Archives for January 2021

Hall of Fame – BBWAA Compared to Baseball Roundtable Fan Vote

January 27, 2021 by
Photo by candyschwartz

Photo by candyschwartz

The official 2021 Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) Hall of Fame balloting results are in – and for the first time since 2013, there were no electees.   The top five vote getters were Curt Schilling (71.1%), Barry Bonds (61.8%), Roger Clemens (61.0%), Scott Rolen (52.9%) and Omar Vizquel (49.1%).  That differs significantly from the unofficial ballots cast by 114 Baseball Roundtable readers.  While, like the BBWAA, the fan voters gave no player the needed 75 percent for election, the leading votegetter list differed significantly.  BBRT readers placed Omar Vizquel (66.7%), Todd Helton (55.5%), Billy Wagner (43.8%), Jeff Kent (52.6 %) and Curt Schilling (51.4%) in their top five.  Here’s a vote percentage comparison.

FullChartF

Blank Ballots

There was some online discussion over the past few days surrounding the blank ballots turned in by Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who (in a column) cited an aversion to “cheapening the Hall” and consideration of the “character clause” among the reasons for his blank ballot. Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union-Tribune cited similar reasons (also in a column), indicating he saw no one the ballot in his “legitimacy range as ballotworthy” and that he was also influenced by the PED controversy. (“You have to be a dominant non-juicing stud to get my vote,” Canepa wrote.)  I expect those same reasons were behind the three blank ballots received in the BBRT fan voting. Notably, Cook and Canepa were not the only writers submitting a blank ballot. A record 14 blank ballots were submitted – that comes to 3.5 percent of the total, fairly comparable to the BBRT’s fan balloting level of 2.6 percent.

I found a couple of odd occurrences as I compared the BBWAA and BBRT vote counts.   In 2020, Omar Vizquel garnered considerably more support from the writers than he did in the BBRT fan ballot (52.6% from the BBWAA/40.0% in the BBRT fan ballot). This year, that turned around, with Vizquel jumping to 66.7 percent in the BBRT ballot, but dropping to 40.5% in the official BBWAA ballot. (Domestic abuse allegations, which Vizquel had denied, may have influenced some BBWAA votes. Those allegations garnered considerable media attention in mid-December, about halfway through the BBRT voting period.)

Then, there is Roger Clemens.  Clemens and Barry Bonds, as the chart below shows, have tracked fairly closely in recent BBWAA and BBRT balloting. That remained fairly consistent for the BBWAA this season, but on the BBRT unofficial fan ballot, Clemens dropped from 46.9% to 23.7%. I really can’t figure that one out.

BonClemensF1

Here are a few additional observations/comparisons:

  • While the fans were tougher on Schilling, Bonds and Clemens than the writers, they were more generous “down the ballot.” In the BBRT fan ballot, not a single player was shutout and only one player received less than 5 percent –  the figure needed to stay on the BBWAA official ballot. (See the “From the Heart Cadre” near the end of this post for a possible explanation.) The BBWAA balloting saw five players shutout and eight players below 5 percent.
  • The biggest gainer in the BBWAA voting was Scott Rolen, who made a 17.6 percentage point jump – from 35.3% to 52.9%. The biggest gainer on the Baseball Roundtable fan ballot was Omar Vizquel, who made a 26.7 percentage point leap from last year (40.0% to 66.7%). Other big gainers on the BBWAA ballot were: Todd Helton – up 15.7 pct. points (29.2 to 44.9); Billy Wagner – up 14.7 (31.7 to 46.4); Andruw Jones – up 14.5 (19.4 to 33.9); and Gary Sheffield – up 10.1 (30.5 to 40.6). Additional big gainers on the BBRT fan ballot were: Jeff Kent – up 12.6 (40.0 to 52.6); Billy Wagner – up 10.6 (43.8 to 54.4); and Bobby Abreu – up 10.0 (27.7 to 37.7).
  • Only two holdovers on the BBWAA ballot saw a decline in support – Omar Vizquel and Tim Hudson.  Three players saw a decline in support on the BBRT ballot – Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez.
  • The first-timer receiving the most support on the BBWAA ballot was Mark Buehrle with 11.0%. On the BBRT fan ballot, that distinction went to Torii Hunter with 31.6%.  BBRT has a notable following among the Halsey Hall (MN) Chapter of the Society for American Baseball Research which may provide insight into Hunter’s popularity in the BBRT vote. On the BBWAA ballot, Hunter did get the second-most votes among first-timers (9.5%).
  • A few other notable differences: Roger Clemens ranked third on the BBWAA ballot, 14th on the BBRT ballot; Bobby Abreu ranked 16th on the BBWAA ballot, eighth by BBRT voters; Jeff Kent was ranked tenth by the BBWAA voters, fourth on the unofficial BBRT ballot.
  • In 2022, the following players (their 2021 voting percentages in parenthesis) will be in their final year on the ballot:  Roger Clemens (61.0%); Barry Bonds (60.7%); Sammy Sosa (13.9%).  Curt Schilling, who would be in his tenth and final year, has asked to be removed from the ballot.

Forty-five BBRT survey respondents answered the question regarding which players not currently in the Hall of Fame (and not on the ballot) should be in the Hall.  Jim Kaat led the way with six mentions (13.3%0, followed by Pete Rose with five. Below is the full list.

Hof should be

—-Hall of Fame Voting Cadre—-

I’ll finish up with a review  (yes, I’ve posted these before) of Hall of Fame voting cadres I have observed over the years.  This, by the way, is not a judgement on voter strategies, but rather just an observation on factors that appear to have had a current or past influence on voting patterns and vote totals.

The Anti-PED Cadre

This group declines to vote for those who appear to be tied into the PED controversy (whether verified or suspected). There continues to be enough of these voters to effectively block a significant number of PED-associated candidates from election.  In recent years, this cadre has made its presence felt in both the BBWAA and BBRT balloting.  There does seem to be a slowly diminishing effect among BBWAA voters, but the impact on BBRT fan ballot total has been relatively stable.

The Character Cadre

Closely tied to the PED-Cadre, this group looks to the Hall of Fame official voting guidelines that call for consideration not just of performance and contribution to the team, but also “integrity, sportsmanship, and character.” A player’s attitude, political views and lifestyle, do appear to impact a number of voters’ preferences.

The Small Hall Cadre

This cadre has focused on demanding particularly high standards for election to the Hall of Fame – and has voted vote for very few (sometimes even zero) candidates.  This, by the way, is not a new approach (despite this year’s record 14 blank ballot).  Back in 1988, for example, nine blank ballots were cast in the BBWAA voting. A Los Angeles Times article quoted New York Daily News reporter Phil Pepe (who sent in one of the nine blank ballots) as saying the Hall of Fame was “too crowded,” adding “I think to go in alongside Ruth, DiMaggio, Williams, Aaron, Cy Young, you have to be the cream of the cream. The more you erode the standards, the more the standards will be eroded.”  This year (as noted earlier in this post), Ron Cook mirrored those sentiments, saying his blank ballot reflected a belief that “The Hall should be only for the truly greats.”  (I should note that, in recent years, the “Small Hall” voting strategy seems to have been on the decline.)

The Unanimously Adverse Cadre

This cadre has been made up of voters who are opposed to (or uniquely demanding) of a unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame. The logic appears to have been “If Babe Ruth, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Cy Young or (insert a legendary player of your choice) was not a unanimous selection, why should player “X” be?”  Mariano Rivera’s recent unanimous selection and Derek Jeter’s close call seem to indicate this cadre’s days may be behind us.  Still, even when this is only a cadre of one, it is effective.

The Ballot-Hierarchy Cadre

Over the years, members of this cadre have drawn a line between first-ballot and subsequent-ballot votes. The Ballot Hierarchy was a “thing” for a long time.  In a 2013 column, ESPN’s Howard Bryant wrote: “I believe in the hierarchy of the ballot, that the first ballot is different than the second or the tenth, that there is a special prestige to a player being voted in the first time he is eligible.”  The question for BBRT is, “Do voters just withhold that first-, second- or other-ballot vote, or does it go to another candidate who meets the hierarchy test?”

The Clock Is Ticking Cadre

This approach works to the benefit of players approaching their final year on the ballot.  For example, 2020 electee Larry Walker’s final five years on the ballot saw his vote percentages go (in order) – 15.5, 21.9, 34.1, 54.5 and 76.6.  His stats didn’t change over that time, but the clock on eligibility was ticking downward.

The Strategist Cadre

Somewhat related to the “Ballot Hierarchy” group – at least in impact – this group reasons that certain players are sure bets to get the required 75 percent and chooses not to add to the sure-thing margin, instead casting that vote for a player they find deserving further down the ballot.  This approach may actually improve the chances of additional candidates. A subset of this group is those who note that certain players (in, for example, the 40 percent range), while NOT likely to reach 75 percent in a given year, ARE pretty much assured of adequate support to stay on the ballot. This subset withholds votes from those candidates and votes to protects those they would like to see on the ballot (but who are less “safe”).

The From-the-Heart Cadre

This group (which seemed to show up in the BBRT unofficial fan ballot more than in the BBWAA voting) casts votes for a specific player (or players) further “down the board” either as a “fan” statement or to ensure that player does not fall off the ballot (get less than five percent).

The Ten-Best Cadre

This group simply votes for whom they felt are the ten best players; regardless of the factors influencing any of the cadres already noted.  (Well, in some cases it is the eight or nine candidates they feel are deserving.)

So, there’s BBRT’s look at the 2021 HOF election, as well as some observations of current and past voting strategies.

Coming Soon:  Who’s Your Daddy? Lefty Grove Edition.

Primary Resources:  Baseball-Reference.com; Baseball-Almanac.com; MLB.com; Why I’m Turning in a Blank Ballot, January 23, 2021,Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Bland baseball ballot: No deserving Hall of Fame Candidates this year, January 16, 2012, Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune;  Blank Hall of Fame ballot serves as protest ... January 14, 1988; Associated Press; Drawing a blank on a HOF ballot … January 9, 2013; Howard Bryant, ESPN Senior Writer; espn.com; My crowded Hall of Fame ballot, with no regard for the ‘sacred place’ … January 20, 2018; Ken Davidoff; New York Post (nypost.com);  Hall of Fame Roundtable: Should voters ‘game” the ballot to get more players in? … January 22, 2018; Matt Snyder; cbssports.com; It’s a Hall voter’s prerogative to change mind … January 25, 2018; Patrick Reusse; StarTribune.

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Sam “Toothpick” Jones …Dangerously, and Effectively, Wild

January 16, 2021 by
Sam "Toothpick" Jones - the definition of "effectively wild."

Sam “Toothpick” Jones – the definition of “effectively wild.”

On May 12, 1955, Cubs’ right-hander Sam “Toothpick” Jones came into the top of the ninth of a game against the Pirates having given up no-hits, with four walks and three strikeouts. Despite the four free passes, he had faced only one more than the minimum number of hitters.  The Pirates’ number-five hitter, power-hitting first baseman Dale Long, had walked in all three of his plate appearances. In the second inning, Long was tossed out on an attempted steal; in the fifth he was the lead out in a short-to second-to first double play; and, in the eighth, he was doubled off first on a line drive to third.  The only other Pittsburgh base runner to that point was catcher Toby Atwell, who led off the third with a walk, but was stranded as Jones induced a pop out, strikeout and ground out.  Meanwhile, the Cubs had scored four runs on fifteen hits off the Pirates’ Nellie King and Vern Law.

With a 4-0 lead and the eight, nine and lead-off hitters scheduled to bat, Jones –ironically, you will see – seemed in control.  That would not last long. Jones started the inning by walking the number-eight hitter, second baseman Gene Freese.  The Pirates sent Preston Ward (hitting .152 at the time) up to hit for pitcher Vern Law and, during the at bat, a Jones’ wild pitch sent Freese to second.  The WP didn’t matter much, since Jones went on to walk Ward, bringing up lead-off hitter/center fielder Tom Saffell (zero-for-three on the day and zero-for-fifteen on the season).  Jones walked Saffell to load the bases with no outs.

Coming up?  The heart of the order.  Shortstop Dick Groat (a future batting champion and NL MVP, who would strike out only 26 times in 151 games that season); future Hall of Famer RF Roberto Clemente (who came into the game hitting .304); and left fielder/clean-up hitter Frank Thomas.  With the bases loaded and the no-hitter, shutout and even the game in jeopardy, Cubs’ manager Stan Hack made a trip to the mound. Apparently, whatever he said, struck a chord with Jones.  After the visit, Jones used just 11 more pitches to strike out Groat (looking), Clemente (swinging) and Thomas (looking) – putting the final touches on his no-hitter.

The final inning of Jones’ no-hitter – three walks and three strikeouts – was pretty indicative of Jones’ pitching style. Jones, would in fact, lead his league in strikeouts and walks in the same season three times – 1955, 56, 58.   The year of the no-no was Jones‘ first full MLB season (he had pitched in two games for the Indians in 1951 and 14 games for the Tribe in 1952). In 1955, Jones led the National League in walks (185 in 214 2/3 innings), strikeouts (198), hit batsmen (14) and losses (20 against 14 wins).  Let me do the math for you. During the season, Jones walked 6.5 batters and fanned 7.4 per nine innings.

BBK

One Thing Leads to Another …

Baseball Roundtable readers know that often, when I am researching one topic, I get drawn into another. In this case, I was working on a post on hitters who had Hall of Famer Warren Spahn’s “number.”  (See that post here). One of hitters was Stan Musial, who had the most career base hits off Spahn. In the process, I saw that Sam Jones had been particularly effective against Musial – holding the career .331 hitter to a .122 career average (6-for-49, with 11 strikeouts).  That prompted me to look a little deeper into the career of Sam “Toothpick” Jones.

Jones’ early professional experience was garnered with the Negro American League Cleveland Buckeyes – whom he signed with in 1947 after leaving the Army.  He also pitched in Panama and the Southern Minnesota League (semipro) before signing with the Indians.

As an Indians’ farmhand, Jones had a pair of solid minor league seasons (17-8, 2.71 for the Class A Wilkes-Barre Indians in 1950 and 16-13, 2.76 for the Triple A San Diego Padres in 1951). He then made his MLB debut with the Indians (in Detroit) on September 22, 1951.  During this period, Jones also pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League – topping that circuit (1951-52 season) in strikeouts (146), while putting up a 13-5, 2.51 record.

A bit of Irony …

StanMusialSam Jones was truly Stan Musial’s nemesis, (as noted earlier) holding the Hall of Famer to a .122 career average over 49 at bats.  That was Musial’s lowest average against any pitcher he faced at least 15 times. Jones also fanned Musial him in one of very 4.5 at bats – compared to Musial’s career average of one whiff for every 15.8 at bats.  In a bit of irony, Jones and Musial were teammates on the Cardinals from 1957-58. (Jones had been part of a nine-player Cubs/Cardinals trade in December of 1956.)   At that point, “Stan the Man” was 1-for-14 against Jones.

On May 13, 1958, Musial was on the Redbirds’ bench as they took on the Cubs in Chicago. Musial was  not only sitting on the bench, he was sitting on 2,999 career hits and manager Fred Hutchinson wanted to give him the opportunity to collect the landmark safety the next day in St, Louis.  Starting on the mound that day was none other than Sam “Toothpick” Jones.  In the sixth inning, with the Cardinals trailing 3-1, a runner on second, one out and Jones due to hit, Hutchinson decided to act and put in Musial to pinch hit. Musial doubled, collecting his 3,000th hit while pinch-hitting for Jones (who would deny Musial plenty of hits over his career.)

Jones spent the early part of 1952 with the Indians (a 7.25 ERA and 37 walks in 36 innings before being sent down to Triple A Indianapolis).  He then spent the 1953 and 1954 seasons at Indianapolis (before being traded to the Cubs).  While he continued to have control issues, Jones did show significant potential. In 1954, he was 15-8, 3.75 at Triple A, throwing 12 complete games (31 starts) and four shutouts. In 199 innings, he walked 129 and fanned 178.

Warming Up in the Winter

Sam Jones pitched in the 1954-55 Puerto Rican Winter League season, leading the league in wins (14 versus four losses), ERA (1.77) and strikeouts (171). Side note: Tommy Lasorda finished third in the league in strikeouts that season with 86.   

Then came Jones’ first full MLB season (1955 Cubs), when, as noted, he led the league in walks and strikeouts – showing swing-and-miss stuff and miss-the-plate command.  He followed up with a 9-14, 3.91 season in 1956, again leading the league in walks and strikeouts. Following the 1956 season, the Cubs traded Jones to the Cardinals.  For the Redbirds in 1957, Jones pitched trough elbow issues (getting just 27 starts (to go 12-9, 3.60). In 1958, he got his full complement of starts and finished 14-13, 2.88 – and, for the third time in four years, led the league in both strikeouts and walks.

Shortly before the 1959 season opened, the Cardinals traded Jones to the Giants, where he continued to be dangerously – but even more effectively – wild. In 1959, he tied for the league-lead in wins (21 versus 15 losses), recorded the league;s lowest warned run average (2.83), finished second in strikeouts (209) and, true to form, led the league with 109 walks. He followed that up with an 18-14, 3.19 season in 1960.

In 1961, Jones went 8-8, 4.49 – and got only 17 starts in 37 appearances. The decline was enough for the Giants to leave him unprotected in the expansion draft and he was taken by the Colt .45’s, who traded him to Detroit.

Effectively Wild Even as an All Star

In his two All Star appearances, (1955, 1959) Sam Jones’ line was consistent with the term “effectively wild” – 2 2/3 innings pitched, one hit, one run (unearned), four walks, four strike outs, one hit by pitch.

During Spring Training 1962, Jones was diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes and subsequently underwent surgery and radiation treatments. Although Jones did go into remission, from 1962-64, he appeared in only 48 more MLB games, going 4-4, 4.12; but still striking out 87 batters in 102 2/3 innings. His last major-league appearance came on October 3, 1964 for the Orioles. He pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out one batter (the Tigers’ Gates Brown). Between 1963 and 1967, Jones also pitched in Triple A, as well as in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.  One wonders what Jones’ career would have looked like without that bout with cancer. (Jones died from cancer in 1971 at age 45.)

The Times They Are A’Changin’

With Major League Baseball designating Negro League records from 1920-1948 as major-league records – a couple of Sam Jones “landmarks” may bite the dust. On May 3, 1951, Jones came on in relief for the Indians (versus the Senators). His catcher was Quincy Trouppe – and, together, they formed the first all African-American major league battery.   In addition, Jones’ 1955 no-hitter was the first major -eague no-hitter by an African-Americana pitcher.  As noted, those records may soon be changing.

Jones pitched in MLB in all or parts of 12 seasons (1951-52, 1955-64), taking the mound for the Cleveland Indians, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles. Jones finished his MLB career with 102 wins, 101 losses and a 3.59 ERA. He led the league in wins once, earned run average once, strikeouts three times, strikeouts pr nine innings pitched four times and walks four times.

Primary Resources:  Baseball-reference.com; Baseball-almanac.com; Beisbol101.com, January 24, 2020 Tom Van Heyning,

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts

Baseball Roundtable … “Who’s Your Daddy?” … Warren Spahn Edition

January 12, 2021 by

Frank Ernaga – hit for the cycle in his first five at bats versus Warren Spahn

On May 24, 1957, Frank Ernaga – 26-year old outfielder for the Cubs – made his first major-league appearance. In his fifth professional season (in 1956, Ernaga had gone .273-18-97 for the Double A Tulsa Oilers), the rookie was facing future Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, coming off his seventh twenty-win season (and on his way to a 21-11, 2.69 year and the World Series in 1957). Ernaga was not overwhelmed.

In his first major-league plate appearance, Ernaga took Spahn deep – a second-inning solo home run to left field. Two innings later, he launched an RBI-triple to left center. Before Ernaga’s next at bat ,Spahn had been lifted for a pinch hitter.

Flash forward to September 20 – the next time Ernaga faced Spahn.  The southpaw got a measure of revenge, fanning Ernaga in the second inning. Ernaga faced Spahn again with two out in the fourth – and recorded an RBI single.  He came up again with two-out in the sixth and launched an RBI double to center. That was Ernaga’s last 1957 at bat versus Spahn.  At this point, he had faced the Braves’ ace lefty five times and recorded a single, double, triple and home run (.800 average) and four RBI.  Ernaga, by the way, would get only on more at bat versus Spahn in his career (a foul pop out in 1958).  In fact, Ernaga’s major-league career would encompass only two seasons (1957-58), 29 games and 43 at bats (.279-2-7). Spahn, of course, would become the MLB’s winnings left-hander and still be on the mound (at age 44) seven season after Ernaga’s final MLB plate appearance.

Thus, starts Baseball Roundtable’s “Who’s Your Daddy?” … Warren Spahn Edition.

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Who’s Your Daddy?  What’s it all about?

SpahnxThat’s right, it’s time for the next edition of Baseball Roundtable’s  “Who’s Your Daddy?” series … focusing on some of  MLB’s premier pitchers – like Bob Feller, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax and Nolan Ryan, as well as contemporary hurlers like Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer.

In this series, BBRT presents lineups of players who performed unexpectedly well against baseball’s top pitchers. (An explanation of the inspiration behind the Who’s Your Daddy? series can be found the end of this post.)  As always, I would stress that the pitchers included in the Who’s Your Daddy? series are among the “best in the business.”  They are selected not because of the players who performed well against them, but rather because success among hitters when they were on the mound was the exception rather than the rule.

Before we get started on this edition – focusing on Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, here are links to the previous editions of this series:

  • Nolan Ryan, click here.
  • Sandy Koufax, click here. 
  • Pedro Martinez, click here.
  • Bob Gibson, click here. 
  • Randy Johnson, click here. 
  • Greg Maddux, click here. 
  • Justin Verlander, click here. 
  • Bob Feller, click here. 
  • Roger Clemens, click here. 
  • Max Scherzer, click here. 
  • Tom Seaver, click here.
  • Mariano Rivera, click here. 

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Now, let’s take a look at Warren Spahn and a lineup of players who fared pretty well against the legendary lefty.

Warren Spahn is the winningest southpaw in MLB history (363-245) and his 363 regular-season MLB victories are sixth-most all-time (had he not lost three prime years to military service, he would be higher on that list). Consider these Hall of Fame credentials. Spahn pitched 21 MLB seasons (1942-65 – missing 1943-45 for military service).  He was an All Star in 14 of those seasons and the NL Cy Young Award winner in 1957. Spahn led the NL in victories eight times and won 20 or more games in 13 seasons (going 23-7, 2.60 in 1963 – at the age of 42). He also led the NL in ERA three times, complete games nine times, shutouts four times and innings pitched four times. Despite never fanning 200 batters in a season, Spahn led the NL in strikeouts for four straight seasons (1949-52) – it was a different game back then.    Spahn threw a pair no-hitters – one at age 39 and one at age 40. Spahn’s final stat line was 363-245, 3.09, with 382 complete games (5,243 2/3 innings pitched), 63 shutouts, 1,434 walks and 2,583 strikeouts.

So who could handle this Hall of Famer’s stuff?

Spahn Charts

Note on chart: Baseball-References indicates game logs before 1973 are not complete. In the chart above, game logs (versus Spahn) are missing for Stan Musial (eight games); Del Ennis (six games); and Wes Westrum (two games). Throughout this post, I have noted instances of incomplete game logs. 

 

Here’s the lineup.

Catcher – Bob Scheffing  (.455 versus Spahn in 1947)

While the Spahn “Whose Your Daddy?” lineup reads a bit like a Hall of Fame primer (Mays, Musial, Clemente in the outfield, for example), little-known Bob Scheffing gets the start behind the plate.  Scheffing first faced Spahn on July 19, 1946 (Spahn’s first-season back in the majors after three years of military service).  Spahn was on his way to an 8-5, 2.94 record. The future Hall of Famer had a 4-0 lead with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the eighth, when the Cubs sent Scheffing up to pinch hit. Scheffing singled and scored the Cubs’ only run of the contest.

Scheffing went on to face Spahn a total of 26 times in 12 games over five seasons and hit a solid .360 against him.

ScheffNote: Two games (logs) versus Spahn are missing from Scheffing’s totals.

Scheffing played in eight major-league campaigns (like Spahn he missed three seasons due to military service) from 1941 to 1955.  He played for the Cubs, Reds and Cardinals. He appeared in a total of 517 games, hitting .263, with 20 home runs and 187 RBI. His best season was 1949, when he got into 102 games for the Cubs, going .300-5-45. His ten career RBI against Spahn are the second-most he garnered against any pitcher (he had 12 RBI versus Joe Hatten); his two home runs against Spahn are the most against any pitcher (he also had two against Hatten); and his nine hits against Spahn are the fourth-most he had against any pitcher.

Honorable Mention: Gus Triandos faced Warren Spahn 14 times in six games and went six-for-thirteen (.462), including a four-for-four game (all singles) on May 24, 1965 (when Triandos was with the Phillies and Spahn was with the Mets).  The fact that Triandos’ safeties all came in Spahn’s final two seasons clearly gives Scheffing the edge.

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First Base –  Orlando Cepeda (.344, with ten long balls)

Orlando Cepeda managed a .344 average against Spahn, despite striking out in one of every 5.4 plate appearances. His ten regular-season long balls are the fourth-most against Spahn and his .625 slugging percentage is the sixth-best among players with at least 25 at bats versus the lefty.

Off to a Good Start

Between July 17 and August 30, 1962, Cepeda started three games against Spahn and homered in his first at bat in each of them. 

Cepeda’s ten regular-season career home runs are the most he hit against any pitcher.  He reached that number against both Spahn and Spahn’s teammate Lew Burdette.

CepedaSpahn

Cepeda played 17 MLB seasons (1958-74 … Giants, Cardinals, Braves, A’s, Red Sox, Royals), hitting .297, with 379 home runs and 1,365 RBI. He was an 11-time All Star, the 1958 NL Rookie of the Year and the 1967 NL Most Valuable Player. Cepeda led his league in RBI twice (five times topping 100 RBI in a season) and home runs once (five times hitting 30+ home runs). He also hit.300 or better in ten campaigns).  BBRT rates his best season as 1961, when he went .311-46-142; leading the league (and reaching career highs) in home runs and RBI.

Honorable Mention: In 1961, when Warren Spahn went 21-13 with the NL’s lowest qualifying earned run average (3.02), Reds’ 1B Gordy Coleman faced Spahn 17 times and collected 10 hits, three walks, two home runs and five RBI (.714 average, .765 on-base percentage, 1.215 slugging percentage).  For his career (31 at bats) versus Spahn, Coleman hit .516-3-7.

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Things Turned Around Pretty Fast

In his rookie season (1959), Willie McCovey faced Warren Spahn ten times and collected four hits and a walk (.444 average), with one home run.  Over the remainder of his career, McCovey faced Spahn 59 more times and collected just four more singles and one more walk – finishing with a .136 career average versus Spahn.

Second Base – Red Schoendienst (.313 average)

Warren Spahn was probably happy to have Red Schoendienst as a teammate from 1957 through 1960 (the Giants traded Schoendienst to the Braves on June 15, 1957 for Ray Crone, Danny O’Connell and Bobby Thomson). When he joined the Braves, Schoendienst had a .320 career average against Spahn (with 73 hits in 66 games). He had faced Spahn in one game in 1957 and had gone four-for-five.

Schoendienst faced Spahn only five times after leaving the Braves- and went zero-for-five – dropping his career average against the left-hander to .313.  Schoendienst’s 73 career safeties against Spahn are second only to Stan Musial. They are also the most hits Schoendienst had against any pitcher.  The redhead twice reached double digits in hits against Spahn in a season (ten hits in 1949 for a .435 average and ten hits in 1954 for a .345 average).

REDSpahn

Note: Eight games (logs) versus Spahn are missing from Schoendienst’s totals.

Schoendienst enjoyed a 19-season MLB career (1945-63 … Cardinals, Giants, Braves), during which he hit .289, with 84 home runs, 773 RBI and 1,223 runs scored.  The Hall of Famer was a ten-time All Star and hit .300 or better in nine seasons – reaching at least 190 hits four times. His best season was probably 1953, when he went .342-15-79, with 107 runs scored for the Cardinals – all career highs.  He led the NL in hits once (200 in 1957), doubles once (43 in 1950) and stolen bases once (26 as a rookie in 1945).

Honorable Mention: Pete Rose hit .531 in ten games (starting all ten at second base) versus Spahn (17-for-32), with two home runs and five RBI. While those stats are impressive, BBRT took into account that all Rose’s at bats were Spahn came after the southpaw’s 42nd birthday.

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Third Base … Ken Boyer (11 home runs in 51 games)

Cardinals’ third sacker Ken Boyer hit .301 in 51 games versus Spahn – more telling was his 11 career regular-season home runs off the Hall of Famer – the third-most of any batter (trailing only Willie Mays and Stan Musial). Boyer’s 27 RBIs are also the third-most against Spahn (again trailing only Mays and Musial) and his 50 hits are seventh. Boyer faced Spahn in 11 seasons and hit over .350 in four of them.

BoyerSpahn

Note: One  game (log) versus Spahn is missing from Boyer’s totals.

It’s in the Genes

Ken Boyer was one of three brothers (joined by Clete and Cloyd) to play in the major leagues.

Boyer played 15 MLB seasons (1955-69 … Cardinals, Mets, White Sox, Dodgers). He was a career .287 hitter, with 282 home runs, 1,141 RBI and 1,104 runs scored. He was a seven-time All Star, five-time Gold Glover and the 1964 National League MVP.  Boyer hit 20+ home runs in eight seasons and drove in 100+ runs twice (leading the NL with 119 RBI in 1964). He hit .300+ in five seasons, a high of .329 in 1961). His best season was was 1961, when he hit .329-24-95 and won a Gold Glove (although some might pick his 1964 MVP campaign; .295-24-199).

Honorable Mention: Don Hoak (Pirates) hit .345 (39-for-113) versus Spahn, with eight doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI.  While his average topped Boyer, the Cardinal gets the edge due to his power numbers (11 home runs versus five), 27 RBI versus 17. Still, I could have gone with Hoak or Boyer on this one and felt justified.  Note: One game (log) versus Spahn is missing from Hoak’s totals.

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Note: Eight games (logs) from versus Spahn from Musial and one from Ken Boyer are missing from the chart totals; 

Shortstop … Pee Wee Reese (two homers, 11 RBI, 23 walks)

Pee Wee Reese’s 38 hits are the 19th-most against Spahn – and the most by any shortstop.  Reese also showed a bit of punch off Spahn, with nine extra base hits.  In addition, Reese’s 23 career walks versus Spahn are third among all hitters and give him a solid .391 on-base percentage.

ReeseSpahn

Pee Wee Reese played 16 MLB seasons (1940-58 … all for the Dodgers) and, like Spahn, lost three seasons due to military service.  Reese was a ten-time All Star and led the league in runs scored, stolen bases and walks once each. His career line was .269-126-885, with 1,338 runs scored and 232 stolen bases.  Reese scored 100+ runs in two seasons, stole 20 or more bases in five and twice drew 100+ walks.

Take Your Base, Out of Respect, Pee Wee

Pee Wee Reese drew an NL-leading 29 intentional walks in 1947 – tied for 27th highest season total all-time.

Honorable Mention:  Maury Wills hit .339, in 19 games versus Spahn. That gaudy number attracted BBRT at first.  But digging deeper, I found reasons to relegate Wills to honorable mention.  Seven of his 21 hits versus the left-handed mound master came in 11 1965 at bats – when Spahn was 44-years-old and in his final MLB season. Going into that final season, Wills was hitting .275 against Spahn.   Also, Wills did not do a lot of damage with his 21 hits.  He had only three extra base hits, just one RBI, scored just five runs off those hits and recorded just one stolen base (four tries) while Spahn was on the mound.

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Outfield – Stan Musial (96 hits, 14 home runs, 45 RBI, .318 average)

Stan Musial, the only left-handed hitter in this lineup, played from 1941-1963 (missing one season due to military service), and Spahn played  from 1942-1965 (missing three seasons while in the military). As you might expect, these two warriors faced each other a lot of times (353 to be exact). Little wonder Stan the Man is first in hits, second in home runs and first in RBI against Spahn.  In 18 seasons versus Spahn, Musial hit .350 or better seven times. In seven games in 1948, he touched up Spahn for 19 hits and four walks in 23 plate appearances (.526 average/.609 on-base percentage).   From June 3, 1947 through September 22, 1948, Musial ran off an 11-game hitting streak versus Spahn in which he hit .500 (16-for-32) with a double, triple and four home runs.  Still, Spahn “held” Musial to a .318 average over 100 games – 13 points below Musial’s .331 career mark. StanSpahn

Note: Eight games (logs) versus Spahn are missing from Musial’s totals.

Musial played 22 seasons for the Cardinals and was an All Star in 20 of them. He was the National League Most Valuable player in three seasons.   And, Stan The Man was a “leader.” He led the NL in batting average seven times, doubles seven times, runs scored five times, hits five times, triples five times and RBI twice.  Musial had 200 or more hits in six seasons, 100+ runs ten times, 50 or more doubles three times, twenty triples twice, 30 or more home runs five times and 100+ RBI 10 times. He hit over .300 in 17 full seasons – .330 or better 13 times.

Side Note:  Those who follow Baseball Roundtable know how, when I begin to do research “one thing leads to another.” Working on this post, I found that Sam “Toothpick” Jones may have been Stan Musial’s greatest nemesis (holding him to six hits in 49 at bats – a .122 career average). Look for a post on Jones in the near future.

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Outfield – Willie Mays (18 home runs)

No one hit more home runs off Warren Spahn than Willie Mays, who took the Hall of Fame lefty deep 18 times.  Next on the list is Stan Musial with 14 dingers, but in 79 more at bats. Mays took Spahn yard once in every 12.4 at bats during his career. Mays also had the second-most RBI versus Spahn (40), second-most walks (25) and third-most hits (68).  All this with a solid .305 average against Spahn. In 14 seasons versus Spahn, Mays hit .300+ eight times (.400 or better in five of those campaigns).  Mays’ 18 home runs against Spahn are the most he launched off any pitcher. Also among Mays’ top five long ball victims are Vernon Law (14), Don Drysdale (13), Lew Burdette (12)and Bob Buhl (11).

MaysSpahn

Nice Set of Bookends

As a rookie in 1951, Willie Mays homered in his first career plate appearance versus the Braves’ Warren Spahn (May 28). It was Mays’ fourth MLB game and his first major league hit. Fourteen seasons later (on April 25, 1965), in Spahn’s final season, Mays homered in his final plate appearance versus the lefty (then a New York Met.) In between, Mays took Spahn deep 16 more times, notching the most career regular-season home runs against him.

Willie Mays played 22 MLB seasons (1951-73, missing 1953 due to military service). He final stat line was .302 (3,283 hits) – 660-1,903, with 2,062 runs scored and 338 stolen bases. He was an All Star in 20 seasons, a 12-time Gold Glover, the 1951 NL Rookie of the Year and the League’s Most Valuable Player in 1954 and 1965.  Mays led the NL in runs scored twice (scoring 100+ runs in 12 seasons); hits once; triples three times; home runs four times (topping 40 dingers in six times); stolen bases four times: and batting average once (.345 in 1954). While he never led the league in RBI, he did drive in 100 or more runs in ten seasons.

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Outfield – Roberto Clemente (.425 average)

Roberto Clemente hit .425 against Spahn during his career – raking at .400 or better against the lefty in eight of the 11 seasons he faced him. Like Willie Mays, Clemente foreshadowed his success again Spahn, homering in his first plate appearance against him (May 3, 1955). In his last game against Spahn (August 23, 1965), Clemente went three-for-three, with a triple and two RBI.

ClementeSpahn

Note: Note: Six games  (logs) versus Spahn are missing from Clemente’s totals.

It’s a Numbers Game

Warren Spahn and Roberto Clemente, who both wore number 21, were both inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973

Clemente played 18 MLB seasons (1955-72), all for the Pirates. He was an All Star in 12 of those campaigns, a Gold Glover 12 times and the 1996 NL Most Valuable Player. Clemente was a four-time batting champion (hitting .300+ in 12 seasons – a high of .357 in 1967). He also led the NL in hits twice (getting 200+ hits in four seasons) and triples once. He scored 100 or more runs in three seasons and drove in 100+ in two.  His final line was .317 (3,000 hits)-240-1,305, with 1,416 runs scored.

A Truly “Grand” Slam

On July 25, 1956, Roberto Clemente came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, with the bases load, no outs and his Pirates trailing the Chicago Cubs 8-5. He hit the first pitch from Jim Brosnan off the light standard in left field and, as Cubs’ LF Jim King chased down the ball, all three base runners AND Clemente circled the bases – giving Clemente what remains MLB’s only walk-off, inside-the-park Grand Slam.  (Further proof that “In baseball we count everything.)

Honorable Mention:  Got to give a shout out here to outfielder Wally Post – a career .266 hitter –  who hit .322, with ten home runs and 18 RBI in 49 games against Spahn – despite a slow start.  (In his first seven at bats against Spahn, Post was 0-for-7, with four strikeouts.) Post played 15 MLB seasons and went .266-210-699.

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Pitcher … Bob Rush (.417 average)

Bob Rush faced Warren Spahn 12 time in six games and handled himself pretty well – five hits (one double) for a .417 average. This performance comes as a bit of a surprise as Rush was a career .173 hitter.  Rush did, however have a solid year at the plate in 1952, when he hit .292 (28-for-96), with five doubles, a triple and 15 RBI. He did not face Spahn that season.

RushSoahn

In the six games he faced off against Spahn, Rush went 2-4, with a 5.01 earned run average, while Spahn went 4-2, with a 2.06 ERA.  For his career (1948-60), Rush went 125-152, with a 3.65 ERA.

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Who’s Your Daddy?  The Inspiration.

On September 24, 2004, in the middle of a tight pennant race, the Yankees handed future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez and the Boston Red Sox a tough 6-4 loss.  Martinez went 7 1/3 innings giving up nine hits and five earned runs.  The game came just five days after (in his previous start) Martinez had lasted just five frames against the Bronx Bombers (eight hits, eight earned runs) in a 16-7 loss.

After that second loss, Martinez candidly commented, “What can I say? I just tip my hat and call the Yankees my daddy.”  Little did he know that his comment – and a Yankee fans’ chant of “Who’s your daddy?” would follow him into future starts in New York (all the way to his final MLB start – against the Yankees for the Phillies – in Game Six of the 2009 World Series.)

The concept of “Who’s your daddy?” became the inspiration for Baseball Roundtable to take a look at the players who “had the number” of some of MLB’s premier pitchers.  Again, you can find links to the previous “editions” of “Who’s Your Daddy?” near the top of this post. 

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Primary Resource:  Baseball Reference.com

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Giving Johnny Vander Meer His Due

January 2, 2021 by

 

Kids are always chasing rainbows, but baseball is a world where you can catch them.

                                                           Johnny Vander Meer, Major League Southpaw

Johnny Vander Meer photo

Photo by rchdj10

Johnny Vander Meer did indeed catch some baseball rainbows.  Most memorably – or, at least, most historically – his tossing of two consecutive no-hitters for the Cincinnati Reds in 1938.  That still-unmatched feat is what Vander Meer is most known for.  That’s not surprising when you consider his career (13 seasons – 1937-43 & 1946-51 … Reds, Cubs, Indians) 119-121 record and the fact that he walked nearly as many hitters as he fanned. Still, early in his career, the hard-throwing southpaw was compared to another up and coming fireballer – future Hall of Famer Bob Feller.   Still, when Baseball Roundtable looked a little deeper, there was a lot more to Vander Meer’s career than those two no-hitters.  Here’s just a sampling.

  • Vander Meer’s two consecutive no-hitters came during a nine-decision winning streak that included eight complete games and three shutouts.

Vandy Streak

  • Vander Meer led the National League in total strikeouts and whiffs per nine innings pitched in three consecutive seasons (1941-43).
  • Vander Meer was the (first-ever) Sporting News Minor League Player of the Year in 1936 and the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year in 1938.

Making it Count

On September 18, 1940, Johnny Vander Meer not only pitched the Reds to a pennant-clinching victory, but also scored the winning run in the contest.  Vander Meer started the game and gave up three runs over 12 innings of work (eight hits, five walks, ten strikeouts). Leading off the top of the thirteenth inning, Vander Meer doubled to left, was sacrificed to third and then scored the winning run on a sacrifice fly. Reliever Joe Beggs pitched the bottom of the thirteenth to save Vander Meer’s win.

  • Vander Meer was a four-time All Star (1938, 1939, 1942, 1943).
  • Vander Meer shares the record for strikeouts in an All Star game (six) with Carl Hubbell, Larry Jansen and Fergie Jenkins.
  • Vander Meer pitched in three All Star games (1938, 1942, 1943),  walking one and fanning 11 hitters in 8 2/3 innings. He gave up just five hits and one run (unearned) in those three appearances

A Hard Day’s Night

Johnny Vander Meer was the Reds starting pitcher in the longest MLB game ending in a scoreless tie. On September 11, 1946, he started against the Dodgers and pitched 15 shutout innings (seven hits, two walks and 14 strikeouts). (Dodger starter Hal Gregg went ten scoreless frames.) The game went 19 innings and was called (darkness) with both teams still scoreless. Note: On April 15, 1968, the Mets and Astros were both scoreless through 23 innings, with the Astros winning 1-0 in the bottom of the 24th frame. That is the most innings both teams remained scoreless in an MLB tilt.

Here’s a little more of the Vander Meer story.

Vander Meer made his professional debut with the C-level Dayton Ducks as an 18-year-old in 1933 – going 11-10, 4.28, with 132 strikeouts in 183 innings. After a couple of less than stellar minor league seasons, he opened some eyes as The Sporting News 1936 Minor League Player of the Year – after a 19-6, 2.65 season with the Class-B Durham Bulls.  While, he had a powerful “swing and miss” fastball (Vander Meer fanned 295 batters in 214 innings), control was not his forte (he also walked 116).

On July 23, 1936, Johnny Vander Meer, pitching for the Durham Bulls, fanned 20 batters in a game against the Ashville Tourists.

Vander Meer’s 1936 performance earned him an invite to the Reds 1937 Spring Training camp and he went north with the team.  However, control issues still plagued him and he was sent down to the Double-A Syracuse Chiefs in July – after posting a 3-4, 4.22 record with 55 walks (40 whiffs) in 64 innings.  (He was called back up in September and ended the MLB season at 3-5, 3.84 with 69 walks and 52 strikeouts in 84 1/3 innings.)

Then came the 1938 season, when the 23-year-old seemed to find himself, going 15-10, 3.12 in 32 games (29 starts), fanning 125 batters in 225 1/3 innings (but still walking 103) – and, of course, tossing those consecutive no-hitters (June 11 versus the Bees and June 15 versus the Dodgers). For the season, Vander Meer’s 4.99 strikeouts per nine innings pitched were second in the National League (to Carl Hubbell); his 7.07 hits per nine innings pitched were the league low; and his 3.12 earned run average was tenth-best.  There was still work to do on his command, as his 104 walks were fourth-highest in the league.  Vander Meer also made his first All Star squad in 1938, started the game, threw three innings of no-run, one-hit ball and got the win.  After the season, he was the named the Sporting News Major League Player of the Year. 

After that sparkling 1938 season, Vander Meer appeared to be on his way. Those expectations were dashed in 1939, when illness and injury contributed to a 5-9, 4.67 record. He also got off to a slow start in 1940, being sent down to Double-A Indianapolis after four appearances (two starts) in which he pitched just 8 2/3 innings, fanning nine and walking 13, while putting up a 7.27 ERA.  He seemed to find himself at Indianapolis, going 6-4, 2.40, which earned him a September call up – during which he went 3-1, 2.97 (31 strikeouts and 28 walks in 39 1/3 innings) and pitched 12 shutout innings to get the win in the Reds’ pennant-clinching game.

Vander Meer powered his way to a 16-13, 2.82 record in 1941; 18-12, 2.43 in 1942; and 15-16, 2.82 in 1943 – leading the NL in strikeouts all three seasons and making the  National League All Star team in 1942 and 1943. Still, control remained an issue, as Vander Meer led the league in walks in 1943, allowed the NL’s second-most walks in 1942 and the fourth-most in 1941.

What Could Have Been

Johnny Vander Meer deserved better than his 15-16 record in 1943. His losses included two complete games in which he gave up a single run; two complete games in which he gave up just two runs; and a complete game which he lost 3-2 in the twelfth inning.  

Vander Meer then missed the 1944 and 1945 seasons (military service) and, while he came back to pitch six more MLB campaigns (1946-51), he had trouble recapturing that 1941-43 fastball.  Over those final six seasons, he went 44-55, 3.93 (as compared to 75-66, 3.11 from 1937 to 1943).  Vander Meer’s final career line was 119-121, 3.44, with 1,294 strikeouts and 1,132 walks. He threw 131 complete games (286 starts) and thirty shutouts.  He was a four-time All Star and won 15 or more games in five seasons.  Overall, he was in the NL’s top ten in ERA four times; wins five times; fewest hits per nine innings six times; total strikeouts and strikeouts per nine innings seven times each; complete games five times; and shutouts eight times.

While he made his final MLB appearance on May 7, 1951 (Indians), Vander Meer continued to pitch in the minor leagues through 1955 and managed in the minors from 1953 through 1962.

Primary Resources: Baseball-Reference.com; National Baseball Hall of Fame; MLB.com; Baseball-Almanac.com

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Filed Under: BB Fun Facts