MLB Year in Review: ASG-to-ASG 2014

Growing up, I watched a lot of ESPN and SportsCenter.  It was one of the primary viewing choices of my childhood.  This made this mid-July week somewhat of a downer growing up since nothing happens in the sports world outside the MLB All Star Game.  SportsCenter is always looking for interesting topics for this lackluster sports week.  Nowadays, this doesn't change the SportsCenter programming at all since all they talk about now is the NFL and LeBron James all year anyways.  When I was a kid, believe it or not, SportsCenter still considered baseball as a relevant sport worth covering.  So while baseball was taking a break, they still worked to find baseball stories to talk about.  One of my favorite baseball pieces they did every year during the All Star Break was determine who had the best last 162 games.  They would calculate stats from the last All Star Break to the current All Star Break and compare them as full season stats.  Unfortunately, SportsCenter is too busy debating the first pick in next year's NFL draft to waste time on this fascinating premise.  So I have decided to compile all these stats on my own and determine who would has had the best last full season.

Here is the process I went through.  I went through the league leaders from Post All Star 2013 stats and the 2014 first half stats.  For the hitters, I compiled the top 50 leaders in both time frames in hits, doubles, home runs, RBI's, and runs.  This gave me 160 hitters I compiled stats for from the last year.  For the pitchers, I went through the same process with wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, and saves (only calculated the top 30 in saves).  I realize this left out the always-overlooked middle reliever, but oh well.  They are always overlooked anyways so one more time won't be too tragic.  This resulted in 151 pitchers to compare.  Let's look at some top lists.

AL Batting Average

Victor Martinez – DET	.343
Robinson Cano – NYY / SEA	.333
Adrian Beltre – TEX	.327
Mike Trout – LAA	.316
Jose Altuve – HOU	.315
JD Martinez – HOU / DET	.322

not enough AB's

It turns out the amazingly hot starts this year from Victor Martinez and Jose Altuve actually started last season.  This is also not the last time you will see Mike Trout's name.

NL Batting Average

Andrew McCutchen – PIT	.330
Scooter Gennett – MIL	.325
Troy Tulowitzki – COL	.323
Freddie Freeman – ATL	.311
Charlie Blackmon – COL	.310
Michael Cuddyer – COL	.327
Casey McGehee – MIA	.319

not enough AB's

Much like Martinez and Altuve, Charlie Blackmon's hot start this year was foreshadowed by a strong finish last year.  Freddie Freeman is turning into one of the best all-around hitters in the league.  Also, Scooter Gennett has to be the best player nobody has heard of.

AL Home Runs

Edwin Encarnacion – TOR	37
Brandon Moss – OAK	35
Mike Trout – LAA	34
Nelson Cruz – TEX / BAL	33
Chris Davis – BAL	31
David Ortiz – BOS	31

What I noticed from this list is most of these players have been quite inconsistent.  Either they ended last year strong or started this year strong, with the exception of Trout.  By the way, Jose Abreu almost made this list without playing at all last season.

NL Home Runs

Giancarlo Stanton – MIA	35
Paul Goldschmidt – ARZ	31
Troy Tulowitzki – COL	30
Anthony Rizzo – CHC	30
Andrew McCutchen – PIT	28
Justin Upton – ATL	28
Todd Frazier – CIN	28

There are a few players on this list that just don't get the credit they deserve.  Anthony Rizzo will be a centerpiece of the Cubs latest attempt to rebuild (which might actually work with his bat leading the way).  Also, Paul Goldschmidt is a beast.  I give him 2 more seasons before he gets traded out of Arizona so people actually recognize how good he is.

AL RBI

Miguel Cabrera – DET	117
Mike Trout – LAA	111
Brandon Moss – OAK	109
David Ortiz – BOS	102
Edwin Encarnacion – TOR	102

Here is the first appearance by Miguel Cabrera, which shows that he hasn't been at his Triple Crown level since pre-All Star 2013.  Also, looking at his numbers, how wasn't David Ortiz an All Star?  Also, as a Mariners fan I refuse to give Brandon Moss any credit.

NL RBI

Paul Goldschmidt – ARZ	109
Jayson Werth – WAS	103
Adrian Gonzalez – LAD	101
Freddie Freeman – ATL	100
Giancarlo Stanton – MIA	98

There's Goldschmidt's name again.  I was surprised to see someone like Jayson Werth putting up these kind of numbers.  No one talks about him, but he has been one of the best run producers of the last year.

AL OPS (On-Base + Slugging)

Mike Trout – LAA	1.014
Victor Martinez – DET	.956
Edwin Encarnacion – TOR	.952
Miguel Cabrera – DET	.929
Brandon Moss – OAK	.911
Jose Abreu – CWS	.968
JD Martinez – HOU / DET	.942

not enough AB's

OPS has become one of the top stats for a hitter's overall production so this is a great one to look at.  No one quite appreciates just how good Jose Abreu has been this first half.  He is already one of the greatest hitters in the league after just half a season.  Here you can also see just how ridiculous Mike Trout is.  Once again, he is from another AL West rival so I hate giving credit, but Trout is impossible to ignore.  Also, over the last year Miguel Cabrera hasn't even been the best hitter on his team.

NL OPS

Andrew McCutchen – PIT	.995
Troy Tulowitzki – COL	.966
Paul Goldschmidt – ARZ	.950
Freddie Freeman – ATL	.904
Giancarlo Stanton – MIA	.904

This top five shouldn't be surprising.  If you ask anyone for the best top five hitters in the National League, these five names should be the first ones said ... unless you run into some of those ignorant idiots that try to say Yasiel Puig or Bryce Harper.

AL Wins

Max Scherzer – DET	19
Rick Porcello – DET	19
James Shields – KC	18
Jared Weaver – LAA	18
Mark Buehrle – TOR	17

How is Detroit not the best team in the AL?  They have two of the best hitters in the league and the only two 19-win pitchers in the league.  And neither of them are named Verlander.  James Shields doesn't get the respect he deserves either.

NL Wins

Clayton Kershaw – LAD	19
Adam Wainwright – STL	19
Zack Greinke – LAD	18
Jorge De La Rosa – COL	17
Hyun-Jin Ryu – LAD	17

After looking at these stats, it is hard to argue against the Dodgers having the best pitching staff in the league.  They have three of the top five in wins.  You expect Wainwright to be on this list, but De La Rosa?!?  Since when does a pitcher for the Rockies have quality stats?

AL ERA (150 IP Min.)

Hisashi Iwakuma – SEA	2.58
Jon Lester – BOS	2.62
Anibal Sanchez – DET	2.63
Chris Sale – CWS	2.71
Felix Hernandez – SEA	2.74

Even with his injury and recent struggles, Hisashi Iwakuma has the best ERA over the last year.  It's easy for him to not get the credit he deserves when King Felix had the best first half in the league this year.

AL ERA Overall

Koji Uehara – BOS	1.07
Greg Holland – KC	1.22
Casey Janssen – TOR	1.79
Zach Britton – BAL	1.82
Joe Smith – LAA	2.07

The numbers and names at the top are to be expected.  The last two names on the list might be surprising though.

NL ERA (150IP Min.)

Clayton Kershaw – LAD	1.68
Johnny Cueto – CIN	2.02
Andrew Cashner – SD	2.25
Zack Greinke – LAD	2.34
Tanner Roark – WAS	2.53

Kershaw, are you kidding me?!?  If he goes on a couple more scoreless runs, he might challenge that Bob Gibson record of a 1.12 ERA this year.  Also, stop talking about Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman, Gio Gonzalez, and Doug Fister.  Tanner Roark is the Nat's fifth starter and the best one they have had over the last year.

NL ERA Overall

Huston Street – SD	1.06
Craig Kimbrel – ATL	1.43
Clayton Kershaw – LAD	1.68
Jose Fernandez – MIA	1.81
Johnny Cueto – CIN	2.02

The most underrated player in the league is by far Huston Street.  He is the best closer in the league, and he doesn't even make the All Star Team.  His ERA is even lower than Koji's.  I find this whole list interesting as only two closers made the list.  The rest are the top starters including Jose Fernandez who would be challenging Kershaw in every stat category if he hadn't gotten hurt.

AL K's

Yu Darvish – TEX	262
David Price – TB	248
Max Scherzer – DET	234
Felix Hernandez – SEA	230
Jon Lester – BOS	208

This is another top five that is exactly who you would expect it to be.  No surprises here.

NL K's

Stephen Strasburg – WAS	231
Clayton Kershaw – LAD	219
Tyson Ross – SD	211
Zack Greinke – LAD	207
AJ Burnett – PIT / PHI	207

You might be surprised to see the old man, AJ Burnett, on here, of whom I heard recently from an analyst is the most overpaid player in baseball history.  At least he strikes guys out.  The other noteworthy thing here is Tyson Ross.  This is the second Padres starter to appear on one of these lists which shows that they are working their way in the right direction.  They just need some hitting.  Some familiar, Seattle?

AL Innings Pitched

David Price – TB	254 1/3
James Shields – KC	224 2/3
Justin Verlander – DET	221 1/3
RA Dickey – TOR	221
Jon Lester – BOS	216 2/3

I find this an interesting list because it shows who might be due for a disappointing second half simply for being overworked.  David Price has thrown 30 more innings than everyone else in the league over the last year.  Buyer beware for those looking to trade for him.

NL Innings Pitched

Adam Wainwright – STL	233
AJ Burnett – PIT / PHI	222 2/3
Wade Miley – ARZ	213
Zack Greinke – LAD	211 1/3
Kyle Lohse – MIL	210 1/3

Here are some great innings eaters in Wainwright, Greinke, and Lohse.  Again, I don't see how people hate on AJ Burnett.  I'm also impressed with Wade Miley as he has needed to step up and the ace after Corbin went down in Spring Training.

AL Saves

Greg Holland – KC	50
Fernando Rodney – TB / SEA	42
Glen Perkins – MIN	37
Joe Nathan – TEX / DET	32
Koji Uehara – BOS	31

Few would argue that Holland has the most dominant stuff in the AL at closer.  Looking at these numbers, it was totally justified that Glen Perkins closed out the All Star Game.  Also, for all his struggles, Joe Nathan has still racked up a respectable amount of saves.  (Honorable Mention - Addison Reed has 37 saves over this time, but has played for both leagues.)

NL Saves

Craig Kimbrel – ATL	53
Kenley Jansen – LAD	46
Huston Street – SD	42
Rafael Soriano – WAS	40
Sergio Romo – SF	39

Craig Kimbrel might be the most automatic three outs in league history.  Once again, look at the number of saves for Huston Street for a team that never reaches the .500 mark.

Looking at these stats, here are the top 5 hitters, starters, and closers ASG-to-ASG.

Hitters

		Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	1B	RBI	BB	SO	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Mike	Trout	LAA	155	564	109	178	36	6	34	102	111	116	161	22	.316	.432	.582	1.014
Andrew	McCutchen	PIT	160	594	98	196	40	9	28	119	96	99	120	22	.330	.426	.569	.995
Troy	Tulowitzki	COL	151	524	102	169	29	1	30	109	82	80	99	2	.323	.412	.553	.966
Victor	Martinez	DET	146	554	74	190	36	0	27	127	88	55	41	2	.343	.402	.554	.956
Paul	Goldschmidt	ARZ	161	607	109	182	49	4	31	98	109	105	157	14	.300	.403	.547	.950

Starters

		Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	AVG	WHIP	K/BB	K/9
Clayton	Kershaw	LAD	19	5	1.68	27	27	0	0	187	134	38	35	9	30	219	.193	0.88	7.3	10.5
Adam	Wainwright	STL	19	8	2.59	33	33	0	0	233	189	68	67	13	47	204	.213	1.01	4.3	7.9
Max	Scherzer	DET	19	5	2.99	32	32	0	0	211	169	73	70	18	60	234	.211	1.09	3.9	10.0
Jon	Lester	BOS	16	9	2.62	32	32	0	0	216 2/3	200	78	63	12	51	208	.235	1.16	4.1	8.6
Felix	Hernandez	SEA	13	8	2.74	31	31	0	0	210	164	72	64	9	45	230	.207	1.00	5.1	9.9

Closers

		Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	AVG	WHIP	K/BB	K/9
Craig	Kimbrel	ATL	2	2	1.43	71	0	53	58	69 1/3	34	14	11	2	23	106	.140	0.82	4.6	13.8
Greg	Holland	KC	1	2	1.22	68	0	50	52	66 2/3	43	9	9	4	17	96	.177	0.90	5.6	13.0
Huston	Street	SD	3	1	1.06	60	0	42	44	59 1/3	32	7	7	5	13	62	.152	0.76	4.8	9.4
Koji	Uehara	BOS	7	3	1.07	71	0	31	33	75 2/3	36	9	9	6	7	98	.137	0.57	14.0	11.7
Kenley	Jansen	LAD	2	3	2.48	72	0	46	50	69	48	19	19	4	22	108	.188	1.01	4.9	14.1

To check out all the stats I compiled, click the link below.

2013-2014 ASG-TO-ASG STATS