Some Statistical Rarities to Watch For This Season

[GiambiJuice]

I just wanted to create a thread for listing potential statistical anomalies or rarities that can happen in 2010. I'll start...

Jose Bautista is on pace to become only the third hitter ever to have a SLG% over .600 with a batting average below .270. The other two were Roger Maris and Matt Williams during their home run record chases in 1961 and 1994. This is surprising to me considering all the great home run hitters who didn't hit for great averages (Killebrew, Reggie, Schmidt, etc.)

Cliff Lee is on pace to set the all-time record for Strikeout to Walk Ratio. The record of 11.00 is held by Brett Saberhagen in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Lee's K/BB ratio currently sits at 13.00 with 156 SO and only 12 BB.

Felix Hernandez is on pace to have the 5th highest ERA+ since 1900 by a pitcher without a winning record (164).

That's all for now but I'll be looking for more interesting things to watch for in 2010 and I will post them here.

Please feel free to contribute your own!

[lithium]

Who are the top 4 when it comes to ERA+ without a winning record?

[RuthMayBond]

Who are the top 4 when it comes to ERA+ without a winning record?

Seriously,
Ed Walsh
Ed Siever
and who else, what are your minimum qualifications?

[GiambiJuice]

Who are the top 4 when it comes to ERA+ without a winning record?

Seriously,
Ed Walsh
Ed Siever
and who else, what are your minimum qualifications?

All of these pitchers pitched at least 162 innings:

1. Ed Siever 1902 W/L% .421, ERA+ 197
2. Ed Walsh 1910 W/L% .474, ERA+ 189
3. Fred Anderson 1917 W/L% .500, ERA+ 177
4. Lefty Grove 1926 W/L% .500, ERA+ 167
5. Felix Hernandez 2010 W/L% .500, ERA+ 164

[GiambiJuice]

Mat Latos is just 12.1 innings from qualifying and he is on pace to be the first starting pitcher with a WHIP below 1 and an ERA below 2.5 since Jason Schmidt (remember him?) in 2003.

[ipitch]

I believe the record for the fewest errors in a 162-game season is 65 by the 2003 Mariners. Four teams are in the running to break that record this year.

Reds 54
Padres 55
Twins 56
Yankees 57

[Mikie]

Brett Myers has gone 6+ innings in all 27 of his starts this year for the Astros. While certainly not a record, it's a rarity these days. He's in line for 6 more starts, so could finish the season with 33 and counting.

[GiambiJuice]

Brett Myers has gone 6+ innings in all 27 of his starts this year for the Astros. While certainly not a record, it's a rarity these days. He's in line for 6 more starts, so could finish the season with 33 and counting.

Wow, that's impressive. I didn't realize Myers is on such a streak.

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I just wanted to create a thread for listing potential statistical anomalies or rarities that can happen in 2010. I'll start...

Jose Bautista is on pace to become only the third hitter ever to have a SLG% over .600 with a batting average below .270. The other two were Roger Maris and Matt Williams during their home run record chases in 1961 and 1994. This is surprising to me considering all the great home run hitters who didn't hit for great averages (Killebrew, Reggie, Schmidt, etc.)

Cliff Lee is on pace to set the all-time record for Strikeout to Walk Ratio. The record of 11.00 is held by Brett Saberhagen in the strike-shortened 1994 season. Lee's K/BB ratio currently sits at 13.00 with 156 SO and only 12 BB.

Felix Hernandez is on pace to have the 5th highest ERA+ since 1900 by a pitcher without a winning record (164).

That's all for now but I'll be looking for more interesting things to watch for in 2010 and I will post them here.

Please feel free to contribute your own!

I wonder if Bautista will keep his BA below .270, though? He's at .268 right now. Since the break he's hitting .329 (he hit just .237 in the first half). I wonder what the "record" is the for the biggest positive gap in BA between the first and second half of a season?

[GiambiJuice]

Mark Teixeira looks like a cinch for his seventh consecutive season with 30 HR and 100 RBI. Only nine players in history have longer streaks.

Ruth
Gehrig
Foxx
Belle
Palmeiro
Sosa
Ramirez
Rodriguez
Pujols

Speaking of Albert Pujols, he is working on his TENTH consecutive 30 HR, 100 RBI season. Only Jimmie Foxx and Alex Rodriguez have as many in a row.

[ipitch]

Brett Myers has gone 6+ innings in all 27 of his starts this year for the Astros. While certainly not a record, it's a rarity these days. He's in line for 6 more starts, so could finish the season with 33 and counting.

Halladay has nearly done that too this year. He went 5.2 innings in one game.

[GiambiJuice]

If Yovani Gallardo and Dan Haren continue on their current pace, it will be only the third time in history that two pitchers had a .900 OPS in the same season (min. 50 PA) ....and the first time in 80 years.

The other two occurrences:
1894 (Jack Stivetts, Scott Stratton)
1930 (Red Ruffing and Chad Kimsey)

[GiambiJuice]

I know this is arbitrary but it's still very impressive. This season Mark Teixeira became only the fifth player in Major League history with 25+ homers in each of his first 7 seasons.

The others?

Pujols (obviously)
F. Robinson
Mathews
Strawberry

[GiambiJuice]

Since Felix is still pretty likely to finish with a winning record the way he is pitching, here's another interesting stat. Since the end of the deadball era (1919) there have been only fourteen times that a pitcher has made 30 starts, had an ERA below 2.5 and still won less than 15 games. five of them were in 1968, otherwise known as the "year of the pitcher". Felix will likely join the list this season.

And of the 38 times this has happened since 1900, Felix would have the second best ERA+ at 175. The only higher one is Roger Clemens in 2005, when he had a 221 ERA+ in 32 starts, but managed only 13 wins (ouch).

[GiambiJuice]

Carlos Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton are EACH leading their league in batting average, hits, slugging %, and total bases!

Does anyone know the last time for each league that a single player has lead in all of these categories? I'd be very interested to know...

[brett]

Carlos Gonzalez and Josh Hamilton are EACH leading their league in batting average, hits, slugging %, and total bases!

Does anyone know the last time for each league that a single player has lead in all of these categories? I'd be very interested to know...

First guess: aaron '59

[GiambiJuice]

First guess: aaron '59

if that's the answer, it's pretty amazing. That was 51 years ago.

[GiambiJuice]

Wainwright and Sabathia are on pace to lead their league in wins in back-to-back seasons. It would be the first time it's happened in either league since Roger Clemens in 1997-1998

[brett]

Mark Teixeira looks like a cinch for his seventh consecutive season with 30 HR and 100 RBI. Only nine players in history have longer streaks.

Ruth
Gehrig
Foxx
Belle
Palmeiro
Sosa
Ramirez
Rodriguez
Pujols

Speaking of Albert Pujols, he is working on his TENTH consecutive 30 HR, 100 RBI season. Only Jimmie Foxx and Alex Rodriguez have as many in a row.

I don't think this was mentioned, but A-Rod will almost certainly tie Foxx and Gehrig with 13 straight 100 RBI seasons. If he gets to 30 home runs he will break a tie with Foxx and forge one with Bonds at 13.

[GiambiJuice]

I don't think this was mentioned, but A-Rod will almost certainly tie Foxx and Gehrig with 13 straight 100 RBI seasons. If he gets to 30 home runs he will break a tie with Foxx and forge one with Bonds at 13.

He already has.

[brett]

Ichiro will lead in singles for the 10th straight year, all above 150, and surpass 1800 in 10 years, all his "first" 10.

Not sure where this ranks but also should get 10 straight with 250 total bases and 250 times on base.

Pujols and Ichiro both would do that, and Cobb, Williams and Ruth did not!

In fact, a preliminary check looks like they may be the first 2 to do 250/250 in each of their first 10 seasons.

[brett]

Although there is a statisical anomaly because Marvin Freeman has been listed as having had an official 2.80 ERA in 1994 despite not pitching 1 IP per team game, Ubaldo could become the franchises first 20 game winner, AND sub 3.00 (1 IP per team game) ERA pitcher in the same season. With 18 wins, he already has the team win record, and the current 1 IP per 162, OR qualifying in a non-strike year ERA is 3.46. He also is right on pace to set the team K record I think. He has 178 I think with 5 starts left which would put him on a pace for 209.7.

So he could set all three team records in the same year which is probably pretty rare 15+ years into a franchise's existance.

[Matthew C.]

Although there is a statisical anomaly because Marvin Freeman has been listed as having had an official 2.80 ERA in 1994 despite not pitching 1 IP per team game, Ubaldo could become the franchises first 20 game winner, AND sub 3.00 (1 IP per team game) ERA pitcher in the same season. With 18 wins, he already has the team win record, and the current 1 IP per 162, OR qualifying in a non-strike year ERA is 3.46. He also is right on pace to set the team K record I think. He has 178 I think with 5 starts left which would put him on a pace for 209.7.

So he could set all three team records in the same year which is probably pretty rare 15+ years into a franchise's existance.

Just out of curiosity, are you from Colorodo? I think I have heard you mention Helton, Jiminez, and Tulo more than anybody else I have ever "met."

[brett]

Just out of curiosity, are you from Colorodo? I think I have heard you mention Helton, Jiminez, and Tulo more than anybody else I have ever "met."

I've live in CO since '84. Before that KC. I may have even mentioned Elway on this site. But I won't be pushing for Bichette or Galarraga for the HOF, or Carlos Gonzalez for NL MVP this year.

[ol' aches and pains]

To me the most amazing stat so far this year is Cliff Lee's BB's. He has walked 12 batters in 184 innings, and two of them were intentional!