BBTF.org/m/history : FanGraphs: Another Reason Why Rickey Is the Greatest

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

2013 Results: Bonds, Clemens, Piazza and Biggio are elected to the Hall of Merit!

(bbtf)

posted on December 12, 2012 at 10:14 PM by Joe Dimino to history | 61 comment(s)

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio have been elected to the Hall of Merit!

The timing for our first year electing 4 candidates could not have worked out better, since class of 2013 is the strongest in terms of electees that we’ve ever had. The top of the 1934 ballot included Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Eddie Collins, Pop Lloyd, Smokey Joe Williams and Cristobal Torriente, but only 2 were elected.

Bonds and Clemens were each unanimous at 1 and 2. I believe that’s the first ...

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51. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:19 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Boone - Ichiro?

Peaked at 33 in '03. Somehow only managed 24 in '01, when Boone drove in 141 and Ichiro won the MVP.

52. AJM posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:26 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Mattingly drove in Henderson 56 times in 1985. That is a ridiculous total. I haven't exactly made an exhaustive search, but I've only found one larger number in recent history (excepting a player driving himself in, of course) - and I bet nobody can guess what it is.

Juan Gonzalez/Rusty Greer?

53. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:29 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Juan Gonzalez/Rusty Greer?

38 in 1998, and no higher. Gonzalez also drove in Puge Rodriguez 37 times in '96.

54. willcarrolldoesnotsuk posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:29 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Based solely on the hypothesis that "I bet no one can guess who" is a bit of tricky redirection rather than an implication that the players are obscure, I'm going to guess Rickey... Canseco?

55. AJM posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:34 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Bichette/Young?

56. Voros McCracken of Pinkus posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:36 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

For the real out there guess, Ryne Sandberg and Bob Dernier.

57. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:37 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Bichette/Young?

Bichette slips into the 30s a couple of times, peaking when driving in Larry Walker 38 times in '97; never with Young.

Rickey... Canseco?

Also no.

58. Don't want the truth; just wanna see some dingers posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:39 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I always liked the quote about Rickey could have two HOF careers. I just looked this up, and ater 1990 (amazingly, the last year he received any MVP votes), he went on to get on base 2200+ times, score 1000 runs, and steal 470 bases with a 115 OPS+; roughly an OBP-heavy version of Reggie Sanders' career, and that was the downside of his career.

59. Kurt posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:39 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Where are you guys looking this up? I want to check my own guess (Tommy Herr-Vince Coleman).

60. Voros McCracken of Pinkus posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:45 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

How far back can we go? Because Vern Stephens must have driven Ted Williams in a TON of times in 1949.

61. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:45 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Where are you guys looking this up? I want to check my own guess (Tommy Herr-Vince Coleman).

It's a bit of a pain - B-R has a breakdown of who a player drove in for a single season at the top of his Game Log page for that season. Sadly, there's no equivalent breakdown the other direction, so you have to look up the RBI man.

Herr-Coleman is a good guess, but also incorrect. Herr's teammate RBIs in 1985 were split quite nicely between Coleman and McGee, with 35 each.

62. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:46 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

How far back can we go? Because Vern Stephens must have driven Ted Williams in a TON of times in 1949.

Probably. The data are incomplete when you go back that far. Williams drove in Dom Dimaggio at least 52 times in 1948, though.

63. AJM posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:47 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

ARod/Jeter?

64. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:52 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

If it hadn't been for Bob Barton, Enzo Hernandez's legendary season would have been, uh, legendarier.

B Barton 6, E Spiezio 2, G Jestadt 1, A Bravo 1, D Campbell 1

65. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:53 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

ARod/Jeter?

Nope.

I think it's hard to put up an unbelievable figure in this category when playing for a really good offense. You'd think Rollins-Howard would do really well, for instance, but there were too many times when Utley had already driven in Rollins before Howard got there. (Utley-Rollins and Howard-Utley also do all right, but none of them got as high as 40.)

66. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:54 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Just found a 54. It's still a fairly tough one, but not as unguessable as the 55 and the 58 are.

67. Voros McCracken of Pinkus posted on February 22, 2013 at 08:55 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I found it.

68. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:00 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I found it.

Which one? (It's quite possible it's not the same one I've got; my manual searching method is far from comprehensive.)

69. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:01 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Honorable mention: George Brett drove in Willie Wilson 46 times in 1980, despite only playing in 117 games.

70. AJM posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:04 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Miguel Cabrera/Hanley Ramirez?

71. Voros McCracken of Pinkus posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:06 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The 58. I think one of them is still active (sort of). An awful lot of talent on such a forgotten team.

72. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:06 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Miguel Cabrera/Hanley Ramirez?

37 in '06, no higher. Cabrera drove in Austin Jackson roughly that many times this year as well.

73. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:08 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

The 58. I think one of them is still active (sort of). An awful lot of talent on such a forgotten team.

I just found that one too. His second-most-driven-in teammate was 13 runs.

74. Voros McCracken of Pinkus posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:09 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think Carlos Baerga might be the two year record holder. He knocked Lofton in 91 times in 1992 and 1993.

75. JJ1986 posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:12 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think one of them is still active (sort of).

deleted in case anyone else wants to guess.

76. Voros McCracken of Pinkus posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:14 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Too much of a hint I guess. That is correct.

77. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:17 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Sweeney and Damon?

Indeed. Damon led the league in runs; Sweeney finished second in RBI by one. Over half of Sweeney's teammate RBI were of Damon.

Edit: I wouldn't worry about it, 75. There's still the combination of 55 and 54 remaining unguessed if people want to keep going.

78. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:18 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I think Carlos Baerga might be the two year record holder. He knocked Lofton in 91 times in 1992 and 1993.

Mattingly-Henderson beats that, although not by too much - 56 in '85, 41 in '86.

79. Hello Rusty Kuntz, Goodbye Rusty Cars posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:21 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Zeke Bonura and Luke Appling combined for 266 RBI and only 18 HR for the 1936 White Sox. Their RBI may have been spread out among too many players though. Appling mostly hit behind Bonura that year.

80. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:34 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Just stumbled across a 49 as well. And with that, I think I'm going to quit looking. If anyone wants to keep guessing for the 55, 54, and 49, I may still be up to checking answers.

81. Spivey posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:41 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Delgado or Helton and someone?

82. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 09:54 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Delgado or Helton and someone?

No to both. Delgado did OK with Shawn Green in '99, and Preston Wilson drove in Helton a bunch in 2003, but I don't think either broke 40.

83. puck posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:20 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Erin States 16 years later

She posted a bunch of pics from over the years on her blog. Pretty amazing.

84. puck posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Rickey had all sorts of appeal. The crazy batting stance, and the triple digit steals did it at first. When I had a table top baseball game and started discovering how awesome it was when you had players that drew lots of walks, that really made me appreciate him. Then when he started hitting with power, too...

85. Dock Ellis on Acid

posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:28 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Aw man #### I read the link in #14 and I welled up about the little girl's letter.

86. Baldrick posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:30 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Miguel Tejada/Melvin Mora?

Helton and...someone? Or Galarraga and Bichette?

87. Morty Causa posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:35 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Wouldn't the winner have to be Gehrig driving in Ruth?

88. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:46 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Miguel Tejada/Melvin Mora?

This possibility occurred to me as well. A plurality of Tejada's 150 RBI in 2004 actually went to Brian Roberts, with a healthy-but-not-historic 38.

Helton and...someone? Or Galarraga and Bichette?

No Rockies, at least not that I found. I think the late '90s teams had too many RBI guys for a specific one of them to drive in another specific a high percentage of the time.

Wouldn't the winner have to be Gehrig driving in Ruth?

Maybe, at least for career total (although the records don't go back that far). But the highest single-season numbers I've found have all involved run scorers who didn't drive themselves in nearly as often as Ruth did.

89. Mike Emeigh

posted on February 22, 2013 at 10:51 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Andre Dawson drove in Tim Raines 54 times in 1983.

-- MWE

90. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 22, 2013 at 11:00 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Andre Dawson drove in Tim Raines 54 times in 1983.

Yup. That's the 54 I found as well.

Dawson had 113 RBI that year: 54 of Raines, 32 of himself, and 27 of all other Expos combined.

91. Dock Ellis on Acid

posted on February 22, 2013 at 11:18 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

I still can't get over that story. The Rickey! I remember from his playing days was a brash, outspoken, egotistical player (though I loved him anyway), and while I don't doubt much of his reputation back then was media-driven, I'd like to think that his relationship with the little girl was the turning point into becoming the humbled man we've come to admire even more. If someone adored you as much as that girl adored Rickey, wouldn't that humble the hell out of you, too?

92. Karl from NY posted on February 22, 2013 at 11:25 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Bonds in 2004 (375 times on base!) and whoever hit after him?

93. Morty Causa posted on February 22, 2013 at 11:30 PM # hit 0 | hit 0

Maybe, at least for career total (although the records don't go back that far). But the highest single-season numbers I've found have all involved run scorers who didn't drive themselves in nearly as often as Ruth did.

Did they have a .474 OBA?

Although, in that regard, he was more impressive in that part of the '20s before Gehrig.

94. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 23, 2013 at 12:01 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

For the sake of illustration, highest career totals in (R-HR):

Ruth: 118, 110, 109, 104, 103, 101
Earle Combs: 134, 131, 122, 116, 115, 114, 111, 105

It wouldn't surprise me at all to see the top figures for either Ruth-Combs or Gehrig-Combs exceed the top figure for Gehrig-Ruth.

95. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 23, 2013 at 12:04 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

Bonds in 2004 (375 times on base!) and whoever hit after him?

The trouble was that whoever hit after him (a) wasn't very good, and (b) wasn't always the same person. Overall, no 2004 Giant (including Bonds, for obvious reasons) drove in as many as 70 teammates.

96. Eric J can SABER all he wants to posted on February 23, 2013 at 12:12 AM # hit 0 | hit 0

OK, since the guesses seem to have dried up...

55: Paul Molitor driving in Chuck Knoblauch, 1996
49: Gary Sheffield driving in Rafael Furcal, 2003

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

2013 Results: Bonds, Clemens, Piazza and Biggio are elected to the Hall of Merit!

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