Spring Training IBB

There's nothing more pointless in spring training games, especially early spring training games, than an intentional walk. Yet each season sees its fair share of free passes. Baseball has only been played for three days this year and already two guys have been intentionally walked. More will follow, but come on, what's the point?

The first IBB of 2009 came on Spring Training Opening Day. Oakland and Milwaukee were tied at 3 in the bottom of the 10th inning. The Brewers had a runner on second with one out and lefty Brad Nelson stepping to the plate. Oakland's 2008 2nd round pick, RHP Tyson Ross, was on the mound. Nelson was intentionally walked, Chris Duffy struck out, Mike Rivera popped out to first, and the game ended in a tie. If it was the regular season, I can kind of understand walking Nelson and setting up the double play, but it's the first game of spring.

The second IBB took place yesterday in the Philadelphia @ Cincinnati game. Cincinnati was ahead 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh and another rally was starting. Due to a single and an error, LHP Sergio Escalona had runners on 2nd and 3rd with no one out, but recovered to strike out switch-hitter Wilkin Castillo. With one out, Escalona intentionally walked Darnell McDonald to face Luis Bolivar, who promptly doubled in two runs. Cincinnati eventually scored four and Escalona was replaced. Again, the IBB set up a double play to get out of the inning, but...meh? Both IBB's also delayed R-L and L-R matchups, but...so? I still don't get the point so early in spring. Maybe their teams just want to make sure these pitchers aren't prone to something like this.

The Worst K/BB Ratios, Minimum 50 IP

This Beyond the Box Score post mentions Mariano Rivera's seventy-seven strikeouts and six walks last season and how his 12.83 K/BB ratio is stunningly high. As a commenter on that post revealed, Dennis Eckersley is the only reliever ever to record a higher ratio in 50 or more innings pitched. Eck had ratios of 18.33 and 18.25 in 1989 and 1990, respectively, with 128 strikeouts against seven walks in the two seasons combined. In fact, only two other pitchers had better ratios than Eckersley. Both pitched in the nineteenth century and both had, suspiciously, only one base on balls allowed. In 1879, Fred Goldsmith struck out 31 batters in 63 innings for Troy of the National League. In 1882, Bert Dorr struck out 34 batters in 66 innings for St. Louis of the American Association. Given the relatively fluid rules and the vagaries of record-keeping back then, I don't think it's unreasonable to discount Goldsmith and Dorr.

But even if you count Goldsmith and Dorr, there's no such controversy on the other end of the list. The all-time worst K/BB among pitchers with 50+ IP in a season belongs to Ted Wingfield. After a couple seasons as a reliable swingman who didn't strike many people out for the Red Sox, Wingfield totally lost his strikeout ability in 1927. In 74 2/3 innings, Wingfield went 1-7 with a 5.06 ERA. He also issued 27 walks against only one strikeout, good for a 0.04 K/BB. He wasn't the only pitcher to struggle in that era, as a look at the ten worst K/BB since 1901 shows.

Worst K/BB Since 1901, Minimum 50 IP

Name	Team	IP	K	BB	K:BB
Ted Wingfield	1927 BOS	74.2	1	27	.037
Ray Moss	1928 BRO	60.1	5	35	.143
Jack Berly	1933 PHI	50.0	4	22	.182
Skinny Graham	1929 DET	51.2	7	33	.212
Jack Dunn	1901 PHI/BLA	64.1	6	28	.214
Dewey Metivier	1923 CLE	73.1	9	38	.237
Les Sweetland	1928 PHI	135.1	23	97	.237
Bob Kline	1933 BOS	127.0	16	67	.239
Joe Coleman	1950 PHA	54.0	12	50	.240
Norman Plitt	1927 BRO/NYG	69.7	9	37	.243

The combination of low strikeout and high walk rates in both major leagues was lethal to these guys. For a more recent feel, let's turn to the worst K:BB rates of the last 10 years:

Worst K/BB Since 1999, Minimum 50 IP

Name	Team	IP	K	BB	K:BB
Dan Serafini	1999 CHC	62.1	17	32	.531
Kirk Rueter	2005 SFG	107.1	25	47	.532
Scott Erickson	2005 LAD	55.1	15	25	.600
Steve Avery	1999 CIN	96.0	51	78	.654
Russ Ortiz	2005 ARI	115.0	46	65	.708
Dewon Brazelton	2005 TBD	71.0	43	60	.717
Steve Trachsel	2007 BAL/CHC	158.0	56	76	.737
Jimmy Anderson	2002 PIT	140.2	47	63	.746
Aaron Cook	2003 COL	124.0	43	57	.754
Ken Cloude	1999 SEA	72.1	35	46	.761

Both 1999 and 2005 show up three times on the list. If you're curious, here are the six major leaguers with 50+ IP and a K:BB of 1.000 or lower in 2008:

• Tom Glavine, ATL, 37 K, 37 BB, 1.000
• Tom Gorzelanny, PIT, 67 K, 70 BB, .957
• Miguel Batista, SEA, 73 K, 79 BB, .924
• Greg Reynolds, COL, 22 K, 26 BB, .846
• Kason Gabbard, TEX, 33 K, 39 BB, .846
• Fausto Carmona, CLE, 58 K, 70 BB, .829
  

The Record That Wasn't

Last weekend, I came across a bit of information regarding catcher putouts that I thought would be useful around the All-Star Break this season. I got excited because the would-be record I found is just obscure enough not to be noticed but impressive enough to deserve mention. I even mentioned the upcoming record elsewhere online. Unfortunately, I committed the mistake of not making entirely sure the record I found was correct. I had found the AL record and NL record, but I forgot about guys who spent time in both leagues. So instead of Jason Kendall setting the record for putouts by a catcher in July, he'll probably have to wait until 2011. It turns out Brad Ausmus could reach the record in 2009, but something would have to go very wrong in Los Angeles and Ivan Rodriguez would have to stay unsigned.

Most Career Putouts as a Catcher

1. Ivan Rodriguez, 13130
2. Brad Ausmus, 12473
3. Gary Carter, 11785
4. Jason Kendall, 11415
5. Carlton Fisk, 11369
6. Bob Boone, 11260
7. Tony Pena, 11212
8. Mike Piazza, 10846
9. Benito Santiago, 10817
10. Bill Freehan, 9941
11. Jim Sundberg, 9767
12. Lance Parrish, 9647
13. Johnny Roseboro, 9291
14. Johnny Bench, 9249
15. Javy Lopez, 8990
16. Johnny Edwards, 8925
17. Ted Simmons, 8906
18. Jorge Posada, 8801
19. Yogi Berra, 8738
20. Jason Varitek, 8549

bolded = played in 2008

Most Sacrifice Flies Allowed in a Season Since 1956

Every once in a while a Google search that leads to my blog catches my eye. Someone looked up MLB pitchers with the most sacrifice flies, or something to that effect, and wound up here. I'm not sure whether they were looking for SF hit by pitchers (which I posted about in Sept. 2008) or SF allowed by pitchers, but I was intrigued. I decided to look up the most sacrifice flies allowed by pitchers. Sac flies weren't recorded until 1954 and Retrosheet data only goes back to 1956 anyway, so this record is for seasons since 1956.

Most Sacrifice Flies Allowed in a Season
(1956-2008)

• Larry Gura, 17 - 1983 Royals
• Jaime Navarro, 17 - 1993 Brewers
  
• Charlie Hough, 16 - 1991 White Sox
  
• Doc Medich, 15 - 1975 Yankees
• Randy Lerch, 15 - 1979 Phillies
• Dave Stewart, 15 - 1991 Oakland
  
• Dave Morehead, 14 - 1964 Red Sox
• Jim Palmer, 14 - 1976 Orioles
• Nolan Ryan, 14 - 1978 Angels
• Rick Reuschel, 14 - 1980 Cubs
• Charlie Hough, 14 - 1987 Rangers
• Rick Reuschel, 14 - 1988 Giants
• Rich DeLucia, 14 - 1991 Mariners
• David Wells, 14 - 1996 Orioles
• Jaime Navarro, 14 - 1997 White Sox
• Steve Trachsel, 14 - 1999 Cubs
• Barry Zito, 14 - 2008 Giants

While leading the league last year, Zito became the first pitcher to allow 14 or more sac flies in a season since 1999 and only the fourteenth pitcher since 1956. Time will tell if he'll join Jaime Navarro, Charlie Hough, and Rick Reuschel as guys who did it twice.

We know Zito had the most SF-prone season of the 2000's, but who else is up there on the list? Below are the twenty seasons with 11+ SF allowed since 2000.

1. Barry Zito, 14 - 2008 Giants
2. Paul Byrd, 13 - 2002 Royals
   
3. Kris Benson, 13 - 2006 Orioles
4. Chris Holt, 12 - 2000 Astros
5. Jose Lima, 12 - 2000 Astros
6. Jesus Sanchez, 12 - 2000 Marlins
7. Livan Hernandez, 12 - 20001 Giants
8. Paul Wilson, 12 - 2001 Devil Rays
9. Brian Anderson, 12 - 2003 Indians/Royals
10. Daniel Cabrera, 12 - 2008 Orioles
11. Greg Maddux, 11 - 2001 Braves
12. Jamie Moyer, 11 - 2001 Mariners
13. Frank Castillo, 11 - 2002 Red Sox
14. Jeff Suppan, 11 - 2002 Royals
15. Matt Kinney, 11 - 2003 Brewers
16. Ryan Franklin, 11 - 2004 Mariners
17. Mike Maroth, 11 - 2005 Tigers
    
18. Nate Robertson, 11 - 2005 Tigers
19. Jeff Suppan, 11 - 2007 Brewers
20. Miguel Batista, 11 - 2008 Mariners

Allowing ten sacrifice flies in a season has been done thirty-two times since 2000. Five different pitchers did so in 2008:

• Brian Bannister, Royals
• Aquilino Lopez, Tigers
• Gil Meche, Royals
• Kenny Rogers, Tigers
• Greg Smith, Oakland

There's just something about being a Royals or Tigers pitcher that means you give up sac flies, I guess. Lopez's place on the list is impressive given the fact he made all his appearances in relief. He's one of only two relievers to reach 10 SF allowed since 2000. The other was Paul Quantrill in 2005.

Hope Springs Eternal (Even For #85)

Spring training is firing up in Arizona and Florida and there are plenty of minor leaguers attending big league camp. Usually you can find players with little to no chance of breaking camp with the team by a quick look at the field. They're easy to spot: they're the guys with numbers in the 70's, 80's, or 90's. Different teams have different ways of assigning numbers to their minor leaguers and non-roster invitees, but generally the higher the number, the smaller the chance of making the team. With that in mind, I've gone through the rosters on each team's official site (example) and found the highest numbers. Not every team has numbers for every player posted at this time, but the majority of players are listed. Here are the dozen players in big league camp with numbers in the 90's:

• #90 Ramiro Pena, SS, NYY
• #90 Matt Palmer, RHP, LAA
• #91 Alfredo Aceves, RHP, NYY
• #91 Ryan Brasier, RHP, LAA
• #92 Eduardo Nunez, SS, NYY
• #93 George Kontos, RHP, NYY
• #94 Kanekoa Teixeira, RHP, NYY
• #94 Francisco Rodriguez, RHP, LAA
• #95 Bradley Coon, CF, LAA
• #96 Anel De Los Santos, C, LAA
• #97 Fernando Rodriguez, RHP, LAA
• #99 So Taguchi, LF, CHC

Taguchi has worn #99 in each of his major league seasons, so he's the exception to the rule. As you can tell, the Angels and Yankees are the only teams willing to bust out the two-digit numbers beginning with 9. Most other teams give out numbers in the 70's and 80's. As proof, here is each team's highest number listed:

• Arizona: #74 Gerardo Parra, C
• Atlanta: Missing numbers for 24 players
  
• Baltimore: #86 Brian Matusz, LHP
• Boston: #87 Zach Daeges, RF
• Chicago Cubs: #99 So Taguchi, LF -or- #88 Ken Kadokura, RHP
• Chicago White Sox: #80 Gordon Beckham, SS
  
• Cincinnati: #89 Jordan Smith, RHP
  
• Cleveland: #79 Chris Gimenez, C
• Colorado: #72 Chris Frey, RF
  
• Detroit: #77 Timo Perez, LF
  
• Florida: Missing numbers for 33 players
  
• Houston: Missing numbers for 26 players
  
• Kansas City: #86 Kiel Thibault, C
  
• LA Angels: #97 Fernando Rodriguez, RHP
  
• LA Dodgers: #87 Ivan De Jesus, SS
  
• Milwaukee: #87 Jonathan Lucroy, C
  
• Minnesota: Missing numbers for 26 players
  
• NY Mets: Missing numbers for 8 players
  
• NY Yankees: #94 Kaneoka Teixeira, RHP
  
• Oakland: #77 Sean Doolittle, 1B
  
• Philadelphia: Missing numbers for 14 players
  
• Pittsburgh: #76 Virgil Vasquez, RHP
  
• San Diego: #82 Oneli Perez, RHP
  
• San Francisco: #77 Jake Wald, SS
  
• Seattle: #78 Israel Nunez, C
  
• St. Louis: #88 Jon Jay, CF
  
• Tampa Bay: #76 Winston Abreu, RHP
  
• Texas: #68 Omar Poveda, RHP
  
• Toronto: #86 Ken Takahashi, LHP
  
• Washington: #79 Luke Montz, C

If anyone knows where you can find numerical rosters for those teams that are missing numbers, let me know. I'm sure most of these guys wouldn't mind being able to choose lower numbers as a member of their team's 25-man roster. Until then, they've own the dubious honor of the highest number at spring training. Somehow I think being in big league camp is worth it.

Major League Olympians

America's national pastime, baseball grew in popularity around the world throughout the 20th century. As a result of its growing popularity, baseball was intermittently included in the Olympics, not as a medal sport, but instead as a demonstration sport. The first time baseball was played at the Olympics was at the 1912 Stockholm Games. The game was demonstrated again in 1936, 1956, 1964, 1984, and 1988. After being demonstrated more than any other sport, baseball was finally added to the Olympics as a medal sport starting in 1992. Unfortunately, after less than two decades, the International Olympic Committee judged baseball no longer worthy of being part of the Olympic Games because of, among other reasons, the lack of major league players leaving their teams in the middle of the season and the relatively small number of nations that competed internationally. At this moment, baseball is no longer an Olympic sport and the South Korean team received the last gold medals awarded.

Though baseball was part of only five Olympic Games, a surprising number of major league players participated for their countries. Many of these players appeared in the Olympics prior to appearing in the majors, but a few appeared after the end of their major league career. A couple even appeared between stints in the major leagues. All told, 140 major leaguers also competed for medals at the Olympics. More players will join the list as 2008 Olympians make their way into the majors. I realize it's staggering, but I've listed all 140 MLB Olympians below.

MLB Players Who Played Olympic Baseball

Count	Name	Olympic Team	MLB Career	Teams
1	Brent Abernathy	2000 USA	2001-2005	TBD, KCR, MIN
2	Willie Adams	1992 USA	1996-1997	OAK
3	Kurt Ainsworth	2000 USA	2001-2004	SFG, BAL
4	Chad Allen	1996 USA	1999-2005	MIN, CLE, FLA, TEX
5	Rolando Arrojo	1992 Cuba	1998-2002	TBD, COL, BOS
6	Wladimir Balentien	2004 Netherlands	2007-2008	SEA
7	Grant Balfour	2000 Australia	2001-2008	MIN, MIL, TBD
8	Brian Barden	2008 USA	2007-2008	ARI, STL
9	Cley Bellinger	2004 Greece	1999-2002	NYY, ANA
10	Shayne Bennett	2000 Australia	1997-1999	MON
11	Kris Benson	1996 USA	1999-2006	PIT, NYM, BAL
12	Jung Bong	2008 South Korea	2002-2004	ATL, CIN
13	Pat Borders	2000 USA	1988-2005	TOR, KCR, HOU STL, CAL, CHW CLE, SEA, MIN
14	Matthew Brown	2008 USA	2007-2008	LAA
15	Sean Burroughs	2000 USA	2002-2006	SDP, TBD
16	Chin-Feng Chen	2004/2008 Taiwan	2002-2005	LAD
17	Stubby Clapp	2004/2008 Canada	2001	STL
18	Ivanon Coffie	2004 Netherlands	2000	BAL
19	Jose Contreras	1996/2000 Cuba	2003-2008	NYY, CHW
20	Rheal Cormier	2008 Canada	1991-2007	STL, BOS, MON PHI, CIN
21	Eric Cyr	2004 Canada	2002	SDP
22	David Davidson	2008 Canada	2007	PIT
23	Gookie Dawkins	2000 USA	1999-2003	CIN, KCR
24	Yurendell DeCaster	2004/2008 Netherlands	2006	PIT
25	R.A. Dickey	1996 USA	2001-2008	TEX, SEA
26	Jason Dickson	2004 Canada	1996-2000	CAL/ANA
27	Darren Dreifort	1992 USA	1994-2004	LAD
28	Rob Ducey	2004 Canada	1987-2001	TOR, CAL, TEX, SEA PHI, TOR, MON
29	Robert Eenhoorn	2000 Netherlands	1994-1997	NYY, CAL
30	Mark Ettles	2000 Australia	1993	SDP
31	Adam Everett	2000 USA	2001-2008	HOU, MIN
32	Rikkert Faneyte	2000 Netherlands	1993-1996	SFG, TEX
33	Oswaldo Fernandez	1992 Cuba	1996-2001	SFG, CIN
34	Dexter Fowler	2008 USA	2008	COL
35	Ryan Franklin	2000 USA	1999-2008	SEA, PHI, CIN, STL
36	Kosuke Fukudome	1996/2004 Japan	2008	CHC
37	John Gall	2008 USA	2005-2007	STL, FLA
38	Nomar Garciaparra	1992 USA	1996-2008	BOS, CHC, LAD
39	Chris George	2000 USA	2001-2004	KCR
40	Jason Giambi	1992 USA	1995-2008	OAK, NYY
41	Troy Glaus	1996 USA	1998-2008	ANA, ARI, TOR, STL
42	Steve Green	2008 Canada	2001	ANA
43	Rick Greene	1992 USA	1999	CIN
44	Seth Greisinger	1996 USA	1998-2005	DET, MIN, ATL
45	Jeffrey Hammonds	1992 USA	1993-2005	BAL, CIN, COL MIL, SFG, WSN
46	Rick Helling	1992 USA	1994-2006	TEX, FLA, ARI BAL, MIL
47	Orlando Hernandez	1992 Cuba	1998-2007	NYY, CHW, ARI, NYM
48	Mike Hessman	2008 USA	2003-2008	ATL, DET
49	Shawn Hill	2004 Canada	2004-2008	MON/WSN
50	A.J. Hinch	1996 USA	1998-2004	OAK, KCR, DET, PHI
51	Mark Hutton	2000 Australia	1993-1998	NYY, FLA, COL, CIN
52	Tadahito Iguchi	1996 Japan	2005-2008	CHW, PHI, SDP
53	Marcus Jensen	2000 USA	1996-2002	SFG, DET, MIL, STL MIN, BOS, TEX
54	Kevin Jepsen	2008 USA	2008	LAA
55	Kenji Johjima	2004 Japan	2006-2008	SEA
56	Charles Johnson	1992 USA	1994-2005	FLA, LAD, BAL CHW, COL, TBD
57	Mike Johnson	2004/2008 Canada	1997-2001	BAL, MON
58	Jacque Jones	1996 USA	1999-2008	MIN, CHC, DET, FLA
59	Gene Kingsale	2004/2008 Netherlands	1996-2003	BAL, SEA, SDP, DET
60	Mike Kinkade	2000 USA	1998-2003	NYM, BAL, LAD
61	Danny Klassen	2004 Canada	1998-2003	ARI, DET
62	Brandon Knight	2008 USA	2001-2008	NYY, NYM
63	Masahide Kobayashi	2004 Japan	2008	CLE
64	Billy Koch	1996 USA	1999-2004	TOR, OAK, CHW, FLA
65	Mike Koplove	2008 USA	2001-2007	ARI, CLE
66	Mark Kotsay	1996 USA	1997-2008	FLA, SDP, OAK ATL, BOS
67	George Kottaras	2004 Greece	2008	BOS
68	Rick Krivda	2000 USA	1995-1998	BAL, CLE, CIN
69	Hiroki Kuroda	2004 Japan	2008	LAD
70	Pete LaForest	2004 Canada	2003-2007	TBD, SDP, PHI
71	Matt LeCroy	1996 USA	2000-2007	MIN, WSN
72	Travis Lee	1996 USA	1998-2006	ARI, PHI, TBD, NYY
73	Graeme Lloyd	2004 Australia	1993-2003	MIL, NYY, TOR, MON FLA, NYM, KCR
74	Braden Looper	1996 USA	1998-2008	STL, FLA, NYM
75	Calvin Maduro	2004 Netherlands	1996-2002	PHI, BAL
76	Oswaldo Mairena	1996 Nicaragua	2000-2002	CHC, FLA
77	Nick Markakis	2004 Greece	2006-2008	BAL
78	Lou Marson	2008 USA	2008	PHI
79	Shairon Martis	2008 Netherlands	2008	WSN
80	Daisuke Matsuzaka	2000/2004 Japan	2007-2008	BOS
81	Chris Mears	2004 Canada	2003	DET
82	Hensley Meulens	2000 Netherlands	1989-1998	NYY, MON, ARI
83	Doug Mientkiewicz	2000 USA	1998-2008	MIN, BOS, NYM KCR, NYY, PIT
84	Ralph Milliard	2000/2004 Netherlands	1996-1998	FLA, NYM
85	Warren Morris	1996 USA	1999-2003	PIT, MIN, DET
86	Calvin Murray	1992 USA	1999-2004	SFG, TEX, CHC
87	Aaron Myette	2004 Canada	1999-2004	CHW, TEX, CLE, CIN
88	Micheal Nakamura	1996/2000 Australia	2003-2004	MIN, TOR
89	Norihiro Nakamura	2000/2004 Japan	2005	LAD
90	Blaine Neal	2008 USA	2001-2005	FLA, SDP, BOS, COL
91	Mike Neill	2000 USA	1998	OAK
92	Phil Nevin	1992 USA	1995-2006	HOU, DET, ANA, SDP TEX, CHC, MIN
93	Kevin Nicholson	2004 Canada	2000	SDP
94	Dave Nilsson	2000/2004 Australia	1992-1999	MIL
95	Jayson Nix	2008 USA	2008	COL
96	Augie Ojeda	1996 USA	2000-2008	CHC, MIN, ARI
97	Pete Orr	2004 Canada	2005-2008	ATL, WSN
98	Roy Oswalt	2000 USA	2001-2008	HOU
99	Chris Oxspring	2004 Australia	2005	SDP
100	Erik Pappas	2004 Greece	1991-1994	CHC, STL
101	Jim Parque	1996 USA	1998-2003	CHW, TBD
102	Simon Pond	2004 Canada	2004	TOR
103	Ryan Radmanovich	2004/2008 Canada	1998	SEA
104	Alexei Ramirez	2004 Cuba	2008	CHW
105	Jon Rauch	2000 USA	2002-2008	CHW, MON/WSN, ARI
106	Chris Reitsma	2008 Canada	2001-2007	CIN, ATL, SEA
107	Ryan Rowland-Smith	2004 Australia	2007-2008	SEA
108	Anthony Sanders	2000 USA	1999-2001	TOR, SEA
109	Nate Schierholtz	2008 USA	2007-2008	SFG
110	Bobby Seay	2000 USA	2001-2008	TBD, COL, DET
111	Ben Sheets	2000 USA	2001-2008	MIL
112	Jason Simontacchi	2000 Italy	2002-2007	STL, WSN
113	Chris Snelling	2000 Australia	2002-2008	SEA, WSN, OAK, PHI
114	Sean Spencer	2004 Greece	1999-2000	SEA, MON
115	Paul Spoljaric	2004 Canada	1994-2000	TOR, SEA, PHI, KCR
116	John Stephens	2004 Australia	2002	BAL
117	Adam Stern	2004/2008 Canada	2005-2007	BOS, BAL
118	Andy Stewart	2004 Canada	1997	KCR
119	Phil Stockman	2004 Australia	2006-2008	ATL
120	R.J. Swindle	2008 Canada	2008	PHI
121	So Taguchi	2000 Japan	2002-2008	STL, PHI
122	Taylor Teagarden	2008 USA	2008	TEX
123	Brad Thomas	2000 Australia	2001-2004	MIN
124	Rich Thompson	2004 Australia	2007-2008	LAA
125	Scott Thorman	2008 Canada	2006-2007	ATL
126	Terry Tiffee	2008 USA	2004-2008	MIN, LAD
127	Chin-Hui Tsao	2004/2008 Taiwan	2003-2007	COL, LAD
128	Michael Tucker	1992 USA	1995-2006	KCR, ATL, CIN, CHC SFG, PHI, NYM
129	Jason Varitek	1992 USA	1997-2008	BOS
130	Ron Villone	1992 USA	1995-2008	SEA, SDP, MIL, CLE CIN, COL, HOU, PIT FLA, NYY, STL
131	Chien-Ming Wang	2004 Taiwan	2005-2008	NYY
132	Jeff Weaver	1996 USA	1999-2007	DET, NYY, LAD LAA, STL, SEA
133	Brad Wilkerson	2000 USA	2001-2008	MON, TEX, SEA, TOR
134	Glenn Williams	2000/2004 Australia	2005	MIN
135	Jeff Williams	1996/2004 Australia	1999-2002	LAD
136	Todd Williams	2000 USA	1995-2007	LAD, CIN, SEA NYY, BAL
137	Craig Wilson	1992 USA	1998-2000	CHW
138	Ernie Young	2000 USA	1994-2004	OAK, KCR, ARI DET, CLE
139	Tim Young	2000 USA	1998-2000	MON, BOS
140	Clint Zavaras	2004 Greece	1989	SEA

It's a really long list. The 2004 Greek team, only in the Olympics by virtue of the Games being held in Athens, was made up mainly of Greek-Americans (and at least one Greek-Canadian, Mr. Kottaras). That circumstance gave the last man on the list, Clint Zavaras, a chance to play on the world stage fifteen years after his cup of coffee in the majors.

As expected, the USA laps the field in the number of major league Olympians. Sixty-six of the 140 men listed above played for the United States. The full breakdown looks like this:

1. USA - 66
2. Canada - 23
3. Australia - 16
4. Japan - 8
5. Greece - 6
6. Cuba - 5
7. Taiwan - 3
8. Italy - 1
9. Nicaragua - 1
10. South Korea - 1

As mentioned, Greece's contingent was made up of players from North America. Italy's sole major leaguer, Jason Simontacchi, was born in California. Oswaldo Mairena is one of only nine major league players born in Nicaragua. South Korea's representative is former Brave and Red Jung Bong.

It's possible I missed someone while going through the rosters for all forty squads to play in the Olympics. If you know of someone who should be on the list but isn't, email me or comment below.

More Strikeouts Than Times on Base

In a comment on my post of last Sunday, Mitchell Marshall suggested I look at players whose career strikeout percentage was greater than their career on base percentage. It's an interesting idea and I wish it didn't take me a week to get to it, but so it goes. I'm sure most readers are aware of the formula for on base percentage:



Thanks Wikipedia. The numerator of that fraction is sometimes shortened to times on base (TOB). There's other ways to reach base (errors, fielder's choice, etc.), but the three used in calculating OBP are the most common. So in order to compare strikeouts to on base percentage, I think it would be simplest to compare strikeouts to times on base. Thus in this post strikeout percentage is that same fraction but with only strikeouts in the numerator.

Tossing out pitchers, twenty-one players had 20 or more strikeouts than times on base in their careers. Most of them had a single season's worth or fewer plate appearances. Obviously, they all struggled to get on base: the highest OBP on the list is .328. Only five hitters were over .300.

Players With 20+ More Strikeouts Than Times on Base in Career

Name	Career	PA	SO	TOB	SO-TOB	SO%	OBP
Tom Egan	1965-1975	1084	336	285	51	.313	.266
Jim Fuller	1973-1977	341	130	84	46	.385	.249
J.R. Phillips	1993-1999	545	180	134	46	.331	.247
Melvin Nieves	1992-1998	1392	483	437	46	.347	.314
Dave Nicholson	1960-1967	1661	573	527	46	.346	.318
Russell Branyan	1998-2008	2319	797	759	38	.344	.328
Chad Hermansen	1999-2004	541	168	136	32	.315	.255
Ed Gastfield	1884-1885	90	37	8	29	.411	.089
Brad Eldred	2005-2007	255	93	64	29	.365	.251
Bo Jackson	1986-1994	2626	841	812	29	.321	.309
Jared Sandberg	2001-2003	706	236	208	28	.337	.297
Cliff Cook	1959-1963	435	136	109	27	.317	.254
Billy Ashley	1992-1998	688	236	211	25	.343	.307
Kevin Cash	2002-2008	557	161	137	24	.292	.248
Mike Hubbard	1995-2001	198	60	37	23	.303	.187
Jason Smith	2001-2008	591	172	150	22	.297	.259
Frank Cox	1884	104	36	15	21	.346	.144
Paul Ratliff	1963-1972	336	119	98	21	.355	.293
Phil Hiatt	1993-2001	463	149	128	21	.323	.278
Jackie Warner	1966	133	55	35	20	.414	.263
Ray Busse	1971-1974	168	54	34	20	.325	.205

My favorite player listed above is Ed Gastfield. The youngest player in the 1884 National League, Gastfield backed up Detroit catcher Charlie Bennett. While Bennett was a hitting star (OPS+ of 129 or higher in 7 of 8 seasons in Detroit), Gastfield was hapless at the plate. It's possible he was overmatched because of how young he was, but his awful .073/.095/.085 (6-82, 1 2B, 2 BB, 34 K in 84 PA) batting line in 23 games didn't make it likely he'd get a chance when he was older. Neither did his 20 passed balls and 35 errors in 19 games. Gastfield did suit up one time for Detroit in 1885, going 0-3 with 2 strikeouts. Somehow he made his way to Chicago, appearing in one game and going 0-3 with 1 strikeout and 3 passed balls. That game ended his major league career.

Gastfield's career batting line works out to .068/.089/.080, good for a .169 OPS. I know it's comparing dissimilar things but I think it's interesting his SO% was more than double his OPS. He's one of only four players in all of major league history to have a higher SO% than OPS in 50 or more plate appearances:

• Ed Gastfield, .411 SO%, .168 OPS in 90 PA
  
• Enrique Cruz, .390 SO%, .240 OPS in 77 PA
• John Roskos, .358 SO%, .294 OPS in 53 PA
• Frank Cox, .346 SO%, .321 OPS in 104 PA

Fred Wood, the second-youngest player in the 1884 NL and Ed Gastfield's teammate, had a .367 SO% and .188 OPS in 49 plate appearances. Frank Cox also played on the 1884 Detroit Wolverines, helping to explain why they went 28-84, though at 26 he was an old man on the club. If 1884 is currently known as the year Chicago tinkered with their outfield fences and skewed home run totals, it should also be known as the year Detroit had a really, really, really bad offense. It's skewed because of the aforementioned Chicago shenanigans, but the team's OPS+ was 74. The team hit .208/.247/.284. Blech.

What of Cruz and Roskos? Well, Cruz was a rule 5 draft pick who spent all of 2003 in the majors with Milwaukee and resurfaced for one at bat with Cincinnati in 2007. Roskos was a C/1B/OF type who was drafted in the second round by Florida in 1993 and worked his way up the Marlins' minor league system but never really got a shot in the majors.

More Strikeouts than Hits, Total Bases

Individual batting strikeouts have been recorded all through major league history except for 1897-1909 in the National League, 1901-1912 in the American League, and all except two seasons of the 1880's American Association. Keeping those gaps in mind, there have only been thirty-four non-pitchers who have had over 100 more strikeouts than hits in their playing career.

Non-Pitchers with 100+ More Strikeouts than Hits in Career

Name	Years	SO	H	SO-H
Rob Deer	1984-1996	1409	853	556
Russell Branyan	1998-2008	797	460	337
Adam Dunn	2001-2008	1256	955	301
Gorman Thomas	1973-1986	1339	1051	288
Dave Nicholson	1960-1967	573	301	272
Bo Jackson	1986-1994	841	598	243
Mark Bellhorn	1997-2007	723	484	239
Pete Incaviglia	1986-1998	1277	1043	234
Jose Hernandez	1991-2006	1391	1166	225
Melvin Nieves	1992-1998	483	284	199
Jack Cust	2001-2008	420	244	176
Ron Karkovice	1986-1997	749	574	175
Mickey Tettleton	1984-1997	1307	1132	175
Mike Cameron	1995-2008	1642	1474	168
Ruben Rivera	1995-2003	510	343	167
Brad Wilkerson	2001-2008	947	788	159
Steve Balboni	1981-1993	856	714	142
Jim Thome	1991-2008	2190	2048	142
Carlos Pena	2001-2008	810	669	141
Tom Egan	1965-1975	336	196	140
Shane Andrews	1995-2002	515	375	140
Jason LaRue	1999-2008	731	592	139
Ray Oyler	1965-1970	359	221	138
Don Lock	1962-1969	776	642	134
Jay Buhner	1987-2001	1406	1273	133
Wily Mo Pena	2002-2008	520	402	118
Jonny Gomes	2003-2008	413	297	116
Craig Wilson	2001-2007	643	527	116
Ryan Howard	2004-2008	692	578	114
Pat Burrell	2000-2008	1273	1166	107
Todd Hundley	1990-2003	988	883	105
Gary Pettis	1982-1992	958	855	103
Dean Palmer	1989-2003	1332	1229	103
Mark Reynolds	2007-2008	333	231	102

In addition to the guys with more strikeouts than hits, there have also been some players with more strikeouts than total bases. It's a list mostly made up of players with short careers and very little power. Ten guys have wound up with 20 more strikeouts than total bases:

Non-Pitchers with 20+ More Strikeouts than Total Bases in Career

Name	Years	SO	TB	SO-TB
Tom Egan	1965-1975	336	293	43
Ray Oyler	1965-1970	359	317	42
Dave Nicholson	1960-1967	573	540	33
Ed Gastfield	1884-1885	37	7	30
Dave Adlesh	1963-1968	80	51	29
Chris Latham	1997-2003	85	59	26
Rob Nelson	1986-1990	66	43	23
Enrique Cruz	2003-2007	30	7	23
Moe Thacker	1958-1963	81	59	22
Tom Brown	1963	45	24	21

P.S. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that the idea for this post came from an article about Mike Cameron posted on BrewCrewBall.com.