July 27th
Let’s Talk About D, Baby
While the rest of the league is buzzing with trade talk, let’s take a look at what the game tells us about flashing the leather. We’ll go by position, trying to get a sense of the best fielders in the league so far.
C (500 IP min)
Thurman Munson of the New York Black Yankees has over 150 more total chances than Homestead‘s Josh Gibson, having started 86 games behind the plate. That has to count for something. Of starting catchers, Baltimore‘s Curt Blefary leads in cERA with 4.08, and Cleveland‘s Louis Santop–yet to turn 20–leads the league in framing runs–1.2 ahead of Gibson. In terms of gunning down base runners, everyone is clustered around 33% or so–Emil Gross (Ottawa) was way up at 46%, but couldn’t hit enough to stay in the league and Alan Ashby (Miami) has been excellent at 36% since taking over for Miami. Looking at all of that, it’s got to be Munson, Gibson, Blefary, or Santop, with apologies to Indianapolis‘ Johnny Bench and the House of David‘s Elrod Hendricks.
| IP | TC | E | RTO% | cERA | FRM | |
| C. Blefary (BAL) | 599 | 401 | 11 | 29.4 | 4.08 | -1.2 |
| J. Gibson (HOM) | 718 | 559 | 14 | 27.2 | 5.77 | 1.5 |
| T. Munson (NYY) | 765 | 719 | 5 | 33.0 | 4.72 | -1.3 |
| L. Santop (CLE) | 624 | 542 | 2 | 32.6 | 4.20 | 2.7 |
I think Santop takes it, but I would be OK if Munson’s higher usage swung it to him.
1B (600 IP min)
Philadelphia‘s Ted Kluszewski has the best fielding percentage (.996), having committed only 3 errors, but trails well behind Dan McGann (BAL)’s league leading 10.20 Range Factor. Will Clark of the Miami Cuban Giants leads in Zone Rating at 3.3. So McGann makes the most plays overall, but Clark makes the most plays that other 1B miss.
| IP | TC | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| Will Clark (MCG) | 791 | 818 | 5 | .994 | 9.25 | 3.3 |
| Ted Kluszewski (PHI) | 676 | 711 | 3 | .996 | 9.43 | 1.0 |
| Dan McGann (BAL) | 749 | 854 | 5 | .994 | 10.20 | 2.5 |
| Bill White (MEM) | 788 | 814 | 4 | .995 | 9.25 | 1.8 |
It comes down to whether you think McGann’s RNG is more a product of his glovework or the superior Black Sox pitching staff. For me, Clark making plays nobody else in the league makes takes it.
2B (600 IP min)
Cleveland‘s Chuck Knoblauch and San Francisco‘s Jimmy Bloodworth each sport a .993 Fielding Percentage with only 3 errors each. The House of David’s Ryne Sandberg has, by a fair bit, played the most at 2B, making his leading the league in Range Factor more impressive. The New York Gotham‘s Cookie Rojas leads in ZR, trailed by Chicago‘s Eddie Collins. Those are the contenders.
| IP | TC | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| Jimmy Bloodworth (SFS) | 753 | 423 | 3 | .993 | 5.02 | 3.7 |
| Eddie Collins (CAG) | 715 | 390 | 5 | .987 | 4.85 | 5.5 |
| Chuck Knoblauch (CLE) | 801 | 426 | 3 | .993 | 4.75 | -1.8 |
| Cookie Rojas (NYG) | 703 | 369 | 3 | .992 | 4.68 | 6.5 |
| Ryne Sandberg (HOD) | 850 | 524 | 7 | .987 | 5.48 | 0.8 |
I can’t get away from Rojas. Behind him it’s rough: Collins makes some great plays, but Sandberg’s greater usage may give him the edge.
3B (600 IP min)
Mike Schmidt of the Black Yankees has the highest fielding percentage, Ottawa’s Anthony Rendon leads in Range Factor, and Philadelphia’s Scott Rolen has a massive edge in Zone Rating. It’s hard to put together.
| IP | TC | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| Ron Cey (BRK) | 808 | 221 | 6 | .973 | 2.39 | 5.4 |
| Anthony Rendon (OTT) | 853 | 266 | 7 | .974 | 2.73 | 1.8 |
| Scott Rolen (PHI) | 813 | 240 | 5 | .979 | 2.60 | 8.5 |
| Mike Schmidt (NYY) | 677 | 193 | 3 | .984 | 2.53 | 6.3 |
Rendon’s ZR confirms that his other stats are really a product of being on the field a lot. I think that leaves Rolen and Schmidt pretty much neck and neck.
SS (550 IP min)
The lower requirement is basically to allow Philadelphia’s Mickey Doolin to be listed. Homstead’s Arky Vaughan has played the most at SS, giving him roughly 20% more chances than the next few shortstops. Couple that with only 5 errors for a .990 PCT and Vaughan has to be in the argument. George Wright (Los Angeles) has a .995 PCT with only 2 errors, which is remarkable. Vaughan also leads in RNG, and is one of 3 SS with a ZR over 10, along with Detroit‘s George Davis and Kansas City‘s Ozzie Smith.
| IP | TC | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| George Davis (DET) | 855 | 479 | 12 | .975 | 4.91 | 13.0 |
| Mickey Doolin (PHI) | 597 | 343 | 5 | .985 | 5.10 | 8.0 |
| Ozzie Smith (KCM) | 868 | 467 | 5 | .989 | 4.79 | 12.5 |
| Arky Vaughan (HOM) | 884 | 520 | 5 | .990 | 5.24 | 10.1 |
| George Wright (LAA) | 754 | 411 | 2 | .995 | 4.88 | 9.8 |
You gotta’ give it to Wright, right? But after that, how do you figure out the difference between Smith and Vaughan? Smith is more spectacular, Vaughan more steady … I’ve always been a sucker for the spectacular.
LF (500 IP min)
Homestead’s Rick Reichardt has spent the most time out there, has the best RNG among qualifiers, and leads LFers with 10 OF Kills. Los Angeles’ Don Buford and Ottawa’s Phil Bradley are second with 6, so that’s quite a gap. There are six–SIX–LFers who qualify who are yet to make an error. Of those, only Brooklyn‘s Roy White and Detroit’s Oscar Gamble have positive supporting metrics as well. White has routinely pulled of the spectacular, making roughly 4 additional plays in LF than the Gotham’s Jimmy Sheckard and San Francisco’s Rickey Henderson.
| IP | TC | A | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| Phil Bradley (OTT) | 552 | 121 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.97 | -1.9 |
| Don Buford (LAA) | 629 | 144 | 6 | 3 | .979 | 2.02 | 1.0 |
| Oscar Gamble (DET) | 535 | 118 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.99 | 1.5 |
| Rickey Henderson (SFS) | 689 | 173 | 5 | 3 | .983 | 2.22 | 2.7 |
| Rick Reichardt (HOM) | 799 | 211 | 10 | 2 | .991 | 2.35 | -1.2 |
| Jimmy Sheckard (NYG) | 865 | 207 | 5 | 4 | .981 | 2.11 | 2.6 |
| Roy White (BRK) | 865 | 204 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.12 | 6.7 |
I think White has to get the nod here, and behind him it’s a bit f a jumble. Reichardt is far from spectacular, but he’s added twice as many cold, hard outs than the next contenders without many miscues, so he gets a nod despite the negative ZR.
CF (600 IP min)
The Gothams’ Willie Mays has 15 OF kills to lead the way, but of note is Ottawa’s Ken Griffey, Jr., who has 13 in half the games. Griffey, currently at AAA, doesn’t qualify here, but what an arm! Baltimore’s Paul Blair has yet to make an error. Mays and Philadelphia’s Willie Davis make the most plays, with Blair, Mays, and Birmingham‘s Curtis Granderson leading in ZR.
There are others having strong years–Kansas City’s Willie McGee, Memphis’ Reggie Smith, and Detroit’s Chili Davis spring to mind–but it’s really between those initial four names.
| IP | TC | A | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| Paul Blair (BAL) | 801 | 303 | 8 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.40 | 9.0 |
| Willie Davis (PHI) | 781 | 323 | 7 | 2 | .994 | 3.70 | 5.2 |
| Curtis Granderson (BBB) | 631 | 247 | 10 | 3 | .988 | 3.48 | 6.4 |
| Willie Mays (NYG) | 899 | 381 | 15 | 2 | .995 | 3.79 | 7.7 |
Mays and Blair seem the easy choices here.
RF (500 IP min)
RF is probably the most difficult of the OF spots to evaluate. The Gothams’ Johnny Callison leads in OF Kills, but with only 8. Callison is tied with Homestead’s Roberto Clemente in ZR, far, far ahead of the next cluster. Jeff Burroughs (POR) has yet to make an error, but the rest of his numbers aren’t terribly impressive. The House of David’s Dan Ford leads in RNG and is solid enough elsewhere.
The challenge is that several of the best in RF–Miami’s Alejandro Oms, Indianapolis’ Oscar Charleston, and Ottawa’s Larry Walker–don’t qualify here. Walker especially draws the eye, with 7 Kills and great peripheral numbers. But all of them are under 400 innings.
| IP | TC | A | E | PCT | RNG | ZR | |
| Johnny Callison (NYG) | 671 | 181 | 8 | 1 | .994 | 2.41 | 6.2 |
| Roberto Clemente (HOM) | 747 | 194 | 4 | 2 | .990 | 2.31 | 6.2 |
| Dan Ford (HOD) | 542 | 160 | 5 | 4 | .975 | 2.59 | 1.2 |
I think it’s pretty clear that Ford is in third place here and I think it’s hard to push Clemente above Callison.
SP (100 IP min)
Sample size is clearly an issue here, but the Gothams’ Gaylord Perry had handled the most chances and leads in RNG. Jack Taylor (HOD) and Dutch Leonard (BRK) lead in ZR. Unwinding a pitcher’s responsibility for controlling stolen bases is hard, but since we know that, on the whole, the league runs about 33% in terms of cutting them down, we can look for who is far above that: Leonard shows up, but if we look at those with at least 10 attempts against them, we are looking at San Francisco’s Eddie Plank, Taylor, and Portland‘s Jerry Koosman.
| IP | TC | RNG | ZR | RTO% | |
| Jerry Koosman (POR) | 119 | 12 | 0.83 | 2.2 | 46 |
| Dutch Leonard (BRK) | 139 | 18 | 1.17 | 2.4 | 67 |
| Gaylord Perry (NYG) | 117 | 27 | 1.92 | -0.5 | 21 |
| Eddie Plank (SFS) | 116 | 13 | 0.93 | 1.8 | 64 |
| Jack Taylor (HOD) | 142 | 21 | 1.26 | 2.5 | 56 |
I think this ends up going to Taylor and Leonard, but there will probably be more churn here than in other fielding evaluations between now and the end of the season.
Final Analysis
| Gold Glove | Silver Glove | |
| C | Louis Santop (CLE) | Thurman Munson (NYY) |
| 1B | Will Clark (MCG) | Dan McGann (BAL) |
| 2B | Cookie Rojas (NYG) | Ryne Sandberg (HOD) |
| 3B | Scott Rolen (PHI) | Mike Schmidt (NYY) |
| SS | George Wright (LAA) | Ozzie Smith (KCM) |
| LF | Roy White (BRK) | Rick Reichardt (HOM) |
| CF | Willie Mays (NYG) | Paul Blair (BAL) |
| RF | Johnny Callison (NYG) | Roberto Clemente (HOM) |
| SP | Jack Taylor (HOD) | Dutch Leonard (BRK) |
Defense is so hard to evaluate, right? Despite being the only team with 3 players listed here, the Gothams aren’t at the top of any of the team fielding ratings.
Looking at overall mentions may be more interesting–here is the list of players considered above, by team.
5 – New York Gothams
4 – Homestead; Philadelphia
3 – Baltimore; Brooklyn; House of David; San Francisco
2 – Cleveland; Detroit; Los Angeles; New York Black Yankees; Ottawa
1 – Birmingham; Chicago; Kansas City; Memphis; Miami; Portland
0 – Houston
Yeah, not any better actually. The Gothams are among the best teams in the league, but both Homestead and Philadelphia are most decidedly not.
Defense. Shrug.
Performance
Batters
Top 2 in each stat, leader in bold.
Dick Allen (CAG). 310/380/544. 10 3B.
Johnny Bench (IND). 314/421/608. 5.2 WAR.
Ron Blomberg (CLE). 338/407/649. 31 HR.
Rico Carty (PHI). 285/356/460. 35 2B.
Ty Cobb (DET). 350/390/572. 134 H.
Eric Davis (NYY). 278/353/539. 81 R.
Bobby Grich (LAA). 284/370/474. 35 2B.
Rickey Henderson (SFS). 252/383/335. 76 BB, 72 SB.
Kent Hrbek (POR). 303/376/591. 31 HR.
Joe Jackson (CAG). 334/419/592. 81 R.
Reggie Jackson (SFS). 331/445/610.
Stan Musial (KCM). 332/391/594. 37 2B.
Doug Rader (LAA). 335/391/546. 135 H, 100 RBI.
Tim Raines (OTT). 299/371/449. 72 SB.
Babe Ruth (NYY). 312/429/643. 32 HR, 96 RBI, 85 R, 79 BB, 5.6 WAR.
Louis Santop (CLE). 304/336/468. 10 3B.
Pitchers
Starters
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold.
17 pitchers have at least 10 wins, accounting for why we went deeper in ERA and WHIP this time. Have also included FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) for the first time, helping to unravel some of the mystery of Alejandro Peña.
Bill Byrd (BAL). 11-2, 3.09. 1.17 WHIP.
Gerrit Cole (LAA). 12-5, 4.07.
Don Drysedale (BRK). 7-4, 3.37. 1.15 WHIP.
Ned Garvin (BAL). 9-4, 2.80. 1.18 WHIP.
Lefty Grove (SFS). 11-7, 3.75. 160 K.
Ron Guidry (NYY). 6-9, 4.41. 155 K, 3.5 WAR.
Frank Knauss (BRK). 10-4, 3.07.
Alejandro Peña (BBB). 9-7, 3.54. 3.24 FIP, 4.2 WAR.
Gaylord Perry (NYG). 8-7, 3.92. 3.54 FIP.
Stephen Strasburg (HOU). 6-6, 3.27.
Jack Taylor (HOD). 10-8, 3.35. 1.18 WHIP.
Relievers
Top 2 in each stat (top 4 in ERA and WHIP), leader in bold. 25 IP for rate stats.
Terry Adams (CLE). 2-5, 3.09. 24 Sv.
Elmer Brown (POR). 3-4, 1.65. 7 Sv, 9 H.
Mike Henneman (DET). 1-4, 3.94. 28 Sv.
Trevor Hildenberger (BRK). 3-0, 2.45. 1 Sv, 3 H, 0.94 WHIP.
Ken Howell (SFS). 3-4, 2.17. 4 Sv, 7 H, 1.01 WHIP.
AJ Minter (CAG). 1-0, 2.81. 19 Sv, 0.97 WHIP.
Mike Norris (NYG). 4-3, 1.62. 3 Sv, 10 H.
Ron Reed (PHI/CLE). 0-5, 3.73. 16 H.
Ron Robinson (SFS). 4-3, 3.80. 14 H.
Carson Smith (NYG). 2-0, 1.80. 1 Sv, 8 H.
Brian Wilson (NYG). 1-0, 1.11. 21 Sv, 1.02 WHIP.
Series Results
Series XXVII Sweeps
Baltimore over Philadelphia
Taking 3 out of 4 in Series XXVII
Detroit over Miami
Kansas City over Los Angeles
Portland over Memphis
New York Gothams over San Francisco
Series XXVII Splits
House of David @ Birmingham
Houston @ Brooklyn
New York Black Yankees @ Chicago
Homestead @ Cleveland
Ottawa @ Indianapolis