JD Martinez Triple Crown Chase.

soxhop411

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MLB Network had a graphic up yesterday (and its already outdated) Comparing Miguel Cabrera's Triple Crown run thru 109 games, and JD Martinez



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grimshaw

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That's...interesting...I guess. But comparing JD's stats to 2018 players seems a lot more relevant.
Ya, Cabrera won by one home run 11 RBI and 7 batting points. JDM is now up 4 and 12 but way behind in batting. He could very well lap the field in RBI, but they have a ton of tough games after these cupcakes.
 

m0ckduck

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I just learned: There are 18 players in all of baseball who have a .300+ average, and we have 3 of them, including (of course) the top 2. 10D is just barely above that mark.
And 3 of the top 5 guys in runs scored.

In fact, Martinez is within shouting distance of Mookie and Lindor for the league lead in runs and the conventional “quadruple crown”. Although the logistics of trying to catch the guy hitting ahead of you in the lineup would be difficult for obvious reasons.
 

KingChre

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I noticed this morning for the first time that JD is also leading the AL in hits. I instantly wondered if anyone had ever led the league in both hits and HRs.

I did a quick scan of the BR annual leaders pages, and unless I am mistaken the last person to do so was Rogers Fucking Hornsby in 19 fucking 22. Unbelievable.

EDIT: I missed Dante Bichette in 1995. Doesn't really lesson the achievement, but that name is hilarious.
 

Sox Puppet

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I guess now we know why JD held out so long for a contract this summer. We got a bargain. Wish we could take some of the Hanley/Rusney/Panda dead money and funnel it to JD to cancel his opt-out.

EDIT: And also, it seems during almost every game broadcast, there's a reference to how the Sox hitters (esp. Mookie) look up to JD and constantly ask him questions about his meticulous approach to hitting. I know this can't be quantified, but I suspect JD has had some influence on the offensive improvements of the other players as well.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I like his 1999 season better. 298/.354/.541 and a -2.3 WAR. He was "worth" almost -4 bWAR in the field that year. Hanley's disaster of a season was a -2.5.
For an OPS+ of 102. Crazy. That's back when Coors was Coors and everyone was juiced.
 

Kliq

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I guess now we know why JD held out so long for a contract this summer. We got a bargain. Wish we could take some of the Hanley/Rusney/Panda dead money and funnel it to JD to cancel his opt-out.

EDIT: And also, it seems during almost every game broadcast, there's a reference to how the Sox hitters (esp. Mookie) look up to JD and constantly ask him questions about his meticulous approach to hitting. I know this can't be quantified, but I suspect JD has had some influence on the offensive improvements of the other players as well.
Sports Illustrated has an article this week about JD and his approach to hitting. The coaching staff said that he is like a third coach out there when it comes to helping players with their swing; and it’s no coincidence that a lot of the Sox players have been hitting the ball better than they did last year when he wasn’t on the team.
 

BaseballJones

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For an OPS+ of 102. Crazy. That's back when Coors was Coors and everyone was juiced.
1999 MLB home run leaders
McGwire 65
Sosa 63
Griffey 48
Palmeiro 47
Vaughn 45
Jones 45
Ramirez 44
Delgado 44
Bagwell 42
Green 42
Guerrero 42
Rodriguez 42

2013 MLB home run leaders
Davis 53
Cabrera 44
Alvarez 36
Encarnation 36
Goldschmidt 36
Dunn 34
Soriano 34
Trumbo 34
Jones 33
Longoria 32

Quite a difference.

EDIT: On Castilla.... his 1998 season: 108 r, 206 h, 46 hr, 144 rbi, .319/.362/.589/.951

Good enough for...... 11th in the NL MVP voting. LOL. Of course that season, McGwire put up this line: 130 r, 70 hr, 147 rbi, .299/.470/.752/1.222, and finished second in the MVP voting. Bonds put up a 1.047 ops with 120 runs, 122 rbi, 37 hr, and 28 sb, and finished 8th. Hell, Larry Walker put up an ops of 1.075 and finished *17th* in the MVP voting. In the AL, Albert Belle had 49 hr, 152 rbi, and an ops of 1.055 (to lead the AL) and finished 8th. Jeter and his .864 ops finished 3rd.

McGwire from 1996-1999 averaged 110 r, 61 hr, 132 rbi, a 1.142 ops, and 189 ops+, and never won an MVP.

Good times.
 
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pokey_reese

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If the Sox have a 6 game lead going into the final week of the season, and JD and Mookie are close, do we think there could exist a back room deal for Mookie to take a few '0-fers' in the final days?
 

snowmanny

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If the Sox have a 6 game lead going into the final week of the season, and JD and Mookie are close, do we think there could exist a back room deal for Mookie to take a few '0-fers' in the final days?
In 2003 Bill Mueller sat the last game of the season (until a late game PH) and won the batting title. Manny needed to go 2-2 (or 3-4) to pass him* but also sat.

*ED: assuming Mueller hadn't played at all.
 
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Red(s)HawksFan

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Or, it could mean Mookie continues to hit reasonably well and JDM gets white-hot. We should want this.
Or, or, Mookie could get insanely hot, catch and overtake JD in HRs, and then Cora considers moving Mookie down in the order (in front of JD) in order to pad his RBI totals so he can win the triple crown himself. We should want this.

Wait. That might upset JD enough for him to opt-out. We don't want this.

This team is so fun right now.
 

Sampo Gida

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OPS+ of Triple Crown Winners

2018 ? JDM-181
2012 Miggie-164
1967 Yaz-193
1966 Frank Robinson-198

The 60's offensive environment was lower but I believe the the talent gap was greater between best hitters and median, hence the higher OPS+
 

Cesar Crespo

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If he wins it, it probably means Mookie hit a bad slump. We shouldn’t want this.
When they are hitting .350 and .333 respectively, a slump could mean Betts hitting .320 the rest of the way while JD hits .360. They should both get around 160 more PA.
 

dbn

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If Núñez collides with Holt, Beltre-style, injuring them both, forcing Cora to return to the field as utility-infielder/manager, and he gets on a meta-hot streak at both the plate and his bullpen usage: would we want that?
 

LahoudOrBillyC

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I noticed this morning for the first time that JD is also leading the AL in hits. I instantly wondered if anyone had ever led the league in both hits and HRs.

I did a quick scan of the BR annual leaders pages, and unless I am mistaken the last person to do so was Rogers Fucking Hornsby in 19 fucking 22. Unbelievable.

EDIT: I missed Dante Bichette in 1995. Doesn't really lesson the achievement, but that name is hilarious.
Yaz did this in 1967.
 

SirPsychoSquints

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Players who have led the league in HR & H in the same year:
  1. JD Martinez 2018
  2. Bichette 1995
  3. Jim Rice 1978
  4. Yaz 1967
  5. Tommy Holmes 1945
  6. Joe Medwick 1937
  7. Chuck Klein 1932 & 1933
  8. Gehrig 1931
  9. Hornsby 1922
  10. Gavvy Cravath 1913
  11. Heinie Zimmerman 1912
  12. Cobb 1909
  13. Nap Lajoie 1901
  14. Hugh Duffy 1894
  15. Jimmy Ryan 1888
  16. Hardy Richardson 1886
 

Al Zarilla

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Players who have led the league in HR & H in the same year:
  1. JD Martinez 2018
  2. Bichette 1995
  3. Jim Rice 1978
  4. Yaz 1967
  5. Tommy Holmes 1945
  6. Joe Medwick 1937
  7. Chuck Klein 1932 & 1933
  8. Gehrig 1931
  9. Hornsby 1922
  10. Gavvy Cravath 1913
  11. Heinie Zimmerman 1912
  12. Cobb 1909
  13. Nap Lajoie 1901
  14. Hugh Duffy 1894
  15. Jimmy Ryan 1888
  16. Hardy Richardson 1886
I was curious how many of Cobb’s league leading 9 home runs in 1909 were ITPHR. According to Baseball Almanac: 9.

The overall season record for ITPHR is 12, set by Sam Crawford of Cincinnati in 1901, out of his league leading total of 16 that year. It’d be nice if we could have more of those. Very exciting play.
 

Cesar Crespo

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I was curious how many of Cobb’s league leading 9 home runs in 1909 were ITPHR. According to Baseball Almanac: 9.

The overall season record for ITPHR is 12, set by Sam Crawford of Cincinnati in 1901, out of his league leading total of 16 that year. It’d be nice if we could have more of those. Very exciting play.
Parks aren't made for it anymore. We don't even really see triples anymore.
 

BuellMiller

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1995. Also known as the year Vinny castilla launched his altitude-fueled rocketship to stardom.
I always had a softspot for Castilla because of fantasy baseball reasons...my first year doing it was 1996, my lineup featured career years from Mo Vaughn, Robbie Alomar, Castilla, Mike Stanley, Bernard Gilkey, and even Kevin Elster at SS with 24 homers. Of course, my pitching staff was atrocious. my "ace" was Jimmy Key, and my number 2 ended up being Jamie Moyer plucked in like the 20th round (and he didn't rack up many points from K's). So kind of like the 96 Red Sox in general. (ok, i know, no one wants to hear about my fantasy team, especially one from 22 years ago).
 

teddywingman

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Parks aren't made for it anymore. We don't even really see triples anymore.
Seems to me that triples are up recently, from a low point (I'm guessing) around 2000.

Edit: The low point was 1994 with 702 triples (Both leagues combined.)
Additional Edit: there were a few years in the 50's and 60's when less than 700 were hit.

And the triple isn't up as much as I thought, bouncing around year to year with an average around 850.

1983 was the last year there was over 1,000.

1921 was the all time high with 1,364.
 
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Adrian's Dome

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Seems to me that triples are up recently, from a low point (I'm guessing) around 2000.

Edit: The low point was 1994 with 702 triples (Both leagues combined.)
Additional Edit: there were a few years in the 50's and 60's when less than 700 were hit.

And the triple isn't up as much as I thought, bouncing around year to year with an average around 850.

1983 was the last year there was over 1,000.

1921 was the all time high with 1,364.
It's not that parks don't favor them anymore, triples are just difficult to pull off. It takes a combination of speed, placement, and often bounces for a player to advance that far without any defensive errors involved. There's a reason most people consider them the most exciting single play in baseball over the home run.
 

Soxfan in Fla

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I always had a softspot for Castilla because of fantasy baseball reasons...my first year doing it was 1996, my lineup featured career years from Mo Vaughn, Robbie Alomar, Castilla, Mike Stanley, Bernard Gilkey, and even Kevin Elster at SS with 24 homers. Of course, my pitching staff was atrocious. my "ace" was Jimmy Key, and my number 2 ended up being Jamie Moyer plucked in like the 20th round (and he didn't rack up many points from K's). So kind of like the 96 Red Sox in general. (ok, i know, no one wants to hear about my fantasy team, especially one from 22 years ago).
How did you do in saves that year? Lol.
 

teddywingman

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It's not that parks don't favor them anymore, triples are just difficult to pull off. It takes a combination of speed, placement, and often bounces for a player to advance that far without any defensive errors involved. There's a reason most people consider them the most exciting single play in baseball over the home run.
I think what I'm seeing from the numbers of triples by year, is that they're really not down much overall once you look at post WWII numbers, when most outfield dimensions became more 'normalized'.

And yes, they're not easy. The risk/reward factor varies by the situation. And yes, it's one of the most exciting plays.
 

DJnVa

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If the Sox have a 6 game lead going into the final week of the season, and JD and Mookie are close, do we think there could exist a back room deal for Mookie to take a few '0-fers' in the final days?
Why would Mookie do that?

Why would you want him to “take 0-fers” leading into playoffs?

How does a hitter do this without being obvious?
 

LoweTek

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I'll settle for the team Septuple Crown where the Red Sox field the league leaders in HR, AVG, RBI, Runs, OBP, OPS, and SLG. Very possible if not probable.
 

Sam Ray Not

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I'll settle for the team Septuple Crown where the Red Sox field the league leaders in HR, AVG, RBI, Runs, OBP, OPS, and SLG. Very possible if not probable.
You can throw in:

  • SB (Betts currently #5 at 23, four off the lead)
  • WAR (Betts #1 at 8.1)
  • Wins (Porcello one off the pace at 14, Price/Sale at 12)
  • ERA (Sale #1)
  • K (Sale #1)
  • WHIP (Sale #1)
 

InstaFace

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There were years (mostly 2007 and 2013) where we debated the outcome of a Red Sox vs Rest of AL East All-Stars series.

This year we might have to make that Red Sox vs Rest of American League.
 

Devizier

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The overall season record for ITPHR is 12, set by Sam Crawford of Cincinnati in 1901, out of his league leading total of 16 that year. It’d be nice if we could have more of those. Very exciting play.
I would love for some team to go bring back Braves Field-type dimensions (approximately 400-550-400). That would make for a lot of crazy extra base hits.
 

Lowrielicious

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I would love for some team to go bring back Braves Field-type dimensions (approximately 400-550-400). That would make for a lot of crazy extra base hits.
Good luck getting any free agent hitters to sign there. Pitchers on the other hand might take a discount. Especially those looking for a pillow contract.
 

The Needler

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I would love for some team to go bring back Braves Field-type dimensions (approximately 400-550-400). That would make for a lot of crazy extra base hits.
It's all about lost seat revenue. Tal's Hill was the best thing to come out of the new ballpark boom, and it's a crying shame they got rid of it.
 

singaporesoxfan

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It's not that parks don't favor them anymore, triples are just difficult to pull off. It takes a combination of speed, placement, and often bounces for a player to advance that far without any defensive errors involved. There's a reason most people consider them the most exciting single play in baseball over the home run.
I think the original post that sparked this discussion invoked an even more exciting play, the inside-the-park home run (though those are so rare that I can imagine many have never seen one live)
 

DJnVa

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It's not that parks don't favor them anymore, triples are just difficult to pull off. It takes a combination of speed, placement, and often bounces for a player to advance that far without any defensive errors involved. There's a reason most people consider them the most exciting single play in baseball over the home run.
I was at the game last month in Fenway where Mookie hit 2 triples in the first 3 innings. One of the cooler things I've seen at an MLB game.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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I hate to break it to you guys, but Jose Ramirez might do something that's even more rare. He's currently tied for the league lead in stolen bases and trails Martinez by only one home run. Leading the league in home runs and stolen bases in the same season has only happened three times, and it's never been done in an environment where both of those were a popular aspect of the game. Jimmy Sheckard did it in 1903 and Ty Cobb did so in 1909, but each of them needed just 9 home runs. Chuck Klein was the last to pull it off in 1932, but he only needed 20 stolen bases.

*