Monday, February 24, 2014

The best Catchers in Major League Baseball history

The position of catcher is the most demanding position in the sport, both physically and mentally. So to have a player who can sustain a high level of achievement at the position is rare. Below is a ranking of the top 21 Catchers in major league baseball history, based on both offensive and defensive statistics.
 
 
The best Catchers in major league baseball history:

 

21) Rick Dempsey:  A four-decade major leaguer, Dempsey had a .988 fielding percentage and threw out 40% of runners attempting to steal while catching 1,633 games from 1969-1992. He was the MVP of the 1983 World Series.

 

20) Ray Schalk: A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Schalk caught 1,727 games from 1912-1929, with a .981 fielding percentage and 49% caught stealing rate, higher than the league averages at the time of .976 and 44%. 

 

19) Ted Simmons: An eight time All Star while catching 1,771 games from 1968-1988, Simmons had a fielding percentage of .987 and threw out 34% of runners, while batting .285 with 248 home runs and 1,389 RBI’s in his career.

 

18) Brad Ausmus:  Ausmus caught 1,998 games for four teams from 1993-2010, winning three Gold Gloves. His career fielding percentage was .994 and caught stealing rate was 35%.

 

17) Mike Piazza: A twelve time All Star, Piazza has a fielding percentage of .989 and threw out 23% of attempted basestealers while catching 1,630 games from 1992-2007, but his value lay in his bat. He has a career average of .308 with 427 home runs and 1,335 RBI’s.

 

16) Jorge Posada:  A five time All Star, Posada batted .273 with 275 homers and 1,065 RBI's, in 16 seasons. He caught 1,574 games with a .992 fielding percentage and a 28% caught stealing rate.

 

15) Elston Howard:  A nine time All Star and winner of the 1963 American League MVP award, Howard caught 1,138 games and had a fielding percentage of .993 and a 44% caught stealing rate.

 

14) Jim Sundberg: A three time All Star and winner of six Gold Gloves, Sundberg had a .993 fielding percentage and threw out 41% of runners attempting to steal, while catching 1,927 games from 1974-1989.

 

13) Bob Boone: Winner of seven Gold Gloves and a four time All Star, Boone caught 2,225 games from 1972-1990, with a .986 fielding percentage and caught stealing rate of 40%. He batted .311 in 36 post season games.

 

12) Lance Parrish:  Catching 1,818 games from 1977-1995, Parrish won three Gold Gloves and was named to 8 All Star teams. He had a fielding percentage of .991, and threw out 39% of attempted base stealers. Parrish also hit 324 home runs and drove in 1,070 runs.

 

11) Carlton Fisk: During a 24 year career Fisk caught 2,226 games with a fielding percentage of .988 while throwing out 34% of base stealers. He batted .269 with 376 home runs and 1,330 RBI’s.  Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.

 

10) Thurman Munson:  Winner of the 1970 Rookie of the Year Award, and named the American League MVP in 1976, Munson was a seven time All Star selection and winner of three Gold Gloves. He threw out 44% of base runners attempting to steal, and  hit .373 and drove in 12 runs in 16 World Series games. Munson caught 1,278 games in eleven seasons.

 

9) Mickey Cochrane: A two time All Star, Cochrane was named American League MVP in 1928 and 1934. He has a career batting average of .320 with a .419 on-base percentage. He threw out 39% of basestealers while catching 1,421 games in 13 seasons. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

 

8) Gary Carter: Winner of three Gold Gloves and an eleven time All Star, Carter had a fielding percentage of .991 and caught 35% of attempted basestealers while catching 2,056 games in 20 seasons.  Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003.

 

7) Ernie Lombardi: A seven time All Star and winner of the 1938 National League MVP award, Lombardi caught 1,544 games in 17 seasons. He had a .306 career batting average and threw out 47% of attempted base stealers. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.

 

6) Gabby Hartnett: Catching 1,793 games in 20 seasons, Hartnett led the National League catchers in caught stealing percentage six times, with a career mark of 56%. A six time All Star, he had a career batting average of .297 and won the 1935 National League MVP award.  Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

 

5) Roy Campanella: Named the National League MVP in 1951, 1953, and 1955, Campanella was named to eight All Star teams. He threw out 57% of basestealers while catching 1,183 games in 10 seasons. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

 

4) Bill Dickey:  An eleven time All Star, Dickey's threw out 47% of runners attempting to steal. In 17 years Dickey had a .313 batting average and caught 1,708 games, while contributing to seven Yankees’ world championships in the 1930's and early 1940's. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954.

 

3) Ivan Rodriguez: A thirteen time Gold Glove winner and fourteen time All Star, Rodriguez won the 1999 American League MVP award.  Catching 2,427 games in 21 seasons, he threw out 46% of runners attempting to steal.

 

2) Johnny Bench: Winner of ten Gold Gloves and a fourteen time All Star, Bench won the National League MVP award in 1970 and 1972. Catching 1,742 games in 17 seasons, he threw out 43% of basestealers and had a .267 average, 389 home runs, and 1,376 RBI’s. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.

 

1) Yogi Berra:  Selected to the All Star team 15 times, Berra won the American League MVP award in 1951, 1954, and 1955. He caught 1,699 games in 19 seasons and threw out 49% of basestealers to go along with a .285 career batting average, 358 home runs, and 1,430 RBI’s. Selected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
 
 
 
source for statistics: www.baseball-reference.com

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The best Managers in New York Yankee history

The best ten managers in New York Yankee history:


10) Yogi Berra: In slightly more than two years as manager, Berra had a 192-148 record, for a .565 winning percentage. He led the team to the 1964 World Series, but was stuck with a middling team in 1984, when George Steinbrenner saddled him with mediocre players.

9) Clark Griffith: From 1903-1908 Griffith had a 419-370 record, a .531 winning percentage.

8) Buck Showalter: In 1995 Showalter led the Yankees to their first playoff appearance since 1981, a fourteen year drought. In four years at the helm he had a winning percentage of .539, with a 313-268 record.

7) Ralph Houk: Managing the team for 11 years, Houk led the Yankees as they went from the top of the baseball world in 1961 to its bottom depths in the late '60's and early '70's. He finished with a 944-806 record, a winning percentage of .539.

6) Joe Girardi: The Yanks have made the playoffs in four of Girardi's six years with the team. His record is  564-408, a .580 winning percentage, with one World Series title. Girardi has done a good job managing his pitching staff and bullpen.

5) Billy Martin: Taking five turns as manager, Martin ended up with a 556-385 record, a .591 winning percentage. The team won pennants under his helm in 1976 and 1977, taking the World Series title in '77.

4) Miller Huggins: With the game's best players in Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig on his roster, Huggins compiled a 1067-719 record, a .597 winning percentage, from 1918-1929. A monument at Yankee Stadium was erected in his honor.

3) Joe Torre: Torre led the Yanks to four world championships in 12 seasons, from 1996-2007. His 1173-767 record, a .605 winning percentage, demonstrates consistency while facing adversity as manager.

2) Casey Stengel: In 12 years from 1949-1960, Stengel won seven World Championships, plus three more American League pennants. His 1149-696 won-loss record gives him a winning percentage of .623.

1) Joe McCarthy: The longest tenured Yankee manager at 16 years, McCarthy holds the record for most wins as Yankee manager, and his 1460-867 regular season record gives him a winning percentage of .627, which is also tops among Yankee managers who were at the helm for more than one season. His teams won seven World Championships from 1931-1946.

source for statistics: www.baseballreference.com

Friday, February 7, 2014

The South would not have voted for Christie anyway


New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may have taken a hit in his popularity recently because of the so-called Bridgegate scandal, but it's unlikely it would have any effect on a future presidential run.

Many people in the South are unlikely to vote for a politician of Italian descent, let alone one from New Jersey.

The Tea Party has much strength in the South, partly because of southern resentment toward the federal government. The resentment began with the beginning of the United States in the 1700's and continued after the Civil War and into the 20th century. Even today, residents in southern states still fly the Confederate flag, insisting that it is part of their "southern pride."

Many whites in the rural South - and even in the urban south - still regard the Civil War as an act of "Northern Aggression." You don't even have to travel far. The south begins at the Maryland border. One can tell by the sudden appearance on the radio of country western music. Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas are the states that comprise today's South.

Regional animosity toward the North from Southern states can be viewed through recent events. After Hurricane Katrina members of Congress from all parts of the country rushed to assist New Orleans and other areas in the south that were affected. But when Hurricane Sandy destroyed parts of New Jersey and New York City, republicans in Congress, many from southern states, withheld financial assistance for weeks, saying they wanted to make sure money only went to those who were "deserving" of it. Even then, many representatives from the South voted against providing financial help to New Jersey.

The South's hostility is strange considering that southern states take in more federal aid than they put in. They take more than other parts of the country, due to rural poverty and the location of a number of large military bases in the south. Federal aid that is provided from taxes paid by many Northern residents and citizens on the West Coast, we will add.

So Chris Christie doesn't have to worry much about Bridgegate if he wants to make a run as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate in 2016. Between the South's dislike of the North, and many Americans' suspicion of Italians, he wouldn't have had much of a chance anyway.

I only hope the Tea Party's sway in the South doesn't continue. The old saying was "Save your Confederate money, the South will rise again." We're all in for a world of trouble if that really ever does happen again.