Thursday, January 29, 2009

Sean Casey: So Close Yet So Far

If you've been following baseball transactions recently, you've seen that three-time All-Star first baseman Sean Casey retired earlier this week. He's not leaving baseball behind, however, since he's got a gig lined up with the new MLB Network.

I was looking up his career stats and noticed something interesting. In 1999, Casey had a career high in RBI with 99. He matched that total during the 2004 campaign. This makes him one of only five players in all of major league history to put up two seasons of exactly 99 RBI. The others were Kirby Puckett, Lee May, Bibb Falk, and Ty Cobb. If you don't feel like clicking all those links, he's the only player of the five who didn't ever reach 100 RBI in a season during his career.

Here are the other players whose career high in RBI was 99:
I know that RBI isn't a very good way to measure a player's ability. It's more a reflection of lineup spot, teammates, blah blah blah. Still, 100 RBI is a benchmark season in a player's career. If you drive in 100 runs, you get the important run-producer label. It's got to be tough to get so close to that mark and never clear the barrier.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A- Errors By Position

It's time for another installment of minor league error leaders. I've already done similar posts for higher levels of minor league baseball: AAA errors by position, AA errors by position posts, A+ errors by position, and A errors by position. Today’s post is about Low A (or Short-Season A) baseball. There are only two leagues at this level: the Northwest League and the New York-Penn League. The Northwest League plays a 76-game schedule and the New York-Penn League plays a similar number of games. These leagues are intended to allow teams to break in college draftees judged too experienced for rookie level leagues while also providing a place for players stuck in between rookie ball and regular A ball. Not every major league organization has a team in Low A ball as the two leagues combined have only 22 teams. The organizations not represented are Atlanta, Chicago (AL), Cincinnati, Kansas City, Los Angeles (AL & NL), Milwaukee, and Minnesota.


A- Pitchers

A- Pitchers Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.
TC
EFPct.
David Stokes
Oneonta
DET
24
4
.833
Jarred Holloway
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
22
4
.818
Wilber Bucardo
Salem-Keizer
SFG
21
4
.810
Stephen Procner
AberdeenBAL
16
4
.750
Martin Perez
Spokane
TEX
14
4
.714
Israel Camacaro
BoiseCHC
12
4
.667
Christopher Schwinden
Brooklyn
NYM
11
4
.636
Eduin Ciriaco
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
7
4
.429
8 tied with



3


A- Pitchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 10 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Christopher Schwinden
Brooklyn
NYM
11
4
.636
Israel Camacaro
Boise
CHC
12
4
.667
Martin Perez
Spokane
TEX
14
4
.714
Stephen Procner
Aberdeen
BAL
16
4
.750
Joel Carreno
AuburnTOR
13
3
.769
Simon Castro
Eugene
SDP
13
3
.769
Matthew Nevarez
SpokaneTEX
13
3
.769
Aaron Odom
Aberdeen
BAL
15
3
.800
George Brown
Batavia
STL
10
2
.800
Marquis Fleming
Hudson Valley
TBR
10
2
.800
NWL Pitchers

1316
93
.929
NYP Pitchers

1893
140
.926
A- Pitchers

3209
233
.927

Since these leagues play only about half as many games as the other levels covered so far, I've adjusted the minimum chances needed for the fielding percentage list. It's hard to tell with pitchers since their threshold was set so low anyway, but it'll become more apparent at other positions. It's a little strange that no pitcher stood out as worse than the rest, though Eduin Ciriaco didn't have a great year with the glove.


A- Catchers

A- Catchers Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Derek Norris
Vermont
WSN
422
10.976
Travis Howell
Everett
SEA
425
8
.981
Jordan Pacheco
Tri-City (NWL)
COL
404
8
.980
Miguel Fermin
Jamestown
FLA
513
6
.988
Mitch Abeita
Staten Island
NYY
452
6
.987
Caleb Joseph
AberdeenBAL
434
6
.986
Carlos Perez
Boise
CHC
368
6
.984
Travis D'Arnaud
Williamsport
PHI
367
6
.984
Logan Gelbrich
EugeneSDP
229
6
.974
3 tied with



5


A- Catchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Logan Gelbrich
Eugene
SDP
229
6
.974
Derek Norris
VermontWSN
422
10
.976
Julio Rivera
Vancouver
OAK
227
5
.978
Jordan Pacheco
Tri-City (NWL)
COL
404
8
.980
Robert Alcombrack
Mahoning Valley
CLE
265
5
.981
Travis Howell
Everett
SEA
425
8
.981
Jason Castro
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
224
4
.982
Michael Brenly
Boise
CHC
233
4
.983
Travis D'Arnaud
Williamsport
PHI
367
6
.984
Carlos Perez
BoiseCHC
368
6
.984
NWL Catchers

5485
74.987
NYP Catchers

9618
129
.987
A- Catchers

15103
203
.987

Now you can probably tell about the total chances minimum being adjusted downward. Both leagues have the same fielding percentage at catcher. I don't think that's happened at any other level so far. Note that there are two different Tri-Citys. I've noted their league in parentheses.

A- First Basemen

A- 1B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Phil Disher
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
601
16
.973
Xavier Scruggs
Batavia
STL
535
12
.978
Anthony Smith
Yakima
ARI
518
10.981
Michael McDade
AuburnTOR
339
10.971
Matthew Clark
Eugene
SDP
326
10
.969
Tyler Moore
Vermont
WSN
591
9
.985
Dusty Napoleon
VancouverOAK
549
9
.984
Dennis Guinn
Spokane
TEX
496
8
.984
Brock Simpson
Mahoning Valley
CLE
393
8
.980
4 tied with



7


A- 1B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.
TCEFPct.
Matthew Clark
Eugene
SDP
326
10
.969
Michael McDade
Auburn
TOR
339
10
.971
Jahdiel Santamaria
Staten Island
NYY
254
7
.972
Phil Disher
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
601
16
.973
Tom Baxter
Aberdeen
BAL
232
6
.974
Xavier Scruggs
Batavia
STL
535
12
.978
Brock Simpson
Mahoning Valley
CLE
393
8
.980
Jared Bolden
Spokane
TEX
204
4
.980
Anthony Smith
Yakima
ARI
518
10
.981
Robert Blauer
Eugene
SDP
320
6
.981
NWL 1B

569785
.985
NYP 1B

9299139.985
A- 1B

14996224
.985

Phil Disher (nice name) has a comfortable lead atop the errors leaderboard. I also like Xavier Scruggs' and Dusty Napoleon's names. The two leagues have had identical fielding percentages at catcher and at first base. I wonder if they'll stay close at the rest of the positions.


A- Second Basemen

A- 2B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Luis Nunez
Everett
SEA
241
14
.942
Jason Ogata
Spokane
TEX
238
13
.945
Mike Gosse
Oneonta
DET
268
12
.955
Carlos Vazquez
Auburn
TOR
114
11
.904
Michael Diaz
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
135
11
.919
Isaias Velasquez
Mahoning Valley
CLE
218
11
.950
Tom Edwards
Aberdeen
BAL
91
9
.901
Jonathan Del Campo
Auburn
TOR
194
9
.954
Michael Ross
Hudson Valley
TBR
255
9
.965
David Adams
Staten Island
NYY
315
8
.975

A- 2B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 100 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Carlos Vazquez
AuburnTOR114
11
.904
Michael Diaz
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
135
11
.919
Luis Nunez
Everett
SEA241
14
.942
Jason Ogata
SpokaneTEX
238
13
.945
Isaias Velasquez
Mahoning Valley
CLE
218
11
.950
Jonathan Del Campo
Auburn
TOR
194
9
.954
Robert Phelps
Mahoning Valley
CLE
110
5
.955
Mike Gosse
Oneonta
DET
268
12
.955
Jake Smolinski
VermontWSN
117
5
.957
Zach Gentile
Lowell
BOS
127
5
.961
NWL 2B

2901
106
.963
NYP 2B

4864
176
.964
A- 2B

7765
282
.964

This really underscores how out there Ryan Adam's 46 errors in A ball are. Nunez's 14 errors in A- ball came in only half the number of chances it took Ryan Adams to reach 46 errors. I expected error rates to get worse as levels descended, but Adams' terrible season broke up the pattern. Also worth noting is that playing time seems spread out more among players - not many players spend an overwhelming majority of their teams' games at one position. Whether that's because teams are encouraging versatility or want to get a better look at their roster, I'm not sure, but it's how more than one player on a team can show up on the list at the same position.


A- Third Basemen

A- 3B Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Bryan Pounds
Oneonta
DET
180
24
.867
Andrew Fie
YakimaARI
235
24
.898
Steven Souza
Vermont
WSN
139
22
.842
Jeremie Tice
Mahoning Valley
CLE
128
19
.852
Matthew West
SpokaneTEX
179
19
.894
David Flores
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
142
18
.873
Tyler Kolodny
AberdeenBAL
189
18
.905
Nate Tenbrink
EverettSEA
137
17
.876
Cody Overbeck
Williamsport
PHI
169
17
.899
Rodney Rutherford
Vancouver
OAK
87
16.816

A- 3B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 60 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Rodney Rutherford
Vancouver
OAK87
16
.816
Francisco Tirado
VancouverOAK79
14
.823
Steven Souza
Vermont
WSN139
22
.842
Matthew Payne
State College
PIT98
15
.847
Patrick Rose
Tri-City (NWL)
COL74
11
.851
Jeremie Tice
Mahoning Valley
CLE
128
19
.852
Derek Shunk
Eugene
SDP66
9
.864
Bryan Pounds
OneontaDET
180
24
.867
Leance Soto
AuburnTOR102
13
.873
David Flores
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
142
18
.873
NWL 3B

1729
194
.888
NYP 3B

2901
326
.888
A- 3B

4630
520
.888

Those are some ugly fielding percentages. Both leagues are the same once again, but I don't think they'll be bragging anytime soon. Rodney Rutherford, half of Vancouver's duo of disaster at the hot corner, just missed becoming the first position player to make the list with a fielding percentage below .800.


A- Shortstops

A- SS Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Joel Staples
JamestownFLA
307
23
.925
Brandon Douglas
Oneonta
DET
218
21
.904
Jeff Hulett
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU
109
18
.835
Colt Sedbrook
BataviaSTL191
18
.906
Jason Christian
VancouverOAK
257
18
.930
Robi Estrada
Hudson Valley
TBR272
17
.938
Dani Arias
Vermont
WSN
135
16
.881
Ronald Ramirez
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU217
16
.926
Lonnie Chisenhall
Mahoning Valley
CLE224
16
.929
Ryan Flaherty
Boise
CHC248
16
.935

A- SS Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 100 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Jeff Hulett
Tri-City (NYP)
HOU109
18
.835
Dani Arias
Vermont
WSN135
16
.881
Brandon Douglas
Oneonta
DET218
21
.904
Colt Sedbrook
Batavia
STL191
18
.906
Domnit Bolivar
Batavia
STL112
10
.911
Chase D'Arnaud
State College
PIT
151
12
.921
Anthony Phillips
Everett
SEA198
15
.924
Thomas Field
Tri-City (NWL)
COL
199
15
.925
Justin Parker
YakimaARI120
9
.925
Joel Staples
Jamestown
FLA
307
23
.925
NWL SS


2952182
.938
NYP SS


4824330
.932
A- SS


7776
512.934

Shortstops in the two short-season leagues had an easier time of it than did their brethren at the hot corner. Obviously they managed to cumulatively field in the .900's. You might recognize Domnit Bolivar's name from the third baseman list in the A ball post. He committed 23 errors at the hot corner for Quad Cities in the Midwest League. His 10 errors for Batavia took place in only 25 games.

A- Outfielders

A- OF Sorted By Most Errors
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Brian Van Kirk
Auburn
TOR
69
8
.884
Kevin Mattison
Jamestown
FLA
163
8
.951
Frederick Parejo
BataviaSTL
115
7
.939
Bartolo Nicolas
Auburn
TOR
111
6
.946
Quincy Latimore
State College
PIT
117
6
.949
Ryan Blair
Mahoning Valley
CLE
128
6
.953
9 tied with



5


A- OF Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances)
NameTeamOrg.TCEFPct.
Frederick Parejo
BataviaSTL
115
7
.939
Bartolo Nicolas
Auburn
TOR
111
6
.946
Quincy Latimore
State College
PIT
117
6
.949
Raymond Kruml
Staten Island
NYY
100
5
.950
Kevin Mattison
Jamestown
FLA
163
8
.951
Ryan Blair
Mahoning Valley
CLE
128
6
.953
Jeremy Barfield
Vancouver
OAK
112
5
.955
Tyson Gillies
EverettSEA
129
5
.961
Ciro Rosero
State College
PIT
133
5
.962
Welington Dotel
Everett
SEA
108
4
.963
NWL OF

3431
98
.971
NYP OF

5932
187
.968
A- OF

9363285
.970

Thanks to the abbreviated season, the outfielder with the most errors didn't even crack double digits. Brian Van Kirk did his part in making sure the Auburn outfield was a treat for Toronto pitching prospects to pitch in front of. Overall, though, outfielders did about as well in A- ball as their comrades a level up in A ball.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Baseball's Most (and Least) Common Initials

I've put together a list of major league players since 1876 and determined that 16,856 different men have worn the uniform of a major league baseball team and appeared in at least one game. Most, but not all, of those players have first and last names on their player pages. The unlucky ones include guys like Budd, McCaffery, McRemer, and Wiley.

With my list, it's possible to figure out which initials have been shared by the most major league players throughout history. It's not perfect, since players known by nicknames appear by those names in the list and not their given names. An example: Vinegar Bend Mizell has the initials "VM" rather than "WM" for Wilmer Mizell. I figure if the player was known by those nicknames more than their given names, it's okay.

With that in mind, here are the most common initials in major league history. Thirty sets of initials have been shared by 100 or more major league players:
  1. JM - 281 players
  2. JB - 275
  3. JS - 235
  4. BB - 200
  5. JC - 196
  6. JH - 189
  7. BS - 186
  8. BM - 182
  9. BH - 172
  10. JD - 152
  11. JG - 150
  12. JR - 148
  13. DM - 147
  14. JW - 144
  15. JP - 141
  16. BC - 135
  17. RM - 133
  18. RS - 131
  19. DS - 130
  20. MM - 122
  21. JL - 111
  22. RB - 111
  23. CS - 110
  24. DB - 109
  25. CB - 108
  26. CM - 107
  27. JK - 107
  28. CC - 102
  29. JF - 102
  30. DC - 101
It would appear first names beginning with J or B are the most common among baseball players. The initials MB (98), BW (96), and MS (96) are on the cusp of joining the above list.

In addition to the common initials, there have been 57 players who have unique initials in baseball history. Some of them are from so long ago they've been forgotten, but more than a few are from recent years. Here's the full list:

Art QuirkDan QuisenberryEd Irvin
Eddie QuickFrank IsbellFloyd Youmans
Heinie ZimmermanIke EichrodtIra Flagstead
Irv JeffriesIzzy LeonIrv Noren
Irv YoungKen ViningNick Dumovich
Nate OliverNed YostNorm Zauchin
Omar QuintanillaOscar ZamoraPete Incaviglia
Pat UnderwoodQueenie O'RourkeQuincy Trouppe
Quilvio VerasScotty IngertonUke Clanton
Uel EubanksUbaldo HerediaUbaldo Jimenez
Urbano LugoUrbane PickeringUrban Shocker
Ugueth UrbinaU.L. WashingtonVladimir Nunez
Vern OlsenVictor ZambranoWalt Irwin
Wimpy QuinnWalter YoungXavier Hernandez
Xavier NadyXavier RescignoYunel Escobar
Yovani GallardoYoungy JohnsonYovanny Lara
Yank RobinsonYohanny ValeraYats Wuestling
Zeb EatonZack GreinkeZach Jackson
Zeke RosebraughZoilo VersallesZip Zabel

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Team IP/G

A recent comment over at Brew Crew Ball inspired this post. The writer suggested projections for Brewers pitchers should add up to 1458 innings as a team. That, of course, would be the total of 162 games with nine innings pitched by the team. Yours truly replied with an awkward sounding suggestion that road losses requiring only eight innings pitched were to blame for the projections falling a little short. I figured that most teams finished below 1458 innings pitched and indeed only three teams (the Mets, Padres, and Twins) reached that number in 2008. I also wondered about the record for the highest (and lowest) average team innings pitched per game. Placing high on the list would seem to require winning often on the road and/or playing a lot of extra inning games. Likewise, showing up near to bottom would require losing a lot away from home and/or weather-shortened games.

I started by grabbing yearly pitching totals for each franchise from the franchise encyclopedia section of Baseball-Reference.com (a sample). Unfortunately those pages don't include thirds of an inning, but that won't change the results much anyway. In case of ties, though, I've gone and checked the relevant team pages. After getting all those numbers, it's easy to sort by innings pitched per game.

The bottom of the list is dominated by teams from the 19th and early 20th centuries. A simple reason for this games shorted because of darkness. Fields also weren't engineered as well as they are today, meaning inclement weather could shut games down much more quickly.

The two major league teams that averaged the fewest innings pitched per game folded shortly after beginning play. The 1884 St. Paul White Caps and 1884 Wilmington Quicksteps, both members of the Union Association, averaged 7.89 IP/G. St. Paul went 2-6 while Wilmington went 2-6-1 while Wilmington went 2-16. The 1884 Richmond Virginians, part of the American Association, were third from the bottom, averaging 8.04 IP in their 46 games.

It should come as no surprise that the team with the lowest average over a full season also owns the record for most losses in a season. The 1899 Cleveland Spiders, the best 20-134 team in baseball history, averaged a merciful 8.21 innings pitched per game. Just above them were the 1890 Baltimore Orioles and five Washington teams from the 1890's.

Turning to more modern teams, here are the bottom ten since expansion in 1961:
  1. 2005 Royals, 8.72 (1413.1 IP/162 G)
  2. 1961 Athletics, 8.73 (1415.0/162)
  3. 2001 Pirates, 8.74 (1416.1/162)
  4. 1979 Blue Jays, 8.75 (1417.0/162)
  5. 1978 White Sox, 8.75 (1409.0/161)
  6. 1983 Mariners, 8.75 (1418.0/162)
  7. 2005 Rockies, 8.76 (1418.2/162)
  8. 1985 Rangers, 8.76 (1411.0/161)
  9. 2006 Orioles, 8.76 (1419.0/162)
  10. 1997 Phillies, 8.77 (1420.0/162)
    1999 Padres, 8.77 (1420.0/162)
    2003 Rockies, 8.77 (1420.0/162)
All of these teams finished with more than 90 losses except for the 1999 Padres and 2003 Rockies (88 losses each). Many of them lost over 100 games. That's a lot of eight-inning contests. Surprisingly, the 1983 Mariners actually had an ERA+ over 100.

The other extreme has a mix of different eras. The top spot is held by the 1918 Washington Senators, a team that averaged a stunning 9.45 innings pitched over their 130 games. They went 72-56-2, finishing third in the league. There must have been a lot of extra baseball in Washington that year. The 1876 Louisville Grays are second, averaging 9.32 IP/G despite giving up just under 5 runs each game. The 1876 New York Mutuals took third at 9.30 IP/G while allowing over 7 runs each day. The 1969 Twins are the highest team since expansion, throwing 1497 innings on the year, or 9.24 per game. They finished 97-65 and played eleven games that lasted 13 or more innings.

Here are the top ten averages since expansion:
  1. 1969 Twins, 9.24 (1497.0 IP/162 G)
  2. 1973 Dodgers, 9.20 (1491.0/162)
  3. 1967 White Sox, 9.20 (1490.0/162)
  4. 1988 Athletics, 9.19 (1489.0/162)
  5. 1996 Padres, 9.19 (1489.0/162)
  6. 1982 Dodgers, 9.19 (1488.0/162)
  7. 1985 Mets, 9.19 (1488.0/162)
  8. 1964 Yankees, 9.18 (1506.0/164)
  9. 1972 Padres, 9.17 (1403.0/153)
  10. 1972 Reds, 9.17 (1412.0/154)
These teams all finished with 88 or more wins, with one notable exception. The 1972 Padres managed to lose 95 games despite throwing so many innings. They were better on the road (32-41) than they were at home (26-54) but that doesn't explain it all. Another big reason they averaged so many innings was the 21 extra inning games they played. By my count, they played 62 extra frames that season. The 1972 Padres were the only team on the list with an ERA+ under 100.

Wondering about the high and low teams in 2008? It turns out three teams averaged at least nine innings pitched per game, but one of them isn't one of the teams that totaled over 1458 innings. The Mets led the majors with 1464.1 innings pitched in 162 games, or 9.04 IP/G. The Cubs were next with 1450.2 in 161 games, or 9.01 IP/G. Finally, the Padres wound up at 1458 1/3 IP, just a hair over 9.00 IP/G. The bottom three teams were the Orioles, Astros, and Diamondbacks, averaging 8.83, 8.85, and 8.86 innings per game, respectively. The major league average was 8.93 IP/G. The major league average has hovered between 8.90 and 8.93 since 2000.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Update: SO > TB, Minimum 200 AB

Today I'm revisiting my first real post on this blog. Back in 2007, my first topic was hitters who wound up with more strikeouts than total bases. To make sure I only got players who spent a significant time in the majors, I set the minimum to qualify for the list at 200 at bats. It turns out three players have officially joined the list since the original post.

NameYearTeamPosABAVGOBPSLGTBSOOPS+
Bill Bergen1911BROC227.132.183.1543542-4
Billy Consolo1954BOSSS242.227.324.277676959
Billy Consolo1959BOS
WSH
SS216.213.331.269585967
Ernie Fazio1963HOU2B228.184.273.281647065
Jerry Kindall1963CLE2B234.205.266.295697158
Dave Nicholson1964CHWLF294.204.329.36510712696
Chris Cannizzaro1965NYMC251.183.270.231586046
Don Zimmer1965WSAC226.199.284.252575955
Ray Oyler1966DETSS210.171.263.252536248
Jerry Zimmerman1967MINC234.167.243.192454926
Ray Oyler1968DETSS215.135.213.186405920
George Scott1968BOS1B350.171.236.237838840
Dick Tracewski1968DETSS212.156.239.236505143
Al Weis1968NYMSS274.172.234.204566332
Darrel Chaney1969CINSS209.191.278.234497542
Ray Oyler1969SEPSS255.165.260.267688049
Jim Mason1975NYYSS223.152.228.211474927
John Hale1978SEARF211.171.283.265566456
Leroy Stanton1978SEALF302.182.265.248758047
Bobby Bonds1980STLLF231.203.305.316737472
Tom Donohue1980CALC218.188.216.243536327
Reggie Jackson1983CALRF397.194.290.34013514074
Gary Pettis1987CALCF394.208.302.25910212453
Jody Davis1989ATLC231.169.246.242566139
John Shelby1989LADCF345.183.237.229799236
Jeff Kunkel1990TEXSS200.170.221.280566640
Rob Deer1991DETRF448.179.314.38617317592
Hensley Meulens1991NYYLF288.222.276.319929765
Gary Pettis1991TEXCF282.216.341.277789175
Andujar Cedeno1992HOUSS220.173.232.277617147
Jack Clark1992BOSDH257.210.350.311808782
Billy Ashley1995LADLF215.237.320.372808890
Benji Gil1995TEXSS415.219.266.34714414760
Kimera Bartee1996DETCF217.253.308.304667757
Archi Cianfrocco1997SDP1B220.245.328.355788085
Mark Johnson1997PIT1B219.215.345.315697873
Ryan McGuire1998MON1B210.186.292.243515546
Greg Vaughn2002TBDLF251.163.286.315798260
Mark Bellhorn2005BOS
NYY
2B300.210.324.35710711281
Mark Bellhorn2006SDP3B253.190.285.344879066
Ryan Langerhans2007ATL
OAK
WSN
OF210.167.272.305648153
Andruw Jones2008LADCF209.158.256.249527634
Tony Pena Jr.2008KCRSS225.169.189.20947497
NameYearTeamPosABAVGOBPSLGTBSOOPS+

I think it's cool that Pena became only the second player with an OPS+ of under 10 to show up. In fact, he is the first player since Bill Bergen a century ago to have an OPS+ that low under in 200+ at bats.

In addition to Langerhans, Jones, and Pena, Jeff Mathis of the Angels deserves a mention. In 2008 he came to bat 283 times and wound up with 90 total bases. He also struck out 90 times. Darrel Chaney in 1973 was the last player to have equal strikeouts and total bases in 200 or more at bats.

I wonder which hitters will linger long enough in the big leagues next year to make the list. I guess we'll see...