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Written by Bjoern Hartig (Contact & Archive) on September 14, 2009
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Mariners right-fielder Ichiro Suzuki has just broken the record for consecutive seasons with 200+ hits with nine. But hardly anybody has noticed. Rob Neyer explains why:
Ichiro's record is getting relatively little attention because of its very nature. Quick! Who's got the record for consecutive seasons with 40 or more homers? Quick! Who's got the record for consecutive seasons with 50 or more stolen bases? Quick! Who's got the record for consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins?
...
If Ichiro's not gotten as much attention as some think he deserves, it's probably because he simply hasn't been a great hitter. Oh, he's a great singles hitter; certainly the best we've seen, and obviously one of the best ever. But among the 63 players with at least 5,000 plate appearances since he broke into the majors in 2001, Ichiro ranks 37th in OPS, behind (among many others) Paul Konerko, Pat Burrell, and Torii Hunter.
The first part is true most of the time, but how about most consecutive games with a hit? Then again, "longest hitting streak" has three words. ;)
However, I totally agree with Rob on the second part. In some sense, breaking the record is actually a negative signal, that Ichiro is not as good of a player as he could be. He is so obsessed with hitting singles that he sacrifices other part of his game, namely hitting for more power, draining the oposing pitcher by seeing more pitches and taking a walk when a pitcher is wild.
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Written by Bjoern Hartig (Contact & Archive) on September 10, 2009
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From the LA Times via MLBTradeRumors:
We've heard rumors that the Yankees, White Sox and Cubs could have interest in Chone Figgins this offseason, but the free agent-to-be tells Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times that other cities don't appeal to him as much as LA does.
"It's a different world than here," Figgins said. "Not to say those places are bad, but here is what my game is all about. The guys they bring in fit the program. You get used to winning and that's a great feeling. It doesn't matter how much money you have there."
However, he doesn't seem inclined to give the Angels a hometown discount, as much as he appears to enjoy playing for them. He will likely have many suitors because of his .400 OBP, versatility and defense (he's a strong defender at third, according to UZR).
Figgins is one of the most exciting players in my opinion, an speedy runner who has learned to get on base and who plays excellent defense at third from what I have seen. I would really like him to stay with the Angels. However, I am pretty certain that Figgins will not be back in LA next season. The Angels simply have to give Brandon Wood an everyday job at some point (and save a lot of money that way) and they already have a surplus of middle infielders in Aybar, Izturis and Kendrick. If Wood is not up to the task, Izturis can always move to third as a temporary solution. With John Lackey and Vlademir Guerrero free agents, too, I strongly doubt the Angels will be able to keep Figgins around.
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Written by Bjoern Hartig (Contact & Archive) on September 14, 2009
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Despite going 8-4 so far in September, the Texas Rangers slowly see their postseason hopes fade away. They currently are six games behind the Angels in the AL West and now four games behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card.
The next few days will be crucial. First, the Angels will play one make up game in New York, then three in Boston, meaning that Rangers will be able to gain at least two games on of them if they can sweep the A's. After that, they host the Angels for a three game set. Everything is still possible, but the room for error is getting smaller...
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Written by Bjoern Hartig (Contact & Archive) on September 10, 2009
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With the pennants already handed out (more or less), Tom Verducci comes up with ten more races to follow:
1) The Bryce Harper Division Race. The team with the worst record wins the right to draft the otherworldly Harper with the first pick of the 2010 draft. It comes down to a race between Washington and Kansas City, with the Nationals holding a five-game lead in the all-important loss column. Both teams are doing their darnedest to win this race.
Since Aug. 16 the Nots are 4-15. Since July 28 the Royal Pains are 12-26, including a perfect 0-11 in games after they actually managed to win one. Wouldn't want anything as extravagant as a two-game winning streak when you're chasing the worst record in baseball.
2) The Derek Jeter Home Run Race. Sure, Jeter is going to pass Lou Gehrig as the all-time Yankees hit leader any day now. No pressure there. But Jeter needs three home runs in New York's final 23 games for the Yankees to become the first team in baseball history with eight players to hit 20 or more home runs. They are tied with the 2005 Rangers, 2000 Blue Jays and 1996 Orioles with seven 20-homer hitters.
Do the Royals really try to loose? Unless they start pulling Zach Greinke after 75 pitches, that would be hard to prove. However, getting Harper is a mightly incentive. I wonder if one can see a difference in the winning percentage of the really bad teams in years with a clear best player in the upcoming draft.
Regarding the 20+ home run hitters, when I look at the years 1996, 2000 and 2005, it reminds me to continue my studies on the steroid era. Where was that database again ...
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