Top Ten Truly Unbelievable Stats Through the First Month of the Season
by Asher B. Chancey, BaseballEvolution.com
May 1, 2007

We all know about Alex Rodriguez’s amazing start to the season, and the mind-boggling 85 homeruns he is on pace to hit this season. But here are some other stats which are also boggle the mind.

10. Jose Reyes – 17 stolen bases in 24 games

Reyes actually managed to be caught stealing thrice, making his total even more impressive. Reyes current rate of stolen bases per game puts him on pace for roughly 115.

9. Hanley Ramirez – 26 runs in 22 games

No player has posted more runs scored than games played in a full season, which Ramirez is on pace to do, since Rickey Henderson in 1985 (146 runs in 143 games).

8. Richie Sexson – One single in 69 at-bats

The Mendoza Line would appear to be an appropriate mention here, but Sexson's average - .145 - is nearer to .100 than .200.

7. Michael Young – 23 hits, 22 strikeouts, 2 walks, .215/.236/.346 in 25 games

George Sisler didn’t drop off this bad when he missed a year and came back with double-vision.

6. Alfonso Soriano – 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 9 runs in 18 games

Soriano hit 46 homeruns last season, but so far this season looks like a light-hitting version of Juan Pierre.

5. Derrek Lee – One homerun, .567 slugging percentage in 97 at-bats

Derrek Lee has a higher slugging percentage with 1 homerun than Adrian Gonzalez with 7, as well as Albert Pujols, J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and Adam Dunn with 6. So what gives? First, Lee is batting .392, which will always drive your slugging percentage up. Second, Lee has 14 doubles, which puts him on pace for somewhere around 85 for the year.

4. Jimmy Rollins; Ryan Howard – 9 HR/9BB in 25 games; 3 HR/23 BB in 21 games

Okay, this item amounts to agenda-pushing, but the agenda deserves at least a nudge. Pitchers do not fear Rollins, and four of his nine homeruns have come with no one on base. By the time Ryan Howard’s spot comes up, generally there is a base open – because Rollins has hit so many homeruns and stolen so many bases, and Chase Utley gets so many extra-base hits – that pitchers gladly pitch around Howard.

Do the right thing, Phillies – put Howard in the three hole, with Utley, Pat Burrell, and the temporarily hot-hitting Aaron Rowand behind him. Force the pitchers to pitch.

3. Alex Gonzalez of the Reds - .329/.372/.519/.891 through 21 games

We created an award. We named it after him. His numbers make him the leading candidate for the award this year. Again. That’s why we named it what we did.

2. Albert Pujols - .250/.343/.489/.832 through 24 games

Saying Prince Albert has had a disappointing start to the season is putting it lightly. What he has not done this season is simply startling when compared to what we have come to expect from him, especially since he appears to be coming off of his career-best season, and would have taken a shot at 60 homeruns last year if not for an injury. One would have to think that Albert is too good of a hitter to not recover from this April slump.

1. Kyle Lohse – 1-1, 2.88 ERA, 26K/4BB in 34.2 innings

Nope. No way. It can’t be. This guy’s career-low ERA before this season stands at 4.18. His career best strikeout-to-walk ratio stands at 2.8:1. Kyle Lohse has never been an adequate pitcher, and nothing you can say can convince me otherwise.

This has got to be a typo.


Questions? Concerns? Comments? Asher lives in Philadelphia, PA, and can be reached at asher@baseballevolution.com.