Veteran pitcher John Lackey is far from his glory days with the Los Angeles Angels, then called the Anaheim Angels, when he was at his best. Still a big league ball player who can perform well, I am predicting we see the last of Lackey in 2015.
The 2014 season for Lackey had its good and it’s bad. He wasn’t a complete travesty like in some years prior, but he also performed far below the money the Boston Red Sox were paying him. This led to a trade and a new home in St. Louis while pitching for the Cardinals.
His age and diminished skills tell me Lackey is nearing the end. His contract adds to it, especially the pay cut he willingly accepted prior to the 2015 season. Lackey is set to make only $500,000 which for a blogger like me is a lot. For a veteran pitcher with two World Series victories and over 150 career wins, it’s not much.
Last year, Lackey earned over $15 million. An assumption, the fingers point that lackey cares more about a championship than buying a new car this year.
By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “John Lackey”) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia CommonsUnlike Derek Jeter or Paul Konerko, Lackey is not a player deserving of a farewell tour. Most players actually do retire suddenly without much warning and I see this as the way it goes down. Jeter and Konerko were an exception and played for the same team (Konerko had the majority of his career with the Chicago White Sox) where the announcement has meaning. Lackey’s retirement will be more like Josh Beckett where we suspect it coming then still act a little shocked when it does.
What will keep Lackey from retiring?
Absolutely nothing. He won’t have a great year so let’s first eliminate that as a possibility. A nice playoff run is the best he can do and a championship is the perfect way to end things. Hopefully whatever he’s craving, he gets to at least taste it.
Here’s what you missed over at Innings Eaters today, Monday 3/30/2015.
I compiled a satirical list of the worst jobs in the 2015 MLB season. Which five jobs do I think are the worst? READ MORE
2014 Comeback Player of the Year Award winners Casey McGehee and Chris Young are going to have very different 2015 seasons. What can we expect from these two? READ MORE
The 2015 MLB season begins next Sunday night when the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs. What can we get excited about for the first game of the season? READ MORE
By Dirk Hansen (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia CommonsA bench clearing brawl took place in a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Who was involved and why did it happen? READ MORE
His name almost makes Rusty Kuntz’s sound normal. Hall of Fame outfielder Enos Slaughter may be best known for a few unpopular opinions about race however as a baseball player he was very good. Elected by the Veteran’s Committee in 1985 to the Hall of Fame, Slaughter is one of the overlooked players from the 1940s and 1950s when baseball was going through major social changes. Admittedly, I’m not so familiar with him either so join me while I too learn these five statistical facts about him.
Why a Hall of Famer?
Most guys in the Hall of Fame have a number or two where it’s fairly obvious why they were elected. For Slaughter, a guy who took over a decade to get in, it’s not as easy. Slaughter happened to miss three seasons from 1943-1945 because he was off battling the Nazis. This was what could have been the prime of his career so his overall numbers are a bit lacking. He still did have 2,383 career hits and a .300 batting average with a .382 on-base percentage. Slaughter happened to play in an era when big offensive numbers were slightly weaker than the ones the superstars put up today, so by comparison he was in or near the elite status.
Walks to Strikeout Ratio
Perhaps Slaughter’s biggest strength was his eye. In total, Slaughter amassed 1,018 career walks while only striking out 538 times. Particularly early in his career when he came back from saving the world, Slaughter was consistently drawing about 3 times as many walks per season as he was striking out.
By St. Louis Cardinals – 1941 Team Issue [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsPostseason Batting
The first three World Series Slaughter played in, his team won. Overall he was 4-1, only losing with the New York Yankees in 1957 in between winning the year previous and after. Individually, Slaughter hit .291 with a .406 on-base percentage. He also had 3 home runs, including 1 in 1956 when he also had a .350 batting average against the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Consistency
Slaughter’s splits between the first and second half are frighteningly identical. In the first half he had 1,174 hits, 84 home runs, and a .295 average. In the second half he had 1,208 hits, 85 home runs, and a .304 batting average. Even from month to month Slaughter was consistent hitting .307 in April, .299 in May, .285 in June, .305 in July, .302 in August, and .306 in September.
All-Star Games
There were 10 times when Slaughter was selected to the All-Star Game. This occurred from 1941-1953 with those absent years in between. All occurred with the St. Louis Cardinals too, making me wonder what happened to him when he joined the Yankees in 1954.
How are the St. Louis Cardinals looking with only about a month and a half until spring training games begin?
Well, they’re looking about the same. The addition of Jason Heyward was the most significant and it should definitely help the offense after a poor 2014 season.
I’m an admitted big fan of Matt Carpenter. Even with his lack of stolen bases he’s a credible leadoff hitter thanks to his high on-base percentage he’s able to achieve. Carpenter draws lots of walks and turns them into runs with ease.
Two more Matts – Matt Holliday and Matt Adams – are keys to the Cardinals’ success in 2015. These two are the lone traditional power hitters even if others on the roster have potential to hit 20. First base is now Adams’ with Allen Craig no longer there so he’s the one I’d count on even more. Holliday’s career is winding down as Adams’ is winding up.
The starting rotation is definitely the weakness for the Cardinals. They’re not bad and definitely could get this team to the postseason. Adam Wainwright is an elite ace and is worth two arms. Lance Lynn and John Lackey have their good days and bad, which could make fans yearn for Wainwright’s next start when they take the mound on the latter.
There’s a chance the Cardinals still make a move for another top-level pitcher either in a trade or free agency. Typically, they’ve been succeeding with similar rosters like the one they currently have going into 2015. I’m not sure though, especially when you compare them to the rest of the division, that they are much better. Gaining Heyward was great, but they still did lose a young pitcher in Shelby Miller. We could know immediately which team benefited more from this trade. Either Heyward jumps in right away and has a resurgence in St. Louis or continues to be an average outfielder.
Skipping over the fact that Baseball Reference still lists Mark McGwire at 215 pounds, I am ready to look up a few statistical facts about the one baseball player I rooted for most in my youth. The 1998 Home Run Chase occupied my entire summer and my family even named our dog after McGwire. We dug the long ball just like I hope you will dig these five statistical facts about Big Mac.
Home Runs
Let’s get right into the middle of this. McGwire hit some huge home runs in his career, none bigger than the 62nd off of Steve Traschel in 1998. McGwire would finish his career with 583 dingers. In total, McGwire led the league in home runs 4 times and nearly in three different decades: 1987, 1996, 1998, and 1999.
Lack of Doubles
Gap power was not something McGwire had a ton of. While some power hitters will have nearly equal the amount of doubles as they do home runs, McGwire had more than twice as many balls travel over the fence. His career high in doubles for a single season was in 1987 when he had 28 of them. In several seasons, McGwire didn’t even reach 20.
I would bet nobody has a better 162-game average of home runs than McGwire whose total is 50. Basically this would mean if he had a little more Cal Ripken Jr. in him, playing every game, it would have taken McGwire only 10 seasons to reach 500 home runs. Of course that’s a silly notion anyway. Another statistic from his 162-game average worth noting is his average of only 138 strikeouts. Oddly, McGwire struck out the most in 1997, 1998, and 1999 when he hit 58, 70, and 65 home runs. I don’t think anyone was complaining.
No MVP
As great as he was for a time, McGwire never won an MVP Award. The closest he came was in 1998 when fellow record-breaker Sammy Sosa beat him out. McGwire did however win the 1987 Rookie of the Year so at least his mantle isn’t completely void of personal awards unrelated to simply hitting more home runs than everybody else.
More on His Home Runs
Here are a few random statistics about McGwire’s home run totals because I could never stop writing about them:
-McGwire hit 427 off of right handed pitchers and 156 off of left handed pitchers
-298 of his home runs occurred on the road and 285 happened at home
-The most McGwire hit against any team was the Detroit Tigers (43)
-The most McGwire hit against any pitcher was Frank Tanana (7), a member of the Detroit Tigers
-124 of McGwire’s home runs came on the first pitch, more than any other
-98 of McGwire’s home runs came in the first inning, more than any other
The face of the Houston Astros after the Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio days was Lance Berkman. A power hitter who never quite got the recognition he deserved, Berkman was a constant threat in the lineup. Here are five statistical facts from his playing days.
Power Numbers
Berkman was a power hitter throughout his career capable of hitting home runs or picking up a double. He finished his career with 366 home runs and 422 two-base hits. Although he never led the league in home runs, his single season total topping out at 45, Berkman did lead the league in doubles twice. He did this in 2001 with 55 and again in 2008 with 46.
100+ Runs Scored and 100+ RBIs
Four seasons in Berkman’s career ended with the power hitting first baseman/outfielder compiling 100 or more runs scored and the same in the RBI category. He accomplished this in 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2008. He would also score over 100 runs in 2003, falling short in RBIs with 93. He would however make up for it by knocking in over 100 RBIs in 2006 and 2007 while missing out on 100 runs by 5 both seasons.
By bryce_edwards on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as “Lance Berkman”) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia CommonsPostseason Batting
Berkman’s time playing in the postseason was a bit limited at first although he did eventually manage to get into 52 games during his time with the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals. Berkman would finish his postseason career with a .317 batting average and 9 home runs. In the World Series alone, Berkman hit .410.
On-Base Guy
I always like to think of someone as an “on-base guy” when their batting average is 100 points fewer than their total on-base percentage. Usually this means they are exceptional at drawing walks, which Berkman was. Thanks to his 100+ walks in 2002-2004, Berkman was able to secure a career .406 on-base percentage to go with his still very good .293 batting average. Berkman came close several other seasons in reaching the 100 walk mark, often finishing somewhere in the 90s.
Switch Hitting Splits
Berkman was one of the better switch hitters of his era. Hitting from the left side against right handed pitchers, Berkman launched 316 home runs and had a .304 average. On the other side of the plate against left handed pitching Berkman hit 50 home runs with only a .260 batting average.
My autographed baseball card collection includes three Adam Wainwright autographed baseball cards. Two are signed in black ink and one is in blue. I know I received at least two of them by writing him a letter to his Arizona Fall League team. At the time, I had no clue what a great pitcher he would eventually become. As for the third, I’m not sure. Maybe I did send him three cards. But why the different in the color of ink? Why signed in different places?
I don’t recall getting him in-person anywhere nor did the St. Louis Cardinals or Atlanta Braves have any minor league team that I saw during the time he would have been there. The only possibility is seeing the Greenville Braves against the Lakewood BlueClaws in 2003 however I’m not convinced. I do have two autographed cards by another Greenville Brave that season, Adam LaRoche, and I’m not positive where they came from either. Wherever they did, I’m glad I have them.
The first blockbuster deal of the off-season, although I’d argue it’s more Palmer Video, happened today when the Atlanta Braves traded outfielder Jason Heyward to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for pitcher Shelby Miller.
Heyward, a first round pick in 2007, was thought to be the a superstar in the making. His rookie season was rather impressive, hitting 18 home runs and knocking in 72 with a .277 batting average. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting and even earned a few distant MVP votes.
Since then, Heyward’s numbers have gone down. He had the definition of a sophomore slump, hitting .227 in his second big league season. He has since improved, bouncing back in his third season with several career highs including 27 home runs and 82 RBIs. At 25-years-old though, the Braves seem to have lost hope in him ever becoming the player they fantasized about him growing into.
By Chamber of Fear (DSC00836) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia CommonsThen there’s Miller who in parts of three seasons, two full, with the Cardinals has been rather effective. A career 26-18 record with a 3.33 ERA, Miller has the stuff to become a solid number two starter. I don’t see him becoming the ace of a staff because of how few strikeouts he gets. At 24-years-old, he’s still very young with his best days ahead of him and I could always be wrong placing a low ceiling.
Analyzing the trade rather than just the players involved, this was a great trade for both teams. The Cardinals were desperately in need of some offense, particularly from their outfielders, and the Braves’ rotation has been injury prone for what seems like five years now. Adding Miller to the rotation may be the first step toward a new three-headed monster in replace of the Tom Glavine/Greg Maddux/John Smoltz trio from the 1990s.
The Cardinals sacrifice very little giving up Miller and gain a lot more. The death of Oscar Taveras suddenly opened up more possibilities for the future at right field. Realistically, Heyward is the kind of player Taveras probably would have become. They still have Adam Wainwright, Lance Lynn, and Michael Wacha along with what I’m sure are a few more top pitching prospects capable of getting the call to the big league roster and filling in well as soon as next year. It’s pretty safe to say based on their recent history that this team knows what they are doing.
The only downside to this trade is the level of excitement anyone outside of a connection to these two teams will have. When a trade so even for both teams occurs with such an impact in the immediate future, it’s hard to really think much has changed in the overall scheme of things. The Braves gave up a good offensive player and they aren’t exactly tearing the cover off the ball. The Cardinals although gaining much needed offense, look a little emptier every fifth day. This trade is as balanced as it gets.
As far as wins go, I see this move giving the Cardinals a few more than the Braves. A close loss with Wainwright on the mound may be less likely to happen now that there’s an additional threat like Heyward in the lineup. On the contrary, without him in the lineup for the Braves I could see Miller losing a 3-2 game that could have otherwise been a 4-3 win.
To fully know the benefits we will have to wait and see who replaces each on their old team. A nice bat in the Braves’ lineup to take over for the departed Heyward means a lot. The same can be said about whomever the Cardinals decide to become the replacement for Miller. It will be a few months before we know who immediately benefited from this deal and it will take years to make a decision on who actually won.
![By SD Dirk on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "John Lackey") [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/john-lackey.jpg)
![By Dirk Hansen (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/adam-wainwright.jpg)
![By St. Louis Cardinals - 1941 Team Issue [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/enos-slaughter.jpg)
![By Jleybov (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/busch-stadium.jpg)
![By Rick Dikeman (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/mark-mcgwire.jpg)
![By bryce_edwards on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "Lance Berkman") [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/lance-berkman.jpg)
![By Chamber of Fear (DSC00836) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://cleatreport.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jason-heyward.jpg)
The Cleat Report 