HACK WILSON! Best Season Ever?

      Happy Birthday to Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson, Hall of Fame Outfielder for the New York Giants, Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Philadelphia Phillies. In 1930, Wilson put together arguably the greatest offensive season by a player in baseball history.

                                        

(1930 Season): .356 BA, 208 HITS, 56 HR,  191 RBI, 146 RUNS, .454 OBP

Hack Wilson's Career Statistics (1923-1934):

.307 BA, 1,461 HITS, 244 HR, 1063 RBI, .395 OBP, 884 RUNS

His upbringing was all but unfortunate. He was born to a 17-year-old mother and a 24-year-old father, both irresponsible alcoholics. After his mom died when he was just seven, his father abandoned him. At 16, he gave up school to work 12-hour days for just $4 a week to support himself. His talent for playing baseball at a young age would become his only ticket out of poverty. In 1923, John McGraw, the manager for the Giants at the time, purchased his contract for $10,500. During his time with the Giants, he struggled and couldn't get consistent playing time. Once he got traded to Chicago, it was a perfect fit. Despite only being 5 feet and 6 inches tall, his five-year peak with the Chicago Cubs 1926-1930 is one of the best of all time from an offensive standpoint. In 1930, he set an MLB record by driving 191 RBIs. Also, during those five years, he led the NL in HRs four times and RBIs twice. 

Hack Wilson's (1926-1930) & Average:

.331 BA, 914 HITS, 177 HR, 708 RBI, .419 OBP, 586 RUNS (738 Games)

.331 BA, 183 HITS, 35 HR, 142 RBI, .419 OBP, 117 RUNS

Despite having occasional hiccups in the Outfield, Hack Wilson was as dominant as you can get at the plate. Unfortunately, he couldn't escape the nightmares he had during his troubled upbringing and would struggle with alcohol and other on-and-off-the-field problems. In 1931, after losing Joe McCarthy to the Yankees, a very close mentor to Wilson, his struggles worsened under manager Rogers Hornsby. After the Cubs moved on from him, he had one more dominant season with the Dodgers, but his struggles would finally reach a breaking point, and by 1934, he fell out of baseball for good.

People considered Wilson a lost cause and a waste of talent at the time. But, given how he was raised physically and emotionally, hard to feel sorry for him. Unfortunately, even today, there are many instances of people who had or have a similar upbringing to what Wilson had. In other words, Hack Wilson lived his life and played baseball feeling like he already had two strikes against him. The fact that he could have the type of success he had, with all the odds stacked against him, was remarkable. If someone could provide Wilson with the help he needed and keep his eye on the game, he would've gone down as one of the all-time greats. Unfortunately, times were different back then. Forty years after his death in 1979, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. His five-year peak and his historic 1930 season shall never be forgotten.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Hack Wilson Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsoha01.shtml

2. Schott, Thomas E. Hack Wilson via SABR: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/hack-wilson/ 

The Career of Chipper Jones!

         Happy Birthday to Larry Wayne "Chipper" Jones! Not only one of the greatest third basemen of all time but also one of the greatest switch hitters in baseball history. He played his entire career with the Atlanta Braves, being the offensive poster boy for the dominant Braves teams in the mid-to-late 90s and early 2000s. 

Chipper Jones Stats & Awards

.303 BA, 2,726 HITS, 468 HR, 1,623 RBI, .401 OBP

• 8x All-Star

• 2x Silver Slugger

• 1995 World Series Champion

• 1999 NL MVP

• 2008 Batting Champion

In his 19-year career, Jones ranks 1st all-time among third basemen in RBIs and second all-time in HRs and RBIs among switch hitters. Despite being the 1st overall pick in the 1990 MLB draft, it was challenging for Chipper. He missed the entire 1994, what would've been his rookie season, after blowing his ACL in Spring Training. With extended time off with the lockout, he had plenty of time to heel up. In 1995, his first entire season, he led the Braves to a World Series win, hitting .364 during that 14-game run. 

Besides Mike Schmidt, Chipper Jones is the greatest third baseman ever. Besides Mickey Mantle, he's also the greatest switch-hitter of all time. Jones is the only switch hitter in baseball history to hit .300 from both sides of the plate. He had the whole package at the plate, hitting for power and Average. He drove in 100 or more RBIs nine times, Hit over .300 ten times, and scored 100 or more Runs eight times, and at the age of 36, led the majors in Average at .364 and OBP with .470. When it came time for the Hall of Fame, there wasn't much to discuss, and he got 97.2% of the vote on his first ballot.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Chipper Jones Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/jonesch06.shtml

2. Pomrenke, Jacob. Chipper Jones via SABR: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/chipper-jones/

The Career of Jim Bottomley!

             Happy belated birthday to the late and great Hall of Fame first basemen Jim Bottomley. Also one of the many great St. Louis Cardinal first basemen and one of the fourteen Cardinal players to win an MVP award.

Career Statistics & Accolades (1922-1937):

.310 BA, 2,313 HITS, 219 HR, 1,422 RBI, .369 OBP, 1,177 RUNS

• 2x World Series

• 1928 MVP

Unlike many fellow players he played with, Bottomley left school at 16 to provide for his struggling family. Other than work, he also played semi-baseball to make an extra few bucks, and when a fan in the stands noticed him and had a connection to Branch Rickey, GM of St. Louis Cardinals, Bottomley would go on to play baseball for a living. In 1919, he joined the Cardinals organization for $150 a month. He'd make it to the majors in 1922, and over the next eleven seasons, he complied for a .325 Average and 1,105 RBIs throughout over 5,300 At Bats in a Cardinals uniform. He wasn't a "Homerun Hitter" at his peak. He hit over 40 Doubles and even 20 Triples in a season, averaging 200 hits yearly over a 162-game pace. He averaged a .988% Fielding Percentage at First Base over a 16-year career. To this day, Bottomley still holds the single-season record for the most unassisted double plays as a first baseman. 

Despite getting a little unlucky with the injuries starting during his age 31 seasons, Bottomley qualifies as a Hall of Famer in my book. I'll end with this, on a mid-September afternoon in 1924, playing against the Brooklyn Dodgers. Bottomley came to the plate six times and recorded six hits. He hit two home runs, a double, and three singles for 12 RBIs. It's an MLB record for most RBIs in a game, along with Mark Whiten of the Cardinals in 1993.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Jim Bottomley Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bottoji01.shtml

2. Johnson, Bill. Jim Bottomley via SABR: https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jim-bottomley/ 

The Career of Warren Spahn!

          Happy belated birthday to the late and great Warren Spahn. In his 21-year career, 20 of them being with the Braves, he was a 14-time All-Star, 3-time ERA champion, 1957 Cy-Young award winner, threw two no-hitters, won the 1957 World Series, and led the league in Strikeouts four times. He is regarded by many as the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time, being the fifth-winningest pitcher of all time. 

You got to give credit to his father, Ed Spahn, who taught him how to follow through with his shoulder and body, throw without any strain, and get the most out of his pitch out of his weight. Warren also told sportswriter Bob Broeg, "He taught me how to roll a curveball, how to let it go off my fingers at the last moment. He taught me how to pass my knee by my right elbow". Being constantly told by his father, "You've got to have control," & "Without control, you're nothing," paid off. 

What's great about being a left-handed pitcher is watching any runner on first and avoiding telegraphing whether a pitcher he was delivering to the plate or first base, thereby forcing the runner to stay close to the bag; Spahn used that to his advantage. Spahn was able to adapt when his fastball declined, relying on As his fastball waned, Spahn adapted and relied more on location, having a good screwball and changing speeds. In his 36-40 seasons, he won 106 games and led the league every year in Wins. After his rookie season, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and spent the next three seasons serving his country. Those three years were his age 22, 23, and 24 seasons, and those seasons could've been more prime years for Spahn. Nonetheless, he goes on to win 20 or more games fourteen times.

Warren Spahn Career (1942; 46-65)

363-245 W-L, 3.09 ERA, 5,243.2 IP, 2,583 SO, 1.195 WHIP

• 17x All-Star

• 1957 World Series Champion

• 1957 Cy Young Award

• 3x ERA Champion

Since 1999, the Oklahoma Sports Museum has presented the "Warren Spahn Award" to the best left-handed pitcher in baseball to honor Warren Spahn, who resided in Oklahoma for many years. Randy Johnson and Clayton Kershaw are not just the best left-handers but among the best pitchers of all time; each won the award four times.

"Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing."- Warren Spahn.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

Warren Spahn Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/spahnwa01.shtml

#OTD in Baseball History (April 23rd)

            

      On this date, on April 23, 1954, in a fourteen-inning game between the Milwaukee Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals, Hank Aaron would hit his first of 755 career Home Runs. The rookie Aaron went 3-for-7, bashing his first home run in the sixth inning. In that game, he also scored an insurance run when Jim Pendleton, with the bases loaded, got a pinch-hit single in the top of the 14th as the Braves would win.

       It took Bobby Thompson getting injured on March 13, 1954, Milwaukee Braves left fielder to make room for Hank Aaron. Hank Aaron would spend the rest of spring training impressing the Braves, and they'd sign him to an MLB contract, assigning him the number 5.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Krell, David. April 23, 1954: Hank Aaron hits first career home run as Braves and Cardinals battle for 14 innings via SABR: https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-23-1954-braves-and-cardinals-go-14-innings-hank-aaron-belts-his-first-homer/

Barry Bonds & Jeff Kent Rivalry

From 1997 through 2002, Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent carried the San Francisco Giants. Both MVP winners, All-Stars, Silver Slugger winners, and arguably the best 3 and 4-hitting duos in the majors during that time. However, both those guys, despite playing well together, weren't friends, and both had different personalities, for that matter. Barry hit third, and Kent hit fourth in the order. Bonds, who would Walk over 100 times a year, played a massive role in Kent driving in runs.

Barry Bonds & Jeff Kent Yearly Stats: *Highlight means led the league

1997

Bonds: .291 AVG, 155 HITS, 40 HR, 101 RBI, .446 OBP, 123 RUNS (159 Games)

Kent:  .250 AVG, 145 HITS, 29 HR, 121 RBI, .316 OBP, 90 RUNS (155 Games)

1998 

Bonds: .303 AVG, 167 HITS, 37 HR, 122 RBI, .438 OBP, 120 RUNS (156 Games)

Kent: .297 AVG, 156 HITS, 31 HR, 128 RBI, .359 OBP, 94 RUNS (137 Games)

1999 

Bonds: .262 AVG, 93 HITS, 34 HR, 83 RBI, .389 OBP, 91 RUNS (102 Games)

Kent: .290 AVG, 148 HITS, 23 HR, 101 RBI, .366 OBP, 86 RUNS (138 Games)

2000

Bonds: .306 AVG, 147 HITS, 49 HR, 106 RBI, .440 OBP, 129 RUNS (143 Games)

Kent: .334 AVG, 196 HITS, 33 HR, 125 RBI, .424 OBP, 114 RUNS (159 Games)

2001

Bonds: .328 AVG, 156 HITS, 73 HR, 137 RBI, .515 OBP, 129 RUNS (153 Games)

Kent: .298 AVG, 181 HITS, 22 HR, 106 RBI, .369 OBP, 84 RUNS (159 Games)

2002

Bonds: .370 AVG, 149 HITS, 46 HR, 110 RBI, .582 OBP, 117 RUNS (143 Games)

Kent: .313 AVG, 195 HITS, 37 HR, 108 RBI, .368 OBP, 102 RUNS (152 Games)

Why was there beef?

Clash in personalities and jealousy. Bonds was considered a primadonna player who rubbed fans, teammates, coaches, and the media the wrong way. It also didn't seem to bother him that the team struggled during his first four years. As long as he was putting up unreal numbers, everything's fine. Jeff Kent was a player the Giants traded away Matt Williams for to shake things up. Kent brought a blue-collar work ethic and wasn't necessarily the type who would play along with all the special treatment Bonds was receiving. Kent would tend to confront Bonds whenever he didn't appear to hustle on a grounder. 

What drove Bonds crazy about Kent?

Despite not being the best of friends, they played well, and the Giants would improve, making the playoffs three times during those years and a World Series run in 2002. However, as the years went on, things would only tense between the two. When Jeff Kent arrived, he quickly became a fan favorite due to his play and by talking about fans' appreciation and his giving good blue-collar quotes to the media after games. While Bonds was still the team's best player statistically, many people, including manager Dusty Baker, viewed Kent as the team's MVP. In 2000, Kent won the MVP, beating out Bonds. The media was nicer to Kent than Bonds, mainly because Kent was more down-to-earth than Barry.

What drove Kent crazy about Bonds?

Despite winning the MVP in 2000, that was the time Barry Bonds supposedly started using PEDs, resulting in him putting up unreal numbers. Kent, who took great pride in busting his ass and not cheating for his success, probably wasn't fond of all the glory Bonds was receiving. If you look back on some post-game interviews between Bonds and Kent, they didn't say anything kind to the other. In 2002, cameras caught a video of Bonds and Kent getting physical in the dugout over an argument. By then, the feud between the two players was well-known publicly. San Francisco Chronicle beat reporter Ray Ratto said of the two, "The one who lives longer will attend the other's funeral, just to make sure he's dead." 

End Result

The Giants would lose to the Angels in seven games of the 2002 World Series. After that, Kent left the Giants for Houston to be closer to his family. Both guys would go on to have more productive years. Bonds would finish his career with a home run record, almost 2,000 RBIs, and 3000 Hits. However, due to the suspicions of PEDs, it has yet to make the Hall of Fame. Kent would finish his career with the most home runs by any second baseman in MLB history and over 1,500 RBIs. He has yet to be inducted into the baseball hall of fame due to the analytical nerds who claimed he was a terrible defensive second baseman. Even though he got to San Francisco, he got better defensively. I don't think both of those guys have a problem with each other today. Despite clashes, they played well together. In 2012, the Giants celebrated a ten-year reunion of the 2002 team, and Bonds and Kent posed together for a picture.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Secret Base: Barry Bonds' beef with Jeff Kent included stolen bus seats, motorcycle mishaps, and a dugout fight

https://youtu.be/a_3UuLRt6mk Written by: Seth Rosenthal 

2. Barry Bonds Statistics via Baseball Reference

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bondsba01.shtml

3. Jeff Kent's Statistics via Baseball Reference

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kentje01.shtml

OTD: Baseball History (April 20th)

         On this day in baseball history, the 20th of April, Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived, made his MLB debut against the New York Yankees. He was 20 years old, and the Red Sox would start him in Right Field. As good as Ted Williams was in that game, he did strike out in his first at-bat against Red Ruffing. He would go 1 for 4 in that game with a Double, and the Red Sox would win 2-0. That year, he finished 4th in the MVP voting going...

.327 BA, 185 HITS, 31 HR, 145 RBI, .436 OBP, 131 RUNS over 149 Games

What's crazy is that just two seasons later, Ted would go on to hit .406. But to me, what's crazier is he only made $5,000 his rookie season. Throughout his career, Ted Williams always had a goal to have everyone say, "There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived." As a Yankee fan, I consider him the greatest hitter ever.

Written & Published by Robert Dobek

Follow on Twitter @RobTheYankee

References:

1. Franks, Dave. On This Day In Baseball History: April 20, 1939 via The Starting Nine/WordPress: Published April 20, 2015 https://thestartingnine.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/on-this-day-in-baseball-history-april-20-1939/