PI Finds: Batting Season Finder
Posted by Neil Paine on November 11, 2009
With the new additions to the Play Index, you can run a wider variety of queries than ever before. Here are just a few examples...
First, go to the main Batting Season Finder page. Notice that the yellow box at the top of the interface now has 5 options (in the past, there were only two, Single Seasons Totals and Totals for Combined Seasons or Careers). The third option down says "Find Players with Seasons Matching Criteria" -- click the radio button next to it. This option allows you to look for players who had the most seasons (over a career or within the span of years you choose) that match the criteria you want, so let's look for the players who have the most career 40+ HR seasons:
| Rk | Yrs | To | From | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Babe Ruth | 11 | 1920 | 1932 | 25-37 | |
| 2 | Alex Rodriguez | 8 | 1998 | 2007 | 22-31 | |
| 3 | Barry Bonds | 8 | 1993 | 2004 | 28-39 | |
| 4 | Harmon Killebrew | 8 | 1959 | 1970 | 23-34 | |
| 5 | Hank Aaron | 8 | 1957 | 1973 | 23-39 | |
| 6 | Sammy Sosa | 7 | 1996 | 2003 | 27-34 | |
| 7 | Ken Griffey | 7 | 1993 | 2000 | 23-30 | |
| 8 | Jim Thome | 6 | 1997 | 2006 | 26-35 | |
| 9 | Mark McGwire | 6 | 1987 | 1999 | 23-35 | |
| 10 | Willie Mays | 6 | 1954 | 1965 | 23-34 | |
| 11 | Adam Dunn | 5 | 2004 | 2008 | 24-28 | |
| 12 | Albert Pujols | 5 | 2003 | 2009 | 23-29 | |
| 13 | Manny Ramirez | 5 | 1998 | 2005 | 26-33 | |
| 14 | Frank Thomas | 5 | 1993 | 2003 | 25-35 | |
| 15 | Juan Gonzalez | 5 | 1992 | 1998 | 22-28 | |
| 16 | Ernie Banks | 5 | 1955 | 1960 | 24-29 | |
| 17 | Duke Snider | 5 | 1953 | 1957 | 26-30 | |
| 18 | Ralph Kiner | 5 | 1947 | 1951 | 24-28 | |
| 19 | Jimmie Foxx | 5 | 1932 | 1938 | 24-30 | |
| 20 | Lou Gehrig | 5 | 1927 | 1936 | 24-33 |
You can also choose narrower criteria in conjunction with the other options in the interface -- for instance, here are the CF with the most seasons of at least 25 HR and 25 SB:
| Rk | Yrs | To | From | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Willie Mays | 5 | 1956 | 1960 | 25-29 | |
| 2 | Carlos Beltran | 4 | 2002 | 2008 | 25-31 | |
| 3 | Eric Davis | 3 | 1986 | 1988 | 24-26 | |
| 4 | Andre Dawson | 3 | 1978 | 1983 | 23-28 | |
| 5 | Mike Cameron | 2 | 2001 | 2002 | 28-29 | |
| 6 | Ron Gant | 2 | 1990 | 1991 | 25-26 | |
| 7 | Cesar Cedeno | 2 | 1973 | 1974 | 22-23 | |
| 8 | Matt Kemp | 1 | 2009 | 2009 | 24-24 | |
| 9 | Grady Sizemore | 1 | 2008 | 2008 | 25-25 | |
| 10 | Chris Young | 1 | 2007 | 2007 | 23-23 | |
| 11 | Eric Byrnes | 1 | 2006 | 2006 | 30-30 | |
| 12 | Jose Cruz | 1 | 2001 | 2001 | 27-27 | |
| 13 | Preston Wilson | 1 | 2000 | 2000 | 25-25 | |
| 14 | Carl Everett | 1 | 1999 | 1999 | 28-28 | |
| 15 | Ray Lankford | 1 | 1998 | 1998 | 31-31 | |
| 16 | Andruw Jones | 1 | 1998 | 1998 | 21-21 | |
| 17 | Andy Van Slyke | 1 | 1988 | 1988 | 27-27 | |
| 18 | Joe Carter | 1 | 1988 | 1988 | 28-28 | |
| 19 | Lloyd Moseby | 1 | 1987 | 1987 | 27-27 | |
| 20 | Rickey Henderson | 1 | 1986 | 1986 | 27-27 | |
| 21 | Dale Murphy | 1 | 1983 | 1983 | 27-27 | |
| 22 | Dwayne Murphy | 1 | 1982 | 1982 | 27-27 |
Now, go down and select the 4th option in the yellow box, "Find Teams with Players Matching Criteria". This allows you to look for the teams which had the most players matching the criteria you choose. So here are the teams with the most 30-HR hitters (a list that includes your 2009 NL Champs):
| Rk | Year | Tm | Lg | #Matching | Players w/ >= 30 HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | Philadelphia Phillies | NL | 4 | Ryan Howard / Raul Ibanez / Chase Utley / Jayson Werth |
| 2 | 2006 | Chicago White Sox | AL | 4 | Joe Crede / Jermaine Dye / Paul Konerko / Jim Thome |
| 3 | 2004 | Chicago Cubs | NL | 4 | Moises Alou / Derrek Lee / Aramis Ramirez / Sammy Sosa |
| 4 | 2000 | Anaheim Angels | AL | 4 | Garret Anderson / Troy Glaus / Tim Salmon / Mo Vaughn |
| 5 | 2000 | Toronto Blue Jays | AL | 4 | Tony Batista / Jose Cruz / Carlos Delgado / Brad Fullmer |
| 6 | 1999 | Colorado Rockies | NL | 4 | Dante Bichette / Vinny Castilla / Todd Helton / Larry Walker |
| 7 | 1998 | Atlanta Braves | NL | 4 | Andres Galarraga / Andruw Jones / Chipper Jones / Javy Lopez |
| 8 | 1997 | Colorado Rockies | NL | 4 | Ellis Burks / Vinny Castilla / Andres Galarraga / Larry Walker |
| 9 | 1997 | Los Angeles Dodgers | NL | 4 | Eric Karros / Raul Mondesi / Mike Piazza / Todd Zeile |
| 10 | 1996 | Colorado Rockies | NL | 4 | Dante Bichette / Ellis Burks / Vinny Castilla / Andres Galarraga |
| 11 | 1995 | Colorado Rockies | NL | 4 | Dante Bichette / Vinny Castilla / Andres Galarraga / Larry Walker |
| 12 | 1977 | Los Angeles Dodgers | NL | 4 | Dusty Baker / Ron Cey / Steve Garvey / Reggie Smith |
Again, you can use this with a variety of different criteria... here are the teams filled with the most rally-killers:
| Rk | Year | Tm | Lg | #Matching | Players w/ >=20 GIDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1950 | Detroit Tigers | AL | 4 | Johnny Groth / George Kell / Johnny Lipon / Jerry Priddy |
| 2 | 2009 | Houston Astros | NL | 3 | Carlos Lee / Hunter Pence / Miguel Tejada |
| 3 | 2007 | Baltimore Orioles | AL | 3 | Nick Markakis / Melvin Mora / Miguel Tejada |
| 4 | 2003 | Chicago White Sox | AL | 3 | Paul Konerko / Carlos Lee / Magglio Ordonez |
| 5 | 1989 | Oakland Athletics | AL | 3 | Carney Lansford / Mark McGwire / Dave Parker |
| 6 | 1984 | Texas Rangers | AL | 3 | Buddy Bell / Larry Parrish / Gary Ward |
| 7 | 1983 | Baltimore Orioles | AL | 3 | Rich Dauer / Cal Ripken / Ken Singleton |
| 8 | 1971 | Minnesota Twins | AL | 3 | Rod Carew / Harmon Killebrew / Tony Oliva |
| 9 | 1943 | Detroit Tigers | AL | 3 | Jimmy Bloodworth / Dick Wakefield / Rudy York |
| 10 | 1939 | New York Giants | NL | 3 | Zeke Bonura / Frank Demaree / Billy Jurges |
Finally, choose the 5th option down in the yellow box, "Find Seasons with Players Matching Criteria". The previous search look for teams that had the most players matching a specific criteria, but this option goes even broader and looks for entire leagues with the most players matching the requirements you set out. Here's an easy one at first, the seasons with the most 40-HR hitters:
| Rk | Year | #Matching | Players w/ 40+ HR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1996 | 16 | Brady Anderson / Albert Belle / Barry Bonds / Jay Buhner / Ellis Burks / Ken Caminiti / Vinny Castilla / Andres Galarraga / Juan Gonzalez / Ken Griffey / Todd Hundley / Mark McGwire / Gary Sheffield / Sammy Sosa / Frank Thomas / Mo Vaughn |
| 2 | 2000 | 15 | Jeff Bagwell / Tony Batista / Barry Bonds / Carlos Delgado / Jim Edmonds / Jason Giambi / Troy Glaus / Ken Griffey / Vladimir Guerrero / Todd Helton / Richard Hidalgo / Alex Rodriguez / Gary Sheffield / Sammy Sosa / Frank Thomas |
| 3 | 1999 | 13 | Jeff Bagwell / Carlos Delgado / Shawn Green / Ken Griffey / Vladimir Guerrero / Chipper Jones / Mark McGwire / Rafael Palmeiro / Mike Piazza / Manny Ramirez / Alex Rodriguez / Sammy Sosa / Greg Vaughn |
| 4 | 1998 | 13 | Albert Belle / Jose Canseco / Vinny Castilla / Andres Galarraga / Juan Gonzalez / Ken Griffey / Mark McGwire / Rafael Palmeiro / Manny Ramirez / Alex Rodriguez / Sammy Sosa / Greg Vaughn / Mo Vaughn |
| 5 | 2001 | 12 | Barry Bonds / Troy Glaus / Luis Gonzalez / Shawn Green / Todd Helton / Phil Nevin / Rafael Palmeiro / Manny Ramirez / Alex Rodriguez / Richie Sexson / Sammy Sosa / Jim Thome |
| 6 | 2006 | 11 | Carlos Beltran / Lance Berkman / Adam Dunn / Jermaine Dye / Travis Hafner / Ryan Howard / Andruw Jones / David Ortiz / Albert Pujols / Alfonso Soriano / Jim Thome |
| 7 | 1997 | 11 | Jeff Bagwell / Barry Bonds / Jay Buhner / Vinny Castilla / Andres Galarraga / Juan Gonzalez / Ken Griffey / Tino Martinez / Mike Piazza / Jim Thome / Larry Walker |
| 8 | 2003 | 10 | Barry Bonds / Carlos Delgado / Jason Giambi / Javy Lopez / Albert Pujols / Alex Rodriguez / Richie Sexson / Sammy Sosa / Frank Thomas / Jim Thome |
| 9 | 2005 | 9 | Adam Dunn / Andruw Jones / Paul Konerko / Derrek Lee / David Ortiz / Albert Pujols / Manny Ramirez / Alex Rodriguez / Mark Teixeira |
| 10 | 2004 | 9 | Adrian Beltre / Barry Bonds / Adam Dunn / Jim Edmonds / Paul Konerko / David Ortiz / Albert Pujols / Manny Ramirez / Jim Thome |
| 11 | 2002 | 8 | Lance Berkman / Barry Bonds / Jason Giambi / Shawn Green / Rafael Palmeiro / Alex Rodriguez / Sammy Sosa / Jim Thome |
| 12 | 1961 | 8 | Norm Cash / Orlando Cepeda / Rocky Colavito / Jim Gentile / Harmon Killebrew / Mickey Mantle / Roger Maris / Willie Mays |
| 13 | 1969 | 7 | Hank Aaron / Frank Howard / Reggie Jackson / Harmon Killebrew / Willie McCovey / Rico Petrocelli / Carl Yastrzemski |
| 14 | 1970 | 6 | Johnny Bench / Frank Howard / Harmon Killebrew / Tony Perez / Billy Williams / Carl Yastrzemski |
| 15 | 1955 | 6 | Ernie Banks / Ted Kluszewski / Eddie Mathews / Willie Mays / Wally Post / Duke Snider |
| 16 | 1954 | 6 | Gil Hodges / Ted Kluszewski / Eddie Mathews / Willie Mays / Hank Sauer / Duke Snider |
| 17 | 1953 | 6 | Roy Campanella / Ted Kluszewski / Eddie Mathews / Al Rosen / Duke Snider / Gus Zernial |
| 18 | 2009 | 5 | Prince Fielder / Adrian Gonzalez / Ryan Howard / Albert Pujols / Mark Reynolds |
| 19 | 2007 | 5 | Adam Dunn / Prince Fielder / Ryan Howard / Carlos Pena / Alex Rodriguez |
| 20 | 1993 | 5 | Barry Bonds / Juan Gonzalez / Ken Griffey / David Justice / Frank Thomas |
Okay, and what about seasons with the most SS who hit .300 or better?
| Rk | Year | #Matching | SS with AVG >= .300 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1930 | 7 | Dick Bartell / Joe Cronin / Woody English / Charlie Gelbert / Travis Jackson / Red Kress / Glenn Wright |
| 2 | 2009 | 6 | Erick Aybar / Jason Bartlett / Asdrubal Cabrera / Derek Jeter / Hanley Ramirez / Miguel Tejada |
| 3 | 2006 | 6 | Rafael Furcal / Carlos Guillen / Derek Jeter / Jose Reyes / Miguel Tejada / Michael Young |
| 4 | 2007 | 5 | Orlando Cabrera / Derek Jeter / Hanley Ramirez / Edgar Renteria / Michael Young |
| 5 | 1998 | 5 | Mike Caruso / Nomar Garciaparra / Derek Jeter / Barry Larkin / Alex Rodriguez |
| 6 | 1941 | 5 | Luke Appling / Joe Cronin / Phil Rizzuto / Cecil Travis / Arky Vaughan |
| 7 | 1937 | 5 | Luke Appling / Dick Bartell / Joe Cronin / Cecil Travis / Arky Vaughan |
| 8 | 1926 | 5 | Dave Bancroft / Travis Jackson / Buddy Myer / Joe Sewell / Glenn Wright |
| 9 | 1922 | 5 | Dave Bancroft / Chick Galloway / Charlie Hollocher / Topper Rigney / Specs Toporczer |
| 10 | 1901 | 5 | George Davis / Kid Elberfeld / Bill Keister / Freddy Parent / Bobby Wallace |
| 11 | 2008 | 4 | Cristian Guzman / Derek Jeter / Hanley Ramirez / Ryan Theriot |
| 12 | 2004 | 4 | Carlos Guillen / Miguel Tejada / Jack Wilson / Michael Young |
| 13 | 2002 | 4 | Nomar Garciaparra / Edgar Renteria / Alex Rodriguez / Miguel Tejada |
| 14 | 2001 | 4 | Rich Aurilia / Cristian Guzman / Derek Jeter / Alex Rodriguez |
| 15 | 2000 | 4 | Deivi Cruz / Nomar Garciaparra / Derek Jeter / Alex Rodriguez |
| 16 | 1999 | 4 | Nomar Garciaparra / Mark Grudzielanek / Derek Jeter / Omar Vizquel |
| 17 | 1987 | 4 | Tony Fernandez / Julio Franco / Ozzie Smith / Alan Trammell |
| 18 | 1938 | 4 | Joe Cronin / Red Kress / Cecil Travis / Arky Vaughan |
| 19 | 1934 | 4 | Luke Appling / Dick Bartell / Bill Knickerbocker / Arky Vaughan |
| 20 | 1931 | 4 | Johnny Burnett / Joe Cronin / Woody English / Travis Jackson |
| 21 | 1929 | 4 | Dick Bartell / Jimmie Dykes / Bernie Friberg / Red Kress |
| 22 | 1928 | 4 | Mark Koenig / Bobby Reeves / Joe Sewell / Glenn Wright |
Also, we can't forget about the incredible new arithmetic function, which Andy covered in this post.
And as always, let us know about any bugs you find, any questions you may have, or even suggestions about how to make things even better the next time we update the PI. Happy searching!
November 11th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
In the Players with 40+ HRs, the correct top two are 17 and 16. Greg Vaughn is missing from 1996 and David Justice is missing from 2000.
November 11th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
The problem that Steve observed is created because the season finder views players who split time between teams as having separate seasons. (Incidentally, it now occurs to me that this may be why the Franchise option doesn't work for single seasons.)
November 11th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I had completely forgotten that the '77 Dodgers used to be pretty well known for the impressive feat of four 30-HR hitters. It's amazing how common that has suddenly become.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
[...] 2, 2000, 15, Jeff Bagwell / Tony Batista / Barry Bonds / Carlos Delgado / Jim Edmonds / Jason Giambi / Troy Glaus / Ken Griffey / Vladimir Guerrero / Todd Helton / Richard Hidalgo / Alex Rodriguez / Gary Sheffield / Sammy Sosa / Frank …This Blog [...]
November 21st, 2009 at 9:05 am
[...] 2, 2000, 15, Jeff Bagwell / Tony Batista / Barry Bonds / Carlos Delgado / Jim Edmonds / Jason Giambi / Troy Glaus / Ken Griffey / Vladimir Guerrero / Todd Helton / Richard Hidalgo / Alex Rodriguez / Gary Sheffield / Sammy Sosa / Frank …More [...]