Plunk Everyone

One of the remarkable things about Craig Biggio‘s 285 career HBPs is that he came around to score a run on 99 of the times he got on base by a plunk. Usually that’s largely attributed to having Jeff Bagwell batting behind him for most of his career. But interestingly enough, Bagwell scored runs on a higher percentage of his HBPs. Bagwell’s 128 career plunks resulted in 46 runs, for a 35.9% rate of converting plunks to runs. Biggio’s rate is 34.7%. The only other players with over 100 plunks since 1974 with a higher rate than Biggio’s is Derek Jeter, who has also played on some teams that can drive in runs. He’s scored 53 runs off 152 plunks for a 34.9% rate.
This is interesting how the numbers sit at the end of the 2010 season:

Here’s the top ten list for runs scored per plunk, with a 100HBP minimum:

If we drop our standards to 50 HBPs, Bagwell still ranks 20th, and Jeter and Biggio come in 26th and 28th. Here’s the top 10 for batters with over 50 HBP since 1974:

To find someone who scored a run more than 50% of the times they reached on a plunk, you have to get down to 44 HBPs, and that would be Joey Cora. He scored on 23 of his 44. The only other player with over 20 HBPs who scored on more than half of them is Reggie Jefferson who came around to score on 11 of his 20 career plunkings.

In a single season, the most runs scored after reaching on plunks (since 1974) is Craig Biggio‘s 13 in 2001. He got hit 28 times that year, and scored on 46.4% of those. The most runs scored off plunks by someone who scored on over half their plunks in a season was 12, by David DeJesus in 2007. He got hit 23 times and scored runs off 52.2% – and he did that playing for the Royals. The most plunks in a single season by someone who scored a run every time he got his is 6 – Troy Glaus did that in 2002 for the Angels and Onix Concepcion went 6 for 6 in 1985 for the Royals. Probably just a coincidence that the 2002 Angels and the 1985 Royals both won the World Series.

Only two players in baseball history with the same name as a US President have been hit by pitches – George Washington and John Kennedy. Washington was hit 3 times for the 1935 Chicago White Sox, and John Edward Kennedy was hit 35 times between 1962 and 1973. Kennedy started his career, appropriately enough, with the Washington Senators while his namesake still occupied the White House. Jim Katt, Moe Drabowsky, Bob Gibson and Rich Gossage are among the 34 pitchers who plunked Kennedy from the dirt knoll, but no one name Oswald is on that list. No pitcher with the same first and last name as a president has ever hit a batter, although there was Grover Cleveland Alexander, who hit 70 batters. If he had changed his name to just Grover Cleveland, that he’d be able to make this list on two non consecutive occasions.

Going just by last names, it’s the Johnson family leading the way, and that’s without giving them credit for having both Andrew and Lyndon be president. Batters named Johnson have been hit 667 times. They’re led by Reed Johnson, and his 102 plunks. He has the most HBPs of any player with the same last name as a US President. Wilsons are next behind them with 521, led by Craig Wilson’s 90 plunks. 504 plunks have landed on players with the same last as Confederacy president Jefferson Davis, and Jacksons have been hit by 331 pitches, lead by Reggie Jackson’s 96. He’s second to Reed Johnson in plunks by players with a presidential name, and held the record until 2009. There’s no other active player with over 70 HBPs, so Johnson could hold the record until 2020 when the Biggio administration takes office (inspiring the nation with his message of leadership through HBPs. He’ll dismiss the secret service and defend himself only with an elbow guard).

Here’s the list of total HBPs by presidential last name:

Craig Biggio holds the post-1974 record for most plunks on a President’s birthday with 25. He was hit 4 times on the birthday of Astros fan George Herbert Walker Bush, 3 times on JFK’s, Truman’s and Coolidge’s birthdays, twice on the birthdays of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and Benjamin Harrison, and once each on the birthdays of Presidents Hoover, Grant and Taft. He was also hit on the birthdays of John Quincy Adams, Lyndon Johnson, and Barack Obama.

Andres Galarraga is behind Biggio with 24 Presidents birthday plunks, and Jason Kendall is the active leader with 22.

You probably would have guessed that the all time leader in being hit by pitches as a designated hitter is Don Baylor – but would you have guessed that he still has a 99 plunk lead over 2nd place in that category?

Here are the all time leaders in plunks by a DH:
Don Baylor – 165
Edgar Martinez – 66
Jason Giambi – 62
Travis Hafner – 61
Hal McRae – 58
Brian Downing – 57
Frank Thomas – 57
Jose Canseco – 42
Mike Sweeney – 35
Josh Phelps – 29
Brad Fullmer – 27
David Ortiz – 26
Jonny Gomes – 26
Cliff Johnson – 26
Manny Ramirez – 25
Randy Bush – 25
Paul Molitor – 23
Greg Luzinski – 22
Jim Thome – 20
Tony Oliva – 20
Olmedo Saenz – 20
Vladimir Guerrero – 20
Carl Everett – 20
Frank Robinson – 19
Ron Kittle – 18
Oscar Gamble – 18
Cecil Fielder – 18
Jim Rice – 17
Andre Dawson – 16
Reggie Jackson – 16
Dmitri Young – 15
Jose Guillen – 15
Gary Sheffield – 15
Ken Phelps – 15
Reggie Jefferson – 15
Gene Larkin – 14
John Jaha – 14
Frank Catalanotto – 14
Mike Stanley – 14
Tim Salmon – 13
Kevin Reimer – 13
Jim Leyritz – 13
Larry Sheets – 12
Nick Johnson – 12
Dave Kingman – 12
Rafael Palmeiro – 12
Milton Bradley – 12
Rusty Staub – 12
George Bell – 12

Here are the single season leaders since 1973 (Baylor’s 34 in 1986 stand as the single season record):
2010 – Travis Hafner – 11
2009 – David Ortiz – 5
2008 – Milton Bradley – 9
2007 – Gary Sheffield – 8
2006 – Jason Giambi, Travis Hafner – 7
2005 – Jason Giambi – 10
2004 – Travis Hafner – 16
2003 – Josh Phelps – 15
2002 – Brad Fullmer – 11
2001 – Olmedo Saenz – 11
2000 – Mike Sweeney, Brad Fullmer – 6
1999 – John Jaha, Marty Cordova – 9
1998 – Frank Thomas – 6
1997 – Edgar Martinez – 11
1996 – Edgar Martinez, Carlos Delgado – 8
1995 – Edgar Martinez – 8
1994 – Julio Franco, Jose Canseco – 5
1993 – Andre Dawson – 12
1992 – Brian Downing – 7
1991 – Brian Downing – 8
1990 – Brian Downing – 6
1989 – Brian Downing – 6
1988 – Brian Downing – 14
1987 – Don Baylor – 27
1986 – Don Baylor – 34
1985 – Don Baylor – 24
1984 – Don Baylor – 23
1983 – Don Baylor – 12
1982 – Don Baylor – 7
1981 – Don Baylor – 7
1980 – Hal McRae – 6
1979 – Rusty Staub, Cliff Johnson – 5
1978 – Don Baylor – 9
1977 – Hal McRae – 9
1976 – Hal McRae – 8
1975 – Tony Oliva – 13
1974 – Frank Robinson – 10
1973 – Frank Robinson – 9

Here are the team record holders for DH plunks, in order of most plunks:
Mariners – Edgar Martinez – 66
Indians – Travis Hafner – 61
Yankees – Don Baylor – 59
Royals – Hal McRae – 58
Red Sox – Don Baylor – 57
Angels – Brian Downing – 42
White Sox – Frank Thomas – 41
Twins – Randy Bush – 25
Blue Jays – Josh Phelps – 25
Rays – Jonny Gomes – 24
A’s – Olmedo Saenz – 17
Tigers – Dmitri Young – 15
Rangers – Brian Downing – 15
Orioles – Larry Sheets – 12
Brewers – Paul Molitor – 11
Marlins – Kevin Millar – 4
Astros – Craig Biggio – 4
Rockies – Larry Walker – 3
Dodgers – Olmedo Saenz – 3
Pirates – Ryan Doumit – 3
Braves – Andres Galarraga – 2
Reds – Ken Griffey, Adam Dunn, Jonny Gomes – 2
Giants – Barry Bonds – 2
Cardinals – Scott Spiezio – 2
Diamondbacks – Steve Finley, Rusty Ryal, Yamil Benitez – 1
Cubs – Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Jason Dubois – 1
Nationals – Fernando Tatis, Carl Everett, Adam Dunn, Jeffrey Hammonds, Daryle Ward, Cristian Guzman – 1
Mets – Todd Hundley, Mike Piazza, Paul Lo Duca, Cliff Floyd, Chris Carter – 1
Phillies – Jeremy Giambi, Kevin Jordan, Ben Francisco – 1
Padres – Ryan Klesko, Phil Nevin – 1

Molitor’s record with the Brewers is probably the most unbreakable of that batch.

And, here are the pitchers who have plunked the most DHs in the history of DHing.
Tim Wakefield – 20
Charlie Hough – 15
Frank Tanana – 15
Kenny Rogers – 14
Randy Johnson – 14
Todd Stottlemyre – 13
Jamie Moyer – 13
Dave Stieb – 13
Mark Langston – 13
Roger Clemens – 12
C.C. Sabathia – 12
Scott Erickson – 12
Jarrod Washburn – 12
Mike Mussina – 12
Jeff Weaver – 12
Jim Acker – 11
Jack Morris – 11
Mike Boddicker – 11
Jason Johnson – 11
Bert Blyleven – 11
Daniel Cabrera – 11
Mike Smithson – 10
Bill Swift – 10
Frank Viola – 10
Pedro Martinez – 10
Freddy Garcia – 10
David Wells – 10
Kevin Brown – 9
Dennis Martinez – 9
Mark Buehrle – 9
Bob Wells – 9
Orlando Hernandez – 9
Tim Hudson – 9
Aaron Sele – 9
Nolan Ryan – 9
Dave Stewart – 9
Mark Clear – 9
Ervin Santana – 9
Mark Gubicza – 9
Mike Witt – 9
Steve Sparks – 8
Mariano Rivera – 8
Cliff Lee – 8
Jaime Navarro – 8
Jason Grimsley – 8
Bill Castro – 8
Milt Wilcox – 8
NatE. Robertson – 8
Jim Slaton – 8
Kevin Appier – 8
Tom Candiotti – 8
Floyd Bannister – 8
Danny Darwin – 8

Getting hit by a pitch is, of course, a major offensive tool and an important way to help your team win baseball games. But, there comes a time in most team’s seasons when they no longer have any reason except pride in winning games. When a team is mathematically eliminated, do their players still feel a need to get hit by pitches? Or – do they really have any choice in the matter?

In 2010, there were 239 team games where the batting team was eliminated (team games meaning that if both teams were out of the mathematically eliminated, that counts as two). Batters on eliminated teams got hit by a pitch once every 126.7 plate appearances, which is 5.8% less often than the one plunk every 119.3 plate appearances that were experienced by teams that were still alive. But, if we include the entire wildcard era, non-eliminated team’s batters only took plunks 1.8% more often than eliminated teams. Looking back to the 1969 to 1993 divisional (excluding the freak strike years), those teams got hit 9.5% more often when they were still alive for the playoffs, compared to when they were eliminated. The wild card era plunk rate is about 72% higher than the pre-wild card division era in general, but it seems like those 70s and 80s players were really turning off the plunks if they could suddenly start getting hit 9% less often just because they’re out of the playoff race.
In the wild card era, there have actually been 5 seasons in which eliminated teams got hit MORE frequently after they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. This could have something to do with the September roster expansions and the practice of bringing up minor league pitchers to get experience when a team is out of contention – presumably some of those games would be against teams still in contention. But, the overall plunk rate from September on (1995-2010) is only 0.9% higher than the rest of the season, so there must be more to it than just the end of season call ups. Either that or my math is just wrong, but it’s easier to just ignore that possibility.

The following are the players who have taken the most HBPs for teams that had already been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs (since 1974). The number in parenthesis is their total career HBP (since 1974).
Jason Kendall – 18 (254)
David DeJesus – 12 (71)
Jose Guillen – 11 (145)
Damion Easley – 11 (132)
Jason LaRue – 11 (107)
Craig Wilson – 11 (90)
Juan Samuel – 10 (74)
Dave Valle – 10 (63)
Carlos Delgado – 9 (172)
Alex Rodriguez – 9 (152)
Chuck Knoblauch – 9 (139)
Larry Walker – 9 (138)
Jeff Bagwell – 9 (128)
Matt Lawton – 9 (94)
Randy Bush – 9 (49)
Edwin Encarnacion – 9 (47)
Jeromy Burnitz – 8 (78)
Gene Tenace – 8 (75)
Jerry Hairston – 8 (74)
Mike Sweeney – 8 (74)
Sal Fasano – 8 (47)
Dave Collins – 8 (38)
Chet Lemon – 7 (151)
Carlton Fisk – 7 (129)
Miguel Tejada – 7 (118)
Geoff Jenkins – 7 (96)
Gary Gaetti – 7 (96)
Frank Catalanotto – 7 (78)
Matt Stairs – 7 (57)
Jeff Conine – 7 (41)

Here’s the list of players with over 100 plunks since 1974 (because that’s how far my individual hbp database goes):
Brian Downing – 6 (129)
Melvin Mora – 6 (115)
Luis Gonzalez – 6 (111)
Reed Johnson – 6 (102)
Don Baylor – 5 (244)
Andres Galarraga – 5 (178)
Gary Sheffield – 5 (135)
Scott Rolen – 5 (120)
Mark Grudzielanek – 5 (105)
Mo Vaughn – 4 (108)
Jason Giambi – 3 (170)
David Eckstein – 3 (143)
Aaron Rowand – 3 (117)
Andre Dawson – 3 (111)
Craig Biggio – 2 (285)
Fernando Vina – 2 (157)
Brady Anderson – 2 (154)
Jeff Kent – 2 (125)
Manny Ramirez – 1 (109)
Barry Bonds – 1 (106)
Derek Jeter – 0 (152)
Chase Utley – 0 (125)

Jeter, of course, has only played in 2 career games after his team was eliminated – you know, because the Yankees cheat. Utley has only played in 9 such meaningless regular season games.

And here are the 20 guys who have gotten hit at least 50 times since 1974, but never got plunked after being eliminated from the playoffs:
Derek Jeter – 0 (152)
Chase Utley – 0 (125)
Rondell White – 0 (88)
Jorge Posada – 0 (72)
Ray Durham – 0 (72)
Greg Luzinski – 0 (72)
Bret Boone – 0 (69)
Kevin Youkilis – 0 (68)
Tim Salmon – 0 (67)
Robby Thompson – 0 (66)
Josh Willingham – 0 (64)
Carney Lansford – 0 (64)
Kirk Gibson – 0 (61)
Charlie O’Brien – 0 (60)
Nomar Garciaparra – 0 (59)
Lloyd Moseby – 0 (58)
Ivan Rodriguez – 0 (57)
Olmedo Saenz – 0 (56)
Dave Parker – 0 (54)
Roberto Alomar – 0 (50)

(Note: there may be some 1981-related weirdness in the individual player totals here, for players who played that year)