Monthly Archives: November 2017
Sons of ’84 2018 MLB Hall of Fame Ballot (If I Had One)
It’s that time of year again where I lay out who I’d vote for if I had a Hall of Fame ballot towards the 2018 election. Standard rules apply with from the BBWAA form, where I can select between zero and ten players on the current ballot. For the BBWAA, a player must receive at 75% or more of the 442 ballots being sent out.
New to this year’s ballot: Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel, Johan Santana, Jamie Moyer, Andruw Jones, Livan Hernandez, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Chris Carpenter, Orlando Hudson, Aubrey Huff, Jason Isringhausen, Carlos Lee, Brad Lidge, Kevin Millwood, Scott Rolen, Billy Wagner, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Zambrano
Returning players include (% votes received for 2017): Trevor Hoffman (74%, 5 votes short in ’17), Vladimir Guerrero (71.7%), Edgar Martinez (58.6%), Roger Clemens (54.1%), Barry Bonds (53.8%), Mike Mussina (51.8%), Curt Schilling (45%), Manny Ramirez (23.8%), Larry Walker (21.9%), Fred McGriff (21.7%), Jeff Kent (16.7%), Gary Sheffield (13.7%), Sammy Sosa (8.6%)
Let’s get the PED thing out of the way right now…I don’t care. We can’t be sure of who was and wasn’t on anything first off. Second, ever hear of amphetamines or greenies? How about gamblers, drinkers, drug users, domestic abusers? You will find all of these in the Hall already, so I’m not going to preach out the ground of morals why a player can’t be in.
On to my vote…
Milwaukee Brewers History – Saturday Night Massacre
“Perhaps the best thing (Bud) Selig could do to improve things is get rid of General Manager Jim Baumer and Manager Alex Grammas.” – columnist Dennis Punzel, November 4, 1977.
This week in Milwaukee Brewers history (November 19, 1977), Selig did just that. He fired Grammas and Al Widmar as director of player development, plus accepted Baumer’s resignation. This front office housecleaning became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre.”
Milwaukee Brewers History: Doc Halladay vs. Milwaukee
The recent passing of Roy “Doc” Halladay had me wondering about the number of times he pitched against the Milwaukee Brewers over the years. Despite appearing in 416 games (390 of those being starts), I knew some factors worked against Doc matching up against the Brew Crew very often. So I did a bit deeper investigation, leading to the following post:
Hallday broke into the bigs with Toronto as a September call-up in 1998. The Brewers had already moved to the National League in 1998, thereby making Toronto an occasional Interleague opponent. In fact, the Brewers wouldn’t play Toronto until 2005, which turned out to be the first time they’d face Halladay.
Sully Baseball Podcast – RIP Roy Halladay and Hall of Fame Thoughts – 11-9-2017
Abelimages/Getty Images North America
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Roy Halladay, the best pitcher of his era, suddenly died. I pay my respects to him. Plus I talk about a crowded Hall of Fame ballot and a Veterans Committee that blew it.
Giving credit where it is due this Episode of Sully Baseball.
While we are at it, enjoy the In Memoriam video.
Springer, Verlander, Morton and Kershaw owned the World Series
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle, Lindsey Wasson/Getty Images North America, Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images, Harry How/Getty Images
It may seem strange, seeing Clayton Kershaw on this list. But as it turned out, despite his disastrous Game 5, Clayton Kershaw was tied with the highest WOWS total for a pitcher in the 2017 World Series.
Sure George Springer makes sense. He hit 5 homers and took the World Series MVP trophy. Yeah Charlie Morton makes sense. He was dominant as a starter in Game 4 and pitched 4 brilliant innings out of the bullpen to clinch Game 7. And Justin Verlander pitched well enough to win both Games 2 and 6.
But Morton’s WOWs total was 1 1/2 because of the bullpen meltdown in Game 4. And Verlander took the hard luck loss in Game 6, which also made his WOWs total 1 1/2.
And Kershaw was brilliant in Game 1 and pitched 4 shutout innings in relief in Game 7, earning him a 1 1/2 total.
So while Kershaw continues to lick his wounds and listen to how he is a post season failure, in at least one metric, he was a solid contributor.
This October, Kershaw was 3-0 with a 3.82 ERA. That includes the homers he let up in his victory over the Diamondbacks and his 4th and 5th inning meltdowns in Game 5 of the World Series.
Remember he threw 7 innings, allowing 3 hits, 1 run, no walks and 11 strikeouts in Game 1, seemingly putting his post season woes to rest.
They will stick around another year, but maybe he had a better October than his Game 5 would let on.
Let’s look at the final tally.
Final WOWS Totals MLB 2017
Hitters ‘WOWS’ MLB 2017,
George Springer – Astros 3 1/2, Cody Bellinger – Dodgers 1 1/2, Alex Bregman – Astros 1, Yuli Gurriel – Astros 1, Joc Pederson – Dodgers 1, Chris Taylor – Dodgers 1, Justin Turner – Dodgers 1, Corey Seager – Dodgers 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOWS’ MLB 2016,
Justin Verlander – Astros 1 1/2, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 1 1/2, Charlie Morton – Astros 1 1/2, Kenley Jansen – Dodgers 1, Joe Musgrove – Astros 1, Brad Peacock – Astros 1, Alex Wood – Dodgers 1, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 1/2, Kenta Maeda – Dodgers 1/2,
Justin Verlander and Jose Altuve Owned October (Final #WOO Tally and Results)
Jim Ruymen – UPI
The World Series is over. The Houston Astros have their first ever title in franchise history. And it is appropriate that the two players with the highest WOO (Who Owns October) score would be heroes for Houston.
Mapping the entire post season, Justin Verlander won a game in the Division Series as a starter and another as a reliever over Boston, clinched the ALCS MVP by dominating the Yankees and pitched well in the World Series over the Dodgers.
Meanwhile Altuve homered 3 times in the opening game of the Division Series and finished the 4 game defeat of Boston with a .533 average and an OPS of 1.765. His slugging continued in the ALCS with 3 homers, a .974 OPS and big plays against the Yankees.
His stats in the World Series were not as robust but he still homered twice, including a dramatic 3 run game tying shot in the wild Game 5 victory and drove in 6 runs in the 7 game series.
While Verlander and Altuve got the highest totals, they were by no means the only October heroes.
Verlander’s 4 1/2 WOO total beat out Clayton Kershaw’s 3 1/2 and Kenley Jansen’s 3.
Altuve’s final of 4 barely beat Aaron Judge, who had 3 1/2 despite not even playing in the World Series. George Springer, who took the World Series MVP and Justin Turner, who had a huge post season, also had 3 1/2, barely behind Altuve’s total.
Looking back at the final tally is odd because it encompasses the entire post season. So yes, Trevor Story of the Rockies and Brian Dozier of the Twins are on there from their Wild Card Game losses. There are Yankee, Red Sox and Nationals players with a WOO total who saw their managers let go before the October tallies were done.
But in the end, Verlander and Altuve were good representatives of owning October. They certainly led Houston to the greatest baseball moment in the city’s history.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
Final WOO Totals MLB 2017
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2017,
Jose Altuve – Astros 4, Aaron Judge – Yankees 3 1/2, George Springer – Astros 3 1/2, Justin Turner – Dodgers 3 1/2, Cody Bellinger – Dodgers 2 1/2, Alex Bregman – Astros 2 1/2, Yuli Gurriel – Astros 2 1/2, Greg Bird – Yankees 2, Carlos Correa – Astros 2, Chris Taylor – Dodgers 2, Jay Bruce – Indians 1 1/2, Kris Bryant – Cubs 1 1/2, Anthony Rizzo – Cubs 1 1/2, Gary Sanchez – Yankees 1 1/2, Michael Taylor – Nationals 1 1/2, Ryan Zimmerman – Nationals 1 1/2, Javier Baez – Cubs 1, Willson Contreras – Cubs 1, Logan Forsythe – Dodgers 1, Brett Gardner – Yankees 1, Yan Gomes – Indians 1, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1, Enrique Hernandez – Dodgers 1, Ketel Marte – Diamondbacks 1, Joc Pederson – Dodgers 1, Yasiel Puig – Dodgers 1, Hanley Ramirez – Red Sox 1, Albert Almora Jr. – Yankees 1/2, Andrew Benitendi – Red Sox 1/2, Starlin Castro – Yankees 1/2, Daniel Descalso – Diamondbacks 1/2, Brian Dozier – Twins 1/2, Todd Frazier – Yankees 1/2, Paul Goldschmidt – Diamondbacks 1/2, Jason Kipnis – Indians 1/2, Sandy Leon – Red Sox 1/2, J. D. Martinez – Diamondbacks 1/2, Addison Russell – Cubs 1/2, Carlos Santana – Indians 1/2, Kyle Schwarber – Cubs 1/2, Corey Seager – Dodgers 1/2, Trevor Story – Rockies 1/2, Christian Vazquez – Red Sox 1/2, Ben Zobrist – Cubs 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2017,
Justin Verlander – Astros 4 1/2, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 3 1/2, Kenley Jansen – Dodgers 3, Charlie Morton – Astros 2 1/2, David Robertson – Yankees 2 1/2, Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees 2 1/2, Yu Darvish – Dodgers 2, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 2, Sean Doolittle – Nationals 1 1/2, David Price – Red Sox 1 1/2, Stephen Strasburg – Nationals 1 1/2, Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Trevor Bauer – Indians 1, Archie Bradley – Diamondbacks 1, Wade Davis – Cubs 1, Ken Giles – Astros 1, Sonny Gray – Yankees 1, Kyle Hendricks – Cubs 1, Jon Lester – Cubs 1, Brandon Morrow – Dodgers 1, Joe Musgrove – Astros 1, Brad Peacock – Astros 1, Jose Quintana – Cubs 1, Robbie Ray – Diamondbacks 1, CC Sabathia – Yankees 1, Josh Tomlin – Indians 1, Alex Wood – Dodgers 1, Carlos Carrasco – Indians 1/2, Brian Duensing – Cubs 1/2, Carl Edwards Jr – Cubs 1/2, Jaime Garcia – Yankees 1/2, Zack Godley – Diamondbacks 1/2, Chad Green – Yankees 1/2, Tommy Kahnle – Yankees 1/2, Kenta Maeda – Dodgers 1/2, Collin McHugh – Astros 1/2, Lance McCullers Jr – Astros 1/2, Andrew Miller – Indians 1/2, Chris Rusin – Rockies 1/2, Chris Sale – Red Sox 1/2, Max Scherzer – Nationals 1/2,
Sully Baseball Podcast – Talking Game 7 and Saying Good Bye to 2017 Baseball – November 2, 2017
Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle
Game 7 of the World Series was kind of a dud but it didn’t mean it wasn’t a great October.
I watched the end of the game with my sons and gave my thoughts as we said good bye to another year.
The offseason begins on this Episode of Sully Baseball.
While we are at it, enjoy the In Memoriam video.
Who Owns October (#WOO) and Who Owns the World Series (#WOWS) Tallies Updated For November 1, 2017
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
I will NOT change it to Who Owns November. October is a state of mind, even if the post season begins in September (as it did in 2014) or ends in November (as it did tonight.)
The Astros are the World Champions… that’s a sentence I think a lot of Houston fans thought they would never be able to say.
Charlie Morton became the unlikely hero to throw the final pitch of the World Series. But he was no “One batter and done” like Mike Montgomery’s surprise save for the Cubs in last year’s World Series. He went long to earn the title.
Meanwhile George Springer matched Reggie Jackson and Chase Utley’s single Series record with 5 homers. The game was a dud but don’t blame the Astros (or Clayton Kershaw for that matter.)
So who owned October and the World Series?
Each winning team for every post season game gets a pitcher and a hitter who earn a full WOO(Who Owns October.)
And at my discretion, I award a 1/2 WOO’S to a worthy player on the losing team.
But the World Series deserves its own stats. WOWS (Who Owns the World Series.)
At the end of the post season, we will see who had the highest WOO total as a pitcher and a hitter. The WOWS total will be kept separately. Each game now counts towards both tallies.
A complete description of the rules can be found HERE.
From November 1
2017 World Series Game 7:
Receiving 1/2 WOO and 1/2 WOWS
Charlie Morton came out of the bullpen to throw 4 solid innings, striking out 4 Dodgers, allowing 2 hits and 1 run. He threw the pitch that ended the 5-1 game for the Astros that clinched the World Series.
George Springer led off the game with a double and scored. He would add his record tying 5th homer of the World Series to seal his MVP as the Astros topped the Dodgers 5-1 to win it all.
Receiving 1/2 WOO and 1/2 WOWS
Clayton Kershaw threw 4 dominant shutout innings, allowing 2 hits while striking out 4 Astros. The Dodgers would fall 5-1.
Joc Pederson singled and scored the only Dodger run as they fell to the Astros, 5-1.
Current WOWS Totals MLB 2017
Hitters ‘WOWS’ MLB 2017,
George Springer – Astros 3 1/2, Cody Bellinger – Dodgers 1 1/2, Alex Bregman – Astros 1, Yuli Gurriel – Astros 1, Joc Pederson – Dodgers 1, Chris Taylor – Dodgers 1, Justin Turner – Dodgers 1, Corey Seager – Dodgers 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOWS’ MLB 2016,
Justin Verlander – Astros 1 1/2, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 1 1/2, Charlie Morton – Astros 1 1/2, Kenley Jansen – Dodgers 1, Joe Musgrove – Astros 1, Brad Peacock – Astros 1, Alex Wood – Dodgers 1, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 1/2, Kenta Maeda – Dodgers 1/2,
Current WOO Totals MLB 2017
Hitters ‘WOO’ MLB 2017,
Jose Altuve – Astros 4, Aaron Judge – Yankees 3 1/2, George Springer – Astros 3 1/2, Justin Turner – Dodgers 3 1/2, Cody Bellinger – Dodgers 2 1/2, Alex Bregman – Astros 2 1/2, Yuli Gurriel – Astros 2 1/2, Greg Bird – Yankees 2, Carlos Correa – Astros 2, Chris Taylor – Dodgers 2, Jay Bruce – Indians 1 1/2, Kris Bryant – Cubs 1 1/2, Anthony Rizzo – Cubs 1 1/2, Gary Sanchez – Yankees 1 1/2, Michael Taylor – Nationals 1 1/2, Ryan Zimmerman – Nationals 1 1/2, Javier Baez – Cubs 1, Willson Contreras – Cubs 1, Logan Forsythe – Dodgers 1, Brett Gardner – Yankees 1, Yan Gomes – Indians 1, Didi Gregorius – Yankees 1, Enrique Hernandez – Dodgers 1, Ketel Marte – Diamondbacks 1, Joc Pederson – Dodgers 1, Yasiel Puig – Dodgers 1, Hanley Ramirez – Red Sox 1, Albert Almora Jr. – Yankees 1/2, Andrew Benitendi – Red Sox 1/2, Starlin Castro – Yankees 1/2, Daniel Descalso – Diamondbacks 1/2, Brian Dozier – Twins 1/2, Todd Frazier – Yankees 1/2, Paul Goldschmidt – Diamondbacks 1/2, Jason Kipnis – Indians 1/2, Sandy Leon – Red Sox 1/2, J. D. Martinez – Diamondbacks 1/2, Addison Russell – Cubs 1/2, Carlos Santana – Indians 1/2, Kyle Schwarber – Cubs 1/2, Corey Seager – Dodgers 1/2, Trevor Story – Rockies 1/2, Christian Vazquez – Red Sox 1/2, Ben Zobrist – Cubs 1/2,
Pitchers ‘WOO’ MLB 2017,
Justin Verlander – Astros 4 1/2, Clayton Kershaw – Dodgers 3 1/2, Kenley Jansen – Dodgers 3, Charlie Morton – Astros 2 1/2, David Robertson – Yankees 2 1/2, Masahiro Tanaka – Yankees 2 1/2, Yu Darvish – Dodgers 2, Dallas Keuchel – Astros 2, Sean Doolittle – Nationals 1 1/2, David Price – Red Sox 1 1/2, Stephen Strasburg – Nationals 1 1/2, Jake Arrieta – Cubs 1, Trevor Bauer – Indians 1, Archie Bradley – Diamondbacks 1, Wade Davis – Cubs 1, Ken Giles – Astros 1, Sonny Gray – Yankees 1, Kyle Hendricks – Cubs 1, Jon Lester – Cubs 1, Brandon Morrow – Dodgers 1, Joe Musgrove – Astros 1, Brad Peacock – Astros 1, Jose Quintana – Cubs 1, Robbie Ray – Diamondbacks 1, CC Sabathia – Yankees 1, Josh Tomlin – Indians 1, Alex Wood – Dodgers 1, Carlos Carrasco – Indians 1/2, Brian Duensing – Cubs 1/2, Carl Edwards Jr – Cubs 1/2, Jaime Garcia – Yankees 1/2, Zack Godley – Diamondbacks 1/2, Chad Green – Yankees 1/2, Tommy Kahnle – Yankees 1/2, Kenta Maeda – Dodgers 1/2, Collin McHugh – Astros 1/2, Lance McCullers Jr – Astros 1/2, Andrew Miller – Indians 1/2, Chris Rusin – Rockies 1/2, Chris Sale – Red Sox 1/2, Max Scherzer – Nationals 1/2,
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