There Is More Than One Way To Get A Hit

[indiansfan]

There Is More Than One Way To Get A Hit

Some players rack up 200 hit seasons year after year. Some hitters consider less than 40 homers a bad season. Then there are the guys that count their hits a different way, by the bruises and broken bones they suffered for each one. Yep, we are talking about the guys that stand too close to the plate, or turn a hip into the inside pitch, the guys that take one for the team. Probably since I have had Mario Soriano on the club, I have taken a special interest in guys that regularly get hit by the pitch. With Soriano headed toward the end of his career, who will be the next player to step up, or step in to take his place.

First lets look at the history of HBP in the BBA. With the Old CATO currently down this list might be a little incomplete, but we can take a look at the top 5 guys in BBA history from the stats currently available.

#1 - 389 Mario Soriano - The clear champion here who has set a mark that may never be topped. Soriano has paid for his record with numerous stints on the DL. Most have been short, but a couple of his seasons got cut short. His personal high was 31 HP in 2030 which he followed with 30 the next season. His lowest season was 12, during his rookie year. He has had over 20 HP in 12 of his seasons. The future Calgary HOFer has also managed to rack up 3245 hits and 930 steals during his career.

#2 - 263 Joe Wilcox - A distant second, Wilcox took it for the team over 14 seasons played mostly in Hawaii. During his career he was a solid hitter with a glove that posted a +16.2 ZR at 1B in 2030. Wilcox even bettered Soriano with 32 HP in 2032 and the 27 he had the next year was second best in his career. He posted 20 or more 5 times.

#3 - 225 Antonio SanchezAntonio Sanchez - This one may surprise people because he is much more famous for hitting the ball out of the park. Sanchez, inducted recently into the Hall of Fame, drilled 584 homers during his career and won the Sawyer Silk in 2024. In 2028 he was hit 24 times and he hit it out of the park 47 times. 3 times he had 20 or more HP all for the Atlantic City Gamblers where he played most of his career.

#4 - 2018 Tim McGraw - This blast from the past couldn’t sing, but he could field with the best of them and wasn’t too shabby at the plate. The winner of 4 consecutive Zimmer Awards at SS, also finished with 2395 hits and 223 home runs. He never had more than 20 HP in a season, but he was almost always in double digits. The closest he came was 19 in 2000. Like Wilcox, McGraw played mostly in Hawaii. I wonder how many seasons these guys played under Hoot, that would explain stepping in front of a fastball on a regular basis.

#5 - 208 Juan Escobar - Our last player to top 200 and our second HOFer, Escobar hit them out almost as often as Sanchez with 496 home runs. Like Soriano, Escobar is a member of the 3000 hit club, retiring last year with 3412 and a .326 career batting average. Posting his accomplishments would be an article would require an article longer than this about the Seattle Legend, so lets get back to the times he got hit. Like McGraw, he never took more than 20, showing just how rare that is. His top year was in 2035 with 17.

So there you have the top 5 in BBA history (might need updated when the CATO is back up) and they are all players that were stars in their day, including 2 members of the Hall of Fame, one future one, and an almost one. How to today’s players measure up. Let’s look at the numbers from the past 3 seasons.

2038
1 - 28 Jose Estrada - Mexico City
2 - 27 Mario Soriano - Calgary
3 - 26 Alber Gaona - Twin Cities
4 - 24 Wilton Rivera - Valencia
5 - 22 Chang-hyeok ChangChang-hyeok Chang - San Antonio

2037
1 - 36 Wilton Rivera - Valencia
2 - 32 Ricardo Hernandez - Atlantic City
3 - 23 Mario Soriano - Calgary
4 - 22 Miguel Rodriguez - Las Vegas
5 - 20 Chang-hyeok Chang - San Antonio

2036
1 - 29 Angel Garcia - San Fernando
2 - 28 Ricardo Hernandez - Atlantic City
3 - 22 Wilton Rivera - Valencia
4 - 20 Alfredo BermudezAlfredo Bermudez - Vancouver
5 - 20 Yancy Cravat - New Orleans

So obviously we have Soriano on the list. Then you have a bunch of top tier talent including several power hitters. You will notice several players appear on the list more than one year, with Rivera appearing on all three years including a staggering 36 HP in 2037.

The current active leaders in HP are

1 - 389 Mario Soriano
2 - 170 Ricardo Hernandez
3 - 166 Jose Estrada
4 - 164 Chang-hyeok Chang
5 - 142 Alfredo Bermudez
15-110 Wilton Rivera

It doesn’t look like #2-4 have any chance of catching Soriano. Some may break 200 and into the top 5, but Soriano is too far ahead. However, Rivera while back in the pack is only 24 years old. He has only played 4 seasons and is averaging 27.5 HP per season. Soriano has averaged 21.6 over his 18 seasons. While it will be tough for Rivera to keep up the rate he has so far, if he plays long enough he should give Soriano a run for the record. He could break the top 5 before he hits 30, if he stays healthy. The broken kneecap that ended his 2034 season in AAA, most likely came from a pitch. It is a tough path, but with enough bruises it can be a path that leads to the Hall of Fame.

PS - These links are a pain!

[RonCo]

Yes, the links are a PITA for bigger studies like this. Thanks for doing this.

Soriano's nickname should be "Bruiser."