Category / Baseball

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Team Stats: Doubles

It will just over three months until baseball returns to Chicago, so I thought it would be a good time to revisit, for the first time in six years, the all-time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 1040 games I’ve identified that I have attended.  We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with doubles.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen most often.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Guardians, Blue Jays, and Rays all come in with more than two doubles per game.  The Miami iteration of the Marlins are at the bottom, with 1 double every other game, followed by the California incarnation of the Angels, who went double-less.

Doubles

Team Name Doubles
Chicago White Sox 1026
Chicago Cubs 757
Minnesota Twins 107
Kansas City Royals 103
Detroit Tigers 99
Houston Astros 98
Cleveland Indians 95
Milwaukee Brewers 74
Pittsburgh Pirates 67
Boston Red Sox 64
Texas Rangers 64
New York Yankees 57
Toronto Blue Jays 57
Baltimore Orioles 55
Los Angeles Dodgers 53
Cincinnati Reds 53
Oakland Athletics 50
St. Louis Cardinals 49
Seattle Mariners 48
Tampa Bay Rays 47
Los Angeles Angels 45
Florida Marlins 38
Philadelphia Phillies 36
San Francisco Giants 35
Arizona Diamondbacks 34
New York Mets 31
San Diego Padres 31
Colorado Rockies 30
Atlanta Braves 29
Washington Nationals 14
Montreal Expos 8
Tampa Bay Devil Rays 8
Cleveland Guardians 7
Anaheim Angels 4
Miami Marlins 1
California Angels 0

Doubles per Game

TeamName Doubles per Game
Cleveland Guardians 2.33333333333333
Toronto Blue Jays 2.11111111111111
Tampa Bay Rays 2.04347826086957
Houston Astros 2
Arizona Diamondbacks 2
Boston Red Sox 2
Anaheim Angels 2
New York Yankees 1.83870967741935
Los Angeles Dodgers Continue reading →
by admin

Team Stats: Bases On Balls

With less than four months until baseball returns to Chicago.  I thought it would be a good time to revisit, for the first time in six years, the all-time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 1040 games I’ve identified that I have attended.  We continue today on the defensive side of the ball with bases on balls surrendered.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, three teams are averaging four or more walks per game, with the Nationals leading the pack with just over four.  The Cubs find themselves, unfortunately, in the top ten at 3.45 walks per game, while the White Sox just make it into the bottom half (or top half, depending on your point of view) with 3.29 walks per game.  The Anaheim version of the Angels and the Miami version of the Marlins bring up the rear as the only teams with less than two walks per game, at 1.5 a piece.

Bases on Balls

Team Name Walks
Chicago White Sox 2208
Chicago Cubs 1509
Kansas City Royals 213
Cleveland Indians 207
Detroit Tigers 164
Minnesota Twins 156
Seattle Mariners 149
Pittsburgh Pirates 141
Cincinnati Reds 139
Baltimore Orioles 138
Milwaukee Brewers 136
Texas Rangers 132
Houston Astros 130
St. Louis Cardinals 111
Los Angeles Angels Continue reading →
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And Then There Was One

Willson Contreras’ Cubs career officially came to an end Wednesday when the free agent catcher signed a five-year contract with the Cardinals.  His departure leaves Kyle Hendricks as the last remaining member of the 2016 World Series champions to play for the North Siders.

Contreras first joined the Cub organization in 2009 as a teenaged international free agent.  He made his major league debut as a pinch runner on June 17, 2016 and, two days later, became the 30th player in modern MLB history to hit a home run on the first pitch of his first major league at bat.  Contreras made it on to the post-season roster and helped the Cubs end their 108-year title drought.

Contreras became the starting catcher in 2017 following the retirement of David Ross and the implosion of Miguel Montero’s Cub career in June.  In 2018, Contreras was elected to his first All Star team.  He replicated that feat in 2019 and 2022.

Contreras’ numbers in a Cubs uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

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The Hall Comes Calling

Cubs radio play-by-play man Pat Hughes was awarded the 2023 Ford C. Frick Award yesterday, presented annually for excellence in broadcasting by the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.  Hughes, who joined the Cubs booth in 1996, will have spent 28 of his 41 seasons as a broadcaster for the Cubs after starting his career with the Twins in 1983 followed by a twelve-season run with the Brewers.

Hughes joined the Cubs booth in 1996, joining long time color commentator, and Cub legend, Ron Santo.  The chemistry between the two grew to the point where their broadcasts came to be known as “The Pat and Ron Show”.  Following Santo’s death in 2010, Hughes has worked alongside former Cubs Keith Moreland and Ron Coomer.

Along the way, Hughes has called many memorable moments, including eight no-hitters, the 25-inning contest between the White Sox and the Brewers which remains the longest game in American League history, Kerry Wood’s 20-strikeout game in 1998, Mark McGwire’s record-breaking 62nd home run in 1998, and, of course, the final out clinching the Cubs 2016 World Series title.

Hughes, 67, is the sixth announcer with ties to Chicago to earn the honor, following Ken Harrelson, Milo Hamilton, Harry Caray, Jack Brickhouse, and Bob Elson.

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The Crime Dog Solves The Case

The new Contemporary Era Committee announced the results of their vote Sunday night, inducting former Cub first baseman Fred McGriff into the Hall of Fame with 100% of the vote.  McGriff, whose 18-year career also included tours with the Blue Jays, Padres, Braves, Devil Rays, and Dodgers, fell off the BBWAA ballot in 2019 after his tenth year, earning just 39.8% of the vote.

With the Cubs becoming surprise contenders in the 2001 season, they acquired McGriff from the Devil Rays.  The Crime Dog held up his part of the bargain down the stretch, putting up a .942 OPS with 12 home runs in 49 games with the Cubs.  Unfortunately, the pitching fell apart as the Cubs went 23-28 in August and September, finishing five games behind the Astros and Cardinals.  At age 38, McGriff returned to the Cubs in 2002, posting a .858 OPS and 125 OPS+ to go along with 30 homers and 103 runs batted in.  The rest of the Cubs, however, were butt, going through three managers and finishing with a 67-95 record.  McGriff became a free agent following the season.

Players needed twelve of the sixteen votes to gain election.  Don Mattingly finished second, with eight votes, followed by Curt Schilling, with seven, and Dale Murphy with six.  Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Rafael Palmeiro each received fewer than four votes.

Fred McGriff’s numbers in games I’ve attended were:

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by admin

Team Stats: Triples

It will be just less than four months until baseball returns to Chicago, so I thought it would be a good time to revisit, for the first time in six years, the all-time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 1040 games I’ve identified that I have attended.  We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with triples.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen most often.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the California incarnation of the Angels lead the way with a triple every other game.  The Anaheim iteration of the Angels, alongside the Miami version of the Marlins, the Expos, and the brand-new Guardians bring up the rear with nary a triple between them.

Triples

Team Name Triples
Chicago White Sox 105
Chicago Cubs 81
Cleveland Indians 13
Detroit Tigers 13
Milwaukee Brewers 10
Pittsburgh Pirates 9
Baltimore Orioles 9
Minnesota Twins 8
Houston Astros 7
Seattle Mariners 6
Tampa Bay Rays 6
New York Yankees 5
Florida Marlins 5
Oakland Athletics 4
Cincinnati Reds Continue reading →
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Moving On

Jose Abreu, who has been the mainstay at first base for the White Sox since 2014, has reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Astros.  Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but are expected to be around $20 million per year.  He winds up ranking third on the team’s all-time home run list with 243 in his nine seasons with the White Sox.

Abreu, 35, signed with the White Sox in October of 2013, just months after defecting from Cuba.  Along the way, he won Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 and the MVP award in the corona virus-shortened 2020 season.  While still productive, he posted the worst power numbers of his career in 2022 as the White Sox fell to .500.

For the Astros sake, you hope that was a blip and not an indication of decline as Abreu plays through his mid-30s.  The White Sox, meanwhile, turn first base over to some combination of Andrew Vaughn and Gavin Sheets, both of whom have been forced to play out of position in the outfield over the past two years.  The White Sox will face the Astros on Opening Day 2023.

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

Continue reading →

by admin

Team Stats: Strike Outs

There are just about four months until baseball returns to Chicago.  I thought it would be a good time to revisit, for the first time in six years, the all-time rankings in both offensive and defensive categories for all iterations of the current 30 teams for the 1040 games I’ve identified that I have attended.  We continue today on the offensive side of the ball with strikeouts.

Based on the raw numbers, the White Sox and Cubs are far and away the leaders in this category, as they are the teams I’ve seen the most.  When you adjust the numbers per game, the Diamondbacks have a commanding lead with over nine strikeouts per game, the only team to average at least a strikeout per inning.  Both the Cubs and the White Sox are in the bottom (or top, depending on your point of view) third, surprising given the number of at bats given to strikeout machines like Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, and Adam Dunn.  The California iteration of the Angels have the low water mark with a mere four strikeouts per game.

Strike Outs

Team Name Strike Outs
Chicago White Sox 4764
Chicago Cubs 3153
Minnesota Twins 548
Kansas City Royals 510
Detroit Tigers 500
Cleveland Indians 485
Houston Astros 406
Pittsburgh Pirates 384
Milwaukee Brewers 352
Cincinnati Reds 346
Texas Rangers 321
Seattle Mariners 314
New York Yankees 276
Baltimore Orioles 276
St. Louis Cardinals Continue reading →
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2023 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Newcomers

On Monday, the BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2023, with the results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 24th, and induction taking place July 23rd.  With David Ortiz as the sole electee last year, the new ballot contains fourteen holdovers along with another fourteen newcomers.

Yesterday, we looked at the returning candidates.  Today, it’s time to look at the newcomers and who may be thankful come January.

Bronson Arroyo

The long time Red and Red Sox hurler really has no chance at election.

Carlos Beltran

A first look at how the voters will treat the players associated to the Astros cheating scandal.

Matt Cain

I can’t imagine that Cain, who threw a perfect game in 2012, will get the necessary support.

R.A. Dickey

The long-time knuckleballer would be lucky to survive to a second ballot.

Jacoby Ellsbury

I mean, he had a nice career and all, with 1300 hits and 104 home runs, but no.

Andre Ethier

The long time Dodger will need to purchase a ticket if he wants to get in.

J.J. Hardy

Yeah, that’s going to be a no.

John Lackey

The three-time World Series Champion ended up having a pretty nice career, but nice career’s do not get you to Cooperstown.

Mike Napoli

No.

Jhonny Peralta

Another no.

Francisco Rodriguez

That’s going to be yet another no.

Houston Street

Man, this year’s crop of additions, while solid players, is lacking in star power.

Jered Weaver

See what I mean?

Jayson Werth

Well, at least we’re done.

 

by admin

2023 Hall Of Fame Ballot – The Holdovers

Yesterday, the BBWAA released their ballot for the Hall of Fame class of 2023.  The results of the vote are due to be revealed on January 24th, with induction taking place July 23rd.  David Ortiz was elected in last year’s voting and notable PED suspects Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa fell off the ballot after reaching their ten-year limit, the new ballot contains fourteen holdovers along with another fourteen newcomers.  For the first time in a decade, the logjam caused by a combination of BBWAA rules limiting the number of votes on one ballot to ten and the ongoing refusal by some writers to vote for players tainted by PEDs has come to an end.

Let’s take a look at the returning candidates today before moving on to the newcomers tomorrow.

Bobby Abreu
Years on ballot: 3
2022 Percentage: 8.6

A miniscule decrease for Abreu last year means he is trending in the wrong direction.

Mark Buehrle
Years on ballot: 2
2022 Percentage: 5.8

A big drop left the former White Sox hurler on the precipice of getting dropped off the ballot.  With the logjam removed and spaces open on ballots that were full last year, we’ll see if he regains some support.

Todd Helton
Years on ballot: 4
2022 Percentage: 52.0

Helton seems to be moving on the right track, getting over 50% for the first time, but I don’t think this will be his year.  He should make it eventually though.

Torii Hunter
Years on ballot: 2
2022 Percentage: 5.3

Hunter had the lowest percentage of the vote while remaining on the ballot from last year’s election.  Things do not look good for the long time Twin and Angel.

Andruw Jones
Years on ballot: 5
2022 Percentage: 41.4

If voters were to stick to his first 11 seasons, Jones looks like a shoe-in for the Hall.  His last 7 seasons, though, were so bad that it makes it hard to consider him.  Despite another big increase in votes, those final seasons seem to be holding sway.

Jeff Kent
Years on ballot: 9
2022 Percentage: 32.7

Continue reading →