And if a guy who sets the all-time home run record doesn't win MVP, why can't a guy who gets the measly triple crown not win?

I noticed that Chris Carpenter will enter the post-season will 0 wins. How rare is it for a playoff team to start a pitcher who finished the regular season with 0 wins?

I'm afraid Carpenter isn't going to get the chance to start a playoff game.

Pujols has company in the form of AGon. The latter's BB rate, 2009-present:

17.5
13.4
10.4
6.2

unintentional walk rates, Pujols and AGon

____Pujols AGon
2001 9.4
2002 8.9
2003 10.0
2004 10.6
2005 10.4
2006 10.5__6.9
2007 11.7__7.8
2008 11.5__8.2
2009 10.8__14.7
2010 9.8___8.8
2011 7.2___7.7
2012 5.5 __5.5

Pujols and AGon both have a similar arc, but AGon really had one very high outlier season in there, before his current very low outlier.

Pujols' walk rate climbed over four years and then remained between 10.5-11.7% for six seasons, although it did decline every year after 2007. That decline has accelerated the past two years to the point where he's now become a guy who simply doesn't walk a lot (he's 42nd in 2012 in walks in the AL).

Much of Albert's value was in OBP, but these days, with that walk rate, he's in the .340s--not horrible but certainly not among the elite.

After finishing in the top 10 in the NL in OBP in eight straight seasons through 2010 (including seven top-three finishes), Pujols is currently 28th in the AL in OBP in 2012, despite still having the third-most intentional walks.

The Pujols thing is weird, I blame myself.

And if a guy who sets the all-time home run record doesn't win MVP, why can't a guy who gets the measly triple crown not win?

Because Sosa's victory was in defense of "tradition" (the Cubs made the playoffs, the Cards didn't) and also a consolation prize for helping make the writers feel like 12-year-olds again but losing out on the record.

Progression of the single-season HR record:
George Hall, 1876: 5
Charley Jones, 1879: 9
Harry Stovey, 1883: 14
Ned Williamson, 1884: 27
Babe Ruth, 1919: 29
Babe Ruth, 1920: 54
Babe Ruth, 1921: 59
Babe Ruth, 1927: 60
Roger Maris, 1961: 61
Mark McGwire, 1998: 70
Barry Bonds, 2001: 73

Only Maris and Bonds won the MVP in their years. No extenuating circumstances may be considered.

George Hall, 1876: 5
Charley Jones, 1879: 9
Harry Stovey, 1883: 14
Ned Williamson, 1884: 27
Babe Ruth, 1919: 29
Babe Ruth, 1920: 54
Babe Ruth, 1921: 59
Babe Ruth, 1927: 60
Roger Maris, 1961: 61
Sammy Sosa: 1998: 66
Mark McGwire, 1998: 70
Barry Bonds, 2001: 73



Fixed that for you, as Sosa was alone as the all-time single season home run king for about an hour in late September 1998.

I'm sure you knew that -- and I can see the argument for not including that on the list -- but he was the all-time single season home run king when he hit #66. It made me wonder if there is another instance of this happening somewhere on the list, like if someone else led Stovey at some point in the season in home runs in 1883 with more than nine and was thus, for a time, the all-time home run king (single season). Anyone know?

There could be people before George Hall, too. Who hit the very first home run?

Who hit the very first home run?

Julio Franco

A quick search tells me that Ezra Sutton hit the first home run "major league history" on May 8, 1871. He hit the second home run the same day. But this list leaves out the old National Association (why?). The first National League home run was hit by Ross Barnes on May 2, 1876.

It's true, it's a pitch Moyer really wanted back.