April 19, 2000

Doctoring The Numbers

Jeter, Vlad and...Valerio?

by Rany Jazayerli

Yeah, But You Should See Their Outfielders

Despite 25 World Championships, the New York Yankees have usually gotten by with mediocre shortstops. Phil Rizzuto is in the Hall of Fame, but only partly on merit, and he was the Yankees' only great shortstop.

Until now.

Derek Jeter's power is his weak link in comparison to the other members of the Trinity, but in the Yankee pantheon of shortstops, he sits atop the throne:

Player        Year    HR

Derek Jeter   1999    24
Tom Tresh     1962    20
Roy Smalley   1982    20
Derek Jeter   1998    19
Roy Smalley   1983    18

No other Yankee shortstop has ever hit more than 15 home runs in a season. In fact, Jeter is already closing in on the career record for homers by a Yankee shortstop:

Player            HR

Frankie Crosetti  94
Derek Jeter       64
Tony Kubek        54
Phil Rizzuto      38
Roy Smalley       38

Bucky Dent ranks eighth with 27 home runs. Maybe Red Sox fans should have seen it coming.

Vlad Never Fails to Impale

Vladimir Guerrero is doing his best to make the case that he's the greatest player in baseball right now, hitting .488 with five homers so far--and no strikeouts. While 58 players had more home runs than strikeouts in a season during the 1900s, only one (George Brett in 1980) has done it since 1958.

The players with the greatest difference between home runs and strikeouts in a season:

Name            Year       HR     K     Diff

Tommy Holmes    1945       28     9       19
Lou Gehrig      1934       49    31       18
Joe DiMaggio    1941       30    13       17
Yogi Berra      1950       28    12       16
Ted Kluszewski  1954       49    35       14

The Life of a Brewer Pitcher

Valerio de los Santos is tied for the major-league lead with six home runs allowed, despite throwing just 10 1/3 innings. The fewest innings pitched by the major-league leader in the live ball era (in a non-shortened season):

Name              Year        IP     HR

Johnny Marcum     1939       137.2   27
Dave Johnson      1990       180.0   30
Johnny Hutchings  1945       185.0   21
Shawn Boskie      1996       189.1   45
Bob Harris        1940       193.2   24

Rany Jazayerli is an author of Baseball Prospectus. 
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