Tag MLB

How Good Is Albert Pujols

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

When you think of the best hitter in baseball, most people generally think of Albert Pujols. Some think of Alex Rodriguez. Others maybe Manny Ramirez. Let there be no mistake: Albert Pujols is the best hitter in baseball.

Don’t believe me? Look at the statistics.

  1. Home Runs: Pujols does not just lead the league in homers, he demolishes the league. His 31 home runs are SEVEN more than Adrian Gonzalez, who is in second place. Half-way through the season, Pujols has 26% more home runs than second place. Absolutely incredible.
  2. Home Runs per at bat: Pujols is hitting a home run every 8.84 at bats. Adrian Gonzalez is once again in second place at 11.36 at bats. The difference between Pujols and Gonzalez is 2.52 at bats. The different between Gonzalez and number nine Jermaine Dye (13.95) is 2.59 at bats. Think about that: the difference between first and second is just about the same as the difference between second and ninth. That is how far ahead Pujols is in at bats per home run.
  3. RBI: Pujols leads the league in runs-batted-in as well with 82. He leads by 7 RBI over second-place Prince Fielder as well, but he has 12 more than third-place Jason Bay. There are only nine players with more than 60 RBI and Pujols has EIGHTY-TWO. Continue reading “How Good Is Albert Pujols” →

2009 NL All Star Starters

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

Voting for the 2009 MLB All Star game ended last night, but the results won’t be revealed until Sunday. I already looked at who deserved to start for the American League. Here is the NL:

Catcher: Brian McCann

McCann sports a .309 batting average with a .393 OBP and an .898 OPS. His 8 home runs and 33 RBI are both second among NL catchers and his 14 doubles are tied for first. His 5 errors are a lot at catcher, but he has also thrown out 26.7% of runners trying to steal against him. McCann’s statistics aren’t anything special, but the NL has zero superstar catchers so McCann gets the nod as the starter.

First Base: Albert Pujols

Was there any question here? Pujols leads all first basemen with a .335 average and leads all of baseball with 30 home runs, 77 RBI, and a 1.200 OPS. Those stats are by far the best in baseball. Prince Fielder, who may be the second best player in baseball, unfortunately plays the same position in baseball so even though he would start at any other position, he has to play second-fiddle to Prince Albert here.

Second Base: Chase Utley

Utley is the clear choice amongst NL second basemen as he leads all others with 17 home runs, 52 RBIs, 54 runs, a .436 OBP, and a .982 OPS. He’s third with a .300 average and also has seven stolen bases. His .984 fielding percentage is fifth best in the NL and makes him the clear choice to start for the National League. Continue reading “2009 NL All Star Starters” →

2009 AL All Star Starters

Danny Vinik Leave a comment

With just a couple days left for fans to vote for the starters of the 2009 MLB All Star Game, it’s time to look at which players deserve that honor. First up, the American League:

Catcher: Joe Mauer

This one is easy. Mauer leads all American League catchers in Batting Average, Home Runs, RBI, Runs, Hits, On-Base-Percentage, and Slugging Percentage. He’s made just one error on the season and has thrown out 9 of 26 batters who have tried to steal against him. The one negative for Mauer is that he missed the first month of the season with an injury. That just makes Mauer’s stats all that more remarkable as he leads all AL catchers in all those categories despite many fewer at-bats.

First Base: Justin Morneau

One of the tougher choices in the AL, First Base has many deserving players. Kevin Youkilis leads the league in OBP, 38 points higher than Russell Branyan who is in second place, but has just 12 home runs and 42 RBI on the year. Carlos Pena leads with 23 home runs, but sports just a .238 avergae. Mark Teixeira has 20 homers and 60 RBI, but just a .276 average. Only Justin Morneau is complete in all the stats with 18 home runs, 63 RBI (most amongst first basemen), and a .309 Batting Average. His .389 OBP is 5th between AL first baseman and his .960 OPS is 4th. He has made just one error this season and has the second highest Zone Rating amongst AL first basemen. Continue reading “2009 AL All Star Starters” →