A Closer Look At The MLB Standings

Pythagorean record is a fun little statistic. In layman terms, it adjusts a teams record based on overall run differential (Runs Scored – Runs Allowed.) In theory it’s the most accurate way to team’s performance. If a team wins a lot of one run games (like the 2007 D-Backs) their actual record would be significantly better than there Pythagorean record. Now is Pythagorean record an absolute measure? Of course not, for example take the 2008 Yankees, if A-Rod and Posoda were healthy all year it would be safe to assume that the Yankees would have scored more runs (in turn their run differential would have been greater and therefore their Pythagorean record would have been more favorable.)

What Pythagorean record is good for is analyzing if a teams hot start or cold start is fluky. Take the 2008 Marlins at 37-32 however, they have allowed two more runs (339) than they have scored (337.) Their Pythagorean record would be 34-35. The Marlins start is somewhat fluky and they will most likely finishing closer to 80 wins than 90.

And with that let’s go to the judges scorecards.

AL East:

Team	Record	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed	Run Differential	Pythagorean Record
Boston	44-28	371	301	+71	43-29
Tampa	40-29	313	288	+25	37-32
New York Yankees	37-33	327	315	+12	36-34
Baltimore	34-34	298	314	-16	32-36
Toronto	35-36	286	267	+19	38-33

What does this tell us? Well, Boston is pretty damn good. The Rays (unlike their Florida counterpart) are legit. Whether they have the experience and chutzpah to make a playoff run is yet to be determined. Baltimore will finish well short of .500 but did anyone really expect them to be a winning team this year? Toronto is the big surprise. They have some interesting numbers, their hitting has been terrible but their pitching has been sick. They have played most of the year without a resurgent Vernon Wells so you could expect them to bounce back, according to Pythagorean record Toronto is second in the division and current in the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

And then we have the Yankees. As mentioned earlier there Runs Scored would certainly be higher had A-Rod and Jorge stayed healthy. Their pitching was adversely affected by Hughes and Kennedy but has gotten a lift from Joba. Going forward their hard team to project, they should keep scoring runs in bunches but it remains to be seen if they have the pitching to match (especially in light of Wang’s injury.)

AL Central:

Team	Record	Run Scored	Runs Allowed	Run Differential	Pythagorean Record
Chicago Sox	38-31	316	256	+60	41-28
Minnesota	34-36	325	355	-30	32-38
Cleveland	33-37	320	298	+22	37-32
Detroit	32-37	328	337	-9	34-36
Kansas City	28-42	273	331	-58	29-42

Chicago has been pretty solid. There pitching has been very good and if their struggling bats come to life (Konerko/Swisher) they could be a force. Minnesota and Kansas City have been pretty bad, but both are in rebuilding years. Detroit is the biggest disappointment in baseball and there doesn’t seem to be light at the end of the tunnel.

Cleveland is the interesting team in the division. There Pythagorean difference of 4.3 games is one of the greatest in all of baseball. A rash of injuries (Westbrook, Carmona, Hafner and Martinez) could be the culprit for this difference. Also of note is the incredible slow start that ace C.C. Sabathia had. Is it any wonder why Mark Shapiro hasn’t decided to be a “seller” yet?

AL West:

Team	Record	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed	Run Differential	Pythagorean Record
LA Angles	42-28	292	291	­+1	35-35
Oakland	38-31	307	252	+55	41-25
Texas	35-36	394	414	-20	33-37
Seattle	24-45	269	341	-72	27-42

This one was surprising. The Angles only have a Run Differential of +1. The Angles are the polar opposite of the Indians. The Angles (6.9 Pythagorean differential) have been the “luckiest” team in baseball. The A’s on the other hand have outperformed there record by three games.

In a Pythagorean world the A’s would have a six game lead over the L.A. Angles.

Texas’s statistics are inflated by their ball park. They have the offense now they need pitching to match. Seattle is terrible. They are about to clean house.

NL East:

Team	Record	Runs Scored	Runs Allowed	Run Differential	Pythagorean Record
Philadelphia	41-30	381	291	+90	44-27
Florida	37-32	337	339	-2	34-35
Atlanta	34-36	321	282	+39	39-31
NY Mets	33-35	322	216	+6	35-33
Washington	29-42	266	343	-77	27-44

Philly is as good as advertised. As long as Cole Hamels stays healthy they should run away with the division. The Braves record gets a boost, however with Smoltz and Glvaine on the DL it might be difficult for them to keep winning. Also Chipper Jones is bound to slow down at some point…right?

The Marlins we already went over, the Nationals are terrible without any end in sight.

The Mets are a giant turd. While there Pythagorean record puts them two games over .500 they still find themselves in third place. Heads are about to roll in flushing and unfortunately Willy Randolph is (undeservingly) the sacrificial lamb.

NL Central:

Team	Record	RS	RA	RD	Pythagorean Record
Chicago Cubs	45-25	387	279	+108	45-25
St. Louis	42-29	334	310	+24	38-33
Milwaukee	36-33	308	321	-13	33-36
Pittsburg	34-36	343	366	-23	33-37
Houston	33-37	311	345	-34	32-39
Cincinnati	33-38	314	352	-38	32-40

The Cubs have the best record in baseball and their run differential backs that up. They have a deep bullpen, solid pitching and a wonderfully patient approach to hitting.

Milwaukee, Pitt, Houston and Cincinnati are all not very good. Houston’s run differential predicted their recent slide. Pittsburg interestingly enough has scored 343 runs which are 3^rd in the NL.

I think Cincinnati is building something special. They have a young offense (Votto, Bruce, and Phillips) and pitching (Vasquez, Cueto, and Bailey.)

St. Louis to me is an enigma. So many players are playing out of their skull (Ryan Ludwik anyone?) With Pujols and Wainright out it’s hard to imagine they will stay in contention.

NL West:

Team	Record	RS	RA	RD	Pythagorean Record
Arizona	37-33	330	304	+26	38-32
LA Dodgers	31-38	292	297	-5	34-35
San Diego	31-40	269	324	-55	30-42
San Francisco	30-40	281	322	-41	31-40
Colorado	28-41	291	355	-64	28-41

Arizona has slowed down, good thing their division is awful.

It wouldn’t shock me to see the Dodgers make a run at the division crown.

The Giants need to rebuild and Colorado’s postseason run of last year seems like an aberration.

Now Is The Time

Papi is hurt, Manny is hurting, Schilling and Dice-K are out and Beckett hasn't been lights out.

Now is the time for the Yankees to make a run and get themselves back in contention.

The question is, can they do it with this current roster?

Unfortunately no. {Update: As I'm typing this Chien-Ming Wang goes down with what might be a serious ankle injury)

The Yankees still need a lights out starting pitcher. I was on the Johan Santana bandwagon this off-season and in hindsight the Yankees made the right choice by not trading for him. It's far too risky to give a pitcher a 5 to 7 year contract (See Zito, Barry)

This year however the Yankees can "rent" a Cy-Young caliber pitcher for just over half the season.

Of course I'm talking about C.C. Sabathia.

I say "rent" because it would be in the teams best interest to not resign C.C. if he is acquired and before you call me crazy hear me out.

Theres a good chance that C.C. will break down at some point in the next three or so years, he's a big guy with a lot of miles on him. Giving him a Zito sized contract would be a tremendous mistake. That contract will look tremendously foolish in the fourth to sixth year.

So, why would the Yankees trade top level prospects for a rental of C.C.?

Well the reasoning is two fold. One, C.C. gives the Yankees a chance to have a deep post-season run. A rotation of C.C., Wang (cross your fingers), Pettitte, Moose and Joba all of a sudden looks really dominate. In a short playoff series, in theory, Joba could go back to the 8th inning and serve as a dominate set up man again.

Secondly, If the Yankees were to hypothetically let C.C. walk at the end of the year they would acquire two very valuable draft picks. Remember draft picks are insanely valuable for a team like the Yankees. They can afford to pay players out of slot and with an extra two first round picks you could be looking at adding another two studs to our farm system (and in turn replacing whoever we trade for C.C.)

Now the Indians are not a dumb baseball organization. They know how the free agency system works and know they have two first roudners coming their way if they let Sabathia walk. Because of this they will certainly demand three top flight prospects.

So how can the Yankees make such a trade work?

How about: Kennedy, Cano and Tabata

Before you punch me in the face repeatedly let's be realistic.

Kennedy, peaks as a number three type starter. Tabata, while still very young for his level but he hasn't developed any sort of power. What he has developed are character issues and his "love for the game" has come into question.

Cano would be the big chip in this deal. It would be rough to part with a young infielder with pop and plus defense but, Cano simply is expendable. I've never been a Cano fan and I've always believed that when teams got a deeper scouting report on him he would falter. He has ZERO plate discipline and teams are exploiting it.

Now again remember that while parting with these three is a tough pill to swallow (especially fore a rental) it's one the Yankees can afford.

Again, when you factor in the two first rounders would we get back it's almost a wash. On top of that don't forget that the international signing period has just started. The Yankees always sign top flight international talent that will deepen, our already deep, farm system.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

Tonight is a Fantastic TV Night...

And it starts as early as 3:55.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will face the Tampa Bay Rays, and both teams will send their aces to the mound. That means you’ll be seeing a pitching matchup of John Lackey versus Scott Kazmir. Don’t know if you’ve heard, but they both are pretty damn good.

Later tonight at 10 pm, There is the Top Chef finally. Now, I normally leave the reality television to Jason, but Top Chef is my one weakness. I’m going to do a column breaking down the competition tonight, but I can’t encourage all of you enough to watch.

Here is Why Sports Media is Interesting…

Quickly before I go to the gym….

The Sporting News and ESPN the Magazine both comment on Roy Oswalt pitching to contact more this season in their most recent issues.

The Sporting News complemented Oswalt, saying that he is going deeper into his starts and saving his arm from burning out.

ESPN points out the fact that he has given up a ton of home runs and even quotes one scout saying that he should go back to striking hitters out.

Isn’t that interesting? Personally, I’m with ESPN. An ace is someone who can dominate a game, and the way to dominate a game is by missing bats. Guys can’t score if the ball isn’t in play.

I Love When Pitchers Fight their Catchers...

Citing his desire to be like Carlos Zambrano, Tampa Bay Ray Matt Garza got into an dugout altercation with his catcher Dioner Navarro.

According to Rotoworld, Garza began arguing with Navarro when Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey came to the mound, and continued after the inning was over. While it's not clear whether any punches were thrown, Garza came out of the game after pitching only four innings.

Seriously?

First off, as a catcher, you need to be able to keep your pitcher under control. Second, didn't the Rays trade away Delmon Young for Matt Garza because of Young's character concerns? Well, Seems like Matt's not exactly a good Samaritan either.

If you remember, Michael Barrett was traded shortly after the fight with Zambrano, but don't look for either of these talented young players to be moved any time soon.

Jason Should Teach Baseball Players Brazilian Ju-Jitsu....

Did you see the two recent baseball fights? My God, someone land a punch!

Johnny Gomes was the only one who did any real damage, and he had to mount Coco Crisp in order to do so. James Shields and Chount Chocula both threw some weak hooks.

I'm most surprised at Matt Kemp. Kemp is a bad-ass athlete and I have no doubt that he knows how to fight a little bit. However, even he looked pretty weak.

If I was a coach, I would fine people for starting fights that they can't finish.

A Pair Of Middle Infielders

The Yanks next picks are David Adams a Junior from Virgina and Corban Joseph a SS from Franklin High School.

Adams is a "solid hard nosed player" that gets ultimate praise from scouts for being a "real baseball player." He's coming off a down season but has hit in the past.

Scouting reports courtesy of MLB.com

Second Round Joseph Scott Bittle

Bittle is a college closer who doesn't project as a closer in the MLB. He has good stuff and could be an effective middle reliever. Still no position prospects. Doesn't this concern anyone else?

Baseball America on Bittle:

Taken by the Yankees in the 48th round of last year’s draft, Bittle elected not to sign and transferred to Ole Miss this season from Northwest Texas CC. He was thrown into the closer’s role for the Rebels and has dominated SEC hitters all season, putting up Nintendo type numbers. He has tallied an almost 5 to 1 K/BB ratio, striking out close to two batters per inning pitched.

Uncharacteristic for a closer, Bittle’s fastball is just an average pitch, with velocity between the 88-91 mph range. However, Bittle pitches mainly off his cut fastball — a devastating late breaking pitch in the mid-80s that has two-plane movement similar to a slider. Bittle is able to command this pitch down in the zone and creates a ton of swings and misses by starting it just above the knees and having it drop just below the strike-zone. He also effectively mixes in a changeup, freezing unsuspecting hitters.

At 6-foot-1, 212 pounds, and without an above-average fastball, Bittle does not fit the typical closer’s profile in the major leagues. He will most likely be a long relief or setup man in the pros. Once signed, he should move quickly as his command and stuff are close to major league ready.

Gerrit Cole!

Baseball America scouting report on Cole:

Cole is the best righthander out of Southern California since Phil Hughes starred at Santa Ana’s Foothills High in 2004. Cole’s four-seam fastball ranges from 93-96 mph, occasionally peaking at 97-98. He adds a hard, late-breaking curve which shows bite, tilt and depth. Cole used his changeup sparingly early in the season, though he used it more later. Adding to Cole’s considerable appeal to scouts is his tall, lanky and projectable frame, which is nearly ideal for a prep righthander. Scouts are split over whether Cole profiles as a starter or closer. He maintains velocity and pitch movement deep into games, but his inconsistent command and tendency to run up high pitch counts may move him to the bullpen. Some scouts have compared him to Mariners closer J.J. Putz. Cole does bring mechanical concerns. He lands on a stiff front leg, and he recoils his arm during his follow-through. Both hurt control and raise injury concerns. Complicating the situation, Cole’s adviser is the Scott Boras Corp., which may eliminate many clubs from consideration. Cole also hasn’t endeared himself to scouts or teammates with what one scout described as his immature mound demeanor.

Typical Yankee pick. When you have the resources to pay players out of slot (and subsequently paying prep arms not to go to college) you have a big advantage. Hopefully Cole matures with time. The Yankees are loaded with young power arms.

The Yankees second pick was a "sandwich pick" that was aquired by letting Luis Vizcaino go to Colorado as a free agent. Stanford LHP Jeremy Bleich was selected with the 44th pick.

I don't know a ton about Bleich but from what I've read this pick is regarded as a reach. I know in a draft you don't want to reach for need however with the large amount of arms and the total lack of position players we in the minors I don't know how taking another pitcher (and one with limited upside) makes sense.

Back with more draft thoughts a little later.

Hall of Fame Considerations: You Decide

So, Here's to the class of 2013!

That's right, we're looking five years ahead in order to ask you to cast your hypothetical votes. Stay with me people.

You can vote for two of the following five men. For this exercise, we will assume that none of the below will play this season. We'll also provide you with statistics that you need to know. (Remember, Batting Average doesn't exist in our world.)

All Stats courtesy of the Hardball Times

Mike Piazza, C - .377 OBP, 427 HR, .922 OPS

Throughout his career, I would go on is arias about his terrible defense, but I think that we can put that aside when we look at how good his offense was.

Craig Biggio, C/CF/2B - .363 OBP, 291 HR, .796 OPS, 414 SB

The name sake for baseball's position difficulty scale, Biggio played all over the diamond and was the heart of the Houston Astros for almost twenty years. Not to mention that he was from Smithtown, Long Island.

Barry Bonds, OF - .444 OBP, 762 HR, 1.051 OPS, 514 SB

Those are some pretty outrageous numbers! If I didn't know any better, I would think he was on ster....oh, Wait.

Roger Clemens - 3.12 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, A Whole lot of Accolades.

I won't bore you with complicated pitching stats. He's really good. So good, that he might be on....oh, yea. Yea, but he slept with that hot contry singer. Wait, She was 15? Really?

Sammy Sosa, OF - .344 OBP, 609 HR, .878 OPS, 234 SB

It's Soooooo Real. Sammy was real good, but did anyone notice how big he got later in his career. Weird.

So, there you have it. Five men who statistically deserve to be first ballot hall of famers. However, you only get to vote for two of them. What happens now?

Let us know in the comments.

Joba Probably Likes Meat Also. Inning 3.

8:00 Remember when the debate was about whether or not Joba should have even been called up to relief last year? The same people that didn't want him to be called up now want to keep him a reliever. People have short memories

8:01 Bobby made a play by the wall my god! One away.

8:02 4 Pitch walk on another questionable pitch and that's it. 62 Pitches. Standing ovation fr Joba as he leaves the field. He throws his hat and glove as he sits down and has an expression that shows he was not pleased with his performance.

Overall impressions.

He certainly came out of the gate fired up and I think that played a role is his early control struggles. He was throwing hard but I don't think he did a great job of mixing up his pitches. I don't think he threw the change at all.

As I said earlier today was just a minor step in Jobas overall development. You would have liked to see him last a little longer and face more batters but again this is a long process.

I'll chime in from time to time but in terms of a play by play this ends our festivities. As long as I'm home I'll try to make a habit of Blogging Jobas starts.

Enjoy the game!

Joba V The World: Inning 2

18 Balls 20 Strikes: 38 Pitches

Inning 2

7:43 Joba seems to have calmed down and is hitting his spots exactly on the first two pitches. He misses with two breaking balls 2-2. Just misses on a pitch that was a strike for Halladay and not Joba.

3-2 again and Brad Wilkerson hits what looks like a harmless fly ball but somehow ends up being caught on the warning track

7:45 46 Pitches. Haven't seen the change up yet as he blows away David Eckstein on 98 MPH fastball with a little cut on it.

7:47 Shannon Stewart the sequel. Fly ball to right. 55 Pitches

2-1 at the end of the inning.

7:54 Just got into a rousing debate with my friend Brian, who came over for the game about meat. He doesn't believe in it...I do

In other news Harlan Chamberlain count 1.

Johnny Damon Cycle count 2.

2-1 Yanks after 2.

Joba back on the mound and we'll start a new thread for what could be Jobas final inning tonight.

Yankee Game: Joba's First Start. Live Blog! Inning 1

Technical delays. Were back now though.

Joba is warming up.

7:10 - It sounds like the playoffs at Yankee stadium!

92 MPH Fastball. He's going to have to lower the velocity to maintain stamina. Mike Kay says he has a 70 pitch count. Hit 96 on a fastball with a lot of movement on the second pitch.

7:11 -98 on a 1-2 fastball. I wonder if he's overthrowing a little here. He is certainly fire up. I like the Joba Stubble. An 8 pitch first at bat does not bode well for him lasting long into this game.

This crowd is going to go nuts with a strike out here.

7:12 Stewart walks a walk. Good at bat by both pitcher and hitter, Joba didn't throw many breaking pitches.

Did I mention Joba is on my fantasy team? This is either going to be reaaaaalllly awesome or reallly sucky.

7:13 Remember the playoff game when Joba was a little wild and overthrowing. That's what this is reminding me of.

Another full count.

7:15 Joba Pitch Count 14.

And there's the first K of Jobas career....on a hanging breaking ball.

And there's the first balk of Jobas career. I don't know about that he went to first on the pickoff. I don't get that call at all.

7:17 When you can throw 97 and 77 with a fastball curve combo it's pretty deadly.

1-2 count on Rios but Stewart moves to 3rd on a walk, balk and passed ball.

7:20 Well that's small ball for you. 1-0 Blue Jays on a weak ground ball fielders choice.

101? Ok...the Yankee radar is on steroids.

Nasty slider. 1-2 single by Rolen.

Jobas missing just slightly but this is why the lord invented SABERmetric stats. walk, balk, passed ball, a fielders choice and a weak single that finds just the right spot on the infield.

Pitch Count 28. Another walk.

7:24 A somewhat tight strike zone so far. Joba goes full again. He's missing his spots. 33 pitches this inning. He's never throw more than 40 in a game.

Another walk on a good curve ball out of the zone that Overbay a patient hitter held up on.

The Yanks just picked up the phone to call the bullpen.

7:27 Al Lieter makes a good point. The Jays know Jobas pitch count limit and know that an unproven commodity, Dan Giese, is following him up. There taking a lot of pitches and that could be factoring into their motivation a lot.

Strike out too end the inning.

3 walks, 2k's 1 run and 38 pitches.

At this rate Joba might not see the lineup a second time through and that won't be good for his development.

7:31 Damon triples. Joba averages 14.1 an inning so were looking at probably only two more innings of Joba. Chris Britton was sent down to make room for Giese. DFA LaTroy!

7:38 You gotta wonder how much playing the field really took out of Matsui. Being a DH has revived him. RBI single for Matsui. 1rst and 2nd 1-1.

7:40 Wow terrible strike call on a pitch that was more than questionable on Giambino, a hitter with a great eye.

and Wow part two Giambi goes the other way on the ground and says eff you shift. 2-1 Yanks.

and not shockingly enough Cano swings at anything that moves. I hate him.

Back with a new post as Joba takes the mound!

Live Blog Of Jobas First Start!

Our last live blog got great results so were at it again!

Get in front of a T.V. and your computer at 7:05 as the 3SS provides a live analysis of Joba's first start in pin stripes!

Here's an Interesting Situation...

Josh Hamiliton is a beast.

He deserves a contract extension, and rumor has it that the Rangers want to give him similar to those that other stellar young players like Hanley Ramirez or Evan Longoria received.

However, I don't know if that will fly with Hamilton. Josh is not a young player, he's 27, and this may be his only shot at really cashing in. Therefore, why would he want to take a contract that could be below what he would receive on the open market?

If you are the Rangers, then you are going to try to use Josh's former drug problem as a way to save money. It really does seem that he's put it behind him, and I don't think anyone really wants to bring it up again. However, it is technically still large concern.

We'll monitor this situation more as we go forward. It could be really interesting.

Whats Wrong With Delmon D Young?

Lets dig a little deeper and find out whats wrong with former Anthony DeFranco fantasy star Delmon D. Young.

Last year at age 21 Young looked like a rising star. He seemed like a player who could challenge for the batting title as early as this year. He has power, more line drive power than home run pop, but has the potential to hit 20 long balls.

So what's the difference this year, let's go to the stats!

His LD% has dropped dramatically. He's hovering at just over 16% this year, down from 26% in 06 [in 30 games] and 21% last year. His BABIP has dropped from .338 last year to .318, this usually indicates being "unlucky" as a batter, however since his LD% is down so drastically you could assume his balls hit into play are just easier to field (backing this up is the fact that his Ground Ball Percentage is up from 46% to 62%.)

Another problem with Young is that he doesn't walk. He walks roughly once per every 12 AB's and strikes out once per every 6 AB's.

So when Anthony says "Young's stats tell a lot of the story, but also, he just looks like he forgot how to swing the bat. " He's right.

It just seems like he's out their hacking with out any real approach at the plate. This might not be troubling for ever 22 year old rising star but, when you take into account Delmons character issues you wonder if he really has the discipline to turn it around.

Hebrew Hammer You Confuse Me

Remember when Ryan J Bruan set the world on fire last year?

Last year he hit .324/.370/.634

This year he's hitting .298/.329/.570

Now thats a pretty impressive line, and he's on pace to hit 40 homers this year so he hasn't had a sophomore slump.

However whats interesting is how drastically his splits have changed.

Last year he was a lefty killer. He hit .450/.516/.964 against lefties (111 at bats)

That's insane. A 1.480 OPS? Wow

Now this year he's hitting a more pedestrian .264/.300/.451 against lefties. In fact he's hitting right handers better and only one of his 14 homers has come off a left handed pitcher.

The Brewers have struggled this year and their inability to hit right handers is a big part of their troubles. They have a bizarre team spit.

.245/.313/.398/ Vs. Right
.265/.343/.427 Vs. Left

I love baseball statistics.

What the Hell Happened to Delmon Young?

Yes, I'm back. I'm rested, and ready to blog.

- So, remember last year when Delmon Young was an exciting, can't miss prospect? Well, after watching the last two games of this Yanks-Twins series, I find myself wondering how a player can go from so good to so bad so quickly.

Young's stats tell a lot of the story, but also, he just looks like he forgot how to swing the bat.

- Another interesting note from this game is Darrell Rasner being Darrell Rasner. We all love the great story of an unheard guy coming up and contributing to a winning team, but the truth is that he simply isn't that great. Rasner is showing the difference between and an ace and a 3rd or 4th starter. Rasner has given up three runs so far, and he just doesn't seem to miss bats. When the ball is being put in play alot, there's alot of chances for things to go wrong, especially with a defense as weak as the Yankees. Rasner is nothing more than a guy that doesn't throw many pitches and allows the bullpen to rest. That's not going to win you any championships.

Josh Hamilton, Big Brown And The SABRE Triple Crown

About a week ago they debated on P.T.I whether Josh Hamilton can win the triple crown. I though it was a silly question, Hamilton doesn't hit for average enough to win the batting title.

However, that question got me thinking of how outdated the standard MLB triple crown is.

The current triple crown metrics are Batting Average, HR's, and RBI's.

Batting Average doesn't take into account walks and we know On Base Percentage is a much better sadistic to measure your hitting ability.

RBI's are an outdated stat for the triple crown because they aren't an individual stat. You need men on base to get RBI's.

So we here at the 3ss bring you the first ever SABREmetric Triple Crown

On Base Percentage/Slugging Percentage/Home Runs

Here's who leads the MLB in each category:

OBP%:
NL: Chipper Jones (.490)
AL: Milton Bradley (.434)

SLG%
NL: Lance Berkman (.759)
AL: Carlos Queintin (.599)

HR:
NL: Berkman, Utley, Uggla (16)
AL: Carolos Quentin (14)

Let's Hope He's Ryan Bruan V 2.0

Rob Neyer today: "Has there ever been a more obvious call-up in the history of the sport?"

Bruce is killing Triple A (.364/.393/.630)

If he's available in your fantasy league snap him up before someone else does.