Plunk Everyone

It's the All-Star break, so that's always a good time to take a look at how the season is going with respect to available HBP records that players might be interested in breaking. We've already seen Chase Utley break the Phillies career record for getting plunked, and Dave Bush tied the Brewers career record for hitting batters. Jake Peavy of the Padres and John Lackey of the Angels are both 1 plunk away from tying the career records for their teams. But there are also a couple of opportunities for players to break their teams' single season record.

Kelly Shoppach is has the best shot at breaking a record - he's been hit 14 times already, and the Indians record is just 20, set in 2007 by Ryan Garko. If he keeps up his pace of HBPs per Indians game, he'll finish the year with somewhere around 26. Another surprising contender for a season record is Fernando Tatis for the Mets. He's been hit 8 times so far, but the Mets have the lowest single season record in baseball, so his projected total of 15 plunks would do it. Ron Hunt got hit 13 times for the 1963 Mets and John Olerud tied that total in 1997, but Met has ever taken more than 13 plunks for his team in a single season. Also in the "low hanging fruit" division, is the Tampa Bay Rays single season record. Jonny Gomes holds that with 14 in 2005, but Carlos Pena is on pace to come close to that. He's got 7 already, and while a linear projection leaves him 1 HBP short of a tie, plunks don't really behave linearly most of the time. Chase Utley could also break his year old Phillies single season plunk record if he picks up his pace just a little bit, and both Kevin Kouzmanoff and David Eckstein could threaten the Padres record, set last year by Kouzmanoff. On the other end of the list Ron Hunt (Nationals/Expos), Steve Evans (Cards), David Eckstein (Angels), Jason Kendall (Pirates), Don Baylor (Red Sox), Craig Biggio (Astros), and Tommy Tucker (Braves) can all rest assured that no one is touching their records this season. Of course Evans and Tucker are dead, but the rest of them can be reassured.

Team	Record	2009 Leader(s)	Projected Total
Indians	Ryan Garko (2007) - 20	Kelly Shoppach - 14	26
Mets	Ron Hunt (1963) John Olerud (1997) - 13	Fernando Tatis - 8	15
Rays	Jonny Gomes (2005) - 14	Carlos Pena - 7	13
Phillies	Chase Utley (2008) - 27	Chase Utley - 13	25
Padres	Kevin Kouzmanoff (2008) - 15	David Eckstein, Kevin Kouzmanoff - 7	13
Marlins	Carlos Delgado (2005) - 17	Cody Ross - 6	11
Tigers	Bill Freehan (1968) - 24	Brandon Inge - 9	17
A's	Don Baylor (1976), Jason Kendall (2005)- 20	Jason Giambi - 7	13
White Sox	Minnie Minoso (1956) - 23	Carlos Quentin - 8	15
Rangers	Alex Rodriguez (2001) - 16	Marlon Byrd - 4	8
Dodgers	Hughie Jennings (1900) - 20	Andre Ethier, Juan Pierre - 6	11
Rockies	Eric Young (1996) - 21	Chris Iannetta - 6	11
Royals	David DeJesus (2007) - 23	Jose Guillen - 7	13
Brewers	Fernando Vina (1998) - 25	Ryan Braun - 8	15
Mariners	Jose Guillen (2007) - 19	Russell Branyan - 5	9
Diamondbacks	Andy Fox (1998) - 18	Augie Ojeda - 4	7
Yankees	Don Baylor (1985) - 24	Mark Teixeira - 7	13
Cubs	Bill Dahlen (1898) - 23	Milton Bradley - 5	10
Giants	Ron Hunt (1970) - 26	Aaron Rowand - 7	13
Blue Jays	Shea Hillenbrand (2005) - 22	Alex Rios - 5	9
Orioles	Brady Anderson (1999) - 24	Adam Jones - 5	9
Reds	Jason LaRue (2004) - 24	Adam Rosales - 5	9
Twins	Kid Elberfeld (1911) - 25	Denard Span - 5	9
Braves	Tommy Tucker (1891) - 29	Yunel Escobar - 6	11
Astros	Craig Biggio (1997) - 34	Miguel Tejada - 8	15
Red Sox	Don Baylor (1986) - 35	Kevin Youkilis - 8	15
Pirates	Jason Kendall (1997, 1998) - 31	Andy LaRoche - 6	11
Angels	David Eckstein (2002) - 27	Torii Hunter, Jeff Mathis, Maicer Izturis, Erick Aybar, Howie Kendrick, Mike Napoli - 3	6
Cardinals	Steve Evans (1910) - 31	Albert Pujols, Joe Thurston, Ryan Ludwick, Khalil Greene, Rick Ankiel, Colby Rasmus - 3	5
Nationals	Ron Hunt (1971) - 50	Josh Willingham - 8	16

On the pitching side of things, the closest player to a record breaking pace for plunks in a single season is Dave Bush of the Brewers. He needs to hit 10 more batters to tie Jamey Wright's single season Brewers record, but he's currently on the Disabled List. Tim Wakefield has an outside shot at reaching the 20 plunk mark if he picks up his pace, which could tie him with Bronson Arroyo and Howard Emke. But, no Major League pitcher has hit 20 batters since Arroyo's 2004 spree. The Royals have a pretty fragile looking record at just 13, but Jamey Wright leads the team with 5 this year. Perhaps if he gets promoted to the starting rotation for some reason, he might be able to get enough innings of work to find 9 more batters who don't want to get out of the way of his pitches. Beyond that, there's little hope of any of this years pitchers breaking a single season record. And, that total of 41 by Joe McGinnity for the Dodgers is probably impossible the way the game is currently played - it's be tough not to set an ejections record in the process if someone tried.

Team	Record	2009 Leader(s)	Projected Total
Brewers	Jamey Wright (2001) - 20	David Bush - 10	19
Red Sox	Howard Ehmke (1923), Bronson Arroyo (2004) - 20	Tim Wakefield - 9	17
Royals	Mike Boddicker (1991), Jim Colborn (1977), Zack Greinke (2005), Pedro Astacio (1998) - 13	Jamey Wright - 5	9
Rockies	Pedro Astacio (1998) - 17	Ubaldo Jimenez - 6	11
Rangers	Charlie Hough (1987) - 19	Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla - 7	13
Nationals	Ramon Ortiz (2006) - 18	John Lannan - 6	12
Padres	Matt Clement (2000) - 16	Chad Gaudin - 5	9
White Sox	Clark Griffith (1902), Jim Scott (1909) - 16	John Danks - 4	7
Astros	Jack Billingham (1971), Darryl Kile (1996) - 16	Roy Oswalt, Russ Ortiz - 4	7
Mets	Pedro Astacio (2002) - 16	Sean Green - 4	7
Yankees	Jack Warhop (1909) - 26	Joba Chamberlain - 9	17
Mariners	Randy Johnson (1992) - 18	Felix Hernandez - 5	9
Angels	Tom Murphy (1969) - 21	John Lackey - 6	11
Cubs	Nixey Callahan (1899) - 24	Carlos Marmol - 7	14
Diamondbacks	Randy Johnson (2001) - 18	Max Scherzer - 4	7
Orioles	Barney Pelty (1904) - 20	Jeremy Guthrie - 5	9
Twins	Walter Johnson (1923), Bill Carrick (1901), Case Patten (1904) - 20	Francisco Liriano, Kevin Slowey - 5	9
Rays	Victor Zambrano (2003) - 20	Jeff Niemann, Matt Garza - 5	9
Blue Jays	Chris Carpenter (2001) - 16	Brian Tallet, Brandon League, Jesse Carlson, Brett Cecil, Ricky Romero - 3	5
Pirates	Pink Hawley (1897) - 27	Ross Ohlendorf - 7	13
Marlins	Dontrelle Willis (2006) - 19	Hayden Penn, Josh Johnson, Brian Sanches, Chris Volstad, Sean West - 2	4
Phillies	Jack Taylor (1897) - 28	Chad Durbin, Jamie Moyer - 7	13
Tigers	Howard Ehmke (1922) - 23	Armando Galarraga, Justin Verlander - 3	6
Indians	Otto Hess (1906) - 24	Carl Pavano, Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona - 3	6
Cardinals	Willie Sudhoff (1898) - 27	Brad Thompson - 5	9
Braves	Vic Willis (1898, 1899) - 30	Kenshin Kawakami, Mike Gonzalez - 5	9
Giants	Ed Doheny (1899) - 37	Barry Zito - 7	13
Reds	Will White (1884) - 35	Bronson Arroyo, Edinson Volquez, Micah Owings, Johnny Cueto - 5	9
A's	Chick Fraser (1901) - 32	Edgar Gonzalez, Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill - 3	6
Dodgers	Joe McGinnity (1900) - 41	Chad Billingsley - 6	11

Labels: Pitching Records

HBPs of Note: June 15, 2009

There were only three plunks in the two MLB games played yesterday, but they were all significant. Dave Bush of the Brewers entered last night's game needing to hit just 2 batters to tie Jamey Wright for the Brewers career franchise record in hitting batters. If you were going for such a record, you couldn't pick a better opponent than the Cleveland Indians. They lead the major leagues in getting plunked this year, by a wide margin, and last year they set a new modern record for team plunks in a season with 103 HBPs. Bush threw his 48th plunk in a Brewers uniform to Jamey Carroll in the third inning, and followed up with a plunk of Kelly Shoppach in the 4th. It was Shoppach's 14th HBP of the season, which puts him 3 ahead of Chase Utley for the Major League lead. But for Bush, it was his 49th plunk since joining the Brewers in 2006, and ties Jamey Wright for the Brewers franchise record. Bush also moved into the Major League lead with 10 plunks this season, and he's now the only pitcher in the league who has hit at least 10 batters in each of the last 5 seasons. Since the time Bush joined the Brewers at the beginning of 2006, he has now hit more batters than any pitcher in the league, passing Vicente Padilla last night. Padilla has thrown 48 since 2006. Bush also now holds the Dave Bush era record for hitting batters - since he joined the league in 2004, he's hit 68 batters, two more than runner-up Vicente Padilla, and 5 more than Tim Wakefield and Bronson Arroyo in the years Bush has been in the league.

Meanwhile, the Angels faced the Giants last night with John Lackey pitching. Lackey entered the game 3 plunks behind Chuck Finley for the Angels franchise record in plunking batters. But, he only got one of them, hitting Nate Schierholtz. Lackey has now hit 69 batters in his career, all with the Angels, and he's just 2 behind Finley's total of 71.

Labels: HBPs of note, Pitching Records

It's often been said around baseball that without pitchers nobody would get hit by pitches. Daniel Cabrera of the Orioles is one such pitcher. He's hit 17 batters so far this season, leading the Major Leagues. Showing a tremendous sense of balance, he's hit 9 right handed batters and 8 lefties. He has also plunked an impressive 6 members of the American League All-Star Team, including the entire starting infield. He's been relatively efficient in hitting batters, with opposing batters seeing just 3.1 pitches when they get hit. That's just a little bit below the league average. And, he's still the only pitcher in the majors who has hit a batter on every day of the week this season. According to MLB Gameday's pitch f/x data, Cabrera's average start and end speeds on the pitches with which he hit's batters are the fastest in the majors, among pitchers who have hit at least 10 batters. (Although data is only available for 13 of his 17 plunks). He hits lefties slightly harder than right handers, with plunks to lefties averaging 93.5 mph leaving his hand, and slowing to 85 mph at impact. Pitches Cabrera threw to hit right-handers have averaged 92.5 mph to start, and hitting at about 84.4 mph. Those plunks to right handers may be a bit slower, but they also tend to be higher - averaging 4'6" off the ground, while lefties have been plunked down low by Cabrera - about 2'7" off the ground. (The league wide average height of plunks thrown by right handed pitcher to right handed batters is about 3'8", and 2'4" when righties hit lefty batters).

If Cabrera can hit 4 more batters, he'll break the Orioles single season franchise record. That record is 20, by Barney Pelty, who set the mark for the 1904 St. Louis Browns, which moved to Baltimore and took up the Orioles name in 1954. At just 3 hit batters behind his franchise record, Daniel Cabrera is the closest of any pitcher this year to breaking such a mark. The only other real contenders are Roy Halladay, who could break Chris Carpenter's 2001 Blue Jays record of 16, and Oliver Perez who is similarly 5 plunks from tying the Mets record, set by Pedro Astacio in 2002. Back in July, Micah Owings was on pace to challenge Randy Johnson's single season record with the Diamondbacks, but he has since been sent to the minors, and is rumored to be the player to be named later in the Adam Dunn deal, which would send him to the Reds. Owings could possibly still be brought back up to the majors before the end of the year, and hit 7 more batters to break Johnson's record, but you have to wonder if Randy is pulling some GM strings to protect that record.

Here's the full list of 2008 team leaders in hitting batters, along with the single season franchise records:

Team	2008 Leader	Hit batters	Franchise Record
Orioles	Daniel Cabrera	17	20 by Barney Pelty in 1904
D-backs	Micah Owings	12	18 by Randy Johnson in 2001
Mets	Oliver Perez	11	16 by Pedro Astacio in 2002
Blue Jays	Roy Halladay	11	16 by Chris Carpenter in 2001
White Sox	Gavin Floyd	8	16 by Clark Griffith in 1902, and Jim Scott in 1909
Royals	Brian Bannister	6	13 by Jim Colborn in 1977, Mike Boddicker in 1991, and Zack Greinke in 2005
Padres	Randy Wolf	8	16 by Matt Clement in 2000
Astros	Roy Oswalt	7	16 by Jack Billingham in 1971, and Darryl Kile in 1996
Rays	James Shields	10	20 by Victor Zambrano in 2003
Rangers	Vicente Padilla	9	19 by Charlie Hough in 1987
Red Sox	Tim Wakefield	9	20 by Howard Ehmke in 1923, and Bronson Arroyo in 2004
Rockies	Jorge De La Rosa, Ubaldo Jimenez	7	17 by Pedro Astacio in 1998
Braves	Dave Bush	9	20 by Jamey Wright in 2001
Mariners	Jarrod Washburn	7	18 by Randy Johnson in 1992
Tigers	Justin Verlander	10	23 by Howard Ehmke in 1922
Nationals	Odalis Perez, John Lannan	6	18 by Ramon Ortiz in 2006
Twins	Nick Blackburn	7	20 by Bill Carrick in 1901, Case Patten in 1904, and Walter Johnson in 1923
Angels	John Lackey	7	21 by Tom Murphy in 1969
Indians	Aaron Laffey	9	24 by Otto Hess in 1906
Phillies	Kyle Kendrick	12	28 by JackTaylor in 1897
Marlins	Ricky Nolasco, Mark Hendrickson	5	19 by DontrelleWillis in 2006
Cubs	Jason Marquis, Kerry Wood	7	24 by NixeyCallahan in 1899
Cardinals	Braden Looper	8	27 by WillieSudhoff in 1898
Yankees	Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte	6	26 by JackWarhop in 1909
Pirates	Paul Maholm	7	27 by PinkHawley in 1897
A's	Dana Eveland	9	32 by ChickFraser in 1901
Reds	Edinson Volquez	11	35 by WillWhite in 1884
Braves	Jeff Bennett	6	30 by Vic Willis in 1898 and 1899
Giants	Keiichi Yabu	6	37 by Ed Doheny in 1899
Dodgers	Chad Billingsley	6	41 by Joe McGinnity in 1900

Labels: Daniel Cabrera, Pitching Records