With the regular season over and playoffs on everyone’s minds, BBRT is taking a break from post-season tension to reflect on just a few regular season occurrences that grabbed my attention.
Payroll Didn’t Drive Placement
Looking at the teams that made it into the post-season three of the top five opening day payrolls were there (#2 Dodgers, #4 Boston and #5 Detroit), but so were three of the bottom five payrolls (#26 Pittsburgh, # 27 Oakland, # 28 Tampa). Of note, the Dodgers’ $220 million payroll exceeded the combined opening day payrolls of playoff bound Oakland ($61 million), Pittsburgh ($80 million) and Tampa Bay ($58 million). (Figures from CBSsports.com.)
Tough to be YU!
Two guys named YU – The Rangers’ Yu Darvish and Giants’ Yusmiel Petit – both came with one batter of perfect games this season.
Yu Darvish – one of two YUs to lose a perfect game after 26 outs.
On April 2, Darvish was on the mound with two-out in the bottom of the ninth inning, holding a 7-0 lead over the Astros, having retired the first 26 hitters he faced (striking out 14). At the plate was Astros’ shortstop Marwin Gonzalez, who had grounded out and struck out in his first two appearances. Darvish started Gonzalez with a fastball – and the result was a low bouncer that skirted between Darvish’s legs and on into center field for a single. After 111 pitches, Darvish’s night was over and Micheal Kirkman came on to get pinch hitter J.D. Martinez to end the game.
On September 6, Yu number-two – Yusmiel Petit of the Giants – went into the top of ninth inning with a 3-0 lead over the Diamondbacks, having retired the first 24 Arizona hitters, striking out six. He got shortstop Chris Owning with his seventh strikeout, then right fielder Gerardo Parra grounded out second-to-first. That left just pinch hitter Eric Chavez between Petit and perfection. Petit got with one strike of a perfect game, only to see Chavez single to right field (just out of the reach of a diving Hunter Pence) on a 3-2 pitch. Chavez and was replaced by pinch runner Tony Campana before Petit induced Diamondback center fielder A.J. Pollock to ground out third-to-first to end the game. The 95-pitch effort was Petit’s first MLB complete game.
Not So Easy To Be An Astro Either
The Houston Astros finished with an MLB-worst record of 51-111 this season, but that’s not what attracted BBRT attention. Over the course of the season, Astro’s hitters struck out an All Time MLB record 1,535 times – breaking the Diamondbacks’ 2010 record of 1,529. Here’s what caught BBRT’s eye. Having moved to the American League, the Astros set the new record without the benefit of their pitchers flailing (and failing) at the plate. In 2010, 119 of the Diamondbacks’ record-setting whiffs were credited to pitchers at the plate.
The NL Batting Race
Michael Cudyer – NL Batting Champ
The National League batting race was decided in the final eight days of the season – with two somewhat unlikely contenders. On September 21, Braves’ third baseman Chris Johnson (who came into 2013 with a four-year career average of .276) was leading the NL at .332. On his heels (at .331) was the Rockies’ Michael Cuddyer (who came into the season with a 12-year career average of .271 and a single-season high of .284). Over the final eight days, Cuddyer went 7-for-21 to finish at a league leading .331, while Johnson faded to .321 (going 2-for-23.) Cuddyer’s final line was .331-20-84, and he even added ten stolen bases.
Lots Of Great Young Stars To Watch
Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Wil Myers, Manny Machado, Yasiel Puig, Jose Fernandez, Shelby Miller – and the list goes on an on. There were – and still are – simply a lot of great young stars to watch. For more – and a look at BBRT 2013 Young Star Team click https://baseballroundtable.com/bbrts-2013-mlb-young-star-team-born-in-the-90s/
The Pirates are Back! The Pirates are Back!
The Post Season comes to Pittsburgh.
The unfolding story of the Pirates, going 94-68 and making the playoffs after a twenty consecutive losing seasons. By contrast, the Yankees have not had a losing season since 1992 – and have had only 22 losing seasons in the history of the franchise (1901-2013 in Baltimore and NY). The Pirates led by such players as MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen, speedy tablesetter Sterling Marte, NL HR co-leader Pedro Alvarez, starting pitcher and Comeback Player of the Year candidate Francisco Liriano and relievers Jason Grilli and Mark Melancon should remain fun to watch.
The Pirates Are Back! So Is Francisco Liriano!
Speaking of the Pirates, starting pitcher Francisco Liriano (who won the first Wild Card playoff game) was a great story and an unlikely hero in the Bucs return to the post season. The Pirates signed Liriano after a 2012 season when he went 6-12, 5.34 (his second consecutive season with an ERA north of 5.00) for the Twins and White Sox. Then Liriano broke his non-pitching arm in the off-season and didn’t make his first start until May 11. He ended the season as the Pirates’ ace, rediscovering his wicked slider and going 16-8, 3.02, with 163 strikeouts in 161 innings. How important was Liriano the Pirates? No other Pittsburgh starter won more than ten games.
The Dodgers’ Remarkable Comeback
Yasiel Puig helped sparked Dodger comeback.
As of July 1, the underachieving Dodgers were in last place in the NL West (38-43, 3 ½ back). Just 80 days later – on September 19 – with a 7-6 win over the Diamondbacks, LA became the first team to clinch a 2013 playoff berth. It also made the Dodgers just the fourth team (along with the 1914 Boston Braves, 1973 New York Mets and 1995 Seattle Mariners) to finish in first place after holding last place as of July 1 or later. The comeback is even more remarkable when you consider that on June 21, the then last-place Dodgers stood at 30-42, 12 games under .500 and 9 ½ back of Arizona. From that point, they went 62-28 – finishing 22 games over and 11 games ahead of second-place Arizona. Looking for reasons?
Mike Trout Avoids “Sophomore Jinx
Mike Trout’s 2012 Rookie of Year season: .326, 129 runs, 30 homers, 83 RBI, 49 steals.
Mike Trout 2013: .323, 109 runs, 27 homers, 97 RBI, 33 steals. Next Willie Mays? Enough said.
Old Guys Rule!
Mariano Rivera – making his best last.
Took great pleasure in watching a couple of forty-year olds defy father time. Mariano Rivera (age 43) goes 6-2, 2.11 with 44 saves. Bartolo Colon (age 40) goes 18-6, 2.65.
Oh yes, and let’s not forget 41-year-old Raul Ibanez and his 29 home runs, tying Ted Williams for the most ever by a 41-year-old.
Josh Hamilton’s Fall
Josh Hamilton may have been the biggest disappointment on the disappointing Angels. In the three years before signing a five-year/$133 million contract with the Halos, Hamilton hit .313 with 100 home runs and 322 RBI. In his first year with LA, he dropped to .250-21-79. Of course, Albert Pujols has also fallen short of his big contract (10 year/$240 million) expectations. In 11 years with the Cardinals, the average season for the three-time MVP was .327-40-121. In that time, Pujols played in more than 140 games every season, hit under .300 only once (.299 in 2011), never hit less than 32 home runs in a season, and collected less than 100 RBI only once (99 in 2011). His 2013 numbers for LA were 99 games (foot injury), .258-17-64. This follows a first year in LA during which he put up: .285-30-105 in 154 games (decent numbers, but still short of expectations – at the time, they were Pujols’ lowest average, lowest HR total and second-lowest RBI count).
Cabrera Wins Third Batting Title/Davis Tops 50 HR
Chris Davis – newest 50-homer guy.
For much of the season, BBRT was on a Miguel Cabrera Triple Crown repeat watch; with the Oriole’s Chris Davis Cabrera’s main obstacle in two of the three categories. While abdominal issues slowed Miggy late in the season, Cabrera still won his third consecutive batting crown (the first player to win three straight titles since Wade Boggs won four between 1985-88). Meanwhile, Davis gave us the pleasure of watching him chase 50 home runs. At season’s end, Davis led all of MLB with 53 home runs and 138 RBI (Cabrera finished second in both at 44-137). Davis became the 27th player to reach the 50-homer mark, and his 53 HRs are the 26th most in an MLB season (for more on the 50 homer club, click https://baseballroundtable.com/chris-davis-newest-member-of-50-homer-club/
The Yankees’ .500+ Record
Joe Girardi for Manager of the Year. It could happen, considering how he managed the Yankees to a third-place finish, eight games over .500 (85-77) despite age, injuries and the A-Rod controversy. Girardi did a great job of guiding the Yankees through troubled waters with lots of fill-ins at the oars.
The Blue Jays Disappointing Performance
With a host of off-season acquisitions – Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Melky Cabrera, Emilio Bonifacio – the Blue Jays moved into the top ten in payroll and became a popular pick to win the AL East. They were, however, never a factor – finishing at 74-88, last in the division, 23 games out. Lots of reasons, with 2012 NL CY Young winner R.A. Dickey (20-6, 2.73 for the Mets in 2012) at or near the top of the list. Dickey was a significant disappointment at 14-13, 4.21 for the Jays. (Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise, eliminating 2012, Dickey’s MLB record – ten seasons – would be 55-63, 4.31.) Jose Reyes performed well when he was in the lineup (.293-10-37, with 15 steals), but injuries limited him to 93 games. Josh Johnson, who came to the Jays with a career line of 56-37, 3.15 was limited by triceps and forearm issues – and turned in 2-8 record with a 6.20 ERA in just 16 starts. And so it went for the Jays – injuries and underperformance derailing what should have been a promising season.
The First Place Boston Red Sox
Lots of excitement at Fenway this year.
In 2012, the Boston Red Sox finished in last place in the AL East, 69-93 and 26 games out. The Sox dumped first-year manager Bobby Valentine and brought in John Farrell. They also made changes to the team during the off-season – changes that didn’t seem to excite analysts or fans. Joining the Red Sox were not the biggest name free agents, but players like Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Koji Uehara, Stephen Drew, and Ryan Dempster. The Sox, in fact, were picked to finish at our near the bottom of the division. Unlike the Blue Jays, the Red Sox strategy paid off in the W-L column, as they won the East with a 97-65 record. Napoli contributed 23 HRs and 92 RBI, Victorino hit .294 with 21 steals, and Uehara notched 21 saves to go with a 1.09 ERA. Red Sox veterans chipped in as well. David Ortiz went .309-30-103; Dustin Pedroia’s line was .301-9-83 (17 steals); John Lester rebounded with a 15-8 record and 3.75 ERA; and, despite injuries that limited him to 16 starts, Clay Bucholz went 12-1, 1.74.
Oakland Athletics Get High(s) – Win The AL West
The A’s must have been rewatching “Moneyball.” Despite MLB’s 27th highest (or fourth lowest) opening day payroll, Oakland topped the AL West, which is also home to the game’s sixth- (Angels) and eighth-highest (Rangers) payrolls. The A’s went 96-66, driven to success by such “name” players as Brandon Moss, Jed Lowrie, Eric Sogard, Josh Donaldson, Jarrod Parker, A.J. Griffin, and Dan Straily. (There were a lot a “career highs” along the way – like Moss’ career-high 30 HRs, Donaldson’s career-high .301 average, Lowrie’s career-topping 75 RBI, Griffin’s career-best 14 wins; and much more). There also were some better-known names making contributions: Coco Crisp (with a career-high 22 HRs), Yeonis Cespedes (career-high 26 HRs) and 40-year-old starter Bartolo Colon, who went 18-6, 2.65.
Washington Nationals – A Fade, But Not A Collapse
The Washington Nationals were a popular pick to win the AL East in 2013, after 98 wins and an East Division title in 2012. The team has taken a lot of heat for falling behind the Atlanta Braves early and failing to make the playoff. But really, they still finished 10 games over .500 (86-76) and have a solid foundation in place for 2014. BBRT urges Nats’ fans not to overreact.
“Kinda-Unlikely” No hitters
There were three no-hitters thrown in 2013, all by pitchers who started their no-hitters with a losing record on the season – and also would finish their season with a losing record. Let’s look at these “kinda-unlikely” outcomes.
“Homer” Bailey, unlikely name for no-hitter hurler.
On July 2, Reds’ right-hander Homer Bailey threw the first no-hitter of the 2013 season. Given that Bailey also threw the last no-hitter of 2012 (September 28, 2012), the no-no is not entirely unlikely. It just seems to BBRT a bit unexpected that a pitcher with the unfortunate name of “Homer” would toss a no-hitter. This year’s no-no came in Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark, with Bailey shutting down the Giants 3-0 on 109 pitches, walking just one, striking out nine. With the final out, Bailey became just the 31st pitcher to throw multiple no-hitters. Bailey, by the way, went into the game with a 4-6 record and a 3.88 ERA. He finished the season 11-12, 3.49.
On July 13, the Giants’ Tim Lincecum no hit the Padres 9-0 in San Diego. Why did this seem so unlikely – after all, Lincecum is a two-time Cy Young Award winner? True, but the Lincecum who took the mound this past July was not the hurler who in 2008-09 went 33-12, with a 2.55 ERA and 526 strikeouts in 452 1/3 innings. This was a Lincecum coming off a 2012 season in which he went 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA. It was a Lincecum with a 2013 record of 4-9, 4.61. (He would end the season at 10-14, 4.37.) Ultimately, Lincecum threw an unlikely (career-high) 148 pitches in his no-hit game, striking out 13 batters (while walking four).
On the final day of the season (September 29), the Marlins’ Henderson Álvarez was matched up against Detroit’s Justin Verlander – a pitcher much more likely than Alvarez to toss a no-hitter – in Miami. Alvarez joined the Marlins after compiling a 9-14 record (4.85 ERA) for the Blue Jays in 2012. He came into the season finale with a 2013 mark of 4-6, 3.94 (and would finish the season 5-6, 3.59). Alvarez and Verlander matched zeros across the board and, as the Marlins batted in the bottom of the ninth, Alvarez had completed nine no-hit innings with one walk and four strikeouts. In the bottom of the ninth, Miami turned two singles and a walk into a bases-loaded/one-out situation. Then, with Alvarez on deck, the winning run scored (in an unlikely manner) on a wild pitch.
So, there are a few things that caught BBRT’s attention in 2013. Got any to add? Feel free to comment.
