Search THT:

Or you can search by:

March 24, 2012

How does Madson’s injury affect the Reds?

News came today that Ryan Madson will have Tommy John surgery and is down for the season. This is a painful loss for the Reds, but it's mostly an emotional wound. Madson is/was an excellent relief pitcher, but the Reds still have a strong bullpen, even if it isn't as strong and deep as it was before.

It is important to remember that relief pitchers rarely, if ever, contribute as much to a team as many people believe. They just don't throw enough innings to have an enormous impact. Madson was among the best, but it was unlikely he was going to be the difference maker for the Reds this year.

So what are the repercussions for the rest of the team? Sean Marshall is probably going to close. He's easily the best reliever on staff (this was true before the Madson injury, as well) and recently signed an extension with the implication that he would close after this year. The setup role is less certain, but there's a good chance it reverts to Nick Masset, since he's held that job the last several years.

Everyone is going to want to know what this means for lefty Aroldis Chapman. Lots of people are already convinced he's headed to the bullpen, but don't be so certain. While Reds manager Dusty Baker has been constantly pushing to have Chapman move to the pen, GM Walt Jocketty has indicated that Chapman will start, be it in Triple-A or the majors.

Only with the injury to Madson has Jocketty said Chapman might move to the bullpen. "Maybe" was the word he used, and that should encourage Reds fans.

This is Chapman's last option year, and if they plan to convert him to starting, this is the time to do it. Inserting him into an already-good bullpen as a Band-Aid would be a short-sighted mistake.
Posted by: Jason Linden

January 23, 2012

Career highlights: Orlando Cabrera

A fewdays ago, longtime shortstop Orlando Cabrera announced he’s retiring from baseball after 15 seasons.

When news like this happens, it’s natural to look back on a player’s career, and for me that means putting together a list of career highlights. This list includes the greatest and most memorable games Cabrera played in, his personal bests (and some worsts), as well as some oddities he was on hand for and great moments by other players that occurred in games in which he participated.


Cabrera in his element - fielding the ball.

Basically, it’s a list of Orlando Cabrera’s best “I was there for that game.” Here they are, in order:

Click for more...

Posted by: Chris Jaffe

January 09, 2012

Barry Larkin career highlights

The news came down earlier today. As predicted here at THT, Barry Larkin is the newest member of the Hall of Fame.

In honor of that grand honor, it’s only fitting to spend some time looking back at the career that got him into Cooperstown. The list below contains many of Larkin’s most memorable moments.

In it are his best (and sometimes worst) moments, the best and most important games he played in, and his key postseason events. Also, to provide some color, some of the stranger and more interesting games he was on hand for, as well as some noteworthy accomplishments his teammates or opponents had in games in which Larkin played.


If Cooperstown's calling, it's no fluke.

With that said, here they are:

Click for more...

Posted by: Chris Jaffe

July 20, 2011

A reason to trade

Baseball Reference is offering a wonderful new way to look busy at work with their new Franchise Trade Partner History. I went to check on trades between the Indians and Reds, since I could not remember what the Indians received in trade for Brandon Phillips*.

*Jeff Stevens. Now I remember why I wanted to forget.

Once entry struck me:

May 7, 1993: The Cleveland Indians traded Kevin Wickander to the Cincinnati Reds for a player to be named later. The Cincinnati Reds sent Todd Ruyak (minors) (June 4, 1993) to the Cleveland Indians to complete the trade.

After seven years in the organization, the Indians sent Wickander to the Reds despite showing some promise as a lefty bullpen arm. The Reds released him, and with a baby on the way and a possible strike in 1994, Wickander played in Taiwan for a year. As it turned out, the baby was a girl and Wickander could not name the baby Olin.

Wickander was the friend of Steve Olin, one of two Indians pitchers killed in a boating accident during spring training in 1993. Now, there is some dispute as to why the Indians traded Wickander, but most points moving the discussion away from the accident in the clubhouse, and people only seemed to want to talk to Wickander about the accident.

Of course, I bounced over to revisit Olin's stats, and this jogged my memory.

In 1992, Olin pitched in 72 games, finished 62 and saved 29, while throwing 88.1 innings. He pitched anywhere from one-third to 3-and-2/3 innings. As the closer.

Checking for pitchers since 1990 who appeared in at least 70 games, finished at least 60 and had (saves + wins - losses) greater than 30, Olin is tied with Derek Lowe's 2000 season for most innings per game (1.23). They were bested only by Doug Jones, also in 1992, and his 1.40 innings per game. Olin and Jones spent 1990 and 1991 working in the Indians bullpen, so perhaps they talked a bit.

Yeah, the Franchise Trade History is going to be a time waster.

Posted by: Mat Kovach

May 13, 2011

How do games end?

After my post about a walk-off catcher interference, there was quite a bit of speculation about how games can end with specific types of events. The intentional base-on-balls is a good example. Quite a few people are confused when I present this type of data. Now, once I give the answer you'll probably smack your head and say, 'D'oh.' You know the answer. Really, you do.

The problem is that baseball games don't always end as expected.

It can rain and a game be called and called official. This doesn't happen as much any more, but in the past it was fairly common.

Just like your teenage years, baseball games have a curfew. If there is a winner, the game may be called.

For a time, Sunday baseball had a curfew and the games were stopped, seemingly, right at that time.

These types of games may not end directly at the end of a half of an inning. If a team intentionally walked a batter and the "heavens opened up,', you got yourself a game-ending IBB.

In addition, Retrosheet's event ID may not always tell the whole story. Take a game, top of the ninth, visiting team's last at bat, down by three, runners on second and third, two outs. Batter hits a line drive deep to right field. Runners score and on the throw to the plate, the batter attempts to leg out a double. A fielder cuts off the throw and nails the batter at second. The Retrosheet event number will indicate a single. A game ending single that plated two runs. Or, as the then-Devil Rays showed against the Yankees, run-scoring game-ending passed balls are possible.

Obviously, the data as presented don't tell the full story. So, let's look at the story of game ending and game winning walk-offs. Walk-off, bases loaded, triples.

Using the Retrosheet era, there have been seven bases-loaded, three-run-scoring, game-winning triples. Two happened with no outs, two took place with one out and three happened with two outs.* All of these triples happened in the ninth inning, none in extra innings.

* There may be more, but Retrosheet doesn't have the play-by-play data.

No outs:
{exp:list_maker}Joe Torre hit eight triples and had 137 RBI in winning the MVP in 1971. One triple and three RBs came on May 29, 1971 as Torre helped the Cardinals beat the Braves 8-7.
Juan Beniquez made his lone triple in 1987 count. With no outs and the bases loaded, Beniquez pinch-hit for Manuel Lee and tripled the Blue Jays to a 10-9 victory. {/exp:list_maker}

One out:
{exp:list_maker}Manny Mota alert! In a Sept. 3, 1971 contest against the Reds, Mota stepped in against Joe Gibbon with the bases full of Dodgers. A bases clearing triple gave the Dodgers a 6-5 come-from-behind victory.
The Indians almost made the playoffs in 2005. The next season was turning into a disappointment but on Aug. 26, Grady Sizemore helped the Indians to a 4-3 victory as he knocked three Indians home, sending the home team fans in attendance (including this one) into a frenzy. This is the most recent bases-loaded, game-ending triple. What is it about the Indians and bases loaded triples? Duane Kuiper once hit two in one game.{/exp:list_maker}

Two outs:
{exp:list_maker}Harry Hanebrink hit one triple in 1953, his first year in the majors. That was half his career total. This one plated three Milwaukee Braves teammates and the only runs in a 3-2 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Cam Carreon helped the White Sox beat the Indians to end the first game of a July 1, 1962 doubleheader 5-4. This was the second of Carreon's four career triples.
Dave Collins led the American League in triples in 1984. But in 1980, playing for the Reds, his first triple of the year drove in three. Not only did this give the 1980 Reds a 6-5 victory over the Giants, it kept them undefeated for the year. {/exp:list_maker}

Note that only I might find interesting: Seven batters turned in game-winning bases-clearing triples. Three of them have the same initial for their first and last name.

Bases loaded walk-off home runs are boring and happen way too often, 188 times to seven times for triples. And 22 have happened since Sizemore's.
Posted by: Mat Kovach


Click here for more THT Notes.