Baseball Evolution - News and Notes by Richard Van Zandt

Daily News and Notes
by Richard Van Zandt, BaseballEvolution.com

10/03/06 - Notes through the end of regular season play

Daily News and Notes

Free Swinger – A Final Update

Well, with the 2006 season in the books, it’s time to take one final look at our favorite free swinger Jeff Francoeur. Our boy Jeff finished the 2006 season with a flourish, drawing 14 walks in the final two months of the season. Nonetheless, he still managed to put up some impressively free swinging numbers. For the year, Francoeur averaged a walk once every 29.83 plate appearances out of a total of 686. With 14 more PA, he would have recorded the fifth most free-swinging season in major league history with at least 700 plate appearances. Still, out of all hitters in history with at least 675 PA, he managed to record the ninth worst BB to PA ratio of all-time. Here’s a look at the top, or rather bottom ten single season marks with that many PA.

Rk	Player	Year	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	PA/ABB
1	Woody Jensen	1936	731	696	16		16	45.69	45.69
2	Garry Templeton	1979	696	672	18	4	14	38.67	49.71
3	Rennie Stennett	1976	682	654	19	2	17	35.89	40.12
4	Alfonso Soriano	2002	741	696	23	1	22	32.22	33.68
5	Raph Garr	1973	698	668	22	5	17	31.73	41.06
6	Larry Bowa	1974	717	669	23	0	23	31.17	31.17
7	Lou Brock	1967	724	689	24	6	18	30.17	40.22
8	Kirby Puckett	1988	691	657	23	4	19	30.04	36.37
9	Jeff Francoeur	2006	686	651	23	6	17	29.83	40.35
10	Felipe Alou	1966	706	666	24	6	18	29.42	39.22

Further than that, with at least 675 PA, Francoeur’s .293 on-base percentage tied him for the 16^th lowest mark in major league history. The other all-time “out-machines.”

	Player	Yr	PA	OBP
1	Rennie Stennett	1976	682	0.279
2	Bert Campaneris	1972	681	0.279
3	Devon White	1989	678	0.283
4	Don Kessinger	1968	707	0.283
5	Del Unser	1968	690	0.284
6	Alfredo Griffen	1980	696	0.285
7	Willie Davis	1968	686	0.286
8	Bill Virdon	1962	705	0.287
9	Bobby Richardson	1965	713	0.288
10	Horace Clarke	1970	732	0.289
11	Roger Metzger	1972	715	0.289
12	Granny Hammer	1949	700	0.290
13	Woody Williams	1944	707	0.290
14	Ruben Sierra	1993	692	0.292
15	Dave Cash	1978	703	0.292
16	Joe Carter	1990	697	0.293
17	Jeff Francoeur	2006	686	0.293
	Min 675 PA

All-time, Francoeur’s rate of one walk every 29.83 PA is pretty impressive. For the season, it ranks just fourth among all qualified hitters (502 PA). Here are the final top ten in the majors in PA/BB for 2006.

	Player	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	PA/ABB
1	Angel Berroa	503	474	14	1	13	35.93	38.69
2	Y. Betancourt	584	558	17	0	17	34.35	34.35
3	Ronny Cedeno	572	534	17	4	13	33.65	44.00
4	Jeff Francoeur	686	651	23	6	17	29.83	40.35
5	Robinson Cano	508	482	18	3	15	28.22	33.87
6	Kenji Johjima	542	506	20	1	19	27.10	28.53
7	Shea Hillenbrand	566	530	21	2	19	26.95	29.79
8	Jay Payton	588	557	22	1	21	26.73	28.00
9	Jose Lopez	655	603	26	1	25	25.19	26.20
10	Ivan Rodriguez	553	525	22	3	19	25.14	29.11

Lowering the bar gives us a whole new set of leaders. Here are the final top ten with at least 150 plate appearances.

	Player	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	PA/ABB
1	Vance Wilson	168	152	2	0	2	84.00	84.00
2	Tomas Perez	254	241	5	0	5	50.80	50.80
3	Miguel Olivo	452	430	9	4	5	50.22	90.40
4	Mike Redmond	190	179	4	0	4	47.50	47.50
5	Shane Costa	252	237	6	2	4	42.00	63.00
6	Neifi Perez	316	301	8	2	6	39.50	52.67
7	Luis Gonzalez	158	149	4	0	4	39.50	39.50
8	Juan Uribe	495	463	13	1	12	38.08	41.25
9	Angel Berroa	503	474	14	1	13	35.93	38.69
10	Robb Quinlan	244	234	7	1	6	34.86	40.67

And as we know, factoring in intentional base on balls and adjusting the rate for that gives us a few more impressively free swinging hitters. This includes Eliezer Alfonzo, whose 34.33 un-adjusted rate is nothing compared to his adjusted rate of 1 walk every 154.50 plate appearances. Here now are the final top ten in plate appearances per adjusted base on balls.

	Player	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	PA/ABB
1	Eliezer Alfonzo	309	286	9	7	2	34.33	154.50
2	Miguel Olivo	452	430	9	4	5	50.22	90.40
3	Vance Wilson	168	152	2	0	2	84.00	84.00
4	Johnny Estrada	443	414	13	7	6	34.08	73.83
5	Shane Costa	252	237	6	2	4	42.00	63.00
6	Neifi Perez	316	301	8	2	6	39.50	52.67
7	Tomas Perez	254	241	5	0	5	50.80	50.80
8	Toby Hall	294	278	10	4	6	29.40	49.00
9	Mike Redmond	190	179	4	0	4	47.50	47.50
10	Ronny Cedeno	572	534	17	4	13	33.65	44.00

And of course, there was the race to record the most plate appearances while refusing to take ball four. Laynce Nix went into the final week with the lead though he was on the DL and unable to sustain his lead. Hot on his tail was Kevin Witt. Did he catch Nix?

	Player	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	pa/abb
1	Laynce Nix	70	67	0	0	0	0.00	0.00
2	Kevin Witt	61	61	0	0	0	0.00	0.00

And that leads us to our AL and NL All-Free Swinging Teams. We’ll give the nod at catcher in the NL to Miguel Olivo for his prolific rate despite his large number of PA, but we give Alfonzo a more than honorable mention. The Young brothers – Dmitri and Delmon – make this dubious list as does Pedro Feliz. Feliz’s rate of one walk every 19.52 PA wasn’t the worst in the NL at 3B (Vinny Castilla with 1 walk every 32.33 PA is). Yet Pedro gets the nod at 3B in the senior circuit due to his pathetic .281 on-base percentage in 644 plate appearances, a mark which tied him for the 14^th worst OBP in major league history with at least 640 trips to the plate. Joe Crede gets the nod at third in the AL quite likely only because the Twins cut ties early with Tony Batista.

The 2006 All-Free Swinging Team

	Catcher	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	pa/abb
NL	Miguel Olivo	452	430	9	4	5	50.22	90.40
AL	Vance Wilson	168	152	2	0	2	84.00	84.00
	First Base
NL	Shea Hillenbrand	566	530	21	2	19	26.95	29.79
AL	Robb Quinlan	244	234	7	1	6	34.86	40.67
	Second Base
NL	Luis Gonzalez	158	149	4	0	4	39.50	39.50
AL	Neifi Perez	316	301	8	2	6	39.50	52.67
	Short Stop
NL	Ronny Cedeno	572	534	17	4	13	33.65	44.00
AL	Juan Uribe	495	463	13	1	12	38.08	41.25
	Third Base
NL	Pedro Feliz	644	603	33	4	29	19.52	22.21
AL	Joe Crede	586	544	28	1	27	20.93	21.70
	Left Field
NL	Matt Diaz	323	297	11	3	8	29.36	40.38
AL	Rondell White	355	337	11	2	9	32.27	39.44
	Center Field
NL	Aaron Rowand	445	405	18	2	16	24.72	27.81
AL	Rocco Baldelli	387	364	14	1	13	27.64	29.77
	Right Field
NL	Jeff Francoeur	686	651	23	6	17	29.83	40.35
AL	Jay Payton	588	557	22	1	21	26.73	28.00
	Designated Hitter
AL	Demitri Young	184	172	11	0	11	16.73	16.73
	Honorable Mention
AL	Delmon Young	131	126	1	0	1	131.00	131.00
NL	Eliezer Alfonzo	309	286	9	7	2	34.33	154.50

	Player	Yr	PA	OBP
1	Cookie Rojas	1968	650	0.251
2	Ozzie Smith	1979	649	0.260
3	Tom Jones	1904	662	0.270
4	Tony Batista	2004	650	0.272
5	Tony Batista	2003	670	0.273
6	Henry Myers	1915	645	0.275
7t	Glenn Beckert	1965	653	0.276
7t	Roy Schalk	1944	654	0.276
9t	Tommy Corcoran	1905	647	0.277
9t	Freddy Parent	1906	653	0.277
11	Ivy Olson	1920	665	0.278
12t	Rennie Stennett	1976	682	0.279
12t	Bert Campaneris	1972	681	0.279
13	Buck Weaver	1916	669	0.280
14t	Bobby Richardson	1966	648	0.281
14t	Pedro Feliz	2006	644	0.281
	Min 640 PA

“Congratulations” to all of DN&N’s top Free Swingers for 2006 and we’ll see you back swinging freely in 2007!

Francoeur	PA	AB	BB	IBB	ABB	PA/BB	pa/abb
Career	960	908	34	9	25	28.24	38.40
Season	686	651	23	6	17	29.83	40.35
Aug	118	109	6	1	5	19.67	23.60
Sept	115	107	8	1	7	14.38	16.43
April - July	450	432	9	4	5	50.00	90.00
Aug - Sept	236	219	14	2	12	16.86	19.67
vs right	507	483	13	1	12	39.00	42.25
vs left	179	168	10	5	5	17.90	35.80