Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Win Shares Update
Posted by Dave StudemanWin Shares have been updated through games of July 5th, just about the halfway point of the year. Barry Bonds is on pace for 54 Win Shares, which would tie for the third-most Win Shares in any season, post 1900. One of the players Bonds would tie is himself -- he also reached 54 in 2001.
Meanwhile, Scott Rolen is on pace for 48 Win Shares, which would tie for 12th on the list. Sean Casey and Bobby Abreu are also on pace for more than forty Win Shares. No American Leaguer is on pace for more than thirty-two Win Shares.
All four of these guys are having outstanding years. Forty Win Shares is a real achievement. Since 1900, a player has reached forty Win Shares in one season ninety times, or less than once a year. There were no forty Win Share seasons between 1975 and 1989.
1912 was a heck of a year: Five players (the record for one season) contributed more than 40 Win Shares:
Tris Speaker (51)
Walter Johnson (47)
Smokey Joe Wood (44)
Ed Walsh (40)
Ty Cobb (40)
Dave was called a "national treasure" by Rob Neyer. Seriously. Comments about this article can be sent to him through the miracle of e-mail.