Who Were the Most Productive Offensive Players in 2011?

Who Were the Most Productive Offensive Players in 2011?

       

     By Bill Gilbert

 

      Numerous methods have been devised to measure offensive performance.  The most common are batting average, on-base percentage and slugging average.  Since none of these averages provides a complete picture by itself, a more comprehensive measure of offensive performance is useful.  Such a measure would include the following elements:

 

1. The ability to get on base.

2. The ability to hit with power.

3. The ability to add value through baserunning.

 

      The first two elements are measured by on-base percentage and slugging average.  A measure of offensive performance, which encompasses both as well as baserunning achievements, is Bases per Plate Appearance (BPA).  This measure accounts for the net bases accumulated by a player per plate appearance.  It is calculated as follows:

 

     BPA = (TB + BB + HB + SB – CS – GIDP) / (AB + BB + HB + SF)

 

     Where: BPA = Bases per Plate Appearance

            TB   = Total Bases

            BB   = Bases on Balls

            HB   = Hit by Pitch

            SB   = Stolen Bases

            CS   = Caught Stealing

            GIDP = Grounded into Double Plays

            AB   = At Bats

            SF   = Sacrifice Flies

 

The numerator accounts for all of the bases accumulated by a player, reduced by the number of times he is caught stealing or erases another runner by grounding into a double play.  The denominator accounts for the plate appearances when the player is trying to generate bases for himself.  Sacrifice hits are not included as plate appearances, since they represent the successful execution of the batter’s attempts to advance another runner.

 

      Major league BPA for the past fifteen years are shown below along with the number of players with BPA over .550 and .600:

 

Year  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

 BPA  .463 .463 .479 .481 .468 .457 .461 .468 .456 .470 .463 .458 .461 .446 .442

.550    34   41   50   50   46   39   42   33   34   46   34   41   42   19   25

.600    15   22   29   30   26   17   15   18   13   14   15   11   16    7    7

 

Offensive production peaked in 2000 before declining in the early years of this century.  BPA in 2011 was down slightly from 2010, an 8.1% reduction from the peak in 2000.  

 

      In the 1990s, there were 14 individual .700 BPA seasons.  In the eight year period from 2000 to 2007, there were 18.  The highest BPA in the 1990s was recorded by Mark McGwire in 1998 (.799). Barry Bonds shattered that with .907 in 2001, the highest figure ever recorded, topping Babe Ruth’s best two years (1920 and 1921).  Bonds followed that with .869 in 2002, .818 in 2003 and .882 in 2004.  There have not been any hitters with a BPA of .700 since 2007. The last player to make it was Alex Rodriguez (.702) in 2007.  Surprisingly, Albert Pujols has not had a .700 BPA in his eleven seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      The .700 BPA seasons in 2000-2011 are listed below:

   

Player              Team           Year       BPA

Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2001      .907

Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2004      .882

Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2002      .869

Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2003      .818

Sammy Sosa          Chicago Cubs   2001      .758

Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2000      .745

Jim Thome           Cleveland      2002      .728

Manny Ramirez       Cleveland      2000      .726

Todd Helton         Colorado       2000      .720

Luis Gonzalez       Arizona        2001      .713

Todd Helton         Colorado       2001      .709

Carlos Delgado      Toronto        2000      .707

Larry Walker        Colorado       2001      .707

Jason Giambi        Oakland        2000      .706

Travis Hafner       Cleveland      2006      .703

Alex Rodriguez      NY Yankees     2007      .702

Jason Giambi        Oakland        2001      .700

Ryan Howard         Philadelphia   2006      .700

 

The yearly leaders since 1992 are as follows:

 

1992 Bonds        .734  1993  Bonds     .740  1994  Bagwell  .768

1995 Belle        .692  1996  McGwire   .765  1997  Walker   .770

1998 McGwire      .799  1999  McGwire   .735  2000  Bonds    .745 

2001 Bonds        .907  2002  Bonds     .869  2003  Bonds    .818

2004 Bonds        .882  2005  D. Lee    .699  2006  Hafner   .703

2007 A. Rodriguez .702  2008  Pujols    .685  2009  Pujols   .696

2010 Bautista     .671  2011  Bautista  .681

 

      The benchmark for an outstanding individual season is .600.  Following is a list of 7 players with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title and with a BPA of .600 in 2011.

 

 

Bases per Plate Appearance (BPA) of .600+ in 2011

————————————————- 

                                No. of

                 2011   2010     .600+

   Player         BPA    BPA  LG Seasons Comments          

 1 Bautista, J   .681   .671   A    2    Second straight year at the top.

 2 Braun, R.     .663   .535   N    3    Filled the stat sheet.

 3 Kemp, M.      .647   .476   N    1    Big-time breakout season

 4 Cabrera, M.   .615   .642   A    3    Consistently near the top.

 5 Granderson, C .614   .534   A    2    Found power against lefties.

 6 Fielder, C.   .610   .555   N    3    Had better year than Pujols.

 7 Ellsbury, J.  .607   .361   A    1    Found a power stroke.

 

      The only repeaters from last year’s list are Bautista and Cabrera. Bautista topped the list in both years.  Pujols had a BPA of .548, by far the lowest of his career, ranking 27th among qualifiers.  Five other players had a BPA over .600 in 2010 but fell short in 2011. 

 

                                   No. of

                   2010   2011     .600+

   Player           BPA    BPA  LG Seasons Comments            

 1 Votto, J.       .657   .576   N    2    Not quite up to 2010 MVP season.

 2 Hamilton, J.    .653   .559   A    1    Held back by injuries again.

 3 Pujols, A.      .634   .548   N    8    Down year would be a career year for most.

 4 Gonzalez, C.    .632   .576   N    1    Not quite up to 2010 season.

 5 Konerko, P.     .613   .551   A    1    Another strong late-career season.

 

      Six players have a BPA over .600 for their careers:

 

                             2011       Career

Player              Age       BPA        BPA    Comments.

————        —       —-       —-   ——–

Albert Pujols        31      .548       .641    Easily the best in 2000-09 decade.

Alex Rodriguez       35      .500       .617    Signs of a decline.

Manny Ramirez        39      .059       .617    Great career down in flames.

Jim Thome            40      .531       .615    600 HR clinches HOF spot.

Lance Berkman        35      .598       .602    Still a tough out.

Ryan Braun           27      .663       .602    2012 season in question.

 

Another list of interest is of players with a BPA of over .600 in 2011 who did not have enough plate appearances (PA) to qualify for the batting title. 

                                  

Player          Age   BPA   PA    Comments

————— —   —- —   —————————

Brett Lawrie     21  .663  171   Looks like an impact player.

Mike Napoli      29  .662  432   Can he do it again?

Jason Giambi     40  .645  152   Still hits with power.  

Alejandro De Aza 27  .600  171   Pleasant surprise for White Sox.

 

      Looking at the other end of the spectrum, sixteen players who earned enough playing time to qualify for the batting title had a BPA less than .400 in 2011.  Ichiro Suzuki narrowly missed this list with a BPA of .400.  Adam Dunn, with a BPA of .369 in 2011 and a career BPA of .580 would be on this list if he had enough plate appearances to qualify.

 

Player               BPA      Comments

—————–   —-      ——————————

Vladimir Guerrero   .398      Had 7 seasons with BPA over .600.

Omar Infante        .396      Third straight year of decline.                

Miguel Olivo        .395      Only catcher on the list.

Robert Andino       .392      First year as a regular.

Danny Valencia      .390      Failed to repeat promising 2010 season.

Alcides Escobar     .386      A repeater on this list.

Gordon Beckham      .385      A major disappointment.

Martin Prado        .385      Down from .474 in 2010.

Mark Ellis          .382      First time below .400.

Juan Pierre         .379      Career BPA of .445.

Darwin Barney       .373      Tailed off in second half.

Placido Polanco     .368      Career BPA of .425.

Alex Gonzalez       .367      A candidate for this list every year.

Yuniesky Betancourt .366      Career BPA of .384

Jason Bartlett      .364      Had .572 BPA in 2009.

Casey McGehee       .355      Season long slump from .473 in 2010.   

Alex Rios           .353      Even worse than Adam Dunn.

 

Two players compiled a batting average over .300, an on-base average over .400, a slugging percentage over .500 and bases per plate appearance over .600 in 2011:

 

Player (2010)        BAVG       OBA       SLG       BPA       OPS

Jose Bautista        .302      .447      .608      .681     1.055

Miguel Cabrera       .344      .448      .586      .615     1.033

 

      Two active players have these numbers for their careers, although Manny Ramirez was active for only 17 plate appearances in 2011.

 

Player (Career)      BAVG       OBA       SLG       BPA        OPS

Albert Pujols        .328      .420      .617      .641      1.037

Manny Ramirez        .312      .411      .585      .617       .996

 

Bill Gilbert

12/28/11

December Meeting Summary

Eleven Hornsby Chapter members ventured out on a dark and rainy night to gather for barbeque and baseball talk at Iron Works BBQ in Austin.

Various off-season related topics were discussed including the signing of Albert Pujols by the Angels, Ryan Braun’s suspension, new Astros GM Jeff Luhnow’s first trade and the Dodgers’ ownership status.  Monte Cely passed out copies of the agenda for next month’s Winter Meeting and Jan Larson reported on his wife Connie’s recent Round Rock Express-sponsored Caribbean cruise.

Jan Larson also presented a free agency quiz.  Mike Dillon and Dan Walsh tied with 16 points each.

Some ideas were tossed out for how the chapter might celebrate SABR Day ’12 and it was suggested that the April 2012 meeting be held at the Dell Diamond for the exhibition game between the Express and the two-time American League champion Texas Rangers.

The first meeting of 2012 will be the annual Winter Meeting scheduled for Saturday, January 14 at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX.

 

Know Your Free Agents

Know Your Free Agents

(presented at the monthly meeting on Dec. 15, 2011)

(Move the mouse over the blank space to see the answer)
1. Who were the two players that played without contracts in 1975 and then were declared free agents by an arbiter before the 1976 season thereby opening the door to free agency as we know it?
Andy Messersmith
Dave McNally
  
2. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson signed as a free agent with three different clubs during his career.  Name the team that Jackson played for in the season before his first free agent contract and the three clubs with which he signed free agent contracts.

1. Orioles
2. Yankees, Angels, A’s

  
3.

Name the club that each of the following players played for before they signed free agent contracts with their current club (or 2011 club if player is currently an unsigned free agent):

a. David Ortiz

b. Mark Teixeira

c. Albert Pujols

d. Victor Martinez

e. Omar Vizquel

f. Alfonso Soriano

g. Aubrey Huff

h. Juan Uribe

i. Raul Ibanez

j. Lance Berkman

a. Twins

b. Angels

c. Cardinals

d. Red Sox

e. Rangers

f. Nationals

g. Tigers

h. Giants

i. Mariners

j. Yankees

  
4.

Which player was major league baseball’s first free agent?

 Catfish Hunter  
5.

Which club did the player in question no. 4 leave and which club did he join?

A’s, Yankees
  
6. How many free agent contracts did Randy Johnson sign in his career?  With which clubs did he sign free agent contracts?
 Two.  Diamondbacks, Giants.
  
7. Rickey Henderson signed a total of nine free agent contracts in his career.  Name the clubs with which he signed those contracts.
 A’s, A’s, Padres, A’s, Mets, Mariners, Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers
  

 

December Meeting

We will be gathering at Iron Works BBQ located at 100 Red River in downtown Austin on Thursday, December 15 starting at 6:00 p.m. 

There is a small parking lot on-site, a larger lot on the south side of Cesar Chavez plus large pay lots across the street to the east.  Please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

 

Winter Meeting – Saturday, January 14, 2012

 

Society for American Baseball Research
ROGERS HORNSBY CHAPTER
Sixth Annual WINTER MEETING
 
at TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
OLD MAIN BUILDING, ROOM 320
San Marcos, Texas
 
SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 2012
9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
 
 
THE LINEUP:
 
BRANCH RICKEY, President of the Pacific Coast League (… yes, he’s related to that other Branch Rickey)
 
FRANK COFFLAND, former AAA umpire
 
NORMAN MACHT – "The Babe Ruth Era Begins".  Noted baseball author and Connie Mack biographer will read an excerpt from his upcoming book:  Connie Mack: The Turbulent and Triumphant Years 1915-1932
 
MIKE CAPPS, Director of broadcasting for the Round Rock Express
 
SCOTT BARZILLA, Baseball author, sabermetrician and blogger will discuss "Total Player Ratings"
 
 
We’ll also have our usual features:
 
LUNCH – register upon arrival and sign up for your lunch choices; it’ll be delivered — all for a nominal charge.  NOTE – we must have your lunch order by 10am in order to get delivery by noontime.
 
BOOK EXCHANGE – members are encouraged to bring a baseball book to exchange
 
MEMORABILIA DISPLAY – there is scheduled time prior to lunch for memorabilia owners to describe & discuss.
 
DRESS CODE – everyone is encouraged to wear your favorite team’s cap, jersey, or sportswear.
 

You may contact any member of the organizing committee if you have any questions:

Gilbert Martinez : gmartinez46@austin.rr.com

Monte Cely : cely@swbell.net

Jan Larson : jan.a.larson@gmail.com

 
The meeting will be on the third floor in the Old Main building on the Texas State University campus. Look for the elevator on the first floor, or use the stairs. Here’s a photo of Old Main:
 
 
Directions to Texas State University-San Marcos
 
If you’re traveling north from San Antonio, take I-35 and take Exit 206, Aquarena Springs Drive.
 
If you’re traveling south from Austin, take I-35 and take Exit 206, Aquarena Springs Drive.
 
Travel west on Aquarena Springs Drive, which turns into University Drive. After crossing the San Marcos River, you will come to a traffic light. Turn right onto Sessom Drive. Just before the first light, turn left on State Street and go up a steep road toward Old Main. Go through a gate (the gate should be up) and continue up the hill. At the top of the hill, make a sharp left turn and drive up to Old Main. Look for parking on this road that winds around the side and back of Old Main.
 
You can find additional parking at the Pleasant Street Garage, located at the corner of N. LBJ and Pleasant Street. To reach this garage, after you pass through the gate, continue up the hill, then down the hill to the stop sign on Pleasant Street. Turn left; the entrance to the parking garage will be on your left.
 
You do not need a parking pass to park on campus – however, do not park in spaces not marked as parking spaces or in handicapped parking (unless you have the appropriate tag displayed).
 
The meeting room is on the third floor in Room 320. There is an elevator on the first floor, or you can take the stairs.
 
If you get lost or need help, call Gilbert Martinez (cell phone: 512-963-1263).
 
Use this link to see a Googe map showing the Texas State campus in relation to I-35:
 
Use this link to see a closer view of Old Main and the campus:

 
 

Bill Gilbert’s 2011 Season Quiz

Bill Gilbert’s 2011 Season Quiz

(presented at the monthly meeting on Nov. 17, 2011)

(Move the mouse over the blank space to see the answer)
1. Who are the two players that hit 40 home runs in 2011?
1. Jose Bautista
2. Curtis Granderson

 

  
2. Who are the three pitchers that threw no-hitters in 2011?

1. Justin Verlander

2. Ervin Santana

3. Francisco Liriano

  
3.

Which pitcher led the major leagues in strikeouts in 2011?

1. Justin Verlander

  
4.

Who are the three pitchers who were 20-game winners in 2011?

1. Clayton Kershaw

2. Justin Verlander

3. Ian Kennedy

  
5.

Which major league team made the greatest improvement in 2011 over 2010?

 Arizona Diamondbacks
  
6. Which major league team fell the furthest in 2011? Minnesota Twins  
7. Who are the six players that won both Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger Awards in 2011? Here are the positions: First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop and two Outfielders.
 Albert Pujols, Brandon Phillips, Adrian Beltre, Troy Tulowitzki, Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Kemp
  
8. Who led the Astros in home runs in 2011?
 Carlos Lee
  
9. The Texas Rangers had five players with at least 25 home runs in 2011. Who were they?
 Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Mike Napoli
  
10.

Who were the four players with more than 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 2011?

 Ian Kinsler, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Kemp and Ryan Braun
  
11.

Who was the battling champion in the National League in 2011?

 Jose Reyes
  
12. Who was the battling champion in the American League in 2011? Miguel Cabrera
  
13. What major league batter led the major leagues in strikeouts in 2011?
 Drew Stubbs
  
14. The Texas Rangers were twice within one strike of winning the World Series in 2011. Who were the two pitchers that couldn’t get the last out?
 Neftali Feliz and Scott Feldman
  

 

November Meeting Summary

A total of 15 members and guests gathered at Iron Works BBQ for dinner and baseball talk.  Discussion topics included the sale of the Houston Astros to Jim Crane and the impending move of the club to the American League West.  The Astros fans in the group were not happy about this turn of events, to put it mildly.

Chapter member Monte Cely discussed his trip to game seven of the 2011 World Series in St. Louis.  Monte had purchased a game seven ticket prior to game six and flew to St. Louis a few hours after game six ended and was there to witness the Cardinals clinch their eleventh World Series championship.

Other topics included the 2011 post-season awards, the Marlins’ new uniforms, the addition of a second wildcard team to each league and the 2011-12 free agent season.  The Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting agenda was also discussed.  The program is shaping up nicely and it should be an interesting day of presentations and discussions on January 14.

Bill Gilbert presented a trivia quiz on the 2011 regular season.  Steve Fall and Jan Larson tied for the top spot and with no tie-breaker question available, the judging committee declared the contest to be a draw.

The place, date and time of the December meeting is TBD.  Watch this space for details.

November Meeting

We will be gathering at Iron Works BBQ located at 100 Red River in downtown Austin on Thursday, November 17 starting at 6:00 p.m. 

There is a small parking lot on-site, a larger lot on the south side of Cesar Chavez plus large pay lots across the street to the east.  Please RSVP to Jan Larson at jan.a.larson@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

 

Triple Milestones – 2011

Triple Milestones – 2011

 

 

 

By Bill Gilbert

 

 

 

      Offensive production in the major leagues continued to decline slightly in 2011 but not as much as in 2010.  The number of runs per game has declined each year from 9.72 in 2006 to 8.57 in 2011.  The home run rate of 1.87 per game was the lowest since 1993. The major league batting average, on-base percentage and slugging average were all down slightly from 2010. All offensive categories are significantly below the peak year of 2000 as illustrated in the following table:

 

 

 

Year  Runs/Game HR/Game  BAVG   OBA    SLG    OPS     Triple Milestone Hitters

 

—-  ——— ——-  —-   —-   —-   —     ————————

 

1990     8.51     1.58   .258  .324   .386   .710                 2

 

1991     8.62     1.61   .255  .323   .384   .707                 3

 

1992     8.23     1.44   .256  .322   .377   .699                 2

 

1993     9.20     1.78   .266  .332   .404   .736                 5

 

1994     9.85     2.07   .270  .339   .424   .763                 3

 

1995     9.69     2.02   .267  .338   .417   .755                 8

 

1996    10.07     2.19   .270  .340   .427   .767                21

 

1997     9.53     2.05   .267  .337   .419   .756                 7

 

1998     9.58     2.08   .266  .335   .420   .755                14

 

1999    10.17     2.28   .271  .345   .434   .779                19

 

2000    10.28     2.34   .271  .345   .437   .782                26

 

2001     9.55     2.25   .264  .332   .427   .759                21

 

2002     9.24     2.09   .261  .331   .417   .748                12

 

2003     9.46     2.14   .264  .332   .422   .754                 8

 

2004     9.63     2.25   .266  .335   .428   .763                12

 

2005     9.18     2.06   .265  .330   .419   .749                10

 

2006     9.72     2.22   .269  .336   .432   .768                13

 

2007     9.59     2.04   .268  .336   .423   .759                 8 

 

2008     9.30     2.01   .264  .333   .417   .750                 7

 

2009     9.23     2.02   .262  .333   .418   .751                 6

 

2010     8.77     1.90   .257  .325   .403   .728                 6

 

2011     8.57     1.87   .255  .321   .399   .720                 7

 

 

 

      Jose Bautista of Toronto led the majors with 43 home runs in 2011, two more than Curtis Granderson.  Bautista was the only player over 50 in 2010 with 54.  In a bit of a surprise, the 30 home run level was reached by 24 players in 2011 compared to 18 in 2010. 

 

 

 

      A useful indicator for tracking offense is the number of players who hit for both power and average by achieving a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in.  A record 26 players reached all three milestones in 2000, but that figure has dropped significantly in recent years. Only seven players reached all three milestones in 2011, up from six in 2010.  Paul Konerko and Miguel Cabrera were the only players who made it in both 2010 and 2011.  For the first time in his eleven year career, Albert Pujols is not on the list, missing by a couple of whiskers (.299-37-99).  

 

 

  There were four newcomers to the .300-30-100 club in 2011, Jose Bautista, Matt Kemp, Jacoby Ellsbury and Troy Tulowitzki bringing the total to 170 players who have registered at least one .300-30-100 season starting with Babe Ruth in 1920.

 

 

 

      Following is a listing of players who achieved triple milestones

 

in 2011:

 

 

 

Player           Times  BAVG-HR-RBI         Comments

 

National

 

Ryan Braun         3    .332-33-111         Consistently productive.

 

Matt Kemp          1    .324-39-126         Breakout year.

 

Troy Tulowitzki    1    .302-30-105         Came close in 2010.

 

 

 

Player           Times  BAVG-HR-RBI         Comments

 

American

 

Miguel Cabrera     4    .344-30-105  Barely made it on home runs.

 

Paul Konerko       3    .300-31-105  A model of consistency.

 

Jose Bautista      1    .302-43-103  Led majors in HR last 2 years.

 

Jacoby Ellsbury    1    .321-32-105  New highs in HR and RBI.

 

 

 

      Four players achieved triple milestones in 2010 but fell short in 2011:

 

 

 

Player           Times    BAVG-HR-RBI    BAVG-HR-RBI    

 

                 In Past      2011           2010     Comments

 

Albert Pujols     10     .299-37- 99    .312-42-118  Missed for the first time..

 

Josh Hamilton      2     .298-25- 94    .359-32-100  Slowed by injuries.

 

Joey Votto         1     .309-29-103    .324-37-113  Needed one more HR.

 

Carlos Gonzalez    1     .295-26- 92    .336-34-117  Held back by injuries.

 

 

 

 

 

      The biggest obstacle in reaching triple milestones in 2011 was batting average.  Five players had 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in 2011 but fell short of a .300 batting average.

 

 

 

Prince Fielder           .299-38-120      Had better year than Pujols.

 

Adrian Beltre            .296-32-105      Strong in all 3 categories.

 

Curtis Granderson        .262-41-119      Batting average hurt by strikeouts.      

 

Ryan Howard              .253-33-116      6 years with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI.

 

Mark Teixeira            .248-39-111      Career low batting average.

 

     

 

      A growing list contains the names of players, active in 2011, who have had multiple .300-30-100 seasons in the past but have not done it in the last three years.  Many have been limited by injuries. Some are still very productive players like Lance Berkman and David Ortiz, but not at the same level they were in their peak years.  Since this list was started in 2004, not one player has come back with another .300-30-100 season.

 

 

 

                                 Last

 

                .300-30-100  .300-30-100 

 

Player            Seasons       Season       2012     Comments

 

 

 

Manny Ramirez       10           2008    .059- 0-  1  An inglorious end.

 

Alex Rodriguez       8           2008    .276-16- 62  Worst year of career.

 

Vladimir Guerrero    8           2006    .290-13- 63  Clearly in decline.

 

Todd Helton          5           2003    .302-14- 69  Pretty good comeback year.

 

Chipper Jones        5           2001    .275-18- 70  Might be time to retire.

 

Jason Giambi         4           2002    .260-13- 32  Still has power off the bench.

 

Magglio Ordonez      4           2002    .255- 5- 32  Too many injuries. 

 

Lance Berkman        3           2006    .301-31- 94  Comeback player of the year.

 

David Ortiz          3           2007    .309-29- 96  Similar numbers as Berkman.

 

Mark Teixeira        3           2008    .248-39-111  Career low batting average.

 

Jim Thome            2           2002    .256-15- 50  Reached the 600 HR mark.

 

Aramis Ramirez       2           2004    .306-26- 93  Still a dangerous hitter.

 

Miguel Tejada        2           2004    .239- 4- 26  Looks like end of the line.

 

Travis Hafner        2           2006    .280-13- 57  Essentially duplicated 2010.

Vernon Wells         2           2006    .218-25- 66  Big disappointment in Anaheim.

 

Matt Holliday        2           2007    .296-22- 75  Too many injuries.

 

Aubrey Huff          2           2008    .246-12- 59  Mixes bad years with good ones.

 

David Wright         2           2008    .254-14- 61  Bring back Shea Stadium.  

 

 

 

      In his 1988 Baseball Abstract, Bill James referred to triple milestone seasons as "Hall of Fame Seasons".  This was because all of the eligible players with 5 or more triple milestone seasons had been elected to the Hall of Fame.  This correlation was broken in 2011 when Juan Gonzalez and Jeff Bagwell fell short of election in their first year of eligibility.

 

 

 

            No teams had two players with triple milestones in 2011.  Twenty nine of the thirty major league teams have now had at least one triple milestone hitter since the year 2000. Kansas City has not had a triple milestone hitter since Danny Tartabull in 1991.    

 

 

 

 

 

      Minor league players also recorded triple milestone seasons in 2011. 

 

 

 

Player            Team (Level)      Organization     Age   BAVG-HR-RBI  

 

 

 

Bryan LaHair      Iowa (AAA)         Chicago Cubs      28   .331-38-109

 

                  Chicago (NL)                              .288- 2-  6

 

                                                            .326-40-115

 

 

 

Mike Carp         Tacoma (AAA)       Seattle           25   .343-21- 64

 

                  Seattle (AL)                              .276-12- 46

 

                                                            .307-33-110

 

 

 

Matt Adams        Springfield (AA)   St. Louis         22   .300-32-101

 

 

 

      Another was on the verge of a triple milestone season in the minor leagues before he was called up to the majors.                        

 

 

 

Paul Goldschmidt  Mobile (AA)        Arizona           23   .306-30- 94

 

                  Arizona (NL)                              .250- 8- 26

 

                                                            .289-38-120

 

 

 

      Goldschmidt had a minor league triple milestone season in 2010.

 

 

 

      Two former major leaguers had triple milestones in 2011 in the Mexican League.

 

 

Luis Terrero      Mexico City (MEX)  None              31   .390-38-110

 

 

 

Mendy Lopez       Puebla (MEX)       None              37   .321-31-106           

 

     

 

      No college players achieved triple milestones in 2011                                          

 

      Pitchers also strive for triple milestones – 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00. Two pitchers made it in 2011, the same number as in 2010, Justin Verlander (24-5, 250, 2.40) and Clayton Kershaw (21-5, 248, 2.28).  Both made it for the first time and they both won the triple crown for pitchers in their leagues.

 

 

 

      A complete list of players with triple milestone seasons since 1920 can be found at Baseball-Almanac, with the following link.

 

 

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/legendary/triple_milestones.shtml

 

Book Review: Las Estrellas Orientales

Las Estrellas Orientales

The Eastern Stars – How Baseball Changed
the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris
 
by Mark Kurlansky
 
A Baseball Book Review
Monte Cely
(512) 310-9777
                                               
            “What do Rico Carty, Alfredo Griffin, Pedro Guerrero, George Bell, Julio Franco, Juan Samuel, Sammy Sosa, Alfonso Soriano, and Robinson Cano all have in common? They all come from the small sugar-mill town of San Pedro de Macoris in the Dominican Republic. Coincidence? Hardly.”   — NPR
 
            Las Estrellas Orientales (in English, The Eastern Stars), is a story about baseball in the Dominican Republic, and much more. The title is taken from the name of San Pedro’s professional baseball team in the Dominican Winter League, but the story is really about the history of this Dominican town and how it has come to pass that 86 major-leaguers have come from this small city.
 
            The book has a good dose of Dominican history, from pre-Columbian settlement through Spanish colonization, the Trujillo dictatorship, and up to the 21st Century. San Pedro’s development as a sugar mill center in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and its subsequent economic decline, set the stage for a baseball boom fueled by the drive of destitute Macorisanos to escape a life of poverty. Coupled with MLB’s search for cheaper and more plentiful labor, baseball becomes a “be-all-end-all” for a better life for ball-playing youngsters and their families.
 
         This book is an interesting cultural and economic history with a baseball theme. It’s also a very current look at Latin American baseball, having been just recently published. SABR members should enjoy it, especially if you’ll be following the Caribbean World Series in 2012 from Santo Domingo (just an hour to the west of San Pedro de Macoris).
 
Here are the key statistics:
Book: Las Estrellas Orientales (the Eastern Stars) – How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris
Author:  Mark Kurlansky
Author’s Credentials: Kurlansky has written extensively on history, food, and culture. He was a Chicago Tribune reporter on Caribbean topics for seven years.
Published: 2010, Riverhead Books; ISBN: 978-1-59448-505-3
Length: 332 pages.
Price: Retail list – $16.00; Online – from $1.00 (used) + shipping.