Thursday, September 15, 2022

Aaron Judge is about three hits shy of leading for the Triple Crown




26 comments:

Joe of AZ said...

Watch and when he does ALL OF A SUDDEN the reporters will begin their "Triple crown ain't a big deal" nonsense just like they're doing with WAR because Judge is whooping Ohtanis ass in wis above replacement

HoraceClarke66 said...

I think you're right, Joe.

HoraceClarke66 said...

Meanwhile, Giancarlo, now down to .217, reverted to form in Boston. 2-9, with 1 double, 0 ribbies, 1 walk, and 6 strikeouts.

I mention this only to point out again how little Judge has around him in the Yankees' lineup. Well, also, all right, just to get another poke in at Stanton, as well. But that's not the main point!

BTR999 said...

It can be the main point, with this codicil: 5 more years on that contract

JM said...

You wanna see the hosannas for Ohtani die faster than every guy named Kowalski on Star Trek and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea? Other teams just have to let some of their position players start pitching. You know there are some guys who could do both if they were allowed to.

Then we watch Ohtani's value and the MLB/Gammonite hype drop like a nasty changeup.

The Hammer of God said...

If the number of pitchers on the roster is limited to 11, eventually, in maybe a few years, I think you'd see almost every team have 1 or 2 position players who pitch. Not just in garbage time, but they'd be real pitchers. And then we'd have to have another rule limiting the number of pitchers available in every game to 11.

Seriously, I think there should be a low limit on the number of pitchers on the roster. This business of a new pitcher every inning is killing baseball.

Baboone almost blew another game last night when he took out Clarke Schmidt and brought in Loasiga. Why not pitch Schmidt one more inning and then have someone close out the 9th?

The Hammer of God said...

The search for the most ineffective reliever continues....

HoraceClarke66 said...

Well, that's what I keep saying Hammer.

The pitcher is the hero of the ballgame. The more you diminish his role, the more you diminish the game.

And yes, it does become the search for the most ineffective reliever. The "rotten apple" theory, as I call it.

ZacharyA said...

How about that OPS above 1.100 for Judge?

I believe Mantle, DiMaggio, Gehrig, and Ruth are the only four to do that in Yankee history. Judge would be the fifth if he can keep it up.

One other thing I find very impressive about Judge's season is that he's pretty much the same guy at home (.684 SLG) and on the road (.692 SLG). Remember that when the talking heads try to dismiss his power production as the result of the short porch at Yankee Stadium.

Joe of AZ said...

I've slowly learned they diminish any stat a Yankee leads....except years without a WS

Joe of AZ said...

HA Fox Sports Notorious Yankee hater Smoltz just mentioned the "Three true outcomes" as a factor for the rule changes next year ..

Oh Cashman....

DickAllen said...


And in another odd-day item that is sure to warm the hearts of Yankees fans everywhere:

Righty Roansy Contreras continues to impress during his rookie campaign. He pitched well against the Cardinals on Friday, limiting them to one run over 5 1/3 innings. In his past 3 starts, he's given up just two earned runs over 16 1/3. For the season, Contreras has a 3.29 ERA in 14 starts while giving up just 68 hits in 79 1/3 innings. He's proven himself to be a starter every five days, a huge need for the Pirates as they continue through a very slow moving rebuild.”
ESPN

AboveAverage said...

reading glasses time, gents:

https://nypost.com/2022/09/15/why-derek-jeter-wont-replace-brian-cashman-as-yankees-gm/

AboveAverage said...

There's really nothing new in the article - I just liked the picture of Ca$h next to Jeter.

(doesn't that shot of BC present a man happily ready to please)

HoraceClarke66 said...

Heyman is probably right, but he gives himself away as yet another Cashman sycophant when he claims that Coops has won 4 championships. Nonsense.

Beauregard Jackson Pickett Burnside said...

If Judge has 2 of 3 for triple crown… which tracks would these be? He’s missing the Belmont because that’s the longest duration? Just working on an analogy.

So far in my analogy Ohtani is at the glue factory.

Kevin said...

"You wanna see the hosannas for Ohtani die faster than every guy named Kowalski on Star Trek and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea"?


@JM, (didn't Kowalski die in roughly half of WWII movies as well?) Fucking hilarious observation that you made!!!

HoraceClarke66 said...

I love the idea of someone named Roansy Contreras, too.

edb said...

Let's go Judge!

Publius said...

HRs are the Derby (traditional mass appeal), BA is the Preakness (historically significant but somewhat overlooked, even derided, today), RBI is the Belmont (a long, grim slog to identify the sturdiest; in the end the sport's truest measure of accomplishment).

JM said...

Thanks, Kevin. And yes, I think you're right about the WWII movies.

Joe Formerlyof Brooklyn said...


Allow me to state the obvious (I'm really GOOD at that) --

-- You don't get RBIs unless there are people on base ahead of you.

Judge's RBI numbers (subtract 1 for each HR, of course) are impressive, given the mediocrity of his team -- and the fact that he's been slotted #1 or #2 for most games, by that genius Lorna Boone.

When you're the #1 hitter, and Marlose Gonzo is the #9 (or Hicks) -- well, you're not going to get a lot of chances to drive in runs.

So -- as Publius states above -- the RBI is the true measure of what Judge has done, I think.

The Hammer of God said...

That Judge has so many RBI is an unbelievable achievement.

Baboone now has him hitting leadoff, not content with the 2 spot.

Didn't Curtis Granderson hit 40 home runs with about 60 RBI in one year? Imagine Granderson with 60 homers. He'd have only 80 RBI. Lots of solo homers. Granderson couldn't hit with men on base. It was the kiss of death to have Granderson up with somebody on base. Granderson's big home run/small RBI year makes what Judge is doing now look even more impressive.

This stupid bullshit with the leadoff spot has got to stop. Judge should hit in the 3 slot, not leadoff, not #2. Despite the two homers in Boston, I don't think that his leading off helps his chase for the record(s). I don't think it helps the team win games, either. They've been winning, but not because he's hitting leadoff. Can you imagine next year, if they somehow re-sign Judge, and he hits 50 homers in the leadoff spot, but with only 60 RBI?

How many more RBI would Judge have if he had hit in the 3 slot for the whole year?

HoraceClarke66 said...

I agree about Judge, Hammer, and have been saying so for months—though it enrages the Sabremetricious.

Gotta call you on Granderson, though. The year that Grandy hit 41 homers for us—2011, when he finished 4th in the MVP voting—he had 119 RBI. The next year, though his average dived to .232, he had 43 homers...and 106 RBI.

And...he usually batted 2nd in those seasons.

It's true that he was not that much of a clutch hitter—though generally, in close games and with men on base, his average was not much below what it was overall. In the postseason, he had a terrific 2010 for us, a so-so 2011, and a bad 2012.

Grandy, I felt, always went all-out. He was just a somewhat limited player. Good glove, power hitter, considerable speed, but always a guy who struck out a lot and did not hit for a high average.

I'd trade that Grandy for current Giancarlo, any day.

The Hammer of God said...

Hoss, I looked up the Grandyman's stats, and I was floored. Yes, you're right, he had two years with over a 100 RBI! I must've had a bad memory chip. Why, I should be whipped, flogged, and flagellated!

I must've been thinking of some other year, perhaps it was 2010, when he hit 24 HR/67 RBI. Or perhaps one of those big years in 2011 or 2012, he got off to a start where he had 30HR/60 RBI at some point during the season, before finishing up better. Who knows, the years just start running together. When the Yankees don't win the championship, or even reach the World Series, I usually don't make much effort to remember what went on that year. I usually try to forget everything instead!

It was the strikeouts that drove you nuts about Granderson. For instance, in 2012, he had a whopping 195 strikeouts! Too bad he didn't reach 200. That would've been something to remember!

Joe of AZ said...

The masters call for Granderson was Peak Master