One of the things that made me want to start a blog was the fact that I spent entirely too much time playing around with statistics and then only had disinterested friends to share them with. Now I have the disinterested masses on the internet. Much, much better.
Here are some cool Phillies stats that I’ve calculated recently…
- Ryan Howard had 8 more HR and 16 more RBI than any player in baseball last year. Only 6 times before has a player won both these titles by that margin. Babe Ruth in 1921 and 1926, Hack Wilson in 1930, Jimmie Foxx in 1932 and 1933 and George Foster in 1977. Not bad for an off-year.
- Does Jimmy Rollins have a legit shot at the HOF? It might be better than you think. If he continues his seasonal averages of 180 hits, 38 doubles, 16 home runs and 37 stolen bases for the next 5 years, he’d be just the 5th player ever with 2,000 hits, 450 doubles, 200 home runs and 450 stolen bases. The other four are Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor and Roberto Alomar. Combine that with an MVP, a World Series Championship and several gold gloves at a premier defensive position? I’ve never thought of him as a HOFer, but the numbers might be there when he is finished. Not to mention he’s going to play for more than 5 more years.
- Another note on Rollins…the only NL shortstop to have more hits and runs before the age of 30 is HOFer Arky Vaughan (1932-1941).
- Pat Burrell and Greg Luzinski: The same person? You decide. (Click here if chart is too small or blurry)
- How important was the 3rd pitch of an AB to Ryan Howard last year? He hit .438 on 2-1 counts, best on the team, and .103 on 1-2 counts, worst on the team. 2007 wasn’t much different, hitting .448 on 2-1 counts and .148 on 1-2 counts.
- Best hitter swinging on an 0-2 count? Jimmy Rollins at .258.
- It’s about pitching, stupid! The last time the Phillies had a sub-4 team ERA for an entire season was 1993 (3.95 ERA). During that same period, the Braves did it 11 times.
- Ryan Howard has exactly the same amount of RBI in his Phillies’ career as Richie Ashburn (499). Howard, however, did it in less than 1/3 of the ABs it took Ashburn.
- Cole Hamels is the youngest post-1910 Phillies pitcher to post a sub 3.10 ERA and sub 1.10 WHIP in 220+ IP for a season.
That’s all I got for now. I’ll probably do another one of these later on.
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{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Loved this article. I am a stat junkie as well.
Great stats Pete. Just puts some thinks in perspective as a long time Phils fan. Hopefully this group of guys can continue to boost those stats with another couple great years that end in championships.
Sorry, meant to say “things in perspective”.
Thanks for crunching the numbers, Pete. One thing that jumped out at me is that Luzinski had 21 triples to only 14 for Burrell. This made me curious enough to check another “speed” (must be used relatively with these two guys)-related category: stolen bases. How about this….Luzinski (as a Phillie) stole 29 bases and was caught 28 times, while Burrell had 5 steals and was caught only 1 time.
Different eras and styles of play during their careers, but still, quite the disparity, huh? We knew that Burrell was slow, but was he really be that much slower than “The Bull”? The pure numbers sure seem to suggest it, don’t they?
I was just lookin at Jimmy Rollins stats the other day and I was thinkin the same thing. He is definately the best shortstop in Phils history and I think will have the numbers for HOF.
Has anyone read Bill Conlins article suggesting that the Bat could come back if he doesn’t get a solid offer elsewhere. Then we can get rid of stairs or jenkins. Personally I say get rid of Jenkins because he stunk it up this year and I don’t think that homer Stairs hit has landed yet. I think its a stretch but its always nice to dream.
T.O., I saw that about Burrell. That would be something, huh? I find it hard to believe that somebody won’t make him a decent offer, (better than the 2-year, $22 mil offer we may or may not have made to him) but I guess it’s possible he could fall into our lap. Although, after reading this article (which I referenced a couple days ago also), I’m wondering if Burrell would rather take any other offer just to move on at this point.
OK, not much Phillies talk out there, but I found this: Chase Utley won the fan vote for The 2008 Postseason Moment of the Year in MLB.com’s annual This Year in Baseball Awards.
I found an interesting article on dugoutcentral.com. Since our baseball talk has slowed considerably, I thought I would post the article in it’s entirety.
Baseball Needs Good Business Leaders, Not Salary Cap
With both New York clubs flexing their financial muscle, the question of a salary cap is inevitable. Do you think MLB needs a salary cap? Maury Brown of the Biz of Baseball doesn’t think so. After reviewing the data I would have to agree with Maury.
Major League Baseball spends 52% of revenues on player salaries. This is the lowest of all professional sports. For every “$30 million dollar A-Rod” there is a league minimum reliever on a roster. To put it in perspective, former Cleveland guard Eric Snow made $6.7 million dollars last season. He average only one point per game. In comparison, David Wright made $5.8 million. And you thought baseball players salaries are obscene? On Sunday’s show, Mr. Brown pointed out that the average annual salaries in MLB have dropped a little over three percent. This is the first drop since 2004.
The luxury tax system is the only fair and equitable way to keep competitive balance. In a league that doesn’t share local revenue, there is no other alternative except a salary cap. The aforementioned revenue/salary distribution lends credence to the players association’s argument against any type of cap.
My solution: small market teams must invest in scouting and development. Forget buying the “Gil Meche’s” of the world and use that money on your minor league system. Take the Yankees dollars and pay for the top scouts in the business. Have top of the line coaches at every level. Teams like Oakland, Florida, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh need to manage their affairs like an NCAA basketball team. Recruit the talent via the draft, develop it in your system, and realize you have four years to win at the professional level.
I understand David Sampson’s “independent vs. big budget” film comparison, but the argument is falling on deaf ears. The Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox have their way of winning. Small market teams need to develop their own process. From my vantage point the problem is not competitive imbalance, it’s the lack of organizations investing in their own player development infrastructure.
Teams need to stop talking about a cap and put that effort into new ideas. Every one of these owners has been successful in business. Each had to overcome challenges in their industry to be successful. That same mentality needs to be brought to the diamond. I often feel that their professional success has “stacked the deck” in their favor and many have forgotten how to get dirty and work. New ways of doing business, not legislation, will continue to close the gap between the “haves” and “have not’s”.
Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host. His is the host of a New York baseball show called NY Baseball Digest that you can find at http://www.nybaseballdigest.com.
And what a “proud” moment it was. Luckily, the boy plays hard, habitually reserves his personality and makes a good appearance. Or else he would’ve been vilified for defiling the ears of Delaware Valley’s young kids. Winning is all? Winning is mostly all.
I’m on a roll, so I’m going to keep going. I found a something else on bleacherreport.com.
The Burrell Era Ends As The Champs Move Forward is an evaluation of our off season moves. This writer is ok with what Amaro has done so far. One thing that jumps out is the suggestion that the Paulino acquisition could lead to a much bigger deal happening.
Oh, what the heck. While I’m at it I might as well post one last thing from bleacherreport.com. It’s a light-hearted, semi-funny guide to help players survive while playing in Philly.
T.O. and BSki-
Forgot to weigh in on this, but there is a 0% chance of Burrell coming back. He wouldn’t be replacing Jenkins or Stairs (who are bench players), he would be platooning with Ibanez? or Werth? We already have 3 starting outfielders and no need for a 4th.
also, the Orioles are looking to trade for Chris Coste.