Granderson/Rollins 20-20-20-20 Chase

Once Miller mentioned that Granderson was also in the hunt for the mark -- after Rollins tripled last night -- Morgan dismissively said, "Well, Granderson playes in a triples ballpark."

Granderson has hit 6 of his 18 triples at home.

Thanks, Joe.

another manufactured milestone.

Morbs do you hate round numbers?

I hate sets of arbitrary ones.

still - not easy to do.

I'd never heard about this:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=490

That's really pretty impressive.

Hitting 20 triples is rare in itself. I count four 20-triple seasons since Willie Mays did it in 1957. Add 20 doubles, homers, and stolen bases and, well, ho-hum, huh?

Obv there is likely something impressive about having such a season, but cherrypicking categories that way is suspect (esp if you think the raw 20 SB total is meaningless w/out CS).

If Rollins and Granderson end up with out-of-character -- or well below league average -- steal percentages, in an obvious effort to hit 20 steals for the sake of the "accomplishment," the "accomplishment" (if it is accomplished) would obviously have less value. (Granderson has been caught stealing once. Rollins has been caught five times.)

20 of each XBH is not cherrypicking.

When you're dealing with all of MLB history, there have been parks where it was much easier to hit triples than others.

I like rate stats.

I like ice cream.

Agreed on both counts. I'm not saying it should guarantee enshrinement. It's a rare accomplishment. Nothing more, nothing less.

x-post

Me, too, G00blar.

If I'm reading Morbs correctly, he is saying is that he's putting more stock in the 20 HR, 20 2B, 20 3B, 20 Steals, 20 CS club?

how 'bout <5 CS

I think Morbs puts more stock in 40 HR 40 2B 0 3B 0 SB

I think Morbs puts more stock into whatever David Wright/Jose Reyes/Carlos Beltran do!

As an achievement it's relatively Kurkjian-esque, but it's still a pretty awesome.

ZACKLY re Kurkjian! Mark Grace having the most basehits in the '90s won't get him in the HOF either.

no 20 hbp no cred.

"On August 17th, Craig Biggio was hit on the hip by an errant fastball thrown by Los Angeles Dodger reliever Rudy Seanez. Exactly 13 years prior, Biggio was struck on the hip by a wild fastball thrown by Los Angeles Dodger reliever Rudy Seanez, marking the first time a batter has been hit in the same location of the body on the same day of the year 13 years apart. During those 13 years, Craig Biggio played for the same team, the Houston Astros, while Seanez went to the Braves, then the Padres, then the Rangers, then the Red Sox, then the Royals, then the Marlins, then the Padres again, then the Red Sox again, then obviously the Dodgers again, which means that Seanez is also the first pitcher to hit someone who spent his entire career on one team 13 years apart while moving to six different teams -- including return stints to three of those teams -- during the intervening years. A nearly identical set of events transpired in 1991 and 2004 at the hand of journeyman pitcher Jamie Moyer, only the body parts struck were the hip and then the temple. The name of the hit batter? Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros."

I can't tell if that's real or not.

awesome

Very made up.

IE THAT's Kurkjianian, as opposed to "Jimmy Rollins is the first player since Willie Mays in 1957 to steal 20 bases and hit 20 doubles, triples, and home runs in one season." If you're doing your Kurkjian impersonation while reading that aloud, you'll only be able to crack your voice once -- maybe twice -- and it won't SOUND very Kurkjianian.

Granderson just hit triple number 19 (number 13 on the road) over a leaping Grady Sizemore.

Is Jacobs Field a triples park?

Maybe it's not legit.

JAYSON STARK on Hanley Ramirez shooting for 50-50 (see what I mean?):

This particular 50-50 Club -- 50 stolen bases, 50 doubles -- is about as exclusive a group as you'll run across. OK, it's not as exclusive as the 511 Win Club, but it's close.

Craig Biggio (50 SBs, 51 doubles in 1997) is one member. To find another, you have to power up the way-back machine all the way to 1912, to drag in Tris Speaker (52 SBs, 53 doubles). But that's the entire membership -- just those two.

If Biggio had stretched one of those doubles into a triple, he woulda lost his membership.

You mean two.

Yes, baseball is filled with random and semi-random counting-stat accomplishments, most of which are not as concrete as data-entry operator output. Many of them are silly, and almost all of them are mentioned by some stat geek and then forgotten. It's not like these things are regularly fashioned into a pointless spectacle.

Granderson is one SB and one HR short. Four 2Bs away from 40.

Rollins needs three 3Bs. Five short of 40 2Bs.

Granderson now needs one more SB.

IT'S ALL LODUCA'S FAULT

20 (or 30)-20-20-20 has been achieved.

I have a friend who, for years, thought Tim Kurkjian was Roy Smalley, and still insists on calling him Smalley when he shouts at the tv during Baseball Tonight.

OK, so Rollins did this as well. Many belated congratulations to him.

And another thing:

'07 Plate appearances
778 Rollins
676 Granderson

Most Voluminous Player

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/7495/700clublogonv1.jpg

800 in '08!

CAN... HE... DO IT?

If Utley's healthy all year, that could get him 10 more PAs.