Smoothing the ‘80s and ‘90s (Part 3)
So far, we’ve looked at a couple of sets of players with regard to how their season-by-season stat lines might have looked, had the 1988-92 period and the 1994-2000 period been more consistent in run-production conditions. Now we’re going to get fully into great-player-only territory. I had anticipated that this entry would complete the series, but once into it, I realized that doing justice to the very best players of the era will consume two chapters. So, Part 4 is forthcoming!
Bear in mind that the stat lines that appear in black font are actuals, and the lines that appear in blue are adjusted. For our methodology, see the References and Resources section below.
Legendary Leadoff Men
Biggio has forged the most singular career progression of all time from a defensive spectrum standpoint, and has a fairly unusual offensive profile as well. After all, not too many career leadoff guys are dead-pull right-handed hitters with pretty good home run power, and are so-so hitters for average, with not-especially-good walk/strikeout rates. Of course, the added bonus of Biggio’s many HBPs meaningfully gooses up his OBP, and for much of his career Biggio’s base stealing was a serious asset as well. All in all he was indeed an extremely good top-of-the-order man in his prime, but the Astros have left him in the role far longer than they should have.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1988 22 124 15 27 7 1 4 5 7 31 .217 .260 .380 .639 1989 23 447 70 118 23 2 17 65 50 68 .264 .345 .436 .782 1990 24 560 58 158 26 2 5 46 54 83 .283 .348 .364 .713 1991 25 552 86 167 25 4 5 50 54 75 .302 .366 .390 .756 1992 26 619 104 176 35 3 8 42 95 100 .284 .386 .388 .774 1993 27 609 97 174 42 5 23 63 76 96 .285 .373 .484 .857 1994 28 433 81 135 41 5 5 52 57 54 .312 .402 .470 .871 1995 29 548 113 162 28 2 20 71 74 79 .296 .400 .464 .864 1996 30 600 104 169 23 4 14 69 69 67 .282 .381 .401 .782 1997 31 613 135 185 35 8 20 75 77 99 .302 .409 .484 .893 1998 32 640 113 204 48 2 18 81 59 105 .319 .396 .485 .881 1999 33 633 113 182 53 0 15 67 81 99 .288 .378 .440 .818 2000 34 374 62 98 12 5 7 32 56 68 .262 .381 .381 .763 2001 35 617 118 180 35 3 20 70 66 100 .292 .360 .455 .816 2002 36 577 96 146 36 3 15 58 50 111 .253 .313 .404 .716 2003 37 628 102 166 44 2 15 62 57 116 .264 .326 .412 .738 2004 38 633 100 178 47 0 24 63 40 94 .281 .324 .469 .793 2005 39 590 94 156 40 1 26 69 37 90 .264 .308 .468 .776 2006 40 548 79 135 33 0 21 62 40 84 .246 .298 .422 .719 Career 10345 1742 2916 633 54 281 1104 1097 1619 .282 .366 .435 .801
Henderson’s hitting was, interestingly, similar to Biggio’s at that: also a dead-pull right-handed flyball hitter, and inconsistent in his ability to hit for average. What set Henderson apart, of course, was the uncanny ability to draw walks, as well as the fact that for the great majority of his career Henderson’s speed truly was game-changing. Just a tremendous player, especially when he was able to get the bat going in high gear: check out that 1990 line … wow.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1979 20 351 49 96 13 3 1 26 34 39 .274 .338 .336 .674 1980 21 591 111 179 22 4 9 53 117 54 .303 .418 .399 .817 1981 22 423 89 135 18 7 6 35 64 68 .319 .409 .437 .846 1982 23 536 119 143 24 4 10 51 116 94 .267 .397 .382 .780 1983 24 513 105 150 25 7 9 48 103 80 .292 .411 .421 .832 1984 25 502 113 147 27 4 16 58 86 81 .293 .396 .458 .854 1985 26 547 146 172 28 5 24 72 99 65 .314 .420 .516 .935 1986 27 608 130 160 31 5 28 74 89 81 .263 .357 .469 .826 1987 28 358 78 104 17 3 17 37 80 52 .291 .420 .497 .917 1988 29 560 128 175 33 2 8 54 83 57 .312 .401 .420 .821 1989 30 546 123 153 28 3 15 62 127 72 .281 .417 .428 .845 1990 31 495 129 165 36 3 36 66 98 63 .333 .443 .636 1.079 1991 32 474 114 130 19 1 23 62 99 77 .275 .400 .464 .864 1992 33 400 84 116 20 3 19 50 96 59 .290 .427 .498 .926 1993 34 480 113 138 23 2 23 59 118 67 .287 .428 .487 .914 1994 35 294 61 75 12 0 5 18 66 42 .254 .392 .352 .743 1995 36 403 62 118 29 1 8 50 66 61 .294 .393 .432 .825 1996 37 462 101 109 16 2 8 27 115 84 .235 .388 .332 .720 1997 38 400 78 97 13 0 7 31 89 79 .243 .381 .330 .711 1998 39 538 93 124 15 1 13 53 108 106 .231 .360 .334 .693 1999 40 434 82 134 28 0 11 39 75 76 .309 .411 .449 .860 2000 41 417 69 95 13 2 4 30 81 70 .228 .353 .296 .649 2001 42 379 70 86 17 3 8 42 81 84 .227 .363 .351 .714 2002 43 179 40 40 6 1 5 16 38 47 .223 .359 .352 .711 2003 44 72 7 15 1 0 2 5 11 16 .208 .313 .306 .619 Career 10962 2295 3056 515 66 315 1118 2140 1673 .279 .397 .424 .821
The Supreme Second Hitter
He did bat in the second slot most of the time, but Alomar also batted leadoff quite a bit, as well as hitting third. His offensive skillset was just so amazingly well-rounded that he was an excellent fit in any of those spots.
His image seemed to me to be too strongly tainted by that spitting-in-the-ump’s-face incident, and Alomar kind of hit the wall all of a sudden in his mid-30s instead of enjoying a long and graceful final phase. But few players in history have been so utterly lacking in weakness of any kind; I’d vote him into Cooperstown.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1988 20 550 91 150 26 6 12 45 48 88 .273 .331 .406 .736 1989 21 630 89 191 30 1 9 61 54 80 .303 .357 .396 .753 1990 22 592 87 174 30 5 8 65 49 76 .294 .347 .400 .747 1991 23 644 96 195 45 11 12 75 58 91 .302 .360 .461 .820 1992 24 577 114 183 30 8 10 83 88 55 .317 .408 .450 .858 1993 25 587 108 190 36 6 19 92 79 69 .324 .404 .501 .905 1994 26 388 72 116 24 4 7 35 47 38 .300 .375 .438 .813 1995 27 512 66 150 23 7 12 61 43 42 .294 .349 .436 .784 1996 28 582 122 187 41 4 20 87 83 60 .322 .406 .509 .915 1997 29 408 59 133 22 2 13 55 37 40 .326 .382 .483 .864 1998 30 583 79 161 34 1 13 52 54 65 .276 .338 .403 .741 1999 31 558 127 177 38 3 22 111 91 89 .317 .413 .513 .925 2000 32 604 102 183 38 2 17 82 59 76 .304 .365 .458 .824 2001 33 575 113 193 34 12 20 100 80 71 .336 .417 .541 .958 2002 34 590 73 157 24 4 11 53 57 83 .266 .331 .376 .707 2003 35 516 76 133 28 2 5 39 59 77 .258 .334 .349 .683 2004 36 171 18 45 6 2 4 24 14 31 .263 .319 .392 .711 Career 9068 1493 2719 506 82 212 1119 997 1131 .300 .369 .444 .813
Champion Batting Champions
An all-time great top-of-the-order guy, despite his complete lack of speed. One of the interesting things about Boggs is how much his offensive profile—the lefty-swinging, contact-oriented slap hitter with exceptional strike zone discipline—was a throwback approach, something of a lost art. Boggs was better at it than nearly anyone else, of course, but for decades, up through the 1950s, there were a lot of hitters of this same basic type: Richie Ashburn, Billy Goodman, Johnny Pesky, Ferris Fain, Elmer Valo, Augie Galan, Stan Hack, Arky Vaughan, Buddy Myer, Lu Blue, and Johnny Bassler all come to mind. Right-handed-hitting specimens (not as common, likely owing to the BA-inhibiting platoon disadvantage) included Johnny Temple, Luke Appling, and George Burns.
There have continued to be a few of these guys in recent decades; Mike Hargrove, Brett Butler, and Mark Grace all fit this profile to some degree, and in the final phases of both of their careers, Rod Carew and Pete Rose did as well. But we don’t see nearly as many hitters of this type as our grandfathers saw.
It’s interesting to consider why this is, given that the tremendous OBPs these guys generate is a highly potent offensive weapon. Most likely what happened is that the expanded strike zone of 1963-68 suddenly made the work-the-count technique far more difficult to make successful for a hitter without serious power, and coaches and organizations stopped teaching it and looking for it in prospects. When the strike zone was made smaller again, the cultural DNA that had produced these hitters had been significantly altered. And of course in today’s game with its extreme bias toward power, almost nobody except little guys with great speed are taught to slap the ball the other way.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1982 24 338 51 118 14 1 5 44 35 21 .349 .410 .441 .851 1983 25 582 100 210 44 7 5 74 92 36 .361 .448 .486 .934 1984 26 625 109 203 31 4 6 55 89 44 .325 .409 .416 .825 1985 27 653 107 240 42 3 8 78 96 61 .368 .449 .478 .926 1986 28 580 107 207 47 2 8 71 105 44 .357 .455 .486 .942 1987 29 551 108 200 40 6 24 89 105 48 .363 .465 .588 1.053 1988 30 592 139 222 49 6 6 63 126 36 .375 .485 .511 .995 1989 31 628 123 212 56 7 4 59 108 54 .338 .435 .468 .903 1990 32 626 97 194 48 5 8 69 88 72 .309 .395 .440 .834 1991 33 552 101 187 46 2 10 55 90 34 .339 .432 .485 .917 1992 34 519 67 138 24 4 9 54 75 33 .265 .358 .379 .737 1993 35 559 82 168 27 1 2 59 73 50 .300 .381 .363 .744 1994 36 362 56 121 18 1 10 51 56 27 .335 .424 .473 .897 1995 37 456 70 145 21 4 5 58 68 46 .317 .406 .411 .817 1996 38 496 74 151 27 2 2 38 62 30 .305 .382 .380 .761 1997 39 350 51 100 22 1 4 26 44 35 .286 .366 .385 .750 1998 40 431 47 118 22 4 6 48 42 50 .275 .339 .388 .728 1999 41 289 37 85 13 1 2 27 35 21 .295 .371 .367 .738 Career 9189 1527 3019 591 62 123 1017 1389 742 .329 .417 .447 .863
Like Boggs, better than just about anybody else at doing what he did, but Gwynn’s style is more typical among high-average hitters: forget working the count, just whack the first or second pitch for a line drive. And he made it look so easy.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1982 22 190 33 55 12 2 1 17 14 16 .289 .338 .389 .728 1983 23 304 34 94 12 2 1 37 23 21 .309 .358 .372 .730 1984 24 606 88 213 21 10 5 71 59 23 .351 .409 .444 .853 1985 25 622 90 197 29 5 6 46 45 33 .317 .363 .408 .771 1986 26 642 107 211 33 7 14 59 52 35 .329 .379 .467 .846 1987 27 589 119 218 36 13 7 54 82 35 .370 .447 .511 .958 1988 28 527 70 169 24 5 9 76 52 42 .320 .381 .436 .817 1989 29 611 89 210 30 7 5 67 57 32 .344 .400 .441 .840 1990 30 579 86 183 32 10 5 78 44 24 .316 .365 .433 .798 1991 31 536 75 174 30 11 5 67 34 20 .325 .365 .450 .815 1992 32 526 84 171 30 3 8 45 47 17 .325 .380 .437 .816 1993 33 488 69 174 42 3 8 59 35 20 .356 .399 .502 .901 1994 34 414 73 160 33 1 11 59 44 18 .387 .446 .550 .996 1995 35 529 76 191 31 1 8 83 32 14 .361 .398 .470 .868 1996 36 446 62 154 25 2 3 46 36 16 .346 .394 .431 .825 1997 37 586 90 214 46 2 15 110 40 26 .365 .405 .530 .935 1998 38 457 60 144 33 0 15 64 32 17 .315 .360 .482 .842 1999 39 407 54 135 25 0 9 57 27 13 .332 .373 .461 .834 2000 40 126 16 40 11 0 1 16 8 4 .316 .359 .428 .787 2001 41 102 5 33 9 1 1 17 10 9 .324 .384 .461 .845 Career 9286 1379 3139 544 86 136 1128 773 433 .338 .389 .459 .848
Rough Tough Right-handers
Brown always reminded me a whole lot of Mike Scott. Both pitchers kind of scuffled through their 20s (Scott struggling more than Brown) before suddenly developing a lights-out hard sinker and being damn near unhittable for a while. Of course, Scott’s super-sinker was widely suspected to be a spitball, and maybe I missed it but I don’t recall hearing that much innuendo about Brown’s.
A high-velocity sinker is just about the perfect pitch, inducing strikeouts without the home run tendency of the high fastball. Hitters everywhere are eternally grateful that precious few pitchers are able to master such a nasty weapon. It’s precisely that element of his repertoire that makes young King Felix so ominously exciting.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1986 21 1 5 1 0 6 0 0 4 3.60 1987 22 1988 23 4 23 1 1 34 3 8 13 4.48 1989 24 28 191 12 9 173 13 71 110 3.54 1990 25 26 180 12 10 181 17 61 93 3.80 1991 26 33 211 9 12 241 22 91 101 4.65 1992 27 35 266 21 11 271 14 77 183 3.51 1993 28 34 233 15 12 226 15 73 146 3.69 1994 29 26 170 7 9 212 16 46 114 4.47 1995 30 26 172 10 9 150 9 44 109 3.34 1996 31 32 233 17 11 182 7 30 148 1.75 1997 32 33 237 16 8 208 9 61 190 2.50 1998 33 36 257 18 7 218 7 45 239 2.21 1999 34 35 252 18 9 204 17 54 205 2.78 2000 35 33 230 13 6 176 19 43 200 2.39 2001 36 20 116 10 4 94 8 38 104 2.65 2002 37 17 64 3 4 68 9 23 58 4.81 2003 38 32 211 14 9 184 11 56 185 2.39 2004 39 22 132 10 6 132 14 35 83 4.09 2005 40 13 73 4 7 107 5 19 50 6.50 Career 486 3256 211 144 3067 215 875 2334 3.24
The career Schilling’s has mimicked is that of Dazzy Vance: a big, strong, high-heater right-hander who struggled to stay healthy in his 20s, but finally managed to keep it together and became a major star in his 30s, with his signature strength being a mind-boggling strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1988 21 4 15 0 3 23 4 10 4 10.37 1989 22 5 9 0 1 10 3 3 6 6.58 1990 23 35 46 1 2 39 1 19 34 2.68 1991 24 56 76 3 5 82 3 39 75 4.02 1992 25 42 226 14 11 171 14 60 155 2.48 1993 26 34 235 16 7 232 25 56 191 4.13 1994 27 13 82 2 8 84 9 26 54 4.16 1995 28 17 116 7 5 93 11 24 106 3.31 1996 29 26 183 9 10 145 15 46 169 2.96 1997 30 35 254 17 11 202 23 53 296 2.76 1998 31 35 269 15 14 229 21 56 278 3.02 1999 32 24 180 15 6 154 23 40 141 3.29 2000 33 29 210 11 12 198 24 41 156 3.54 2001 34 35 257 22 6 237 37 39 293 2.98 2002 35 36 259 23 7 218 29 33 316 3.23 2003 36 24 168 8 9 144 17 32 194 2.95 2004 37 32 227 21 6 206 23 35 203 3.26 2005 38 32 93 8 8 121 12 22 87 5.69 2006 39 31 204 15 7 220 28 28 183 3.97 Career 545 3110 207 138 2809 321 663 2942 3.37
Masters of the Middle Infield
His power production was crazily inconsistent, though this exercise demonstrates that Larkin’s great 1996 performance was really pretty much a replication of his 1991. He was prone to injury, but when in the lineup, there were a lot of ways this guy could beat you.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1986 22 159 27 45 4 3 3 19 9 21 .283 .321 .403 .724 1987 23 439 64 107 16 2 12 43 36 52 .244 .301 .371 .672 1988 24 594 99 180 35 5 15 61 41 25 .303 .349 .457 .805 1989 25 329 51 115 15 4 5 39 20 24 .349 .387 .467 .854 1990 26 621 92 192 27 6 9 73 50 52 .309 .360 .416 .775 1991 27 469 96 145 30 4 26 75 56 68 .309 .382 .553 .936 1992 28 539 83 168 35 6 15 85 64 61 .311 .384 .485 .869 1993 29 383 57 120 20 3 9 51 50 34 .313 .393 .451 .844 1994 30 424 72 116 22 5 8 48 59 54 .273 .361 .407 .768 1995 31 491 90 153 27 6 14 61 56 45 .312 .383 .476 .859 1996 32 512 108 149 30 4 30 82 88 48 .292 .396 .542 .938 1997 33 222 31 69 16 3 4 18 43 22 .311 .423 .460 .883 1998 34 533 86 161 32 11 15 66 73 64 .302 .386 .489 .874 1999 35 578 100 166 28 4 11 69 85 53 .287 .379 .407 .786 2000 36 392 66 120 25 5 10 38 44 29 .307 .377 .472 .849 2001 37 156 29 40 12 0 2 17 27 25 .256 .366 .372 .738 2002 38 507 72 124 37 2 7 47 44 57 .245 .305 .367 .672 2003 39 241 39 68 16 1 2 18 22 32 .282 .342 .382 .724 2004 40 346 55 100 15 3 8 44 34 39 .289 .353 .419 .772 Career 7935 1316 2338 443 78 205 954 901 806 .295 .367 .448 .814
Few players present a more startling image through this exercise, as Sandberg’s real peak years coincided exactly with the 1988-92 period. He was one helluva player, wasn’t he. Those 51 homers would be far and away the all-time single-season most by a second baseman.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1981 21 6 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .167 .167 .167 .333 1982 22 635 103 172 33 5 7 54 36 90 .271 .310 .372 .682 1983 23 633 94 165 25 4 8 48 51 79 .261 .316 .351 .667 1984 24 636 114 200 36 19 19 84 52 101 .314 .366 .520 .887 1985 25 609 113 186 31 6 26 83 57 97 .305 .365 .504 .869 1986 26 627 68 178 28 5 14 76 46 79 .284 .333 .411 .744 1987 27 523 81 154 25 2 16 59 59 79 .294 .366 .442 .808 1988 28 624 84 169 25 8 24 75 55 96 .271 .329 .454 .783 1989 29 612 113 182 27 5 38 83 60 90 .298 .360 .547 .907 1990 30 622 126 195 33 3 51 109 51 89 .313 .365 .623 .988 1991 31 591 113 176 35 2 33 109 88 94 .298 .389 .533 .922 1992 32 619 109 193 35 8 33 95 69 77 .311 .380 .556 .936 1993 33 455 66 140 20 0 10 45 36 64 .307 .359 .418 .776 1994 34 221 33 51 8 5 5 22 21 37 .232 .299 .380 .679 1995 35 1996 36 550 78 131 26 4 23 85 50 108 .238 .301 .425 .726 1997 37 444 50 115 25 0 11 59 26 87 .258 .299 .387 .686 Career 8406 1348 2407 413 77 319 1085 755 1268 .286 .345 .467 .813
One of the oddest juxtapositions in history is Ripken’s other-wordly durability right next to his glaring inconsistency with the bat; the two attributes just don’t seem to fit together, but there they are. Did he have a year in 1991, or what?
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1981 20 39 1 5 0 0 0 0 1 8 .128 .150 .128 .278 1982 21 598 90 158 32 5 28 93 46 95 .264 .317 .475 .792 1983 22 663 121 211 47 2 27 102 58 97 .318 .373 .517 .890 1984 23 641 103 195 37 7 27 86 71 89 .304 .374 .510 .884 1985 24 642 116 181 32 5 26 110 67 68 .282 .350 .469 .819 1986 25 627 98 177 35 1 25 81 70 60 .282 .354 .461 .815 1987 26 624 97 157 28 3 27 98 81 77 .252 .338 .436 .773 1988 27 580 95 157 27 1 29 88 103 73 .271 .381 .474 .855 1989 28 652 87 172 33 0 27 101 58 76 .264 .323 .438 .761 1990 29 605 85 155 31 4 27 91 83 70 .257 .346 .454 .800 1991 30 657 108 217 50 5 44 124 54 49 .331 .381 .621 1.003 1992 31 643 79 166 32 1 18 78 65 53 .258 .326 .394 .720 1993 32 640 86 164 27 3 26 89 64 60 .256 .323 .430 .754 1994 33 440 66 136 18 3 12 69 29 38 .309 .352 .444 .797 1995 34 546 66 140 31 2 15 81 48 55 .256 .316 .406 .722 1996 35 635 87 173 38 1 24 94 54 72 .272 .329 .446 .776 1997 36 610 73 161 28 0 15 78 51 68 .264 .321 .386 .708 1998 37 596 60 158 25 1 13 56 47 63 .265 .319 .375 .694 1999 38 329 47 110 25 0 16 53 12 29 .334 .357 .560 .917 2000 39 307 40 77 15 0 14 52 21 34 .250 .298 .432 .731 2001 40 477 43 114 16 0 14 68 26 63 .239 .278 .361 .639 Career 11550 1646 3183 608 45 454 1693 1109 1296 .276 .339 .454 .793
Bodacious Backstops
Yes, he’s demonstrated lousy strike zone discipline, but that’s the only chink in Pudge’s armor: a remarkably productive hitter for average, with very nice power; overall an excellent run producer.
And that run production has come from a highly durable catcher. And his defense? Well … this has always been my favorite Pudge factoid … in 1999, the 29 major league teams other than the Texas Rangers surrendered an average of 116 stolen bases in their 162 games, or .72 per game, and threw out base stealers at a 30.3% rate. Meanwhile, Rodriguez allowed—get this—just 34 stolen bases in the 141 games he was behind the plate, or .24 per game, and threw them out at a 54.7% rate.
For good measure, he picked off an additional 10 baserunners.
Oh, and Pudge himself stole 25 bases.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1991 19 283 26 77 18 0 4 29 5 44 .271 .284 .374 .658 1992 20 424 42 113 18 1 10 40 24 77 .266 .306 .385 .691 1993 21 472 56 128 29 4 11 65 28 72 .271 .313 .418 .731 1994 22 360 52 105 18 1 15 53 28 39 .291 .343 .468 .811 1995 23 488 52 145 30 2 11 62 15 45 .297 .317 .434 .751 1996 24 633 107 186 44 3 17 79 35 51 .294 .331 .456 .787 1997 25 592 90 182 32 4 18 71 35 83 .307 .346 .467 .813 1998 26 574 81 181 38 4 19 84 29 82 .315 .348 .495 .843 1999 27 594 107 193 27 1 32 104 22 59 .325 .349 .535 .884 2000 28 359 61 122 25 4 24 77 17 45 .340 .371 .639 1.010 2001 29 442 70 136 24 2 25 65 23 73 .308 .342 .541 .883 2002 30 408 67 128 32 2 19 60 25 71 .314 .353 .542 .895 2003 31 511 90 152 36 3 16 85 55 92 .297 .366 .474 .839 2004 32 527 72 176 32 2 19 86 41 91 .334 .382 .510 .892 2005 33 504 71 139 33 5 14 50 11 93 .276 .291 .444 .736 2006 34 547 74 164 28 4 13 69 26 86 .300 .332 .437 .769 Career 7717 1118 2326 464 43 267 1080 421 1102 .301 .338 .476 .814
Piazza, on the other hand, has always been a pretty weak thrower, but with a bat like his such a problem can be tolerated. In his prime he was, as he’s often described, simply the best-hitting catcher in major league history, and he’s putting together a nicely productive twilight phase as well.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1992 23 70 5 17 3 0 1 8 4 13 .238 .280 .341 .621 1993 24 546 80 173 25 2 38 111 45 88 .316 .369 .580 .948 1994 25 401 59 125 17 0 22 85 30 60 .312 .360 .517 .878 1995 26 430 76 146 16 0 29 86 36 74 .339 .390 .579 .969 1996 27 542 80 179 15 0 33 97 74 86 .330 .411 .538 .949 1997 28 550 96 195 30 1 36 114 63 71 .355 .421 .611 1.032 1998 29 556 81 179 36 1 29 102 53 74 .321 .381 .546 .927 1999 30 529 92 157 24 0 36 114 47 65 .297 .354 .547 .901 2000 31 477 83 151 25 0 34 104 53 64 .317 .386 .585 .971 2001 32 503 81 151 29 0 36 94 67 87 .300 .382 .573 .955 2002 33 478 69 134 23 2 33 98 57 82 .280 .357 .544 .901 2003 34 234 37 67 13 0 11 34 35 40 .286 .379 .483 .862 2004 35 455 47 121 21 0 20 54 68 78 .266 .361 .444 .805 2005 36 398 41 100 23 0 19 62 41 67 .251 .321 .452 .773 2006 37 399 39 113 19 1 22 68 34 66 .283 .339 .501 .841 Career 6567 967 2007 318 7 400 1232 709 1017 .306 .373 .539 .912
Cleanup Corner Outfielders
Surly personality considerations aside, based strictly upon on-field performance: if his career hadn’t come to its sudden and premature end, would Belle be on his way to the Hall of Fame?
Extraordinarily productive though he was, I’m inclined to think not. This exercise illustrates the degree to which his peak-performance numbers were enhanced by the high-scoring conditions, and for all his RBIs, Belle led his league in OPS and OPS+ just once. I think he properly belongs where he will remain, in the Hall of Very Good.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1989 22 220 24 51 9 4 9 40 12 58 .231 .271 .430 .701 1990 23 23 1 4 0 0 1 3 1 6 .179 .213 .345 .558 1991 24 466 65 135 34 2 36 103 25 105 .289 .326 .602 .927 1992 25 590 88 157 25 1 44 122 53 135 .267 .327 .534 .860 1993 26 593 92 171 37 3 42 128 75 99 .288 .367 .571 .939 1994 27 408 83 143 33 2 33 93 53 66 .350 .425 .681 1.107 1995 28 541 112 168 49 1 45 116 67 74 .310 .387 .656 1.043 1996 29 597 114 182 36 3 44 137 91 81 .304 .396 .594 .990 1997 30 629 83 169 42 1 27 107 49 97 .269 .321 .469 .790 1998 31 603 104 194 45 2 44 140 74 78 .322 .396 .625 1.021 1999 32 605 100 176 34 1 34 108 93 76 .291 .385 .517 .902 2000 33 554 66 152 35 1 21 95 48 63 .275 .332 .454 .787 Career 5828 932 1701 379 22 379 1193 641 939 .292 .362 .559 .921
What’s most remarkable to me about Manny isn’t his immense power, but instead how he’s able to relentlessly hit for a very high average while striking out as often as he does. Precious few have managed to sustain that combination. What it requires, of course, is hitting the ball extremely hard when you do put it in play. It’s Mickey Mantle/Dick Allen territory, a place reachable by only the strongest and quickest of bats.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1993 21 53 5 9 1 0 2 5 2 8 .169 .198 .312 .511 1994 22 288 47 76 21 0 15 55 39 67 .263 .350 .496 .846 1995 23 480 78 145 25 1 28 99 69 104 .302 .389 .533 .922 1996 24 545 87 165 42 3 30 103 78 97 .303 .390 .557 .947 1997 25 556 91 179 38 0 24 81 73 107 .321 .400 .517 .917 1998 26 566 100 163 33 2 41 134 70 112 .288 .366 .570 .936 1999 27 517 121 169 32 3 40 152 88 122 .327 .425 .632 1.057 2000 28 434 85 149 32 2 34 113 79 109 .344 .445 .665 1.110 2001 29 529 93 162 33 2 41 125 81 147 .306 .398 .609 1.007 2002 30 436 84 152 31 0 33 107 73 85 .349 .442 .647 1.089 2003 31 569 117 185 36 1 37 104 97 94 .325 .423 .587 1.010 2004 32 568 108 175 44 0 43 130 82 124 .308 .395 .613 1.008 2005 33 554 112 162 30 1 45 144 80 119 .292 .382 .594 .976 2006 34 449 79 144 27 1 35 102 100 102 .321 .444 .619 1.064 Career 6543 1207 2034 425 17 448 1454 1010 1396 .311 .403 .586 .989
And then we have this guy, who generates terrific power by swinging so hard that it seems certain his arms are about to tear loose from his shoulder sockets and go helicoptering down the left field line, the bat still tightly clenched in their hands, blood spraying everywhere—and yet he’s never struck out much at all. An amazing player, with one of the very most entertaining at-bats.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1988 19 81 13 20 1 0 5 13 7 7 .244 .305 .448 .753 1989 20 371 37 94 20 0 6 35 27 35 .254 .305 .359 .664 1990 21 492 73 148 33 1 13 73 44 43 .301 .359 .450 .809 1991 22 176 27 35 13 2 3 24 19 16 .200 .278 .341 .619 1992 23 564 95 191 37 3 42 109 49 42 .338 .391 .640 1.030 1993 24 493 66 144 20 5 22 72 46 66 .292 .352 .487 .840 1994 25 319 56 86 15 1 24 72 47 46 .270 .364 .554 .918 1995 26 211 42 67 8 0 15 42 51 42 .317 .449 .559 1.009 1996 27 514 109 158 31 1 38 111 131 61 .308 .448 .594 1.042 1997 28 441 79 108 21 1 19 66 111 73 .244 .397 .426 .823 1998 29 433 67 128 25 2 20 78 87 43 .296 .414 .502 .916 1999 30 544 95 160 19 0 31 93 93 59 .294 .397 .499 .896 2000 31 496 97 158 23 3 39 101 93 66 .319 .426 .613 1.039 2001 32 515 98 160 28 2 36 100 94 67 .311 .417 .583 1.000 2002 33 492 82 151 26 0 25 84 72 53 .307 .395 .512 .908 2003 34 576 126 190 37 2 39 132 86 55 .330 .417 .604 1.021 2004 35 573 117 166 30 1 36 121 92 83 .290 .388 .534 .922 2005 36 584 104 170 27 0 34 123 78 76 .291 .375 .512 .887 2006 37 151 22 45 5 0 6 25 13 16 .298 .354 .450 .804 Career 8026 1406 2379 419 25 453 1474 1240 950 .296 .391 .524 .915
A Thumping Third Baseman
Hitters don’t come a whole lot more well-rounded and consistently productive than this one. But for the past three years he’s been dogged by chronic injuries; the extent to which he pulls through this, or breaks down, may very well determine whether Chipper gets a plaque.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1993 21 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 .665 .7481.008 1.756 1994 22 1995 23 520 80 135 21 3 21 79 67 92 .260 .344 .432 .776 1996 24 593 105 180 30 5 27 101 80 82 .303 .386 .509 .895 1997 25 592 92 171 39 3 19 102 70 82 .289 .364 .461 .825 1998 26 595 113 182 27 5 31 99 88 86 .306 .396 .525 .921 1999 27 562 107 176 39 1 41 101 116 87 .313 .430 .603 1.033 2000 28 574 109 175 36 1 33 102 87 59 .305 .396 .541 .938 2001 29 572 113 189 33 5 38 102 98 82 .330 .428 .605 1.033 2002 30 548 90 179 35 1 26 100 107 89 .327 .437 .536 .973 2003 31 555 103 169 33 2 27 106 94 83 .305 .405 .517 .922 2004 32 472 69 117 20 1 30 96 84 96 .248 .362 .485 .847 2005 33 358 66 106 30 0 21 72 72 56 .296 .414 .556 .970 2006 34 411 87 133 28 3 26 86 61 73 .324 .411 .596 1.007 Career 6354 1137 1913 371 31 339 1148 1025 968 .301 .398 .529 .928
Aces of Atlanta
Sort of a laboratory test of the differing challenge, and of the differing value contribution, between a top starter and a closer.
To be fair, Smoltz was moved to the bullpen not because the Braves believed he would deliver more value there, but because of their (quite understandable) concerns about his fragile health. Closing (not surprisingly) then proved to be a less than rigorous challenge for the exceptionally talented Smoltz. Having since demonstrated that he’s still up to the more demanding role of starting, in retrospect it appears the Braves were too cautious, too slow in returning Smoltz to the rotation; it’s worth pondering just how much value they squandered in devoting three full seasons to having, if you will, a man doing a boy’s job.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1988 21 12 64 2 7 77 13 33 39 5.79 1989 22 29 208 12 11 166 19 73 177 3.11 1990 23 34 231 14 11 213 26 91 180 4.07 1991 24 36 230 14 13 213 20 78 156 4.01 1992 25 35 247 15 12 213 22 81 227 3.01 1993 26 35 244 15 11 206 25 98 214 3.72 1994 27 21 135 6 10 116 14 44 105 3.84 1995 28 29 193 12 7 161 14 66 179 2.95 1996 29 35 254 24 8 193 17 51 256 2.73 1997 30 35 256 15 12 227 19 58 224 2.80 1998 31 26 168 17 3 141 9 40 161 2.69 1999 32 29 186 11 8 163 13 37 145 2.96 2000 33 2001 34 36 59 3 3 53 7 10 57 3.36 2002 35 75 80 3 2 59 4 24 85 3.25 2003 36 62 64 0 2 48 2 8 73 1.12 2004 37 73 82 0 1 75 8 13 85 2.76 2005 38 33 230 14 7 210 18 53 169 3.06 2006 39 35 232 16 9 221 23 55 211 3.49 Career 670 3162 193 137 2756 272 913 2743 3.26
Pretty much the Warren Spahn of our era, I guess. He’s never been the most talented pitcher in the league, but they don’t come any smarter or tougher, and he’s demonstrated uncanny ability to find a way to win for a very long time.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1987 21 9 50 2 4 55 5 33 20 5.54 1988 22 34 195 7 17 208 15 64 89 4.82 1989 23 29 186 14 8 178 26 40 95 3.89 1990 24 33 214 10 12 240 23 79 136 4.52 1991 25 34 247 20 11 208 22 70 203 2.69 1992 26 33 225 20 8 204 8 71 136 2.92 1993 27 36 239 22 6 234 18 88 123 3.29 1994 28 25 165 13 9 168 9 64 130 3.68 1995 29 29 199 16 7 177 8 61 118 2.86 1996 30 36 235 15 10 216 13 78 168 2.77 1997 31 33 240 14 7 191 18 73 141 2.75 1998 32 33 229 20 6 196 12 68 146 2.29 1999 33 35 234 14 11 251 16 76 128 3.82 2000 34 35 241 21 9 216 22 60 141 3.16 2001 35 35 219 16 7 213 24 97 116 3.57 2002 36 36 225 18 11 210 21 78 127 2.96 2003 37 32 183 9 14 205 21 66 82 4.52 2004 38 33 212 11 14 204 20 70 109 3.60 2005 39 33 211 13 13 227 12 61 105 3.53 2006 40 32 198 15 7 202 22 62 131 3.82 Career 635 4149 290 191 4003 334 1359 2444 3.43
First Among First Basemen
Giambi has always seemed to me to be the Norm Cash of our era. The differences between their raw stats are more a function of conditions than skillsets. Both are rather pudgy lefty-batting first basemen with a lot of power, but not elite power; both have excellent strike zone judgment, which in combination with a good ability to hit for average make them consistently at or close to the league lead in on-base percentage. Giambi is a little bit better, but not a lot: Giambi’s career OPS+ is 150 through 6,900 plate appearances, with Cash at 139 in 7,900 plate appearances.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1995 24 175 25 44 7 0 5 23 26 29 .250 .346 .381 .728 1996 25 531 78 151 38 1 18 73 47 88 .285 .343 .462 .805 1997 26 515 61 148 39 2 18 75 51 83 .287 .351 .476 .826 1998 27 557 85 161 26 0 24 101 74 95 .289 .373 .468 .841 1999 28 570 106 176 34 1 30 113 97 98 .308 .409 .529 .938 2000 29 505 100 165 27 1 39 126 126 89 .327 .461 .617 1.078 2001 30 520 109 178 47 2 38 120 129 83 .342 .473 .660 1.133 2002 31 560 120 176 34 1 41 122 109 112 .314 .426 .598 1.024 2003 32 535 97 134 25 0 41 107 129 140 .250 .396 .527 .923 2004 33 264 33 55 9 0 12 40 47 62 .208 .328 .379 .707 2005 34 417 74 113 14 0 32 87 108 109 .271 .421 .535 .956 2006 35 446 92 113 25 0 37 113 110 106 .253 .401 .558 .959 Career 5595 979 1614 325 8 336 1101 1052 1094 .288 .401 .530 .931
We see here that the late-blooming character of everybody’s favorite Viagra-taker’s career was, to some degree, an illusion fostered by the dramatic change in conditions over the 1990s. But only to some degree; it was unusual just how Palmeiro, once he attained his power-production ability in his mid-to-late twenties, just kind of held it there forever. Whatever we wish to make of it, he was one of the most durable and consistent players of all time.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1986 21 73 9 18 4 0 3 12 4 6 .247 .286 .425 .710 1987 22 221 32 61 15 1 14 30 20 26 .276 .336 .543 .879 1988 23 586 82 184 45 5 10 58 38 36 .314 .357 .461 .817 1989 24 564 83 159 25 4 10 70 64 51 .282 .355 .396 .751 1990 25 605 78 198 38 6 18 97 40 62 .327 .369 .499 .869 1991 26 638 125 210 54 3 33 96 69 76 .329 .395 .579 .974 1992 27 614 91 169 30 4 28 92 73 88 .275 .352 .474 .826 1993 28 596 123 175 41 2 41 104 72 87 .293 .369 .573 .942 1994 29 432 76 135 30 0 21 70 50 58 .312 .383 .527 .910 1995 30 549 82 167 28 2 35 96 57 60 .304 .370 .557 .926 1996 31 621 101 176 38 2 35 131 87 89 .283 .372 .521 .893 1997 32 609 88 151 23 2 34 101 62 101 .248 .317 .462 .780 1998 33 614 90 178 34 1 39 112 73 84 .289 .365 .539 .903 1999 34 560 89 178 28 1 43 137 89 64 .317 .411 .600 1.011 2000 35 560 94 158 27 3 35 111 95 71 .282 .386 .532 .918 2001 36 600 98 164 33 0 47 123 101 90 .273 .378 .563 .941 2002 37 546 99 149 34 0 43 105 104 94 .273 .389 .571 .961 2003 38 561 92 146 21 2 38 112 84 77 .260 .357 .508 .865 2004 39 550 68 142 29 0 23 88 86 61 .258 .358 .436 .795 2005 40 369 47 98 13 0 18 60 43 43 .266 .342 .447 .789 Career 10468 1647 3016 590 39 569 1804 1310 1326 .288 .367 .515 .882
This dramatically illustrates the manner in which the general perception of McGriff’s power as “A-” was largely a function of his mistiming his peak to take place in the late ’80s/early ’90s. In his 30s, McGriff was indeed nothing more than a good player, but in his 20s, he was flat-out great. Here we see him surpassing the 500-homer mark with ease.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1986 22 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 .200 .200 .400 1987 23 295 58 73 16 0 20 43 60 104 .247 .375 .505 .880 1988 24 541 109 156 38 4 44 89 80 157 .289 .380 .616 .996 1989 25 556 107 153 30 3 46 100 120 139 .275 .404 .588 .993 1990 26 563 99 173 23 1 45 96 95 114 .307 .407 .591 .998 1991 27 533 91 152 21 1 40 115 106 143 .285 .404 .552 .956 1992 28 536 86 157 33 4 45 113 97 114 .293 .402 .620 1.022 1993 29 556 110 161 30 2 41 100 75 109 .289 .373 .569 .942 1994 30 420 75 131 24 1 31 87 46 71 .312 .380 .593 .973 1995 31 524 78 144 25 1 24 86 60 92 .274 .349 .467 .816 1996 32 612 75 177 35 1 25 99 63 108 .289 .355 .474 .829 1997 33 559 71 151 24 1 20 90 63 104 .271 .344 .424 .768 1998 34 559 67 155 31 0 17 75 73 110 .278 .361 .426 .786 1999 35 524 69 159 28 1 29 96 79 99 .304 .395 .528 .923 2000 36 561 76 152 17 0 24 98 84 111 .271 .366 .432 .798 2001 37 513 67 157 25 2 31 102 66 106 .306 .385 .544 .929 2002 38 523 67 143 27 2 30 103 63 99 .273 .352 .505 .856 2003 39 297 32 74 14 0 13 40 31 66 .249 .320 .428 .748 2004 40 72 7 13 3 0 2 7 9 19 .181 .272 .306 .577 Career 8750 1345 2483 443 24 527 1538 1268 1867 .284 .374 .521 .895
With a rather slow-to-develop career arc, Thome has been McGriff’s opposite: peaking in his thirties, and being dogged throughout his career with various aches and pains, while McGriff was extraordinarily durable.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1991 20 99 8 26 4 2 1 10 5 17 .262 .298 .386 .684 1992 21 118 9 25 3 1 3 13 10 36 .211 .273 .321 .594 1993 22 154 28 41 11 0 8 22 28 37 .265 .380 .488 .867 1994 23 318 54 83 19 1 18 48 42 78 .262 .349 .499 .847 1995 24 448 85 138 27 3 23 67 89 105 .308 .423 .535 .957 1996 25 500 113 152 26 5 34 107 113 131 .305 .433 .585 1.018 1997 26 492 96 138 24 0 36 94 110 136 .280 .412 .549 .961 1998 27 436 82 125 32 2 27 78 82 131 .287 .400 .557 .957 1999 28 490 93 133 25 2 30 100 117 159 .271 .412 .515 .927 2000 29 553 98 146 31 1 34 98 108 159 .263 .384 .506 .890 2001 30 526 101 153 26 1 49 124 111 185 .291 .414 .624 1.038 2002 31 480 101 146 19 2 52 118 122 139 .304 .445 .677 1.122 2003 32 578 111 154 30 3 47 131 111 182 .266 .385 .573 .957 2004 33 508 97 139 28 1 42 105 104 144 .274 .397 .581 .978 2005 34 193 26 40 7 0 7 30 45 59 .207 .357 .352 .709 2006 35 490 108 141 26 0 42 109 107 147 .288 .415 .598 1.013 Career 6383 1208 1780 340 25 453 1254 1306 1843 .279 .401 .553 .954
The combination of the bizarre squatting crouch and the ferocity of swing that closely rivalled Sheffield’s—along with, of course, the rip-roaring results—made every Bagwell at-bat a great show. He was, moreover, a well-rounded player; a fine defensive first baseman, and despite average-at-best speed, an outstanding baserunner. An often overlooked fact is that Bagwell stole 202 bases at a 72% success rate.
There will, obviously, be a glut of first basemen from this era on Hall of Fame ballots a few years hence, and it’s going to be very interesting to see just how the voters sort it out.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1991 23 560 86 169 28 4 19 89 76 123 .301 .385 .470 .855 1992 24 592 95 166 37 6 23 104 85 102 .280 .370 .480 .851 1993 25 534 75 170 38 4 22 87 61 75 .318 .388 .527 .915 1994 26 396 96 143 30 2 35 107 60 60 .361 .445 .716 1.160 1995 27 444 81 126 27 0 19 80 73 95 .284 .385 .474 .859 1996 28 563 102 174 45 2 28 111 124 106 .309 .434 .546 .980 1997 29 561 101 157 38 2 39 125 117 113 .280 .404 .563 .967 1998 30 535 114 159 31 1 31 102 100 84 .297 .408 .532 .941 1999 31 557 132 166 33 0 38 116 137 118 .298 .437 .562 .999 2000 32 585 140 178 35 1 43 122 98 108 .304 .404 .586 .990 2001 33 600 126 173 43 4 39 130 106 135 .288 .395 .568 .964 2002 34 571 94 166 33 2 31 98 101 130 .291 .397 .518 .916 2003 35 605 109 168 28 2 39 100 88 119 .278 .369 .524 .893 2004 36 572 104 152 29 2 27 89 96 131 .266 .371 .465 .836 2005 37 100 11 25 4 0 3 19 18 21 .250 .364 .380 .744 Career 7774 1467 2291 480 33 436 1480 1339 1519 .295 .398 .533 .931
The repeated breakdowns and the repeated comebacks are only one of the extraordinary aspects of the Big Hurt’s career. For instance, what’s up with the fact that he broke into the league, in his early 20s, drawing bases on balls with tremendous frequency, nearly Ted Williams-like, and then his walk rate has gradually but steadily declined ever since. Huh? That’s a pattern that replicates, oh, just about no one else in the history of baseball.
All in all, despite his Ernie Lombardi-like “speed,” Thomas has clearly been a ferocious offensive force. Still it must be remembered that he will almost certainly fall short of playing 1,000 games on defense, and all of these were strictly as a not-good first baseman; no player currently in the Hall of Fame presents anything close to that meager a defensive contribution.
So, like Bagwell (his age contemporary to the very day), it isn’t obvious exactly how he’ll be assessed by Hall of Fame voters, given the intense competition from other great sluggers of the era. It does now appear as though the Big Hurt will surpass 500 homers, a milestone Bagwell was unable to reach, but almost certainly that factor won’t always be the litmus test it has been.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1990 22 193 42 65 12 3 9 34 44 57 .338 .462 .571 1.032 1991 23 565 113 184 34 2 41 119 140 118 .326 .459 .611 1.070 1992 24 580 118 192 50 2 31 125 123 93 .331 .448 .584 1.032 1993 25 548 105 173 37 0 45 127 110 56 .315 .430 .629 1.058 1994 26 395 98 137 32 1 34 93 100 57 .347 .479 .695 1.174 1995 27 489 94 148 25 0 36 102 125 69 .302 .444 .577 1.021 1996 28 522 101 179 25 0 36 124 100 65 .342 .448 .598 1.046 1997 29 525 101 179 33 0 32 115 100 64 .340 .446 .585 1.031 1998 30 580 101 150 33 2 26 101 101 86 .259 .369 .459 .828 1999 31 482 68 144 34 0 14 71 80 61 .298 .398 .453 .852 2000 32 576 106 185 41 0 39 132 103 87 .322 .424 .596 1.021 2001 33 68 8 15 3 0 4 10 10 12 .221 .321 .441 .762 2002 34 523 77 132 29 1 28 92 88 115 .252 .360 .472 .832 2003 35 546 87 146 35 0 42 105 100 115 .267 .381 .562 .943 2004 36 240 53 65 16 0 18 49 64 57 .271 .424 .563 .987 2005 37 105 19 23 3 0 12 26 16 31 .219 .322 .590 .913 2006 38 466 77 126 11 0 39 114 81 81 .270 .378 .545 .923 Career 7402 1369 2242 454 11 486 1539 1486 1224 .303 .419 .564 .984
Next Time
The crème de la crème.
References & Resources
In order to modify the actual stats into a shape fitting this smoothed line:
We used an approach similar to the approach we used in several past such exercises, beginning with the overall aggregate rate of the primary offensive events for the entire 1982-2006 period: runs, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, walks, and strikeouts. We then adjusted the rates for each season from 1988-1992 to bring the aggregate total for that period to equal that of 1982-2006, also for 1993, and also for 1994-2000. The specific multipliers employed are:
1988-92:
Runs: 1.087
Hits: 1.035
Doubles: 1.095
Triples: 1.012
Home Runs: 1.281
Walks: 1.011
Strikeouts: 1.056
1993:
Runs: 0.992
Hits: 0.992
Doubles: 1.023
Triples: 1.002
Home Runs: 1.097
Walks: 0.982
Strikeouts: 1.028
1994-2000:
Runs: 0.923
Hits: 0.971
Doubles: 0.943
Triples: 1.053
Home Runs: 0.906
Walks: 0.919
Strikeouts: 0.928
An impact of a change in the rate of hits is a change in at-bats, of course. I use a simple method to change at-bats: every batter’s at-bats are increased or decreased by his number of increased or decreased hits. Outs are constant, of course, and I assume as well a constant rate of double plays and baserunning outs—probably not exactly proper assumptions, but close enough for our purposes.