Didn't realize Bill Madlock won four batting titles--most by anyone not in the HOF. I'm trying to remember if he was thought of as a good-bet HOF'er back in '83, after he won his fourth. Where he stood going into his age-33 season: 1,557 hits, .317/.378/.459, OPS+ of 130, 34.3 WAR, one World Series title ('79 Pirates), MVP votes in seven seasons, and the four batting titles. I don't think he was...I know one place to check when I get home.
― clemenza, Friday, 10 May 2024 19:09 (one month ago) link
i remember Madlock as a kid because he was the first example i saw of a guy who was simply a professional *hitter*, in the respect that he didn't have much else to his game beyond that. i don't recall him being a guy anyone talked about as a legend beyond his batting titles, and i think once Boggs and Gwynn came up with their more well-rounded game and won numerous titles between them, he was kind of forgotten. i suppose maybe he's kind of a little bit Michael Young, a little bit Mark Grace, a really excellent player that no one seriously considered an all-timer but an of-his-timer.
― omar little, Friday, 10 May 2024 20:47 (one month ago) link
I was interested because batting titles were a bigger thing in the '70s and into the '80s, but you're right, Boggs and Gwynn (and later Ichiro) brought much better overall games (although, as I said on another thread, Madlock was a much better hitter than the superficially similar Bill Buckner). I wanted to check what James had to say while Madlock was still active, and he wasn't much of a fan--had him ranked 48th among third baseman in the revised Historical Abstract. "I never saw any other player who was as focused on batting championships as Bill Madlock." (Rose?) Wasn't meant as a compliment.
― clemenza, Friday, 10 May 2024 23:31 (one month ago) link
To be honest, I liked him better on the mariners
― H.P, Saturday, 11 May 2024 03:55 (one month ago) link
*marlins damnit lol
.419 as a Padre, up to .341 for the season (16 hits in last 6 games).
― clemenza, Friday, 24 May 2024 03:00 (three weeks ago) link
Can't remember where I read this - here? - that Arraez has one of the slowest bat speeds in the majors
― Humanitarian Pause (Tracer Hand), Friday, 24 May 2024 09:13 (three weeks ago) link
Yeah but his swing is also one of the shortest
― Roman Anthony gets on his horse (gyac), Friday, 24 May 2024 09:51 (three weeks ago) link
https://www.mlb.com/news/luis-arraez-bat-tracking-breakdown
xp
― 龜, Friday, 24 May 2024 11:13 (three weeks ago) link
Posnanski's whole column the other day was about this...The most beautiful compact swing I've ever seen was Paul Moitor's.
― clemenza, Friday, 24 May 2024 12:30 (three weeks ago) link
He still doesn't score many runs--31 in 226 PA this year--and he'll never be a great player as measured by WAR: doesn't walk enough, so-so fielder (it looks like), doesn't steal much, only 43 XBH/162 games. I just think he's a fun throwback and seemingly a wizard in terms of bat control. It's like he's somewhere between Bill Madlock and Tony Gwynn.
― clemenza, Friday, 24 May 2024 16:15 (three weeks ago) link
Or like Willians Astudillo, but good.
― H.P, Saturday, 25 May 2024 00:10 (three weeks ago) link