Category / Baseball

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All Season Batting Leaders – Through 2014

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThree years ago, we took our first look at the offensive stat leaders per season for the all the games I’ve attended since 1984.  While there hasn’t been a whole lot of movement in the 3 seasons since, I figured the time was right to take another look.  So, without further ado, here’s the updated list.  We start, as always, with everyone’s favorite offensive stat:

Home Runs

Year Name Total
2010 Paul Konerko 17
2004 Mosies Alou 15
2004 Corey Patterson 13
2004 Sammy Sosa 13
2003 Moises Alou 12
2008 Carlos Quentin 12

Hits

Year Name Total
2003 Mark Grudzielanek 67
2004 Moises Alou 57
2003 Moises Alou 57
2007 Derrek Lee 57
2006 Orlando Cabrera 56

Runs

Year Name Total
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by admin

#194 – Scott Sanderson

Scott_Sanderson_(1994_White_Sox)_3Name: Scott Sanderson

Rank: 194

Position: P

Year With White Sox: 1994

When pitcher Jose DeLeon injured his knee during fielding drills in the early going of spring training in 1994, the White Sox offered free agent Scott Sanderson a minor league deal and a shot at making the team out of spring training.

Not only did he make the team, but he earned a spot in the rotation as the fifth starter.  Despite putting up his worst numbers since an injury plagued 1988 campaign with the Cubs, Sanderson stayed in the rotation until late July, when he was replaced by rookie Scott Ruffcorn.  “I understand,” Sanderson said at the time.  “I had two bad starts against Detroit, and their decision is to bring Scott up.”

Sanderson made 4 appearances over the bullpen in what would be the final 3 weeks of the season, before the players went on strike in mid August.  After the season, and the post-season, was declared lost, Sanderson was granted free agency, bringing his White Sox career to an end.

Sanderson’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#195 – Dave LaPoint

MP10005566708_P255075_500X500Name: Dave LaPoint

Rank: 195

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1987-1988

As the trade deadline drew near in July of 1987, the White Sox, 19 games under .500 and battling for last place in the AL West, sent an unknown minor leaguer to the Cardinals in exchange for Dave LaPoint.  3 days later, manager Jim Fregosi gave LaPoint the start against the Brewers, and he responded with 6 hitless innings before faltering in the 7th, getting the win in only his 3rd start of the season.

LaPoint made 11 more starts, alongside 2 relief appearances, down the stretch for the White Sox.  He finished with a 6-3 record and a 2.94 ERA as he headed to free agency.

Mere weeks before spring training began in 1988, LaPoint resigned with the White Sox.  He quickly became the statistical leader of the staff, putting up a 10-11 record with a team-leading 3.40 ERA.  On August 13, little more than a year after he was acquired, LaPoint was traded to the Pirates for reliever Barry Jones.  “I didn’t want to be traded,” LaPoint said at the time.  “This is one place I really wanted to stay.”

LaPoint’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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#196 – Aurelio Rodriguez

91-369FrName: Aurelio Rodriguez

Rank: 196

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 1982, 1983

Aurelio Rodriguez first joined the White Sox on April 2, 1982, when he was traded from the Blue Jays in exchange for Wayne Nordhagen.

Rodriguez played decently for the 82 Sox, hitting .241 in 118 games while helping to stabilize the defense on the left side of the infield.

Following the season, Rodriguez left the White Sox as a free agent and signed on with the Orioles.  However, he played sporadically and saw his average drop to .119 before being released in mid-August.  On August 31, the last day to be eligible for post-season rosters, he re-signed with the White Sox and appeared in 22 games down the stretch.  His career came to an end with 2 appearances as a defensive replacement in the 1983 ALCS against, ironically, the Orioles.

Rodriguez’s numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#197 – Jerry Reuss

3995933638_ddab119bd9_zName: Jerry Reuss

Rank: 197

Position: P

Years With White Sox: 1988-1989

Jerry Reuss signed with the White Sox toward the end of spring training in 1988, joining the rotation just 2 victories shy of 200 for his career.  He had to wait until May for the achievement, a 3-0 victory over the Orioles.

He finished the season with 13 wins, tops on the team that finished with a 71-90 record.  He also had the second lowest ERA among the team’s starters, coming in at 3.44 in 29 starts.

In 1989, Reuss, 39, along with 41 year old catcher Carlton Fisk, made history by becoming the oldest battery ever to start on opening day, surpassing pitcher Johnny Niggeling and catcher Rick Ferrell of the 1944 Washington Senators while beating the Angels 9-2.  That may have been the high point of the season, though, as his ERA ballooned up to 5.06 in 23 games.  With the White Sox again on their way to a 90 loss season, they traded Reuss to the Brewers in exchange for Brian Drahman.

Ruess returned to the White Sox for spring training in 1990, but did not make the team and was released.

Reuss’ numbers in a White Sox uniform were:

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#198 – Jose Canseco

JCansecoName: Jose Canseco

Rank: 198

Position: DH

Year With White Sox: 2001

When Frank Thomas went down for the season in late April of 2001, the defending AL Central champs found themselves needing some help offensively.  On June 21, they turned to former all star, and current Newark Bear, Jose Canseco.

Canseco appeared in 76 games for the White Sox as they fell to third place in the Central division.  He put up respectable numbers, hitting .258 with 16 home runs.  Following the season, he became a free agent and, after a brief stint in the Expos organization, he returned to the White Sox in 2002, appearing in 18 games for Triple A Charlotte.  At the end of the season, he was released.

Canseco’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by jim

Soriano Calls It A Day

alfonso-soriano-wallA year and a half after being traded by the Cubs, and months after being released by the Yankees, Alfonso Soriano announced his retirement yesterday, saying he’s lost the passion for the game.  After coming up to the big leagues with the Yankees in 1999, Soriano became a regular in 2001 and an all-star the following year.  He was traded to Texas in 2004 as part of the Alex Rodriguez deal.  After 2 seasons with the Rangers, Soriano headed to the Nationals, where he was moved from second base to left field.

Soriano signed an 8-year contract with the Cubs prior to the 2007 season and helped lead the team to back-to-back division titles in 2007 and 2008.  Unfortunately, the Cubs were swept in both division series and, as the team started to unravel in the next few seasons, injuries and time started to take their toll on Soriano.

As new leadership came in and the Cubs started to rebuild, Soriano and his $18 million contract no longer fit with the team’s needs.  After some aborted moves in 2012, thanks to an ill-advised no trade clause attached to his albatross of a contract, Soriano finally agreed to a deal in 2013 to go back to the Yankees.  The reunion was short lived, however.  Despite losing Alex Rodriguez for the season due to a steroid suspension, the Yankees found they could do without Soriano’s production in July.

The end of the season also brought about the end of Soriano’s Cubs deal, making him a free agent.  Rather than subject himself to the open market again at age 38, where he was unlikely to find much of a deal, he’s decided to call it quits.

Soriano’s numbers in a Cub uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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by jim

BBWAA Award Predictions

MLB: Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles DodgersThe Baseball Writers of America have announced the finalists for their awards for the just completed baseball season.  It is a good bet that few of my original predictions for the winners will be accurate.  Hopefully, these new predictions will be slightly better, especially since I’ll have a 33% chance of being right.

American League

Most Valuable Player: Michael Brantley, Mike Trout, Victor Martinez

Mike Trout was my pre-season selection to win this award, and I think, for once, I might have gotten one right.  With Miguel Cabrera out of the picture, thanks to an injury-plagued campaign, Trout should bring home the award that many thought he deserved the past 2 seasons.

Cy Young Award: Chris Sale, Felix Hernandez, Corey Kluber

My initial guess of David Price obviously did not make the cut.  While Chris Sale is the sentimental choice around these parts, smart money says that Felix Hernandez will take home the prize.

Manager of the Year: Buck Showalter, Mike Scioscia, Ned Yost

Once again, I didn’t make any predictions for this award prior to the season.  Normally, I would go with Ned Yost, who led the Royals to the post-season for the first time since 1985, but if there is one thing the national media agrees on, it is how bad Ned Yost is as a manager.  My guess is that the award will go to Buck Showalter, who lead the Orioles to their first division title since 1997.

abreuRookie of the Year: Jose Abreu, Dellin Betances, Matt Shoemaker

Another award I didn’t predict prior to the season.  This one should be a no-brainer.  I would expect Jose Abreu to bring the award back to the south side for the first time since Ozzie Guillen in 1985.

National League

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by jim

The Joe Maddon Era Has Begun

joe-maddonLast Friday, Joe Maddon opted out of his contract with the Tampa Bay Rays and speculation began immediately that he would become the next manager of the Cubs, despite the fact that Rick Renteria still held that position.  While the Twitterverse ran wild with rumors, other teams with ties to Maddon, like the Dodgers and Red Sox, came out in support of their current managers.  Meanwhile, not a peep came out of 1060 West Addison.

On Monday, with the deafening silence from Wrigley Field, Rick Renteria released a statement reminding everyone that he was still the manager of the Cubs and that he was as committed as ever to leading them to that ever elusive World Series title.

Yesterday, hours before the start of game 7 of this year’s World Series, word broke that the Cubs and Maddon had come to an agreement.  No official word was forthcoming from either party, at least until the dust settles on this year’s champion.

Renteria, meanwhile, finds himself out of a job less than a year after being hired and less than a week after being left to twist in the wind.  After leading the Cubs to their best record since 2010, odds are that Renteria will land on his feet.  Joe Maddon is certainly one of the better managers in the game today, and may prove to be an upgrade over Renteria.  That doesn’t change the fact that Renteria got a raw deal from the Cubs over the past week.

by admin

Games Per Stadium – All Time

20109565It’s been more than 3 years since we’ve taken a (single) look at the 18 different stadiums I’ve been to and how often I’ve been to them.  Sadly, I’ve only added 2 additional stadiums in this time, both of which were this year.  Once again, different names for the same stadium are counted separately.

Stadium Name Total Games
US Cellular Field 351
Wrigley Field 317
Comiskey Park II 38
Comiskey Park 12
Great American Ballpark 7
Ameriquest Field 4
Miller Park 4
Ballpark in Arlington, The 3
PETCO Park 3
Target Field 2
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