2+ Seasons Of 180+ Hits With OPS+ Less Than 100
Posted by Steve Lombardi on March 29, 2011
How many players since 1901 have had two or more seasons with 180+ hits while fashioning an OPS+ under 100?
Here's the list:
.
No truth to the rumor that this is why Doc Cramer has a street...uh, I mean...boulevard...named after him.
March 29th, 2011 at 5:27 pm
I love Dave Cash.
Made this list for 2 teams Phils and Expos.
from 1974 through 1977 he averaged 199 hits and 98 OPS+. He did beat out his Keystone Combo mate Larry Bowa (also on this list) in OPS+ just about every year.
March 29th, 2011 at 6:07 pm
I love seeing a headline and knowing who is going to be somewhere on the list... first thought was Juan Pierre
March 29th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I knew Jimmy Rollins was going to be on this list.
March 29th, 2011 at 6:54 pm
A lot of players from the '20s/'30s and '90s/'00s. Higher offensive periods, meaning even players putting up historically very good numbers might fall below 100 compared to the competition.
March 29th, 2011 at 6:57 pm
I'm a bit surprised about Michael Young being on this list.
While I didn't immediately think of Jimmy Rollins, his inclusion makes sense, as I believe his on-base percentage has usually been fairly low.
March 29th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
Slightly surprised Ichiro is not here. His numbers are a bit better but still quite similar to Mike Young's.
Ichiro did come close a couple of times with 102 and 106 OPS+.
March 29th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
Juan Pierre was one hit short of having his sixth season last year.
March 29th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Doc Cramer...over 2700 hits but a career WAR of 5.4 (8.8 offensive, -3.4 defensive). Takes a special talent to do something like that!
March 29th, 2011 at 8:28 pm
@Ed,
That HAS to be the record. Averaging less than .002 Wins per hit.
I wonder who has the most productive hits.
I'll guess Gehrig.
March 29th, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Juan Pierre has three seasons of > 200 hits, with < 100 OPS+.
March 29th, 2011 at 9:20 pm
As of 2006 Juan Pierre held the seasonal record for the lowest BA for a player with more than 200 hits, .292 in 2006.
Doc Cramer had a streak of 2663 AB without a HR, eighth longest in ML.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:41 pm
@ Rick Chest
Pierre is also a click off the lowest BA for 220 hits. His 221 hits 2004 rank near or at the bottom in nearly every category, both % and accumulative.
I still think Pierre has more value than most people give him credit for.
March 29th, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Pierre missed adding to this list by 1 hit last year.
March 30th, 2011 at 12:33 am
Has anyone gone from being often mentioned as "one of the most underrated players" to being tacitly acknowledged as one of the most overrated, more quickly than Michael Young, with so little change in his actual performance?
March 30th, 2011 at 1:59 am
So, why does Doc Cramer have a boulevard named after him?
March 30th, 2011 at 6:37 am
Felix Milan and Lance Johnson immediately came to mind. I was half right.
March 30th, 2011 at 8:57 am
@12 Juan Pierre scored 90 plus run 7 times in his career.Since scoring runs is the object of the game, I would say he has been valuable to his team.
March 30th, 2011 at 10:47 am
You'll all notice Pierre made an effort to get on base other ways than slap singles last year with his 21 HBP. Who needs walks when you can Biggio your way on to first?
March 30th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
@17 -- A raw count of Pierre's runs scored means little without any context.
Let's put his 2010 season into context:
-- The average AL leadoff spot produced 99 Runs and 54 RBI.
-- The White Sox, with Pierre leading off all but 6 games, got 97 Runs and 48 RBI -- slightly below average, even their overall R/G was about 4% above average.
So where's the offensive value?
The same analysis for his other seasons often leads to same conclusion.
Taking another angle and focusing only on Runs....
2010 was the first time in his career that Pierre cracked the top 10 in runs scored in his league; he was tied for 10th.
Is that good value from a slap-hitting leadoff man?
For the years 2001-07 -- the prime of his career -- Pierre was 3rd among all hitters in total PAs (averaging 716 PA per year), 2nd in total outs made ... but 14th in Runs.
When you examine Pierre's raw numbers in the context of what other leadoff men do, then factor in the cost to his teams of all the outs he's made, he has clearly been a below-average leadoff man.
March 30th, 2011 at 2:33 pm
Re: the above (#19). I have wondered about Pete Rose's career run totals. First in plate appearances by a huge margin and mostly batting leadoff in front of good hitters. Yet only 6th in run scored. A run for approximately every 7.5 PAs.
March 30th, 2011 at 3:37 pm
Gerry - Cramer died in Manahawkin, New Jersey at 85 years of age. There is a street there named in his honor (Doc Cramer Blvd.). There was also formerly a youth baseball tournament, the Doc Cramer Invitational Baseball Tournament, held in Manahawkin every July.
March 31st, 2011 at 12:43 am
wonder who has the most productive hits. I'll guess Gehrig.
Interesting question. With substantial playing time, the leader, unsurprisingly, is Babe Ruth, with 0.060 WAR per hit. Gehrig had .044. With a minimum of 3000 PA, 13 players have had at least .040 WAR per hit (the others are Bonds, Mays, Hornsby, T. Williams, Mantle, Schmidt, Morgan, Mathews, Pujols, J. Robinson, Tenace).
March 31st, 2011 at 2:06 am
@21, thanks. If I make it to 85, I'll have to move to Manahawkin, maybe they'll name a street after me, too.