Oldest Players

Some may tell you that Satchell Paige (58), Nick Altrock (56), Minnnie Minosa (54), and Jim O'Rourke (53) are the oldest major league players ever. But every one of them were making "novelty" appearances by those ages. So who have been the oldest "non-novelty," playing because they're good enough to be a continuing member of the team players?

Jack Quinn 50 years, 6 days
Hoyt Wilhelm 49 years, 11 months, 14 days
Julio Franco 49 years, 25 days
Phil Niekro 48 y, 5 m, 26 d
Satchel Paige (pre-novelty) at least 47 (born 7-7-06, and pitching late into the 1953 season)
Nolan Ryan 46 y 8 m 22 d
Charlie Hough 46 y, 7 m, 21 d
Sam Thompson 46 y, 6 m, 5 d (7 hits in 31 AB in 8 games)
Jesse Orosco 46 y 5 m 6 d
Bobo Newsom 46 y 1 m 6 d
Tommy John 46 y 0 m 3 d

The only nonpitchers among the 11 who played at age 46+ are Franco and Thompson, and Thompson's appearance in 8 games many years after his career had seemingly ended is debatable as to qualifying as "non-novelty."

The next nonpitchers on the list:
Carlton Fisk 45 y 5 m 27 d
Cap Anson 45 y 5 m 16 d
Pete Rose 45 y 4 m 3 d
Bobby Wallace 44 y 9 m 28 d
Rickey Henderson 44 y 8 m 25 d
Sam Rice 44 y 6 m 26 d
Tony Perez 44 y 4 m 21 d
Graig Nettles 44 y 1 m 11 d
Carl Yazstremski 44 y 1 m 11 d

Thus, not counting Thompson's 8 game appearance, Julio Franco is the only nonpitcher among the the top 10 oldest non-novelty players, and was over 3 and a half years older than the next oldest nonpitcher, Fisk. I would still like to know how he did what none of the other tens of thousands of position players over the 132 year history of the majors has been able to do!

Guys Near the Top Both Before and After 30

I've been on this up through and after 30 kick lately; I was wondering: how many players have been so dominant in a major statistical category that they appear in, say, the top three all-time on both the up through 30 and after 30 lists. As you'd expect, it's pretty rare. Here's what I found as far as hitters go:

Batting Average: Ty Cobb ranks 2nd all-time through age 30 (.370) and 1st overall after 30 (.362).

On Base Percentage: Ted Williams is 1st thru 30 (.488) and 2nd after 30 (.474).
Babe Ruth is 2nd thru 30 (.475) and 3rd after 30 (.473)

Slugging Pct.: Ruth is first both thru 30 (.697) and after 30 (.684): that's why he's the Babe!
Ted Williams is 2nd before 30 (.642) and 3rd after 30 (.624)

Total Bases: Hank Aaron is 3rd both through 30 (3692) and after 30 (3164)

Triples: Sam Crawford is 1st thru 30 (193) and 3rd after 30 (116)

Stolen Bases: Rickey Henderson is 1st thru 30 (871) and 2nd after 30 (535).

At Bats per Home Run: Ruth is 1st through 30 (12.7) and 2nd after 30 (11.0).

Leading Brother Stats, 2008

games: 273 Adrian and Edgar Gonzalez
269 Bengie and Yadier Molina
261 J.D. and Stephen Drew
253 B.J. and Justin Upton

AB: 979 Drews; 974 Molinas; 941 Gonzalezes; 887 Uptons
runs: 170 Drews; 141 Gonzalezes; 137 Uptons; 115 Molinas
hits: 290 Molinas; 281 Drews; 261 Gonzalezes; 234 Uptons
doubles: 67 Drews; 56 Uptons; 51 Molinas; 47 Gonzalezes
triples: 15 Drews; 8 Uptons; 5 Jerry and Scott Hairston
HR: 43 Gonzalezes; 40 Drews; 30 Adam and Andy LaRoche; 24 Uptons
RBI: 152 Gonzalezes; 151 Molinas; 131 Drews; 109 Uptons
SB: 45 Uptons; 24 Corey and Eric Patterson; 21 Jolbert and Orlando Cabrera; 18 Hairstons
BB: 151 Uptons; 120 Drews; 99 Gonzalezes; 78 LaRoches

SB Pct.'s for 70+ SB Seasons

In order from best to worst, here are the stolen bases percentages (stolen bases divided by stolen base attempts) for every player's season of 70 or more stolen bases:
1. 88.9% (80 of 90) Rickey Henderson, 1985
1. 88.9 (104 of 117) Maury Wills, 1962
3. 88.8 (79-89) Willie Wilson, 1980
4. 88.6 (70-79) Tim Raines, 1985
4. 88.6 (70-79) Raines, 1986
6. 88.4 (107-121) Vince Coleman, 1986
7. 88.2 (75-85) Raines, 1984
8. 87.9 (80-91) Eric Davis, 1986
9. 87.7 (93-106) Henderson, 1988
10. 87.4 (83-95) Wilson, 1979
11. 86.6 (71-82) Raines, 1981
12. 86.5 (90-104) Raines, 1983
12. 86.5 (77-89) Rudy Law, 1983
12. 86.5 (77-89) Davey Lopes, 1975
15. 85.7 (78-91) Marquis Grissom, 1992
16. 85.0 (108-127) Henderson, 1983
17. 84.8 (78-92) Ron Leflore, 1979
18. 84.7 (72-85) Tony Womack, 1999
19. 84.6 (77-91) Henderson, 1989
20. 84.3 (70-83) Scott Podsednik, 2004
21. 83.6 (97-116) Leflore, 1980
22. 83.3 (70-84) Kenny Lofton, 1993
22. 83.3 (70-84) Mickey Rivers, 1975
24. 83.2 (109-131) Coleman, 1987
25. 83.0 (78-94) Raines, 1982
26. 82.9 (87-105) Henderson, 1986
27. 82.8 (72-87) Juan Samuel, 1984
28. 81.9 (77-94) Coleman, 1990
29. 81.7 (76-93) Grissom, 1991
30. 81.5 (110-135) Coleman, 1985
30. 81.5 (75-92) Lofton, 1996
32. 81.3 (74-91) Fred Maisel, 1914
33. 80.4 (74-92) Lou Brock, 1966
33. 80.4 (74-92) Brian Hunter, 1997
35. 80.2 (73-91) Tommy Harper, 1969
36. 79.5 (70-88)Frank Tavares, 1977
37. 79.4 (100-126) Henderson, 1980
38. 79.0 (79-100) Dave Collins, 1980
39. 78.8 (78-99) Jose Reyes, 2007
40. 78.6 (77-98) Omar Moreno, 1979
41. 78.1 (118-151) Brock, 1974
42. 77.8 (70-90) Brock, 1973
43. 77.4 (72-93) Otis Nixon, 1991
44. 76.9 (70-91) Alan Wiggins, 1984
45. 76.3 (71-93) Moreno, 1978
46. 75.6 (130-172) Henderson, 1982
47. 75.2 (94-125) Wills, 1965
48. 75.0 (81-108) Coleman, 1988
49. 74.4 (96-129) Moreno, 1980
50. 72.1 (75-104) Billy North, 1976
51. 71.6 (96-134) Ty Cobb, 1915

Note: no caught stealing info available for many seasons in the early 20th century, so the following are not ranked: Cobb, 76 SB, 1909; Cobb, 83 SB, 1911; Clyde Milan, 88 SB, 1912; Milan, 75 SB, 1913; Bob Bescher, 70 SB, 1910; Bescher, 81 SB, 1911; Eddie Collins, 81 SB, 1910; and Benny Kauff, 75 SB, 1914.

Notice how often Tim Raines appears near the top of the list--no surprise, then that he's the all-time SB pct. king. I was surprised that the two top SB seasons all-time (Henderson in 1982 and Brock in 1974) ranked in the bottom 20% of these rankings. FInally, it's strange how Maury Wills' then-record year of 1962 ranks tied for first in SB pct., but his other high SB year, 1965, ranks near the bottom.

300 Winners, Then and Now

Need proof that the recent crop of 300 game winners are a superior lot to those who joined the 300 Club a generation earlier (from 1982-1990)?

The six guys who retired a generation ago (Perry, Carlton, Sutton, Seaver, Niekro and Ryan) compiled a combined won-loss record of 1920-1536, a combined winning percentage of .556. A team could go .556 for a year (90-72) and miss the playoffs (both NY teams missed it with 89-73 records this year)!

Compare that to the guys who've joined the club this decade (Clemens, Maddux and Glavine), plus Randy Johnson, expected to joine them next year, barring injury. Those four's combined won-loss record is 1309-774, a combined winning percentage of .628. That's approximately the equivalent of a team going 102-60, which is good enough most years to make a team the prohibitive favorite to win the World Series.

Need still more proof? Compare the adjusted ERA+ rankings for the two groups. ERA+ is calculated by comparing a pitcher's ERA each year to the league's average ERA for that year. If one's ERA exactly matches the league ERA, the score would be 100. Higher than 100--say 110 means that one's ERA was about 10% lower than the league average.

The scores for the earlier group of six: 127, 117, 115, 115, 111 and 108, for an approximate average rating of 115.5.

The scores for the recent quartet: 142, 137, 132, and 118, for an approximate average rating of 132. So the difference between these guys' ERA's and the league average was twice as great as it was for the earlier six.

Tavares--starter or reliever?

Throughout his career, Julian Tavares has been back and forth like a yo-yo between starting and relieving. He started in 8 of his first 9 games in the majors, 1993-4. He then relieved in 300 of his next 304 games, 1995-99. 2000 was a transition year: he started 12 times and relieved 39 times. He then started 55 of 63 games in 2001-02. From 2003-2006, it was back to relieving 267 out of 273 games. In 2007, he started 23 out of 34 games. And this past year, 2008, he relieved in all 52 games he appeared in. Starting-relieving-starting-relieving-starting-relieving. I wonder if ANY other players have been switched form one to the other so many times in their careers?

Slugging Back to Pre-Juiced Levels

Need proof that slugging in 2008 was as low as it's been since the boom in the '90's (attributed to either juiced balls and/or juiced players)?

Consider these factoids:
Alex Rodriquez's AL-leading .573 slugging pct. this year was the lowest to lead the AL since 1989, and the lowest to lead either league since 1991.

Albert Pujols' major-league-leading 342 total bases was the lowest total to lead the majors in a full (non-strike-affected) season since 1992.

Before 2008, there hadn't been as few as 2 players hitting 40 or more homers in the majors in a full (non-strike-affected) season since 1992. There were as many as 10 40+ HR hitters as recently as 2006; 16 did it in both 2000 and 1996.

Before 2008, there hadn't been as few as 3 players hitting better than one homer per 14 AB since 1991; there were 8 just last year (2007); no fewer than 7 every year from 1994-2007.

Whether it's a good thing or bad thing that slugging once again resembles it's "normal" parameters (i.e., around where it usually was from the dawn or Ruth through the 1980's) can be debated. I tend to think it's good. Problem is, baseball is going to be debating what to do about all those inflated numbers from the 1990's and early 2000's for years to come.

Biggest Whiffers

Mark Reynolds became the first player ever to strike out over 200 times (204 to be exact) this year. Not only that, but three of the top four strike out totals all-time are from this year, with Ryan Howard tying his (now second-highest)199 from last year, and Jack Cust right behind with 197. Add in Adam Dunn's 195 and 194 from 2004 and 2006, and the top 6 were all set in the past 5 years (after Bobby Bonds' 189 "reigned supreme" for 34 years starting in 1970). Is this the post-steroid-testing effect on sluggers?

HR's, before and after Age 30

Here's the list of 500+ HR hitters, broken down by their homers hit up through the season they were 30 as of June 30, and their homers after that season:

Bonds: 292 thru 30, 470 after (762 total)
Aaron: 366 thru 30, 389 after (755)
Ruth: 309 thru 30, 405 after (714)
Mays: 319 thru 30, 341 after (660)
Griffey: 438 thru 30, 173+ after (611 thru age 38)
Sosa: 336 thru 30, 273 after (609)
F. Robinson: 373 thru 30, 193 after (586)
McGwire: 238 thru 30, 345 after (583)
Killebrew: 334 thru 30, 237 after (573)
Palmeiro: 194 thru 30, 374 after (569)
R. Jackson: 281 thru 30, 282 after (563)
A-Rod: 464 thru 30, 89+ after (553 thru age 32)
Schmidt: 283 thru 30, 265 after (548)
Thome: 282 thru 30, 259+ after, (541 thru age 37)
Mantle: 404 thru 30, 132 after (536)
Foxx: 439 thru 30, 105 after (534)
M. Ramirez: 310 thru 30, 217 after, (527 thru age 36)
McCovey: 268 thru 30, 253 after (521)
F. Thomas: 286 thru 30, 235+ after, (521 thru age 40)
T. Williams: 265 thru 30, 256 after (521)
Banks: 298 thru 30, 214 after (512)
E. Mathews: 399 thru 30, 113 after (512)
Ott: 369 thru 30, 142 after (511)
Murray: 275 thru 30, 225 after (504)
(Sheffield, with 499+, had 236 thru 30, 263+ after, thru age 39)

Interesting to note that, whereas only 7 of the 24 in the 500 homer club have hit more after age 30, all four of the top 4 all-time are among the seven, and all 7 are among the top 11.
The most lopsided toward the younger end of 30: Foxx (429-105), Mathews (399-113), Mantle (404-132), Ott (369-142) and Griffey (438-173+)
Most lopsided toward the older half of the career (all suspected steroid users): Palmeiro (194-375), Bonds (292-470) and McGwire (238-345). The steroid-free Ruth was 309-405.
The most evenly balanced: Jackson (281-282) and Williams (265-256).

Brothers' Totals This Year

Stats for brothers active in the majors in 2008 (as far as I could tell, no pitching brother pairs were active, with neither Orlando Hernandez nor Jeff Weaver playing this year)
games, AB, runs, hits, doubles triples, HR, RBI, SB, CS, BB, SO, avg., OB, SLG

Jolbert Cabrera: 48 115 17 29 6 1 3 12 2 0 8 29 .252 .310 .400
Orlando Cabrera: 161 661 93 186 33 1 8 57 19 6 56 71 .281 .334 .371 Totals: 209 776 110 215 39 2 11 69 21 6 64 100

Dmitri Young: 50 150 15 42 6 0 4 10 0 0 28 28 .280 .394 .400
Delmon Young: 152 575 80 167 28 4 10 69 14 5 35 105 .290 .336 .405
Totals: 202 725 95 209 34 4 14 79 14 5 63 133

B.J Upton: 145 531 85 145 37 2 9 67 44 16 97 134 .273 .383 .401
Justin Upton: 108 356 52 89 19 6 15 42 1 4 54 121 .250 .353 .463
Totals: 253 887 137 234 56 8 24 109 45 20 151 255

J.D. Drew: 109 368 79 103 23 4 19 64 4 1 79 80 .280 .408 .519
Stephen Drew: 152 611 91 178 44 11 21 67 3 3 41 109 .291 .333 .502
Totals: 261 979 170 281 67 15 40 131 7 4 120 189

Chris Duncan: 76 222 26 55 8 0 6 27 2 1 34 52 .248 .346 .365
Shelly Duncan:23 57 7 10 3 0 1 6 0 0 7 13 .175 .262 .281
Totals: 99 282 33 65 11 0 7 33 2 1 41 65

Adrian Gonzalez:162 616 103 172 32 1 36 119 0 0 74 142 .279 .361 .510
Edgar Gonzalez: 111 325 38 89 15 0 7 33 1 3 25 76 .274 .329 .385
Totals: 273 841 141 261 47 1 43 152 1 3 99 218

Jerry Hairston: 80 261 47 85 20 2 6 36 15 3 23 36 .326 .384 .487
Scott Hairston: 112 326 42 81 18 3 17 31 3 1 28 84 .248 .312 .479
Totals: 192 587 89 166 38 5 23 67 18 4 51 120

Adam LaRoche: 136 492 66 133 32 3 25 85 1 1 54 122 .270 .341 .500
Andy LaRoche: 76 223 17 37 5 0 5 18 2 0 24 37 .166 .252 .256
Totals: 212 715 83 170 37 3 30 103 3 1 78 159

Bengie Molina: 145 530 46 155 33 0 16 95 0 0 19 38 .292 .322 .445
Jose Molina: 100 268 32 58 17 0 3 18 0 0 12 52 .216 .263 .313
Yadier Molina: 124 444 37 135 18 0 7 56 0 2 32 29 .304 .349 .392 Totals: 369 1242 115 348 68 0 26 169 0 2 63 119

(Bengie & Yadier only):269 974 83 290 51 0 23 151 0 2 51 67

Corey Patterson: 135 366 46 75 17 2 10 34 14 9 16 57 .205 .238 .344
Eric Patterson: 43 130 16 25 4 0 1 15 10 1 17 36 .192 .284 .246
Totals: 178 496 62 100 21 2 11 49 24 10 33 93

Final Month-by-Month on HR Leaders

(March/April-May-June-July-August-Sept/Oct)
Howard: 5-10-5-10-7-11=48 (177 in 2071 career AB: 1/11.7; better than Ruth, 2nd to McGwire (10.6) all-time).
Dunn: 4-10-6-12-2-6=40
Delgado: 3-5-6-9-7-8=38 (hit 38+ HR for 7th time in career; now has 469 at age 36)
Braun: 3-11-6-9-5-3=37
Cabrera: 5-3-3-8-10-8=37 (175 at age 25)
Ludwick: 4-9-3-7-9-5=37
Pujols: 5-9-3-4-8-8=37 (319 at age 28)
Adrien Gonzalez: 5-10-6-4-3-8=36
Carlos Quentin: 7-7-5-9-8-0(injured)=36
A-Rod: 4-3-9-7-6-6=35