50 Responses to “Short Term Sluggers”

1. Frank Clingenpeel Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 11:20 am

   I was surprised to find Gentile and Pagliaroni on this list -- I was under the impression that both had fairly long careers.

2. josh blue Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 11:26 am

   Ill take Tony C.

3. Travis Reitsma Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 11:34 am

   Bo Jackson was a BEAST when he played. He played fewer games than I thought too.

4. Raphy Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 11:41 am

   I'm not sure what you are trying to do with the last criteria.
   The most career HR by a player without HR< .33 * AB is 3, so you probably don't need it.

5. John Q Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 12:15 pm

   Its tough with just a raw list like this because it tends to skew against players from low run scoring eras. For example, Gentile, Tony C., Mike Epstein, Curt Blefary, Don Lock, and Jimmie Hall who played in the 60's, were much better hitters than Crede, Wilkerson, Monroe, and Hillenbrand.

   A list of players with 800-999 games played ranked by highest ops+ would be an interesting list.

6. Casey Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 12:22 pm

   What would Luke Easter have accomplished if he'd had a full career in the majors? Not many people know of him but he looks like he could hit 'em.

7. Dr. Doom Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 12:32 pm

   Personally, though, I'd take Lefty O'Doul of anyone on this list. In an era that crushed power hitters, he still manages the highest SLG of anybody on the list!

   Also, the three most surprising players for me were Jeffrey Hammonds (overrated, overpaid), Corey Koskie (tragic - he should have beaten the minimum games threshold), and Ben Grieve (Ben Grieve. Ben Grieve? Ben Grieve?!? BEN GRIEVE?!?!?!?).

   Sure, all of them played for Milwaukee in the last decade. So maybe it's just because I'm a Brewers fan that these players caught my notice. But I have no problem with John Jaha and Dave Nilsson, so I guess it's not JUST Milwaukee bias.

   Also, congratulations to Jim Gentile! First, he wins the 1961 RBI title (and the O's gave him his bonus check, too), then he ranks high on this list (2nd by HRs, 3rd by SLG). It's been a big 2010 for him.

8. MrBryan Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 12:52 pm

   Lefty O'Doul? I think you've misunderstood something there. He played in the greatest offensive era ever, that's why his numbers only manage to get him an OPS+ of 113, considerably below Bob Robertson territory. O'Doul's major league career was spent almost entirely between 1928 and 1934, and he was further helped by spending his two gaudiest years playing in the Baker Bowl, a notorious park for offense.

9. Hartvig Says:
   December 12th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

   Gentile was stuck behind Gil Hodges for several years when he likely should have been playing in the majors. Saw Matt Nokes play for the St.Paul Saints when he must have been 36 or 37 years old. Still catching, looked in better shape than when he was a rookie for the Tigers. There are a LOT of really fascinating stories on that list: Jim Leyritz & Khalil Greene from the recent past. Nilsson gave up an MLB career to play for the Australian olympic team. Conigliaro. Monte Irvin. Willie Mays Aikens. O'Doul. Probably 4 or 5 guys that might have been Hall of Famers IF things had worked out a little better or at least different for them.

10. Chris Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 2:11 pm

    For me, the biggest surprise is Henry Rodriguez, who I thought played longer than he apparently did.

11. Chuck Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 2:14 pm

    Hodges had nothing to do with Gentile.

    Gentile played for Brooklyn in '57 and LA in '58 but only a combined 16 games. He was still pretty much a minor leaguer at that point.

12. Morten Jonsson Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 2:23 pm

    Dave Duncan is an interesting one. A similar player to his sons, though not as patient at the plate as Chris, or as ugly as Shelley.

    I could be wrong, but my impression is that in baseball families with three or more members, they're not usually that much alike as players. The DiMaggios, for instance, were all pretty good, but quite distinct. The Boones, too. And the Alomars.

13. daHOOK Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    As I said on the AL shortstop post, there are a lot of White Sox on this list (Kitty, Jackson, Crede, former GM Harrelson, Bonura, Pasqua, Walker, pitching coach Duncan, Calderon, Karkovice).

    @12: to say nothing of the Mathewsons and the Bretts.

14. BSK Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 2:35 pm

    When I read the premise here, I initially thought of Bo. Glad to see my suspicions were confirmed.

15. Steve Lombardi Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 3:13 pm

    Raphy - yeah, that was me trying to be smart/cute when I was playing around with this, today. I should have lifted that from the filter.

    Brad Fullmer stands out to me. He was a cover boy for Baseball American at one time. Back in the day, someone in one of my (then) fantasy leagues drafted him based on his prospect status. And, when questioned on the selection, the owner said "Brad Fullmer, chicks really dig him." And, that became a running joke in our league for a few years.

    Geronimo Berroa is a name I haven't thought about in a long time too.

    And, of course, Phil Plantier. Didn't Bill James once peg him to be the leading HR hitter in the '90s?

16. Hartvig Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 3:43 pm

    Chuck- As a 22 year old in AA Gentile hit 40 home runs, walked as often as he struck out & had an OPS over 1.000. At that point he had over 650 minor league games under his belt and a total of 140 home runs in the minors, most of them at the AA level. He then spent 3 more full seasons in AAA and put up almost identical numbers to what he would put up in his first five seasons in the majors (except 1961, of course). True he didn't do much in 2 brief ML trials but that was only 40 plate appearances. Even Willie Mays only hit .048 in his first month in the majors. I don't think he was better than Hodges at that point but I think he could have played in the majors.

17. barkfart Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 3:53 pm

    I'm thinking I missed something.

    Marcus Thames.

    600 games, 1700 AB, 113 HRs

18. Raphy Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 4:02 pm

    Barkfart - He was still active in 2010.

19. barkfart Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 4:07 pm

    thanks Raphy. I knew I missed something. Just watching the Lions win kinda scrambled my brain.

20. dodgerdave Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 4:14 pm

    I figured someone like Cory Snyder would be on this list, but he's not. He played in a few too many games.

21. Hartvig Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 6:27 pm

    Dick "Dr.Strangeglove" Stuart was the first name I looked for but he was over on games too.

22. steven Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 7:05 pm

    Conigliaro and Rick Reichardt were- in the mid-sixties- projected to be the "next Mickey Mantles" of the American League. What derailed Tony C's career is well-known. Reichardt was having an excellent first half in 1966 when he was sidelined with a career-altering kidney ailment.

23. Jimbo Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 8:01 pm

    Wow, I had never heard of Tony Conigliaro before. What an amazing start his career had.

    I'm a little puzzled though at how he was so good in 1970 but was completely done in 1971. Baseball careers have that happen all the time for somewhat unknown causes, but I guess there are a variety of reasons a player can slip from all star caliber to AA caliber in a year.

24. Raphy Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 8:31 pm

    Jimbo - You might want to read this: http://www.bostonspastime.com/tonycbeaning.html

25. dodgerdave Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 8:37 pm

    Sid Bream is another who barely misses this list.

26. John Autin Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    From this group, the top 3 by HR%:

    1. Ron Kittle, 5.84%
    2. Ken Phelps, 5.38%
    3. Bo Jackson, 5.37%

    Through 1992, all 3 were among the top 17 in career HR% (min. 100 HRs).
    Now, only Kittle remains in the top 30.

27. rick Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    @Jimbo (#23) The cause of Tony Conigliaro's career problems is one of sadder stories of the game. Late in the 1967 season he was the victim of one of the more gruesome beanings in baseball history. Prior to that moment he was the brightest young star in the American League, if not the majors. Tony C's left eye took the brunt of the injury and it permanently effected his vision. He was able to make a comeback in 1969 and even had a good year in 1970, but the reality was that he facing a losing battle as his vision took a toll on his skills. It is a testemant to his grit and determination that he was able to even have any career after the beaning. But as has been stated, it was an uphill climb up a slippery slope. He was only going to get so far until it was over.

28. Pageup Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 9:45 pm

    Gotta love Zeke Bonura, 704 ribbies in 917 games, 7 years, .307, .380, .487, Wheaties box cover, then falls off the face of the baseball earth. Due to the war I assume...

29. Xander Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 9:50 pm

    The story of Tony Conigliaro is a tragic one. A bright future cut short due to a beaning.

    As a Pirates fan, I'm glad to see Thor, aka Craig Wilson, make the list!

30. Rico Petroceli Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 9:56 pm

    Who the heck is Bonura? 35 doubles a year? Did the war end his career? He raked in his seven-season career, posted a .307 batting average with 119 home runs and 704 RBI in 917 games played. And chased COmisky's daughter

    One of "banana nose's" more noteworthy athletic accomplishments has nothing to do with the sport of baseball. In June 1925, at the age of sixteen, Bonura became the youngest male athlete ever to win an event at the National (AAU) Track and Field Championships. Young Zeke threw the javelin 65.18 meters (213-10) to claim the title. Bonura's winning effort was a meet record by nearly twenty-feet; a prodigious mark that remained on the books until 1930.

31. John Autin Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 9:58 pm

    Speaking of Jim Gentile, whose 136 OPS+ is 3rd among this group ... The Dodgers wound up trading him to Baltimore for $50,000, 33-year-old washed-up SS Willie Miranda and minor-league non-prospect OF Bill LaJoie.

    Miranda was one of the worst offensive players ever to amass 2,000 career PAs, with a career 55 OPS+ and .221 BA; for good measure, he was thrown out 16 times in 29 career SB attempts. (He was reputed to be a superb glove man, though in 3 years as starting SS for Baltimore he produced little statistical evidence of that ability.) Miranda didn't make the cut with the Dodgers, who sent him to AAA; he played 2 years there but never made it back to the bigs.

    Bill Lajoie (no apparent relation to Nap) spent 9 years in the minors but not a day in the majors. His second career was more successful: he was GM of the Tigers from 1984-90, after 5 years helping build the club as assistant GM.

    Hodges had enjoyed a bounce-back year in 1959 at age 35, and the Dodgers may have figured he had a couple of good years left. He didn't, and by '61 LA's main 1B was Norm Larker, who hit .270 with 5 HRs as the Dodgers finished 4 games behind the Reds.

    Gentile, meanwhile, was an instant hit in Charm City; he made the All-Star team as a rookie and placed 2nd in the 1960 ROY vote. In '61, at the magical age of 27, he exploded for a 187 OPS+, 46 HRs (30 of them on the road) and 141 RBI (that figure was recently adjusted and recognized as tying Maris for the league lead), and he ran 3rd in the MVP vote. In 1961-62 combined, Gentile hit 26 HRs at home, 53 away.

    Gentile would have 4 more good years after '61, but didn't approach that level again; he never did hit lefties well, and his playing time gradually declined. The O's dealt him to KC for Norm Siebern. He had a good '64 there, in the only park that ever really gave him a home-field edge (he hit 33 career HRs in 474 PAs in KC, with a.937 OPS). In '65, 1/4 into the season, Gentile had 10 HRs and a 137 OPS+ when the A's sent him to Houston in a curious trade for a couple of nobodies.

    Welcome to the Astrodome, Diamond Jim. He hit 7 more HRs that year, all on the road. In '66, Gentile hit well as a part-timer for the Astros, but they sent him on to Cleveland in July for another player who would never play again in the bigs; Gentile served mostly as a PH for Cleveland and didn't hit at all, and that was the end of his big-league career. He spent '67 with Philly's AAA club, producing an .898 OPS that led his team and ranked 7th in the PCL (he was 5th in the league with 21 HRs), but he never got another look in the majors.

32. Rico Petroceli Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 10:17 pm

    In 1936 Bonura set the single season RBI record for the White Sox with 138 RBIs. The record stood for 62 years before finally being broken in 1998 by Albert Belle

    Love this game

33. John Autin Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 10:31 pm

    Zeke Bonura:

    -- One of the better hitters out of New Orleans, home port of the Autins (though he was no Mel Ott).

    -- 6th modern player with 110+ RBI in his first season. Six have done it since.

34. DoubleDiamond Says:
    December 12th, 2010 at 11:08 pm

    I see a few names associated with the 1961-1971 expansion Washington Senators team:

    Ken Harrelson

    Mike Epstein (stuck in AAA behind Gentile's 1B successor up the road in Baltimore, Boog Powell, before being traded to the Senators)

    Don Lock

    George Selkirk - General Manager of the team, 1963-1968

    I also saw a few names of guys who were with the Phillies in the years in which I've lived in the Philadelphia area:

    Dave Hollins - Who is the Phillies' all-time best Rule 5 draft pick? Is it a switch hitter who spent some time in the Padres' system before becoming a Phil and who grew up in an area perhaps better known as a vacation destination (such as, say, Hawaii or Niagara Falls)? And appeared in an All Star Game during a year in which the Phillies eventually lost the World Series? If you said Shane Victorino, you may be right, but it could also be Dave Hollins.

    Rico Brogna

    Chris James - Traded for John Kruk and Randy Ready

    Mark Whiten

    Other names:

    Franklin Stubbs - One of those 104 home runs was an inside-the-park job that was connected to the tragically short career of Phillies right-fielder Ron Jones. Jones had already hurt one knee and come back from it when he hurt the other one while chasing the ball that Stubbs hit his way. I don't think Jones ever played again. He died at a fairly young age, too - early to mid-40s.

    Gordy Coleman - From Rockville, MD, according to his baseball card. Rockville is now a sprawling suburb of DC, but when he was born, it was probably a sleepy little county seat separated from the nation's capital by farms and other villages.

    Various Orioles from my days as a fan:

    Jim Gentile - Once had four homers in a game.

    Chris Hoiles - August 1, 1993, was a good day for catchers wearing #23 and playing for one of my favorite teams as both he and Phillies second-string backstop Todd Pratt did well that day.

    Earl Williams - The other "Earl W." The O's traded Davey Johnson and others to Atlanta for him, but he was a big disappointment. He was supposed to be their catcher, but he ended up playing DH (a luxury they could afford because they had two other catchers) and sometimes spelling an aging Brooks Robinson at 3B.

    Larry Sheets

35. Jimbo Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 5:03 am

    Another player who looks like he shouldn't have made the list was Chris Hoiles. A career .833 ops, and he had no real decline in his career when he retired, putting up an .833 ops in his final year at age 33. Seems surprising that he didn't continue to play.

36. Jimbo Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 5:06 am

    Also interesting about Bonura was that he drove in 138 runs, in a year when he had only 12 home runs, and walked 94 times. Those 3 stats produced in the same year seem very unlikely.

37. Adam Darowski Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 7:23 am

    Being the modern geek and all, I had to see these by Batting Runs:

    Rk Player Rbat
    1 Lefty O'Doul 211
    2 Jim Gentile 144
    3 George Selkirk 140
    4 Kal Daniels 128
    5 Zeke Bonura 125
    6 Mike Epstein 118
    7 Whitey Kurowski 112
    8 Monte Irvin 97
    9 John Romano 95
    10 Ken Phelps 91

    and WAR:

    1 Lefty O'Doul 26.0
    2 Whitey Kurowski 24.1
    3 Corey Koskie 23.7
    4 Chris Hoiles 23.4
    5 Hank Thompson 23.3
    6 John Romano 22.7
    7 George Selkirk 22.6
    8 Zeke Bonura 21.7
    9 Pete Ward 21.3
    10 Monte Irvin 20.5

    Some of the beloved 80s guys don't fare so well on these lists, but gosh did I love 'em. First guy I thought of was Balboni, so nice to see him top the HR list. Great post. Love stuff like this.

38. Dan Franzen Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 9:24 am

    Chris James is also the guy who had to follow Mike Schmidt at 3B in Philadelphia.

39. Dr. Doom Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 10:02 am

    @8 -
    Whoops! I guess I shouldn't have gone off of memory alone when thinking of Lefty O'Doul. I had him like 8 years earlier than he was, mostly playing in the teens and twenties. Yikes. That makes a difference. I do feel a little vindicated by the WAR and Batting Runs post @37, however. Regardless, I'll try to fact-check before I make such an outrageous claim next time. Thanks for catching it.
    Interesting about O'Doul, though. You correctly pointed out that he had great years in Philly in '29 and '30... but his OPS+ numbers from those years are off the charts (160 and 146)! Admittedly, they're not TOO far from his career average, but I wonder about the park factors, and if they're a little too low. On the other hand, those Phillies teams in the early thirties were known for hitting without pitching, so I'm not sure. On the road in 1929, for example, his OPS+ was still a robust 157... but not as high as his 209 at home. So I'm not sure what to think. Enough rambling.

40. Lawrence Azrin Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 11:38 am

    #27/rick Says: "@Jimbo (#23) The cause of Tony Conigliaro's career problems is one of sadder stories of the game. ...Tony C's left eye took the brunt of the injury and it permanently effected his vision. He was able to make a comeback in 1969 and even had a good year in 1970, but the reality was that he facing a losing battle as his vision took a toll on his skills."

    It's amazing that he had 36 HR/ 116 RBI in 1970, basically looking out of one good eye to bat. It was rather prescient of the Red Sox to trade Tony C. to the Angels before 1971...

    Something unique about his career was that he doesn't seem to have improved in his first four years, from age 19 to age 22. I mean, he was great for a 19 year-old, but he never seemed to progress from that. I'm also not sure he would've had an especially long career, as he stood on top of the plate, and that wasn't the first time he missed games due to getting hit by a pitch; I think he got his arm broken by a HBP in 1965.

41. John Autin Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

    @6, Casey -- Luke Easter could hit 'em, indeed, well into his 40s. After his MLB career was over, he played another decade in AAA. He was one of the best sluggers in the league every year through age 46, when he was the oldest hitter in the International League by 8 years.

    http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=easter001lus
    http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Luke_Easter

42. CRTYonker Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 12:35 pm

    If he retired today, Russell Branyon would lead this list with 189 homeruns in 991 games.

43. FALCOR Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 1:16 pm

    @ #10

    Henry Rodriguez was dubbed "Oh Henry" big the Expos fans. He sure could hit the long ball.

    Other notable Expos:

    - Brad Wilkerson, I saw him weeping after the last game in Expos history....

    - Brad Fullmer, with a Grand Slam in his 1st AB...

44. FALCOR Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 1:29 pm

    Fullmer - homered not a Grand Slam...

45. Fireworks Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 4:14 pm

    @ 3

    I'm waiting on Andy to craft a "What if..." for Bo Jackson:

    "What if Bo Jackson, after declining to play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, never played in the NFL?"

46. Fireworks Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 4:27 pm

    I should add that I was a huge Bo Jackson fan and have a bias, but I think he may have been able to put together a HoF caliber career, though I feel that it might've gotten a tiny bit lost in the noise of the high-offense era. If Andy ever posts a "What if..." of that nature I'd be sure to make a well-detailed case in support. Or perhaps I'll finally fix my blog and post it there.

    I haven't read all the comments yet as I wanted to respond to 3, so excuse me if someone has already mentioned this, but I either immediately forgot the criteria when looking at the table because the first thing I thought was "Where's Branyan?" He leads for players not currently under contract with 189 HRs in 991 games, but he's doubtful to go unsigned and not play 9 more games.

47. Fireworks Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 4:50 pm

    @ 42 I see you beat me to it. Well played, sir.

48. DoubleDiamond Says:
    December 13th, 2010 at 7:28 pm

    Speaking of Tony Congliaro, I came this on YouTube a few months ago:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5whptzs1g8

    And here's another one:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfZ1vkUM-Es

49. Lawrence Azrin Says:
    December 14th, 2010 at 10:24 am

    #48/DoubleDiamond Says: "Speaking of Tony Congliaro, I came this on YouTube a few months ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5whptzs1g8
    And here's another one:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfZ1vkUM-Es"

    Yes, Tony Conigliaro had a sideline as a pop singer, recording a number of 45s, mostly on local labels (and the one on RCA you linked to). There's also a Youtube of him singing "I Aint Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (Young Rascals) on the Merv Griffin show.

50. Short Term Sluggers » Baseball-Reference Blog » Blog Archive | The Knowledge Blog – Dominima Says:
    December 14th, 2010 at 6:53 pm

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