Long-time reader LynchMob noted the other day that the Padres seem to hit a lot of solo homers. In fact, 60.9% of their home runs this season have come with no runners on base. Although that is a lot, the Padres have done worse in years past. Here are the five highest percentages of homers that were solo shots in club history:
- 1974: 66.7%
- 1973: 66.1%
- 2005: 64.6%
- 1988: 62.8%
- 2007: 61.4%
MLB average during the Padres existence has fluctuated between 54.9% and 58.8%.
How about the flip side? Which Padres teams have the five lowest percentages of home runs (i.e., more home runs with men on base)? Here you go:
- 1983: 51.6%
- 1977: 50.0%
- 1989: 50.0%
- 1976: 48.4%
- 2000: 47.8%
It’s nice to see the teams from 1976 and 2000 do so well… because that’s pretty much the only thing they did well. Of course, the ’76 squad hit 62 homers all year, so who really cares whether anyone was on base?
Anyway, I don’t know how instructive all this stuff is, but I found it mildly interesting…
I’m a little confused by people who are upset if a player exercises a no trade type clause, especially if the team is the one who gave him the contract to begin with. The team gave him that right. For whatever reason, if he wants to use it, it’s his right to do so.
#100@JP: Oh, really. “Not even close” is not close to being true.
#102@Kevin: Probably went overboard myself with “not even close”. He’s a good player but not an All Star.
When you look at his VORP, Giles is 9th in mlb among rightfielders but, with Nady’s exit, now 2nd in the NL. I suppose that technically he is close to NL all star calibar for his position. However, with the NL being as weak as it in that particular position and Giles not hitting much for power or running well as a corner outfielder, on the surface he just doesn’t strike me as an All Star.
#93@JMAR: OK, I certainly agree you want more power out of a 3 hitter than Giles has left, but I still can’t get behind condeming his performance with RISP based on 86 AB’s this year. Yes, he’s only hitting .256, but 86 AB’s is really not representative of his “skill” in those situations and he still has a .380 OBP with RISP. Look at him over a longer period. You have to go back to 2004 to find a season in which he hit under .300 with RISP. Career he’s .301. The guy is a great hitter now and over the length of his career. No, he’s not the ideal 3 hitter, but you can’t deny his performance and his value based on a .256 BA with RISP in just 86 AB’s.
#104@JP: “However, with the NL being as weak as it in that particular position and Giles not hitting much for power or running well as a corner outfielder, on the surface he just doesn’t strike me as an All Star.”
What the heck is that supposed to mean? You just looked it up and found he’s the 2nd (or 3rd if you want to inlcude X) best RF in the league. VORP is the stat you used and it incorporates both power and base stealing, so how does his not hitting for much power or running as well as a corner OF (not sure where this comes from; are there a ton of base stealing threats at the corner positions I haven’t noticed?) impact the issue?
The fact is he’s performing at an All Star level offensively, plays an excellent RF in a tough park, and runs the bases well despite not being a base stealer. People overlook this becasue the Pads stink, Petco suppresses his offensive numbers, and he’s always played in small markets without the media attention, imo.