Tuesday, December 1, 2009
2009 Yankees Season in Review: Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena and the Defense
As requested, here’s a look at how Francisco Cervelli, Ramiro Pena and the overall team defense did compared to their projections.
After a 2008 season that saw him get to AA, Cervelli was still probably off the radar for 2009 despite a brief cameo at the end of 2008. However, injuries forced him into the picture, and he ended up getting 101 PAs. Here are his projections entering 2009, pro-rated to those 101 PAs.
| francisco cervelli | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BR/650 | wOBA | -2 Std | -1 Std | +1 Std | +2 Std | % |
| 2009 chone projection | 101 | 92 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 25 | .223 | .296 | .304 | 53 | .268 | .174 | .221 | .315 | .362 | 95.3% |
| 2009 marcel projection | 101 | 90 | 25 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 18 | .272 | .337 | .422 | 82 | .321 | .221 | .271 | .370 | .420 | 114.2% |
| 2009 pecota projection | 101 | 90 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 24 | .229 | .300 | .335 | 60 | .277 | .182 | .229 | .324 | .372 | 98.5% |
| 2009 tht projection | 101 | 91 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 18 | .236 | .315 | .321 | 59 | .284 | .188 | .236 | .332 | .380 | 101.1% |
| 2009 zips projection | 101 | 90 | 21 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 18 | .236 | .317 | .304 | 56 | .281 | .186 | .234 | .329 | .377 | 100.2% |
| 2009 cairo projection | 101 | 91 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 | .240 | .314 | .326 | 61 | .284 | .188 | .236 | .332 | .380 | 101.2% |
| 2009 average projection | 101 | 90 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 21 | .239 | .313 | .335 | 62 | .286 | .190 | .238 | .334 | .382 | 101.8% |
| 2009 actuals | 101 | 94 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 11 | .298 | .309 | .372 | 55 | .281 | .185 | .233 | .329 | .376 |
Cervelli had shown pretty good plate discipline in the minors, but it deserted him in the majors. Despite that, he was able to come fairly close to his projected OBP because he hit six more singles. That also explains why he was able to exceed his SLG by a fair amount.
The .298 average is nice, but it was sort of empty, and it's doubtful he'll be able to replicate the same type of performance in 2010 if he has to rely on hitting .298 to do it. The good news is he should walk a little more and he's still going to be just 24, so he has room for growth in his offensive game. While it's probably unlikely he'll be more than a backup, he should be a decent one, especially if the good defense he showed in 2009 carries forward.
Sort of like Cervelli, Ramiro Pena hadn't gotten past AA prior to 2009, and he hadn't really impressed there either, slugging a monstrous .297 in 2008 for Trenton. Pena's calling card isn't his bat though, it's his glove. In a surprise, he made the Yankees on opening day as a backup IF, since Alex Rodriguez was out rehabbing his hip and the only other backup IF on the roster was Angel Berroa.
Because of Pena's unimpressive minor league resume, his projections were unimpressive.
| ramiro pena | PA | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BR/650 | wOBA | -2 Std | -1 Std | +1 Std | +2 Std | % |
| 2009 chone projection | 121 | 113 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 25 | .233 | .284 | .297 | 48 | .258 | .173 | .215 | .300 | .342 | 86.7% |
| 2009 marcel projection | 121 | 110 | 25 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 20 | .224 | .272 | .320 | 50 | .255 | .170 | .212 | .297 | .339 | 85.7% |
| 2009 pecota projection | 121 | 108 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 16 | .223 | .285 | .286 | 47 | .255 | .171 | .213 | .297 | .339 | 85.8% |
| 2009 tht projection | 121 | 113 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 22 | .224 | .276 | .291 | 45 | .252 | .168 | .210 | .294 | .336 | 84.8% |
| 2009 zips projection | 121 | 114 | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 16 | .224 | .269 | .263 | 39 | .240 | .158 | .199 | .282 | .323 | 80.9% |
| 2009 cairo projection | 121 | 112 | 26 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 21 | .232 | .282 | .290 | 46 | .255 | .171 | .213 | .297 | .340 | 85.9% |
| 2009 average projection | 121 | 112 | 25 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 20 | .227 | .278 | .291 | 46 | .252 | .168 | .210 | .295 | .337 | 85.0% |
| 2009 actuals | 121 | 115 | 33 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 20 | .287 | .317 | .383 | 71 | .297 | .208 | .253 | .342 | .386 |
Like Cervelli, Pena hit more and walked less than expected. However, he did show a little more pop than projected, with two extra doubles. Obviously when we're dealing with sample sizes like this we shouldn't try to infer too much about what it means going forward, but Pena's final line in 2009 was better than replacement level, and would have made him about a win better than replacement level on offense if he had done it over 650 PAs.
So, how about the Yankee defense?
Since I started blogging in 2004, there's been one recurring theme with the Yankees. Their defense has generally been bad to awful. While you can hit and pitch well enough to overcome that, it can be frustrating to watch players not making plays other players can make.
When the Yankees let Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi go and replaced them with Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher, that alone looked like a pretty decent defensive upgrade. Here's how the defense projected heading into 2009 compared to what they actually ended up doing.
| Player | Pos | pZR | pUZR | pRAA | zRSAA | uRSAA | aRSAA | diff |
| Jorge Posada | C | -5 | -10 | -5 | ||||
| Jose Molina | C | 2 | -2 | -2 | -2 | -4 | ||
| Francisco Cervelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Kevin Cash | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| Mark Teixeira | 1B | 5 | 2 | 3 | 8 | -4 | 2 | -1 |
| Juan Miranda | 1B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Robinson Cano | 2B | 2 | -2 | 0 | -2 | -5 | -3 | -4 |
| Alex Rodriguez | 3B | -2 | -1 | -2 | -6 | -9 | -7 | -6 |
| Cody Ransom | 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -4 |
| Angel Berroa | 3B | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -1 | -1 |
| Melky Cabrera | CF | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -1 | -1 |
| Brett Gardner | CF | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Johnny Damon | LF | -1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | -9 | -5 | -6 |
| Freddy Guzman | LF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Swisher | RF | 1 | 1 | 1 | -4 | -1 | -3 | -4 |
| Eric Hinske | RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Xavier Nady | RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 | 0 |
| Shelley Duncan | RF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Jeter | SS | -5 | -5 | -5 | -2 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| Ramiro Pena | SS | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | -2 | -27 | -25 |
pZR: Projected runs saved above average according to zone rating, pro-rated to 2009 playing time.
pUZR: Projected runs saved above average according to UZR, pro-rated to 2009 playing time.
pRAA: Average of pZR and pUZR
zRSAA: Actual runs saved above average according to zone rating
uRSAA: Actual runs saved above average according to UZR
aRSAA: Average of zRSAA and uRSAA
diff: aRSAA - pRAA (negative means worse than projected)
The Yankee defense actually didn't play as well as projected, with the primary culprits being Johnny Damon, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada. Cody Ransom and Angel Berroa's contributions also didn't really help. On the plus side, Derek Jeter was seven runs better than projected and Brett Gardner was two runs better.
Last year's team was about 40 runs below average, so at the very least they were better than that.
Interestingly, I completely forgot to do a season review for Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, so I'll post that next, then Mo's and then that should wrap up the backwards-looking stuff for now.
Friday, September 4, 2009
This Is the Best Yankee Lineup Since…
There's a question that's been popping up a lot recently here, so let's see if we can figure it out. The question, or statement, is usually 'This is the best Yankee team since...', usually ending in 1999 or 1998. While I'd rather wait until the end of the season to try and answer this question correctly, here's a quick and dirty look at what the answer may be. I'm only looking at the lineup right now, and only looking at offense.Full-season pythag or run differential may tell us who the best Yankee lineup was over a full season considering all the contributions of everyone who played, but the more interesting question to me is what's the best concentrated set of talent the Yankees have ever run out on the field. To look at this question, I used my Lahman database to identify the primary position at each position on the field plus DH. Since the OF positions are not always split in the Lahman database prior to 1980, I'm only looking at the period between 1980-2009 for now.
From there, I calculated the wOBA
If we want to look at the real question about most talented Yankee team ever, we shouldn't use a single season's stats, we should probably use some of the prior season data for everyone on the team and do a retro-projection on them to smooth out any fluke seasons, but like I said, this is quick and dirty.
Update: Revised chart with correct park factors now posted.
| Year | wOBA | lgWOBA | r600aa |
| 2009 | .374 | .332 | 228.2 |
| 2005 | .369 | .330 | 212.5 |
| 2007 | .369 | .334 | 189.8 |
| 2003 | .368 | .333 | 189.8 |
| 2002 | .363 | .330 | 176.4 |
| 1986 | .354 | .325 | 160.6 |
| 2004 | .366 | .337 | 157.1 |
| 1998 | .365 | .337 | 154.5 |
| 2006 | .367 | .339 | 151.8 |
| 1983 | .349 | .321 | 150.9 |
| 1999 | .366 | .343 | 122.9 |
| 1985 | .345 | .323 | 121.5 |
| 1988 | .337 | .316 | 116.1 |
| 1994 | .362 | .341 | 110.4 |
| 1980 | .342 | .323 | 101.7 |
| 1984 | .338 | .320 | 99.2 |
| 1997 | .353 | .336 | 87.2 |
| 2001 | .347 | .333 | 74.2 |
| 1989 | .328 | .315 | 73.1 |
| 1993 | .340 | .328 | 63.1 |
| 1981 | .320 | .309 | 62.2 |
| 1982 | .332 | .322 | 50.5 |
| 1996 | .354 | .347 | 35.8 |
| 1987 | .339 | .332 | 34.4 |
| 2008 | .336 | .332 | 25.7 |
| 1991 | .324 | .320 | 22.2 |
| 2000 | .349 | .346 | 16.8 |
| 1995 | .341 | .338 | 12.3 |
| 1992 | .317 | .317 | 2.2 |
| 1990 | .293 | .317 | -132.1 |
wOBA: Yankee wOBA
lgwOBA League average wOBA in this season.
r600aa: Runs above average over 600 PAs (totaled for the starting nine).
Well, that surprised the hell out of me. While the season isn't over yet, the starting nine for the 2009 Yankees rate as the best offensive Yankee lineup relative to their league since 1980. How is that possible? According to wOBA they've gotten an above average performance relative to league from every single player listed as their primary starter. It looks like not even the 1998 Yankees can make that claim thanks to Chad Curtis's below average performance in LF.
The team-by-team breakdown is too big of a table to post, but anyone who wants to look at it can download it in CSV format.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Top Twenty Offensive Yankee Seasons - Center Field
It's one of the most glamorous jobs in sports, center field in Yankee Stadium. There's a good reason for that when you look at top twenty offensive seasons by a Yankee center fielder When looking at this list, I am considering players at the position they played the most games at in a given year, so if someone split time in LF and CF, they get listed at the position they played the most. Ties get listed in the more challenging postion.For those just catching up, I've described the methodology I'm using here. It's important to remember that this methodology compare players to their peers of the same season, so you can't just compare raw stats. Context counts.
So here we go with the center field.
| Rank | Player | Year | Team | Lg | Pos | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BRAA | psOPS+ |
| 1 | Mickey Mantle | 1957 | NYA | AL | CF | 144 | 474 | 121 | 173 | 28 | 6 | 34 | 94 | 16 | 3 | 146 | 75 | .365 | .512 | .665 | 69 | 201 |
| 2 | Mickey Mantle | 1956 | NYA | AL | CF | 150 | 533 | 132 | 188 | 22 | 5 | 52 | 130 | 10 | 1 | 112 | 99 | .353 | .464 | .705 | 69 | 189 |
| 3 | Mickey Mantle | 1961 | NYA | AL | CF | 153 | 514 | 132 | 163 | 16 | 6 | 54 | 128 | 12 | 1 | 126 | 112 | .317 | .448 | .687 | 65 | 182 |
| 4 | Joe DiMaggio | 1937 | NYA | AL | CF | 151 | 621 | 151 | 215 | 35 | 15 | 46 | 167 | 3 | 0 | 64 | 37 | .346 | .412 | .673 | 58 | 179 |
| 5 | Mickey Mantle | 1958 | NYA | AL | CF | 150 | 519 | 127 | 158 | 21 | 1 | 42 | 97 | 18 | 3 | 129 | 120 | .304 | .443 | .592 | 54 | 165 |
| 6 | Joe DiMaggio | 1941 | NYA | AL | CF | 139 | 541 | 122 | 193 | 43 | 11 | 30 | 125 | 4 | 2 | 76 | 13 | .357 | .440 | .643 | 53 | 175 |
| 7 | Rickey Henderson | 1985 | NYA | AL | CF | 143 | 547 | 146 | 172 | 28 | 5 | 24 | 72 | 80 | 10 | 99 | 65 | .314 | .419 | .516 | 50 | 154 |
| 8 | Joe DiMaggio | 1939 | NYA | AL | CF | 120 | 462 | 108 | 176 | 32 | 6 | 30 | 126 | 3 | 0 | 52 | 20 | .381 | .448 | .671 | 50 | 184 |
| 9 | Mickey Mantle | 1955 | NYA | AL | CF | 147 | 517 | 121 | 158 | 25 | 11 | 37 | 99 | 8 | 1 | 113 | 97 | .306 | .431 | .611 | 45 | 161 |
| 10 | Mickey Mantle | 1962 | NYA | AL | CF | 123 | 377 | 96 | 121 | 15 | 1 | 30 | 89 | 9 | 0 | 122 | 78 | .321 | .486 | .605 | 44 | 177 |
Mickey Mantle - 1957
The Mick is of course a legend. In '57 he put up a whopping .512 OBP by hitting .355 and walking 146 times. Mantle was the AL MVP this season for the pennant winning Yanks, who lost the World Series to the Hank Aaron-led Milwaukee Braves in seven games.
Mickey Mantle - 1956
You could probably flip 1957 and 1956 if you wanted as they were similar in value, with more power in 1956 and more times on base in 1957. I have '57 worth 69.4 BRAA and '56 worth 68.6 but that's within the margin of error. '56 is of course famous for Mantle winning the Triple Crown, leading the league in batting average, HRs and RBIs. Mantle took the MVP in this season as well.
Using my methodology, Mantle's 1956 and 1957 are the second and third best seasons by any centerfielder ever. There may be a prize in it for whomever can guess the first on the list.
Mickey Mantle - 1961
Roger Maris got the hype and the MVP in this season, but Mantle was the better player. Of course this year was famous for the race to top Babe Ruth between Mantle and Maris. A hip abscess late in the season cost Mantle his chance at the record.
Joe DiMaggio - 1937
The man that Mantle replaced makes his first appearance on the list. Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio is of course also a Yankee legend. This was his second full season in the majors, and he clubbed 46 HRs as a 22 year old, which ended up being his career high. DiMaggio's stats are even more impressive when you factor in Death Valley in Yankee Stadium. He finished second in MVP balloting this season to Charlie Gehringer, although I have his offense as nine runs better even after adjusting for position.
Mickey Mantle - 1958
More mind-boggling Mantle magic.
Joe DiMaggio - 1941
DiMaggio's second most value season was also his most famous season. This was of course the year of 'The Streak'. DiMaggio won the MVP over Ted Williams and his .405/.553/.735 line. Did he deserve it?
DiMaggio, 53 BRAA
Williams, 74 BRAA
That adjusts for position on offense, but by all accounts there was very likely 20 runs of defensive difference between the two in favor of DiMaggio, so it may not have been the wrong vote.
Rickey Henderson - 1985
Amazingly, there is a season by a non-Mantle/Dimaggio player in the top ten. Rickey's of course a future Hall of Famer if he ever ends up officially retiring and I look forward to this HOF induction speech. Don Mattingly won the MVP in 1985 but Henderson was more valuable (50 BRAA in CF vs. 34 BRAA at 1B). Forgetting numbers for a minute, Henderson was a blast to watch, combining power and speed with a great batting eye. This was the season that really hooked me in as a baseball fan and Henderson/Mattingly/Dave Winfield were a big part of it.
Joe DiMaggio - 1939
More greatness from the Yankee Clipper, as he led the AL in BRAA as part of the great '39 Yanks.
Mickey Mantle - 1955
The Mick led the AL in BRAA in 1955 but only finished fifth in the MVP balloting.
Mickey Mantle - 1962
A great season on a rate basis, but injuries were starting to take their toll as we close out the top ten
Here are numbers 11-20:
| Rank | Player | Year | Team | Lg | Pos | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BRAA | psOPS+ |
| 11 | Bobby Murcer | 1971 | NYA | AL | CF | 146 | 529 | 94 | 175 | 25 | 6 | 25 | 94 | 14 | 8 | 91 | 60 | .331 | .427 | .543 | 43 | 156 |
| 12 | Mickey Mantle | 1964 | NYA | AL | CF | 143 | 465 | 92 | 141 | 25 | 2 | 35 | 111 | 6 | 3 | 99 | 102 | .303 | .423 | .591 | 43 | 175 |
| 13 | Joe DiMaggio | 1940 | NYA | AL | CF | 132 | 508 | 93 | 179 | 28 | 9 | 31 | 133 | 1 | 2 | 61 | 30 | .352 | .425 | .626 | 43 | 159 |
| 14 | Joe DiMaggio | 1948 | NYA | AL | CF | 153 | 594 | 110 | 190 | 26 | 11 | 39 | 155 | 1 | 1 | 67 | 30 | .320 | .396 | .598 | 40 | 154 |
| 15 | Mickey Mantle | 1952 | NYA | AL | CF | 142 | 549 | 94 | 171 | 37 | 7 | 23 | 87 | 4 | 1 | 75 | 111 | .311 | .394 | .530 | 38 | 143 |
| 16 | Mickey Mantle | 1960 | NYA | AL | CF | 153 | 527 | 119 | 145 | 17 | 6 | 40 | 94 | 14 | 3 | 111 | 125 | .275 | .399 | .558 | 38 | 141 |
| 17 | Joe DiMaggio | 1938 | NYA | AL | CF | 145 | 599 | 129 | 194 | 32 | 13 | 32 | 140 | 6 | 1 | 59 | 21 | .324 | .386 | .581 | 36 | 147 |
| 18 | Bernie Williams | 1998 | NYA | AL | CF | 128 | 499 | 101 | 169 | 30 | 5 | 26 | 97 | 15 | 9 | 74 | 81 | .339 | .422 | .575 | 35 | 152 |
| 19 | Bobby Murcer | 1972 | NYA | AL | CF | 153 | 585 | 102 | 171 | 30 | 7 | 33 | 96 | 11 | 9 | 63 | 67 | .292 | .361 | .537 | 35 | 147 |
| 20 | Bernie Williams | 1999 | NYA | AL | CF | 158 | 591 | 116 | 202 | 28 | 6 | 25 | 115 | 9 | 10 | 100 | 95 | .342 | .435 | .536 | 33 | 146 |
Bobby Murcer and Bernie Williams help the people already mentioned round out the top twenty. Both had some legitimately great seasons but it's a big pond they're in. Bernie's inability to stay healthy hurts his counting numbers a little but in his peak he sure was good, wasn't he?
Here's how the top twenty breaks down by player
Mickey Mantle: 9
Joe DiMaggio: 6
Bernie Williams: 2
Bobby Murcer: 2
Rickey Henderson: 1
Friday, February 1, 2008
Top Twenty Offensive Yankee Seasons - Left Field
With the Santana foolishness out of the way, here's a look at top twenty offensive seasons by a Yankee left fielder. For the sake of simplicity, I am considering players at the position they played the most games at in a given year, so if someone split time in LF and RF, they get listed at the position they played the most. Ties get listed in the more challenging postion.For those just catching up, I've described the methodology I'm using here. It's important to remember that this methodology compares players to their peers of the same season, so you can't just compare raw stats. Context counts.
And here we go with the left field.
| Rank | Player | Year | Team | Lg | Pos | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BRAA | psOPS+ |
| 1 | Babe Ruth | 1921 | NYA | AL | LF | 152 | 540 | 177 | 204 | 44 | 16 | 59 | 171 | 17 | 13 | 145 | 81 | .378 | .512 | .846 | 88 | 218 |
| 2 | Babe Ruth | 1926 | NYA | AL | LF | 152 | 495 | 139 | 184 | 30 | 5 | 47 | 150 | 11 | 9 | 144 | 76 | .372 | .516 | .737 | 72 | 203 |
| 3 | Charlie Keller | 1941 | NYA | AL | LF | 140 | 507 | 102 | 151 | 24 | 10 | 33 | 122 | 6 | 4 | 102 | 65 | .298 | .416 | .580 | 33 | 149 |
| 4 | Babe Ruth | 1922 | NYA | AL | LF | 110 | 406 | 94 | 128 | 24 | 8 | 35 | 99 | 2 | 5 | 84 | 80 | .315 | .434 | .672 | 32 | 161 |
| 5 | Charlie Keller | 1946 | NYA | AL | LF | 150 | 538 | 98 | 148 | 29 | 10 | 30 | 101 | 1 | 4 | 113 | 101 | .275 | .405 | .533 | 30 | 149 |
| 6 | Charlie Keller | 1942 | NYA | AL | LF | 152 | 544 | 106 | 159 | 24 | 9 | 26 | 108 | 14 | 2 | 114 | 61 | .292 | .417 | .513 | 29 | 135 |
| 7 | Charlie Keller | 1943 | NYA | AL | LF | 141 | 512 | 97 | 139 | 15 | 11 | 31 | 86 | 7 | 5 | 106 | 60 | .271 | .396 | .525 | 28 | 148 |
| 8 | Birdie Cree | 1911 | NYA | AL | LF | 137 | 520 | 90 | 181 | 30 | 22 | 4 | 88 | 48 | 0 | 56 | 0 | .348 | .415 | .513 | 27 | 152 |
| 9 | Rickey Henderson | 1988 | NYA | AL | LF | 140 | 554 | 118 | 169 | 30 | 2 | 6 | 50 | 93 | 13 | 82 | 54 | .305 | .394 | .399 | 27 | 119 |
| 10 | George Selkirk | 1939 | NYA | AL | LF | 128 | 418 | 103 | 128 | 17 | 4 | 21 | 101 | 12 | 5 | 103 | 49 | .306 | .452 | .517 | 25 | 143 |
Babe Ruth - 1921
I thought I was a diehard Yankee fan, but I never heard of this Ruth fella. Anyone know anything about him? I kid of course. This was Ruth's second season as a Yankee and he spent it mainly in LF, although he did play 18 games in CF. An .846 SLG? Just ludicrous. Ruth's 59 HRs broke his record of 54, in 1921. Ruthw as worth 90 runs more than an average LF. Try to wrap your head around that.
Babe Ruth - 1926
This season only looks unimpressive when compared to 1921, but it was a monstrous season in its own right.
Charlie Keller - 1941
Third place sees a forty run drop from second place. "King Kong" Keller had some solid seasons for the Yankees, although his prime intersected with WWII. This was his best season, as part of the 1941 World Series champs.
Babe Ruth - 1922
Ruth's 1922 Was quite a step back from his 1921, but still a strong season.
Charlie Keller - 1946
Keller served in the US Merchant Marines in 1944 and 1945 before returning in 1946 and putting up the second most valuable of his season.
Charlie Keller - 1942
As discussed when looking at Joe Gordon's 1942, the '42 Yanks won the AL pennant but lost the Series to the Cardinals. Keller was the third most valuable offensive player on this squad behind Gordon and Joe D.
Charlie Keller - 1943
The '43 Yanks won the World Series, and Keller was the most valuable offensive player at 28 BRAA.
Birdie Cree - 1911
To me the best part of doing these lists so far has been uncovering people like Lyn Lary, Fritz Maisel, and my new personal favorite, Birdie Cree. Birdie Cree? Who?
Wikipedia tells me that William Franklin "Birdie" Cree had his career year in 1911. He played eight years for the Highlanders and ended his career with a respectable OPS+ of 125.
Rickey Henderson - 1988
This wasn't Rickey's best Yankee season, but it was his most valuable season as a LF. Henderson's 93 SB is the Yankee single season record and with the way the game has changed may be the record for the forseeable future.
George Selkirk - 1939
A lot of '39 Yanks are showing up in these top ten lists, and for good reason. Selkirk was the third most valuable offensive player that season, behind Joe DiMaggio and Bill Dickey.
And here's the rest of the top 20...
| Rank | Player | Year | Team | Lg | Pos | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BRAA | psOPS+ |
| 11 | Joe DiMaggio | 1936 | NYA | AL | LF | 138 | 637 | 132 | 206 | 44 | 15 | 29 | 125 | 4 | 0 | 24 | 39 | .323 | .352 | .576 | 24 | 122 |
| 12 | Dave Winfield | 1982 | NYA | AL | LF | 140 | 539 | 84 | 151 | 24 | 8 | 37 | 106 | 5 | 3 | 45 | 64 | .280 | .331 | .560 | 22 | 131 |
| 13 | Roy White | 1971 | NYA | AL | LF | 147 | 524 | 86 | 153 | 22 | 7 | 19 | 84 | 14 | 7 | 86 | 66 | .292 | .388 | .469 | 21 | 121 |
| 14 | Ben Chapman | 1931 | NYA | AL | LF | 149 | 600 | 120 | 189 | 28 | 11 | 17 | 122 | 61 | 23 | 75 | 77 | .315 | .396 | .483 | 19 | 112 |
| 15 | Bob Meusel | 1927 | NYA | AL | LF | 135 | 516 | 75 | 174 | 47 | 9 | 8 | 103 | 24 | 10 | 45 | 58 | .337 | .393 | .510 | 19 | 120 |
| 16 | Hideki Matsui | 2004 | NYA | AL | LF | 162 | 584 | 109 | 174 | 34 | 2 | 31 | 108 | 3 | 0 | 88 | 103 | .298 | .390 | .522 | 16 | 118 |
| 17 | Dave Winfield | 1983 | NYA | AL | LF | 152 | 598 | 99 | 169 | 26 | 8 | 32 | 116 | 15 | 6 | 58 | 77 | .283 | .345 | .513 | 16 | 116 |
| 18 | Roy White | 1970 | NYA | AL | LF | 162 | 609 | 109 | 180 | 30 | 6 | 22 | 94 | 24 | 10 | 95 | 66 | .296 | .387 | .473 | 16 | 110 |
| 19 | Dan Pasqua | 1986 | NYA | AL | LF | 102 | 280 | 44 | 82 | 17 | 0 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 78 | .293 | .399 | .525 | 16 | 143 |
| 20 | Oscar Gamble | 1979 | NYA | AL | LF | 36 | 113 | 21 | 44 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 | .389 | .452 | .735 | 14 | 193 |
Here's how the top 20 breaks down: Charlie Keller: 4
Babe Ruth: 3
Dave Winfield: 2
Roy White: 2
Ben Chapman: 1
Birdie Cree: 1
Bob Meusel: 1
Dan Pasqua: 1
George Selkirk: 1
Hideki Matsui: 1
Joe DiMaggio: 1
Oscar Gamble: 1
Rickey Henderson: 1
A Dan Pasqua sighting! Oscar Gamble's 1979 deserves a little respect. To play in only 36 games but put up the 20th most valuable offensive season by a Yankee LF is pretty damn mpressive. To do it while rocking this afro is even more impressive.
Update: 21-40
| Rank | Player | Year | Team | Lg | Pos | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | BRAA | psOPS+ |
| 21 | Hideki Matsui | 2005 | NYA | AL | LF | 162 | 629 | 108 | 192 | 45 | 3 | 23 | 116 | 2 | 2 | 63 | 78 | .305 | .367 | .496 | 14 | 115 |
| 22 | David Justice | 2000 | NYA | AL | LF | 78 | 275 | 43 | 84 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 42 | .305 | .391 | .585 | 13 | 133 |
| 23 | Gene Woodling | 1952 | NYA | AL | LF | 122 | 408 | 58 | 126 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 63 | 1 | 4 | 59 | 31 | .309 | .397 | .473 | 13 | 117 |
| 24 | Dave Winfield | 1981 | NYA | AL | LF | 105 | 388 | 52 | 114 | 25 | 1 | 13 | 68 | 11 | 1 | 43 | 41 | .294 | .360 | .464 | 12 | 120 |
| 25 | Roy White | 1969 | NYA | AL | LF | 130 | 448 | 55 | 130 | 30 | 5 | 7 | 74 | 18 | 10 | 81 | 51 | .290 | .392 | .426 | 12 | 113 |
| 26 | Earle Combs | 1930 | NYA | AL | LF | 137 | 532 | 129 | 183 | 30 | 22 | 7 | 82 | 16 | 10 | 74 | 26 | .344 | .424 | .523 | 12 | 113 |
| 27 | Charlie Keller | 1945 | NYA | AL | LF | 44 | 163 | 26 | 49 | 7 | 4 | 10 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 21 | .301 | .412 | .577 | 11 | 175 |
| 28 | Glenallen Hill | 2000 | NYA | AL | LF | 40 | 132 | 22 | 44 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 33 | .333 | .378 | .735 | 11 | 160 |
| 29 | Tommy Henrich | 1937 | NYA | AL | LF | 67 | 206 | 39 | 66 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 4 | 0 | 35 | 17 | .320 | .419 | .553 | 11 | 140 |
| 30 | Oscar Gamble | 1980 | NYA | AL | LF | 78 | 194 | 40 | 54 | 10 | 2 | 14 | 50 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 21 | .278 | .376 | .567 | 11 | 138 |
| 31 | Cliff Johnson | 1977 | NYA | AL | LF | 56 | 142 | 24 | 42 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 23 | .296 | .405 | .606 | 10 | 157 |
| 32 | Bob Meusel | 1925 | NYA | AL | LF | 156 | 624 | 101 | 181 | 34 | 12 | 33 | 138 | 13 | 14 | 54 | 55 | .290 | .348 | .542 | 10 | 108 |
| 33 | Mickey Mantle | 1965 | NYA | AL | LF | 122 | 361 | 44 | 92 | 12 | 1 | 19 | 46 | 4 | 1 | 73 | 76 | .255 | .379 | .452 | 10 | 120 |
| 34 | Johnny Lindell | 1948 | NYA | AL | LF | 88 | 309 | 58 | 98 | 17 | 2 | 13 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 50 | .317 | .387 | .511 | 9 | 121 |
| 35 | George Selkirk | 1940 | NYA | AL | LF | 118 | 379 | 68 | 102 | 17 | 5 | 19 | 71 | 3 | 6 | 84 | 43 | .269 | .406 | .491 | 9 | 115 |
| 36 | Bob Meusel | 1924 | NYA | AL | LF | 143 | 579 | 93 | 188 | 40 | 11 | 12 | 120 | 26 | 14 | 32 | 43 | .325 | .365 | .494 | 9 | 109 |
| 37 | Gene Woodling | 1953 | NYA | AL | LF | 125 | 395 | 64 | 121 | 26 | 4 | 10 | 58 | 2 | 7 | 82 | 29 | .306 | .429 | .468 | 9 | 115 |
| 38 | Lou Piniella | 1978 | NYA | AL | LF | 130 | 472 | 67 | 148 | 34 | 5 | 6 | 69 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 36 | .314 | .361 | .445 | 9 | 110 |
| 39 | Roy White | 1976 | NYA | AL | LF | 156 | 626 | 104 | 179 | 29 | 3 | 14 | 65 | 31 | 13 | 83 | 52 | .286 | .365 | .409 | 9 | 110 |
| 40 | Hideki Matsui | 2007 | NYA | AL | LF | 143 | 547 | 100 | 156 | 28 | 4 | 25 | 103 | 4 | 2 | 73 | 73 | .285 | .367 | .488 | 8 | 114 |
Page 1 of 1 pages: