Posted by Gary Marbry

Before I get to Dice-K, I have a hockey question for you.  As a born and bred southerner, I’m not a terribly knowledgeable hockey guy (Gary dives behind the desk).  But the Hurricanes are a pretty big deal down here.  That is, they take up a lot of sports talk radio time locally.  Anyway, now that the season is heading into the home stretch, I’m told something like this each morning:

“The Hurricanes have moved into a 6th place tie but keep in mind that New York has two games in hand and Pittsburgh has one game in hand…”

Why doesn’t the NHL just use average points per game played as the basis for their standings?  As of yesterday morning, this is what those standings would look like in the Eastern Conference:

1 - Boston 1.40
2 - NJ 1.35
3 - Was 1.29
4 - Phi 1.26
5 - Mon 1.18
6 - Fla 1.149
7 - Pit 1.147
8 - NYR 1.134
9 - Carolina 1.130
10 - Buffalo 1.09

This seems so much clearer.  Carolina isn’t tied for 6th.  They are 9th.  I don’t get it.

———————————————————————————–

Enough of that, let’s get to Dice-K and look, Nuggetpalooza-style, at last season’s eighteen game winner:

DAISUKE MATSUZAKA – 167.2 IP in 2008 – 18-3, 2.90 ERA

* - Matsuzaka has allowed 2 or fewer hits (actually, exactly 2 hits) in 10 of his 61 career starts, the most such starts over the first 61 starts of any career in AL history:

10 – Daisuke Matsuzaka
 8 – Rich Harden
 8 – Juan Guzman

Eight of those starts came in 2008, the 2nd most starts allowing 2 or fewer hits in a single season in AL history (since 1956 anyway):

11 – Nolan Ryan, TEX, 1991
 8 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS, 2008
 7 – 9 tied; Most recent by Johan Santana, 2004

Those 10 career 2 or less hit starts places Dice-K in a tie (with Luis Tiant, Derek Lowe, and Jim Lonborg) for 5th place in Red Sox history already:

24 – Pedro Martinez
24 – Roger Clemens
16 – Tim Wakefield
12 – Dave Morehead
11 – Earl Wilson
10 – 4 tied

* - Dice-K allowed a 1.37 WHIP (baserunners allowed per inning) last season, the 2nd highest in Red Sox history among pitchers with 150+ innings and a sub-3.00 ERA:

1.42 – Eddie Cicotte, 1911
1.37 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2008
1.34 – Mel Parnell, 1949

Only four Red Sox have pitched 150+ innings and allowed a sub-3.00 ERA and a WHIP above 1.25 in a season since 1970:

1.37 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2008
1.27 – Bruce Hurst, 1986
1.25 – Dennis Eckersley, 1978
1.25 – Bill Lee, 1973

Dice-K’s mark was tied for the 3rd highest (still among pitchers with 150+ innings and a sub-3.00 ERA) in the majors since 1970:

1.49 – Bart Johnson, CWS, 1971
1.43 – Wilson Alvarez, CWS, 1993
1.37 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS, 2008
1.37 – Nolan Ryan, CAL, 1977

* - Over the last two seasons, Dice-K has allowed a .186 batting average with runners on base in road games (56 for 301), the lowest average allowed over that span (min. 200 such batters faced):

.186 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS
.201 – Scott Kazmir, TB
.203 – Tim Lincecum, SF

Matsuzaka allowed a .199 average in 2007 in those situations and a really paltry .167 in 2008. 

Just For Fun:  The highest batting average allowed with runners on base in road games over the last two seasons (same mins.):

.368 – Nate Robertson
.361 – Zack Duke
.343 – Brian Bannister

* - Dice-K held #9 hitters to an AL-low .353 OPS (.115 AVG; .206 OBP; .148 SLG) in 2008 (min. 50 such BF):

.353 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS
.370 – Boof Bonser, MIN
.390 – Dana Eveland, OAK

The .115 average allowed to #9 hitters by Matsuzaka was the 2nd lowest in a single season since 1974 by a Red Sox pitcher (same minimums):

.106 – Jeff Fassero, 2000
.115 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2008
.118 – Wes Gardner, 1988
.122 – Roger Clemens, 1991

Just For Fun:  Lowest Career Batting Average Allowed to #9 Hitters – Red Sox Pitchers Since 1974 – Min. 100 such BF:

.112 – Jonathan Papelbon
.153 – Daisuke Matsuzaka
.161 – Julian Tavarez
.171 – Wes Gardner

* - Dice-K allowed 4 unearned runs in 2008 (54 of 58 were earned) after all 100 runs allowed in 2007 were earned.  In his career, 97.5% of Matsuzaka’s runs allowed have been earned.  Only Curt Schilling (98.3%) has a higher percentage among Red Sox pitchers than Dice-K (min. 100 career runs allowed):

98.3% - Curt Schilling
97.5% - Daisuke Matsuzaka
97.4% - Jon Lester
96.0% - Josh Beckett

That says something about the quality of the Red Sox recent defense, no?

* - Over the last two seasons, Matsuzaka has 14 wins in starts where he has allowed 10+ baserunners, the most in the majors in that span:

14 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS
11 – Brandon Webb, ARI
11 – CC Sabathia, CLE/MIL
10 – Cliff Lee, CLE

Hopefully, the Red Sox Review series is helping you get ready for opening day, just 24 days away!  Thoughts or suggestions?  Shoot me an email (gmarbry@weei.com) or leave a comment.

Posted by Gary Marbry

This was one fun Red Sox Review.  So many stats to choose from.  Without further adieu, here’s my Red Sox Review of Kevin Youkilis:

KEVIN YOUKILIS – 538 AB in 2008 - .312 AVG / .390 OBP / .569 SLG / .959 OPS

* - 21 of Kevin Youkilis’ 29 HR last season came with runners on base (72.4%), the 2nd highest percentage in the majors (min. 20 total HR):

76.2% - Garrett Atkins, COL (16-21)
72.4% - Kevin Youkilis, BOS (21-29)
69.6% - Justin Morneau, MIN (16-23)
65.0% - Bobby Abreu, NYY (13-20)
61.1% - Adrian Gonzalez, SD (22-36)

Youks’ 72.4% is the highest mark by a Red Sox hitter since the stat has been tracked (beginning in 1974):

72.4% - Kevin Youkilis, 2008
71.1% - Manny Ramirez, 2005
70.0% - Nick Esasky, 1989
68.2% - Mike Greenwell, 1988

From June 22 through the end of the season, 15 of Youks’ 17 HR came with runners on base.

Just For Fun:  The Giants Randy Winn hit 10 HR last season, all of them with the bases empty.  Ken Singleton (Orioles) holds the record for futility in this category (since ’74) as he hit 15 HR, all solo shots, in 1975.  On the other side of the ledger, the Mariners’ Bruce Bochte hit 16 HR in 1979, 14 with runners on base.

* - Kevin Youkilis is a .337 career hitter in May, the 3rd highest May average ever (since 1952; min. 300 May AB):

.364 – Ichiro Suzuki
.340 – Rod Carew
.337 – Kevin Youkilis
.336 – Dan Uggla

* - Youkilis tied for the league lead with 20 doubles versus pitchers with 5.00+ ERAin 2008 (Jose Guillen and Alexis Rios also had 20).  He also had 46 RBI (5th) against that group.

* - Youkilis batted .353 in the 7th inning or later last season, 3rd in the league (min. 100 AB):

.368 – Marlon Byrd, TEX
.360 – Aramis Ramirez, CHC
.353 – Kevin Youkilis, BOS
.351 – Albert Pujols, STL

Youkilis also had 40 RBI in those situations (tied for 4th; Aramis Ramirez had 47) and his .671 slugging percentage in the 7th or later was the 2nd highest in Red Sox history (min. 100 AB):

.712 – Mike Greenwell, 1987
.671 – Kevin Youkilis, 2008
.667 – Bob Watson, 1979
.659 – David Ortiz, 2005

* - Youkilis batted with 196 runners on base in home games last season and drove in 54 of them (27.6%), the 4th highest percentage in the majors (min. 100 runners on base at home):

32.1% - David Ortiz, BOS (42 of 131)
29.3% - Albert Pujols, STL (48 of 164)
27.8% - Carlos Pena, TB (44 of 158)
27.6% - Kevin Youkilis, BOS (54 of 196)

* - Youkilis has struggled in his career against Tampa Bay starters James Shields (0 for 17, 6 K) and Scott Kazmir(.200 with 13 K in 42 PA).  In fact, against pitchers that Youkilis has faced 10+ times in his career (44% of his total at bats), Kevin has put up a .267 average, .780 OPS, and one HR every 39 AB.  Against all other pitchers: .306 average; .907 OPS; HR every 24 AB.

* - Youkilis’ 15 hits on 0-2 counts last season was tied for the 3rd most in the majors in 2008:

16 – Mike Aviles, KC
16 – Justin Morneau, MIN
15 – Kevin Youkilis, BOS
15 – Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
15 – Brian Roberts, BAL

* - Youkilis batted .395 (45-114) against AL Central teams last season, the highest average by any hitter (min. 60 AB):

.395 – Kevin Youkilis, BOS
.388 – Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
.367 – Ichiro Suzuki, SEA

His 1.256 OPS against the AL Central was the highest in the majors (min. 60 AB) in 2008 and is the best mark ever (since ’95) by a Red Sox hitter (Manny Ramirez; 1.112; 2001) and is the 5th best mark since they’ve tracked the stat (1995):

1.312 – Albert Belle, CLE (1995)
1.303 – Dean Palmer, TEX (1995)
1.290 – Jason Giambi, OAK (2000)
1.263 – Nick Johnson, NYY (2003)
1.256 – Kevin Youkilis, BOS (2008)

* - The Red Sox went 24-2 last season at home when Youkilis collected 2+ hits.  That .923 winning percentage in those games was the 3rd highest in the majors last season (min. 15 multiple hit home games):

1.000 – Brendan Harris, TB (15-0)
 .941 – JJ Hardy, MIL (16-1)
 .923 – Kevin Youkilis, BOS (24-2)

Did You Know?  Wade Boggs’ teams lost 23 times when he collected 4+ hits, the most such losses ever:

23 – Wade Boggs (39-23, .629)
22 – Paul Molitor (40-22, .645)
19 – Pete Rose (54-19, .740)
19 – Rod Carew (39-19, .672)

* - Youkilis hit over .300 in every month in 2008 except September (.275).  In fact, September remains his worst career month:

April - .305
May - .337
June - .306
July - .252
August - .282
September - .238

* - Youkilis had 13 doubles after 0-2 counts last season, tied for the most in a season since they began tracking the stat in 1988:

13 – Kevin Youkilis, BOS, 2008
13 – Aubrey Huff, TB, 2003
11 – 7 tied

No other Red Sox hitter has ever had more than 9.

Thanks to Baseball-Reference for their statistical help.  If you enjoy stats and haven’t discovered that site, it’s worth it.  Check back soon for the next Red Sox Review!  Thoughts or suggestions?  Fire off an email to gmarbry@weei.com or leave a comment!

Posted by Gary Marbry

It’s easy to think of Tim Wakefield as one of those “old” pitchers that continues to just hang on.  But he was awfully good in 2008.  Here’s a Nuggetpalooza-style breakdown:

TIM WAKEFIELD – 181 IP in 2008 – 10-11, 4.13 ERA

* - The .206 batting average allowed at Fenway last season was Wakefield’s career best in home games, easily surpassing the .225 mark he allowed in 2002.  It was the 2nd lowest home mark in the AL (Shaun Marcum, .200) and the 5th lowest batting average allowed at home by a Red Sox pitcher since 1950 (min. 350 home BF):

.181 – Pedro Martinez, 2000
.187 – Luis Tiant, 1972
.203 – Roger Clemens, 1986
.205 – Pedro Martinez, 2002
.206 – Tim Wakefield, 2008

* - Wakefield was the only AL pitcher last season to hold righthanded batters (min. 400 RHB faced) to an OBP under .300 (.299) and allow them a batting average under .225 (.218).  Only Eric Bedard (’07 Orioles, .208 avg allowed, .266 OBP allowed) pulled it off in 2007.

* - Wakefield had much better success during the week (Monday through Thursday) in 2008 than he did on the weekends.  Opponents hit 7 HR during the week (1 every 39 AB) but they hit 18 on the weekends, just one off the MLB high of 19 allowed by Gavin Floyd (1 every 22 AB).

* - Wakefield allowed 8 HR in the second inning in 2008, tied for the most in the majors (Brian Bannister).  In fact, Wakefield’s 5.26% HR percentage during innings 1 and 2 was the highest in baseball (min. 200 BF in those two innings):

5.26% - Tim Wakefield, BOS
4.59% - Jeff Suppan, MIL
4.46% - Brett Myers, PHI

However, Wakefield’s HR percentage dropped to just 1.74% in innings 3 through 5 before rising to 3.70% after the 5th.

* - Wakefield has allowed 14+ hits on 0-2 pitches in 9 different seasons, the most such seasons by any pitcher since they began tracking the stat in 1988:

9 – Tim Wakefield (all 9 with Boston)
8 – David Wells
7 – Esteban Loaiza

Wake is 3rd in career 0-2 hits allowed with 217, trailing Wells (251) and Greg Maddux (227), but he is the all-time leader in 0-2 HR allowed (again, since 1988):

28 – Tim Wakefield
23 – Randy Johnson
21 – Mike Mussina

* - Wakefield allowed a ridiculously low .353 OPS to #7 hitters in 2008 (.100 AVG; .182 OBP; .171 SLG), the lowest such OPS allowed in the majors (min. 70 such BF).  Wakefield and Dice-K were ranked 1-2:

.353 – Tim Wakefield, BOS
.391 – Daisuke Matsuzaka, BOS
.394 – Brandon Webb, ARI
.477 – Ricky Nolasco, FLA

Wakefield’s mark was the 2nd best ever (at least since 1974) by a Red Sox pitcher:

.288 – Frank Viola, 1988 (#7 hitters went 8 for 90, .089, with 1 double and a .188 OBP that season)
.353 – Tim Wakefield, 2008
.379 – Pedro Martinez, 2002

* - Over the last 5 seasons, 77 batters have either put the ball in play (64) or struck out (13) after running the count to 3-0 against Wakefield but none of them have homered.  No other pitcher has more than such AB without allowing at least 1 HR during that time:

77 – Tim Wakefield, BOS
53 – Roy Oswalt, HOU
45 – Ben Sheets, MIL
45 – Chien-Ming Wang, NYY

* - In his career, Wakefield has come back from a 3-0 count to record 48 strikeouts, the 2nd most ever since they began tracking the stat in 1988:

53 – Roger Clemens
48 – Tim Wakefield
43 – Mike Mussina

* - 2008 was the 7th straight season in which Wakefield faced at least 50 more batters in the season’s first half than the second half. 

* - Did you know?  Tim Wakefield won three starts in 1993 despite walking 9+ batters in the game.  No other pitcher has ever won more than two such starts in a season and there have only been 76 such wins in the last 52 seasons (Nolan Ryan won 6 of them).  Wake has only won one other start in his career in which he has allowed 7 walks.

* - Wakefield is one of only three pitchers that have faced 40+ batters with the bases loaded since 2005 but have not allowed any extra base hits:

48 – Ervin Santana, LAA
42 – Tim Wakefield, BOS
40 – Joe Beimel, TB/LAD

* - Since 2002, Wakefield is 51-13 in 90 starts where he did not allow a HR, but 31-53 when he allows a long ball (3-6 when allowing 3+ HR).

* - Wakefield has struck out Jason Giambi 21 times (in 92 AB), the most strikeouts against any batter by Wakefield.  Wake has struck out Giambi more times than any other opposing pitcher (one more than Aaron Sele).  Wakefield has also fanned Alex Rodriguez 20 times.  Only John Lackey (22) has more strikeouts versus A-Rod.

Check back soon for the next installment of Red Sox Reviews!  Thanks to Baseball-Reference for their help in putting these posts together.  As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment or email me at gmarbry@weei.com.

Now back to the rabbit’s foot: “Nobody gets hurt at the WBC… Nobody gets hurt at the WBC…”

Posted by Gary Marbry

Before Jon Lester takes the hill later today for the first time in 2009, let’s take a look back at his remarkable 2008 season, Nuggetpalooza-style!

JON LESTER – 210.1 IP in 2008 – 16-6, 3.21 ERA

In 2008, Jon Lester threw 3,309 pitches, an increase of 2,226 over the year before.  Since the 1988 season, 117 different pitchers have had a season in which their workload increased by at least 2,200 pitches over the previous year.  Twelve of those did it in 2008.  In the “previous” season, those pitchers threw a total of 3,257 innings and had a 4.27 ERA (those totals do not include the 12 pitchers who saw their big increase in 2008).  In their season of the big increase, that group’s totals were 20,241 IP and a 4.00 ERA.  But in the season after the big increase, their total innings dipped to 15,851 IP (78% of the previous season’s innings) and their ERA ballooned to 4.46.  So, history is not particularly on Lester’s side, but every case is different and it’s not like Lester, Tito, and Theo haven’t bucked history before.

* - Lester allowed a .305 average (.805 OPS) to the 350 batters faced on weekends in 2008 (Friday/Saturday/Sunday) but just a .224 average (.612 OPS) during the week.  The 81 point average difference was the 2nd largest in the majors (min. 200 BF weekdays and 200 BF weekends):

.084 – Adam Eaton (.348 weekends vs .263 weekdays)
.081 – Jon Lester (.305 weekends vs .224 weekdays)
.081 – Oliver Perez (.197 weekends vs .278 weekdays)

Just For Fun:  The Red Sox as a team had better pitching success during the week than on weekends as well.  In 2008, they ranked 8th in the AL in OPS allowed on weekends (.734), but their .697 OPS allowed on weekdays was the 3rd best mark in the AL since 2004:

.679 – Toronto (2008)
.682 – Oakland (2005)
.697 – Boston (2008)

* - Lester fashioned a streak of 22 consecutive starts in which he allowed 4 or fewer ER that stretched from Sept. 2007 through last June 22.  It was the longest such streak by a Red Sox pitcher since Pedro’s 31 in 2002-2003 and the 10th longest ever by a Red Sox hurler (Pedro also had a 32 gamer in 1999-2000).  17 of the starts in Lester’s streak came during 2008, tied (with four others) for the longest such streak in the AL last season.

* - After Lester allowed 6 HR in his first 8 starts in 2008 (through May 4; 45.2 IP), he allowed only 8 more over his last 25 starts (168 IP).  His 1.18% HR/BF rate after May 4 was the lowest in the majors after that date (min. 400 BF):

1.18% - Jon Lester, BOS
1.24% - Ubaldo Jimenez, COL
1.25% - Mike Pelfrey, NYM
1.34% - Tim Lincecum, SF

* - Twice in 2008, Lester induced at least one GIDP in 5 straight starts.  Since 2000, only Tim Wakefield has had a longer such streak among Red Sox pitchers (6 in 2002).

* - The Red Sox won the last 14 times that Lester started games at Fenway during the regular season in 2008. It’s the longest streak ever by a Red Sox pitcher:

14 – Jon Lester (2008)
13 – Luis Tiant (1977-1978)
12 – Don Schwall (1961)

His streak is creeping toward the all-time major league bests as well:

24 – Johan Santana (2005-2007)
18 – Atlee Hammaker (1982-1983)
17 – Whitey Ford (1964-1965)

Surprisingly, only Ron Darling (1988) and Steve Carlton (1977) have longer streaks during a single season (16 each) than Lester’s 14.

* - Lester allowed a .661 OPS to the AL East in 2007, then followed that by allowing the same .661 OPS to the AL East in 2008 as well.

* - From June 22 through the end of last season, opposing hitters went 0-14 against Lester from the 5th inning on with RISP and 2 outs.  Only one pitcher allowed a .000 batting average in those spots in more opponent AB:  Justin Masterson (0-15).

Man, it’s great to have real, live baseball back.

Posted by Gary Marbry

Fascinatin' JD Drew

Welcome to Red Sox Reviews!  In this installment, let’s look at JD Drew:

JD DREW – 368 AB in 2008;  .280 AVG / .408 OBP / .519 SLG / .927 OPS

* - Hit .366 with 11 HR and a 1.291 OPS against 5.00+ ERA pitchers in 2008.  The OPS against that group was 3rd in the league (min. 125 such PA), trailing only Albert Pujols (1.298) and Manny Ramirez (1.295).

* - Drew’s .426 OBP against lefthanded pitchers in 2008 was a career high for him.  His previous best OBP against southpaws was .416 in 2005.

* - Last season, Drew hit 17 HR before the all-star break and just 2 after.  In his career, he’s hit 67.2% of his home runs (129 out of 192) prior to the break, the 2nd highest percentage by any player since 1954 (min. 150 career HR):

69.3% - Larry Hisle (115 out of 166)
67.2% - JD Drew (129 out of 192)
67.1% - Ed Sprague (102 out of 152)
64.8% - Cliff Floyd (151 out of 233)
64.8% - George Hendrick (173 out of 267)

Just For Fun: Which players have hit the highest percentage of their HR following the all-star break since 1954 (min. 150 total HR)?

61.3% - Carlos Pena (100 out of 163)
59.0% - George Brett (187 out of 317)
58.0% - Nomar Garciaparra (131 out of 226)
57.6% - Ted Williams (106 out of 184; Only counts 1954 and beyond)

* - Drew is one of only 14 batters since 1974 with a career OPS of .900+ (.925) with an OBP of .400+ (.401) against righthanded pitchers (min. 3,000 PA against righthanders). It’s a who’s who of big time hitters and Drew is the only one of the 14 to have played for Boston at any time:

Barry Bonds (1.084 OPS / .458 OBP)
Todd Helton (1.052 / .439)
Jim Thome (1.051 / .431)
Lance Berkman (1.027 / .424)
Jason Giambi (.979 / .419)
Brian Giles (.968 / .417)
Bobby Abreu (.951 / .417)
Albert Pujols (1.036 / .417)
Chipper Jones (.972 / .411)
Frank Thomas (.940 / .410)
Edgar Martinez (.917 / .409)
Larry Walker (.996 / .407)
JD Drew (.925 / .401)
Will Clark (.925 / .400)

* - Opposing pitchers went through 2-0 against Drew 84 times in 2008 and JD posted an OBP of .682 in those PA’s, the highest percentage in the AL and the 3rd highest mark in the majors (min. 80 such PA):

.739 – Matt Holliday, COL (67-91)
.702 – Chipper Jones, ATL (85-121)
.682 – JD Drew, BOS (58-84)
.675 – Milton Bradley, TEX (54-80)

Drew has the 4th highest career OBP after 2-0 counts as a Red Sox player (since 1988; min. 175 such PA):

.630 – Manny Ramirez
.606 – Bill Mueller
.606 – David Ortiz
.603 – JD Drew

Drew’s career OBP (all teams) is .610 in 900 PA following 2-0 counts. 

* - Drew also led the majors in OBP (.567) after 2-1 counts in 2008 (min. 100 such PA):

.567 – JD Drew, BOS (68-120)
.556 – Matt Holliday, COL (74-132)
.540 – Chipper Jones, ATL (67-124)

It was the 2nd best such season ever (since 1988) by a Red Sox player (Tim Naehring, .604 in 1995).

* - Drew had the largest OPS difference on the 2008 Red Sox (+370 points) when the count went through 1-0 (1.090 OPS) versus 0-1 (.720 OPS).

* - Drew has had 5 go-ahead-RBI in the postseason since coming to Boston, 2nd most in the majors over the last two seasons (Manny Ramirez, 6) and 4th in Red Sox history:

14 – David Ortiz
11 – Manny Ramirez
 6 – Nomar Garciaparra
 5 – JD Drew
 5 – Trot Nixon
 5 – John Valentin

* - Drew grounded into 5 DP before the end of April last season in 78 AB.  Prior to that, he had grounded into just 4 DP in 579 March/April AB in his career.  Of course, 5 GIDP doesn’t even place Drew in the Red Sox top 10 for March/April double plays in a season (and didn’t even lead the 2008 Sox):

11 – Jim Rice, 1985 (also the major league record for Mar/Apr GIDP in a season)
 8 – David Ortiz, 2008
 8 – Jim Rice, 1984

* - Drew put up a career high OBP of .919 last season following a 3-0 count, the 3rd highest in the majors (min. 30 such PA):

.949 – Bobby Abreu, NYY
.933 – Matt Holliday, COL
.919 – JD Drew, BOS
.900 – Jimmy Rollins, PHI

* - Drew has drawn 9 bases loaded walks over the last three seasons, the 3rd most in the majors during that span:

12 – Carlos Pena
10 – Pat Burrell
 9 – JD Drew
 8 – Four players tied (including Mike Lowell)

Drew is also one of only five players to draw 3+ bases loaded walks in three consecutive seasons since 1974:

JD Drew – 2006, 2007, 2008 (streak is still current)
Brian McCann – 2005, 2006, 2007
Mark Grace – 1998, 1999, 2000
Charles Johnson – 1997, 1998, 1999
Dwight Evans – 1989, 1990, 1991

Thanks for reading and check back soon for the next Red Sox Review.  As always, feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email (gmarbry@weei.com) with your questions or thoughts.

“Buzzer Beater” Thought of the Day:  I’m really getting annoyed at all of the steroids talk in the media.  I’m also getting annoyed at the sound of Dick Vitale’s voice.  Can you imagine my annoyance level if Dick Vitale starts talking about steroids?

Posted by Gary Marbry

Justin Masterson: Mini Cooper Driver

Even though he was a rookie and therefore has only one season of data through which to sift, Justin Masterson’s Red Sox Review might have been my most enjoyable effort.  Just look at that penchant for inducing double plays as a reliever!

JUSTIN MASTERSON – 88.1 IP in 2008 ; 6-5, 3.16 ERA

* - Masterson has pitched 27 times in relief and has never allowed more than 1 ER in any relief appearance.  It’s the 4th longest such streak at the start of a career in Red Sox history:

57 - Hideki Okajima (2007; Longest in MLB history at start of a career)
33 - Pete Schourek (spanned from 1998-2001)
28 - Joe Sambito (1986)
27 - Justin Masterson (2008; Current)
25 - Ron Mahay (1997)

* - As a starter, Masterson faced 35 DP situations (first base occupied and less than two outs) and got 5 GIDP (14.3%).  But as a reliever, he induced 11 double plays out of 33 DP situations (33.3%), the highest percentage by any relief pitcher over at least the last five seasons (min. 30 relief DP situations):

33.3% - Justin Masterson, BOS, 2008
32.3% - Brad Ziegler, OAK, 2008
30.0% - Wes Littleton, TEX, 2006

In the nugget above, a strikeout in a DP situation is counted as a “failure” to induce a DP.  If you only count balls put in play in DP situations, Masterson (the reliever) induced his 11 double plays on just 24 opportunities (a ridiculous 45.8%), again the highest percentage in the last five seasons (min. 20 BIP in DP situations):

45.8% - Justin Masterson, BOS, 2008
43.5% - Brad Ziegler, OAK, 2008
40.0% - Ray King, COL, 2006
37.5% - Wes Littleton, TEX, 2006

I’m sure you noticed Masterson’s new teammate, Wes Littleton, on those lists.

* - With 2 outs and RISP, opposing batters hit just .094 (3 for 32) off Masterson, the 3rd lowest average allowed in the majors (min. 30 such BF):

.043 - Renyel Pinto, FLA
.071 - JP Howell, TB
.094 - Justin Masterson, BOS
.100 - Bobby Jenks, CHW

And after switching to relief, opposing batters went 0 for 11 and never got a ball out of the infield against Masterson with 2 outs and RISP (4 strikeouts, 6 groundouts, 1 foulout), stranding a total of 17 baserunners.

In the postseason, though, Masterson faced three batters with two outs and RISP, all against the Angels, allowing a bases loaded walk to Napoli and a strikeout of Aybar in Game 2, then the game-tying two-run single to Torii Hunter in the 8th inning of Game 4. 

* - Masterson has allowed a .637 OPS after falling behind 2-0, the 2nd lowest career mark since 1988 (min. 60 such BF), trailing only teammate Hideki Okajima:

.632 – Hideki Okajima
.637 – Justin Masterson
.659 – Travis Phelps
.671 – Phil Hughes

* - Masterson has yet to allow an extra-base hit on a full count despite facing 39 such batters.  Only 4 pitchers since 1988 have faced 100+ full counts and allowed just 1 EBH (nobody has made it to 100 full counts without allowing at least one):

1 – Chien-Ming Wang (233 BF)
1 – Pedro Feliciano (122 BF)
1 – Cory Bailey (118 BF)
1 – Takashi Saito (107 BF)

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed putting it together.  Be sure to check back soon for the next Red Sox Review!  Oh, and one personal note to BC fans out there.  Thanks for whipping Duke!

Posted by Gary Marbry

Sox Closer Extraordinaire - # 58

I hear that Jonathan Papelbon has arrived at Red Sox spring training in Fort Myers, just in time for his Red Sox Review!  Yeah, he’s excitable and he pumps his fist a lot, but he gets batters out.  Just look:

JONATHAN PAPELBON – 69.1 IP in 2008 ; 5-4, 2.34 ERA ; 41 Saves

* - Jonathan Papelbon’s 1.84 career ERA is the lowest of any major leaguer since 1920 (min. 200 IP):

1.84 – Jonathan Papelbon
2.29 – Mariano Rivera
2.35 – Francisco Rodriguez

* - Papelbon has allowed just 8.69 baserunners per nine innings in his career, also the lowest mark by any major league since 1920 (min. 200 IP) and the only pitcher since 1970 to allow less than a baserunner per inning:

8.69 – Jonathan Papelbon
8.90 – Dick Hughes
9.40 – Billy Wagner

* - His 1.63 road ERA is also the best since at least 1920 (min. 100 road IP):

1.63 – Jonathan Papelbon
1.95 – Mariano Rivera
2.01 – Frank Funk

* - Papelbon has allowed a .250 OBP to lefthanded batters in his career, the lowest OBP allowed to lefties by a righthanded pitcher since they began keeping track in 1974 (min. 250 LHB faced):

.250 – Jonathan Papelbon
.253 – Lindy McDaniel
.257 – Mariano Rivera

Note that newly acquired reliever Takashi Saito checks in 8th on this list at .273.

* - Paps walked a batter on July 4, then went 29 straight appearances (127 straight batters) before walking another on September 28 on the final day of the regular season.  It was the longest streak of consecutive appearances without issuing a walk ever by a Red Sox pitcher:

29 – Jonathan Papelbon, 2008
26 – Alan Embree, 2004
24 – Mike Timlin, 2003

* - Papelbon has not allowed a triple since August 12, 2006, 135 appearances ago.  That’s just 11 shy of the longest streak of triple avoidance by a Red Sox pitcher since 1956 (Tony Fossas, 146, 1992 through 1994).  He has a ways to go before he threatens the major league record of 503 appearances without allowing a triple by Eddie Guardado.  Guardado has not allowed a triple since 1999 (1,962 batters faced).

* - Paps allowed a run in the 2008 opener, ending a streak of 22 career appearances in March/April without allowing a run (22.2 IP). 

* - He has fanned 49 of 134 batters faced in March/April (36.6%), the highest career percentage since they began tracking the stat in 1956 (min. 100 such BF):

36.6% - Jonathan Papelbon
33.5% - Rob Dibble
32.6% - Billy Wagner

It’s the 3rd highest career percentage by any pitcher in any month, surpassed only by his new teammate (same mins.):

42.4% - Takashi Saito (June)
38.8% - Takashi Saito (August)
36.6% - Jonathan Papelbon (Mar/Apr)
 
* - Papelbon has a career ERA of 1.37 prior to June 1, the lowest mark in the majors since 1960 (min. 70 such innings pitched):

1.37 – Jonathan Papelbon
1.68 – Ken Tatum
2.01 – Takashi Saito

* - Papelbon has held hitters in the #3 spot in the order to an .086 average in his career (7-81).  That’s the lowest average allowed to that spot in the order since they began tracking the stat in 1974 (min. 75 such BF):

.086 – Jonathan Papelbon
.145 – Brian Bruney
.157 – Don Wilson

* - Hitters in the #2 spot in the order have hit .333 against Papelbon with an OBP of .400 (both figures are higher than any other spot), but they have faced him just 90 times, fewer than any other lineup spot.  He’s faced the #7 hitter 112 times, the most of any lineup spot.

* - In his career, Paps has allowed 5 HR to the Rays (5.1% of 99 BF), 3 interleague HR (3.0% of 99 BF), and just 8 HR to everybody else (1.1% of 704 BF).

Check back soon for the next installment of Red Sox Reviews when we will put Justin Masterson under the Nuggetpalooza microscope!  As always, feel free to send me an email (gmarbry@weei.com) or leave a comment.

Posted by Gary Marbry

CF Covelli Crisp

Today’s installment of Red Sox Reviews takes a gander at Coco Crisp, who was traded to the Royals during the offseason:

COCO CRISP – 361 AB - .283 AVG / .344 OBP / .407 SLG  / .751 OPS

* - Crisp hit .457 (27 for 60) in 2008 when putting the first pitch in play.  That stat has been tracked since 1988 and Crisp’s mark is the 4th best by a Red Sox hitter since then (min. 60 such AB):

.477 – Reggie Jefferson, 1996
.477 – Trot Nixon, 2003
.462 – Mo Vaughn, 1995
.457 – Coco Crisp, 2008
.442 – David Ortiz, 2005

* - Crisp struck out just one time after September 3, spanning his last 17 games and 62 plate appearances.  It’s the fewest K’s in the majors after that date as every other player with more than 30 plate appearances fanned at least twice.  It’s also the 2nd longest streak of plate appearances with just 1 strikeout of Crisp’s career:

65 – Aug 17, 2003 through Sept 2, 2003
62 – Sept 3, 2008 through Sept 28, 2008 (streak still active)
54 – Sept 29, 2002 through June 22, 2003

Coco then struck out three times in 29 PA in the 2008 playoffs.

* - Crisp had a career-long, six-game, multiple hit streak in September, during which he went 15-22 (.682).  He had previously had two five game streaks, one in 2003 and the other in 2004.  Only two Red Sox have had longer streaks since 2000:  Kevin Youkilis (9 in 2007) and Johnny Damon (7 in 2004).

* - Over the last two seasons, Crisp has hit 11 HR on the road, but just 2 at Fenway Park.  No player hit a higher percentage of their HR on the road over that span than Crisp (min. 10 total HR):

84.6% - Coco Crisp (11-13)
84.6% - Shannon Stewart (11-13… mostly as an Athletic)
80.0% - Brian Giles (20-25… as a Padre)
76.9% - Daric Barton (10-13… Oakland)

* - Crisp suffered through the two worst batting average months of his career in 2008 (min. 50 PA):

.167 – July, 2008
.209 – May, 2008
.211 – April, 2004
.211 – June, 2003
.224 – May, 2007

He had his best ever month last season as well (same min.):

.375 – Sept, 2008
.351 – July, 2003
.340 – May, 2005

* - Crisp stole 3 bases and was caught 3 times in August, snapping a streak of 21 straight months with at least 1 SB and a success percentage of greater than 50%.  If you lower that success % threshold to “50% or greater”, his streak is at 32 straight months and counting.  The only month in his career where he has been caught more often than he was successful was in July, 2003 (4 SB; 5 CS). Here are the longest streaks of months with at least 1 SB and a success % of 50% or greater since 1990:

40 – Alex Rodriguez (current); Ichiro Suzuki; Chuck Knoblauch; Tony Womack
37 – Carl Crawford; Orlando Cabrera
34 – Roberto Alomar
33 – Jimmy Rollins (current)
32 – Coco Crisp (current)

The record since 1970 is 70 straight months, set by Ozzie Smith, who stole at least 1 base and was at least 50% successful in every month for nearly 12 seasons (September, 1981 through June, 1993).

Stay tuned for the next installment, when Red Sox Reviews examines our All-Star closer, Jonathan Papelbon!  Big thanks, as always, to Baseball-Reference for their awesome stats site.  Anything you want to see?  Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email:  gmarbry@weei.com.

Posted by Gary Marbry

First, a warning:  If you don’t like numbers, run.

Now that Jason Varitek has signed on with the Red Sox for a 2009 season in which he will turn 37 on April 11, let’s look at some catcher stats by age.  First, here are the results for players (while playing catcher) from 1970 through 2008 by age (as of June 30 of each season):

Age 18-22:  .255 AVG / .314 OBP / .373 SLG / .687 OPS / 49 AB per HR ;  (3% of all catcher AB)
Age 23-27:  .252 AVG / .318 OBP / .382 SLG / .696 OPS / 40 AB per HR ; (37% of all catcher AB)
Age 28-32:  .255 AVG / .319 OBP / .391 SLG / .710 OPS / 37 AB per HR ; (42% of all catcher AB)
Age 33-36:  .252 AVG / .316 OBP / .382 SLG / .698 OPS / 40 AB per HR ; (15% of all catcher AB)
Age 37+:      .247 AVG / .313 OBP / .371 SLG / .684 OPS / 41 AB per HR ; (3% of all catcher AB) 

* - Brian Milner (1978 Blue Jays) is the only 18 year old to appear at catcher since 1970, getting 9 AB that season.  Pudge Rodriguez got 278 AB with Texas in 1991 as a 19 year old, the only “semi-regular” 19 year old catcher since 1970.

* - 46 different catchers have batted in a game at 37+ years old since 1970, but only three have 1,000 or more AB since then:

2,629 - Carlton Fisk:  .265 AVG / .328 OBP / .459 SLG / .787 OPS / 20 AB per HR
2,159 - Bob Boone:  .252 AVG / .317 OBP / .322 SLG / .639 OPS / 103 AB per HR
1,072 - Benito Santiago:  .277 AVG / .318 OBP / .437 SLG / .755 OPS / 32 AB per HR

The other 43 “older” catchers have produced this composite line over 10,346 AB:  .238 AVG / .308 OBP / .352 SLG / .660 OPS / 48 AB per HR.

So now that we’ve seen how catchers age as a group, we should look at each group as the season wears on.  One caveat here:  The group numbers above cover only at bats by players who were playing catcher at the time of each at bat.  Due to data constraints, the monthly results that follow include all at bats by a player whose primary career position was catcher whether or not he was actually playing catcher at the time.

Age 18-22

April: .256 AVG / .317 OBP / .378 SLG / .695 OPS / 48 AB/HR
May: .268 AVG / .331 OBP / .391 SLG / .722 OPS / 48 AB/HR
June: .269 AVG / .332 OBP / .383 SLG / .715 OPS / 53 AB/HR
July:  .261 AVG / .320 OBP / .378 SLG / .698 OPS / 52 AB/HR
Aug:  .242 AVG / .300 OBP / .355 SLG / .655 OPS / 54 AB/HR
Sept: .237 AVG / .290 OBP / .350 SLG / .640 OPS / 46 AB/HR

* - September in this group is dominated by late season callups getting a cup of coffee.  Almost 28% of all catcher AB in this age group came in September.

Age 23-27:

April:  .249 AVG / .312 OBP / .379 SLG / .692 OPS / 40 AB/HR
May:  .249 AVG / .311 OBP / .380 SLG / .691 OPS / 40 AB/HR
June:  .252 AVG / .313 OBP / .384 SLG / .698 OPS / 39 AB/HR
July:  .255 AVG / .315 OBP / .3839 SLG / .705 OPS / 38 AB/HR
Aug:  .251 AVG / .311 OBP / .381 SLG / .693 OPS / 39 AB/HR
Sept:  .248 AVG / .312 OBP / .374 SLG / .686 OPS / 43 AB/HR

Age 28-32:

April:  .250 AVG / .318 OBP / .389 SLG / .707 OPS / 36 AB/HR
May:  .255 AVG / .320 OBP / .393 SLG / .713 OPS / 36 AB/HR
June:  .256 AVG / .320 OBP / .395 SLG / .715 OPS / 36 AB/HR
July:   .257 AVG / .319 OBP / .396 SLG / .716 OPS / 35 AB/HR
Aug:   .251 AVG / .315 OBP / .382 SLG / .698 OPS / 38 AB/HR
Sept:  .254 AVG / .317 OBP / .383 SLG / .700 OPS / 39 AB/HR

Age 33-36:

April:  .254 AVG / .322 OBP / .386 SLG / .708 OPS / 41 AB/HR
May:  .255 AVG / .320 OBP / .383 SLG / .703 OPS / 41 AB/HR
June:  .253 AVG / .316 OBP / .384 SLG / .700 OPS / 39 AB/HR
July:   .251 AVG / .318 OBP / .386 SLG / .705 OPS / 36 AB/HR
Aug:   .252 AVG / .318 OBP / .384 SLG / .702 OPS / 38 AB/HR
Sept:  .247 AVG / .315 OBP / .380 SLG / .695 OPS / 37 AB/HR

* - It’s interesting that the late season falloff is not as pronounced in this age group as it is in the 28 to 32 group.

Age 37+

April:  .246 AVG / .319 OBP / .368 SLG / .687 OPS / 46 AB/HR
May:  .251 AVG / .320 OBP / .382 SLG / .702 OPS / 36 AB/HR
June:  .246 AVG / .309 OBP / .364 SLG / .674 OPS / 43 AB/HR
July:   .239 AVG / .300 OBP / .360 SLG / .660 OPS / 41 AB/HR
Aug:   .235 AVG / .304 OBP / .358 SLG / .662 OPS / 40 AB/HR
Sept:  .245 AVG / .318 OBP / .371 SLG / .689 OPS / 40 AB/HR

* - Wanna see the falloff?  Let’s look at this same age group, non-Fisk division:

April:  .241 AVG / .315 OBP / .353 SLG / .668 OPS / 54 AB/HR
May:  .256 AVG / .323 OBP / .378 SLG / .700 OPS / 43 AB/HR
June:  .250 AVG / .314 OBP / .363 SLG / .677 OPS / 50 AB/HR
July:   .236 AVG / .298 OBP / .339 SLG / .637 OPS / 53 AB/HR
Aug:   .224 AVG / .294 OBP / .320 SLG / .614 OPS / 61 AB/HR
Sept:  .243 AVG / .315 OBP / .350 SLG / .665 OPS / 40 AB/HR

* - The September blip is interesting.  Perhaps the older guys are able to get more rest due to roster expansion in September?

Let’s just break it by first half and second half:

Apr/May/Jun:  .249 AVG / .317 OBP / .365 SLG / .682 OPS / 48 AB/HR
Jul/Aug/Sep:   .234 AVG / .302 OBP / .336 SLG / .638 OPS / 55 AB/HR

* - So over the last 39 seasons, catchers 37 years and older (not named Fisk) have batted 7,800 times and put up a .682 OPS in the first half and then just a .638 OPS in 7,000 second half at bats, a 44 point (6%) drop.

Turns out, these stats are telling us what we pretty much knew already.  Even though there are exceptions to every rule, don’t expect Jason Varitek’s “renaissance as a hitter” to come after Independence Day.

Posted by Gary Marbry

Red Sox Reliever Manny Delcarmen

As promised last week, here’s my Red Sox Review of Manny Delcarmen.  It seems to me that Delcarmen’s contributions out of the bullpen many times get overlooked.  Sure, he’s no Papelbon, and he had that little problem early in the season with inherited runners (allowed 2 to score on April 4 then 3 more on April 6), but the numbers show that he was a pretty darn good reliever in 2008.

MANNY DELCARMEN – 74.1 IP in 2008:  1-2, 3.27 ERA

* - Delcarmen allowed just 1 ER over his last 18 appearances (22.2 innings) in 2008.  That 0.40 ERA is his best over any 18 appearance span of his career.

* - Over the last two seasons, Delcarmen has a 1.01 ERA after August 31, the lowest such ERA in the majors (min. 25 total innings pitched in Sept/Oct):

1.01 – Manny Delcarmen
1.44 – Seth McClung
1.46 – Yovani Gallardo

His .133 batting average allowed in Sept/Oct (12 for 90) over the last two seasons is also the best in the league (same minimums).  It’s too bad that those numbers didn’t carry over to the postseason as Delcarmen has allowed a .306 average (11 for 36 with 2 HR) combined in the 2007-2008 playoffs.

* - Lefthanded hitters have batted just .183 against Delcarmen over the last two seasons, the 5th lowest average allowed by a righthanded pitcher over that span (min. 200 LHB faced):

.167 – Joakim Soria
.170 – Kevin Gregg
.175-  Jonathan Papelbon
.176 – Joaquin Benoit
.183 – Manny Delcarmen

* - Delcarmen allowed 4 HR to the first batter faced in an appearance last season, tied (with Mike Timlin) for the 3rd most ever (since 1974) in a season by a Red Sox pitcher.  Only Ugueth Urbina (5 in 2002) and John Wasdin (5 in 1999) had more.  The most ever in a major league season is 7, by Armando Benitez in 1998 (Orioles) and Kyle Farnsworth last season (Yankees-5/Tigers-2).

* - Delcarmen has gotten two strikes on 405 batters in his career and only once has he allowed a HR.  He joins just three other pitchers since 1988 to face at least 400 batters with two strikes and allow just 1 (or zero) HR:

0 – Saul Rivera (461 BF with 2 strikes – still active)
1 – Lee Guetterman (746 BF – retired 1996)
1 – Brian Tallet (442 BF – still active)
1 – Manny Delcarmen (405 BF – still active)

* - After 0-2 counts, opposing batters are just 5 for 79 (.063) over the last 2 seasons against Delcarmen, the 2nd lowest such average allowed over that span (min. 70 such batters faced):

.055 – JJ Putz (5 for 91)
.063 – Manny Delcarmen (5 for 79)
.071 – Darrin Oliver (7 for 98)

Just For Fun:  Most Opponent AB After 0-2 Counts In A Season But ZERO HR Allowed:

244 – John Smoltz, 2006
240 – Randy Johnson, 2004
226 – John Smoltz, 1996
226 – John Smoltz, 1997
217 – Curt Schilling, 1998

* - Delcarmen allowed just a .436 OPS after 0-1 counts in 2008, the 8th best such OPS allowed in the AL (min. 100 AB).  The top three:

.288 – Joakim Soria, KC
.305 – Brandon Morrow, SEA
.367 – Mariano Rivera, NYY

* - Delcarmen has allowed just a .237 OBP on Wednesdays in his career, the 4th lowest mark since 2005 (min. 100 such BF):

.223 – Mariano Rivera
.225 – Joe Nathan
.233 – Jesse Crain
.237 – Manny Delcarmen

Thanks for reading this edition of Red Sox Reviews!  Coming soon will be a review of Coco Crisp, and I’m also working on a new post regarding catchers’ offense as they age, so check back often.  Thank you, Baseball-Reference, for your outstanding stats resources!  If you enjoy baseball stats, check them out.

As always, please leave a comment or email me at gmarbry@weei.com with any thoughts or suggestions.