THT: Studeman: Ten things I didn’t know last week

Lotsa good stuff from Studes...including the Michael Schell Database.

So, how do Rice and Belle compare? Here is a reprint of the results you’ll find in our database; the stats represent a “seasonal line” for each batter, based on playing in a neutral park between 1977 and 1992 (the most stable era in baseball history, according to Schell). The stats also reflect each player’s longevity.

Player       POS  Runs   HR  RBI   SB   BA  OBP  SLG  CBR Rank
Albert Belle OF     74   27   94   12 .286 .356 .522 23.5  126
Jim    Rice  OF     73   22   83    9 .288 .345 .475 20.9  216

“CBR” stands for “Career Batter Rating,” and it represents the number of runs above average that a player would have generated—similar to Linear Weights and Batting Runs. The player’s rank is based on CBR, adjusted for position.

Belle has the better ranking, and by a decent margin. The two have similar batting averages, but Belle is 10 points better in OBP and almost 50 points better in SLG. On Schell’s list, Belle is sandwiched between Wally Berger and Ken Singleton. Rice is lower, between Sammy Sosa and second baseman/outfielder Danny Murphy.