Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Tricycles

If a "cycle" is at least one each of a single, double, triple and homer in the same game, a "tricycle" is a baby cycle, one with three wheels -- only three of the required four events. There are four types of tricycles: a cycle that's missing a homer, one missing a triple, one missing a double, and the hardest tricycle of all, the one missing a single.

Jose Reyes has 5 homerless tricycles in Mets history, three of them in 2008. No other Mets has more than three homerless tricycles in his Mets career. In fact Reyes had three homerless tricycles in 2008 alone. The players with the most homerless tricycles in the major leagues since 1962, when the Mets began play, are Paul Molitor and Wade Boggs with 13 each, followed by George Brett and Willie Davis with 12 each.

David Wright has more triple-less tricycles as a Met than any player, with 13 (Mike Piazza had 12 and Carlos Beltran has 10). A-Rod and Barry Bonds lead the majors in triple-less tricycles since 1962, each has 35 in his career, ahead of Billy Williams and Juan Gonzalez with 32 each.

Double-less tricycles are unusual. Darryl Strawberry has the most in Mets history with 3, while Frank Thomas of the original '62 Mets had two within a week of each other in May of 1962. No other Mets has more than one, and there have only been 28 such games in Mets history. Across the majors since 1962, the most doubleless tricycles by any player has been 6, accomplished by Roberto Clemente, Andy Van Slyke and Ron Gant.

Finally, there have been only 6 single-less tricycles in Mets history. Amazingly enough, Gregg Jefferies has three of the six, two of them within a few weeks of each other in late August/early September 1988. The other three single-less tricycles in Mets history have been by Darryl Strawberry, Ron Swoboda and Joe Christopher. No player in the majors since 1962 has more single-less tricycles than the three by Jefferies -- Manny Trillo and Ellis Burks also had three and Brian Giles, who is still active, also has had three in his career.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Run of Runs

Most Consecutive Games by a Met with at least 1 Run Scored

David Wright, 13 games (July 13-July 29, 2008)
Carlos Beltran, 12 games (August 17-August 30, 2006)
Derek Bell, 11 games (June 21-July 1, 2000)
Melvin Mora, 10 games (June 22-July 1, 2000)

(source: baseball-reference.com's Play Index)

Truly odd that Bell's and Mora's streaks were over the same games. In terms of the progression of this record, Frank Thomas had a six game streak in May of 1962, which was tied but not suprassed until Tommie Davis had a seven game streak in 1967, which was tied but not surpassed until Tommie Agee's 8 game streak in May of 1969, which in turn was quickly broken by Art Shamsky's 9 game streak in June/July, 1969, which was tied over the years by Mackey Sasser, Bernard Gilkey and John Olerud but not surpassed until Mora and Bell reached 10 and 11 respectively over that one sequence of games in 2000. Wright's record streak in 2008, by the way, started with the last game before the All-Star break and then proceeded with 12 straight games after the break.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Minor Adjustments

The Mets have signed Freddy Garcia and Rob Mackowiak to minor league deals, each with a chance to make more money if he makes the major league team.

Most Wins in the American League over the past 10 seasons:
1. Mike Mussina 152
2. Roy Halladay 130
3/4. Mark Buehrle/Bartolo Colon 122
5. Freddy Garcia 117

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MLB players in the Expansion Era (1961-current) who have at least 150 career games played in LF, and at least 150 career games played in CF, and at least 150 career games played in RF, and at least 150 career games played at 3B (in order of career OPS+):

Tommy Harper 101 OPS+
Cesar Tovar 100 OPS+
Rob Mackowiak 91 OPS+

That's the whole list.

If you drop down to 100 career games at each of LF, CF, RF and third base you add three more guys:

Pedro Guerrero 137 OPS+
Bill Robinson 104 OPS+
Joel Youngblood 103 OPS+

Dropping down again to a 75 game mimimum at each postion you add six more guys: Tony Phillips, Jim Hickman, Woody Held, Elliot Maddox, Mickey Hatcher and Bob Bailor. Of the 12 guys we now have in total, 5 played for the Mets during their careers -- Mackowiak if he makes the team will make it six, an even 50% of the group.