Stuff

[DOUGHBOYS]

Bryce Harper is the only player in baseball to ever have six homers and 16 walks after his first 10 games...

Allow me a small rant here-
Big deal.
That's right.
Big deal.
The modern day broadcasters, announcers, sabrs, writers, and other entities who have never played the game have made a big deal out of a player drawing a walk.
I believe this started with these non-players batting last or hardly at all in their little league lineups and hearing over and over again from their coaches, "A walk is as good as a hit!"
These non-playing future media folks took this to heart and truly believe that a walk really is as good as a hit.
It isn't.
In Harper's case, a walk is a weapon of choice for the pitcher.
A hot hitting Harper is to be avoided. A cold Zimmerman behind Harper, a lot more appealing.
Harper has scored very few times after being walked.
Harper has scored more from knocking himself in (six of his 11 runs scored have come from his own home run), more than depending on the kindness of his other teammates to drive him in.
What is forgotten by these 'walker talkers' is that once Harper is walked, usually a HIT is still needed to drive him in.
This why little league coaches WANTED their ninth batter to walk. Because the top three hitters, were just that, HITTERS.
Look, If a guy like Tim Anderson is getting revered by those same people for taking a walk this year. THAT, THAT may mean something.
It may mean that Anderson is not getting himself out by going after bad pitches.
If so, good for Anderson.
In that case, a walk meaningful.
But a walk, in most cases, is either because a pitcher is in control or because a pitcher has lost his control.
Thanks for the listen......

Think Catchers are bad hitters in fantasy baseball?
Remember Johnny Edwards?
Yeah, most don't.
Edwards had a career with, most notably, the Reds, but also played for the Astros in 1969.
He was the last Astros catcher to receive an MVP vote. 50 years.
Worse, Colorado, Tampa, and Seattle have never had a catcher worthy of even one vote.
Like women and their pursuit of a good man, a good catcher is hard to find.

There are four current hitters in the top 100 list of homers in baseball.
Albert Pujols-7th
Miguel Cabrera-35th
Adrian Beltre-36th
Edwin Encarnacion-93rd

Quietly, amongst all the noise last year, Aaron Judge did something that no other Yankee has ever done.
He hit 33 homers at Yankee Stadium. Any Yankee Stadium.
The publicity was that Yankee Stadium was 'The House that Ruth Built'.
That was only meant because the owners made so much money from the influx of fans to watch Ruth, that Yankee Stadium was constructed.
Ruth hit more homers on the road than at home.
In fact, his best year of hitting homers at home came at the Polo Grounds in 1921.
He hit 32 there.
He never reached the 30 mark at Yankee Stadium.
Also, some credit Yankee Stadium for Roger Maris record 40 years later.
They shouldn't.
Maris hit hit 30 home runs at Yankee Stadium. 31 on the road.
Some other stuff about home homers....
Nobody has hit 40 homers in one park in a year.
The closest was Hank Greenberg.
He struck 39 homers at Tiger Stadium.
In 1979, Fred Lynn hit 28 homers at Fenway Park. Before or after, Lynn would never total more than 28 homers in his career.
Lynn had 39 total homers that year.
Moises Alou would hit 29 of his 39 homers at Wrigley in 2004. The wind must have blown out a lot that year.
The two home run leaders from that year of 2004?
Adrian Beltre-48 Albert Pujols-46

Andrew Miller threw 27 1/3 innings vs. A.L. Central opponents last year.
They never scored.

Bill Voiselle was a Big League pitcher.
He wore his name, number, and hometown name on his back.
How?
His hometown name and number were one and the same. 96

Speaking of uniform numbers...
Every uniform number from 1-53 has been retired by a big league club.
Except for number 52.
I remember a time when Don Drysdale's '53' stood out as a very high number.
But no more.
Other numbers retired are...
Don Zimmer-66
Carlton Fisk-72
Augie Busch-85
CLE Fans- 455

In 1905, outfielder Jack McCarthy threw three would-be scoring players out at home plate...

Lou Piniella was called out at first base, second base, third base, and home plate in the same game.
That, that is hard to do......

In the year of our Lord and Pitcher, 1968, fitably, there was no rbi in the All Star game.
Willie Mays scored from third base on a double play ball struck by teammate Willie McCovey in a 1-0 game.
Mays won the MVP which should say how pitching was taken for granted then.

Warren Spahn had 363 Wins...Warren Spahn also had 363 hits...

Cy Young hit more homers than Mike Hampton...
Seven of those were inside the park...
One, a ground rule double now, hit before the rule was made, for a home run

Ted Simmons had a higher batting average, scored more runs, and knocked in more runs than Gary Carter.
What Simmons did not do was play in a media blitzed area like Gary Carter.
Speaking of Catchers, for as poor as Catchers have hit over the years, the Mets should not complain.
Mike Piazza led all Mets hitters during the decade of the 00's with 157 homers.
Before that, Todd Hundley led Mets players of the 90's with 124 homers.

A lot of folks say that Rabbit Maranville has no place in the Hall of Fame.
That voters were pressured by fellow Gashouse Gang players to vote Maranville into the Hall.
They do have a point.
Maranville does not have a real offensive statistic to backup a Hall of Fame nod.
Just for giggles, Maranville hit just 28 homers over his long career.
22 Of those homers, never left the ball park.

Last year was the first year since losing Robinson Cano, that the Yankees had a 100-rbi hitter...

No player on that vaunted Houston Astros roster has ever had a 100-rbi season...ever...Look it up

Going back to Bryce Harper, he has 39 homers, 103 rbi in 128 April games...
Dare I say it?
Mr. April
It's said.

One last thing, why does Manny Machado wear a hair net?
Has anybody asked?
Does anybody know?
If so, let me and everybody know, willya?
Old timers would have already given him 'The Lunch Lady' as a nickname.
I miss nicknames.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I was going to use this item as part of 'Stuff', but will use it as a trivia question instead...

We live in the home run era.
Everybody seems to be hitting home runs.
In fact, every team since the century began has had a 40 home run hitter.
Every team that is, except for one.
This poor team has not had a 40 home run hitter since the 70's!
Which team has missed out on a 40 home run hitter during both the steroid and home run era's?

Going to lunch.
Should be an answer when getting back...

[Money]

I was going to use this item as part of 'Stuff', but will use it as a trivia question instead...

We live in the home run era.
Everybody seems to be hitting home runs.
In fact, every team since the century began has had a 40 home run hitter.
Every team that is, except for one.
This poor team has not had a 40 home run hitter since the 70's!
Which team has missed out on a 40 home run hitter during both the steroid and home run era's?

Going to lunch.
Should be an answer when getting back...

If Moustakas set the Royals single season record last year (38) it must be the Royals.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Sorry Joe, I did a horrible job of setting up that question.
Which is why I should have just left it in the post as was meant
The Royals have never had a 40 home run hitter and I should have added that disclaimer in the question
Stupid me, what a moron.
BUT, there has been a team who has gone since the 70's without a 40 home run hitter.
Who is that team?....

[Ando]

Stab in the dark....Pirates?

[DOUGHBOYS]

DING DING DING !

Way to go, Matt!

Willie Stargell was the last Pirates hitter to hit 40 (44) homers in a season (1973)
If only they had Big Bonds and not the skinny version!

[The Union jacks]

Ugh Lance McCullers.

I cannot believe they left him in to completely blow up.

[Yah Mule]

Tip of the cap to Travis d'Arnaud for getting hurt badly enough that we can just cut him and not carry him as the dreaded injured third catcher for an indeterminate length of time.