and only got national recognition because his team won a bunch of pennants. Interestingly, Lumpe originally came up in the Yankee system. If the Bronx Bombers had held onto him he probably would've gotten his due.
Red Schoendienst, Don Blasingame and Bill Mazeroski each show up twice in the NL during that era. Jim Gilliam shows up three times. Mazeroski may have been a great fielder, but it's hard to say his defense pushed him to any type of elite level. I've never felt he belonged in the Hall, even though Bill James does. Frank Bolling shows up once in each league.
Joe Morgan bests the NL for the first time in 1965 and for the last time in 1982. That's some longevity right there. During that span he led a total of 11 times. Now that's inner circle of great second basemen. Sorry, Nellie.
I would never have expected Ron Hunt to show up here three times. I guess getting hit by pitches is a silent value-raiser. Davey Johnson also had a brief moment in the sun that coincided with the Orioles' dominance.
Things start to get interesting in the late '70s. We see an era where two third basemen, one playing out of position (Bill Madlock) and another who'd move there later (Ken Oberkfell), both show up. Bump Wills came out on top of the AL in his rookie year of 1977, but he finished a mere third in the Rookie of the Year voting.
Three players emerge in the AL who all have interesting cases: Bobby Grich, Willie Randolph and Lou Whitaker. Grich has his Hall of Fame supporters, but only thrice was he the league's best second baseman. Playing in the shadow of Rod Carew can do that to you sometimes. Randolph also shows up three times, but there's a difference of nine years between the first and last times, proving the longevity factor. He rarely gets discussed as a possible Hall of Famer, and while I don't quite think he belongs, he's closer than many people may realize. It's rare to see an underrated Yankee. As for Whitaker, between 1982 and 1991 he bests the league seven times. He's got more Hall supporters than Randolph or Grich, and after doing this exercise I think I'd have to count myself among them.
Ryne Sandberg had the reputation over in the NL, and he definitely showed up in his 1984 MVP season. He didn't come out on top again until 1988 though, and after being narrowly beat out by Robby Thompson in 1989 he led until 1992. Bill Doran, on the other hand, shows up three times between 1983 and 1987. Might he be a better candidate for NL second baseman of the '80s than Sandberg?
Roberto Alomar, like Bump Wills before him, topped his league in his rookie year. Also like Wills, he failed to win the ROY, placing fifth in the voting. Of course, Alomar didn't do so bad with the rest of his career. He went on to top his league four more times, the last being in 2001. While he wasn't the dominant force he was often made out to be, he was clearly one of the better second-sackers in the game when he wasn't the best.
After Sandberg's run at the top of the NL ended Craig Biggio was there to take over for him. He led five straight years from 1994 to 1998. Following Edgardo Alfonzo's strong 1999, Jeff Kent began a three-year run of his own. Yes, that's right. Only three years. Don't be blinded by the power numbers. In 2003 and 2004 he was bested by Marcus Giles and Mark Loretta, respectively. For real.
The last seven years have had seven different AL leaders. Dustin Pedroia, Robinson Cano, Alfonso Soriano and Bret Boone probably come as no surprise, but what about Brian Roberts, Placido Polanco and Orlando Hudson? You never know who'll emerge in a given year. The NL has been much more steady, with Chase Utley owning not just the NL, but all of baseball since 2005.
Overall, the NL team with the most leaders during this era is the Giants, with six. The Dodgers are right behind them with five, and the Reds and Cardinals each have four. In the AL it's a tie between the Yankees and Tigers with five. The Orioles and Rangers follow with three each.
Next time it's the hot cornermen. You won't be surprised at all who holds the record for most years as a league topper. Some others might widen your eyes a little though. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Best First Basemen By Season, 1954-2008
I thought my idea was so original. I did. No one else seemed to have the idea of making seasonal best-by-position lists. Wouldn't you know it? Just when I start publishing my findings someone else comes along and steals my thunder. How dare he! In all seriousness though, Baseball By Positions looks like the start of something good, and it should prove useful to researchers. It's too reliant on Win Shares for my liking though, a stat of which I'm no fan. If you're still interested in my results after knowing there's already something out there which attempts to do the same thing with different methodology, continue reading.
Last time we did catchers, this time it's first basemen. Let's see what we got.
Remember how I said I saw a certain player's Hall of Fame credentials in a new light after this project? That player would be none other than Keith Hernandez. I'd always regarded him as little more than a Hall of Very Gooder, but between 1977 and 1986 he was the NL's best first baseman eight times. In 1982 he was a close second to Jason Thompson. All-time elite player? Perhaps not, but when defense and era are accounted for, perhaps a Hall of Famer.
Stan Musial truly was "The Man," as he managed to be the best first baseman in the NL even late in his career. After Musial's run ended, Frank Robinson took over briefly (nope, he wasn't always an outfielder). The Giants had a dilemma in the early '60s: Both Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda were capable of being the NL's best first baseman. Cepeda had to be traded so that McCovey could shine at the position. Each of those four have plaques in Cooperstown today. All-in-all, the NL was a good league for first-sackers in that era. Even the second-tier guys who show up at the top carved out strong careers (Ted Kluszewski, Joe Adcock, Bill White).
Over in the AL it was a much different story. Only one player who shows up at the top made it to the Hall of Fame, and Harmon Killebrew moved around the field too much to identified with any one position. Norm Cash shows up four times, Bill Skowron and Boog Powell each show up three times, Vic Power and Norm Siebern each show up twice, and the rest are filled in by Mickey Vernon, Vic Wertz, Gail Harris, Roy Sievers, Mike Epstein and Don Mincher. Have you ever even heard of Gail Harris? 1958 was the only year he qualified for one of these lists. It's possible that Vernon would've shown up a few more times if the data went farther back, but I wouldn't consider him an all-time great even if he did. Is this just a positional fluke or the sign of a weak league? My guess is the latter.
The '70s were a little better for the AL, as Dick Allen put up an MVP season in 1972. I personally think he should be in the Hall, even if his poor fielding reduces his value somewhat. Rod Carew also moved over from second to top the league at first in both 1976 and 1977. George Scott, John Mayberry and Andre Thornton all turned in topper years, and Eddie Murray showed the beginnings of what he'd be capable of in the next decade.
Steve Garvey may be the most hatable player of all time, but four out of five years from 1974 to 1978 he was the NL's best first baseman. His overall career wasn't strong enough to make him a Hall of Famer in my opinion, but his elite reputation during his playing days may not have been as undeserved as many of us think. The Reds traded away Lee May after the 1971 season and never missed a positional leadership beat, as Tony Perez flourished there the next two years. Bob Watson's two-time tying deserves a mention too, and it's interesting to note that Willie Stargell's 1979 co-MVP came the year after he was the best at his position.
First base leaders got a little more consistent in the '80s. Don Mattingly and Cecil Cooper each had nice little three-year runs, and Fred McGriff and Will Clark also had their moments at the top. Of course, I've already discussed Keith Hernandez.
Frank Thomas was considered by many to be the best hitter in baseball during the '90s, but with fielding factored in, he only came out on top for his position once. Mark McGwire actually provided more value three times during the decade. John Olerud has an interesting place in the '90s. In 1993 he was better than the MVP winner (Thomas), and in 1998 he was better than the guy who hit 70 home runs (as if I need to tell you who). Is it safe to call him underrated?
Since Jeff Bagwell's rise to the top, the title of best NL first baseman has almost become a torch to be passed. Except for Olerud's outstanding 1998, Bagwell was the best from 1994 to 1999. In 1993 he only barely got beaten out by a career-year Gregg Jefferies too. Bagwell handed off that torch to Todd Helton for the next four years, and Helton's handoff to Albert Pujols in 2004 brings us into the current era.
Once again, the AL has become the less stable league for best first basemen. Jason Giambi had an incredible three-year run from 1999 to 2001, and Rafael Palmeiro and Jim Thome pop up here and there. On those great Yankee teams of the late '90s I usually considered Tino Martinez a good-enough guy who no one would care about if he weren't a Yankee. My opinion hasn't really changed on that, but I was surprised to find out he was co-best in 1997. Mark Teixeira looked poised to be the next great one after 2004 and 2005, but outstanding years from Justin Morneau and Carlos Pena overshadowed him. Had Teixeira spent all of 2008 in the AL, he might've done it again though.
The NL team with the most best first basemen is the Cardinals, with seven. A distant second is the Reds, with four. The Athletics lead the way in the AL with five, with second place a four-way tie at four between the Orioles, Indians, Senators/Twins and Senators/Rangers.
Next time we'll be looking at second base, a much more glorified position for the grace and athleticism usually expected. Should be fun.
Last time we did catchers, this time it's first basemen. Let's see what we got.
Remember how I said I saw a certain player's Hall of Fame credentials in a new light after this project? That player would be none other than Keith Hernandez. I'd always regarded him as little more than a Hall of Very Gooder, but between 1977 and 1986 he was the NL's best first baseman eight times. In 1982 he was a close second to Jason Thompson. All-time elite player? Perhaps not, but when defense and era are accounted for, perhaps a Hall of Famer.
Stan Musial truly was "The Man," as he managed to be the best first baseman in the NL even late in his career. After Musial's run ended, Frank Robinson took over briefly (nope, he wasn't always an outfielder). The Giants had a dilemma in the early '60s: Both Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda were capable of being the NL's best first baseman. Cepeda had to be traded so that McCovey could shine at the position. Each of those four have plaques in Cooperstown today. All-in-all, the NL was a good league for first-sackers in that era. Even the second-tier guys who show up at the top carved out strong careers (Ted Kluszewski, Joe Adcock, Bill White).
Over in the AL it was a much different story. Only one player who shows up at the top made it to the Hall of Fame, and Harmon Killebrew moved around the field too much to identified with any one position. Norm Cash shows up four times, Bill Skowron and Boog Powell each show up three times, Vic Power and Norm Siebern each show up twice, and the rest are filled in by Mickey Vernon, Vic Wertz, Gail Harris, Roy Sievers, Mike Epstein and Don Mincher. Have you ever even heard of Gail Harris? 1958 was the only year he qualified for one of these lists. It's possible that Vernon would've shown up a few more times if the data went farther back, but I wouldn't consider him an all-time great even if he did. Is this just a positional fluke or the sign of a weak league? My guess is the latter.
The '70s were a little better for the AL, as Dick Allen put up an MVP season in 1972. I personally think he should be in the Hall, even if his poor fielding reduces his value somewhat. Rod Carew also moved over from second to top the league at first in both 1976 and 1977. George Scott, John Mayberry and Andre Thornton all turned in topper years, and Eddie Murray showed the beginnings of what he'd be capable of in the next decade.
Steve Garvey may be the most hatable player of all time, but four out of five years from 1974 to 1978 he was the NL's best first baseman. His overall career wasn't strong enough to make him a Hall of Famer in my opinion, but his elite reputation during his playing days may not have been as undeserved as many of us think. The Reds traded away Lee May after the 1971 season and never missed a positional leadership beat, as Tony Perez flourished there the next two years. Bob Watson's two-time tying deserves a mention too, and it's interesting to note that Willie Stargell's 1979 co-MVP came the year after he was the best at his position.
First base leaders got a little more consistent in the '80s. Don Mattingly and Cecil Cooper each had nice little three-year runs, and Fred McGriff and Will Clark also had their moments at the top. Of course, I've already discussed Keith Hernandez.
Frank Thomas was considered by many to be the best hitter in baseball during the '90s, but with fielding factored in, he only came out on top for his position once. Mark McGwire actually provided more value three times during the decade. John Olerud has an interesting place in the '90s. In 1993 he was better than the MVP winner (Thomas), and in 1998 he was better than the guy who hit 70 home runs (as if I need to tell you who). Is it safe to call him underrated?
Since Jeff Bagwell's rise to the top, the title of best NL first baseman has almost become a torch to be passed. Except for Olerud's outstanding 1998, Bagwell was the best from 1994 to 1999. In 1993 he only barely got beaten out by a career-year Gregg Jefferies too. Bagwell handed off that torch to Todd Helton for the next four years, and Helton's handoff to Albert Pujols in 2004 brings us into the current era.
Once again, the AL has become the less stable league for best first basemen. Jason Giambi had an incredible three-year run from 1999 to 2001, and Rafael Palmeiro and Jim Thome pop up here and there. On those great Yankee teams of the late '90s I usually considered Tino Martinez a good-enough guy who no one would care about if he weren't a Yankee. My opinion hasn't really changed on that, but I was surprised to find out he was co-best in 1997. Mark Teixeira looked poised to be the next great one after 2004 and 2005, but outstanding years from Justin Morneau and Carlos Pena overshadowed him. Had Teixeira spent all of 2008 in the AL, he might've done it again though.
The NL team with the most best first basemen is the Cardinals, with seven. A distant second is the Reds, with four. The Athletics lead the way in the AL with five, with second place a four-way tie at four between the Orioles, Indians, Senators/Twins and Senators/Rangers.
Next time we'll be looking at second base, a much more glorified position for the grace and athleticism usually expected. Should be fun.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Best Catchers By Season, 1954-2008
Here's the first installment of my series on the best players at each position using Sean Smith's WAR and Fangraphs' Value Dollars. You can read my previous post for more details. First up: catchers.
No other position on the diamond requires a more unique skillset than catcher. A player who can master every element of the game from behind the plate is rare indeed. Catchers are often taken for granted, but the ones who truly excel manage to find a place in the hearts of fans. Let's check out the best catcher list by league and season.
Well, we have a few of Hall of Famers who live up to their reputations, namely Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench and Gary Carter. I wasn't expecting to see Bench beaten out by Manny Sanguillen or Joe Ferguson during his prime, though. To be honest, when Gary Carter was up for induction I had a hard time thinking of him as worthy, despite the fact that everyone else seemed to take for granted that he belonged. When comparing him to his positional peers it's easy to see that his place in Cooperstown is well-deserved. Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez are both future shoo-ins, which this chart only confirms. As you can also see, Joe Mauer is on his way to greatness.
Yankee and Red Sox fans loved to debate the merits of Thurman Munson vs. Carlton Fisk back in the day, as they were two of the best catchers of the '70s. While Fisk got into the Hall of Fame on just his second try, the honor eluded Munson. Many fans (particularly Yankee fans) argue that he deserves to be in, and for a long time I was firmly in the anti-Munson camp. After doing this project I'm tempted to rethink that position. The data shows that from 1970 to 1976 he was the AL's best catcher an astounding five times. I'm not 100% in support of him, but I no longer write him off as another overrated Yankee either.
As for Fisk, he was injured in 1975. Had he played enough innings he might've taken that year instead of Munson. Injuries seem to have prevented Fisk from qualifying several other years too. Despite his reputation, he was never the AL's best catcher between 1979 and 1988. Of course, I will concede that Butch Wynegar (yes, Butch Wynegar) only barely qualifies for 1983. Fisk was second-best that year, so if Wynegar had played more he might've fallen behind Fisk. Fisk does deserve some credit for his resurgence in 1989 and '90, though. How often is baseball's best backstop over the age of 40?
Ed Bailey, Del Crandall, Johnny Romano, Elston Howard, Joe Torre, Bill Freehan and Darren Daulton all show up three times. Some of them are borderline Hall of Fame candidates while others have mostly been forgotten. Smoky Burgess, Earl Battey, Darrell Porter, Ted Simmons, Jim Sundberg, Rich Gedman, Craig Biggio, Mickey Tettleton, Chris Hoiles and Jorge Posada each show up twice. Battey and Gedman seem the most unlikely of that group to me.
While Craig Biggio is better known for his exploits at second base, he was twice the NL's best catcher, including his final season there. As you'll see throughout this series, it's not unheard of for a player to be moved off a position the very season after he was the best in the league at manning it.
Terry Steinbach was the best catcher in baseball his rookie year, yet he failed to garner a single Rookie of the Year vote. He was overshadowed a bit by a certain teammate who hit 49 homers that year.
Ellie Rodriguez tied as the AL's best in 1974. If you've never heard of him, don't feel bad. Even a baseball fanatic like me didn't know who he was before I did this project. Would you have believed that Johnny Edwards, Duke Sims, Ron Hassey, Bob Brenly, Rick Wilkins, Brian Schneider or Ryan Doumit were once the best catchers in their respective leagues either?
The White Sox had to be kicking themselves at the end of the 1960 season. Earl Battey and Johnny Romano had emerged as the AL's two best catchers...a year after the Sox traded both of them away.
The NL team with the most best catchers is the Dodgers, with six. The Braves and Pirates are tied for second, with four each. Over in the AL the winner is (unsurprisingly) the Yankees with six. Like the Senior Circuit, two teams are tied for second place with four: the Indians and the Tigers.
In the next entry we'll take a look at the first basemen. Like Thurman Munson, another player I never regarded as Hall of Fame-caliber has significantly increased his stock after I saw the results of this project. Check back next time to find out who it is!
No other position on the diamond requires a more unique skillset than catcher. A player who can master every element of the game from behind the plate is rare indeed. Catchers are often taken for granted, but the ones who truly excel manage to find a place in the hearts of fans. Let's check out the best catcher list by league and season.
Well, we have a few of Hall of Famers who live up to their reputations, namely Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench and Gary Carter. I wasn't expecting to see Bench beaten out by Manny Sanguillen or Joe Ferguson during his prime, though. To be honest, when Gary Carter was up for induction I had a hard time thinking of him as worthy, despite the fact that everyone else seemed to take for granted that he belonged. When comparing him to his positional peers it's easy to see that his place in Cooperstown is well-deserved. Mike Piazza and Ivan Rodriguez are both future shoo-ins, which this chart only confirms. As you can also see, Joe Mauer is on his way to greatness.
Yankee and Red Sox fans loved to debate the merits of Thurman Munson vs. Carlton Fisk back in the day, as they were two of the best catchers of the '70s. While Fisk got into the Hall of Fame on just his second try, the honor eluded Munson. Many fans (particularly Yankee fans) argue that he deserves to be in, and for a long time I was firmly in the anti-Munson camp. After doing this project I'm tempted to rethink that position. The data shows that from 1970 to 1976 he was the AL's best catcher an astounding five times. I'm not 100% in support of him, but I no longer write him off as another overrated Yankee either.
As for Fisk, he was injured in 1975. Had he played enough innings he might've taken that year instead of Munson. Injuries seem to have prevented Fisk from qualifying several other years too. Despite his reputation, he was never the AL's best catcher between 1979 and 1988. Of course, I will concede that Butch Wynegar (yes, Butch Wynegar) only barely qualifies for 1983. Fisk was second-best that year, so if Wynegar had played more he might've fallen behind Fisk. Fisk does deserve some credit for his resurgence in 1989 and '90, though. How often is baseball's best backstop over the age of 40?
Ed Bailey, Del Crandall, Johnny Romano, Elston Howard, Joe Torre, Bill Freehan and Darren Daulton all show up three times. Some of them are borderline Hall of Fame candidates while others have mostly been forgotten. Smoky Burgess, Earl Battey, Darrell Porter, Ted Simmons, Jim Sundberg, Rich Gedman, Craig Biggio, Mickey Tettleton, Chris Hoiles and Jorge Posada each show up twice. Battey and Gedman seem the most unlikely of that group to me.
While Craig Biggio is better known for his exploits at second base, he was twice the NL's best catcher, including his final season there. As you'll see throughout this series, it's not unheard of for a player to be moved off a position the very season after he was the best in the league at manning it.
Terry Steinbach was the best catcher in baseball his rookie year, yet he failed to garner a single Rookie of the Year vote. He was overshadowed a bit by a certain teammate who hit 49 homers that year.
Ellie Rodriguez tied as the AL's best in 1974. If you've never heard of him, don't feel bad. Even a baseball fanatic like me didn't know who he was before I did this project. Would you have believed that Johnny Edwards, Duke Sims, Ron Hassey, Bob Brenly, Rick Wilkins, Brian Schneider or Ryan Doumit were once the best catchers in their respective leagues either?
The White Sox had to be kicking themselves at the end of the 1960 season. Earl Battey and Johnny Romano had emerged as the AL's two best catchers...a year after the Sox traded both of them away.
The NL team with the most best catchers is the Dodgers, with six. The Braves and Pirates are tied for second, with four each. Over in the AL the winner is (unsurprisingly) the Yankees with six. Like the Senior Circuit, two teams are tied for second place with four: the Indians and the Tigers.
In the next entry we'll take a look at the first basemen. Like Thurman Munson, another player I never regarded as Hall of Fame-caliber has significantly increased his stock after I saw the results of this project. Check back next time to find out who it is!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A New Series to Announce
For those of you who've been disappointed at my recent lack of updates, I have some exciting news. I'm finally ready to release the results of my research project where I've attempted to find the best player at each position for each season. No, I haven't abandoned Profiling the World Series Winners, I've just set it aside temporarily.
It all started at the end of last season, when the debate over Albert Pujols vs. Ryan Howard for MVP raged. Those in the "traditional" community favored Howard, as he led the league in homers and RBI, and his great September gave the appearance that he led his team to the postseason. The "stathead" community, on the other hand, favored Pujols. Pujols, as most of us know, had much, much better rate stats, was a vastly superior defender, and provided more overall value despite the fact that his team missed the Playoffs. I thought it'd be fun to find a first baseman who offered comparable value to Howard in order to demonstrate that he wasn't all that. Originally I just ranked all the first basemen in baseball by OPS+, but I eventually realized defense had to be taken into account. I found a stat that showed Pujols was far ahead of the pack there on Beyond the Box Score, but I never got around to posting my findings over at my old blog (probably because the debate had run its course by the time I was finished compiling my stats). Still, it's telling that Joey Votto provided more value than Howard in 2008.
After that I thought it'd be fun to see what results I got at other positions, which then progressed to me looking up other years. Eventually I discovered Sean Smith's Wins Above Replacement and Fangraphs' Value Dollars, which made determining a player's overall value much easier. I only have them from 1954 to 2008, since that's as far back as Sean Smith's data goes. I use Value Dollars for seasons after 2002 except for catchers, since WAR gives a more complete picture. Since the entire project began as a way of emphasizing rate over counting stats, I decided to rank the players by value stat per game.
To qualify for consideration at his position, I used the criterion that infielders must have played 58.7% of their team's innings at the position, and catchers and outfielders must have played at least 50.9%. I know those numbers seem fairly random (there were rhyme and reason to them at the time I set them), but they were better than the minimum number of innings I originally set. I basically wanted to avoid letting platoon players come out on top and to find guys who did more than get off to a hot start (I may have ended up with a few of those anyway, but nobody's perfect). If it's clear that a player's value is skewed by a significant amount of time at another position, I attempted to account for that as well. If the per-game values were close enough that rounding off could've made a difference, I called it a tie.
Check back soon to see the results. You might find them interesting.
It all started at the end of last season, when the debate over Albert Pujols vs. Ryan Howard for MVP raged. Those in the "traditional" community favored Howard, as he led the league in homers and RBI, and his great September gave the appearance that he led his team to the postseason. The "stathead" community, on the other hand, favored Pujols. Pujols, as most of us know, had much, much better rate stats, was a vastly superior defender, and provided more overall value despite the fact that his team missed the Playoffs. I thought it'd be fun to find a first baseman who offered comparable value to Howard in order to demonstrate that he wasn't all that. Originally I just ranked all the first basemen in baseball by OPS+, but I eventually realized defense had to be taken into account. I found a stat that showed Pujols was far ahead of the pack there on Beyond the Box Score, but I never got around to posting my findings over at my old blog (probably because the debate had run its course by the time I was finished compiling my stats). Still, it's telling that Joey Votto provided more value than Howard in 2008.
After that I thought it'd be fun to see what results I got at other positions, which then progressed to me looking up other years. Eventually I discovered Sean Smith's Wins Above Replacement and Fangraphs' Value Dollars, which made determining a player's overall value much easier. I only have them from 1954 to 2008, since that's as far back as Sean Smith's data goes. I use Value Dollars for seasons after 2002 except for catchers, since WAR gives a more complete picture. Since the entire project began as a way of emphasizing rate over counting stats, I decided to rank the players by value stat per game.
To qualify for consideration at his position, I used the criterion that infielders must have played 58.7% of their team's innings at the position, and catchers and outfielders must have played at least 50.9%. I know those numbers seem fairly random (there were rhyme and reason to them at the time I set them), but they were better than the minimum number of innings I originally set. I basically wanted to avoid letting platoon players come out on top and to find guys who did more than get off to a hot start (I may have ended up with a few of those anyway, but nobody's perfect). If it's clear that a player's value is skewed by a significant amount of time at another position, I attempted to account for that as well. If the per-game values were close enough that rounding off could've made a difference, I called it a tie.
Check back soon to see the results. You might find them interesting.
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