Bleacher Report - Articles by Ryan Williams

Albert Pujols Should Easily Win The NL MVP

Ryan Williams — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:17:39 -0500

In the 2008 regular season, even though his St. Louis Cardinals failed to make the postseason, it is clear that Albert Pujols was the most valuable player in the National League.

In all statistical categories, Pujols dominated the field.

Pujols led the league in park-adjusted weight on-base average (wOBA) (.468), VORP (96.8), EqA (.372), OPS (1.114), OPS+ (190), and WARP (13.0).

Pujols was obviously levels ahead of any of the competition in terms of hitting. Despite playing the non-premium defensive position of first base, he also put up great defensive numbers.

Pujols' plus-minus was +20 for the year, second among MLB first basemen behind the Angels' Mark Teixeira.

If you take into consideration that Pujols was obviously overall best offensive player in the league over the course of the season and consider that he is also one of the top defenders at his position, it is obvious that he is the most valuable player in the National League.

The main argument against Pujols is that his team did not make the playoffs.

However, Pujols and the rest of the Cardinals' line-up did enough to make the playoffs, finishing fourth in the National League in runs scored (779) behind the Cubs, Mets, and Phillies.

The main problem for the Cardinals was their pitching (4.19 ERA, 7th in the NL) and last time I checked, Albert Pujols is not a pitcher, nor can he give the pitchers any tips or hints on how to pitch well, since his forte is hitting.

Pujols also kept a team without many playoff aspirations in the beginning of the year in contention for most of the season, when without him they would have been in the cellar all season.

Now that I have explained why Pujols is easily the MVP of the National League, here are my picks for the rest of the top five.

2. Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins

Leading the National League's fifth-best offense, the Florida Marlins' shortstop Hanley Ramirez quietly put together a season that had the Marlins in playoff contention until late in the season.

Ramirez was fifth in the league in OBP (.400), OPS+ (146), and park-adjusted wOBA (.414). He also finished second in the league in VORP (80.7) and fourth in WARP (10.3)

Ramirez was also a threat on the basepaths (35 stolen bases with many other bases gained), which immensely helps his value.

Finally, despite being right around the league average in terms of fielding for a shortstop, shortstop is the second-most premium defensive position behind catcher, and most teams will take league-average fielding with the amazing offense of Ramirez.

3. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies

The best player of any of the playoff teams this season, Utley was a true great all-around performer throughout the course of the season for the Philadelphia Phillies.

His offensive stats were great, with an OPS+ of 138 (10th in the league), a wOBA of .389, which equated to him placing eighth in the league in batting runs above average (33.69)

Taking base-running into consideration, Utley's MVP case improves slightly, as his VORP of 62.2 was seventh in the National League. However, VORP does not take into consideration the asset that turns Utley from a top-10 MVP candidate to a top three candidate—defense.

Using John Dewan's plus-minus system, Utley, while playing a fairly premium defensive position of second base, led the entire league with a mark of +47. The next-highest National League second-baseman was Adam Kennedy, with a mark of +19.

WARP, which uses defense as well as hitting and base-running, puts Utley at 10.4, third in the NL.

4. Lance Berkman, Houston Astros

Berkman was fourth in the league in VORP (72.2) and second in the league in WARP (10.7), which alone exemplifies his great value to the Houston Astros this season.

Berkman had great offensive numbers with an OPS+ of 159 (third in the league), while ranking in the top five of both OBP (.420, third in the NL) and SLG (.567, fourth in the league).

Like Pujols, he played great defense at the easily-replaceable position of first base (plus-minus of +18).

Berkman fell off slightly at the end of the year, ending his chances of winning the award, but his early contributions place him at a very respectable fourth.

5. Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves

When healthy, Chipper Jones was the second best hitter in the National League this season, but the key words in that phrase are "when healthy".

Jones led the league in OBP with an amazing mark of .470, while ranking second behind Pujols in numerous percentage-based categories, including park-adjusted wOBA (.452), batting runs above average (53.66), and EqA (.362). He also ranked third in VORP (75.4).

However, Jones' biggest problem this field was staying healthy, which took away from his plate appearances. The results of what these plate appearances would have done for Jones are debatable: he could have regressed or continued his pace.

Still, because of the missed time and average base-running and fielding, Jones had a WARP of 9.8 for the season, great when compared to the rest of the league, but behind all of the players listed above him in my list.

Honorable mentions: Manny Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers and CC Sabathia, Milwaukee Brewers

Although neither of these players deserve serious contention due to the fact that they did not play the whole season in the National League, their contributions during their small sample sizes while in the NL deserve some mention, as they were the best hitter and pitcher during the league while in the NL.

Ramirez had an astounding OPS+ of 219 and an amazing park-adjusted wOBA of .498.

Meanwhile, Sabathia had an ERA+ of 260 and an equally impressive tRA of 2.38.

I don't think either of these players warrant spots in the top-5, but they still had great contributions on getting their teams to the playoffs.

Not listed: Ryan Howard, Phillies

The 2008 season of Ryan Howard has to be one of the most overrated seasons that I can remember.

Sure, he hit a lot of home runs (48 to be exact), but Howard also had a measly on-base percentage of just .339.

That means that 66.1 percent of the time that Howard came up to the plate, he made an out. By comparison, Albert Pujols made an out 53.8 percent of the time that he was up at the plate. By that comparison, Howard should not even be put in the same light as Pujols in their respective season.

Howard had just 15.9 batting runs above average (equated from wOBA), which is a full 55.27 runs below what Albert Pujols produced this season.

Sure, Howard had a lot of runs batted in, but with a line-up of Jimmy Rollins, either Shane Victorino or Jayson Werth, and Chase Utley ahead of him, as well as the luck of when he got his hits, make the insignificant stat of RBIs unusable in this scenario (or any for that matter).

The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies: World F---ing Champions!

Ryan Williams — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 10:14:52 -0400

The 2008 World Series ended a 28 year-championship drought for the Phillies and a 25-year drought for the city of Philadelphia.

In the ceremony after the parade, Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley summed it up best:

"World F---ing Champions!"

Thought it was probably partly done in light of Utley's slip at the 2008 Home Run Derby, the All-Star let out the feelings of relief of both the city and players.

After the years of disappointment, Philadelphia had finally won a championship (the first in my lifetime), and the supposed "Curse of Billy Penn" had been reversed.

The 2008 season for the Phillies was one of a roller coaster that ended in the best way possible.

There were the down points: the injuries to Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, Rollins' two benchings by manager Charlie Manuel, and his statements about the Philadelphia fans being "front-runners", Ryan Howards' constant out-making, and the first-half struggles and demotions of starting pitchers Adam Eaton and Brett Myers.

Throughout the year, however, the production of the Phillies' top position players of the 2008 regular season—Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and Pat Burrell—kept the Phillies in contention and position to make a run.

Once September came, everything seemingly turn around for the Phillies.

A resurgent Brett Myers and questionable free-agent acquisition Joe Blanton joined ace Cole Hamels and veteran Jamie Moyer to give the Phillies a solid four starting pitchers. Meanwhile, all of the position players were healthy and contributing to the team, leading the Phillies to a 17-8 September record.

The performance carried onto the season, where the Phillies' NLDS win over the Brewers was highlighted by Game Two—in which CC Sabathia's legendary walk of Brett Myers led to a grand slam by Victorino. The Phillies received strong starting pitching in way to a four-game series win over the Brewers.

Against Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers, the Phillies continued their success. Cole Hamels continued his strong starting pitching, winning the opening game and clinching game with a 1.93 ERA.

Matt Stairs' Game Four home run and Jimmy Rollins' leadoff Game Five home run were very memorable striking blows to the Dodgers, as the Phillies won in five games.

The Phillies entered the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, and for the second straight series, the Phillies were underdogs.

Cole Hamels continued his success in the Phillies' 3-2 Game-One win, as Chase Utley's first-inning home run provided the lefty with sufficient run support. However, the Phillies had an disappointing 4-2 loss in Game Two, out-hitting the Rays but letting the Series slip to a 1-1 tie.

As the Phillies moved home, the weather began to play a role, as Game Three was delayed due to rain, and started at approximately 10 PM.

The heroic pitching of Jamie Moyer, home runs by Carlos "Chooch" Ruiz, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard seemed to be enough for the Phillies, but a series of events including Carl Crawford unrightfully reaching base on a spectacular play by Moyer and B.J. Upton stealing his way to home after a single.

The Phillies and their relentless catcher would not be stopped. A strange series of events—Eric Bruntlett being hit by a pitch and intentional walks to Victorino and Pedro Feliz gave Chooch a chance to win the game.

With Tampa Bay aligning with a five-man infield, Ruiz's swinging bunt was just far enough away from Rays third baseman Evan Longoria to allow Bruntlett to score and the Phillies to come away with a 2-1 series lead at 1:45 AM.

After Game Four, a 10-2 thrashing of Andy Sonnanstine and the Rays, the Phillies fans were realistically dreaming of a parade down Broad Street. On Monday, Game Five, the situation got much more complicated.

The umpires and Bud Selig controversially let the teams play on during rainy conditions, and in the middle of the sixth inning, after the Rays had tied the game at two in the top of the inning, the conditions were enough for baseball to call the game.

After another delay of one day due to continued bad weather conditions, the situation turned from doubtful to ideal for Philadelphia fans on a memorable Wednesday night.

Geoff Jenkins led off the bottom of the sixth with a double, and from there, Jenkins was driven in by Jayson Werth. After Tampa Bay tied the game, Pat Burrell led off the bottom of the seventh with a double, and his pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett later scored on a single by Feliz.

From there, the Phillies' season was ended like so many of their games were that season, as Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske to complete his perfect season and giving Philadelphia their first championship in 25 years.

Phillies fans rejoiced, and their exuberance was exemplified two days later, as millions of Phillies fans (estimated to be as many as 2.5 million) packed the streets of Philadelphia, as the the Phillies' parade, led by free-agent-to-be and the Phillies' longest tenured player Burrell on a horse-drawn carriage rode through.

The festivities were ended at Citizens Bank Park, where a ceremony was led by Hall of Fame announcer Harry Kalas, capped off with speeches by Phillies players, Mayor Michael Nutter, owner David Montgomery, and manager Charlie Manuel.

Some players had inspirational speeches, all of them thanked the fans for their undefeated postseason at home, but in the end, Utley said it best:

"World F---ing Champions!"

The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Nos. 11-15

Ryan Williams — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:05:47 -0400

The following is the eighth part of an 11-part series chronicling the Top-50 hitters of all-time.

15. Frank Thomas, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox/ Oakland A’s/Toronto Blue Jays (1990-present)

During his heyday with the Chicago White Sox, Frank Thomas was quite possibly the most feared hitter in baseball.

Thomas was a dominant force in his best season, 1994, as his 211 OPS+ was one of the best seasons of all-time. During the five best years of his career, Thomas also had an average OPS+ of 186, one of the highest marks of any player on the list of all-time great hitters.

His best seasons were among the best ever, and the numbers in those years don’t even tell the whole story, as his career averages are some of the bet of all-time.

Thomas is currently at the end of his career, but his .413 career wOBA ranks among the best of all-time.

Also, his career OPS+ of 156 ranks 20th all-time.

Another strength of The Big Hurt was his greatest balance between his abilities to get on-base and slug proficiently, as his career OBP of .419 ranks 21st all-time and his .555 career SLG ranks 24th all-time.

Compared to the league average during his career, Thomas also is a top performer. His .974 OPS is .215 above the league average, while his .419 OBP is .082 above the league average and his .555 SLG is .133 above the league average.

While he is currently injured and at the end of his career, the 40-year-old Thomas is climbing up the record books, and his great on-base ability, in addition to his 521 career home runs and his 495 career doubles, help to make him one of the best hitters of all-time.

14. Willie Mays, CF, New York/San Francisco Giants/New York Mets (1951-1973)

If this were a list of the greatest position players ever, Mays, the prototypical “five-tool player” would be somewhere around the top-five.

However, since this list measures pure hitting ability, he falls to 14th, where he is still in elite company.

The Say Hey Kid’s great power helped him to 660 career home runs, fourth all-time.

Percentages-wise, Mays had a .399 career wOBA, which, while incomparable to some of the all-time greats, was higher than any player during his pitching-oriented generation.

His career OPS+ of 156 also ranks 21st all-time.

Mays was a dominant offensive force throughout his 22 seasons, as evidenced by his .941 career OPS, .211 above the league average. While his .384 career OBP was not very impressive, it was still .054 above the league average, while his .557 career SLG was .156 above the league average.

Mays also has to be applauded for his yearly consistency. In 13 consecutive seasons, from 1954-1966, Mays had an OPS+ of at least 145 while playing at least 150 games per season.

Willie Mays’ year-in-and-year-out production in a pitching-dominated era, as well as his slugging prowess, help to make him one of the best hitters of all-time.

13. Joe Jackson, LF, Philadelphia A’s/Cleveland Naps/Indians/Chicago White Sox (1908-1920)

Shoeless Joe Jackson is more known for his involvement in the Black Sox scandal than for being a great hitter, but Jackson was one of the great hitters of the deadball-era and of all-time.

Jackson’s .399 wOBA ranks second among deadball-era players behind Ty Cobb, and his career OPS+ of 170 ranks eighth all-time.

Because of the era in which he played, Jackson had very low power numbers, mainly his 54 career home runs, but his career OPS was still .940, .244 above the league average, and his career SLG was .517, .161 above the league average during his career.

Shoeless Joe was also a great on-base presence, as his .423 career OBP ranks 17th all-time, and .083 above the league average.

The fact that Jackson was banned from baseball after 13 seasons may have helped or hurt his career averages.

On one hand, Jackson may have missed his prime as a hitter, as he was 30-years-old during his last season. However, Jackson also never went through a regression phase in his career. Still, neither of these factors were in control for Jackson.

In fact, recent evidence has furthered Shoeless Joe’s innocence, and that his name was only mentioned to bring more credibility to the scandal.

Regardless, Joe Jackson was a dominating hitter during his 13-year career, and although it was cut short by scandal, that does not taint his accomplishment.

12. Dan Brouthers, 1B, Troy Trojans/Buffalo Bisons/Detroit Wolverines/Boston Beaneaters/Boston Reds/Brooklyn Grooms/Baltimore Orioles/Louisville Colonels/Philadelphia Phillies/New York Giants (1879-1904)

In the 19^th century, there was no greater hitter than first baseman Dan Brouthers.

Despite just 106 home runs in his career, Brouthers managed to come in ninth all-time in wOBA with a mark of .417.

Also, his career OPS+ of 170 ranks seventh all-time.

When compared to the average 19th century player, Brouthers’ hitting ability is absolutely dominant.

His .942 OPS was .246 above the league average during his career, while his .423 OBP was .095 above the league average and his .519 SLG was .150 above the league average.

Although his numbers were somewhat inflated due to the different rules that existed in the game during the 19th century, Brouthers was the greatest hitter of baseball’s first era, which merits a high ranking on the list of all-time great hitters.

11. Stan Musial, LF, St. Louis Cardinals (1941-1963)

Although he is overlooked in numerous discussions involving the best hitters ever, Stan Musial was a truly dominant hitter in the National League during his 22 MLB seasons.

Largely due to his 475 career homeruns and 725 career doubles, Musial compiled a career wOBA of .414.

His OPS+ is also an impressive 159, 15th all-time.

Like many other hitters on this list, Musial had a perfect blend of abilities with a great balance of on-base and slugging abilities.

His .417 OBP ranks 23rd all-time, while his .559 SLG ranks 21st all-time.

Compared to the league average, Musial’s OPS of .976 was .225 above the league average, his OBP of .417 was .074 above the league average, and his .559 SLG was .151 above the league average.

During his career, Stan the Man led the league in OPS+ six times and finished second four times. Also, he led the league in amount of times on base during eight seasons.

As evidenced by his very impressive career numbers, Musial’s outstanding production during his long career help to place him among the greatest hitters of all-time.

Intro | 7-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Nos. 16-20

Ryan Williams — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:56:53 -0400

The following is the seventh part of an 11-part series chronicling the Top-50 hitters of all-time.

20. Manny Ramirez, LF, Cleveland Indians/Boston Red Sox/Los Angeles Dodgers (1993-present)

Aside from the “Manny being Manny” shenanigans, Manny Ramirez is surely one of the best hitters to ever play the game.

In his 16 MLB seasons, Ramirez has a career wOBA of .416, which is right around the top-10 all-time. His career OPS+, meanwhile, is 154, 25th all-time.

The slugger has 517 homeruns and 497 doubles in his career, helping him to a career SLG of .590, eighth all-time, and a career OPS of 1.000, tenth all-time.

When his numbers are compared to the league average during his career, Ramirez’s case as an all-time great improves.

Ramirez currently has a career OPS of 1.000, .218 above the league average, while his career OBP of .410 is .066 above the league average and his career SLG of .590 is .152 above the league average.

Though Ramirez still has a few seasons left that could bring down his career percentages, they are currently still up with some of the best players of all-time.

19. Frank Robinson, RF, Cincinnati Reds/Baltimore Orioles/Los Angeles Dodgers/California Angles/Cleveland Indians (1956-1976)

Frank Robinson is one of the greatest power hitters ever, and one of the greatest hitters of his generation.

His 586 homeruns ranks seventh all-time, and prove his spot as one of the best sluggers of all-time.

Robinson also holds a career wOBA of .396, and a career OPS+ of 154, 26th all-time, during his 21 MLB seasons.

The fact that his OPS+ ranks 26th all-time and his non-adjusted OPS ranks 42nd all-time proves that Robinson could have put up even better power numbers if he had played in a more offensive-friendly era.

Still, Robinson dominated the league-average numbers during his career.

Robinson’s OPS of .926 was .201 points above the league average during the time, while his OPS of .389 was .070 above the league average and his SLG of .537 was .141 above the league average.

These dominating power numbers, as well as above-average on-base skills help Robinson come in at a very solid 19th on the list.

18. Tris Speaker, CF, Boston Red Sox/Cleveland Indians/Washington Senators/Philadelphia A’s (1907-1928)

When Tris Speaker injured his left arm in a football injury, doctors advised amputation.

Speaker refused, and that same left arm helped him to become one of the best hitters in baseball history.

Speaker’s career OPS+ of 158 ranks 17th all-time, while he had a solid wOBA of .394 despite a lack of home runs.

He hit just 117 home runs in his career, but made up for with his record 792 career doubles, 222 career triples, and .428 career OBP.

Speaker’s .428 career OBP ranks 12th all-time, and was .081 above the league average during his career.

Despite his low amount of homeruns, Speaker had very solid power numbers for his era, as his .500 SLG was .127 above the league average, while his .928 OPS was .208 above the league average.

Speaker’s great on-base ability, and his amazing amount of doubles, help him rank as one of the best hitters of all-time.

17. Hank Greenberg, 1B, Detroit Tigers/Pittsburgh Pirates (1930-1947)

Despite the fact that injuries limited his career, and he lost three years of his prime to fighting in World War II, Hank Greenberg still goes down as one of the best hitters in baseball history.

His .424 career wOBA is one of the highest marks of any player on this list or in baseball history.

Also, his career OPS+ of 158 ranks 16th all-time.

During his career, Greenberg’s OPS of 1.017 was an astonishing .237 above the league average, as his OBP of .412 was .051 above the league average and his SLG of .605 was .186 above the league average.

These numbers aren’t even as high as they could have been for one of the most overlooked players in baseball history, since he lost three years of his prime (when he was 31, 32, and 33-years-old) because of World War II.

His 6,096 plate appearances are one of the lowest totals for any players on the list, but in those plate appearances, Greenberg made an impact that is unrivaled by many.

16. Hank Aaron, RF, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves/Milwaukee Brewers (1954-1976)

Baseball’s long-time home run king comes in at 16th on the list, but that takes nothing away from the career of one of the best hitters ever.

Aaron’s .391 career wOBA is lower than most players around him, but his pitching-oriented generation and the longevity of his career can be attributed to that.

His OPS+ comes in at 155, 24th all-time, but, like his wOBA, his career’s longevity caused this number to fall somewhat.

During his five best seasons, Aaron’s OPS+ averaged out to 182, comparable to some of the all-time greats and higher than almost every player he tops in my rankings.

Largely due to his 755 career homeruns and 624 career doubles, Aaron’s career OPS of .929 was .207 above the league average during his career.

Aaron’s biggest weakness during his career was his .374 OBP, which was .047 above the league average during his career.

Still, he is arguably one of the top-5 sluggers to ever play the game, and his incredible slugging prowess helped to make him one of the best hitters ever.

Intro | 7-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Nos. 21-25

Ryan Williams — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:19:36 -0400

The following is the sixth part of an 11-part series chronicling the Top-50 hitters of all-time.

25. John McGraw, 3B, Baltimore Orioles/St. Louis Cardinals/New York Giants (1891-1906)

John McGraw was one of the great hitters of the 19th century and one of the best on-base threats in MLB history.

McGraw’s .466 career OBP ranks third all-time, behind only Ted Williams and Babe Ruth. This mark was .108 above the league average during his career.

During his career, McGraw also had three seasons with an OBP above .500, with marks of .547 (fourth all-time), .505, and .508, in three straight years from1899-1901.

McGraw had just 13 home runs during his career, and a total of just 204 extra-base hits. However, he still had a career wOBA of .406, due to his amazing ability to get on base.

During his 16 MLB seasons, McGraw was never close to being a power hitter, partly due to the era he played in, but his ability to get on base at a premium rate helped to cement his spot in baseball history.

24. Alex Rodriguez, SS/3B, Seattle Mariners/Texas Rangers/New York Yankees (1994-2008)

Despite what the New York fans think of him, Alex Rodriguez will surely go down as one of the best hitters of all-time.

With a career wOBA of .414 in 15 seasons, it is easy to see why the 32-year-old Rodriguez could have a chance at the all-time home run record.

Rodriguez already has 546 homeruns in his career, while maintaining a solid OBP of .389.

A-Rod’s career OPS of .968 is .194 above the league average during the span of his career, as well. This is impressive, of course, but incomparable to some of the all-time greats and even some of the better players of his generation.

Also, his career OPS+ of 148 ranks 40th all-time, and this number, while solid, shows that Rodriguez may be a product of his era and ballparks.

Still, it is hard to deny the talent of Rodriguez, and if he can maintain his current pace and approach the all-time home-run record, he will certainly go down as one of the all-time greats.

23. Mel Ott, RF, New York Giants (1926-1947)

Mel Ott stood at just 5’9” and 170 pounds, but the New York Giants’ right fielder was one of the most feared power-hitters ever.

In addition to becoming the first National League player to have 500 home runs (he ended his career at 511), Ott led the league in home runs six times and finished among the top-three home-run hitters 14 times.

His career OPS+ of 155 ranks 23rd all-time, while he had an impressive wOBA of .405 throughout his career.

Ott’s career OPS of .947 was a very impressive .207 above the league average during his career, and Ott had a very impressive balance of ability to get on base and slug.

His career OBP of .414 was .072 above the league average, while his career SLG of .533 was .136 above the league average.

Ott’s power, in addition to his OBP, which ranks 28th all-time, helped to make him one of the great hitters ever and come in at 23rd on my list.

22. Johnny Mize, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals/New York Giants/New York Yankees (1936-1953)

Johnny Mize was never put in the same light as other stars of his generation, such as Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and Stan Musial, but he deserves any kind or recognition he can get for his career.

Mize compiled a career OPS+ of 158, 18th of all-time and had a career wOBA of .413, comparable to some of the all-time greats.

In light of all of these great statistics, Mize also lost three years of his prime to World War II, seasons in which he would be in his prime at 30, 31, and 32-years-old.

Still, Mize had 359 homeruns in his 15 MLB seasons, while compiling an OPS of .959, .219 above the league average.

Mize was one of the most impressive hitters of all-time, and, although he is overlooked by many, he deserves to be in the company of the top hitters ever.

21. Joe DiMaggio, CF, New York Yankees (1936-1951)

Joe DiMaggio is one of the greatest players of all-time and currently holds the record for the longest hitting-streak ever, with a 56-game streak in 1941.

Hitting streak aside, DiMaggio was one of the greatest hitters ever.

His career wOBA of .416 is one of the best marks of all-time. Also, his career OPS+ of 155 ranks 22nd all-time.

It could also be argued that DiMaggio’s numbers aren’t as high as they could have been. Like Mize, he lost three seasons of his prime (when he was 28, 29, and 30-years-old) due to fighting in World War II.

In his 13-year career, DiMaggio had an OPS of .977, .218 above the league average.

One potential knock on DiMaggio was the fact that his OBP, while a very impressive .398, was only .044 above the league average during his career.

Although his counting statistics (including his 361 career home runs) aren’t up-to-pace with the all-time greats, largely because of his three lost seasons, DiMaggio’s percentages prove that he was truly an all-time great hitter.

Intro | 7-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Nos. 26-30

Ryan Williams — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:02:22 -0400

The following is the fifth part of an 11-part series chronicling the Top-50 hitters of all-time.

30. Mike Schmidt, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies (1972-1989)

Mike Schmidt comes in lower than some would expect on a list, but that is partly due to the era in which he played.

The 1970s and ‘80s saw historically low numbers for hitters, especially in the department of on-base percentage.

Although his numbers don’t compare to those of the all-time greats, Schmidt gets this high of a ranking due to the fact that he was the best hitter of his time period.

His career wOBA of .384 was very impressive for his time period, but it doesn’t stack up to the players ahead of him on the list.

However, Schmidt’s slugging, which helped him have 548 career home runs, and a career SLG of .527, .133 above the league average, helps him to have a high ranking on the list.

Schmidt’s best season, 1981, helped prove the high quality of a hitter he was in his prime. He had an OPS+ of 199, an OBP of .435, and a SLG of .644; his OBP and SLG were both career-highs.

29. Dick Allen, 3B/1B, Philadelphia Phillies/St. Louis Cardinals/Los Angeles Dodgers/Chicago White Sox/Oakland A’s (1963-1977)

Dick Allen joins Charlie Keller as non-Hall-of-Famers to make the list of the Top-50 hitters.

During his 15 MLB seasons, Allen was one of the most feared power hitters in a pitching-dominated time period. However, because of his unpopularity amongst many of his teammates, the fans, and the media, Allen is still not in the Hall of Fame

In fact, Willie Stargell, who ranks 49th on the list, said of Allen, after he hit a home run that went out of the entire ballpark, “Now I know why they boo Richie all the time. When he hits a home run, there's no souvenir.”

Allen was a dominating offensive force, with an OPS (.912) that was .205 higher than the league average during his time period. His .385 wOBA was bested by only three players in the time period in which he played (these players will remain nameless, in order not spoil any future stories).

Finally, Allen’s OPS+ comes out to a startling 156, which is 19th all-time—pretty good for someone that isn’t in the Hall of Fame.

28. Billy Hamilton, CF, Kansas City Beaneaters/Philadelphia Phillies/Boston Beaneaters (1888-1901)

The third-straight Philadelphia Phillies player on the list, Hamilton is also the first of only five players on the list to have an OBP at least .100 points above the league average for his career (his was exactly .100).

Hamilton also had a very impressive career wOBA of .406, despite hitting just 40 home runs in his career.

Hamilton’s career OPS+ was 141, while his career OPS of .887 was .148 above the league average during his career.

Hamilton’s greatest asset, of course, was getting on base. In fact, during his best season, 1894, he had an OBP of .523, the ninth highest in a single-season.

27. Mark McGwire, 1B, Oakland A’s/St. Louis Cardinals (1986-2001)

Mark McGwire is a controversial pick, but PEDs or not, he was still one of the great hitters of his time.

McGwire had a career wOBA of .406 and a career OPS+ of 162, 12th all-time.

In addition, his OPS of .982 was .241 above the league average during his time period.

During his five best seasons, McGwire also had an average OPS+ of 193, comparable to only the top five hitters on the list.

Still, McGwire gets penalized largely due to the fact 36 percent of his hits were home runs, during a time when home runs were at an all-time high.

Also, his career wOBA does not compare to the higher-ranked players that played in the same time period as him, mainly due to the lack of non-home-run hits.

26. Oscar Charleston, CF, Indianapolis ABC's/New York Lincoln Stars/Chicago American Giants/St. Louis Giants/Harrisburg Giants/Hilldale/Homestead Grays/Pittsburgh Crawfords/Toledo Crawfords/Indianapolis Crawfords/Philadelphia Stars/Brooklyn Brown Dodgers/Indianapolis Clowns (1915-1944)

Oscar Charleston was one of the greatest players in Negro League history and was one of two Negro Leaguers to make the list.

Although there aren’t many available stats to judge Charleston, the statistics that have been compiled so far show a .353 career batting average while playing from 1915-1944.

He also regularly finished among the league leaders in home runs throughout his Negro League career.

In 53 career exhibition games against all-white MLB teams, he had a batting average of .318 while hitting 11 homeruns.

Over his career, he drew comparisons to the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Tris Speaker—impressive company to say the least.

(Photo credit: Negro Leagues Baseball Museum)

Intro | 7-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Nos. 31-35

Ryan Williams — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:55:51 -0400

The following is the fourth part of an 11-part series chronicling the Top-50 hitters of all-time.

35. Jeff Bagwell, 1B, Houston Astros (1991-2005)

Jeff Bagwell is the first player who played first base and was born on May 27, 1968 to appear on the list.

During his 15 MLB seasons, Bagwell had very impressive offensive numbers.

His career wOBA of .406, as well as his career OPS+ of 149, are both very excellent numbers, and put him with some of the best hitters in this history of the game.

During Bagwell’s career, he was a prototypical major-league hitter, with a great combination of power and on-base ability.

These great abilities helped him to have an OPS of .948 for his career, .188 above the league average; his OBP was .408, .070 above the league average, while his SLG was .540, ,118 above the league average.

During Bagwell’s career-best year, 1994, he had an amazing OPS+ of 213, with an OBP of .451 and a SLG of .750.

34. Eddie Collins, 2B, Philadelphia Athletics/Chicago White Sox (1906-1930)

During baseball's dead-ball era, Eddie Collins was one of the steadiest hitters in the game.

Though he had just 46 home runs in his career, Collins had a career OPS+ of 141, 67th all-time.

Collins' most impressive feat was his ability to get on base. His .424 OBP ranks 14th all-time.

He also had a career wOBA of .370, despite his lack of power, which is contributed to the era in which he played.

All in all, during his impressive 25 major-league seasons, the second baseman was a very steady offensive force and an on-base machine, and that warrants a ranking of 34th on the list of the all-time best hitters.

33. Ed Delahanty, LF, Philadelphia Quakers/Phillies/Cleveland Infants/Washington Senators (1888-1903)

“Big Ed” Delahanty was one of the great hitters of the 1890s and was a dominant source of power and on-base prowess during his 16-year career.

Delahanty led the league in OPS+ four times, during 1895, 1896, 1899, and 1902. His 152 career OPS+ ranks 29th all-time.

His .404 career wOBA ranks as the third-best of players that played the majority of their careers during the 19th century.

Also, Delahanty was dominating when compared to the league average during his time period. His .916 OPS was .190 above the league average, while his .505 SLG was .127 above the league average, and his .411 OBP was .063 above the league average.

Though his career ended tragically at age 35 when he was swept over Niagara Falls, his legacy as one of the top hitters rightfully remains.

32. Jim Thome, 1B, Cleveland Indians/Philadelphia Phillies/Chicago White Sox (1991-present)

The 37-year-old Jim Thome has been one of the best power hitters in Major League history during his 18 years in the majors.

Thome has 535 career home runs in 7241 at-bats. That gives him 13.53 at-bats between home runs, bested only by Mark McGwire, Babe Ruth, and Barry Bonds.

Thome also has a career wOBA of .408, while his career OPS+ of 149 ranks 37th all-time.

Compared to the league average during his career, Thome’s OPS (.969) is .194 above the league average, his OBP (.407) is .065 above the league average, and his SLG (.562) is .129 above the league average.

Thome has been one of the best power hitters in the history of the league, and he’s still going strong, with 105 home runs in his last three seasons with the Chicago White Sox, helping to cement his legacy.

31. Harry Heilmann, RF/1B, Detroit Tigers/Cincinnati Reds (1914-1932)

Harry Heilmann was one of the great hitters of the 1920s, and he amassed a .395 wOBA during his 17-year MLB career.

His career OPS+ of 148 ranks 41st all-time, and he had an OPS of .930 for his career, .181 above the league average.

Though he was nicknamed “Slug” because of his slow speed on the bases and in the field, Heilmann was still one of the great hitters of his generation, although being unknown by many in the shadow of Babe Ruth.

The long-time Detroit Tiger also could pose as a hero, as he saved a woman from drowning in the Detroit River in 1916.

Intro | 7-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Introduction

Ryan Williams — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:27:32 -0400

Over the next couple of weeks, I will be counting down my opinion of the 50 greatest hitters ever. Baserunning and defense will not be taken into consideration, and it will be strictly a measure of pure hitting.

The articles will (hopefully) be put out nightly and each will profile five hitters, until the top hitter ever is revealed.

When deciding the rankings, I used many determination factors.

I mainly used Tom Tango’s weighted on-base average (wOBA), which weights each positive result of a plate appearance and compares that weighting to the player’s number of plate appearances.

I also took into consideration the gap between the hitter’s performance and the league average during their career, the hitter’s performance during the peak of their career, and the era in which the hitter played in.

Due to the unavailability of some earlier numbers, some calculations may be somewhat off, but I feel that the rankings are a very accurate measure of the hitters’ performance.

One large part of my rankings that may be argued against is the fact that I strayed away from traditional counting statistics when compiling the rankings.

As a result, you may see some familiar names lower than what you would think or not on the list at all, as well as a few unknown names on the list.

In fact, six players in the 500 Home-Run Club and 16 in the 3,000 Hit Club failed to make the list, while there are four players on the list who have been eligible for the Hall of Fame and passed on by the voters (not including players on the ineligible list).

The rankings also take every era of baseball into consideration, all the way from the 1870s to players that are presently in the league.

Stay tuned in the coming days for more!

Intro | 7-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30 | 31-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46-50

Aubrey Huff, Brian Roberts, and Nick Markakis Are Making a Silent Impact

Ryan Williams — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:19:44 -0400

While the Red Sox and Yankees have gotten their annual share of attention from the media, and the Rays have deservedly gained coverage, thanks to their surge to the top of the AL East, Aubrey Huff, Brian Roberts, and Nick Markakis all have had stellar seasons for the Baltimore Orioles that has gone virtually unnoticed.

The Orioles (60-65) currently occupy last place in baseball's best division, thanks in large part to their lackluster pitching (4.81 ERA, 13th in the AL), but their offense (637 runs scored, fourth in the AL) has been up there with the best, and most of the contributions are coming from these three players.

The trio holds three of the top-12 spots for position players in the AL in VORP (value over replacement player), with Huff ranking fourth (49.2 runs), Roberts 10th (41.6 runs), and Markakis 12th (41 runs). By comparison, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays have just two players in the top 12 (Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Youkilis).

Despite their great years, none of these Orioles were named to the American League All-Star team, as reliever George Sherrill was the Orioles' lone representative.

Huff, who has primarily been used as the team's designated hitter this year, has had the best year of the three and was also the least expected of the three to produce at their current level.

Despite previously successful seasons with Tampa Bay (OPS of .884, .922, and .853 from 2002-'04), Huff had struggled in the previous three years (OPS of .749, .813, and .779 from 2005-'07) and has switched teams two times in that span.

This year, the 31-year-old Huff has turned into his old self, leading the Orioles in OPS (.927), slugging percentage (.562), home runs (27), and total bases (266), while having the second-best batting average (.303) and weighted on-base average (.379).

As well as being fourth in the AL in VORP, he is also sixth in home runs, eighth in OPS, sixth in slugging percentage, ninth in weighted on-base average, 15th in batting average, and second in total bases.

The 24-year-old Markakis, in his third year in the majors, has continued to improve steadily and is becoming one of the best outfielders in the league. His on-base percentage of .404 leads the Orioles and is the fourth best in the AL.

He also leads the team in weighted on-base average (.383, seventh in the AL), batting average (.304, 12th in the AL), and walks (80, third in the AL). He has put up decent power numbers as well, with 17 home runs on the year. He ranks second behind Huff in OPS (.898) and total bases (237). He also plays well defensively, ranking second among AL right fielders in RZR (.914).

The final, key offensive contributor for the Orioles this year is second baseman Brian Roberts. Roberts is second on the team in on-base percentage (.378), and despite having eight home runs on the year, he has an adequate slugging percentage (.470), and is fourth on the team in OPS (.848).

He is also third on the team in weighted on-base average (.363, 19th in the AL).

The 30-year-old Roberts also leads the league in doubles (45) and is a key contributor on the base paths, with 30 steals on the year (fourth in the AL).

While this season has not been a success for the Orioles, due to their pitching and difficult division, these three players still deserve credit for their great years, which have propelled the AL's fourth-best offense.

Lidge and Durbin Continue To Show Their Worth

Ryan Williams — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 16:00:04 -0400

When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired both Brad Lidge and Chad Durbin, each of the two players had numerous question marks about their productivity.

Lidge, traded from the Houston Astros, had his shares of struggles since the 2005 postseason, when he gave up a walk-off home runs to Albert Pujols in the NLCS and Scott Podsednik in the World Series.

He had gone in and out of the closer's role and struggled in comparisons to his previous campaigns.

Though. he had improved in 2007, compared to 2006 and returned to the closer's role later that year, there were still numerous questions about his ability to close in the majors.

Meanwhile, Durbin began the year as a starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and struggled his way into the bullpen, where he did not fare much better.

The journeyman right-hander posted a 97 ERA+ and a 1.43 WHIP— nothing to get very excited about.

When the Phillies signed him to a one-year deal, the consensus was that he would not be much of an impact player for the Phillies, and would probably either be a spot starter or have a mop-up role in the bullpen.

Despite their previous histories, Lidge, the closer, and Durbin, his primary set-up man, have become the two most important pitchers in the Phillies' surprisingly stable bullpen this season.

Their success continued in tonight's 2-1 victories over the Cardinals.

After Joe Blanton held the Cardinals to one run over seven innings and J.C. Romero got one out, allowing a single to the game-tying run in the process, Durbin was called on to get the Phillies out of the eighth inning.

The Phillies' reliever promptly caused Joe Mather to ground into a double play on the fifth pitch of the at-bat to get the Phillies out of the inning.

During the bottom of the ninth inning, after the Phillies failed to score in the top of the inning, Lidge was called on to protect their one-run lead for the victory.

The first batter he faced was none other than Pujols, who Lidge, in his 2008 form, caused to ground out to the shortstop for the first out.

Up next was Ryan Ludwick, who had hit three home runs in his previous seven at-bats in the series.

Lidge struck the Cardinals' All-Star outfielder out swinging on a slider.

After seemingly having the game in hand, Lidge showed some loss of control, walking Troy Glaus and allowing his pinch runner, Brendan Ryan, to advance to second on a wild pitch.

He buckled down and struck out pinch-hitter Rick Ankiel swinging on a slider.

The success of these two pitchers as well as the Phillies' bullpen (1st in the NL in reliever win expectation) has put the Phillies (60-50) in first place in the NL East.

The success of each of these pitchers lies in a large amount of areas.

Lidge's change in comparison to his past seasons of non-success lies in his ability to keep the ball down.

His 1.52 groundball-fly ball ratio is the highest of his career.

Also, of his fly balls, nearly half have been in the infield and only one has gone out of the park.

His FIP is 2.21, down around where it was during his successful years of 2004 and 2005.

In save situations, he has been his best, converting all 27 of his saves with an ERA of just 1.00.

On the other end of the spectrum, Durbin's groundball-fly ball ratio is also at a high point for his career at 1.17.

He, as well, has allowed only around half of his fly balls to go past the infield.

His FIP is also at a career-low of 3.01.

While it remains unseen whether Lidge and Durbin can maintain this success over the long haul, they have both proven to be great additions thus far for the first-place Phillies.

Jimmy Rollins' Season Is Not So Disappointing After All

Ryan Williams — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 17:25:30 -0400

Many Philadelphia Phillies fans have viewed this season as a disappointment for last season’s MVP, Jimmy Rollins. However, could it be possible that the Phillies’ shortstop is having a more productive year this year than he had last year, and he has just run into some bad luck?

A look at Rollins’ peripherals shows that the shortstop should be having a more productive season than he did last year.

Last season, with a line drive percentage of 19.9 percent, Rollins’ batting average on balls in play (BABIP) was .303, slightly lower than his expected BABIP (eBABIP), which stood at .319; this means that, in terms of hitting for average, he suffered a bit of bad luck.

However, this season, the difference between Rollins’ BABIP and eBABIP is startling. His line-drive percentage of 24.4 percent puts his eBABIP at .364, but Rollins’ BABIP is a measly .286 this season, a full 78 points below what it is expected to be.

With this stat, hopefully, you can see that Rollins’ non-success this year is not because of a lack of competitive spirit or a lack of fire—it’s just simply bad luck. Once this number equalizes, Rollins should be back at an even better pace than he was at last season.

In addition, Rollins has also taken steps to improve his offensive game even more, with better plate discipline this year. An improved BB percentage (up from 6.4 percent to a career-high 8.1 percent) and decreased K percentage (down from 11.9 percent to 10.6 percent) have put his BB/K at .83, nearly one walk per strikeout.

The only apparent weakness for Rollins this year is his power numbers, as he has just 7 home runs and a .435 slugging percentage. His home runs per fly ball are also down, from 10.7% to 7.4%.

Thanks to hit tracker, however, you can see that Rollins’ home runs this year are more definite home runs than last year. The average "true" distance of his home runs this year is 386.4 feet, compared to an average of 375.5 feet last season. Also, last season, 12 of Rollins’ 30 homers were considered “just enough”, clearing the fence by 10 or less feet—this year, all of his home runs have exceeded that standard.

With his talent level, and more luck, Rollins’ home-run totals should equalize for the rest of the season and flyballs to the warning track will turn into home runs.

On the basepaths, Rollins has also been a more efficient force this season. While Rollins was great last year (41 steals in 47 tries), Rollins has been the most efficient base stealer in the league this season. He has stolen 26 bases while getting thrown out just once. His SB percentage (96.3 percent) is the highest amongst any player with double-digit steals.

Finally, despite unrightfully winning the Gold Glove award last season, Rollins’ defense has also improved this year when compared to last. His RZR (revised zone rating) has improved from .808 last season to .840 this year.

While his counting statistics are certainly down, a deeper look into the peripherals shows that the only thing Rollins is missing in terms of this year compared to last is simply luck.