Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Other 20/20 Club

When you hear about the 20/20 club in baseball, it generally refers to players with 20+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases in the same season. With less than a quarter of the season to go, talk about players who might be in the club by the end of the season starts becoming more and more prevalent. Since 2000, each season has seen between 4 (in 2003) and 15 (in 2001) members of the 20/20 club each year. Last season, fourteen players had 20+ HR and 20+ SB.

So far this season, Brandon Phillips (20 HR/22 SB), Hanley Ramirez (27/28), and Grady Sizemore (28/30) are already past the 20/20 mark. Carlos Beltran, Lance Berkman, Corey Hart, Matt Holliday, Matt Kemp, Ian Kinsler, and Alex Rodriguez are above fifteen in each category this year, so it's likely at least some more players will make it in the final six weeks of the year.

Now that the usual one is out of the way, I want to talk about another type of 20/20 club. I think of it as a kind of reverse 20/20 club, in a way. I'm talking about players with 20+ GIDP and 20+ errors in the same season. Grounding into a double play is kind of an anti-home run because not only are you costing the team yourself as a potential run-scorer, you are also taking away another potential run-scorer who was already on the bases. Similarly, an error is kind of like an anti-stolen base because rather than giving your team an extra base, you've given your opponent one.

Unfortunately, it's not possible to find all members of the other 20/20 club throughout baseball history. Errors have been recorded way back past 1901, but GIDP have only been recorded in the National League since 1933 and in the American League since 1939. Regardless, there has been a steadily growing membership (76 different players with 101 seasons through 2007) in the group. In the 75 seasons between 1933-2007, a full 25 had no new members of the GIDP & E club, 22 had one member join, 17 had two, 7 had three, 3 had four, and two seasons had six different players reach the 20/20 marks.

Getting to twenty GIDP in a year isn't easy, but it's also not really position-specific. Granted, a speedy, centerfielder type will be harder to double up, but most players with 500-600 plate appearances can potentially reach 20 GIDP. It's in the errors category that a lot of guys are weeded out. To reach twenty errors, you pretty much have to be an infielder. No regular outfielders are in the group, and only one regular catcher and two regular first basemen are in my 20/20 club. Some players may have had an error committed in the outfield or at first base help them reach 20 errors, but most of the time they played second, short, or third. This really isn't a surprise, since those positions get the most chances to make both fielding and throwing errors.

So who are the members of the dubious 20/20 club? I've listed them below alphabetically, with the season(s) they got into the club, as well as their team, the positions at which they committed errors (in order of errors made), and their GIDP and error totals.

20+ GIDP & 20+ E in the Same Season, 1933-2007

NameYearTeamPosition(s)
GIDPE
Dick Allen1971LAD3B/LF/1B2321
Luis Aparicio1949CHWSS2326
Tony Batista2003BAL3B2020
Buddy Bell1984
1985
TEX
TEX/CIN
3B
3B
21
24
20
25
David Bell2005PHI3B2421
Jimmy Bloodworth1943DET2B2921
Lou Boudreau1940CLESS2324
Ken Boyer1963
1964
STL
STL
3B
3B
20
22
34
24
Ed Brinkman1973DETSS2224
Hubie Brooks1985MONSS2028
Rick Burleson1980BOSSS2422
Ed Busch1944PHASS/2B2041
Jorge Cantu2005TBD2B/3B2421
Vinny Castilla1996COL3B2020
Ed Charles1963KCA3B2125
Dick Cole1954PITSS/3B/2B2028
Dave Concepcion1974
1985
CIN
CIN
SS
SS
20
23
30
24
Joe Cronin1941BOSSS/3B2027
Babe Dahlgren1944PIT1B2020
Sam Dente1950WSHSS/2B2534
Bob Dillinger1950PHA/PIT3B2020
Chico Fernandez1957PHISS2126
Julio Franco1983
1984
1985
CLE
CLE
CLE
SS
SS
SS
21
23
26
28
36
35
Nomar Garciaparra1998BOSSS2025
Mike Goliat1950PHI2B2021
Joe Gordon1942NYY2B2228
Dick Groat1955
1958
1959
1961
1966
PIT
PIT
PIT
PIT
PHI
SS
SS
SS
SS
SS/3B
20
21
21
22
20
32
20
29
32
20
Granny Hamner1949
1951
1957
PHI
PHI
PHI
SS
SS
2B
20
20
23
32
31
21
Ron Hansen1965CHWSS2126
Jim Ray Hart
1966
SFG
3B/LF
23
26
Charlie Hayes1993COL3B2520
Billy Herman1933
1939
CHC
CHC
2B
2B
21
24
45
29
Pinky Higgins1941
1942
DET
DET
3B
3B
20
21
26
30
Billy Hitchcock1950PHA2B/SS3022
Butch Hobson1979BOS3B2325
Johnny Hudson1938BRO2B2027
Randy Jackson1951
1953
CHC
CHC
3B
3B
21
20
24
22
Gregg Jefferies1992KCR3B2426
Billy Johnson1948NYY3B2220
Willie Jones1949PHI3B2027
Billy Jurges1938
1939
CHC
NYG
SS
SS
22
26
34
28
George Kell1944PHA3B2820
Buddy Kerr1950BSNSS2128
Harmon Killebrew1970MIN3B/1B2820
Don Kolloway1947CHW2B/3B/1B2227
Hal Lanier1970SFGSS2022
Sam Leslie1933NYG/BRO1B2021
Johnny Lipon1950DETSS2033
Hector Lopez1958KCA2B/3B2321
Frank Malzone1958
1960
BOS
BOS
3B
3B
21
20
27
26
Bill Mazeroski1964PIT2B2123
Bill Melton1973CHW3B2023
Cass Michaels1949CHW2B2022
Willie Montanez1976SFG/ATL1B2622
Jo-Jo Morrissey1933CIN2B/SS/3B2140
Thurman Munson1975NYYC2323
Marty Perez1972ATLSS2127
Tony Perez1969CIN3B2032
Aramis Ramirez2003PIT/CHC3B2133
Rafael Ramirez1985ATLSS2132
Pee Wee Reese
1954
1955
BRO
BRO
SS
SS
20
22
25
23
Cal Ripken, Jr.1983
1985
BAL
BAL
SS
SS
24
32
25
26
Alex Rodriguez2006NYY3B2224
Bill Russell1977
1979
LAD
LAD
SS
SS
23
20
29
30
Ron Santo1961
1969
1973
CHC
CHC
CHC
3B
3B
3B
25
21
27
31
27
20
George Scott1977BOS1B2424
Vern Stephens1948BOSSS2524
Dick Stuart1961
1963
PIT
BOS
1B
1B
22
24
21
29
Pete Suder1941
1942
PHA
PHA
3B/SS
SS/3B/2B
23
20
21
22
Miguel Tejada2004
2005
BAL
BAL
SS
SS
24
26
24
22
Felix Torres1963LAA3B/1B2023
Gil Torres1944WSH3B/1B/2B2024
John Valentin1997BOS2B/3B2122
Mickey Witek1943NYG2B2131
Todd Zeile1999
2002
TEX
COL
3B
3B
20
27
25
21
Ryan Zimmerman2007WSN3B2623

So who's got a chance to join this list in 2008? So far, two players have reached the 20 error plateau: Arizona 3B Mark Reynolds and Florida SS Hanley Ramirez. However, Reynolds is at eight GIDP and Ramirez is at five, so it's all but impossible for them to make it. In fact, there is only one player this year with what I consider a realistic shot at making it onto the list. The Seattle shortstop has grounded into fifteen double plays and committed eighteen errors. He's the only 15/15 player so far this year.

Along with checking Daniel Cabrera's HBP total after every start, it might be worth looking to see what Betancourt's done lately for the rest of the year.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Interesting that two front-line players like Hanley Ramirez and Mark Reynolds are at the top of this year's "Other 20-20" club. It just goes to show that managers and clubs are willing to overlook deficiencies in one part of a player's game when the other ones are so valued.

What clubs have to do with group is determine why they are hitting into DPs or causing errors. In these 2 cases, the SS and 3B positions are prime breeding grounds for errors (usually trying to get to a ball and make a "web-gem" play"). Are they playing in the best positions for them?

GIDP is not always a stat entirely due to the player, as there is another person involved. You could have a slow lead runner. This can also be said (although to a lesser degree) for errors, in certain cases. A more effective pitcher or skilled fielder could save these players from earning the E. On the other hand, they could also deserve it and should know better.

HR and SB are entirely attributable to the player's sole action, so I tend to put more credence into that achievement.

Maybe the "Other 20-20" club should have included Caught Stealing and Strikeouts.