Most SB in a Season with 0 CS

On February 22, 2008, I posted about players who stole the most bases in a season without being caught. Since the regular season is now over for all but two teams, it's time to put the new record holder atop the list. As noted in the previous post, the AL has recorded caught stealings since 1920. The NL has did not consistently record caught stealings until 1951.

Most Stolen Bases in a Season, 0 Caught Stealings

1. Chase Utley, 2009, 23
2. Kevin McReynolds, 1988, 21
3. Paul Molitor, 1994, 20
4. Gary Thurman, 1989, 16
5. Jimmy Sexton, 1982, 16
6. Davey Lopes, 1984, 15
7. Terry Shumpert, 1999, 14
8. Sean Berry, 1994, 14
9. Carlos Beltran, 2000, 13
10. Desi Relaford, 2000, 13
11. Rex Hudler, 1995, 13
12. Tim Raines, 1994, 13
13. Lee Tinsley, 1994, 13
14. Tom Tresh, 1964, 13
15. Leon Culberson, 1943, 13
16. Johnny Damon, 2009, 12
    
17. David Dellucci, 2003, 12
18. Paul Molitor, 1995, 12
19. Fred Lynn, 1980, 12
20. Miguel Dilone, 1977, 12
21. Alexei Casilla, 2009, 11
    
22. Albert Belle, 1996, 11
23. Joe Carter, 1994, 11
24. Tony Bernazard, 1982, 11
25. Johnny Bench, 1975, 11
    
26. Jesse Hill, 1936, 11
27. Jason Bay, 2008, 10
28. Michael Young, 2008, 10
    
29. Mark Teahen, 2006, 10
30. Miguel Tejada, 2003, 10
31. Jim Eisenreich, 1995, 10
32. John Jaha, 1992, 10
33. Frank Duffy, 1976, 10
34. Dan Meyer, 1976, 10
35. Red Wilson, 1958, 10
    
36. Charlie Gehringer, 1940, 10

Congratulations to Chase Utley for setting a new record. Utley isn't the only new addition to the list. Johnny Damon and Alexei Casilla also joined this year. Jason Bay and Michael Young should have been added after 2008 (oops).

Thanks to Tom for commenting on my February 2008 post and bringing this to my attention.

Update: Last Position Players to Pitch by Team

Previous installments can be found here: April 2008, May 2009.

With September call-ups a couple days away, it is likely the days of position players pitching are over for another season. Here is the full list of 2009 position player pitchers:

Ross Gload (FLA) - May 22
Nick Green (BOS) - August 27
Paul Janish (CIN) - May 6 & July 6
Mark Loretta (LAD) - July 28
Cody Ross (FLA) - April 26
Nick Swisher (NYY) - April 13
Jonathan Van Every (BOS) - April 30
Josh Wilson (ARI & SDP) - May 11 & June 7

Here's the updated list by team:

Last Position Player to Pitch by Team
(through 8/30/2009)

Team	Name	Date
Arizona Diamondbacks	Josh Wilson	5-11-2009
Atlanta Braves	John Russell	6-25-1989
Baltimore Orioles	Manny Alexander	4-19-1996
Boston Red Sox	Nick Green	8-27-2009
Chicago Cubs	Gary Gaetti	7-3-1999
Chicago White Sox	Dave Martinez	8-4-1995
Cincinnati Reds	Paul Janish	7-6-2009
Cleveland Indians	Tim Laker	4-20-2004
Colorado Rockies	Todd Zeile	9-14-2002
Detroit Tigers	Shane Halter	10-1-2000
Florida Marlins	Ross Gload	5-22-2009
Houston Astros	Tim Bogar	6-24-2000
Kansas City Royals	Tony Pena	6-21-2008
Los Angeles Angels	Chili Davis	6-17-1993
Los Angeles Dodgers	Mark Loretta	7-28-2009
Milwaukee Brewers	Trent Durrington	4-17-2004
Minnesota Twins	John Moses	7-31-1990
New York Mets	Todd Zeile	7-26-2004
New York Yankees	Nick Swisher	4-13-2009
Oakland Athletics	Frank Menechino	7-18-2000
Philadelphia Phillies	Tomas Perez	5-13-2002
Pittsburgh Pirates	Abraham Nunez	5-30-2004
San Diego Padres	Josh Wilson	6-7-2009
Seattle Mariners	Jamie Burke	7-6-2008
San Francisco Giants	Greg Litton	7-4-1991
St. Louis Cardinals	Aaron Miles	6-13-2008
Tampa Bay Rays	Josh Wilson	6-8-2007
Texas Rangers	Scott Sheldon	9-6-2000
Toronto Blue Jays	Frank Menechino	8-28-2004
Washington Nationals	Junior Noboa	7-20-1990*

* - Fellow position player Dave Martinez pitched right before Noboa in the same game.

Update: Last Position Players to Pitch by Team

UPDATE: New post through August 30, 2009 here.

Since plenty of people have stumbled across my April 2008 post about the last position players to pitch for each team, I figured it was high time for an update. So far in 2009, four position players have taken the mound for their teams: Paul Janish, Cody Ross, Nick Swisher, and Jonathan Van Every. Last year Jamie Burke, Aaron Miles, and shortstop Tony Pena pitched. Burke even picked up a loss.

Here's the updated list:

Last Position Player to Pitch by Team

Team	Name	Date
Arizona Diamondbacks	Jeff Cirillo	8-20-2007
Atlanta Braves	John Russell	6-25-1989
Baltimore Orioles	Manny Alexander	4-19-1996
Boston Red Sox	Jonathan Van Every	4-30-2009
Chicago Cubs	Gary Gaetti	7-3-1999
Chicago White Sox	Dave Martinez	8-4-1995
Cincinnati Reds	Paul Janish	5-6-2009
Cleveland Indians	Tim Laker	4-20-2004
Colorado Rockies	Todd Zeile	9-14-2002
Detroit Tigers	Shane Halter	10-1-2000
Florida Marlins	Cody Ross	4-26-2009
Houston Astros	Tim Bogar	6-24-2000
Kansas City Royals	Tony Pena	6-21-2008
Los Angeles Angels	Chili Davis	6-17-1993
Los Angeles Dodgers	Robin Ventura	6-25-2004
Milwaukee Brewers	Trent Durrington	4-17-2004
Minnesota Twins	John Moses	7-31-1990
New York Mets	Todd Zeile	7-26-2004
New York Yankees	Nick Swisher	4-13-2009
Oakland Athletics	Frank Menechino	7-18-2000
Philadelphia Phillies	Tomas Perez	5-13-2002
Pittsburgh Pirates	Abraham Nunez	5-30-2004
San Diego Padres	Sean Burroughs	9-20-2005
Seattle Mariners	Jamie Burke	7-6-2008
San Francisco Giants	Greg Litton	7-4-1991
St. Louis Cardinals	Aaron Miles	6-13-2008
Tampa Bay Rays	Josh Wilson	6-8-2007
Texas Rangers	Scott Sheldon	9-6-2000
Toronto Blue Jays	Frank Menechino	8-28-2004
Washington Nationals	Junior Noboa	7-20-1990*

* - Fellow position player Dave Martinez pitched right before Noboa in the same game.

Rookie Ball Errors by Position

I realized the other day I never finished my series of errors by position at each minor league level. I've done a post for every level above rookie ball and you can find those here: AAA errors by position, AA errors by position posts, A+ errors by position, A errors by position, and A- errors by position. There are four leagues at the rookie level: the Appalachian League, Arizona League, Gulf Coast League, and Pioneer League. Arizona League and Gulf Coast League teams generally play at their parent organization's spring training complexes, while the other leagues are based in different regions. The Pioneer League plays around 76 games, the Appalachian League plays around 66 games, the Gulf Coast League plays 58 games, and the Arizona League plays 56 games. Some franchises, including the Brewers and Dodgers, have an affiliate in more than one of these four leagues.

R Pitchers

R Pitchers Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Benjamin Henry	AZL Rangers	TEX	11	8	.273
Eddie Gamboa	Bluefield	BAL	21	5	.762
Jack McGeary	GCL Nationals	WSN	16	5	.688
Baron Short	Orem	LAA	11	5	.545
Matt Baugh	Casper	COL	18	4	.778
Geison Aguasviva	Ogden	LAD	16	4	.750
Adrian Rosario	AZL Brewers	MIL	15	4	.733
Joselito Adames	AZL Athletics	OAK	12	4	.667
Cesar Cabral	GCL Red Sox	BOS	12	4	.667
Julio Bello	GCL Mets	NYM	11	4	.636
Jose Pena	AZL Cubs	CHC	9	4	.556
Tyler Sample	AZL Royals	KCR	6	4	.333

R Pitchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 10 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Benjamin Henry	AZL Rangers	TEX	11	8	.273
Baron Short	Orem	LAA	11	5	.545
Julio Bello	GCL Mets	NYM	11	4	.636
Joselito Adames	AZL Athletics	OAK	12	4	.667
Cesar Cabral	GCL Red Sox	BOS	12	4	.667
Jack McGeary	GCL Nationals	WSN	16	5	.688
Danny Salazar	GCL Indians	CLE	10	3	.700
Luis Cota	Idaho Falls	KCR	11	3	.727
Danny Rondon	Elizabethton	MIN	11	3	.727
Adrian Rosario	AZL Brewers	MIL	15	4	.733
APP Pitchers			1202	118	.902
AZL Pitchers			1008	112	.889
GCL Pitchers			1657	158	.905
PIO Pitchers			1218	95	.922
R Pitchers			5085	483	.905

One hopes Benjamin Henry is getting plenty of pitchers' fielding practice this spring.

R Catchers

R Catchers Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Leonel de los Santos	AZL Rangers	TEX	416	11	.974
Alvaro Sosa	AZL Cubs	CHC	236	10	.958
Brandon Harrigan	GCL Tigers	DET	175	10	.943
Beau Brooks	Orem	LAA	356	9	.975
Michael Roberts	Helena	MIL	303	8	.974
Sean McCauley	Idaho Falls	KCR	404	7	.983
Luis Bernardo	Bluefield	BAL	322	7	.978
Jack Cawley	Johnson City	STL	252	7	.972
Josmil Pinto	GCL Twins	MIN	219	7	.968
Chris Davis	Missoula	ARI	197	7	.964
Chase Weems	GCL Yankees	NYY	177	7	.960

R Catchers Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Alvaro Sosa	AZL Cubs	CHC	236	10	.958
Josmil Pinto	GCL Twins	MIN	219	7	.968
Jack Cawley	Johnson City	STL	252	7	.972
Leonel de los Santos	AZL Rangers	TEX	416	11	.974
Michael Roberts	Helena	MIL	303	8	.974
Beau Brooks	Orem	LAA	356	9	.975
Sandy Leon	GCL Nationals	WSN	209	5	.976
Dashenko Ricardo	GCL Orioles	BAL	213	5	.977
Orlando Santos	Bristol	CHW	228	5	.978
Luis Bernardo	Bluefield	BAL	322	7	.978
APP Catchers			6164	85	.986
AZL Catchers			4599	82	.982
GCL Catchers			7381	142	.981
PIO Catchers			5754	87	.985
R Catchers			23898	396	.983

There's nothing particularly remarkable about rookie league catchers, though the two organizational leagues (AZL & GCL) seem to have more errors assessed.

R First Basemen

R 1B Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Elvin Polanco	Bluefield	BAL	571	14	.975
Eligio Sonoqui	Princeton	TBR	569	13	.977
Gerardo Rodriguez	Danville	ATL	495	11	.978
Brock Kjeldgaard	Helena	MIL	808	9	.989
Alberto Espinosa	Idaho Falls	KCR	465	9	.981
Chris Hardin	AZL Padres	SDP	425	9	.979
David Medina	GCL Cardinals	STL	372	9	.976
Randy Molina	AZL Mariners	SEA	371	9	.976
Kyle Orr	Ogden	LAD	367	9	.975
Cameron Robulack	AZL Brewers	MIL	176	9	.949

R 1B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 200 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Devery van de Keere	Idaho Falls	KCR	234	8	.966
Michael Ortiz	AZL Rangers	TEX	294	8	.973
Kyle Orr	Ogden	LAD	367	9	.975
Elvin Polanco	Bluefield	BAL	571	14	.975
Randy Molina	AZL Mariners	SEA	371	9	.976
David Medina	GCL Cardinals	STL	372	9	.976
Edinho Meyer	GCL Orioles	BAL	248	6	.976
Eligio Sonoqui	Princeton	TBR	569	13	.977
Gerardo Rodriguez	Danville	ATL	495	11	.978
Pedro Ramos	AZL Brewers	MIL	317	7	.978
APP 1B			6233	102	.984
AZL 1B			4900	96	.980
GCL 1B			7954	114	.986
PIO 1B			5800	88	.985
R 1B			24887	400	.984

Cameron Robulack had a rough go of things at first base last year. You'll probably notice this as time goes on, but the AZL Brewers really struggled on defense. Speaking of Milwaukee, the Brewers are the first organization in this post to have players from two affiliates show up in the same table.

R Second Basemen

R 2B Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Ted Obregon	GCL Cardinals	STL	186	20	.892
Jerome Hoes	GCL Orioles	BAL	213	15	.930
Ivan Contreras	Orem	LAA	285	12	.958
Dominic de la Osa	Elizabethton	MIN	253	12	.953
Robert Brooks	GCL Braves	ATL	171	12	.930
Adenson Chourio	GCL Pirates	PIT	251	11	.956
Jose Altuve	Greeneville	HOU	210	11	.948
Elias Otero	Princeton	TBR	147	11	.925
7 tied with				10

R 2B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 100 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Ted Obregon	GCL Cardinals	STL	186	20	.892
Alonzo Harris	GCL Mets	NYM	119	10	.916
Elias Otero	Princeton	TBR	147	11	.925
Anthony Delmonico	Ogden	LAD	134	10	.925
Jerome Hoes	GCL Orioles	BAL	213	15	.930
Robert Brooks	GCL Braves	ATL	171	12	.930
Jose Duran	Helena	MIL	148	10	.932
Albert Cartwright	Greeneville	HOU	157	10	.936
Kenneth Roque	GCL Red Sox	BOS	146	9	.938
Allixon Cequea	AZL Brewers	MIL	116	7	.940
APP 2B			3226	124	.962
AZL 2B			2489	117	.953
GCL 2B			4113	192	.953
PIO 2B			2925	113	.961
R 2B			12753	546	.957

Once again the AZL & GCL feature more errors than the other leagues. Ted Obregon is the first player in this post to field below .900 as well as the first with 20+ errors. Once again two Brewers from two affiliates show up in the same table. It must be an organizational thing.

R Third Basemen

R 3B Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Burt Reynolds	Princeton	TBR	161	33	.795
Jake Hanson	GCL Braves	ATL	139	22	.842
Pedro Baez	Ogden	LAD	196	20	.898
Jefry Marte	GCL Mets	NYM	106	19	.821
Levi Carolus	Bluefield	BAL	145	18	.876
Abner Abreu	GCL Indians	CLE	125	18	.856
Ronnie Labrie	GCL Nationals	WSN	109	18	.835
Brett Anderson	GCL Tigers	DET	100	18	.820
Mario Martinez	Pulaski	SEA	170	16	.906
Johan Yan	AZL Rangers	TEX	108	16	.852

R 3B Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 60 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Alcibiades Made	AZL Athletics	OAK	63	13	.794
Burt Reynolds	Princeton	TBR	161	33	.795
Brett Anderson	GCL Tigers	DET	100	18	.820
Jefry Marte	GCL Mets	NYM	106	19	.821
Ronnie Labrie	GCL Nationals	WSN	109	18	.835
Matthew Gaski	AZL Padres	SDP	62	10	.839
Jake Hanson	GCL Braves	ATL	139	22	.842
Johan Yan	AZL Rangers	TEX	108	16	.852
Abner Abreu	GCL Indians	CLE	125	18	.856
Kyle Shelton	Great Falls	CHW	77	10	.870
APP 3B			1879	209	.889
AZL 3B			1561	176	.887
GCL 3B			2522	269	.893
PIO 3B			1628	159	.902
R 3B			7590	813	.893

Third base and shortstop usually feature the worst fielding percentages and this level is no different. The first 30+ errors player appears here (spoiler: he won't be the last). So do the first two sub-.800 fielding percentage guys. Despite those two, the rookie league third basemen collectively outfielded their low A counterparts by 5 points.

R Shortstops

R SS Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Reynaldo Navarro	Missoula	ARI	406	38	.906
Carlos George	AZL Brewers	MIL	149	29	.805
Carlos Martinez	Casper	COL	302	25	.917
Juan Silverio	Bristol	CHW	270	24	.911
Devaris Strange-Gordon	Ogden	LAD	307	24	.922
Travis Adair	GCL Braves	ATL	187	24	.872
James Beresford	Elizabethton	MIN	277	23	.917
Yunier Castillo	GCL Cardinals	STL	207	22	.894
Wilmer Flores	Kingsport	NYM	290	19	.934
Darwin Perez	Orem	LAA	281	19	.932

R SS Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 100 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Carlos George	AZL Brewers	MIL	149	29	.805
Travis Adair	GCL Braves	ATL	187	24	.872
Yowill Espinal	AZL Royals	KCR	155	18	.884
Jose Camargo	GCL Indians	CLE	104	12	.885
Yunier Castillo	GCL Cardinals	STL	207	22	.894
Jorge de Leon	Greeneville	HOU	126	12	.905
Reynaldo Navarro	Missoula	ARI	406	38	.906
Luis Sanchez	AZL Brewers	MIL	108	10	.907
Miguel Tejada	GCL Mets	NYM	131	12	.908
Mariekson Gregorius	GCL Reds	CIN	134	12	.910
APP SS			3119	224	.928
AZL SS			2194	177	.919
GCL SS			4172	301	.928
PIO SS			2973	198	.933
R SS			12458	900	.928

Reynaldo Navarro's error total is eye-catching, but he had 100 more total chances than anyone else at the rookie level. Carlos George and his teammate Luis Sanchez had an awful time at shortstop for the AZL Brewers. Overall, the Arizona League was more error-prone than the other leagues.

R Outfielders

R OF Sorted By Most Errors
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Tony Brown	Billings	CIN	85	10	.882
Jay Austin	Greeneville	HOU	120	9	.925
Alberto Diaz	Missoula	ARI	133	8	.940
Orlando Sandoval	Casper	COL	118	7	.941
Byron Wiley	Billings	CIN	68	7	.897
7 tied with				6

R OF Sorted By Lowest FPct. (minimum 75 total chances)
Name	Team	Org.	TC	E	FPct.
Tony Brown	Billings	CIN	85	10	.882
Jay Austin	Greeneville	HOU	120	9	.925
Allen Caldwell	Burlington	KCR	85	6	.929
Jordan Kendall	Bristol	CHW	86	6	.930
Jose Rangel	AZL Brewers	MIL	97	6	.938
Travis Mitchell	Johnson City	STL	81	5	.938
Alberto Diaz	Missoula	ARI	133	8	.940
Wendell Fairley	AZL Giants	SFG	84	5	.940
Orlando Sandoval	Casper	COL	118	7	.941
Joel Mendez	AZL Mariners	SEA	86	5	.942
APP OF			3383	143	.958
AZL OF			2609	111	.957
GCL OF			4803	139	.971
PIO OF			3012	110	.963
A- OF			13807	503	.964

Billings must have had a pretty crazy outfield last season. Obviously Tony Brown is the only qualifying player with a sub-.900 fielding percentage, but his teammate Byron Wiley is right up there on the leaderboard with him. Surprisingly, the AZL & GCL are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to league fielding by outfielders.

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
  

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.

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.