Some observations, while waiting for the announcement of the American League
Cy Young Award winner (the only award with any degree of suspense or
controversy)…
Which Would You Rather Have?
If given the choice between these two outfielders, which one would you rather
have?
Player A – 2010
AB R
H 2
3 HR
RBI SB
CS W
K
554 106
164 46
2 27
85 13
3 82
147
Player B – 2010
AB R
H 2
3 HR
RBI SB
CS W
K
600 110
184 30
13 19
90 47
10 46
104
“A” had more power and better plate discipline, producing the following
line, .296/.388/.532, and an Adjusted OPS of 145. “B” had more speed, and
this batting line, .307/.356/.495, with an Adjusted OPS of 134. Overall, an edge
to “A.”
What about their career lines? Taken on a basis per 162 games played, they
look like this…
Player A – Career
AB R
H 2
3 HR
RBI SB
CS W
K
527 91
143 29
3 25
85 16
2 75
152
Player B - Career
AB R
H 2
3 HR
RBI SB
CS W
K
655 100
194 28
14 14
78 54
12 38
101
For his career, “A” has a batting line of .272/.367/.481 and an OPS+ of
121. For “B” it’s .296/.337/.444 and 107. Once again, unless you’re in
love with the running game (and A’s career stolen base percentage is 88.9%,
B’s is 81.8%), there’s an edge to “A” who, although he may strike out
more (50% more than “B”), also walks a lot more (twice as much, or 100%
more, than “B”).
Finally, “A” is a right fielder who can play center, and he’s two years
older than “B” who is strictly a leftfielder. (In other words, “A” is a
better fielder.)
Although “A” will turn 32 during the 2011 season, and “B” will turn
30 a couple of months later, there’s no other substantive reason, unless
you’re swayed by a lot of stolen bases (and maybe batting average), to think
that “B” is a better player than “A.” So why in the name of Henry Cotto
does there seem to be a general consensus that Carl Crawford (he’s “B”) is
the best free agent outfielder on the market this year? While it is the policy
of this column to never agree with anything Scott Boras says, this time he’s
right. Jayson Werth (he’s “A”) is the best outfielder on the market.
Who Would You Pay More For?
Here’s a similar exercise, this time with pitchers. Which of these two
hurlers is worth more money?
Pitcher “A” – Career (He turns 33 in August 2011)
W-L PCT ERA
GS CG
ERA+ WHIP SO/W
102-61 .626 3.85
218 20
112 1.256 3.10
Pitcher “B” – Career (He turns 34 in May 2011)
W-L PCT ERA
GS CG
ERA+ WHIP SO/W
169-86 .663 3.32
320 58
136 1.181 3.53
Hmmm… not much doubt, is there? Without even mentioning that “B” has
three 20-win seasons to one for “A,” it’s clear that, although both are
top pitchers, “B” is better. This valuation also holds true if you look at
their 2010 seasons…
Pitcher “A” – 2010
W-L PCT ERA
GS CG
ERA+ WHIP SO/W
12-9 .571 3.18
28 7
130 1.003 10.28
Pitcher “B” – 2010
W-L PCT ERA
GS CG
ERA+ WHIP SO/W
21-10 .677 2.44
33 9
165 1.041 7.30
Although “A” led his league in complete games, WHIP, walks per nine
innings and set a major league single season record for SO/W ratio, it’s sort
of hard to go against “B,” who also led his league in wins, complete games,
shutouts, innings pitched, walks per nine innings and SO/W ratio… in addition
to throwing a perfect game in the regular season and a no-hitter in the
postseason.
If you’ve been paying attention, it’s pretty easy to guess that “A”
is Cliff Lee, and “B” is Roy Halladay. So why is it that Lee is expected to
get a free agent contract in excess of, or at least equal to, Halladay’s $20
million a year deal? It is obvious, a no-brainer, that, as fine a pitcher as
Cliff Lee is, he’s not as good as Halladay. So, why might he well be making as
much as Halladay? In one word, “Yankees.” This isn’t a matter of a
rational business decision, it’s a matter of the Yankees’ belief that they
have some divine right to whomever they can co-opt with their unlimited
resources and total lack of scruples for the game of baseball. The Divine Right
of Kings had nothing on the Steinbrenner Clan, as also indicated by the move to
have its late patriarch canonized (at least in the baseball sense) by the Hall
of Fame next month. It’s not a matter of Lee not being worth $20 million a
year (although he’s extremely valuable, and a proven winner in the
postseason), or not being a good “deal” for $20 million a year. He’s not,
and it’s not. Value has nothing to do with the pursuit of Cliff Lee… at
least not as far as the Yankees are concerned. Hopefully for baseball, Lee will
turn down their filthy lucre and sign elsewhere.
Book Review: “My 66 Years in the Big
Leagues”
With a title like that, this book could only be the product of one man –
Connie Mack. Except, it’s not… not written by Connie Mack, that is.
Let’s take a step back and review Connie Mack bios. There are basically
three worth talking about… Fred Lieb’s “Connie Mack, Grand Old Man of
Baseball,” which was published in 1945… the volume under discussion,
supposedly written by Mack himself in 1950… and Norman Macht’s on-going
multi-part series, the first volume of which has been previously reviewed herein
and found to be one of the very best baseball biographies ever written by
anyone, anywhere, at any time. However, we’re not talking Macht here, we’re
not even talking Lieb, whose Mack bio was printed as part of the Putnam series
(I’m fortunate enough to have an original copy). While Lieb is notorious for
not letting the facts get in the way of a good story, his Mack bio is still the
better of the two written during the Tall Tactician’s lifetime.
As for “66 Years,” except for browsing through a copy in the National
Baseball Library in the mid-80s, I hadn’t had a chance to really check it out
until my friend and triviameister Bruce Brown sent me a re-print of the book
that was brought out last year by Dover Publications of Mineola, NY ($12.95;
ISBN-13: 978-0-486-47184-6 and ISBN-10: 0-486-47184-5). Having finally had a
chance to read “66 Years,” I found it a remarkable and fascinating book,
certainly one worth owning (particularly at a bargain price)… just not a story
that I would take to the bank for historical accuracy.
In that regard, the new introduction for the
Dover
edition, written by
Philadelphia
sportswriter/author Rich Westcott, bears close scrutiny. Although Westcott has
had a dozen books on
Philadelphia
baseball published over the years, his credentials as an historian take a
beating herein. Incredibly, his introduction doesn’t mention the most obvious
historical fact of the book… that Connie Mack did not write it. To state it
another way, there’s no way on heaven or earth that Connie Mack actually wrote
this book. Despite that, Westcott not only doesn’t mention it, but he writes,
“Sometimes writing philosophically, Mack, who died in 1956, discussed the game
as it was when he was a major part of it.”
Uh, no Rich. Connie Mack didn’t write this book. The best guess is that
Francis Trevelyan Miller, a pretty well-known historian/author of that era
(though he wrote mostly military history books), who was credited for the
introduction to the original edition, probably also ghost wrote the whole book
after talking with Mack at some length.
Let’s look at the facts. This book came out in 1950, when Mack was 88 years
old. Although Fred Lieb did indeed write his own memoirs at age 88, he was a
professional writer (and there are a lot of historical inaccuracies in
“Baseball As I Have Known It,” although it is a marvelous story) and the
number of 88 year-olds who could undertake such a task are remarkably few. More
importantly, it’s been documented many, many times in many, many sources (too
many to list), that, mentally, Mack had long since lost a step going to first
base (that’s how the joke about his sons becoming senile before he did came
about) by 1950. I mean, in his last couple of years as manager he was calling on
Harry Davis and Jimmy Foxx to go in and pinch-hit.
Maybe this is nit-picking, but, the emperor has no clothes, and Westcott
really should have said so. Since he didn’t, as a service in the cause of
history, I will. And, in general, the careful reader will observe much of what
is presented in “66 Years” as “history” with a gimlet eye.
Nonetheless, this book is a fascinating look inside the memories of Connie Mack,
and most likely the source for many of the stories ABOUT Mack, including the one
that he preferred to finish second, since it cost less in player salaries…
although it is interesting to note that whoever wrote “66 Years” pins this
tale originally on the Phillies’ pinch-penny owner of the 1890s, John Rogers.
(And it makes a lot more sense in that case, considering
Rogers
’ background.)
Of course, memories are funny things, especially when you’re 88 years old.
Miller, or whomever wrote the book, clearly has added in a few thoughts on this
own, especially in those sections where Mack is supposedly writing
authoritatively about events that happened when he was a child, or even earlier.
The chapter titled “Historic Events” obviously bears the imprint of an
historian (Miller?), since it deals with baseball history, much of it long
before Mack’s time. For instance, Jim Creighton died before Mack was born…
maybe that’s why “66 Years” incorrectly states that the cause of his death
was a heart attack while batting. (Still, Jim Creighton was, one would imagine,
virtually unknown by most baseball historians 60 years ago.)
Yes, it’s possible that Mack himself may have done some historical research
himself on the Knickerbockers and the like, but that seems kind of unlikely,
don’t you think? The one reference I know of regarding Mack as an historian
was after he retired to St. Petersburg, when he showed up on Fred Lieb’s
doorstep (Lieb tells this story in “Baseball As I Have Known It”) and asked
him to arrange to have some recordings made of his voice. And even that gesture
had been suggested to the old gentleman by someone else.
Setting aside the historian’s viewpoint, “66 Years” has some
interesting points on a wide variety of baseball subjects – recollections of
great players, the game in the 90s, the Hall of Fame, umpires, the press, the
contribution of colleges to the game (recalling that Mack was famous for
bringing in college kids to play for the A’s, some of whom, like Eddie
Collins, were pretty good), Mack’s All-Stars, records, a time line of famous
firsts (the author, whoever he was, essentially has BOTH Abner Doubleday AND
Alexander Cartwright inventing the game), and some great pictures. As long as
you don’t take it all too seriously, it’s an enjoyable read.
Lend a Hand to Mercy Vocational’s
Baseball Team
Those of you in the
Philadelphia
area, or even not in the
Philadelphia
area, who are interested in the future of baseball, here’s a chance to help
out.
Jared Wheeler (besides being a “19 to 21” subscriber, a former
Temple
player, and a baseball historian) is the head baseball coach at Mercy
Vocational High School Baseball in
Philadelphia
. On Dec. 28, 2010, Wheeler and many of his players will be running a free
baseball clinic (inside, obviously) in the community (aka Roxborough and North
Philly) for youth to teach them the fundamentals of baseball.
As part of the event, Mercy Vocational would like to provide each participant
with some sort of baseball-related gift or possibly a gift bag. Ideally,
they’d like to see if they can get new gloves for each child donated, but the
gifts could be as simple as a baseball, a pack of cards and a t-shirt.
The baseball team is currently holding several fundraisers to help raise
money for the event. One of the fundraising events is a chance drive with
donations from local businesses and stores. If the above request doesn’t work,
then maybe a donation or two that can be raffled off would help in reaching
their goal.
Any support that you could give Mercy Vocational to help reach the goal of
providing gifts for the kids would be appreciated.
You can contact Wheeler at (215) 694-4363 or at
507 Acorn St.
,
Philadelphia
,
PA
19128
, or by email at 507.wheeler@gmail.com.