Career home runs by National League centerfielders:
HOMERUNS HR
1 Willie Mays 660
2 Duke Snider 407
3 Dale Murphy 398
4 Andruw Jones 301
5 Jimmy Wynn 290
6 Steve Finley 280
7 Bobby Thomson 259
8 Cy Williams 251
9 Hack Wilson 244
10 Wally Berger 242
For that matter, Berger was a Brave and Wynn and Thomson played for the franchise as well.
Good list! I don’t know if Andruw can produce at a 50+ HR level, but look at the people he’ll pass if (I mean when…heh,heh) he puts together a string of 40+ seasons.
Also, to revisit talk of Smoltzie’s HOF chances:
Will it even count that he did what his team asked him to do? Will it count that he stuck with a team instead of moving on to somewhere that may have let him dictate how he’d pitch?
And will it count that for over 15 years we knew that if his arm wasn’t falling off, we’d get an awesome effort from him, starter or reliever, regular season or playoffs?
It always will with me!
Bill James’ projection has Andruw winding up with 677 homers and 2919 hits, a 13 percent chance of 756 homers, an 18 percent chance at 3000 hits.
If Andruw Jones ends up with 677 homers and 2919 hits, what is the probability of people still complaining that he didn’t live up to expectations?
No line on that.
“If Andruw Jones ends up with 677 homers and 2919 hits, what is the probability of people still complaining that he didn’t live up to expectations?”
Haha. I like that. 😉
I’ve already got tomorrow’s List O’ The Day ready. It’s a hoot.
There will always be complains on Andruw. I mean, there are some Cardinals fans who are complaining about the performance of Albert Pujols (I actually read those complains on the Cardinals blog, unbelievable!), there will always be something to complain about Andruw.
Hey, remember people always complain about Andruw’s smile!!!
I think someone brought this up a while back: compare Jr.’s #’s with Andruw’s at the same age. They’re very comparable. Yet, people bitch. I’m really hoping he truly cowboy’s up this year and can put up similar numbers to shut everybody up The last thing he needs is an Beltre-esque breakdown. My understanding is he’s working as hard if not harder than he did last off season. I think that was the difference (along with his wider stance) in 2005, and I project he can do the same in 2006. Having a full year of a productive Francouer and Chipper around him in the lineup will help tremendously, as well.
Interesting that James is projecting Andruw for 2919 hits, but just an 18% chance of getting 81 more than that. That’s some confidence interval he’s got working there.
I’m a big fan of ‘Druw, but let’s not get carried away with the Griffey comparisons. Junior had several seasons of .300+/.380+/.600+ by age 29, and was in the discussion for becoming one of the 10-15 greatest players ever. Andruw’s great, but he ain’t that.
I think that there may be two different systems in use. The one that says that he has an 18% chance is the old Favorite Toy method, but I think that the other is using the new Baseball Info Systems projections.
You’re correct about Junior’s BA, OPS and OBP. And I sincerely hope that Druw’s health holds up better than Juniors after age 30. If you look at those power #’s, it’s not too far off. I’d bet you a buffalo head nickle and a pocket knife that Druw’s career stats at 35 will be much, much better than Junior’s, healthy or not.
Speaking of “Andruw,” does it seem like we have a lot of Andys on here? 😉
It’s a fad I started a while back and everyone’s catching on. Boot cut jeans, “open” relationships, and now the name Andy.
This just in: Manny Ramirez just told ESPN Deportes in an interview that “there will be no trade, I’m staying in Boston, where I’m familiar with the system and where I have a lot of friends, especially David Ortiz.”
I would just like to say that I have been predicting the ENTIRE TIME that Manny would stay in Boston, as Jenny can attest. Obviously, the offseason ain’t over yet, but I’m gonna gloat. Yeah, that’s right, I prognosticated that, son! I’m a prognosticator over here!
“This just in” has been in for about 4 hours, Alex 😉
I would like to fly up to Boston and hit Manny with a chair in honor of all the poor front office guys he’s forced to waste their time the last 3 months trying to trade him. *WHACK* This is for you, guys.
Also, if you feed the Deportes article into Google Translator, you come up with something about the “quadrangular Ramirez.” Also, the “Red Averages.” Just FYI.
Now the question of the matter is do the BoSox still want him? I doubt it. And if a trade to the NYM could be orchestrated, I seriously doubt he’d turn the chance down to be in the same batting order as Delgado and Beltran. I really don’t think Boston can afford to have this nut job on the roster. They’re going to have some young guys coming up in the next few years and the last thing they need is a cancer like Ramirez. This will never be over until he is traded…never.
Oh, and I heard the following tip from a parakeet that used to belong to Damon Berryhill:
ATL gets David Riske, Duaner Sanchez
CLE gets Aaron Heilman, Ryan Langerhans
NYM gets Oscar Villarreal, Tony Armas
WAS gets Kazuo Matsui, Brandon Phillips
(My reasoning: Atlanta continues to stockpile relievers. The Mets continue to trade their pitchers, but they manage to unload Kaz Matsui on Jim Bowden, who’s still in massive crappy second-baseman acquisition mode. Cleveland comes off with a nice pitcher and a nice fifth outfielder who’ll let them trade Coco Crisp.)
Hey, Jenny, maybe it’s been in for a while. But I still prognosticated it.
But Andy, I gotta say I disagree with you–the guy hits .300 with 40 homers in his sleep. Short of him murdering his teammates, there’s NO personality flaw that could possibly outweigh that.
I think there are some personality flaws short of murder that could cause trouble. But Manny’s harmless. This stuff happens every year.
Said “nut job” has been on the roster for 5 years, been demanding a trade for 4 of those 5 years, and they have what, 4 playoff appearances and a WS ring in that time span? I think they will do just fine. Boston deals with this every year. It’s old hat to them. Next year will be just the same. The Orioles’ demands were retarded, anyway, which is why they will continue to suck until Angelos goes away. He is not getting a cent of my money this year. I’ll go see the Braves at RFK in August (provided the team hasn’t been moved to Portland or Las Vegas because of the stupid DC City Council), but no Camden Yards for me.
I do think that you should give credit to Larry Lucchino for not trading Manny away, though. It’s one of the best things he’s done for the organization, and that’s not an overstatement.
Get THIS:
Key passage: “Meanwhile, Ramirez’s agent, Greg Genske, told FOXSports.com Thursday night that Ramirez would consider waiving his no-trade clause for the Orioles or another team, discounting Ramirez’s statement to ESPNDeportes.com that he was “staying in Boston.”
The Tejada-for-Ramirez talks, while stalled, are not dead, sources say. The same is true of the talks between the Cubs and Orioles regarding Tejada, which also are stalemated but could revive quickly. Other teams, such as the Angels, also could be in the mix.
The latest intrigue over Ramirez comes after he told ESPNDeportes.com, “There will be no trade. I’m staying in Boston, where I’m familiar with the system and where I have a lot of friends, especially David Ortiz.”
Genske, however, said he called Ramirez after learning of the slugger’s remarks, and Ramirez denied making the comments.
“If Boston is able to work out a trade with Baltimore or another team, Manny is still open to making a move,” Genske said.”
I am sick of this guy. Sick of the whole thing. Do something or don’t and move on. Quickly.
Funny note: The Patriots are suing my brother’s high school for copying their logo. I’ve always been a bit suspicious. The logos were identical and I didn’t see how that was legal. Guess it isn’t.
Millions of HS’ steal pro and college logos
As a side note…who had the Packers/UGA oval G first? and why do they keep looking the same even despite the adjustments made to the G over the years
I have often wondered about the Packers and UGA, NMS…
Plus, the Pittsburgh Steelers lifted their logo wholesale from U.S. Steel. I’m guessing U.S. Steel was glad for the attention; Lynn Swann looked better than anything else they made.
Allow me to retort on the matter of the BoSox. I would say this coming year will be the most challenging and critical season they have faced in this decade. Instability in the front office, pour leadership on the field and constant rotation of personel…it’s going to be a challenge. Whether Renteria was a force on the field last year, I imagine he brought some class and leadership to the clubhouse that will be missed regardless over the issues he had on the field last year.
Their rotation looks decent, assuming Wells stays. But leaders will they have on the field? It’s just a matter of time before Ramirez has a run in with a teammmate ala Kent/Bonds did in SF a few years ago. The Sox would be better off with Langerhans in the field and having a decent team chemistry than deal with the distractions that Ramirez (and his production) will continue to bring. More so this year than ever.
Continuing with the thread hijack, I have seen nothing to indicate Manny is a clubhouse cancer. I would never call him a leader. But he is well-liked by his teammates. It’s only the front office he is a headache for.
I agree with your assessment of the impact this season will have in Boston, though, Andy. Their front office seems fractured still, and I really think they need to resolve the whole Theo thing sooner rather than later to fix this. He came out of hiding and said today that he’d “definitely be back in baseball eventually,” which doesn’t sound like he’s planning on coming back. If that’s true, they need to turn out the lights and close the door. John Henry is acting like a girl who’s just been dumped by the guy of her dreams and can’t let go. It’s not good for anybody.
Also, I don’t think “team chemistry” has ever been a problem up there.
Andy… c’mon. The Red Sox have 3 outfielders right now, and one of them is Adam Stern. Do you really believe that replacing Manny’s offensive production with Ryan Langerhans’–who’s basically a league-average player, to be generous–would actually be an improvement for the Boston Red Sox?
As a wiser man than me once said, there’s nothing like winning. And Manny wins a hell of a lot more games with his bat than he costs by being a modest clubhouse distraction.
You guys can laugh, but Langerhans is going to end up being an impact player for SOMEbody. His defense alone is outstanding. I hate making comparisons but I think he could end up being a Steve Finely in terms of late blooming and ability. I wish he was a little faster, then we wouldn’t have the problem of a leadoff hitter. Marcus is not the answer. That’s like having Jeter at leadoff. Ultimately, you’ll have to have a true leadoff guy.
And here’s another rabbit trail. Where in the hell is Corey Patterson going to wind up???
God willing, wherever Corey Patterson ends up, it ain’t the Atlanta Braves.
Which means… fifteen cents he’s a Washington National at some point this year.
The Sox can’t replace Manny with anyone, so why would they try?
Tejada comes closest, I guess, but I’ve yet to see any trade scenario that makes sense to both teams.
Green Bay had the original G. The Dogs “borrowed it” soon after and modified it slightly.
I wear my black Georgia hat here in NYC all the time & people still stop me and wanna talk Packers. The scenario’s always the same: Someone says, “Hey, you a Packer fan?” To which, I grin widely and say, “Hell, no!”
I was in a BBQ place near Times Square the other night & a guy from Mississippi (!) saw my hat & stopped me because he wanted to talk about how Brett Favre is from his hometown.
The confusion, it seems, never ends, but I hope Georgia never changes its logo. It looks damn-good to me.
I remember Jimmy Wynn playing for the Braves in 1976. He only hit .207 with 17 hr’s, but lead the NL in walks that year with something like 125 or so, IIRC. I wonder if anyone with a lower BA ever lead his league in walks, or if that is the record.
Just checked BR and ESPN…it was 127 walks. His OBP was .377, a full .170 points higher than his BA. If he had just hit his carrer .250 his OBP would have been well over .400. He was acquired in the same deal with the Dodgers in which we picked up Jerry Royster, Lee Lacy,and Tom Paciorek for Dusty Baker and Ed Goodsen. Wynn only played for one more year after he left us, we traded Lacy back to the Dodgers for Mike Marshall, (the pitcher), and Royster was a servicable infielder for a few years. We unfortunately know what has become of Tom (“MY GOODNESS!”) Paciorek. Meanwhile, Baker helped the Dodger to two or three World Series appearances in LA in his years there and the rest is history.
Thus ends my Braves history class for today.
I’ve always been told that UGA used the G first, and that the Packers pay them a nominal $1 per year to use it.
If Andruw Jones finishes with more homers than Willie Mays, it just shows how distorted current home run numbers are because he is nowhere near the hitter that Mays was (although he is defensively). To get a fair comparison of how players stack up, I think you how to discount somehow for eras like the current. Plus, for much of his career, Mays played in Candlestick Park, which was hell on right handed hitters. This isn’t to take anything away from Andruw, who is a good player, but he shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath with a Mays or a Mantle regardless of his “counting” numbers. I don’t think Mays or Mantle batted sixth or seventh many times in the their careers, which Andruw has.
And Manny wins a hell of a lot more games with his bat than he costs by being a modest clubhouse distraction.
How many games do you think he loses with his defense?
Defense is generally overrated, but there’s a fairly intense discussion over at Primer about how many runs Manny costs the Sox with his defense. Some of the metrics have him at forty or fifty runs in the hole, which would negate a ton of his offensive value if it were true…