Back in the Day... Stuff

[DOUGHBOYS]

Ted Williams would have been 100 years old this year.
Williams had more homers (521) than any other hitter born in 1918. That may have sounded like an 'easy stat' since not many players hit more homers than Williams.
But get this...
In 1919, the following year, Jackie Robinson was born.
Robinson's 137 home runs is more than any other player born in 1919.
1919 must have been a slumping year for Mother's of ball players.
Those 137 homers for Robinson is the lowest total for any player of any year during the live ball era.
At least until we get to active players, where we find Mike Moustakas as the home run king of players born in 1988 with 119 home runs.

In 1961, Orlando Cepeda hit 46 homers for the San Francisco Giants.
In 1961, Jim Gentile hit 46 homers for the Baltimore Orioles.
In 1961, Harmon Killebrew hit 46 homers for the Minnesota Twins.
Before this, no batter had hit 40 homers in San Francisco, Baltimore, or Minnesota.

In the 1920's, Babe Ruth and Rogers Hornsby led their leagues in OPS, nine of the 10 years of the decade.
Ty Cobb and Cy Williams, the footnotes....

49 players have stolen 70 bases in a season.
None, in the 2010's.
Only three players have turned the trick since the turn of the century.
Scott Podsednik, 70 in 2004, Jose Reyes, 78 in 2007, Jacoby Ellsbury, 70 in 2009

Lou Brock stole 118 bases in 1974 ....he was 35 years old !
Then stole 56 more the following year.
And 56 more the following year.
Brock stole double digit bases 18 consecutive years.

Since 2011, only one pitcher has started 35 games. David Price, 2016.
Last year, only two pitchers started 34 games. Chris Archer, Kevin Gausman.
More alarming, only 46 pitchers started 30 games in 2017.
Just two years ago, 66 pitchers started 30 games.

In an era where players are 'rested' frequently, Alcides Escobar and Rougned Odor played in every game last year.
This, would seem to fall under their Managers sanity more than to the players credit.
Anyway, Pete Rose played 162 games when he was 35.
And would do so again, four more times.
He played 162 games when 41 years old.
Only one other player has played 162 games in multiple years at 35 years of age or older.
Ichiro, twice.

Ichiro is also part of another select list.
He is the only hitter to win Most Valuable Player since 1973, with less than 10 home runs. Ichiro hit eight in 2001.
Since 1950, five other players have won MVP's with less than 10 homers...
1950- Phil Rizzuto, 7
1959- Nellie Fox, 2
1960 Dick Groat, 2
1962 Maury Wills, 6
1973 Pete Rose, 5

Jose Altuve had more than 200 hits last year.
It was his fourth straight year of 200 hits.
Only one other Astros hitter has ever had 200 hits.
Craig Biggio.
There is one franchise in baseball today who has never had a player with 200 hits in a season.
The Tampa Rays.
Aubrey Huff has their best with 198 hits.
Aubrey Huff?!

Back in the day, the Braves had three pretty good pitchers.
Maddox, Smoltz, and Glavine.
John Smoltz was recounting pitching to Tony Gwynn.
The Braves faced him often in that the Braves, somehow, were in the West Division at that time.
Smoltz relayed that he ended up throwing the ball right down the middle for Gwynn.
He said, "Why not? He hit everything I threw on the corners!"
Maddox, Smoltz,and Glavine spread fear near and far, but Tony Gwynn was their kryptonite.
In 249 at bats against the three Hall of Famers, Gwynn hit .394
More astounding is that the threesome would only strike Gwynn out four times in 249 at bats.
Players now strike out four times a game against far less.

[DOUGHBOYS]

I've had a couple of requests for hitters who hit the most homers during a particular birth year.
And it is fun to see who had the most during YOUR birth year.
Sorry for the clunkiness, but here is the list for everybody....

1895 Babe Ruth 714
1896 Rogers Hornsby 301
1897 Lefty O'Doul 113
1898 Bill Terry 154
1899 Joe Hauser 80
1900 Goose Goslin 248
1901 Heinie Manush 110
1902 Al Simmons 307
1903 Lou Gehrig 493
1904 Chuck Klein 300
1905 Bob Johnson 288
1906 Joe Cronin 170
1907 Jimmie Foxx 534
1908 Ernie Lombardi 190
1909 Mel Ott 511
1910 George McQuinn 135
1911 Hank Greenberg 331
1912 Hal Trosky 228
1913 Johnny Mize 359
1914 Joe DiMaggio 361
1915 Joe Gordon 253
1916 Charlie Keller 189
1917 Hank Sauer 288
1918 Ted Williams 521
1919 Jackie Robinson 137
1920 Stan Musial 475
1921 Roy Campanella 242
1922 Ralph Kiner 369
1923 Bobby Thomson 264
1924 Gil Hodges 370
1925 Yogi Berra 358
1926 Duke Snider 407
1927 Joe Adcock 336
1928 Gus Bell 206
1929 Frank Thomas 286
1930 Bill Skowron 211
1931 Willie Mays 660
1932 Dick Stuart 228
1933 Rocky Colavito 374
1934 Hank Aaron 755
1935 Frank Robinson 586
1936 Harmon Killebrew 573
1937 Orlando Cepeda 379
1938 Willie McCovey 521
1939 Carl Yastrzemski 452
1940 Willie Stargell 475
1941 Boog Powell 339
1942 Tony Perez 379
1943 Lee May 354
1944 Graig Nettles 390
1945 Reggie Smith 314
1946 Reggie Jackson 563
1947 Darrell Evans 414
1948 Dave Kingman 442
1949 Mike Schmidt 548
1950 Greg Luzinski 307
1951 Dave Winfield 465
1952 Fred Lynn 306
1953 Jim Rice 382
1954 Andre Dawson 438
1955 Jack Clark 340
1956 Eddie Murray 504
1957 Tim Wallach 260
1958 Gary Gaetti 360
1959 Harold Baines 384
1960 Cal Ripken 431
1961 Andres Galarraga 399
1962 Darryl Strawberry 335
1963 Mark McGwire 583
1964 Barry Bonds 762
1965 Matt Williams 378
1966 Larry Walker 383
1967 Luis Gonzalez 354
1968 Sammy Sosa 609
1969 Ken Griffey 630
1970 Jim Thome 612
1971 Jason Giambi 440
1972 Manny Ramirez 555
1973 Todd Helton 369
1974 Jermaine Dye 325
1975 Alex Rodriguez 696
1976 Paul Konerko 439
1977 Carlos Beltran 435
1978 Aramis Ramirez 386
1979 Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn 462
1980 Albert Pujols 614
1981 Curtis Granderson 319
1982 Adrian Gonzalez 311
1983 Miguel Cabrera 462
1984 Prince Fielder 319
1985 Evan Longoria 261
1986 Chris Davis 267
1987 Jay Bruce 277
1988 Mike Moustakas 119
1989 Giancarlo Stanton 267
1990 Salvador Perez 114
1991 Mike Trout 201
1992 Bryce Harper 150
1993 Miguel Sano 71
1994 Rougned Odor 88
1995 Nomar Mazara 40
1996 Rafael Devers 10
1997 Ozzie Albies 6