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Thursday, November 26, 2009

Dewan: Who are baseball’s best and worst baserunners?

Moli-i-i-i-na(s) where you going to?

According to this study, Grady Sizemore is the best baserunner in baseball with a +104, despite only a +4 in 106 games played this year. Think of that +104 as 104 extra bases taken compared to an average runner. Chase Utley, the only infielder on this list, comes in second with +96 and had an excellent year this year with a +27. Willy Taveras is slightly behind Utley, followed by Ichiro Suzuki and Randy Winn.

Worst Baserunners, 2005-2009
Player 	Baserunning Gain
Bengie Molina 	-106
Carlos Lee 	-97
Brian McCann 	-83
Yadier Molina 	-82
Mike Lowell 	-81
Ordinarily, when we do a Stat of the Week that involves catchers, the Molina brothers appear on some sort of “best-of” leaderboard. When it comes to baserunning, however, the two Molina brothers with starting jobs are two of the five worst baserunners in baseball over the past five years. At -97, Carlos Lee is right behind Bengie Molina’s league worst net gain of -106. Mike Lowell also makes the list of worst baserunners, and is the lone infielder in the bottom five. In 2009, Lowell was an abysmal -27. The worst baserunner in 2009, Juan Rivera at -35, just missed the five-year list with -80.

Repoz Posted: November 26, 2009 at 08:08 AM | 21 comment(s)
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1. zambranofan Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:22 AM (#3397302)

Um...huh? So is he a +104 or a +4? Can we get a little clearer notation?

2. Sweatpants

Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:26 AM (#3397304)

+104 from 2005-2009, +4 for only 2009.

3. Ryan Jones Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:26 AM (#3397305)

Um...huh? So is he a +104 or a +4?

He's +104 over the 5 year period, which includes his +4 in 106 games this season.

4. zambranofan Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:27 AM (#3397306)

Thanks. I blame jet lag for my denseness.

5. Ryan Jones Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:29 AM (#3397308)

That's an interesting trick. I generally blame my denseness on being stupid.

6. Cuban X Senators Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:31 AM (#3397309)

One of my favorite baseball moments this year was being at Cliff Lee's NL debut in SF with some friends along from out of town. Bengie hit into a game-ending double-play, and a friend upon seeing where Bengie was when the ball reached the pivot said, "did he stumble?" "Nope." "He was dogging it?" "Nope, that's just the slowest man in the big leagues." The great moment was the look of absolute incredulity on his face. Could a major leaguer be that slow? I don't think he believes right now that Bengie was going all out.

7. Ryan Jones Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:36 AM (#3397310)

Benji Molina is probably my wife's favorite player. She used to get a huge kick out of him desperately striving to get to first base on any grounder, even though it was obvious he wasn't going to make it.

Also, Benji Molina is the only player I can think of who always looks likes he's running uphill.

8. PreservedFish Posted: November 26, 2009 at 11:44 AM (#3397315)

For years I have had an idea for a very clever blog in which I time MLB players on their runs to first, and time myself, and then mock any player that I can beat. I will discuss terms if any of you want to develop it.

9. Mayor Blomberg Posted: November 26, 2009 at 12:07 PM (#3397327)

Seems hard to believe that Jose Molina didn't make the list. Seems like he should have been -6 every time he was penciled in the lineup.

10. Confined to the Halls of Congers (formerly Y...) Posted: November 26, 2009 at 12:15 PM (#3397333)

Jose was on the list, but Dewan had a "Saving Private Ryan" moment and didn't want to put the family through that trauma.

11. puck Posted: November 26, 2009 at 12:23 PM (#3397334)

Think of that +104 as 104 extra bases taken compared to an average runner.

Why wouldn't they express this in runs? Which extra base should I think of as being taken, how many outs are there, are other runners on base, etc?

12. puck Posted: November 26, 2009 at 12:24 PM (#3397335)

Jose didn't get to play enough:

Molina    PAs   times on base
Benji   2513    799
Yadier  2307    763
Jose    1102    305

13. Ron Johnson Posted: November 26, 2009 at 12:28 PM (#3397337)

Ryan, mong my alltime faves (on baserunning not fielding) is Bill James on John Kruk. (from the 1987 Abstract)

What a wonderful, wonderful player. I love him, like a Teddy Bear. There hasn't been anybody like this around since John Wockenfuss came up.

He's got a funny name, a funny stance, and he's absolutely hilarious on the bases. He doesn't run fast but, boy, does he run hard.

When he gets pressed real hard, like somebody is running up his back or something, he sticks his arms out and pinwheels them real fast when he runs, sort of looking as if his arms where attached to his body by a rubber band that was too short, so that the joints would go out straight rather than relaxing into a normal position.

At the same time, he puffs out his cheeks and blows real hard while he runs. [...]

14. Crashburn Alley Posted: November 26, 2009 at 12:54 PM (#3397347)

Yet another reason to love Chase Utley. He's the second-best runner over the past five years. What can't he do?

Use an appropriate amount of hair gel, I guess.

15. Elisabeth R�hm and Walter Haas Posted: November 26, 2009 at 01:48 PM (#3397363)

That's an interesting trick. I generally blame my denseness on being stupid.

I blame mine on the ratio of my mass to my volume. YMMV.

16. Jacob Posted: November 26, 2009 at 02:13 PM (#3397370)

One more year and Adrian Gonzalez should get the recognition he deserves.

17. Harveys Wallbangers

Posted: November 26, 2009 at 02:20 PM (#3397371)

Felipe Lopez runs into an out every two weeks or did while with Milwaukee. Drove Brewer fans nuts.

18. RayDiPerna Posted: November 26, 2009 at 02:22 PM (#3397372)

Speaking of favorite James comments in general, among mine (just off the top of my head) are the Brian Downing comment and the Steve Carlton comment.

The one about testing pitchers' health by analogizing it to the Salem witch trials was great also.

His comment on Lonnie Smith's fielding.... not bad.

19. Rough Carrigan

Posted: November 26, 2009 at 05:00 PM (#3397428)

Yet another reason to love Chase Utley. He's the second-best runner over the past five years. What can't he do?

Use an appropriate amount of hair gel, I guess.

He uses Dapper Dan.
He's bona fide!

20. Fumbduck Joe Bivens Posted: November 26, 2009 at 06:32 PM (#3397440)

Mike Lowell makes David Ortiz look speedy.

21. Bhaakon Posted: November 27, 2009 at 03:49 AM (#3397525)

I'd like to see a positional adjustment for these numbers. Obviously Bengie Molina is the worst baserunner in baseball by far, and I'm generally not a Bengie defender, but the other catchers on the worst list lead me to believe that -104 is massively overstating the value Molina has given up on the bases relative to his actual peers.

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Dewan: Who are baseball’s best and worst baserunners?

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