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Started by Mr. Ypsi, February 08, 2008, 06:32:15 PM

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Mr. Ypsi

Miggy joined another pantheon today.  In the entire history of baseball, only 3 players have had at least 40 home runs, 120 runs batted in, and a .350 batting average in 116 games: Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, and Miguel Cabrera.  Not too shabby company! :o

Mr. Ypsi

#106
Nagging injuries kept Miguel Cabrera from having a shot at being the first player ever with back-to-back Triple Crowns (he missed 14 games entirely, and left early in several others).  Chris Davis had such a break-out season in HRs, I doubt Miggy would have caught him, but it would have been close; Miggy would have definitely won the RBI title.  Those missed games also kept him from being the first player ever to win the Triple Crown then increase his performance in all three categories!  He raised his batting average, matched his HRs, and was two shy on RBIs.

SI's Joe Sheehan continues his man-crush crusade for Mike Trout, touting him for this year's AL MVP (as he did last year).  Joe argues that Miggy loses tremendously for his defensive liabilities, and should not get credit for the team success because he has great teammates, like Prince Fielder.  Joe, Joe, Joe ...  HE (at least as much as you) knows he is playing out of position and is not a good third baseman.  His playing third (and accepting the ridicule) is a testament to his VALUE for the team!  If he had not been willing to move, the Tigers could have never signed Prince (who made it clear he felt he was too young to be a permanent DH - and if you think Miggy is bad at third, imagine Prince there! :o :P).

My prediction for AL MVP: 1. Cabrera  2. Chris Davis  3. Mike Trout.

(And no, I am not a Mike Trout 'hater'.  Considering their relative ages, if I was building a team from scratch, my first pick would be Trout (or possibly Bryce Harper).  Miggy will continue to be the most (or at least one of the most) devastating players for 5-7 years; barring injuries, Trout (or Harper) might be that for 12-15 years!)

Bombers798891

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on October 03, 2013, 10:21:15 PM
Nagging injuries kept Miguel Cabrera from having a shot at being the first player ever with back-to-back Triple Crowns (he missed 14 games entirely, and left early in several others).  Chris Davis had such a break-out season in HRs, I doubt Miggy would have caught him, but it would have been close; Miggy would have definitely won the RBI title.  Those missed games also kept him from being the first player ever to win the Triple Crown then increase his performance in all three categories!  He raised his batting average, matched his HRs, and was two shy on RBIs.

SI's Joe Sheehan continues his man-crush crusade for Mike Trout, touting him for this year's AL MVP (as he did last year).  Joe argues that Miggy loses tremendously for his defensive liabilities, and should not get credit for the team success because he has great teammates, like Prince Fielder.  Joe, Joe, Joe ...  HE (at least as much as you) knows he is playing out of position and is not a good third baseman.  His playing third (and accepting the ridicule) is a testament to his VALUE for the team!  If he had not been willing to move, the Tigers could have never signed Prince (who made it clear he felt he was too young to be a permanent DH - and if you think Miggy is bad at third, imagine Prince there! :o :P).

My prediction for AL MVP: 1. Cabrera  2. Chris Davis  3. Mike Trout.

(And no, I am not a Mike Trout 'hater'.  Considering their relative ages, if I was building a team from scratch, my first pick would be Trout (or possibly Bryce Harper).  Miggy will continue to be the most (or at least one of the most) devastating players for 5-7 years; barring injuries, Trout (or Harper) might be that for 12-15 years!)

Of course, if batting were the only thing that mattered, Cabrera would be the easy choice the last two years. But, for what is now the third year in a row, Mike Trout has proven not only to be an elite hitter, but a better defender and baserunner, all while playing a more premium position. In short, Cabrera is the better hitter, but Trout is the better overall player. But since many voters ignore the notion that batting average and RBI are not fundamentally flawed stats, he's been overlooked.

Fortunately for Trout, this season, he's probably going to set career highs in HR and RBI, which should help him with the voting sect that refuses to see beyond the Triple Crown categories when voting for MVP.

Mr. Ypsi

Does anyone know the rule for a player playing enough to get listed or be eligible for post-season awards?  Is it 2 ABs per game the team has played?

I ask because J. D. Martinez of the Tigers is having as hot a streak as any player ever.  He is currently batting .346, which would be #1 in MLB, except he is apparently a few ABs short of what is necessary to make the lists.  (I didn't look it up to check my memory, but I think he had 11 or 12 hits in the 4-game series against second-place KC.)

As Ausmus is not dumb enough to sit him during this streak, he should enter the top of the lists very soon.

Mr. Ypsi

If my memory is correct about two ABs per games the team has played, JD would currently need 192; he has 188.  So in 2-3 games after the AS break, he should break into the rankings.  Hopefully at the top! ;D

Miggy is gonna need a helluva hot streak to win his fourth straight batting title.  After a dreadful start, he was in the .220s; he went above .330 a couple of times; but is now down to .306.  Unless he gets gong, he may finish third on his own team, behind the Martinez 'brothers'.

Jim Dixon

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on July 13, 2014, 06:01:14 PM
Does anyone know the rule for a player playing enough to get listed or be eligible for post-season awards?

Qualified year-to-date:

In order to qualify for batting titles in averaged categories (Avg, Slg, OBP, OPS, RC, OW%, #P/PA, G/F), a player must average at least 3.1 plate appearances for every game his twam has played.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?page=stats/glossary

Mr. Ypsi

Quote from: Jim Dixon on July 14, 2014, 08:18:37 PM
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on July 13, 2014, 06:01:14 PM
Does anyone know the rule for a player playing enough to get listed or be eligible for post-season awards?

Qualified year-to-date:

In order to qualify for batting titles in averaged categories (Avg, Slg, OBP, OPS, RC, OW%, #P/PA, G/F), a player must average at least 3.1 plate appearances for every game his twam has played.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?page=stats/glossary

Oh,man.  JD played very sparingly the first two months of the season.  Even if he never sat the rest of the season he might not make it.  And he won't, since the Tigers have four very good outfielders, and a fifth, Andy Dirks, coming off the DL soon.

Based on his history, he will probably cool off soon (though this MAY be a breakout season).  He has 18 hits in the last ten games.

Maybe next year is his year to shine. ;D

Mr. Ypsi

A modest proposal (which will never be adopted) to make baseball even more of a chess game.  Every team gets to bank two (or whatever) games, then spend them when needed.  The Tigers today won 12-1; therefore 10 runs in the bank.  A tough decision both for banking and spending.  Is ten runs the best you can do, or should you hold out for 12-13?  When to spend?  All games are created equal, but some are more equal than others.  Spend eight of them against the Injuns, or save them for co-leader KC?  (What a luxury to turn a 4-2 loss into a 5-4 win against the team you are tied with.)

As I say, it will never happen, but an intriguing thought experiment. :)

Mr. Ypsi

#113
Miggy is having a tough year.  After off-season surgery, he started the year in the .220s.  He made it as high as .330+, but recently descended briefly to .299 for the first time in four months.  After going 4 for 5 today, he is at .304.  His stat line today was not too shabby: 5 4 4 3; he and the Martinez 'twins' (they are unrelated) were 12 8 7 6.

Barring a patented "Miggy streak", (something like 22 of 30) he is not going to win his fourth straight batting title, or an MVP.  But he should have his 6th straight season over .300. and 9th of the last ten years.  He had two homers today (which felt like his first since about 2008 :P); the first was a low shot that the announcers said was the hardest hit they had ever seen - and they've been around since Harmon Killebrew and Prince Fielder's daddy.  They estimated it at 8-900 feet, if the stands had not gotten in the way!

With an off-season of rest (perhaps including surgery on his ankle), Miggy should be back to normal (i.e. other-worldly) by next year.  Justin Verlander I'm more worried about - I don't know if his lousy (for him) season is just a glitch or the beginning of the inevitable decline.  Over the last 5-6 years, he has thrown more pitches than anyone else in baseball; I fear it has caught up with him.  We'll see; I'm sure he has at least one Cy Young-worthy year in him, but he may be basically toast.

Mr. Ypsi

C. C. Lee today had the most embarassing thing I can ever recall for a pitcher (he is a reliver for the Indians).  He allowed a run on a wild pitch during an intentional walk!!  I've watched baseball for 60+ years and cannot remember EVER seeing a wild pitch during an intentional walk!!  How is that even possible - an intentional walk is playing catch in the backyard with your catcher?!! :o

Once we mathematically eliminate Cleveland, I will even feel sorry for the guy! ;D

Jim Dixon

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on September 14, 2014, 04:58:18 PM
C. C. Lee today had the most embarassing thing I can ever recall for a pitcher (he is a reliver for the Indians).  He allowed a run on a wild pitch during an intentional walk!!  I've watched baseball for 60+ years and cannot remember EVER seeing a wild pitch during an intentional walk!!  How is that even possible - an intentional walk is playing catch in the backyard with your catcher?!! :o

Once we mathematically eliminate Cleveland, I will even feel sorry for the guy! ;D

Happened two other times this year

4/18/14: Dodgers pitcher Chris Withrow throws a wild pitch on an intentional-walk pitch out to score the go-ahead run in the top of the 9th

8/18/2014 - The Peoria Chiefs lost in the last at-bat for the second game in a row as a wild pitch on an intentional walk scored the winning run for the Cedar Rapids Kernels in a 5-4 Sunday afternoon game

ECSU ended their season in Appleton with a WP on an intentional walk in extra innings a few years back.  One of the worse endings I have seen in a game.

Mr. Ypsi

Yeah, I'm not surprised it has happened, but I had never seen it.  I still am mystified how it could happen when you're just playing backyard catch!  (For Lee, the announcers speculated that he didn't know it was supposed to be an intentional walk, didn't see the catcher stick his glove way out, and threw it down the middle where, of course, the catcher wasn't.)

Jim Dixon

Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on September 15, 2014, 06:02:05 PM
Yeah, I'm not surprised it has happened, but I had never seen it.  I still am mystified how it could happen when you're just playing backyard catch!  (For Lee, the announcers speculated that he didn't know it was supposed to be an intentional walk, didn't see the catcher stick his glove way out, and threw it down the middle where, of course, the catcher wasn't.)

I have seen a game won on a poor throw back to the pitcher so noting surprises me.  I have actually never seen anyone practice the intentional walk.

dahlby

RIP Ernie Banks.
I lived in Chicago during his era.

Mr. Ypsi

Two more rarities in the Tigers/Astros game today.  Another wild pitch during an intentional walk (I still can't fathom how that is possible at the MLB level! :o  Alas, the Tigers didn't take advantage of it.)  And Ian Kinsler hit into the 700th triple play in MLB history (dating to 1876, that is almost exactly 5 per year).  Since Miguel Cabrera was due up next, and is hitting about .450 in day games, that probably cost them the game in a 3-2 loss.