Book Review: The Federal League

 

The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs
The History of an Outlaw Major League, 1914-1915
 
by Robert Peyton Wiggins
 
A Baseball Book Review
Monte Cely
(512) 310-9777
                                               
            The Federal League (FL) operated as a minor league in 1913 and as a now-recognized major league in 1914 and 1915. Author Wiggins tells the story of the magnates, managers and players that made up the “newest” of now-defunct “major leagues”.
 
            The FL directly challenged major league franchises in St. Louis, Chicago, Brooklyn, and Pittsburgh. Their franchise lineup was filled out with cities that formerly had major league franchises, or thought they deserved them. These included Indianapolis, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Kansas City. The Indianapolis franchise moved to Newark for the 1915 season.
 
            FL magnates included oilman Harry Sinclair, New York bakery king Robert Ward, old Oriole Ned Hanlon, and former player then lawyer John Montgomery Ward, among many others.
 
            Although the Federal League played its last game over ninety-five years ago, two very visible legacies of the FL remain: 1) Baseball’s privileged exemption from anti-trust law is a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore, Inc.  vs. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, a lawsuit filed by the ownership of the Baltimore FL Terrapins, and 2) The Federal League’s most famous ball park, Weeghman Field, home of the Chicago Whales, is viewable whenever a Cubs home game is broadcast. It’s now known as Wrigley Field. 
 
            A SABR member interested in early 20th Century baseball should enjoy this well-researched book.
 
Here are the key statistics:
Book: The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs;
                        The History of an Outlaw Major League, 1914-1915
Author:  Robert Peyton Wiggins
Author’s Credentials: Wiggins is a member of SABR and lives in Charlottesville, VA. He has also written Chief Bender, A Baseball Biography
Published: 2009, McFarland; ISBN: 978-0-7864-3835-8
Length: 362 pages.
Price: Retail list – $35.00;    Online – from $45.00 (new) + shipping.

Trivia Quiz on 2010 Season

Bill Gilbert’s Trivia Quiz

(presented at the monthly meeting on Dec. 16, 2010)

(Move the mouse over the blank space to see the answer)
1. Who are the two players that hit 40 or more home runs in 2010?

Jose Bautista and Albert Pujols
2. Who are the five pitchers that threw no-hitters in 2010?
 Dallas Braden, Matt Garza, Roy Halladay, Edwin Jackson and Ubaldo Jimenez
3.

Which pitcher led the major leagues in strikeouts in 2010?

 Jered Weaver
4. Who were the three pitchers that were 20-game winners in 2010?
 Roy Halladay, CC Sabathia and Adam Wainwright
5.

Which major league team made the greatest improvement in 2010 over 2009?

 San Diego Padres
6.

What major league team fell the furthest in 2010?

 Seattle Mariners
7.

Who are the six players that won both Gold Gloves and Silver Slugger Awards in 2010? Here are the positions they played: catcher, first base, second base, shortstop and two outfield positions

(C) Joe Mauer

(1st) Albert Pujols

(2nd) Robinson Cano

(SS) Troy Tulowitzki

(OF) Carl Crawford

(OF) Carlos Gonzalez
8.

Who led the Astros in home runs in 2010?

Hunter Pence
9.

Who was named the Astros Most Valuable Player in 2010?

Hunter Pence
10. Who was named the Astros Most Valuable Player in 1974? He was in uniform with the Phillies in the playoffs in 2010.
 Greg Gross
11. Who are the eight former Astros that played in the playoffs this year?
 Lance Berkman, Aubrey Huff, Brad Lidge, Darren Oliver, Roy Oswalt, Andy Pettitte, Dan Wheeler and Bill Wagner
12. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim is the official name of the American League team in the Los Angeles area. They have always been the Angels, but have had three other names to describe their location. What are they?
 Los Angeles Angels, California Angels and Anaheim Angels
13. Who were the six major league players in 2010 who batted over .300, hit more than 30 home runs and drove in more than 100 runs?
 Miguel Cabrera, Carlos Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Paul Konerko, Albert Pujols and Joey Votto
14.

Who was the pitcher that lost two games in the 2010 World Series?

 Cliff Lee
15. Who was the pitcher that lost two games in the 2009 World Series? This will not keep him from being elected to the Hall of Fame.
 Pedro Martinez
16. IN the last six years dating back to 2005, eleven different teams have played in the World Series. Name the only team that has played twice.
 Philadelphia Phillies

 

 

December Meeting Summary

For the 49th consecutive month, 11 chapter members met to discuss baseball, including such topics as Cliff Lee’s surprise signing with the Phillies and the passing of Hall-of-Famer Bob Feller.

Bill Gilbert brought a trivia quiz covering the 2010 season, which caused some of us to groan when we realized that we had forgotten more about this past season than we had remembered. Cy Morong easily won the contest with 28 out of a total 41 points.

Bill also passed around a card with Bob Feller’s autograph — a souvenir he had obtained during SABR 38, the annual convention held in Cleveland in 2008.

Chuck Kaufman brought copies of a press release from the Baseball Hall of Fame that included quotes from notable Hall-of-Famers Gaylord Perry, Cal Ripken, Nolan Ryan, Dennis Eckersley and Bobby Doerr, who is now the oldest living Hall of Fame player.

Monte Cely shared his plans for a trip with his sons to the Caribbean World Series in Puerto Rico in February. There will be six consecutive days of double-header baseball before they crown a champion. The twelve-game round robin tournament dates back to 1949.

We also discussed some details about the Rogers Hornsby Chapter Winter Meeting, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 15, 2011, at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Also, we talked about holding a gathering on SABR Day, which will be Jan. 29. More details to be announced at the Winter Meeting.

Who Were the Most Productive Offensive Players in 2010?

 

Who Were the Most Productive Offensive Players in 2010?
       
     By Bill Gilbert
 
      Numerous methods have been devised to measure offensive performance. The most common are batting average, on-base percentage and slugging average. Since none of these averages provides a complete picture by itself, a more comprehensive measure of offensive performance is useful. Such a measure would include the following elements:
 
1. The ability to get on base.
2. The ability to hit with power.
3. The ability to add value through baserunning.
 
      The first two elements are measured by on-base percentage and slugging average. A measure of offensive performance, which encompasses both as well as baserunning achievements, is Bases per Plate Appearance (BPA). This measure accounts for the net bases accumulated by a player per plate appearance. It is calculated as follows:
 
     BPA = (TB + BB + HB + SB – CS – GIDP) / (AB + BB + HB + SF)
 
     Where: BPA = Bases per Plate Appearance
            TB   = Total Bases
            BB   = Bases on Balls
            HB   = Hit by Pitch
            SB   = Stolen Bases
            CS   = Caught Stealing
            GIDP = Grounded into Double Plays
            AB   = At Bats
            SF   = Sacrifice Flies
 
The numerator accounts for all of the bases accumulated by a player, reduced by the number of times he is caught stealing or erases another runner by grounding into a double play. The denominator accounts for the plate appearances when the player is trying to generate bases for himself. Sacrifice hits are not included as plate appearances, since they represent the successful execution of the batter’s attempts to advance another runner.
 
      Major league BPA for the past fifteen years are shown below along with the number of players with BPA over .550 and .600:
 
Year 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
 BPA .471 .463 .463 .479 .481 .468 .457 .461 .468 .456 .470 .463 .458 .461 .446
.550   41   34   41   50   50   46   39  42   33   34   46   34   41   42   19
.600   21   15   22   29   30   26   17  15   18   13   14   15   11   16    7
 
Offensive production peaked in 2000 before declining in the early years of this decade. BPA in 2010 was down sharply from 2009, representing a 3.7% decline in offensive production, and a 7.3% reduction from the peak in 2000.  
 
      In the 1990s, there were 14 individual .700 BPA seasons. In the ten year period from 2000 to 2009, there were 18. The highest BPA in the 1990s was recorded by Mark McGwire in 1998 (.799). Barry Bonds shattered that with .907 in 2001, the highest figure ever recorded, topping Babe Ruth’s best two years (1920 and 1921).  Bonds followed that with .869 in 2002, .818 in 2003 and .882 in 2004. There have not been any hitters with a BPA of .700 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The last player to make it was Alex Rodriguez (.702) in 2007. Surprisingly, Albert Pujols has not had a .700 BPA in his ten seasons. However, he was the major league leader in 2009 by a large margin with a BPA of .696, the highest figure of his career, and the second time he has finished on top.
 
 
 
      The .700 BPA seasons in 2000-2010 are listed below:
   
Player              Team           Year       BPA
Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2001      .907
Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2004      .882
Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2002      .869
Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2003      .818
Sammy Sosa          Chicago Cubs   2001      .758
Barry Bonds         San Francisco  2000      .745
Jim Thome           Cleveland      2002      .728
Manny Ramirez       Cleveland      2000      .726
Todd Helton         Colorado       2000      .720
Luis Gonzalez       Arizona        2001      .713
Todd Helton         Colorado       2001      .709
Carlos Delgado      Toronto        2000      .707
Larry Walker        Colorado       2001      .707
Jason Giambi        Oakland        2000      .706
Travis Hafner       Cleveland      2006      .703
Alex Rodriguez      NY Yankees     2007      .702
Jason Giambi        Oakland        2001      .700
Ryan Howard         Philadelphia   2006      .700
 
The yearly leaders since 1992 are as follows:
 
1992 Bonds        .734 1993 Bonds     .740 1994 Bagwell  .768
1995 Belle        .692 1996 McGwire   .765 1997 Walker   .770
1998 McGwire      .799 1999 McGwire   .735 2000 Bonds    .745 
2001 Bonds       . 907 2002 Bonds     .869 2003 Bonds    .818
2004 Bonds        .882 2005 D. Lee    .699 2006 Hafner   .703
2007 A. Rodriguez .702 2008 Pujols    .685 2009 Pujols   .696
2010 Bautista     .671
 
      The benchmark for an outstanding individual season is .600. Following is a list of 7 players with enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title and with a BPA of .600 in 2010.
 
Bases per Plate Appearance (BPA) of .600+ in 2010
————————————————- 
                                No. of
                 2010   2009     .600+
   Player         BPA    BPA LG Seasons Comments          
 1 Bautista, J   .671   .482   A    1    The big surprise of the season.
 2 Votto, J.     .657   .617   N    2    Some competition for Pujols.    
 3 Hamilton, J.  .653   .460   A    1    Needs to stay healthy.
 4 Cabrera, M.   .642   .568   A    2    Best year so far.
 5 Pujols, A.    .634   .696   N    8    A little below par.
 6 Gonzalez, C.  .632   .596   N    1    Emerging superstar.
 7 Konerko, P.   .613   .517   A    1    Career year at age 34.
 
      The only repeaters from last year’s list are Pujols and Votto. Fourteen other players had a BPA over .600 in 2009 but fell short in 2010. Most of these players fell off sharply in either power or average after strong seasons in 2009.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                   No. of
                   2010   2009     .600+
   Player           BPA   BPA LG Seasons Comments            
 1 Fielder, P.     .555   .640   N    2    Power and average way down.
 2 Mauer, J.       .488   .619   A    1    Only 9 HR vs. 28 in 2009.
 3 Zobrist, B.     .458   .617   A    1    2009 looks like a fluke.
 4 Lee, D.         .454   .611   N    2    Has a history of ups and downs.
 5 Utley, C.       .542   .611   N    2    HR dropped from 31 to 16.
 6 Howard, R.      .534   .610   N    3    Power way off in 2010.
 7 Bay, J.         .479   .610   N    2    Loss of power and injury took toll.
 8 Youkilis, K.    .623   .609   A    1    Not enough PA to qualify.
 9 Reynolds, M.    .508   .607   N    1    BAVG of .198 won’t cut it.
10 Rodriguez, A.   .538   .604   A   11    Four straight years under .290 BAVG.
11 Ramirez, H.     .544   .604   N    3    May have peaked in 2009.
12 Pena, C.        .503   .604   A    2    BAVG of .196 was a killer.
13 Braun, R.       .535   .603   N    1    First year under 30 HR.
14 Teixeira, M.    .532   .603   A    4    Lowest BAVG (.256) of career.
 
      Seven players have a BPA over .600 for their careers:
 
                             2010      Career
Player             Age       BPA        BPA    Comments.
————        —       —-       —-   ——–
Albert Pujols       30      .634       .650    Consistently great.
Alex Rodriguez      34      .538       .622    Tailing off.
Jim Thome           39      .668       .618    Amazing year.
Manny Ramirez       38      .525       .618    Winding down.
Ryan Howard         30      .534       .609    Surprising drop.
Joey Votto          26      .657       .607    Looks like the real deal.    
Lance Berkman       34      .472       .603    Serious decline in 2010.
 
Another list of interest is one containing the names of players with a BPA of over .600 in 2010 who did not have enough plate appearances (PA) to qualify for the batting title. These four players were very productive when they played but missed significant time due to injury or other reasons.
                                  
Player          Age  BPA   PA    Comments
————— —   —- —   —————————
Jim Thome        39  .668 340   Provided big boost for Twins.
Justin Morneau   29  .652 348   Derailed by concussion 
Kevin Youkilis   31  .623 435   Produced when healthy.  
Nelson Cruz      29  .608 445   Slowed by repeated hamstring problems.
 
 
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, sixteen players who earned enough playing time to qualify for the batting title had a BPA less than .400 in 2010. This list is getting longer every year. As usual most are middle infielders and catchers.  
 
Player               BPA      Comments
—————–   —-      ——————————
Miguel Tejada       .396      Slow decline continues.
Chone Figgins       .393      Big disappointment in Seattle.                 
Elvis Andrus        .391      Held back by lack of power.
Kevin Kouzmanoff    .391      First year below .400.
Erick Aybar         .389      Big drop from strong 2009.
Skip Schumaker      .385      Disappointing season.
Orlando Cabrera     .380      Slowly declining.
Kurt Suzuki         .377      Worst year of 4-year career.
A. J. Pierzynski    .376      A little below his norm.
Yadier Molina       .372      Carried by his defense.
Alberto Callaspo    .370      Only .317 after trade to Angels.
Alcides Escobar     .369      Big time sophomore slump.
Yunel Escobar       .367      Are these guys the same player?
Ryan Theriot        .357      Flopped after trade to Dodgers.
Jose Lopez          .334      Way below career norm.
Cesar Izturis       .302      Career BPA of .355.
 
 
The following four players compiled a batting average over .300, an on-base average over .400, a slugging percentage over .500 and bases per plate appearance over .600 in 2010:
 
Player (2010)        BAVG       OBA       SLG       BPA       OPS
Josh Hamilton        .359      .411      .633      .653     1.044
Miguel Cabrera       .328      .420      .622      .642     1.042
Joey Votto           .324      .424      .600      .657     1.024
Albert Pujols        .312      .414      .596      .634     1.011
 
      Two active players have these numbers for their careers, although Manny Ramirez fell short in 2010:
 
Player (Career)      BAVG       OBA       SLG       BPA        OPS
Albert Pujols        .331      .426      .624      .650      1.050
Manny Ramirez        .313      .411      .586      .618       .998
 
Bill Gilbert
12/4/10
 
 

November Meeting Summary

IMG_0049

Twelve chapter members were entertained at the November monthy meeting with the 1944 World Series program, the official score book for the first all star game in 1933 (shown above), and a baseball quiz in which members had to name one baseball player for each letter of the alphabet.

Norman Macht brought the program and score book, which elicited oohs and aahs from the group.

Jan Larson brought an interesting quiz — using last names, name active or retired baseball players for each letter of the alphabet — and it came with a 10-minute time limit. Ira Siegel and Mike Dillion tied for first, with Siegel winning on a tie-breaker. His prize was “Take Me Out to the Ballpark: An Illustrated Tour of the Baseball Parks Past and Present.” Mike, a Boston Red Sox fan, turned down the second place prize — the 2010 New York Yankees Media Guide, which went to the next runner-up, Norman Macht.

The group also discussed Monte Cely’s Cy Young Prognosticator Poll, in which members made their guesses on Sept. 1 for the winners and runners-up to the award. The poll was won by Jim Baker, followed by Craig Lukshin. Jim took home the book, “The Last Days of Shea: Delight and Despair in the Life of a Mets Fan” for his crystal-ball skills.

We also discussed the announcement of Felix Hernandez as the American League Cy Young Award Winner. Some thought it was a victory for sabermetrics because Hernandez won on the strength of leading the league in earned run average (2.27) and innings pitched (249 2/3) and being second in strike-outs (232), despite having a 13-12 record for the offense-challenged and last place Seattle Mariners. One member thought Hernandez was undeserving because he pitched in meaningless games with the Mariners falling out of contention early in the season.

Tentative plans were made for the meeting in December — it will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 16, with location to be announced.

Triple Milestones – 2010

 

Triple Milestones – 2010
 
By Bill Gilbert
 
      Offensive production in the major leagues in 2010 was down significantly from 2009. The number of runs per game has declined each year from 9.72 in 2006 to 8.77 in 2010. The home run rate of 1.90 per game was down from the 2.02 rate in 2009. The major league batting average, on-base percentage and slugging average were all the lowest since 1992. All offensive categories are significantly below the peak year of 2000 as illustrated in the following table:
 
Year Runs/Game HR/Game   BAVG  OBA    SLG   OPS     Triple Milestone Hitters
—- ——— ——-   —-  —-   —-  —     ————————
1990     8.51     1.58   .258 .324   .386   .710                 2
1991     8.62     1.61   .255 .323   .384   .707                 3
1992     8.23     1.44   .256 .322   .377   .699                 2
1993     9.20     1.78   .266 .332   .404   .736                 5
1994     9.85     2.07   .270 .339   .424   .763                 3
1995     9.69     2.02   .267 .338   .417   .755                 8
1996    10.07     2.19   .270 .340   .427   .767                21
1997     9.53     2.05   .267 .337   .419   .756                 7
1998     9.58     2.08   .266 .335   .420   .755                14
1999    10.17     2.28   .271 .345   .434   .779                19
2000    10.28     2.34   .271 .345   .437   .782                26
2001     9.55     2.25   .264 .332   .427   .759                21
2002     9.24     2.09   .261 .331   .417   .748                12
2003     9.46     2.14   .264 .332   .422   .754                 8
2004     9.63     2.25   .266 .335   .428   .763                12
2005     9.18     2.06   .265 .330   .419   .749                10
2006     9.72     2.22   .269 .336   .432   .768                13
2007     9.59     2.04   .268 .336   .423   .759                 8 
2008     9.30     2.01   .264 .333   .417   .750                 7
2009     9.23     2.02   .262 .333   .418   .751                 6
2010     8.77     1.90   .257 .325   .403   .728                 6
 
      Jose Bautista of Toronto hit 54 home runs, the first player to reach 50 since Alex Rodriguez in 2007. Two players hit 40 or more home runs in 2010 compared to five in 2009. The 30 home run level was reached by 18 players in 2010 compared to 30 in 2009. 
 
      A useful indicator for tracking offense is the number of players who hit for both power and average by achieving a .300 batting average, 30 home runs and 100 runs batted in. A record 26 players reached all three milestones in 2000, but that figure has dropped significantly in recent years. Only six players reached all three milestones in 2010, the same as in 2009.  Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera were the only players who made it in both 2009 and 2010.
 
      The remarkable career of Albert Pujols merits further attention. He has now played exactly 10 full seasons in the major leagues, establishing his Hall of Fame credentials. In each season, he has batted over .300 with over 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. Only Babe Ruth (12) has more such seasons and his best was eight in a row. An average season for Pujols is .331-41-123. Surprisingly, he has led the National League in batting only once, in home runs twice and once in RBIs.    
 
Three players from each league achieved all three milestones in 2010. Pujols became the only player to do it in his first 10 seasons. There were two newcomers to the .300-30-100 club in 2010, Joey Votto and Carlos Gonzalez, bringing the total to 166 players who have registered at least one .300-30-100 season starting with Babe Ruth in 1920.
 
      Following is a listing of players who achieved triple milestones
in 2010:
 
Player           Times  BAVG-HR-RBI        Comments
National
Albert Pujols     10    .312-42-118 One of the all-time greats.
Joey Votto         1    .324-37-113 Strong contender for MVP.
Carlos Gonzalez    1    .336-34-117 An emerging superstar.
 
Player           Times  BAVG-HR-RBI        Comments
American
Miguel Cabrera     4    .328-38-126 New high in home runs.
Josh Hamilton      2    .359-32-100 Three RBIs in last weekend.
Paul Konerko       2    .312-39-111 Consistent all year.
 
      Four players achieved triple milestones in 2009 but fell short in 2010:
 
Player           Times    BAVG-HR-RBI    BAVG-HR-RBI    
                 In Past      2009           2010     Comments
Derrek Lee         2     .306-35-111    .260-19- 80 Couldn’t get untracked.
Ryan Braun         3     .320-32-114    .304-25-103 Power down.
Kendry Morales     2     .306-34-108    .290-11- 39 Season wrecked by injury.
Adam Lind          2     .305-35-114    .237-23- 72 Couldn’t overcome slow start.
 
 
      The biggest obstacle in reaching triple milestones in 2010 was batting average. Nine players had 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in 2010 but fell short of a .300 batting average.
 
Adrian Gonzalez          .298-31-101      Just missed.
Dan Uggla                .287-33-105      New highs in all three categories  
Corey Hart               .283-31-102      New highs in HR and RBI.           
Ryan Howard              .276-31-108      Well below his norms.
David Ortiz              .270-32-102      Came on strong after slow start.
Alex Rodriguez           .270-30-125      Is he starting a decline?
Jose Bautista            .260-54-124      The year’s big surprise.
Adam Dunn                .260-38-103      Typical Dunn year.
Mark Teixeira            .256-33-108      Another slow start.
 
      Four other players came close to triple milestones in 2010, just missing on home runs.
 
Robinson Cano            .319-29-109      Would have been first time.
Vladimir Guererro        .300-29-115      Has done it 8 times.
Matt Holliday            .312-28-103     Did it in 2006-2007.
Adrian Beltre            .321-28-102     Did it with Dodgers in 2004.
 
      A growing list contains the names of players, active in 2010, who have had multiple .300-30-100 seasons in the past but have not done it in the last three years. Many have been limited by injuries. Some are still very productive players but not at the same level they were in their peak years. Since this list was started in 2004, not one player has come back with another .300-30-100 season.
 
                                 Last
                .300-30-100  .300-30-100 
Player            Seasons      Season       2010     Comments 
Vladimir Guerrero    8           2006    .300-29-115 Comeback year fell just short.
Todd Helton          5           2003    .256- 8- 37 In serious decline.
Chipper Jones        5           2001    .265-10- 46 Has become injury prone.
Jason Giambi         4           2002    .244- 6- 35 Strictly a bench player now.
Magglio Ordonez      4           2002    .303-12- 59 Season cut short by injury. 
Ken Griffey, Jr.     3           1997    .184- 0-  7 Two generations are now gone.   
Lance Berkman        3           2006    .248-14- 58 Bat has slowed down.
David Ortiz          3           2007    .270-32-102 Still has power.
Jim Thome            2           2002    .283-25- 59 Still a useful player.
Aramis Ramirez       2           2004    .241-25- 83 Can’t stay healthy.
Miguel Tejada        2           2004    .269 15- 71 Gradual decline continues.
Travis Hafner        2           2006    .278-13- 50 Can’t play every day.
Vernon Wells         2           2006    .273-31- 88 Somewhat of a comeback.
Matt Holliday        2           2007    .312-28-103 Made it only with Rockies.
 
      In his 1988 Baseball Abstract, Bill James referred to triple
milestone seasons as "Hall of Fame Seasons". This was because all of the
eligible players with 5 or more triple milestone seasons had been
elected to the Hall of Fame. This correlation has continued to hold but is likely to break down when Juan Gonzalez becomes eligible in 2011.
 
            No teams had two players with triple milestones in 2009. With Joey Votto of the Reds making the list, twenty nine of the thirty major league teams have now had at least one triple milestone hitter since the year 2000. Kansas City has not had a triple milestone hitter since Danny Tartabull in 1991.    
 
 
      Minor league players also recorded triple milestone seasons in 2010. 
 
Player            Team (Level)      Organization     Age   BAVG-HR-RBI  
 
Rich Poythress    High Desert (HiA) Seattle          22   .315-31-129
          
Paul Goldschmidt Visalia (HiA)      Arizona          22   .314-35-108
 
 
      Another had Triple Milestone Stats in the minors but not overall.
 
Mark Trumbo       Salt Lake City (AAA) Los Angeles   24   .301-36-122
                  Los Angeles (AL)                        .067- 0-  2
                                                          .294-36-124
      Another came very close.
 
Clint Robinson    NW Arkansas (AA) Kansas City       24   .335-29- 98
     
     
      No college players achieved triple milestones in 2009                                           
 
 
      Pitchers also strive for triple milestones – 20 wins, 200 strikeouts and an ERA under 3.00. No pitchers made it in 2009. However, in 2010, the year of the pitcher, two pitchers made it, Adam Wainwright (20-11, 213, 2.42) and Roy Halladay (21-10, 219, 2.44). Halladay made it in 2008 and Wainwright just missed in 2009.
 
 
TRIP2010.DOC
11/5/10

Edited to correct the number of times Albert Pujols has led the National League in RBIs.  11/7/10.