Sunday, July 28, 2019

2019-07-22 Players who led the league in on-base-percentage four consecutive seasons in the modern era


Q.        Who got on base in regular season games more often than any other qualifying batter in major league history?
Hint:     Interestingly, John McGraw (as a player) ranks third on that list.
Hint:     He (not McGraw) leads his franchise in at least 18 different offensive categories.
Hint:     He only played for that team in the majors.
A.         TED WILLIAMS  [SABR Bio]
- His .482 career OBP is not in any danger of being equaled any time soon.  Joey Votto is the current active leader at .422.
- McGraw racked up a healthy .466 OBP, behind only Babe Ruth’s .474 and Williams’.
- Williams in the Red Sox leader in so MANY areas.  Go here for the full list:  https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BOS/leaders_bat.shtml.
FCR -  S. R. Wright, Naperville, Illinois
Incorrect guesses:  Edgar Martinez

TUESDAY
Q.        Whose .358 lifetime average is the highest ever by a right-handed hitter?
Hint:     He is the only right-handed batter in National League history to record 250 hits in a season.  (“Record”?  Yeah.  Why not?)
Hint:     He the first player in major league history to record 2,000 hits in a decade.
Hint:     The guy could RAKE!
A.         ROGERS HORNSBY  [SABR Bio]
-  Only Ty Cobb’s career batting average is higher [.366].
-  Got 250 H in 1922
-  He averaged 200 H/yr, a goal players feel proud to get even once.  He actually did it twice.  1919-28 = 202 H/yr then 1920-29 = 209 H/yr.
FCR -  Art Loomstein, St. Louis
Incorrect guesses:  Joe Jackson, Hank Aaron, Chuck Klein

WEDNESDAY
Q.        Who is the first player in history to have four straight 200-hit seasons in which he also got walked 100 times in each of those years?
Hint:     Only he and Ty Cobb have pitched in a major league game before getting 3,000 hits and then also pitched after hitting that milestone.
Hint:     Though he never played for them, he had a tangential relationship with the San Diego Padres.
Hint:     He once said of his teammates, “I didn't know if the guys on the team wanted to hug me or slug me.”
A.         WADE BOGGS  [SABR Bio]
-  First pitched              3,000th H                   Pitched again
   01-Sep-1918        19-Aug-1921 (2)  04-Oct-1925 (Cobb)
   19-Aug-1997        07-Aug-1999        10-Aug-1999 (Boggs)
-  The occasion of his remark was the longest documented professional baseball game ever between the Rochester Red Wings and Boggs’s Pawtucket Red Sox played over 18/19-Apr-1981.  It lasted 33 innings, 8 hours and 25 minutes.  His sentiment about his teammates came about when Boggs drove in the tying run in the bottom of the 21st inning to prolong the proceedings.
-  Because of Boggs’s highly-disciplined, insanely regimented pre-game chicken meal, he was eventually nicknamed “Chicken Man”.  During that time, SDP had a guy, Ted Giannoulas, as their semi-official mascot.  He was their chicken man as he dressed in an elaborate chicken costume for games and even community activities.
FCR -  Nels Johnston, St. Thomas, Ontario
Incorrect guesses:  Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, Johnny Pesky, Ichiro Suzuki, Babe Ruth

THURSDAY
Q.        Who is the only player to win league MVPs in consecutive years for different teams?
Hint:     He was born in the same California city as were his father, Dusty Baker, Ken Hubbs, Alvin Davis, Adam Kennedy, Bobby Kielty, Chief Meyers, Troy Percival, Eric Show and Kawhi Leonard.
Hint:     His father was the first major leaguer to have more than two 30/30 seasons.
Hint:     He attended and played for, the same university as did his Hall of Fame cousin.
A.         BARRY BONDS  [SABR Bio]
-  MVP 1992 for PIT; MVP 1993 for SFG
-  Born in the city where my mother was born, Riverside, California.
-  Bobby Bonds had 30/30 seasons in 1969, 73, 75, 77 & 78.  He had an amazing 11 seasons of 20/20.
-  Attended Arizona State University as did Reggie Jackson
FCR -  Alan Miller, Berkeley Hills, California
Incorrect guesses:  Frank Robinson, Steve Garvey, Prince Fielder, Mickey Cochrane, Ken Griffey, Jr., Frank Robinson

FRIDAY
Q.        What player once explained his defensive training thus:  “In the beginning I used to make one terrible play a game.  Then I got so I'd make one a week and finally I'd pull a bad one once a month.  Now I'm trying to keep it down to one a season.”?
Hint:     He never did win a Gold Glove Award.
Hint:     He had to settle for only one RBI in his final season after having 100 RBI each of his previous 13 seasons.
Hint:     His 220 hits were the most ever by an American League player during a 40 home run season.
A.         LOU GEHRIG  [SABR Bio]
-  The Gold Glove was first awarded in 1957.  Gehrig’s career ended in 1939.
-  In 1930, he matched his 220 H, a personal high, with 41 HR.
FCR -  Sarah Grynpas, Toronto
Incorrect guesses:  Not Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx, Jim Thome, TroyTulowitzky, Robinson Cano, Freddie Freeman

SATURDAY
Q.        What active position player leads all other current National Leaguers in career WAR?
Hint:     He is the only major leaguer to win the Lou Marsh Trophy twice.
Hint:     In the end, he turned Mel Ott around.
A.         JOEY VOTTO
-  WAR of 59.5  (Next closest in Ryan Braun at 47.2.)
-  Won the Lou Marsh Trophy in 2010 & 2017.  (Wayne Gretzky is the only 4‑time winner.)
-  “tto” is the reverse of “ott”.  (You know… in the end.)
FCR -  Adrian Fung, Toronto
Incorrect guesses:  Mike Trout, Walter Pujols, Clayton Kershaw, Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper

SUNDAY
Q.        Who is the youngest player to win the J.G. Taylor Spink Award?
Hint:     He  was the 25th player picked in the amateur draft and was not his team’s first pick.
Hint:     He could easily win the Tim Duncan-John Olerud Bland Interview Award.
Hint:     His father holds the 4th highest NCAA batting average for a season (min. 150 AB).
A.         MIKE TROUT
-  Won the Spink Award at 19 years 2 months in 2010.  [Topps presents the J.G. Taylor Spink Award to the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year.  This award should not be confused with the identically named J. G. Taylor Spink Award that is the highest award given by the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA).]
-  Picked 25th by LAA in 2009 one slot behind Randal Grichuk.
-  He seems like he’d rather be doing anything else when he’s being interviewed.
-  Father Jeff Trout played for the University of Delaware and hit .519 in 1983.
FCR -  John Romps, Dover New Hampshire
Incorrect guesses:  Damon Berryhill,


WEEKLY THEME – Players who led the league in on-base-percentage four consecutive seasons in the modern era.

Player           Year    to    Year
Boggs.......... 1985......... 1989         5X
Bonds.......... 2001......... 2004         4X
Gehrig......... 1934......... 1937         4X
Hornsby....... 1920......... 1925         6X
Trout............ 2016......... 2019*       4X
Votto............ 2010......... 2013         4X
Williams...... 1946......... 1949         4X or 7X**
*Assuming he finishes this season as AL leader.
**Had also led the AL in OBP 1940-1942 before spending 1943-45 in the service.

First Correct Respondent to Identify ThemePatrick Ray, Paradise Valley, Arizona

Incorrect theme guesses:

Tuesday -  League leaders with losing managerial records
               -  Most hits by decade

Wed        -  Something to do with consecutive batting titles

Friday     -  3 or more consecutive OBP titles
               -  Consecutive seasons with over .450 OBP
               -  .450+ OBP in 3 consecutive years

Sunday   -  5+ times OBP league leader in a career
               -  3+ consecutive years leading league in OBP
               -  4+ consecutive years over .400 OBP
               -  1+ year over .450 OBP
               -  Career over .415 OBP










No comments:

Post a Comment