Five Statistical Facts about Scott Brosius

The third baseman for the New York Yankees when they were at their best was Scott Brosius. Only 11 years of Major League Baseball experience, he had a very quick yet impactful career. These are five statistical facts you should know about him.

All-Star Selections: 1

Yankees fans may hold Brosius in a higher regard. It’s fine because he was pretty good for them, at least in 1998. That season was the lone year Brosius would get a selection to the All-Star Game. It was also probably his best as he hit 19 home runs, drove in 98, and had a .300 batting average. For a career .257 hitter, this is rather impressive.

Years Batting Over .250: 4

Including the seasons at the beginning of his career when he played in a limited amount of games, Brosius only hit over .250 in 4 seasons. He accomplished this in 1995, 1996, 1998, and 2001. Oddly, he did hit over .300 twice–in 1996 and 1998.

1999 Gold Glove Award

Brosius was not a particularly great fielder although he did manage to win the 1999 American League Gold Glove Award for third basemen. Committing only 13 errors all season long, he had a .962 fielding percentage which was significant better than the .950 league average that season for others at the position. Based on this, Brosius should have probably won another Gold Glove in 1997 when he was still with the Oakland Athletics. That year, he committed only 7 errors and had a .977 fielding percentage.

Postseason Batting

Brosius had some memorable moments in the postseason for the Yankees. However, overall he did not play very well. Following the 1998 postseason when he hit .400 in the ALDS, .300 in the ALCS, and .471 in the World Series his numbers went down significantly. Brosius’s biggest postseason accomplishment was winning the 1998 World Series MVP. Indeed, Brosius performed at his best in the World Series hitting .314 compared to a .245 batting average overall in postseason play.

Versatile Fielder

Brosius played 915 games at third base in his career which was far more than any other position. He did however spend time at everywhere on the field as well with the exception of pitcher and catcher. In 67 total chances in left field and second base, Brosius never committed an error. In fact his worst fielding percentage was at third base which is a bit odd since he played there more than anyone else. Keep in mind, third basemen always make a ton of errors.

Five Statistical Facts about Willie Mays

Some consider him the greatest overall baseball player of all-time. He could hit for power, average, field, run, etc. This man, Willie Mays, was truly one of baseball’s best and the need to deliver any statistical facts about his career is unnecessary. However I will anyone because it’s important to know just how great he was.

20 Consecutive All-Star Games

From 1954-1973, Mays was an All-Star. The only years he didn’t make the All-Star team were his first two seasons and the 1953 that he missed due to military service. The final few seasons Mays probably didn’t deserve the nod however he’s Willie freakin’ Mays and how can you leave him off the roster?

A League Leader

Mays led the league in multiple categories in many different seasons. He led the league in runs twice, hits once, triples three times, home runs four times, stolen bases four times, and even won a batting title. What I enjoy most about all of these league leading categories was that he scattered them through his career. From 1954-1965, Mays led the league in at least one of the previously mentioned categories except in 1963 where he still finished fifth in the MVP voting.

12 Consecutive Gold Gloves

Try hitting a ball into center field against the Giants between 1957 and 1968 and chances are Mays was there to catch it. We know his most iconic over-the-shoulder catch, but he made plenty of other key defensive plays too. Because of this, Mays was awarded 12 consecutive Gold Gloves to further fulfill his status.

Postseason Batting

One of the few things Mays never excelled at was hitting in the postseason. The majority of Mays’ career there was only a World Series so unless the Giants got to the finals there was a very limited opportunity for Mays to get his at-bats. In 25 postseason games Mays hit only .247. His lone postseason home run took place in the 1971 NLCS when the San Francisco Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

His Two MVP Seasons

Mays was consistently in the MVP talks however he only ever won the award twice. The first time was in 1954 and the second was in 1965. Here is how the two seasons compare:

1954: 195 Hits, 119 Runs, 33 Doubles, 13 Triples, 41 Home Runs, 110 RBIs, .345 Batting Average

1965: 177 Hits, 118 Runs, 21 Doubles, 3 Triples, 52 Home Runs, 112 RBIs, .317 Batting Average

No matter which season you prefer, both were deserving.

Five Statistical Facts about Charles Johnson

The first round pick by the Florida Marlins in the 1992 MLB Draft, catcher Charles Johnson became one of the core members of the team as they headed toward their first championship. A career built on great defense, these are five statistical facts you should know about him.

Gold Gloves: 4

Johnson won 4 Gold Gloves in his career. They were given to him in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Each was won as a member of the Marlins with the one in 1998 being split between them and the Los Angeles Dodgers whom he was traded to midseason.

All-Star Selections: 2

Twice Johnson was invited to the All-Star Game and both were again as a member of the Marlins, but at two different points in his career. Johnson’s first trip to the All-Star Game came in 1997 and the second was in 2001 when he returned to South Florida. In 1997 Johnson’s numbers were 19/63/.250 and in 2001 they were a slightly better 18/75/.259.

2000 Season

What happened in 2000 with Johnson? Somehow split between the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox he managed to hit 31 home runs and drive in 91 runs with a .304 batting average and .379 on-base percentage. In spite of this Johnson failed to earn a trip to the All-Star Game or get a single MVP vote.

Postseason Batting

Only in the 1997 championship run with the Marlins and in the 2000 ALDS with the White Sox was Johnson a participant in the postseason. He did have 62 total at-bats and managed to have a very respectable .274 average. In the 1997 World Series, Johnson hit .357 with a home run and 3 RBIs.

1997 Fielding

The 1997 season was a very good one for Johnson and one many didn’t let go overlooked. While he did only have a .250 batting average, his .347 on-base percentage was very good. More importantly was his fielding behind the plate. In 973 total chances, Johnson didn’t commit a single error. He had 73 assists, was involved in 17 double plays, had 1 passed ball, 2 pickoffs, and caught 47% of baserunners attempting to steal. Like I said, his career is best known for his fielding.

Five Statistical Facts about Carlos Gonzalez

When the career of Carlos Gonzalez comes to an end I sadly predict he will be a story of what-if. Injuries have slowed him down throughout his career. There’s still time to bolster those statistics. For now though, these are five you should know about him.

Batting Title and Hits Leader

In 2010, Gonzalez played in a career high 145 games and showed us all what he is capable of. Gonzalez won the National League Batting Title with a .336 batting average and also led the league with 197 hits.

All-Star Selections: 2

Gonzalez was skipped over in 2010 for the All-Star Game, but would eventually get his chance in 2012 and 2013 for his pair of All-Star selections. His numbers were significantly lower than in the previous two seasons yet it would be those two years he made it to the midsummer classic.

By dbking on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Gold Gloves: 3

An underrated part of Gonzalez’s game is his fielding ability. He has already won 3 Gold Gloves, doing so in 2010, 2012, and 2013. The most unique thing about his 2010 Gold Glove was that he nearly split his time between all three outfield positions. He played 63 games in left field, 58 in center field, and 40 in right field. Eventually, Gonzalez found a permanent spot as a left fielder.

Righties and Lefties Split

One thing you always have to consider with a left-handed hitter is how they perform against left-handed pitchers. For Gonzalez, he has held his own against southpaws. Gonzalez is a career .278 hitter against lefties. Against righties, he is hitting .302 in his career. His home run average seems to be basically on-par too hitting 40 home runs in 944 at-bats against lefties and 96 home runs in 1873 at-bats against righties.

Hates to Cleanup

Cleanliness is not next to Cargo-ness as Gonzalez’s career batting average when batting cleanup is lower than any other in from 1-5. When batting fourth, Gonzalez is a career .271 hitter. His best spot in the lineup has been batting fifth as he has a career .344 batting average in that spot.

Five Statistical Facts about Dave Winfield

It’s rare a guy who spent as much time with the New York Yankees as Dave Winfield did could have had a bit of an overlooked career. I know I never knew much about him growing up. The fact is Winfield played with the Yankees in the 1980s when the team wasn’t all that great. Winfield however was pretty great and these five statistical facts may help prove it.

Home Runs

Winfield finished his career with 465 home runs. He never led the league and only hit 30 or more three times. Playing in 22 seasons though, he was able to add those home runs up to something worthy of the Hall of Fame.

Gold Gloves

Unless you saw him play you may not be familiar with Winfield’s fantastic glove work. Thankfully we have the Gold Gloves he won to remind youngsters like me that he was more than a big bat. Winfield won 7 total Gold Gloves in his career. His biggest strength was his arm as he had 166 career outfield assists including 20 in 1980.

Cbl62 at the English language Wikipedia [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

All-Star Selections: 12

Going to the All-Star Game 12 times is impressive. Even more impressive might be going there 12 times in a row. Winfield did this as each season from 1977 through 1988 he was selected to the world’s greatest exhibition game. He should have gone again in 1992 when he was with the Toronto Blue Jays however by this point there were so many great outfielders and at the age of 40 he may have even preferred some relaxation time before winning the World Series a few months later.

Minor League Career

Shorter than the Amish phone book is the minor league career Winfield had. After being selected by the San Diego Padres with their first pick in 1973, Winfield immediately joined the big league club. This is a rare occurrence in modern baseball, only happening twice since 2000 when Mike Leake debuted with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010 and Xavier Nady also did it in 2000 with Winfield’s Padres.

100+ RBIs

There’s no better way to describe Winfield than a run-producer. It took him until 1979 to drive in 100 runs after just falling short in the two previous seasons. After though, it seemed to be a pretty consistent occurrence. Winfield’s 118 RBIs in 1979 was a career high and led the league however he would go on to knock in 100 or more 7 more times with the last being in 1992 with the Blue Jays.

Five Statistical Facts about Zack Greinke

From the lowly Kansas City Royals to the much improved Milwaukee Brewers and most recently the dominant Los Angeles Dodgers–the path of pitcher Zack Greinke has covered every level of popularity. We know he’s not into the spotlight, a big reason why he never ended up in Yankees’ Pinstripes. Right now he’s the Plan B for the Dodgers and the second ace to Clayton Kershaw. On just about any other team he would be the number one guy and a lot of these statistical facts show why.

2009 Cy Young Winner

When he was still flying under the radar with the Royals in 2009, Greinke won his lone Cy Young Award. A 16-8 record, 2.16 ERA, 6 complete games, 3 shutouts, and 242 strikeouts were just a few of the numbers that got him there.

All-Star Selections: 2

Can you believe Greinke has only been selected to the All-Star game twice? The first was in 2009 and the second was in 2014. As talented as he is, if you look over his statistics there are no seasons that standout as ones where he was absolutely robbed of the honor.

By Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Zack Greinke”) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Postseason Pitching

Greinke’s teams have not been so lucky in the playoffs. Oddly, it has always been the St. Louis Cardinals to knock Greinke from the postseason as they have beaten his Brewers and Dodgers in 2011, 2013, and 2014. Greinke’s individual performance has been much improved. After a bad time with the Brewers in the 2011 postseason, Greinke has figured out how to pitch in October with the Dodgers. Overall he is 2-2 with a 3.63 ERA.

Silver Slugger and Gold Glove

Greinke seemed to have wasted time in the American League early in his career as he has proved to be a pretty good hitter. In 2013 he won the National League Silver Slugger Award for pitchers thanks to his .328 batting average. He failed to hit a home run that season however he has 4 in his career. In addition to swinging the bat, Greinke is a great fielder. He won the Gold Glove in 2014 although he should have probably won it at least one other time previously. Greinke has made only 5 errors in his entire career, never more than 1 in a season.

Strikeouts

Yet to lead the league in strikeouts, Greinke is still a pitcher you should expect to rack them up. His season high came in 2009 with the 242 he had on his way to winning the Cy Young. Tallying it up, Greinke has struck out 200 or more batters 4 times in his career and should add to this total the next opportunity he gets.

Five Statistical Facts about Mike Mussina

One of baseball’s best winning pitchers from the 1990s and 2000s was Mike Mussina. Known as “Moose,” Mussina spent his entire career pitching for an American League East team; splitting time between the Baltimore Orioles and then the New York Yankees. He won lots, pitched well while doing it, and never quite reached the national attention he probably deserved. These are five statistical facts about the ultimate borderline Hall of Famer if there ever was one.

Wins

Mussina won 270 games in his career. He led the league once when in 1995 he had 19 for the Orioles. Each year it seemed as if Mussina would reach the coveted 20-win mark and often he came up just short. Finally in his last season back in 2008, Mussina won 20 games. Mussina was such a winner that each season other than his first in 1991 when he started 12 games he had an above .500 record. The one below .500 season, he was still 4-5 and had a 2.87 ERA.

No Cy Young Awards

The biggest thing keeping Mussina out of the Hall of Fame other than his lack of memorable moments might be the lack of Cy Young Award on his shelf. Mussina would come close on several occasions, particularly in 1999 when he finished second to Pedro Martinez. Unfortunately Martinez had a career year and nearly won the MVP Award in addition to the Cy Young. Mussina didn’t stand a chance.

By Aaron (ConspiracyofHappines) (Flickr) [CC BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Gold Gloves: 6

Just try to bunt on Mussina–he dares you. In his 18 seasons at the big league level, Mussina was awarded the Gold Glove in 6 of them. Even in seasons where Mussina would commit an error or two he would make up for it by displaying incredible range. His ability to throw the ball then field it showed even more in his desire to win.

Postseason Pitching

Unfortunately Mussina is near the top of the list of the best players to never win a World Series. The year he came to the Yankees was the end of their era of winning. The year after he left them, they won their most recent World Series. His luck in the playoffs was a bit better when he was on the mound, going only 7-8, but with a 3.42 ERA. Mussina had some really good series and some rather bad ones. It balanced out in the worst way as he was never able to get his ring.

Hot Septembers

The best month for Mussina seemed to be September. His career record of 44-21 was not much better than other months however his 2.86 ERA along with 16 complete games is impossible to ignore. Of those 16 complete games, 7 were shutouts. Mussina also happened to give up the fewest amount of home runs this month and nearly finished with more strikeouts than any other page on the calendar.

Five Statistical Facts about Joe Mauer

Long after there was Harmon Killebrew, not quite as long from the Kirby Puckett era, and even a shorter distance between Marty Cordova came Joe Mauer as the best player on the Minnesota Twins. A catcher by trade who has now moved over to play first base to save his body from a few beatings, these are five statistical facts about the heart, brain, and soul of the Twins over the last decade.

Batting Titles: 3

When a catcher wins a batting title it’s surely something special. When he does it 3 times it’s almost borderline miraculous. Mauer won his first batting title in 2006 with a .347 average. He repeated this in 2008 by hitting .328. Finally in 2009 with a .365 batting average would he set a career high and win his third batting title. Does this make him a saint?

2009 MVP

The 2009 season for Mauer was one for setting career highs. His .365 batting average, .444 on-base percentage, 28 home runs, 96 RBIs, and several other statistics were all new highs. Because a catcher was able to have such an impressive batting average, on-base percentage, run production, and be a phenomenal fielder–Mauer took home the AL MVP.

By User Keith Allison on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “00112294”) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Walks to Strikeout Ratio

At this point in his career, even with the 2013 and 2014 season not fitting into the pattern, Mauer tends to walk more than he strikes out. His career walks total is 676 and he has struck out even less with 660 of them. Like I said though, this trend seems to be ending as his walks to strikeout ratio in 2013 was 61/89 and in 2014 was 60/96.

Fielding

Mauer has won 3 Gold Gloves in his career, all at the catcher position. He won these in consecutive seasons 2008-2010. Mauer’s fielding statistics have not been particularly remarkable however he rarely makes errors, committing only 30 in his career at the catching position in 7883 innings.

Justin Verlander, James Shields, and Felix Hernandez

Three great American League pitchers and three men who have looked like boys when facing Mauer. Against Justin Verlander, Mauer has a .369 batting average with 3 home runs and 10 RBIs including 12 walks to 11 strikeouts. When facing James Shields, Mauer has 1 home run, 10 RBIs, and a .349 batting average. Finally when taking hacks against Felix Hernandez, Mauer has 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, and a .378 batting average.

Five Statistical Facts about Evan Longoria

Far from a desperate housewife other than in name the franchise player for the Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Longoria, has had an interesting career so far. From the seasons where he challenged for an MVP to the ones where the team wondered if he was actually the best player to build around or completely overrated, these are five statistical facts about his career.

Consistently Inconsistent

I can’t quite put my nose on it when looking at Longoria’s career statistics–mostly because I worry my nose is greasy and I don’t want to dirty up my computer screen. Whatever my reason, there’s something consistently inconsistent about him. Excluding the 2012 season where he only played in 74 games, Longoria has hit between 22-33 home runs each season and driven in 85-113 runs. Many of his other numbers look pretty on-par with other seasons however at the same time some do not. For instance, his batting average in 2010 and 2012 were .294 and .289, respectively. Then in 2011 and 2014 he hit only .244 and .253. There’s something very uncomfortable to me about this and I’m not sure I can ever embrace Longoria because of it.

Postseason Batting

The Tampa Bay Rays have been to one World Series with Longoria and perhaps his horrible performance in the postseason is why they didn’t win and have failed to get back. In the 2008 World Series, Longoria was 1 for 20 with a .050 batting average. His overall postseason batting average is a dismal .191. The only positive I see from the numbers is that he does have 9 home runs and 21 RBIs in only 30 games.

By Keith Allison (001H0783) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

All-Star Selection and Gold Glove Drought

In each of Longoria’s first three seasons, he was rewarded with a trip to the All-Star Game. In his second and third season, he also won a Gold Glove. Heck, let’s throw in there that he won the 2008 Rookie of the Year. Then the 2011 season happened where he had a very strange year. Hitting 31 home runs and 99 RBIs would normally be great however he had only a .244 batting average. I’m not sure what happened because he did still have a .355 on-base percentage. The important thing to note here is Longoria has not been back to the All-Star Game or won a Gold Glove since he did both in 2010. What happened?

July Struggles

An amazing anomaly is the batting average Longoria has in the month of July throughout his career. Normally a month where hitters take advantage of the warm weather, he has struggled. Longoria has only a .231 career batting average in the month of July. His .344 on-base percentage is however still better than August where he gets on base at a .313 rate. His batting average that month though is .261.

Great with Runners in Scoring Position

I feel like a lot of what I wrote here about Longoria was negative so let me share something he does well: hit with runners in scoring position. Longoria has a career .284 batting average with runners in scoring position and has hit 41 home runs. Without anyone on base, he’s hitting only .251. I suppose this means the key to the Rays’ success is getting someone to second base by the time it’s Longoria’s time to hit. Can you believe that? Get runners on base for your best hitter equals success. What a surprise.

Is Kyle Seager Worth $100 Million?

On the verge of a possible $100 million contract, the Seattle Mariners’ third baseman Kyle Seager has the opportunity to make superstar money. No matter what your job or skill-level, when someone guarantees you $100 million it’s a big deal.

Seager is an interesting player. As a member of the Mariners, a team that has not made the playoffs since 2001, he isn’t exactly on the cover of too many middle school binders. This shouldn’t stop us from appreciating what he can do if he can indeed live up to the money he’s getting paid.

At 27-years-old, Seager still has a good decade of baseball left in him. He is entering the prime of his career and has a chance to be a leader for the Mariners over the next few seasons. Certainly the heart of the team along with ace Felix Hernandez, is Seager really worth $100 million?

So far in three seasons and a handful his rookie year, Seager steadily gotten better. His home runs increased in 2014 to a career high 25 and he fell just 4 RBIs short of 100. Yet to reach 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, or even a batting average of .270, I don’t see Seager as someone worth the $100 million the Mariners are probably about to pay him.

By hj_west on Flickr (Original version) UCinternational (Crop) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

To be fair to Seager, this is probably what his value actually is. Seager is a Top 10 third baseman, but I’m not sure about Top 5. Third base is an incredibly weak position now and I’m not quite sure people realize how few good ones are there. When Chase Headley, a guy with literally one good season in his career, is the second best free agent at the position and now THE best since Pablo Sandoval is going to be a member of the Boston Red Sox–there’s a problem. Seager has only made one All-Star team and already he will be getting paid like he makes it every year.

Paying Seager on a Bell Curve though, $100 million is a fair price. I’m not exactly sure what the financial term for it would be, but I’m sure it exists. When your choices are limited though, it won’t matter how much someone pays. All that matters is outbidding your opponent. Over time, everyone gets paid a little too much.

The bigger and maybe overlooked benefit of Seager might be his glove work. The 2014 winner of a Gold Glove, Seager committed only 8 errors all season long. His fielding percentage was way above the league average and his range was better too. Although he’s a middle of the order guy, look for Seager to eventually be better known for what he does at the hot corner with the leather than his bat.

Considering Sandoval’s deal with the Red Sox appears to be worth $88 million over 4 years, giving Seager $100 million over 7 years sounds like a bargain. This equals out to a little over $14 million a year. When you put it like this, Seager’s definitely worth it–at least for a professional athlete where everyone eventually becomes a millionaire.

After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, the Mariners will be increasing their payroll for 2015. Showing they are willing to pay guys like Seager early could backfire, however, in baseball sometimes you need to spend a little too much to get to where you want to be.

And right now, the Mariners want to be playing baseball in October.