Monday, December 29, 2008

Stolen Base Streaks

Consecutive Games With Stolen Bases
1956-2008
  • 12 games
    Bert Campaneris, 15 SB, 6/10/1969 to 6/21/1969

  • 11 games
    Rickey Henderson, 19 SB, 8/14/1983 to 8/24/1983

  • 9 games
    Rickey Henderson, 13 SB, 9/4/1980 to 9/13/1980
    Rickey Henderson, 11 SB, 4/19/1986 to 4/27/1986
    Corey Patterson, 11 SB, 5/27/2006 to 6/5/2006

  • 8 games
    Vince Coleman, 12 SB, 8/26/1987 to 9/4/1987
    Kenny Lofton, 11 SB, 9/26/1995 to 4/3/1996
    Kenny Lofton, 13 SB, 9/9/1996 to 9/16/1996

  • 7 games
    Tommy Harper, 9 SB, 5/21/1969 to 5/28/1969
    Joe Morgan, 8 SB, 8/10/1973 to 8/17/1973
    Davey Lopes, 7 SB, 9/2/1976 to 9/9/1976
    Ron LeFlore, 7 SB, 6/8/1980 to 6/14/1980
    Dave Collins, 9 SB, 7/1/1980 to 7/6/1980
    Tim Raines, 12 SB, 8/26/1981 to 9/3/1981
    Rickey Henderson, 9 SB, 4/28/1982 to 5/3/1982
    Gary Pettis, 10 SB, 5/5/1985 to 5/14/1985
    Rickey Henderson, 12 SB, 5/2/1988 to 5/10/1988
    Marquis Grissom, 9 SB, 5/26/1991 to 6/2/1991
    Pat Listach, 8 SB, 5/22/1992 to 5/29/1992
Three other players besides Corey Patterson have had six-game streaks since 2000. They are Jose Reyes (in 2005 and 2007), Chone Figgins (2005), and Luis Matos (2001).

Consecutive Games Caught Stealing
1956-2008
  • 5 games
    Craig Biggio, 8/31/1993 to 9/6/1993
    Carl Everett, 5/26/1998 to 5/31/1998
    Scott Podsednik, 7/23/2005 to 7/27/2005

  • 4 games
    Don Buford, 5/22/1967 to 5/26/1967
    Bud Harrelson, 8/6/1967 to 8/9/1967
    Ben Oglivie, 7/18/1975 to 7/21/1975
    Lou Brock, 8/2/1977 to 8/6/1977
    Lonnie Smith, 6/26/1982 to 6/29/1982
    Steve Sax, 4/7/1984 to 4/11/1984
    Randy Johnson, 9/5/1984 to 9/8/1984
    Chili Davis, 5/14/1986 to 5/18/1986
    Lenny Dykstra, 7/8/1989 to 7/13/1989
    Delino DeShields, 6/13/1990 to 7/12/1990
    Ray Lankford, 10/1/1991 to 10/5/1991
    Shane Mack, 6/26/1992 to 6/29/1992
    Chone Figgins, 7/15/2006 to 7/18/2006
Besides Podsednik and Figgins, players have been caught stealing in three or more consecutive games sixteen times since 2000. The most recent player to be so unsuccessful on the basepaths was Jacoby Ellsbury from July 3-5 last season.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Consecutive Games Without a Run Scored

Since I posted on Monday about players scoring runs in consecutive games, I though it'd be interesting to look at the opposite record. To count as a game played, I've required players to have at least one plate appearance in the game. I've also taken out pitchers because most of them are horrible with a bat. I guess I'm not all that interested in seeing a list with a bunch of pitchers on it. With pitchers taken away, players often used as pinch hitters have an advantage since it only takes one plate appearance to further the streak.

It turns out that twelve players have come up to bat in 50+ straight games without managing to score. They were all primarily pinch hitters during their streaks, though some guys started a few games here and there.

Most Consecutive Games Without a Run Scored, 1956-2008
(minimum 1 PA in each game)
  • Smoky Burgess, 148 games, 6/30/1965 to 6/23/1967
    .283/.373/.346 in 127 AB

  • Razor Shines, 64 games, 9/12/1983 to 5/14/1987
    .188/.241/.200 in 80 AB

  • Jose Morales, 61 games, 8/18/1976 to 7/3/1977
    .194/.236/.239 in 67 AB

  • Bob Hale, 60 games, 8/27/1960 to 8/24/1961
    .204/.233/.241 in 54 AB

  • Rusty Staub, 60 games, 9/17/1983 to 7/31/1984
    .264/.317/.340 in 53 AB

  • Boog Powell, 56 games, 9/21/1976 to 8/24/1977
    .219/.359/.250 in 64 AB

  • Wally Moon, 55 games, 6/25/1964 to 5/31/1965
    .192/.267/.205 in 78 AB

  • Ron Northey, 52 games, 9/11/1956 to 7/23/1957
    .256/.423/.282 in 39 AB

  • Scott Livingstone, 52 games, 5/8/1998 to 9/26/1998
    .202/.227/.250 in 84 AB

  • Bill Heath, 51 games, 9/30/1966 to 8/15/1969
    .139/.284/.167 in 72 AB

  • Terry Puhl, 51 games, 4/25/1987 to 8/15/1987
    .186/.240/.200 in 70 AB

  • Bob Molinaro, 50 games, 6/11/1982 to 4/5/1983
    .213/.260/.234 in 47 AB

It should be noted that when you take out his games on the mound, pitcher Don Newcombe appeared in 63 consecutive games from 1957 to 1960 as a pinch hitter without scoring a run. When you include his mound appearances, his streak is broken up into insignificant chunks.

The most recent streak on that list is Scott Livingstone's. Since the end of that streak, Orlando Palmeiro's 47 games in 2006 is the longest non-scoring streak. Mark Sweeney had the longest scoring drought in 2008 when he hit .089/.125/.111 in 45 AB over forty games between May 3 and July 27.

But who really cares about pinch hitters not scoring? I think it's more impressive for starters to be stranded on the bases for a long period of time. To try and find the longest streaks of starters not scoring, I've tweaked the criteria. Instead of needing only one plate appearance in a game to be counted for the streak, now players need at least two. Since most defensive replacements and pinch hitters don't come into the game early enough to bat twice, this should narrow the list down to guys who started a majority of games during their streaks. Note: much like how coming up to bat and walking doesn't end hitting streaks, coming in as a pinch hitter and batting only once (regardless of outcome) doesn't end this streak. It's not perfect, but it works for me.

It turns out twelve players (one twice!) had 30 straight games of 2+ plate appearances without scoring. This should be pretty apparent, but they all hit extremely poorly while they weren't coming around to touch home plate.

Most Consecutive Games Without a Run Scored, 1956-2008
(minimum 2 PA in each game)
  • Mario Guerrero, 42 games, 8/11/1978 to 4/30/1979
    .227/.250/.253 in 150 AB

  • Tommy Helms, 36 games, 5/5/1970 to 6/21/1970
    .207/.221/.237 in 135 AB

  • Doug Camilli, 34 games, 5/16/1964 to 8/28/1964
    .176/.225/.206 in 102 AB

  • Norm Sherry, 33 games, 5/25/1963 to 9/18/1963
    .151/.221/.163 in 86 AB

  • Dan Graham, 33 games, 5/10/1981 to 10/3/1981
    .151/.200/.172 in 93 AB

  • Leo Cardenas, 32 games, 7/1/1963 to 8/8/1963
    .093/.157/.121 in 107 AB

  • Al Pedrique, 32 games, 5/31/1988 to 6/18/1989
    .194/.240/.224 in 98 AB

  • Enzo Hernandez, 31 games, 5/22/1972 to 6/28/1972
    .211/.277/.237 in 76 AB

  • Bob Barton, 31 games, 9/19/1971 to 5/29/1972
    .228/.262/.238 in 101 AB

  • Ed Brinkman, 31 games, 8/12/1968 to 9/15/1968
    .220/.289/.244 in 82 AB

  • Bob Barton, 30 games, 7/24/1968 to 7/19/1969
    .227/.296/.227 in 88 AB

  • Dave Skaggs, 30 games, 5/27/1979 to 8/31/1979
    .212/.264/.224 in 85 AB

  • Bruce Benedict, 30 games, 7/28/1986 to 4/18/1987
    .151/.223/.172 in 93 AB
I guess Bob Barton wasn't paid for his run-scoring ability. No one on the list had an OPS over .533 in their small samples, but Leo Cardenas was at the bottom of the pack with a horrible .278 OPS. The most recent streak on the list belonged to Al Pedrique, almost twenty years ago. In the time since, the longest streak was 27 games, done first by Brent Mayne in 1995 and equaled by Mark Parent in 1997-1998. The longest scoring drought by a regular player in 2008 was achieved by Brewers catcher Jason Kendall. Between May 17 and June 10, a span of 20 games, he hit .179/.243/.239 in 67 AB without coming around to score.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Consecutive Games With a Run Scored Since 1956

Unless a player is a home run hitter or speed demon, moving along the basepaths and scoring requires some luck. It all starts out with getting on base, something the batter can control himself. After that, barring stolen bases, he needs his teammates to come through and bring him around to score. This means the following list is a combination of players who got on base often and were lucky in terms of teammates driving them in. Even if it's mostly luck, it's still fun to look at.

Since 1956, twenty players have scored a run in thirteen or more consecutive games. Unfortunately, data from before then isn't readily available but the all-time record is 24 games, set by Phillies outfielder Billy Hamilton in 1894. The all-time American League record is 18 games by Yankees' third baseman Red Rolfe in 1939 and tied by the first guy on the list below.

Consecutive Games With a Run Scored
1956-2008

  • 18 games
    Kenny Lofton, CLE, 8/15/2000 to 9/3/2000

  • 17 games
    Jim Thome, CHW, 4/2/2006 to 4/22/2006
    Rickie Weeks, MIL, 9/18/2007 to 4/4/2008

  • 16 games
    Curt Flood, STL, 9/24/1967 to 4/23/1968
    Paul Molitor, MIL, 9/9/1987 to 9/25/1987

  • 15 games
    Bob Horner, ATL, 4/23/1982 to 5/13/1982
    Lenny Dykstra, PHI, 6/6/1993 to 6/20/1993
    Dante Bichette, COL, 9/10/1993 to 4/14/1994
    Steve Finley, SDP, 6/26/1996 to 7/13/1996
    Carlos Beltran, HOU, 8/23/2004 to 9/7/2004
    Lance Berkman, HOU, 4/26/2008 to 5/12/2008
    Matt Holliday, COL, 7/27/2008 to 8/10/2008

  • 14 games
    Willie Mays, SFG, 5/7/1959 to 5/20/1959
    Bill Bruton, MLN, 7/5/1960 to 7/22/1960
    Kirby Puckett, MIN, 4/18/1986 to 5/3/1986
    Lloyd Moseby, TOR, 8/5/1986 to 8/21/1986

  • 13 games
    Hank Aaron, MLN, 7/15/1956 to 7/27/1956
    Tommy Harper, MIL, 5/12/1970 to 5/31/1970
    Bob Brenly, SFG, 8/24/1984 to 9/3/1984
    Tony Armas, BOS, 9/21/1984 to 4/14/1985

Friday, December 19, 2008

Whiffing at Second

Baseball has stereotypes about the offense provided by players at each defensive position. First basemen and designated hitters are expected to be sluggers. Third basemen and corner outfielders are expected to fill in the heart of the order around those sluggers. A center fielder with power is nice, but as long as he's fast and has a good glove, it's okay if he can't drive the ball. Any offense a catcher provides is a bonus. Shortstops are also poor hitters who make up for it with defense. That changed in the last decade when a number of good-hitting shortstops reached the majors, but you can still find some offensive black holes at shortstop around the league.

Second base is another position that has had its share of good hitters debut in recent years. Since 1956, second basemen have combined to put up an OPS+ of between 90 and 95. In three of the last four seasons, however, second basemen have been league average, putting up a collective OPS+ of 100. Since 1993, the 2B OPS+ has dipped below 95 only five times.

Second basemen have also hit for more power in recent years. Of course, any fan can tell you the same thing has happened throughout the major leagues. From the end of the deadball era in 1920 through 1992, the major league slugging percentage topped .400 only ten times. Since 1993, the MLB slugging percentage hasn't fallen below .403 (the next lowest was .416 last year). From 1956 through 1992, second basemen usually slugged around .030 under the league rate. Since 1993, that number has fallen closer to .020 and three of the last four years have seen a difference of .007 or less. Using raw numbers, after never once topping even .380 between 1956 and 1992, second basemen haven't slugged under .380 since 1993 (.378). A second baseman topped 20 home runs 46 times from 1876 through 1992. Since 1993, second basemen have reached 20 home runs 61 times.

The theme of this post is second basemen striking out. It's become less notable as strikeouts have gone up, but 100 always used to be a milestone for single-season strikeouts. Hitters who managed to whiff into triple digits were considered hackers. Consider that from 1901 to 1920, only three players reached 100 strikeouts in a season, all in 1913 or 1914. After 1920, no one struck out 100 times in a year until Bruce Campbell in 1932. Only fifty-seven batters reached the century mark between 1920 and 1960. Then, in 1961, the numbers started jumping up. In 1961 alone, ten players topped 100, the same number of players who did so in the 1930's. Twelve batters hit triple digits in 1962, and twenty-two did so in 1963. In four years from 1961 to 1964, more batters struck out 100 times in a season than in the previous forty years.

There's a simple fact that skews these numbers. In 1961, the American League played a 162-game schedule for the first time. In 1962, the National League did the same thing. Eight extra games over the old standard 154-game schedule may not sound like a lot, but when coupled with the already noted rising strikeout rates, it obviously pushed a lot of players over 100 strikeouts. The number of players topping 100 each year has gone up and down with the strikeout rate (surprise!), right on through to today. In fact, 2007 set and 2008 tied a record for the most batters with 100+ strikeouts: 86. That's almost three players for every team!

This post was originally going to look at second baseman who've struck out more than 100 times in a season. I figured that a position not normally known for producing power hitters wouldn't have very many high strikeout totals, at least until recent years. Instead, my post wound up looking at second basemen hitting compared to league hitting and then rambled into a discussion of strikeouts and strikeout rates over time. Finally, however, I'm ready to do what I wanted when I started writing this: look at whiffing second basemen!

When do you think the first second baseman (meaning a player who spent at least half his games at second) topped 100 K's in a year? The 1930's? World War II? The 1950's? If you said any of those, you'd be wrong. Nope, it took until the introduction of the 162-game schedule for the first second baseman to reach the century mark. Ironically, it wouldn't have mattered if his team only played 154 games. In 1961, Tigers rookie Jake Wood played in all 162 games and struck out a then-record 141 times. After running into a rough sophomore slump, he lost his starting job and never really recovered it.

He wasn't the only notable whiffer at second base during the 1960's. Jerry Kindall, Ken Hubbs, Dick McAuliffe, and Jerry Buchek all went over 100 once. Dick Green did it twice. But Bobby Knoop was the first second baseman to strike out 100+ times regularly. He did so five straight years from 1964 to 1968 before losing his hitting stroke at the age of 30. Knoop had above-average pop for a second baseman, but his real calling card was defense: he won three straight Gold Gloves starting in 1966.

Strikeouts dipped leaguewide during the 1970's, and the number of second basemen reaching triple digits in a year saw a steep drop. Only three players topped 100 in the 1970's: Dave Campbell, Pedro Garcia, and Bobby Grich. Campbell and Garcia saw their playing time slashed in the years following their hacktastic seasons. Grich, however, was just at the beginning of an excellent career. From 1974 to 1982, Grich was the only second baseman to go over 100 K's, doing so three times.

From 1983 to 1992, Ron Oester, Ryne Sandberg, Lou Whitaker, and Ron Gant all surged past the century mark once. Delino DeShields did so twice and Robby Thompson got there three times. The most prodigious whiffer of the 1980's, however, was the Phillies' Juan Samuel. During his rookie season Samual established a second baseman record with 168 strikeouts. He struck out over 120 times in each of his first seven seasons at second base, but he made up for it with good power for his position.

It wasn't until 1996 that 100+ strikeouts really became commonplace for second sackers. Since that year, at least two and usually more than five second basemen have topped 100 K's every season. In 2008 alone, seven second baseman passsed the century mark (can you name them?) There have been plenty of multiple offenders, too. Bret Boone holds the record with eight such seasons, one more than Samuel. Craig Biggio did it six times in his career. He's in the outfield now, but Alfonso Soriano reached 100 five times at second, the same number of times as Jeff Kent. Ray Durham is the only other second baseman to ever reach 100 four times. Dan Uggla and Chase Utley have a chance at joining Durham at four next year.

Give up identifying the seven 100-K second basemen in 2008? They were Uggla (171), Akinori Iwamura (131), Rickie Weeks (115), Kelly Johnson (113), Mark DeRosa (106), Brian Roberts (104), and Utley (104).

As the major league strikeout rate has gone up, so has the strikeout rate for second baseman. The same effect can be seen in hitting for power. Looking at the list of multiple 100-K second basemen, they all have or had decent power. It's safe to say that as long as major league hitters strikeout at record paces (almost 20% of all at bats last year!) and have higher slugging percentages than any other era in baseball history, multiple second basemen will top 100 K's every year.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

A+ Errors by Position

Check out my AAA errors by position and AA errors by position posts for more numbers and information. Those higher levels are straightforward: all thirty major league teams have one affiliate in one league at each level. Thus each level has thirty teams split between two leagues (in AAA) or three leagues (in AA). Teams in AAA play around 144 games per season while AA teams play around 140 games. Once you get to A ball, however, things get more complicated.

There are seven different leagues in Class A ball. The playing level of these leagues are not all equal, though, so the class is broken up into three separate sub-classes. First is A+, or High A+, or Advanced A ball. This consists of the California League, the Carolina League, and the Florida State League. All thirty major league teams have an affiliate at this level. These teams play 140 games per season.

There's also good, old-fashioned, regular A ball. Only two leagues, the Midwest League and South Atlantic League, occupy this level. The two leagues contain thirty teams, one for each major league club. All of these teams play the standard 140 games per season.

Finally, there is A-, or Low A, baseball. This level consists of only two leagues: the New York-Penn league and the Northwest League. Only twenty-two major league teams have affiliates at this level. What's more, these leagues play abbreviated schedules running from June until September. The fact that each team plays around 75 games leads to these being called short-season leagues. Usually these leagues are home to recent draftees and other young minor leaguers. Many times a young player spends April until June on a major league team's regular A ball affiliate before being assigned to a short-season affiliate to get regular playing time.

As you can guess by the title, today I am looking at errors committed at each position in A+ ball. The format is going to stay the same as that in my previous two posts. Since teams play roughly the same number as games as teams in AA and AAA, there shouldn't need to be changes to the minimum total chances for the fielding percentage leaderboards.


A+ Pitchers

A+ Pitchers Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.
TC
EFPct.
Eric Niesen
St. Lucie
NYM
31
7.774
Anthony Varvaro
High Desert
SEA
30
6
.800
R.J. Rodriguez
Lake Elsinore
SDP
28
6
.786
Esmil Rogers
ModestoCOL
33
5
.848
Jesse English
San Jose
SFG
26
5
.808
Kyle Schmidt
FrederickBAL
14
5
.643
11 tied with



4

A+ Pitchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 20 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Eric Niesen
St. Lucie
NYM
31
7
.774
R.J. Rodriguez
Lake Elsinore
SDP
28
6
.786
Anthony Varvaro
High Desert
SEA
30
6
.800
Jesse English
San Jose
SFG
26
5
.808
Ernesto Frieri
Lake Elsinore
SDP
22
4
.818
Rafael Gonzalez
SarasotaCIN
22
4
.818
James Heuser
StocktonOAK
22
4
.818
Esmil Rogers
ModestoCOL
33
5
.848
Brandon Durden
ModestoCOL
20
3
.850
Ryan Ouellette
FrederickBAL
20
3
.850
CAL Pitchers

2684171.936
CAR Pitchers

2131
141.934
FSL Pitchers

2903
164.944
A+ Pitchers

7718476.938

The Florida State League had the most total chances, as expected of the league with the most teams (12, against the California League's 10 and the Carolina League's 8). Part of it may be having the fewest teams, but the Carolina League only had one representative on the lowest fielding percentage board (Ouellette in tenth place). That's interesting considering the league as a whole had the worst fielding percentage for pitchers. The Carolina League's leaders in pitcher errors had four. There were three hurlers tied for that honor.


A+ Catchers

A+ Catchers Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Carlos Santana
2 Teams
2Tm
850
19.978
Tyler Flowers
Myrtle Beach
ATL
769
12.984
Ed Easley
VisaliaARI
757
12.984
Michael McKenry
ModestoCOL
775
11
.986
Eddy Rodriguez
SarasotaCIN
542
11
.980
Jackson Williams
San Jose
SFG
435
11
.975
Travis Scott
High Desert
SEA
566
10
.982
Alan Robbins
ClearwaterPHI
280
10
.964
5 tied with



9


A+ Catchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 400 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Jackson Williams
San Jose
SFG
435
11.975
Josh Donaldson
StocktonOAK
402
9
.978
Carlos Santana
2 Teams
2Tm
850
19
.978
Eddy Rodriguez
SarasotaCIN
542
11
.980
Chris Hatcher
JupiterFLA
482
9
.981
Travis Scott
High Desert
SEA
566
10
.982
Jonathan Still
LancasterBOS
479
8
.983
Matthew Morizio
WilmingtonKCR
424
7
.983
Koby Clemens
Salem
HOU
488
8
.984
Ed Easley
VisaliaARI
757
12
.984
Tyler Flowers
Myrtle Beach
ATL
769
12
.984
CAL Catchers

11675163.986
CAR Catchers

8852117.987
FSL Catchers

12875
168.987
A+ Catchers

33402448
.987

Unlike the catchers' errors leaders in AAA and AA, Carlos Santana doesn't show up on top because of his remarkable durability. He caught the second-most innings (880.2) in A+ ball this year, behind Mitch Canham (918.1) of Lake Elsinore. Santana started 101 games against Canham's 104. Santana just happened to be error-prone last year, though he did finish with only the third-lowest fielding percentage among qualifiers. All three leagues wound up pretty even in terms of fielding percentage.

A+ First Basemen

A+ 1B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Ernesto Mejia
Myrtle Beach
ATL
117723
.980
Mark Trumbo
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
1020
20
.980
Matthew Fields
Vero Beach
TBR
1252
17.986
Kent Sakamoto
LynchburgPIT
1114
13.988
Brandon Allen
Winston-SalemCHW850
13
.985
Logan Morrison
JupiterFLA
1154
12
.990
Brian Dopirak
DunedinTOR
798
11
.986
Brandon Snyder
FrederickBAL
765
11
.986
Stephen Chapman
Brevard County
MIL
707
11
.984
5 tied with



10


A+ 1B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 500 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Mark Trumbo
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
1020
20
.980
Ernesto Mejia
Myrtle Beach
ATL
1177
23
.980
Stephen Chapman
Brevard County
MIL
707
11
.984
Brandon Allen
Winston-SalemCHW
850
13
.985
Johnny Woodard
Fort Myers
MIN
525
8
.985
Brandon Snyder
Frederick
BAL
765
11
.986
Brian Dopirak
DunedinTOR
798
11
.986
Jeremy Hunt
Lake Elsinore
SDP
729
10
.986
Andrew Lefave
Potomac
WSN
515
7
.986
Matthew Fields
Vero Beach
TBR
1252
17
.986
CAL 1B

13276170.987
CAR 1B

10814147.986
FSL 1B

15255
165.989
A+ 1B

39345482
.988

A pretty straight forward set of leaderboards. The top two errors guys are also first and second in fielding percentage. Mejia was second in innings played at first base behind Matthew Fields. Despite finishing second in errors, Mark Trumbo was only eleventh in innings played. Besides Fields and Mejia, Logan Morrison and Michael Paulk were the only other A+ first basemen to top 1000 innings played.

A+ Second Basemen

A+ 2B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Travis Jones
Myrtle Beach
ATL
51919
.963
Angel Gonzalez
LynchburgPIT
437
18.959
Miguel Abreu
Frederick
BAL
547
17.969
Chih-Hsien Chiang
Lancaster
BOS
301
17.944
Eric Sogard
Lake Elsinore
SDP
563
15.973
Ryan Mount
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
372
13.965
Daniel Descalso
Palm Beach
STL
497
12.976
Jose Vallejo
Bakersfield
TEX
371
12.968
Manuel Ferrer
Visalia
ARI
322
12
.963
Renny Osuna
Bakersfield
TEX
303
12
.960
Damon Sublett
Tampa
NYY
191
12
.937

A+ 2B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 250 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Chih-Hsien Chiang
LancasterBOS301
17
.944
Angel Gonzalez
LynchburgPIT437
18
.959
Renny Osuna
Bakersfield
TEX303
12.960
Manuel Ferrer
VisaliaARI322
12
.963
Travis Jones
Myrtle Beach
ATL519
19
.963
Ryan Mount
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
372
13
.965
Frank Martinez
StocktonOAK297
10
.966
Jose Vallejo
BakersfieldTEX371
12.968
Miguel Abreu
FrederickBAL547
17
.969
Scott Sizemore
LakelandDET266
8
.970
CAL 2B

7001
218.969
CAR 2B

5299
142
.973
FSL 2B

8131
207
.975
A+ 2B

20431
567
.972

The Rangers organization has the unusual distinction of placing two players on the list. Not only did they split time in the field, they split time ineffectively. However, both players had better years with the leather than Chih-Hsien Chiang. Collectively, all three did their part to ensure the California League had a low fielding percentage compared to the other leagues.


A+ Third Basemen

A+ 3B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
John Whittleman
BakersfieldTEX
308
27
.912
CJ Retherford
Winston-SalemCHW
356
24
.933
Billy Rowell
FrederickBAL
29522
.925
Zak Farkes
Lancaster
BOS
148
22
.851
Jhon Florentino
SalemHOU
338
21.938
Cesar Suarez
Vero Beach
TBR
290
21
.928
Jim Negrych
LynchburgPIT
239
21
.912
Jesus Gonzalez
DunedinTOR
282
19.933
Jared Goedert
Kinston
CLE
271
19
.930
Taylor Green
Brevard County
MIL
273
18.934

A+ 3B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 125 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Zak Farkes
LancasterBOS148
22
.851
Leonard Davis
PotomacWSN148
14
.905
Jim Negrych
Lynchburg
PIT239
21
.912
John Whittleman
BakersfieldTEX308
27
.912
Leivi Ventura
St. Lucie
NYM129
11
.915
Jorge Jimenez
Lancaster
BOS
138
11
.920
Austin Gallagher
Inland Empire
LAD126
10
.921
Michael Bertram
LakelandDET
139
11.921
Joshua Lansford
DaytonaCHC177
14
.921
Ricardo Sosa
Visalia
ARI
214
16
.925
Billy Rowell
FrederickBAL295
22
.925
CAL 3B

3636
286.921
CAR 3B

3212
236
.927
FSL 3B

4439
304.932
A+ 3B

11287
826
.927

Alright, I admit that I changed the minimum threshold for the fielding percentage list down from 150 total chances to 125 total chances. I did this because there were relatively few third baseman who reached the former minimum. Changing the number to 125 allowed for the inclusion of the two worst fielders. Like the Texas Rangers in the second baseman list, the Boston Red Sox have the dubious distinction of two players in the fielding percentage leaderboard. Once again the California League lags behind the others in fielding.


A+ Shortstops

A+ SS Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Marcus Lemon
BakersfieldTEX
532
43
.919
P.J. Phillips
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
628
37
.941
Ruben Tejada
St. Lucie
NYM
580
30
.948
Fidel Hernandez
ClearwaterPHI554
30
.946
Daniel Mayora
ModestoCOL
39330
.924
Chris McConnell
WilmingtonKCR556
28
.950
Jairo de la Rosa
Vero Beach
TBR
349
28
.920
Carlos Rivero
KinstonCLE459
24
.948
Luis Sanchez
Dunedin
TOR497
23
.954
Greg Paiml
Winston-Salem
CHW416
22
.947

A+ SS Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 250 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Marcus Lemon
BakersfieldTEX532
43
.919
Jairo de la Rosa
Vero Beach
TBR349
28
.920
Daniel Mayora
Modesto
COL393
30
.924
Carlos Triunfel
High Desert
SEA337
21
.938
Brent Brewer
Brevard County
MIL322
19
.941
P.J. Phillips
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
628
37
.941
Fidel Hernandez
Clearwater
PHI554
30
.946
Greg Paiml
Winston-SalemCHW
416
22
.947
Carlos Rivero
KinstonCLE459
24
.948
Ruben Tejada
St. Lucie
NYM
580
30
.948
Seth Bynum
PotomacWSN252
13
.948
CAL SS


6575
342
.948
CAR SS


5296
254
.952
FSL SS


7735
381.951
A+ SS


19606
977
.950

A Rangers prospect committed the most errors in AA as well. This time, Marcus Lemon and P.J. Phillips are almost stunningly head and shoulders above the rest of the league. Then again, looking at the fielding percentage table shows that he would have had company in the 40+ errors club if not for a lack of playing time given to other players. The California League still has the lowest fielding percentage of the three, but it's back to being pretty close to the other two leagues.

A+ Outfielders

A+ OF Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Carlos Peguero
High Desert
SEA
125
12.904
Michael McBryde
San Jose
SFG
269
11.959
Jason Place
LancasterBOS
250
10
.960
Javis Diaz
Lake Elsinore
SDP
148
10
.932
Jermaine Mitchell
StocktonOAK
2149
.958
Cory Patton
Dunedin
TOR
191
9
.953
6 tied with



8


A+ OF Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Jermaine Mitchell
StocktonOAK
2149
.958
Michael McBryde
San Jose
SFG
26911
.959
Jason Place
Lancaster
BOS
250
10
.960
Anthony Norman
Rancho Cucamonga
LAA
2228
.964
James McOwen
High Desert
SEA
2248
.964
Salvador Sanchez
Winston-SalemCHW
210
7
.967
Ezequiel Carrera
St. Lucie
NYM
2458
.967
Paulo Orlando
WilmingtonKCR
2608
.969
Peter Clifford
VisaliaARI
210
6
.971
Charlie Fermaint
Brevard County
MIL
221
6
.973
Truan Mehl
BakersfieldTEX
2597
.973
CAL OF

8655267.969
CAR OF

6597
152.977
FSL OF

10114226
.978
A+ OF

25366645.975

Carlos Peguero had such an iron glove that he managed to lead the entire level in errors without amassing enough total chances to appear on my fielding percentage leaderboard. He didn't spend much time in the field in 2007, so this probably isn't a fluky year. Javis Diaz also appeared on the errors board without qualifying for the fielding percentage board. Without looking up an inch to get the answer, take a wild guess at which league had the lowest outfield fielding percentage. I know offense is skewed by the altitude of some California League parks. I wonder how much those conditions affect defense for those teams.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Contract Incentives and Games Finished

Every year, some free agents sign contracts containing both a base salary and some sort of incentives based on the player's performance over the course of the deal. Those bonuses generally are related to playing time, whether it's games played or plate appearances for hitters or appearances or starts for pitchers. The reason incentives are related to such mundane things like games played is because pretty much everything else is off-limits.

As Major League Rule 3(b)(5) says: "No Major League Uniform Player's Contract or Minor League Uniform Player Contract shall be approved if it contains a bonus for playing, pitching or batting skill or if it provides for the payment of a bonus contingent on the standing of the signing Club at the end of the championship season."

The point of the first part of the rule is to prevent players from putting personal contract incentives over team success. For example, imagine a player gets a nice bonus for reaching 30 homers in a season and he's stuck on 29. So, in pursuit of his bonus, the player swings for the fences and strikes out rather than advancing his teammates along the basepaths. Say a pitcher gets a bonus for reaching a certain strikeout total and rather he tries to blow a batter away rather than seeking to induce an inning-ending double play. Unfortunately it doesn't work and the pitch is deposited 400 feet beyond the pitcher's mound. Sound far-fetched and outdated? Maybe, but that's baseball.

To avoid such situations, contract incentives are pretty much limited to those mundane playing time conditions. For relievers, bonuses are often linked to total appearances or games finished. Usually a games finished incentive is considered only at risk of being triggered if the reliever in question is used as a closer. For all the closers who get such incentives (see Matt Capps: $50,000 for 50, 55, and 60 GF next year), there are also some middle relievers who get them as well. A look at Bobby Howry's 2009 contract with the Giants shows this: he gets bonuses for 45, 50, 55, and 60 games finished next year.

The Giants already have a closer, so it's unlikely Howry comes close to triggering those bonuses. Only eighteen pitchers reached 45 games finished last year and all of those guys were closers. So that makes me curious: what is the upper limit on games finished in a season for a non-closer?

First, the actual definition of "games finished." It should be obvious: the last pitcher to pitch for his team in a game (win or loss) is credited with a game finished. The only exception is a starter who throws a complete game. Obviously, it takes no special talent to get them. You just have to be the guy your manager selects to finish a loss, a closer, or the guy picked for recording the final outs of a blowout victory.

So which non-closers racked up games finished in 2008? That depends on who you consider a closer. Consider pitchers like Jon Rauch and Joel Hanrahan. Rauch was the closer for Washington before a mid-season trade sent him to Arizona. He finished the year as a setup man for the Diamondbacks. He wound up with 51 games finished last season, but only ten came in his 26 appearances for Arizona. The other 41 came in his 48 games pitched for Washington. It should be obvious his games finished numbers are fueled by his time spent as a closer. Joel Hanrahan was the guy who took Rauch's place as the Nationals' closer. Hanrahan appeared in 69 games last season, 48 before taking over the closer's role and 21 after. He wound up saving nine games as the Nationals closer, but got a game finished in 17 of those 21 appearances as a closer. Compare that to 17 games finished in his previous 48 games.

Since I'm interested in games finished numbers for non-closers, perhaps the best way is to limit the number of saves a player can get before being considered a closer. The problem then is determining the limit. If Hanrahan can be considered a closer with only nine saves in two months in the role, the limit has to be lower. On the other hand, setting it too low could cut out some relievers who weren't closers but still managed to pick up some saves. To keep things simple, I'm going to use a limit of five saves.

Using that limit, here are the leaders among non-closers in games finished last season:
  1. Clay Condrey, PHI, 30
  2. Bobby Howry, CHC, 27
  3. Matt Lindstrom, FLA, 27
  4. Mike Timlin, BOS, 26
  5. Jesus Colome, WSN, 25
  6. Aaron Heilman, NYM, 23
  7. Manny Acosta, ATL, 22
  8. Jason Hammel, TBR, 21
  9. Doug Brocail, HOU, 21
  10. Cory Wade, LAD, 21
  11. Jason Frasor, TOR, 21
So, as I mentioned, it's very unlikely Howry will trigger his contract incentives next year without becoming the Giants closer. But hey, what can you really learn from only one season? It's easy enough to look up numbers for more than one season, so let's look at the last decade. It turns out Condrey places fifth on that list:
  1. Justin Speier, 2005 TOR, 36
  2. David Riske, 2005 CLE, 33
  3. Salomon Torres, 2005 PIT, 32
  4. Mike Trombley, 2000 BAL, 32
  5. Clay Condrey, 2008 PHI, 30
  6. Luis Vizcaino, 2002 MIL, 30
  7. Brian Moehler, 2007 HOU, 29
  8. Ken Ray, 2006 ATL, 29
  9. Jose Mesa, 2000 SEA, 29
  10. Tim Worrell, 2000 BAL/CHC, 29
I don't know why 2005 would dominate the top of the list. The three pitchers ran the gamut of teams from good (Cleveland) to middling (Toronto) to bad (Pittsburgh). I think it's safe to say that any team giving out games finished contract incentives to middle relievers doesn't have to worry about paying them out as long as they make the lowest bonus kick in at 35 GF or higher. Going as high as 45 before they kick in is just icing on the non-paying cake.

Here's the all-time list of non-closers who reached 35 games finished in a season. Remember that reliever usage has changed drastically over time. Case in point: this list is dominated by players from the 1980's.
  • Joe Berry, 1945 PHA, 40
  • Jack Baldschun, 1961 PHI, 39
  • Kent Tekulve, 1987 PHI, 38
    Dave Heaverlo, 1980 SEA, 38
  • Pete Ladd, 1984 MIL, 37
    Ron Reed, 1979 PHI, 37
  • Justin Speier, 2005 TOR, 36
    Jose Mesa, 1998 CLE/SFG, 36
    Mark Williamson, 1987 BAL, 36
    Craig Lefferts, 1986 SDP, 36
    Greg Minton, 1985 SFG, 36
    Dooley Womack, 1968 NYY, 36
    Ted Wilks, 1952 PIT/CLE, 36
  • Kent Tekulve, 1988 PHI, 35
    Dave Schmidt, 1985 TEX, 35
    Dave Campbell, 1978 ATL, 35
    Dyar Miller, 1977 BAL/CAL, 35

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

AA Errors by Position

My post on AAA errors by position is here. Today I'm focusing on AA players. Conveniently, fewer players spent time with more than one AA team last season. I assume this has to do with fewer AA players being on the fringes of 40-man rosters and thus prone to being placed on waivers and claimed by other teams.

AA Pitchers Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.
TC
EFPct.
Brodie Downs
West Tenn
SEA
26
8.692
Matthew Buschmann
San Antonio
SDP
50
5
.900
Robert Mosebach
ArkansasLAA48
5
.896
Garrett Broshuis
ConnecticutSFG45
5
.889
Brandon Magee
New Hampshire
TOR384
.895
Jess Todd
SpringfieldSTL
37
4
.892
Phil Coke
TrentonNYY30
4.867
Julio Cesar Pimental
Northwest Arkansas
KCR
26
4
.846
Justin Thomas
West Tenn
SEA
26
4
.846
Jason Berken
Bowie
BAL
22
4
.818
Michael Bowden
Portland
BOS
21
4
.810

LeagueTCEFPct.
Eastern League Pitchers3017163.946
Southern League Pitchers2681
139
.948
Texas League Pitchers2076
136
.934
AA Pitchers7774438.944

The fielding percentage table is pretty similar to the errors table so I axed it. The only pitchers that cracked the top ten with fewer than 4 errors in more than 20 total chances were David Huff (.857) of Akron, Frank Herrmann (.870) of Akron, Fernando Rodriguez (.870) of Arkansas, and Blake Johnson (.885) of Northwest Arkansas. Johnson was tenth on the list, so use the pitchers from the first list with lower fielding percentages to round out the leaderboard. Looking at the league numbers, it's strange how the Texas League is so much worse than the others. I don't know why that would be. Only three of my bottom ten qualifying pitchers in fielding percentage played in the Texas League, compared to two in the Southern League and five in the Eastern League, but that's not really strange considering the distribution of teams between the leagues.


AA Catchers

AA Catchers Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Anthony Recker
MidlandOAK95213.986
Brandon Yarbrough
SpringfieldSTL
54213.976
John Jaso
MontgomeryTBR
545
12.978
Brad Davis
CarolinaFLA
598
11
.982
Lou Marson
ReadingPHI
6119.985
Adam Moore
West Tenn
SEA
806
8
.990
Lucas May
JacksonvilleLAD
748
8.989
Max Ramirez
FriscoTEX
287
8.972
7 tied with



7


AA Catchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 400 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Brandon Yarbrough
SpringfieldSTL
54213.976
John Jaso
MontgomeryTBR
545
12.978
Brad Davis
CarolinaFLA
598
11
.982
Ben JohnsonArkansasLAA
441
7
.984
Lou Marson
ReadingPHI
611
9
.985
Devin Ivany
HarrisburgWSN
422
6
.986
John Otness
PortlandBOS
430
6
.986
Anthony Recker
MidlandOAK
952
13
.986
John Hester
MobileARI
579
7
.988
Salomon Manriquez
BinghamtonNYM
593
7
.988
EAS Catchers

12882132.990
SOU Catchers

10878113.990
TEX Catchers

8846
108.988
AA Catchers

32606353.989

Much like Jason Jaramillo in AAA, Anthony Recker appears on top of the errors list thanks to his durability. He caught just over 100 more innings than the AA runner-up (1014.3 to 914.0). He started 112 of his team's 140 games. Having so many more chances gave him a leg up on the competition to commit the most errors. Brandon Yarbrough tied him in errors despite catching a little over half as many innings. Once again the Texas League lags behind the other two leagues in fielding percentage, but the difference isn't noteworthy this time.

AA First Basemen

AA 1B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Ryan Roberson
ErieDET
104513.988
Rhyne Hughes
MontgomeryTBR
769
12.984
Chris Errecart
HuntsvilleMIL
927
11.988
Kala Kaaihue
MississippiATL
823
11.987
Jeff Kindel
TulsaCOL130310
.992
Tonys Gutierrez
ChattanoogaCIN
965
10
.990
Bryan Byrne
MobileARI
936
10
.989
Aaron Bates
PortlandBOS
78710
.987
Brock Peterson
New Britain
MIN
662
9
.986
Mike Carp
Binghamton
NYM
568
9
.984

LeagueTCEFPct.
Eastern League 1B15354154.990
Southern League 1B
12742
122.990
Texas League 1B
10752
97
.991
AA 1B
38848373.990

Once again you can pretty much construct the fielding percentage leaderboard from the errors list. Only two players appear in the top ten (minimum 500 chances) without having committed at least nine errors. They are Kila Kaaihue (.988) of Northwest Arkansas and Johan Limonta (.985) of West Tenn. Anyone from the first list with a fielding percentage of .989 or lower would show up on the leaderboard. After trailing the other two leagues on the mound and behind the plate, the Texas League finally leads the way at first base.

AA Second Basemen

AA 2B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Mike Bell
HuntsvilleMIL
55923.959
Christopher Coghlan
CarolinaFLA
555
18.968
William Rhymes
Erie
DET
562
16.972
Drew Sutton
Corpus Christi
HOU
500
16.968
Eric Young
Tulsa
COL
54814.974
Nate Sutton
Arkansas
LAA
503
13.974
Victor Mercedes
Birmingham
CHW
439
13.970
Emmanuel Garcia
Binghamton
NYM
429
12.972
Olmo Rosario
Connecticut
SFG
301
12
.960
3 tied with


11


AAA 2B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 250 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Mike BellHuntsvilleMIL559
23
.959
Olmo Rosario
ConnecticutSFG301
12.960
Jeffrey Dominguez
West Tenn
SEA33611.967
Christopher Coghlan
CarolinaFLA555
18
.968
William Bergolla
HarrisburgWSN30910
.968
Drew Sutton
Corpus Christi
HOU500
16
.968
Victor Mercedes
BirminghamCHW439
13
.970
William Rhymes
ErieDET562
16.972
Shelby Ford
AltoonaPIT39111
.972
Emmanuel Garcia
BinghamtonNYM429
12.972
EAS 2B

8540
211.975
SOU 2B

6837
164
.976
TEX 2B

5748
144
.975
AA 2B

21125
519
.975

Mike Bell appears on top of both lists, joining Brodie Downs as the two players to do that in the positions covered so far. Bell does have the largest gap between his error total and that of the runner-up through the first four positions. If anyone's curious, the two Suttons that appear in the errors list are not related to each other.


AA Third Basemen

AA 3B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Mat Gamel
HuntsvilleMIL
364
30
.918
Tony Blanco
TulsaCOL
192
29.849
Wes Hodges
AkronCLE
27628
.899
Seth Johnston
San Anthonio
SDP
333
27
.919
Neil Sellers
ReadingPHI
296
27.909
Chris Johnson
Corpus Christi
HOU
253
23
.909
Corey Smith
ArkansasLAA
274
22
.920
Chris Nowak
MontgomeryTBR
282
19.933
4 tied with



18

LeagueTCEFPct.
Eastern League 3B4607336.927
Southern League 3B3788
264.930
Texas League 3B3230
232
.928
AA 3B11625832.928

Gamel has a reputation as a good-hit, no-field type prospect. While this does little to suggest that reputation is unwarrented, at least he can take solace in the fact he's not the only AA third baseman who struggled last year. Blanco is a former Rule 5 pick of the Nationals who had his best season as a pro last year, at least with the bat. Despite the abysmal 2008 fielding percentage (.050 below runner-up Hodges), his career fielding percentage at third actually went up. Speaking of Blanco and Hodges, to construct the fielding percentage leaderboard, look at the first list and take out Nowak. Then put in David Maroul (.913) of Connecticut, Jeff Nettles (.924) of Bowie, and Christopher Malec (.926) of Trenton and sort. Voila.


AA Shortstops

AA SS Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Elvis Andrus
FriscoTEX
574
32.944
Jose Coronado
BinghamtonNYM
626
30
.952
Robert Valido
BirminghamCHW
538
27.950
Javier Guzman
MississippiATL41124
.942
Christopher Nelson
TulsaCOL
34524
.930
Ian Desmond
HarrisburgWSN450
22
.951
Ramiro Pena
TrentonNYY
463
21
.955
Chris Valaika
ChattanoogaCIN439
21
.952
Ivan DeJesus
Jacksonville
LAD407
21
.948
Mark Kiger
West Tenn
SEA404
21
.948

LeagueTCEFPct.
Eastern League SS7777339.956
Southern League SS6323
275
.957
Texas League SS5555
219
.961
AA SS19655833.958

This is another convenient errors table when it comes to determining the lowest fielding percentages. Replace Ramiro Pena with Jason Donald (.949) of Reading and sort and you're done. If anyone thinks Mark Kiger's name is familiar, check out his Baseball-Reference.com page. He was the first player in over a century to make his MLB debut in the playoffs when he took the field during the 2006 ALDS. A rash of injuries left the A's shorthanded in the middle infield, so Kiger was called upon to flesh out the roster. Is it weird that I'm a little disappointed Southern League shortstops couldn't get 343 more chances to bring them up to 6666?


AAA Outfielders

AA OF Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Ambiorix Concepcion
BinghamtonNYM
258
12.953
Maurice Gartrell
BirminghamCHW
187
10.947
Deik Scram
ErieDET
301
9.970
Greg Golson
ReadingPHI
300
8.973
Steven Murphy
FriscoTEX
2198.963
Mitch Einertson
Corpus Christi
HOU
190
8
.958
10 tied with



7

AA OF Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Ambiorix Concepcion
BinghamtonNYM
25812.953
Steven Murphy
FriscoTEX
2198
.963
John Raynor
CarolinaFLA
2037
.966
Jon Zeringue
MidlandOAK
2157
.967
Deik Scram
ErieDET
301
9
.970
Jamie Hoffmann
JacksonvilleLAD
2457
.971
Colin Curtis
TrentonNYY
2226.973
Greg Golson
ReadingPHI
300
8
.973
Antoan Richardson
ConnecticutSFG
277
7
.975
Cole Gillespie
HuntsvilleMIL
2135
.977
EAS OF

10712225.979
SOU OF

8654
203.977
TEX OF

7019132
.981
AA OF

26385560.979

Ambiorix Concepcion struggled in the field this year, but he's not quite at the level of Luis Terrero. Golson and Scram were two of only five AA outfielders to reach 300 total chances this past season, giving them some excuse for showing up on the first list.

So that's the errors situation at each position in AA. Obviously errors and fielding percentage aren't the best or even a particularly good way to measure defense. But when those are the two numbers that get bandied about the most when it comes to prospects and other minor leaguers, it helps to have some context, right?