Smoothing the ‘80s and ‘90s (Part 2)
Last time, we began the process of examining how the careers of prominent players would have looked quite different if 1988-92 hadn’t been so low-scoring, and 1994-2000 hadn’t been so high-scoring. This time we’ll take a look at many of the stars of the era—not quite the cream of the crop, but a layer or two just beneath it.
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.
A Pair of Southpaws With Stuff
The young Langston could throw, as the old saying goes, a strawberry through a locomotive. But he was often at least as effective later in his career, when he lost a couple of inches off the fastball but sharpened up his control.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1984 23 35 225 17 10 188 16 118 204 3.40 1985 24 24 127 7 14 122 22 91 72 5.47 1986 25 37 239 12 14 234 30 123 245 4.85 1987 26 35 272 19 13 242 30 114 262 3.84 1988 27 35 261 15 11 230 41 111 248 3.53 1989 28 34 250 16 14 205 20 113 248 2.89 1990 29 33 223 10 17 223 17 105 206 4.65 1991 30 34 246 19 8 197 38 97 193 3.17 1992 31 32 229 13 14 213 18 75 184 3.87 1993 32 35 256 16 11 218 24 83 202 3.29 1994 33 18 119 7 8 117 17 50 101 4.34 1995 34 31 200 15 7 206 19 59 132 4.30 1996 35 18 123 6 5 113 16 41 77 4.47 1997 36 9 48 2 4 59 7 27 28 5.43 1998 37 22 81 4 6 104 10 38 52 5.44 1999 38 25 62 1 2 67 8 27 40 4.87
He didn’t quite have Langston’s raw ability, but Finley was close, and he was a well-rounded pitcher who just seemed to go on and on.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1986 23 25 46 3 1 40 2 23 37 3.30 1987 24 35 91 2 7 102 7 43 63 4.67 1988 25 31 194 9 15 198 19 83 117 4.40 1989 26 29 200 16 9 177 17 83 165 2.71 1990 27 32 236 18 9 217 22 82 187 2.54 1991 28 34 227 18 9 212 29 102 181 4.01 1992 29 31 204 7 12 220 31 99 131 4.18 1993 30 35 251 16 14 241 24 80 192 3.24 1994 31 25 183 10 10 173 19 65 137 4.01 1995 32 32 203 15 12 186 18 85 181 3.91 1996 33 35 238 15 16 234 24 86 200 3.86 1997 34 25 164 13 6 148 18 60 144 3.93 1998 35 34 223 11 9 204 18 100 197 3.15 1999 36 33 213 12 11 191 21 86 186 4.11 2000 37 34 218 16 11 205 21 93 175 3.87 2001 38 22 114 8 7 131 14 35 96 5.54 2002 39 32 191 11 15 183 13 78 174 4.15
A Pair of Remarkable Righthanders
Both of these guys burst into prominence with amazingly great seasons: 19-3 and 20-3.
Never had an overpowering fastball, but excellent control and just such a heady pitcher and bulldog competitor. Great fun to watch.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1983 24 8 8 0 0 7 1 6 5 3.38 1984 25 45 190 11 8 160 9 50 150 2.66 1985 26 36 240 19 3 179 8 68 157 2.03 1986 27 35 231 14 14 213 13 86 153 3.85 1987 28 37 265 16 16 247 17 74 190 3.06 1988 29 35 267 23 8 215 23 74 188 2.39 1989 30 35 257 15 15 234 12 78 188 2.44 1990 31 4 25 1 1 27 1 4 17 4.50 1991 32 21 112 7 2 116 4 32 77 3.65 1992 33 33 211 10 15 216 19 70 137 3.88 1993 34 33 216 12 14 199 19 71 145 3.69 1994 35 21 135 6 6 142 14 39 67 3.52 1995 36 26 167 16 6 147 19 47 103 3.59 1996 37 33 206 15 9 231 19 53 116 3.94 1997 38 32 195 14 6 193 24 63 99 4.15 1998 39 34 202 11 10 194 20 78 117 4.09 1999 40 32 179 13 12 170 13 71 83 4.25 2000 41 10 25 1 5 41 5 13 12 12.20
More sheer talent than Hershiser, but more fragile, and an overall similar career arc.
If you’ve never read it, I highly recommend Roger Angell’s A Pitcher’s Story. Cone is an unusually engaging sort, and the peerless Angell presents not simply a revealing profile of Cone, but also fascinating insights into the excruciating challenges with which every major league pitcher must grapple.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1986 23 11 23 0 0 29 2 13 21 5.56 1987 24 21 99 5 6 87 11 44 68 3.71 1988 25 35 231 20 3 184 13 81 225 2.34 1989 26 34 220 14 8 189 26 75 201 3.72 1990 27 31 212 14 10 183 27 66 246 3.41 1991 28 34 233 14 14 211 17 74 255 3.48 1992 29 35 250 17 10 208 19 112 276 2.97 1993 30 34 254 11 14 203 22 112 196 3.42 1994 31 23 172 16 5 126 14 50 123 2.73 1995 32 30 229 18 8 189 22 81 177 3.31 1996 33 11 72 7 2 49 3 31 66 2.67 1997 34 29 195 12 6 150 15 79 206 2.62 1998 35 31 208 20 7 181 18 54 194 3.30 1999 36 31 193 12 9 159 19 83 164 3.19 2000 37 30 155 4 14 186 23 75 111 6.41 2001 38 25 136 9 7 148 17 57 115 4.31 2002 39 2003 40 5 18 1 3 20 4 13 13 6.50
Some Outstanding Third Basemen
His career was utterly inexplicable from about seven different angles, but one thing that is clear is that when HoJo was good, he was great. Those 49 homers in 1991? That would just be the all-time record for a third baseman, that’s all.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1982 21 155 23 49 5 0 4 14 16 30 .316 .384 .426 .810 1983 22 66 11 14 0 0 3 5 7 10 .212 .297 .348 .645 1984 23 355 43 88 14 1 12 50 40 67 .248 .324 .394 .718 1985 24 389 38 94 18 4 11 46 34 78 .242 .303 .393 .696 1986 25 220 30 54 14 0 10 39 31 64 .245 .339 .445 .784 1987 26 554 93 147 22 1 36 99 83 113 .265 .361 .504 .865 1988 27 499 92 118 23 1 31 74 87 110 .237 .350 .471 .821 1989 28 577 113 170 45 3 46 110 78 133 .294 .378 .623 1.001 1990 29 595 97 149 41 3 29 98 70 106 .251 .329 .477 .806 1991 30 569 117 151 37 4 49 127 79 127 .266 .355 .602 .957 1992 31 353 52 81 21 0 9 47 56 83 .229 .334 .364 .698 1993 32 235 32 56 8 2 8 26 42 44 .237 .353 .387 .740 1994 33 226 28 47 9 2 9 37 36 68 .207 .315 .388 .703 1995 34 168 24 32 4 1 6 20 31 43 .191 .318 .339 .656
Yes, Pendleton’s winning the MVP vote over Barry Bonds in ’91 was pretty wacky. But it is the case that in both that season and the next, Pendleton delivered major star performance. Those two years were way out of proportion to anything else he ever did, but weird as it was, it really happened.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1984 23 262 37 85 16 3 1 33 16 32 .324 .357 .420 .777 1985 24 559 56 134 16 3 5 69 37 75 .240 .287 .306 .593 1986 25 578 56 138 26 5 1 59 34 59 .239 .281 .306 .587 1987 26 583 82 167 29 4 12 96 70 74 .286 .363 .412 .775 1988 27 395 48 103 22 2 8 58 21 54 .260 .298 .384 .682 1989 28 619 90 168 31 5 17 80 44 86 .271 .320 .418 .738 1990 29 451 50 107 22 2 8 63 30 61 .237 .285 .345 .630 1991 30 593 102 194 37 8 28 93 43 74 .327 .373 .560 .932 1992 31 647 107 206 43 1 27 114 37 71 .318 .356 .512 .868 1993 32 632 80 171 34 1 19 83 35 100 .270 .309 .415 .724 1994 33 307 23 76 17 3 6 28 11 53 .247 .273 .385 .658 1995 34 509 65 145 30 1 13 72 35 78 .284 .330 .423 .753 1996 35 564 47 131 25 1 10 69 38 103 .232 .280 .333 .613 1997 36 112 10 27 8 0 1 16 11 13 .242 .310 .342 .652 1998 37 235 16 59 9 0 3 27 14 45 .252 .293 .327 .620
An interestingly similar story to that of Pendleton: a longtime defensive star with a lackluster bat suddenly erupts as a power threat in his early 30s. But unlike Pendleton, Caminiti’s stats in his late-blossoming phase were amplified by the scoring environment. Seen in the perspective provided by this exercise, Caminiti’s career arc, while hardly typical, looks less odd than in real time.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1987 24 203 10 50 7 1 3 23 12 44 .246 .288 .335 .623 1988 25 84 5 16 2 0 1 8 5 19 .186 .232 .258 .491 1989 26 590 77 154 34 3 13 78 52 98 .261 .321 .394 .715 1990 27 546 57 136 22 2 5 55 49 102 .249 .310 .324 .634 1991 28 579 71 150 33 3 17 87 47 90 .259 .314 .413 .727 1992 29 511 74 154 34 2 17 67 44 72 .302 .358 .474 .831 1993 30 542 74 141 32 0 14 74 48 91 .260 .320 .397 .718 1994 31 403 58 112 26 2 16 69 40 66 .277 .342 .475 .817 1995 32 521 68 154 31 0 24 87 63 87 .296 .372 .491 .864 1996 33 541 101 173 35 2 36 120 72 92 .320 .399 .593 .992 1997 34 482 85 137 26 0 24 83 74 110 .284 .379 .486 .864 1998 35 449 80 111 27 0 26 76 65 100 .247 .342 .483 .826 1999 36 271 42 76 10 1 12 52 42 54 .280 .377 .456 .833 2000 37 206 39 61 12 0 14 42 39 34 .297 .408 .554 .962 2001 38 356 36 81 17 1 15 41 43 85 .228 .311 .407 .718
He never developed the faintest notion of strike zone judgment, and his huge, looping, leg-kick-driven swing wasn’t without holes. But when the young Williams got ahold of one, it reliably went a very, very long way. His tie-breaking homer in the fourth game of the 1989 NLCS was one of the most thrilling events I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing live. As soon as Williams launched it, the reality of the Giants winning their first pennant in 27 years, their first pennant that I could understand as it happened, was gloriously apparent.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1987 21 245 28 46 9 2 8 21 16 68 .188 .238 .339 .576 1988 22 157 18 33 7 1 10 21 8 43 .211 .249 .461 .711 1989 23 294 34 61 20 1 23 54 14 76 .208 .244 .517 .761 1990 24 623 95 177 30 2 42 133 33 146 .284 .321 .542 .862 1991 25 595 78 164 26 5 44 107 33 135 .275 .314 .556 .870 1992 26 533 63 124 14 5 26 72 39 115 .233 .286 .423 .709 1993 27 578 104 169 34 4 42 109 27 82 .292 .323 .581 .904 1994 28 442 68 116 15 3 39 89 30 81 .262 .309 .575 .884 1995 29 280 49 92 16 1 21 60 28 54 .329 .389 .617 1.006 1996 30 400 64 118 15 1 20 78 36 84 .296 .354 .488 .842 1997 31 591 79 152 30 3 29 97 31 100 .258 .295 .467 .761 1998 32 506 66 132 25 1 18 66 40 95 .261 .314 .421 .735 1999 33 621 90 184 35 2 32 131 38 86 .297 .337 .513 .850 2000 34 368 40 99 17 2 11 43 18 47 .269 .304 .415 .719 2001 35 408 58 112 30 0 16 65 22 70 .275 .312 .466 .777 2002 36 215 29 56 7 2 12 40 21 41 .260 .326 .479 .805 2003 37 134 17 33 9 0 4 16 16 26 .246 .327 .403 .730
Well, he wasn’t much of a third baseman at that. Actually, the story is that supposedly Edgar wasn’t really a lousy fielder so much as it was that he just kept getting hurt all the time while playing defense, and with a bat like that, it made sense for the Mariners to just say the heck with it, he’ll be a designated hitter.
The offensive value he delivered was tremendous. With any kind of a defensive contribution, as a lousy defensive third baseman or even as a lousy defensive first baseman, he’d have a Hall of Fame case. But as it is, I really don’t see it.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1987 24 43 6 16 5 2 0 5 2 5 .372 .400 .581 .981 1988 25 32 0 9 4 0 0 5 4 7 .281 .367 .423 .791 1989 26 172 22 42 5 0 3 22 17 27 .246 .314 .322 .637 1990 27 492 77 152 30 2 14 53 75 65 .309 .400 .463 .864 1991 28 550 107 173 38 1 18 57 85 76 .314 .406 .486 .892 1992 29 534 109 187 50 3 23 79 55 64 .351 .411 .586 .997 1993 30 135 20 32 7 0 4 13 27 20 .236 .365 .386 .751 1994 31 323 43 90 22 1 12 47 49 39 .279 .374 .462 .836 1995 32 506 112 177 49 0 26 104 107 81 .349 .463 .602 1.065 1996 33 494 112 158 49 2 24 95 113 78 .320 .447 .571 1.018 1997 34 537 96 174 33 1 25 100 109 80 .324 .438 .531 .969 1998 35 551 79 174 43 1 26 94 97 89 .315 .418 .541 .960 1999 36 497 79 164 33 1 22 79 89 92 .330 .432 .532 .964 2000 37 551 92 175 29 0 34 134 88 88 .317 .412 .553 .965 2001 38 470 80 144 40 1 23 116 93 90 .306 .421 .543 .964 2002 39 328 42 91 23 0 15 59 67 69 .277 .400 .485 .885 2003 40 497 72 146 25 0 24 98 92 95 .294 .404 .489 .893 2004 41 486 45 128 23 0 12 63 58 107 .263 .342 .385 .727
A Couple of Control Artist Lefties
Just your typical guy who struggles mightily until he’s in his mid-30s, and then has his peak from 35 to 40. Happens all the time, just like … um … you know, pitchers such as … um …
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1986 23 16 87 7 4 107 10 42 45 5.05 1987 24 35 201 12 15 210 28 97 147 5.10 1988 25 34 202 9 15 220 26 56 128 3.68 1989 26 15 76 4 9 87 13 33 46 5.13 1990 27 33 102 2 6 119 8 39 61 4.92 1991 28 8 31 0 5 39 6 16 21 6.06 1992 29 1993 30 25 152 12 9 159 14 38 95 3.62 1994 31 23 149 5 7 157 25 37 89 4.91 1995 32 27 116 8 6 114 16 28 60 4.84 1996 33 34 161 13 3 172 21 42 73 3.69 1997 34 30 189 17 5 182 19 40 105 3.58 1998 35 34 234 15 9 227 21 39 147 3.28 1999 36 32 228 14 8 228 21 44 127 3.59 2000 37 26 154 13 10 168 20 49 91 5.10 2001 38 33 210 20 6 182 22 40 110 3.18 2002 39 34 231 13 8 198 28 50 147 3.32 2003 40 33 215 21 7 199 19 66 129 3.27 2004 41 34 202 7 13 217 44 63 125 5.21 2005 42 32 200 13 7 225 23 52 102 4.28 2006 43 33 211 11 14 228 33 51 108 4.30
… that’s it! Just like this one!
Do two guys consititute a “type”?
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1987 24 18 29 4 3 37 0 12 32 3.99 1988 25 41 64 3 5 67 15 31 59 4.88 1989 26 54 86 7 4 68 6 28 82 2.54 1990 27 43 189 11 6 171 18 45 121 3.32 1991 28 40 198 15 10 195 31 50 112 3.93 1992 29 41 120 7 9 143 20 36 65 5.70 1993 30 32 187 11 9 181 29 41 143 4.31 1994 31 16 111 5 7 110 12 22 66 3.68 1995 32 29 203 16 8 188 21 49 123 3.01 1996 33 34 224 11 14 240 29 47 121 4.77 1997 34 32 218 16 10 232 22 41 145 3.91 1998 35 30 214 18 4 189 26 27 151 3.24 1999 36 34 232 17 10 239 29 57 157 4.47 2000 37 35 230 20 8 258 21 28 154 3.81 2001 38 16 101 5 7 120 12 21 59 4.47 2002 39 31 206 19 7 210 21 45 137 3.75 2003 40 31 213 15 7 242 24 20 101 4.14 2004 41 31 196 12 8 203 23 20 101 3.73 2005 42 30 184 15 7 220 21 21 107 4.45 2006 43 13 75 3 5 97 11 12 38 4.42
The Thrill
We discussed here the manner in which Clark’s early career and late career didn’t really match up. But this exercise illuminates it vividly: here it’s plain to see just how brilliant he was as a young player, and just what a shadow of himself Clark was thereafter.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1986 22 408 66 117 27 2 11 41 34 76 .287 .342 .444 .785 1987 23 529 89 163 29 5 35 91 49 98 .308 .367 .580 .947 1988 24 581 111 168 34 6 37 118 101 136 .289 .394 .560 .954 1989 25 595 113 203 42 9 29 121 75 109 .341 .415 .590 1.005 1990 26 606 99 183 27 5 24 103 63 102 .302 .368 .485 .852 1991 27 571 91 176 35 7 37 126 52 96 .308 .366 .590 .955 1992 28 518 75 159 44 1 20 79 74 87 .308 .394 .515 .908 1993 29 490 81 138 28 2 15 72 62 70 .281 .362 .440 .802 1994 30 385 67 124 23 2 12 74 65 55 .323 .421 .484 .905 1995 31 450 78 133 25 3 15 85 63 46 .296 .381 .463 .844 1996 32 432 64 120 24 1 12 66 59 62 .278 .365 .420 .784 1997 33 389 52 124 27 1 11 47 45 58 .319 .390 .479 .869 1998 34 549 90 164 39 1 21 94 66 90 .299 .374 .487 .861 1999 35 249 37 74 14 0 9 27 35 39 .297 .383 .463 .846 2000 36 423 72 132 28 2 19 65 63 64 .312 .402 .524 .926
A Couple of Consistent Winners
Absolute proof of the venerable wisdom that overpowering stuff isn’t a requirement to be a star pitcher. All that’s required is to throw strikes, hit spots, change speeds, keep the ball in the park, and control the running game … you know, a piece of cake.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1995 23 31 175 12 9 178 14 58 106 3.87 1996 24 35 221 21 8 222 21 66 150 3.59 1997 25 35 240 18 7 226 6 60 154 2.67 1998 26 33 216 16 11 219 18 80 136 3.94 1999 27 31 192 14 11 210 18 82 112 4.36 2000 28 32 205 19 9 213 15 74 116 4.04 2001 29 31 201 15 10 224 14 41 164 3.99 2002 30 22 135 13 5 144 6 32 97 3.27 2003 31 33 208 21 8 227 21 50 180 4.02 2004 32 15 83 6 4 71 8 31 79 3.90 2005 33 33 222 17 9 188 17 41 171 2.39 2006 34 36 214 14 13 238 27 70 178 4.20
Hit spots? This guy hits microdots.
Never great, but so very good for so very long that a Hall of Fame case may be starting to form.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1991 22 12 88 4 5 80 9 21 55 3.03 1992 23 32 241 18 5 210 18 47 134 2.61 1993 24 25 168 14 6 158 18 40 109 4.14 1994 25 24 176 16 5 158 17 39 92 2.84 1995 26 32 222 19 9 182 22 46 147 3.05 1996 27 36 243 19 11 256 28 63 189 4.46 1997 28 33 225 15 8 191 24 50 202 2.97 1998 29 29 206 13 10 183 20 38 162 3.24 1999 30 31 203 18 7 201 15 48 160 3.25 2000 31 34 238 11 15 229 25 42 195 3.52 2001 32 34 229 17 11 202 20 42 214 3.15 2002 33 33 216 18 10 208 27 48 182 4.05 2003 34 31 215 17 8 192 21 40 195 3.40 2004 35 27 165 12 9 178 22 40 132 4.59 2005 36 30 180 13 8 199 23 47 142 4.41 2006 37 32 197 15 7 184 22 35 172 3.51
The Duo
(With apologies to the late great Sammy Cahn)
Lou and Trammell, Lou and Trammell
Go together like a hump and camel
This I tell you brother
You can’t have one without the other
Lou and Alan, Lou and Alan
They’re linked together just like miles and gallons
Ask the local gentry
And they will say it’s elementary
Try, try, try to separate them
It’s an illusion
Try, try, try, and you will only come
To this conclusion
Lou and Trammell, Lou and Trammell
Go together like a hump and camel
Dad was told by mother
You can’t have one without the other
The power the veteran Sweet Lou displayed was something pretty special. That is a 36-homer season you see there in 1989.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1977 20 32 5 8 1 0 0 2 4 6 .250 .333 .281 .615 1978 21 484 71 138 12 7 3 58 61 65 .285 .365 .357 .723 1979 22 423 75 121 14 8 3 42 78 66 .286 .397 .378 .775 1980 23 477 68 111 19 1 1 45 73 79 .233 .335 .283 .618 1981 24 335 48 88 14 4 5 36 40 42 .263 .341 .373 .714 1982 25 560 76 160 22 8 15 65 48 58 .286 .342 .434 .776 1983 26 643 94 206 40 6 12 72 67 70 .320 .385 .457 .842 1984 27 558 90 161 25 1 13 56 62 63 .289 .360 .407 .766 1985 28 609 102 170 29 8 21 73 80 56 .279 .363 .456 .819 1986 29 584 95 157 26 6 20 73 63 70 .269 .340 .437 .777 1987 30 604 110 160 38 6 16 59 71 108 .265 .342 .427 .769 1988 31 407 59 115 20 2 15 60 67 64 .282 .384 .454 .838 1989 32 514 84 133 23 1 36 92 90 62 .258 .369 .516 .885 1990 33 476 82 116 24 2 23 65 75 75 .244 .346 .448 .794 1991 34 475 102 136 28 2 29 85 91 48 .286 .401 .540 .941 1992 35 457 84 130 28 0 24 77 82 49 .285 .394 .507 .901 1993 36 382 71 110 33 1 10 66 77 47 .288 .407 .457 .863 1994 37 319 62 94 20 2 11 40 38 44 .295 .369 .472 .842 1995 38 247 33 71 13 0 13 41 28 38 .287 .361 .495 .856
Trammell didn’t necessarily get hosed in the 1987 AL MVP voting; although he was clearly deserving, you could make a case for a few other guys as well. What is definite is that the guy who did win it didn’t deserve it. Win Shares has it as Trammell 35, Wade Boggs 32, Mark McGwire 30, Kirby Puckett 29, Paul Molitor 29, Don Mattingly 27, and George Bell (the MVP winner) 26.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1977 19 43 6 8 0 0 0 0 4 12 .186 .255 .186 .441 1978 20 448 49 120 14 6 2 34 45 56 .268 .335 .339 .674 1979 21 460 68 127 11 4 6 50 43 55 .276 .338 .357 .694 1980 22 560 107 168 21 5 9 65 69 63 .300 .377 .404 .780 1981 23 392 52 101 15 3 2 31 49 31 .258 .340 .327 .667 1982 24 489 66 126 34 3 9 57 52 47 .258 .329 .395 .724 1983 25 505 83 161 31 2 14 66 57 64 .319 .388 .471 .859 1984 26 555 85 174 34 5 14 69 60 63 .314 .380 .468 .849 1985 27 605 79 156 21 7 13 57 50 71 .258 .315 .380 .695 1986 28 574 107 159 33 7 21 75 59 57 .277 .344 .469 .813 1987 29 597 109 205 34 3 28 105 60 47 .343 .403 .551 .954 1988 30 471 79 150 26 1 19 75 47 49 .319 .380 .501 .881 1989 31 453 59 113 22 3 6 47 45 48 .249 .318 .353 .671 1990 32 565 77 176 41 1 18 97 69 58 .312 .386 .482 .868 1991 33 378 62 96 22 0 12 60 37 41 .255 .322 .404 .725 1992 34 103 12 29 8 1 1 12 15 4 .281 .374 .413 .787 1993 35 400 71 131 26 3 13 59 37 39 .327 .385 .505 .890 1994 36 290 35 76 16 1 7 26 15 32 .261 .297 .399 .696 1995 37 221 26 58 11 0 2 21 25 18 .263 .338 .339 .677 1996 38 192 15 44 2 0 1 15 9 25 .228 .263 .252 .515
A Hall of Fame Quintet
Yes, he wasn’t as great as his reputation would have it, and the rush to put him in Cooperstown on his first ballot was a bit much. But it is the case that this guy played damn great baseball.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1984 24 557 63 165 12 5 0 31 16 69 .296 .316 .336 .652 1985 25 691 80 199 29 13 4 74 41 87 .288 .328 .385 .713 1986 26 680 119 223 37 6 31 96 34 99 .328 .360 .537 .897 1987 27 624 96 207 32 5 28 99 32 91 .332 .364 .534 .898 1988 28 665 118 242 46 5 31 132 23 88 .364 .386 .587 .973 1989 29 643 82 223 49 4 12 92 41 62 .346 .386 .490 .876 1990 30 557 89 170 44 3 15 87 58 77 .305 .370 .477 .847 1991 31 618 100 202 32 6 19 97 31 82 .327 .359 .491 .850 1992 32 646 113 217 42 4 24 120 44 102 .336 .379 .526 .905 1993 33 620 88 182 40 3 24 88 46 96 .294 .343 .485 .828 1994 34 435 73 135 30 3 18 103 26 44 .310 .349 .519 .868 1995 35 533 77 164 37 0 21 91 51 83 .308 .369 .494 .863 Career 7269 1098 2329 429 57 227 1110 444 980 .320 .360 .489 .849
A terrific player, of course, but what pushed him into Hall of Fame territory was that second wind he got in 1987-89, and especially the ’89 MVP. This exercise illustrates just what a splendid performance that was.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1974 18 344 48 86 14 5 3 26 12 46 .250 .275 .346 .621 1975 19 558 67 149 28 2 8 52 33 69 .267 .308 .367 .675 1976 20 638 59 161 19 3 2 54 38 69 .252 .294 .301 .595 1977 21 605 66 174 34 4 4 49 41 80 .288 .333 .377 .710 1978 22 502 66 147 23 9 9 71 24 43 .293 .325 .428 .753 1979 23 577 72 154 26 5 8 51 35 52 .267 .309 .371 .680 1980 24 611 121 179 49 10 23 87 26 67 .293 .322 .519 .841 1981 25 377 50 103 15 5 10 49 22 37 .273 .313 .419 .732 1982 26 635 129 210 46 12 29 114 54 63 .331 .383 .578 .961 1983 27 578 102 178 42 10 17 80 72 58 .308 .385 .503 .888 1984 28 624 105 186 27 7 16 80 67 67 .298 .366 .441 .807 1985 29 466 76 129 26 3 15 68 49 56 .277 .346 .442 .788 1986 30 522 82 163 31 7 9 46 62 73 .312 .385 .450 .835 1987 31 635 99 198 25 9 21 103 76 94 .312 .385 .479 .864 1988 32 628 100 197 42 11 17 99 64 67 .313 .377 .495 .871 1989 33 621 110 202 42 9 27 112 64 75 .325 .388 .551 .939 1990 34 592 107 150 19 5 22 84 79 94 .254 .341 .412 .754 1991 35 508 72 136 22 4 13 84 55 83 .267 .338 .402 .740 1992 36 562 77 152 44 3 10 84 54 86 .271 .334 .414 .748 1993 37 453 61 116 26 3 9 51 43 96 .256 .321 .384 .705 Career 11036 1669 3170 598 126 271 1443 969 1374 .287 .345 .438 .783
One of the more odd career arcs, for sure. At the ages when most great players are presenting their peak peformances—24 through 29—Molitor was mostly struggling with injuries. Being deployed primarily as a designated hitter from age 34 obviously benefitted him, but even with that, Molitor’s career is striking in the degree to which his 30s greatly overshadow his 20s.
Molitor and Yount, Brewer organization products very nearly the same age, were both right-handed hitters with picture-smooth, perfectly-balanced swings that consistently produced line-drive power to all fields. Indeed the only right-hander I’ve seen who took the ball the other way as beautifully as either of them has been a guy we’ll examine next time: Mike Piazza.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1978 21 521 73 142 26 4 6 45 19 54 .273 .298 .372 .671 1979 22 584 88 188 27 16 9 62 48 48 .322 .373 .469 .843 1980 23 450 81 137 29 2 9 37 48 48 .304 .371 .438 .809 1981 24 251 45 67 11 0 2 19 25 29 .267 .333 .335 .668 1982 25 666 136 201 26 8 19 71 69 93 .302 .367 .450 .818 1983 26 608 95 164 28 6 15 47 59 74 .270 .334 .410 .744 1984 27 46 3 10 1 0 0 6 2 8 .217 .250 .239 .489 1985 28 576 93 171 28 3 10 48 54 80 .297 .357 .408 .765 1986 29 437 62 123 24 6 9 55 40 81 .281 .342 .426 .767 1987 30 465 114 164 41 5 16 75 69 67 .353 .436 .566 1.002 1988 31 616 125 197 37 6 17 65 72 57 .319 .391 .481 .871 1989 32 622 91 201 38 4 14 61 65 71 .323 .387 .466 .852 1990 33 422 70 123 30 6 15 49 37 54 .292 .349 .500 .849 1991 34 673 145 224 35 13 22 82 78 65 .332 .402 .521 .923 1992 35 616 97 202 39 7 15 97 74 70 .328 .400 .490 .889 1993 36 634 120 209 38 5 24 110 76 73 .330 .401 .520 .921 1994 37 449 79 150 28 4 13 69 51 45 .335 .402 .501 .903 1995 38 521 58 138 29 2 14 55 56 53 .265 .336 .407 .743 1996 39 653 91 218 39 8 8 104 51 67 .334 .383 .457 .840 1997 40 533 58 159 30 4 9 82 41 68 .299 .349 .422 .771 1998 41 498 69 137 27 5 4 64 41 38 .275 .331 .373 .703 Career 10841 1794 3325 612 116 250 1303 1075 1242 .307 .369 .454 .823
Could he hit, or what?
The sportswriters always marveled at how much fun Puckett seemed to be having while he played, and with good reason. But Brett always seemed to be having a ball out there too, even when he was in full hell-for-leather mode. Of course, who among us wouldn’t, if we could perform like that?
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1973 20 40 2 5 2 0 0 0 0 5 .125 .125 .175 .300 1974 21 457 49 129 21 5 2 47 21 38 .282 .314 .363 .677 1975 22 634 84 195 35 13 11 89 46 49 .308 .354 .456 .810 1976 23 645 94 215 34 14 7 67 49 36 .333 .380 .462 .842 1977 24 564 105 176 32 13 22 88 55 24 .312 .373 .532 .905 1978 25 510 79 150 45 8 9 62 39 35 .294 .344 .467 .811 1979 26 645 119 212 42 20 23 107 51 36 .329 .378 .563 .941 1980 27 449 87 175 33 9 24 118 58 22 .390 .460 .664 1.123 1981 28 347 42 109 27 7 6 43 27 23 .314 .364 .484 .848 1982 29 552 101 166 32 9 21 82 71 51 .301 .380 .505 .886 1983 30 464 90 144 38 2 25 93 57 39 .310 .386 .563 .948 1984 31 377 42 107 21 3 13 69 38 37 .284 .349 .459 .808 1985 32 550 108 184 38 5 30 112 103 49 .335 .440 .585 1.025 1986 33 441 70 128 28 4 16 73 80 45 .290 .399 .481 .880 1987 34 427 71 124 18 2 22 78 72 47 .290 .393 .496 .889 1988 35 595 98 186 46 3 31 112 83 54 .313 .397 .555 .952 1989 36 462 73 134 28 3 15 87 60 50 .289 .371 .464 .835 1990 37 550 89 185 49 7 18 95 57 67 .337 .399 .550 .948 1991 38 510 84 134 44 2 13 66 59 79 .262 .338 .431 .770 1992 39 598 60 175 38 5 9 66 35 73 .293 .332 .419 .751 1993 40 559 68 148 32 3 21 74 38 69 .264 .312 .444 .755 Career 10376 1615 3181 684 137 338 1629 1098 927 .307 .373 .497 .869
This exercise nets The Express an extra 64 strikeouts. Like he needs ’em.
Ryan’s been overrated for so long and so much that he’s gotten pretty close to being underrated these days. What an utterly amazing pitcher he was, in so many ways.
Year Age G IP W L H HR BB SO ERA 1966 19 2 3 0 1 5 1 3 6 15.00 1967 20 1968 21 21 134 6 9 93 12 75 133 3.09 1969 22 25 89 6 3 60 3 53 92 3.53 1970 23 27 132 7 11 86 10 97 125 3.42 1971 24 30 152 10 14 125 8 116 137 3.97 1972 25 39 284 19 16 166 14 157 329 2.28 1973 26 41 326 21 16 238 18 162 383 2.87 1974 27 42 333 22 16 221 18 202 367 2.89 1975 28 28 198 14 12 152 13 132 186 3.45 1976 29 39 284 17 18 193 13 183 327 3.36 1977 30 37 299 19 16 198 12 204 341 2.77 1978 31 31 235 10 13 183 12 148 260 3.72 1979 32 34 223 16 14 169 15 114 223 3.60 1980 33 35 234 11 10 205 10 98 200 3.35 1981 34 21 149 11 5 99 2 68 140 1.69 1982 35 35 250 16 12 196 20 109 245 3.16 1983 36 29 196 14 9 134 9 101 183 2.98 1984 37 30 184 12 11 143 12 69 197 3.04 1985 38 35 232 10 12 205 12 95 209 3.80 1986 39 30 178 12 8 119 14 82 194 3.34 1987 40 34 212 8 16 154 14 87 270 2.76 1988 41 33 220 12 11 193 23 88 241 3.72 1989 42 32 239 16 10 168 22 99 318 3.38 1990 43 30 204 13 9 142 23 75 245 3.63 1991 44 27 173 12 6 106 15 73 214 3.07 1992 45 27 157 5 9 143 12 70 166 3.93 1993 46 13 66 5 5 54 5 39 47 5.02 Career 807 5386 324 292 3948 342 2799 5778 3.23
Stunning Talent Out of Central L.A.
Rarely in history have two guys, the same age, come out of the same neighborhood, quite like these two. Wow.
He probably wasn’t the very fastest baseball player I ever saw—I think that would be Deion Sanders—but the young Eric Davis could flat-out fly. And the only other guy that slim I’ve ever seen generate that kind of power was George Foster at his peak. The problem, of course, was that from the get-go Davis was about as sturdy as a potato chip.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1984 22 174 33 39 10 1 10 30 24 48 .224 .320 .466 .786 1985 23 122 26 30 3 3 8 18 7 39 .246 .287 .516 .803 1986 24 415 97 115 15 3 27 71 68 100 .277 .379 .523 .902 1987 25 474 120 139 23 4 37 100 84 134 .293 .400 .593 .992 1988 26 477 88 134 20 3 33 101 66 131 .280 .367 .544 .911 1989 27 467 81 135 15 2 44 110 69 123 .288 .380 .610 .990 1990 28 457 91 122 28 2 31 94 61 106 .267 .353 .540 .893 1991 29 287 42 69 11 0 14 36 49 97 .241 .351 .427 .778 1992 30 269 23 63 9 1 6 35 36 75 .235 .326 .346 .672 1993 31 450 70 106 18 1 22 67 54 109 .236 .318 .427 .745 1994 32 119 18 21 4 0 3 12 17 42 .179 .279 .279 .558 1995 33 1996 34 412 75 116 19 0 24 77 64 112 .281 .378 .498 .876 1997 35 157 27 47 10 0 7 23 13 44 .298 .351 .503 .854 1998 36 448 75 144 27 1 25 82 40 100 .321 .377 .557 .934 1999 37 190 25 48 8 2 5 28 28 45 .251 .346 .390 .736 2000 38 252 35 75 13 0 5 37 33 56 .297 .379 .414 .793 2001 39 156 17 32 7 3 4 22 13 38 .205 .266 .365 .632
The young Strawberry had fine speed, but he wasn’t the most graceful of outfielders. And his enormous uppercutting swing was never going to produce much of a batting average. But his power was as prodigious as any ever exhibited.
We see here that the offensive dip of the late ’80s cost Strawberry a 50-homer season. He would have been just the sixth National Leaguer in history to reach that benchmark.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1983 21 420 63 108 15 7 26 74 47 128 .257 .336 .512 .848 1984 22 522 75 131 27 4 26 97 75 131 .251 .343 .467 .810 1985 23 393 78 109 15 4 29 79 73 96 .277 .391 .557 .948 1986 24 475 76 123 27 5 27 93 72 141 .259 .356 .507 .864 1987 25 532 108 151 32 5 39 104 97 122 .284 .394 .583 .977 1988 26 548 110 151 30 3 50 110 86 134 .276 .374 .614 .988 1989 27 480 75 111 28 1 37 84 62 111 .231 .318 .527 .845 1990 28 547 100 155 20 1 47 118 71 116 .284 .366 .583 .949 1991 29 510 94 139 24 4 36 108 76 132 .272 .366 .546 .913 1992 30 157 22 38 9 0 6 27 19 36 .244 .326 .421 .747 1993 31 100 12 14 2 0 5 12 16 20 .139 .256 .324 .580 1994 32 91 12 21 3 1 4 16 17 20 .234 .357 .407 .764 1995 33 86 14 23 4 1 3 12 9 20 .270 .340 .433 .773 1996 34 200 32 51 12 0 10 33 28 51 .257 .349 .467 .816 1997 35 29 1 3 1 0 0 2 3 8 .101 .179 .133 .312 1998 36 293 41 71 10 2 22 53 42 84 .242 .338 .515 .852 1999 37 49 9 16 5 0 3 6 16 15 .320 .486 .585 1.071
A Couple More Great Cases of What Might Have Been
As we examined here, a normal, no-surprises career progression would have delivered Sierra someplace pretty close to Cooperstown. This exercise illustrates just what kind of a spectacular young talent he was.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1986 20 382 50 101 13 10 16 55 22 65 .264 .304 .476 .781 1987 21 643 97 169 35 4 30 109 39 114 .263 .305 .470 .775 1988 22 621 84 162 35 2 29 99 44 96 .260 .310 .466 .775 1989 23 641 110 201 38 14 37 129 43 87 .313 .357 .591 .948 1990 24 614 76 176 41 2 20 104 50 91 .287 .340 .459 .799 1991 25 668 120 210 48 5 32 126 57 96 .315 .368 .546 .914 1992 26 607 90 173 37 7 22 95 45 72 .285 .335 .477 .812 1993 27 629 76 146 24 5 24 100 51 100 .232 .289 .400 .690 1994 28 423 66 111 20 1 21 85 21 59 .262 .297 .462 .759 1995 29 475 67 122 30 0 17 79 42 71 .257 .318 .430 .748 1996 30 514 56 124 25 2 11 66 55 77 .242 .315 .361 .676 1997 31 1998 32 74 6 16 4 1 4 10 3 10 .211 .240 .439 .679 1999 33 2000 34 60 5 14 0 0 1 6 4 8 .228 .273 .274 .547 2001 35 344 55 100 22 1 23 67 19 52 .291 .328 .561 .889 2002 36 419 47 113 23 0 13 60 31 66 .270 .320 .418 .738 2003 37 307 33 83 17 1 9 43 27 47 .270 .329 .420 .750 2004 38 307 40 75 12 1 17 65 25 55 .244 .301 .456 .757 2005 39 170 14 39 12 0 4 29 9 41 .229 .268 .371 .639 2006 40 28 3 5 1 0 0 4 4 7 .179 .281 .214 .496
The sixth American Leaguer to reach 50 dingers in a season would have been this particular fellow. There’s little discernible difference between his skill profile and Strawberry’s.
When he was active, and since, Canseco’s eccentric antics have tended to obscure our appreciation of his performance. He had plenty of weaknesses, for sure, but for a long time and through a number of weird developments, this guy delivered stupendous power.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1985 20 96 16 29 3 0 5 13 4 31 .302 .330 .490 .820 1986 21 600 85 144 29 1 33 117 65 175 .240 .314 .457 .771 1987 22 630 81 162 35 3 31 113 50 157 .257 .312 .470 .782 1988 23 617 131 194 37 0 54 135 79 135 .314 .392 .636 1.028 1989 24 229 44 63 10 1 22 62 23 73 .276 .342 .612 .955 1990 25 486 90 137 15 2 47 110 73 167 .281 .375 .614 .989 1991 26 577 125 157 35 1 56 133 79 161 .273 .360 .630 .990 1992 27 443 81 111 16 0 33 95 64 135 .250 .344 .513 .857 1993 28 231 30 59 14 1 11 46 16 64 .254 .301 .467 .769 1994 29 425 81 117 18 2 28 83 63 106 .276 .370 .526 .896 1995 30 392 59 117 24 1 22 75 39 86 .299 .362 .531 .893 1996 31 357 63 101 21 1 25 76 58 76 .283 .383 .560 .943 1997 32 385 52 88 18 0 21 68 47 113 .229 .313 .438 .751 1998 33 579 90 134 25 0 42 99 60 148 .231 .303 .490 .793 1999 34 426 69 116 17 1 31 88 53 125 .273 .354 .535 .889 2000 35 327 43 81 17 0 14 45 59 95 .247 .362 .424 .785 2001 36 256 46 66 8 0 16 49 45 75 .258 .369 .477 .845
Did Somebody Say Stupendous Power?
I recall making a presentation at a local SABR meeting in the early ’90s, and the question was posed to me as to whether Roger Maris’s single-season home run record would ever be threatened. I remember answering without hesitation, yes, the record would go down within the decade, and Juan Gonzalez was probably going to be the guy who would do it. I remember a few folks looking at me as though I was nuts.
Events would prove me half-nuts. The record did go down within the decade, and although Gonzalez wasn’t the guy to do it, we see here that he had the ability to get close, for sure. He was injury-prone, and a one-dimensional player, but this guy could really hit.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1989 19 60 7 9 3 0 1 8 6 18 .154 .232 .273 .504 1990 20 91 12 27 8 1 5 13 2 19 .296 .311 .572 .883 1991 21 550 85 149 37 1 35 111 42 125 .271 .323 .531 .854 1992 22 589 84 157 26 2 55 119 35 151 .267 .309 .599 .907 1993 23 535 104 165 34 1 50 117 36 102 .308 .352 .658 1.010 1994 24 419 53 113 17 4 17 78 28 61 .269 .314 .453 .767 1995 25 349 53 101 19 2 24 76 16 61 .289 .320 .566 .886 1996 26 536 82 165 31 2 43 133 41 76 .308 .357 .612 .970 1997 27 528 80 153 23 3 38 121 30 99 .290 .329 .561 .890 1998 28 600 101 187 47 2 41 145 42 117 .312 .357 .601 .959 1999 29 557 105 178 34 1 35 118 47 97 .319 .372 .574 .946 2000 30 457 64 129 28 2 20 62 29 78 .282 .326 .484 .810 2001 31 532 97 173 34 1 35 140 41 94 .325 .373 .590 .964 2002 32 277 38 78 21 1 8 35 17 56 .282 .323 .451 .774 2003 33 327 49 96 17 1 24 70 14 73 .294 .323 .572 .894 2004 34 127 17 35 4 1 5 17 9 19 .276 .326 .441 .767 2005 35 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000
How About Really Stupendous Power?
Yes, that’s right, here we see the new National League single-season home run record being set by this very entertaining fellow. He would tie the Babe, and fall just barely shy of Maris.
Mitchell never had anything close to the self-discipline generally required of a professional athlete; “conditioning” was a concept he seemed not to have been remotely acquainted with. And as to personality, the term “free spirit” seems a wan understatement. But for a few years there, Mitchell was quite something to behold with a bat in his hands.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1984 22 14 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 3 .214 .214 .214 .428 1985 23 1986 24 328 51 91 22 2 12 43 33 61 .277 .343 .466 .810 1987 25 464 68 130 20 2 22 70 48 88 .280 .348 .474 .822 1988 26 509 65 131 27 7 24 87 49 90 .258 .323 .483 .806 1989 27 549 109 164 37 6 60 136 88 121 .298 .395 .717 1.113 1990 28 529 98 157 26 2 45 101 59 92 .297 .367 .609 .976 1991 29 374 57 98 14 1 35 75 43 60 .263 .339 .583 .923 1992 30 364 52 107 26 0 12 73 35 49 .293 .356 .461 .817 1993 31 322 56 109 21 3 21 63 25 49 .339 .385 .618 1.004 1994 32 307 53 98 17 1 27 71 54 58 .319 .422 .647 1.069 1995 33 1996 34 204 25 63 14 0 7 36 34 28 .309 .408 .485 .893 1997 35 59 6 9 1 0 4 10 8 10 .149 .254 .350 .604 1998 36 126 13 28 7 1 2 19 8 24 .223 .271 .335 .606
Okay, How About Really Really Stupendous Power?
Mitchell would come oh-so-close in 1989, but in 1990, Maris’s record would go down with room to spare.
They weren’t at all similar in overall skill profile, but viewed from the perspective provided by this exercise, Fielder’s career and Maris’s demonstrate some interesting similarities. Both burst forth with the record-breaking home run season at age 26. Both never again come up with a season to match it, instead rather rapidly fading; dogged by chronic injuries, both are done before age 35.
Year Age AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS 1985 21 74 6 23 4 0 4 16 6 16 .311 .363 .527 .890 1986 22 83 7 13 2 0 4 13 6 27 .157 .213 .325 .539 1987 23 175 30 47 7 1 14 32 20 48 .269 .344 .560 .904 1988 24 175 26 41 7 1 12 25 14 56 .236 .293 .482 .775 1989 1990 26 579 113 165 27 1 65 144 91 192 .285 .382 .674 1.056 1991 27 630 111 169 27 0 56 145 79 159 .268 .349 .580 .929 1992 28 599 87 150 24 0 45 135 74 159 .251 .333 .515 .848 1993 29 572 79 152 24 0 33 116 88 129 .265 .364 .479 .843 1994 30 422 62 107 15 2 25 83 46 102 .253 .327 .479 .806 1995 31 490 65 116 17 1 28 76 69 108 .237 .331 .448 .780 1996 32 587 78 145 19 0 35 108 80 129 .247 .337 .459 .796 1997 33 358 37 91 14 0 12 56 47 81 .255 .341 .393 .734 1998 34 413 45 94 16 1 15 63 49 103 .228 .309 .384 .693
Next Time
We’ll look at an even better list of the period’s players than this. Will Fielder’s record stand up?
References & Resources
A Pitcher’s Story: Innings with David Cone, by Roger Angell (New York: Warner Books, 2001).
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.