The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com Sat, 19 May 2012 14:23:16 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Category Change http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/19/category-change/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/19/category-change/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 14:13:16 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12929 Just a quick Saturday morning note. The September Call Ups category is now called Rated Rookies. This category has been and always will be rookie focused. We just felt Rated Rookies was a better name and well, we just love those Rated Rookie Donruss baseball cards from years back.

Classic

]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/19/category-change/feed/ 0 Justin Verlander Has A Long Way To Go To Catch Nolan Ryan http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/19/justin-verlander-has-a-long-way-to-go-to-catch-nolan-ryan/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/19/justin-verlander-has-a-long-way-to-go-to-catch-nolan-ryan/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 13:00:45 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12926 Last night, Detroit Tigers’ RHP Justin Verlander once again flirted with history. Verlander was going for his third career no-no and carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but with one out in the ninth inning, Verlander hung a curveball to Josh Harrison and Harrison singled cleanly up the middle.

Verlander retired the last two batters he faced and had to settle for his first career one-hitter. Verlander now has three games where he has allowed one-hit or less. That’s impressive, but he has a long way to go to catch Nolan Ryan. Ryan pitched 20 games where he gave up one-hit or less. As great as Verlander is and I believe he is the one pitcher in the game today who takes no-hit stuff to the mound every time he takes it, he won’t even come close to Ryan’s record.

I think Verlander will be hard pressed to get to Randy Johnson’s seven games with one-hit or less or even Dave Stieb’s six games. Regardless, Verlander is a special talent and he has gotten to the point in his career where every time he takes the mound, it’s an event. Only a handful of pitchers in Major League history can lay claim to event status.

Here is the list of the 37 pitchers in baseball history who have more than three games of giving up one-hit or less in a nine inning or more game.

Rk Player #Matching W L ERA GS CG SHO IP H ER HR BB SO WHIP
1 Nolan Ryan 20 Ind. Games 19 0 0.05 20 19 16 180.1 13 1 0 73 239 0.48
2 Bob Feller 14 Ind. Games 14 0 0.21 14 14 11 126.0 11 3 0 64 115 0.60
3 Jim Maloney 7 Ind. Games 7 0 0.00 7 7 7 64.0 5 0 0 29 73 0.53
4 Randy Johnson 7 Ind. Games 6 0 0.00 7 6 6 63.0 5 0 0 17 85 0.35
5 Virgil Trucks 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.00 6 6 6 54.0 4 0 0 13 45 0.31
6 Don Sutton 6 Ind. Games 5 0 0.16 6 5 4 55.0 6 1 1 17 34 0.42
7 Dave Stieb 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.00 6 6 6 54.0 5 0 0 15 36 0.37
8 Tom Seaver 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.17 6 6 5 54.0 5 1 0 15 56 0.37
9 Jim Palmer 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.00 6 6 6 54.0 5 0 0 15 33 0.37
10 Sandy Koufax 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.17 6 6 5 54.0 2 1 1 16 65 0.33
11 Steve Carlton 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.17 6 6 5 54.0 6 1 0 11 50 0.31
12 Bert Blyleven 6 Ind. Games 6 0 0.16 6 6 4 55.0 5 1 1 17 41 0.40
13 Vida Blue 6 Ind. Games 5 0 0.17 6 5 4 54.0 5 1 1 14 42 0.35
14 Rick Wise 5 Ind. Games 5 0 0.00 5 5 5 45.0 4 0 0 12 18 0.36
15 Lon Warneke 5 Ind. Games 5 0 0.20 5 5 4 45.0 4 1 0 12 29 0.36
16 Bobo Newsom 5 Ind. Games 4 1 0.20 5 5 3 46.0 5 1 0 26 37 0.67
17 Whit Wyatt 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.50 4 4 2 36.0 4 2 1 7 26 0.31
18 Bob Turley 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 4 0 0 18 31 0.61
19 Warren Spahn 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 2 0 0 5 30 0.19
20 Mike Scott 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 3 0 0 5 37 0.22
21 Anibal Sanchez 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 3 36.0 3 0 0 11 34 0.39
22 Steve Rogers 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.25 4 4 3 36.0 4 1 1 10 24 0.39
23 Jerry Reuss 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.25 4 4 3 36.0 3 1 0 5 20 0.22
24 Ken Raffensberger 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 4 0 0 7 5 0.31
25 Billy Pierce 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.25 4 4 3 36.0 4 1 0 16 28 0.56
Rk Player #Matching W L ERA GS CG SHO IP H ER HR BB SO WHIP
26 Hideo Nomo 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 2 0 0 10 44 0.33
27 Mike Mussina 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 4 0 0 3 48 0.19
28 Jack Morris 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 2 36.0 3 0 0 11 28 0.39
29 Sam McDowell 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 3 36.0 4 0 0 17 39 0.58
30 Pedro Martinez 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.25 4 3 2 36.0 4 1 1 1 48 0.14
31 Juan Marichal 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 3 0 0 6 34 0.25
32 Carl Hubbell 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.25 4 4 3 36.0 3 1 1 6 22 0.25
33 Ken Holtzman 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 2 0 0 11 20 0.36
34 Woodie Fryman 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 4 0 0 8 28 0.33
35 Danny Darwin 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.25 4 3 2 36.0 4 1 1 8 26 0.33
36 Mike Cuellar 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 4 0 0 8 21 0.33
37 David Cone 4 Ind. Games 4 0 0.00 4 4 4 36.0 3 0 0 5 33 0.22
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/19/2012.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/19/justin-verlander-has-a-long-way-to-go-to-catch-nolan-ryan/feed/ 0 The University Of Florida Baseball Team Gets In On The “Call Me Maybe” Craze http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/the-university-of-florida-baseball-team-gets-in-on-the-call-me-maybe-craze/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/the-university-of-florida-baseball-team-gets-in-on-the-call-me-maybe-craze/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 03:06:03 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12924 The Harvard Baseball Team started it with their rendition of “Call Me Maybe.” Their YouTube video went viral and was soon challenged by the SMU Rowing Team. Now another baseball squad as gotten into the “Call Me Maybe” craze.

The University Florida Baseball Team now gives us their version of Call Me Maybe.

Impressive, but they didn’t do much to separate themselves from what Harvard did. And yes, my life has come to this. Critiquing Carly Rae Jepsen songs. Just awesome.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/the-university-of-florida-baseball-team-gets-in-on-the-call-me-maybe-craze/feed/ 0 Detroit Lions WR Calvin Johnson Tries His Hand At Baseball http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/detroit-lions-wr-calvin-johnson-tries-his-hand-at-baseball/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/detroit-lions-wr-calvin-johnson-tries-his-hand-at-baseball/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 02:12:21 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12922 Detroit Lions’ WR, Calvin Johnson, one of the best WR’s in the NFL, took some batting practice at Comerica Park and looked pretty darn good doing it. Megatron, who played baseball in high school in Georgia, has a little bit of a hitch in his swing, but his follow through was not bad at all. One of his swings resulted in a ball going over the left field wall.

Video courtesy of FOX Sports…

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/detroit-lions-wr-calvin-johnson-tries-his-hand-at-baseball/feed/ 0 Minor League Home Run Derby To Be Held On Aircraft Carrier http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/minor-league-home-run-derby-to-be-held-on-aircraft-carrier/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/minor-league-home-run-derby-to-be-held-on-aircraft-carrier/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 01:39:39 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12918 I have always had a theory that everyone loves tater tots. You offer tater tots on a menu and everyone orders them. It’s a no-brainer. I have also had a theory that everyone loves aircraft carriers. The G.I. Joe aircraft carrier was the coolest toy ever. Watching UNC vs. Michigan St. on the USS Carl Vinson was just awesome. And the idea of having a Home Run Derby off of an aircraft? Well, that’s just fantastic.

The USS Yorktown

The opening round of the South Atlantic League’s Home Run Derby will take place on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor. There will be kayakers and personnel on jet skis to retrieve the balls hit into Charleston Harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard will assess and note the longest homers to determine the finalists and will radio the results to officials stationed on the Yorktown.

There will be 10 participants and the four leaders at the end of the first round will advance to the second round, which will take place at Riley Park. Riley Park is the home of the Charleston RiverDogs.

This is just an amazing, amazing idea and one that should be applauded. Yes, this is a gimmick, but there are good gimmicks and bad gimmicks. A shoot out at the end of a regulation NHL game is a terrible gimmick as it takes away from the game. Having home-field advantage in the World Series is a terrible gimmick. And of course, Terry Taylor as the Red Rooster was a terrible gimmick.

But this is a good gimmick. This adds something to this event without giving a “What the heck is going on here?” feel to it.

I doubt this will be televised, but I for one can’t wait to see the highlights.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/minor-league-home-run-derby-to-be-held-on-aircraft-carrier/feed/ 0 Kerry Wood Ends Career With A K http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/kerry-wood-ends-career-with-a-k/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/kerry-wood-ends-career-with-a-k/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 21:22:31 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12915 Kerry Wood‘s career came to an end today at Wrigley Field and his career ended in appropriate fashion — with a strikeout.

Wood struckout Dayan Viciedo on a wicked curve and then was removed from the game Jamie Quirk, who was acting as manager because Dale Sveum was ejected in the fifth inning. Wood left to a standing ovation and was greeted by his son as he walked off the field.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/kerry-wood-ends-career-with-a-k/feed/ 0 Coppin State Baseball Goes 1-53 http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/coppin-state-baseball-goes-1-53/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/coppin-state-baseball-goes-1-53/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 18:48:26 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12902 Normally, a Coppin State – North Carolina A&T MEAC Conference Tournament baseball game wouldn’t get much press here or anywhere, but this game did have some significance.

North Carolina A&T pasted Coppin State 14-3 and with that loss, Coppin State dropped to 1-53 on the season. The 53 loses in one season tied a NCAA record. The only win Coppin State had all season was a 5-4 victory over George Mason on April 25th.

Coppin State was outscored 592-148 on the season and were shutout 13 times on the season. The most remarkable stat of all? Coppin State didn’t hit a single HR all season. 54 games, no HR’s. That’s crazy.

I don’t think anyone wants to see a team go 0-for-the-season or go 1-53 like Coppin State did this year. That has to be rough on everyone involved.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/coppin-state-baseball-goes-1-53/feed/ 0 Kerry Wood To Retire http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/kerry-wood-to-retire/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/kerry-wood-to-retire/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 16:50:42 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12900 In a move that comes as a little bit of a surprise, Chicago Cubs’ RHP Kerry Wood will retire after his next outing according to ESPNChicago’s Bruce Levine. His next outing is expected to come this weekend and could come as early as today’s game against the Chicago White Sox according to ESPNChicago’s Doug Padilla. Wood has a 8.64 ERA in 8.1 innings with the Cubs in 2012.

If this is indeed the end of the line for Wood, I will remember Wood for two things: His 20-strikeout game in 1998 against the Houston Astros and the endless line of injuries that will put Wood in the “What might have been?” category.

Wood’s 20-K game against the Astros in 1998 was the most dominant game I have ever seen pitched. It was more of a dominating performance than any no-hitter or perfect game that I have seen in my 28 years of watching baseball. I was in college when that game happened and it’s one of those games in baseball history that everyone remembers.

After a game, it’s common when a team gets blownout of dominated to say they didn’t have a chance. Well, on May 6th, 1998, the Astros actually had no chance. His fastball was electric and his curveball was unfair. MLB.com has a great video of all his strikeouts that day. Fast forward to the three minute mark and see strikeouts 19 and 20. Those sliders are just stupid.

Of course there is the other side to Wood, the injury side. Wood was one of the greatest talents to ever take the mound, but injuries really happened his career. He only made 30 starts just twice in his career and missed a big portion of the 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 seasons due to injuries. He also missed the entire 1999 season.

Wood could be viewed as a disappointment by some because the “What might have been?” certainly gets the imagination going. But I don’t see Wood as a disappointment. He was able to last 14 years in this game and is only one of three pitchers in baseball history to average more than 10 K’s/9 with a minimum of 1000 innings pitched. That’s beyond impressive.

I am sure Wood will get a standing ovation times two when his last out is recorded this weekend.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/kerry-wood-to-retire/feed/ 0 Teams That Could Be Interested In Orlando Hudson http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/teams-that-could-be-interested-in-orlando-hudson/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/teams-that-could-be-interested-in-orlando-hudson/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 13:43:48 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12893 The San Diego Padres released veteran 2B Orlando Hudson yesterday. It came as no surprise as Hudson was a bust in San Diego since signing a two-year deal with them two winters ago.

Hudson is on the unemployment line

The O-Dog’s O-Ffense was nothing to write home about. In a year and a half in a Padres’ uniform, Hudson hit .238/.313/.344 in 585 PA’s. His defense also slipped as well as he posted a -6.8 UZR/150 the past two seasons.

Hudson doesn’t have much value on the free agent market, but there should be a couple of teams out there vying for his services.

San Francisco Giants: Freddy Sanchez is a physical mess and Manny Burriss and Charlie Culberson aren’t the answer. Giant two-baggers have a Major League worst .192 wOBA in 2012. Hudson would actually be an upgrade for them.

Detroit Tigers: The Tigers are a win-now team and the unfortunately the Ryan Raburn experiment hasn’t worked at second base (I am shocked by this by the way. I expected big things out of him in 2012). Ramon Santiago is barely holding on to a roster spot. Tiger second basemen have a Major League worst -1.8 WAR.

Washington Nationals: Danny Espinosa has really struggled so far and like the Tigers above, the Nationals are a win-now team. The Nats could sign Hudson to push Espinosa or eventually replace him.

Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley just started taking ground balls the other day, but I am not convinced he is going to make it back to Philadelphia in 2012.  Freddy Galvis and Pete Orr aren’t the answer for a team with World Series hopes in 2012. Hudson would provide an upgrade now and insurance in the future if Utley doesn’t make it back or at least not back to 100 percent.

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]]> http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/18/teams-that-could-be-interested-in-orlando-hudson/feed/ 0 A.J. Ellis: Your National League All Star Starting Catcher? http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/17/a-j-ellis-your-national-league-all-star-starting-catcher/ http://www.thebaseballindex.com/2012/05/17/a-j-ellis-your-national-league-all-star-starting-catcher/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 12:49:44 +0000 The Baseball Index http://www.thebaseballindex.com/?p=12881 Going into yesterday’s afternoon tilt against the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the best record in the National League. One of the main reasons for their success has been their surprising offense.

Ellis has had a lot to smile about so far

The Dodgers rank fourth in baseball with an 8.8 WAR and one of the big reasons for their offensive success has been because of the breakout season of catcher A.J. Ellis. Yes, Matt Kemp has been the NL MVP so far, but one guy can’t carry an offense on a day in and day out basis.

Ellis has had an amazing start to the 2012 season. He has a .322/.455/.500 slash line with three HR’s in 114 PA’s. His three HR’s are already a career high.

The high OBP is not a surprise. Ellis throughout his minor league has always showed great discipline. Ellis’ career minor league BB Percentage was 16.8 percent, which is pretty good.

What is a surprise, is Ellis’ power. As I mentioned earlier, his three HR’s are already a career high and his .178 ISO is by far and away a professional high. Ellis’ highest ISO in the minors was .135.

Ellis has been so good that one can make the argument that Ellis would be the starting catcher for the National League if the All Star Game was played today. Ellis leads all Major League catchers in WAR (1.8), BB Percentage (18.6 percent), and wOBA (.408). If the fans did have a say in voting for the starters because I think Yadier Molina will run away with that, Ellis would get the nod behind the plate in Kansas City.

Whether or not Ellis’ early season success is sustainable is a different story. Having a .294 BABIP isn’t sustainable throughout the season. But regardless, Ellis is having a great start to the 2012 and could be the starting catcher for the National League in the All Star Game.

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