Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Baseball is Poop - Whoa Oh We're Halfway There Edition

Most teams have played 81 games (some 83) so we'll review some stats and double them and see what happens the rest of the year.

The Magnificent Pooh Holes
Albert Pooh Holes has 31 homers and 82 RBI putting him on pace for roughly 61 homers and 160 RBI (the Cardinals have played 84 games). Amazing considering his already remarkable career but those numbers would blow away his previous career highs of 49 and 137. Other career highs in jeopardy: walks (101), stolen bases (16) and OPS (1.115). He has 66, 10 and 1.199, for the record.

Singles and Strikeouts: The David Wright Story
With 164 strikeouts, 10 HR and a .329 batting average, David Wright would surely have one of the most unusual seasons in major league baseball history. There have been 76 seasons in which a player has struck out 160 times or more, 13 homers in the lowest total for those players and the only total below 15, it was Jose Hernandez in 2003. And only a few players have ever hit above .300 in such a season, none as high as Wright's .329. Quite reasonably, Wright could have baseball's best average, worst power, 160 strikeout season.

Feast or Famine
The Texas Rangers demoted first baseman Chris Davis despite his 15 homers (30 HR pace). Because if Davis continued this way for a full season he would be expected to strike out 228 times, walk 34 times and drive in only 66 runs.

Speaking of Home Runs and Strikeouts
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Mark Reynolds is on pace for 48 homers, 124 RBI and 222 strikeouts. That would top his own major league record of 204 set last year.

This Year's Brady Anderson Award Goes To...
Aaron Hill, second baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Hill has 20 homers so far, putting him on pace for 40. His previous career high is 17 (in 608 at bats). His other 3 pro seasons he hit roughly 1 home run per 100 at bats.

Aaron Hill's home run trot is getting a lot of use

Stop, Thief
Carl Crawford's 41 stolen bases put him on pace for the best stolen base season in over 20 years. But, any slowdown in the second half and he won't pass Jose Reyes's 78 in 2007.

We Need Another Jewish Cy Young Winner
It's been 29 years since Steve Stone won the AL Cy Young and now Jason Marquis may be on the verge of bringing the trophy back to the tribe. With 11 wins (through 82 Rockies games), Marquis leads the majors in wins, and seems most likely to win 20. His 3.61 ERA puts him way behind Giants 1-2 punch of Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum, but if you adjust for ballpark effect Marquis would warrant more serious consideration.

Jason Marquis is a good hitter too

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