The Unknown Milestones of the Year
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Jason Stark’s article prompted me to write this. With Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez becoming the Home Run King and youngest player to 500 home runs respectively, some major accomplishments are being overshadowed, myself included. With everybody concerned with A-rods record breaking home run pace, few realized, what a feat A-rod was on pace to surpass this season. This feat would be an accomplishment that last occurred way back in 1949 by a young Ted Williams. In 1949, Williams had 159 RBI’s and exactly 150 runs. He joined a group that included the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gerhig, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Chuck Klein. This is not exactly a group of no-names. Although, A-rod is no longer on pace to join this select club, he is on pace to compile 155 RBI’s and 145 runs. So he is close enough to be considered for this accomplishment.
These next two players are probably one of the most underrated at their position. Although, both of them are not on pace to join this club, both are very close. The club they plan to join is the most select club outside the 511 win club, the 50-50 club. No, not the 50 home runs and 50 steals club, the 50 steals and 50 doubles club. If we posed this question to most Americans, very few would answer Hanley Ramirez and Brian Roberts. Ramirez is on pace to steal 53 bases and rack up 49 doubles, compared to Roberts snagging 49 bases and cracking 48 doubles. It would be a mere extra double or steal for these two to crack the 50-50 club.
The 20-20-20-20 club is also quite rare. Curtis Granderson and Jimmy Rollins are both looking to join Willie Mays and Wildfire Schulte. Rollins has already surpassed the 20 home runs, 20 steals, and 20 doubles. He just is a mere 5 triples away from joining this elite club. Granderson on the other hand has a little tougher of a job to do. He needs to pound out 4 homers, 1 triple, and 6 stolen bases. Not impossible, but it surely won’t be easy.
Granderson has his eye set on more that the simply the 20-20-20-20 club. He hopes to join the 0-162 club. What is the 0-162 club you may ask? Well it’s when a player grounds in to zero, yes zero double plays in an entire season. Biggio is the only player to do so in the division play era. Granderson is the perfect type for such an accomplishment, due to striking out as many times and hitting ground balls. To think nobody talks about Granderson as a perfect power-speed combo.
Who here knows who the Kevin Cameron who did not direct the “Titanic” is? Well he is the rule 5 pick reliever out in San Diego that has a .80 ERA. If the Padres continue to throw him at his current pace he will throw exactly 60 innings, the minimum for ERA to qualify for league leaders. If he can awe us some more and pull off a 16 inning scoreless streak, he could take a run at Eckersley’s .061 mark for the ’90 A’s.
I would once again reiterate that this was not my original idea and that I found out about this through Jayson Starks article: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=2976815
