What do Andy Messersmith, Jim Kaat, Phil Niekro, Steve Carlton, Joaquin Andujar and Fernando Valenzuela have in common?
They were all NL Gold Glove Award-winning pitchers who didn't deserve the honor. In each case, the Gold Glove Award should have gone to just one guy: Rick Reuschel. All told, ten seasons of Gold Glove snubs are represented by these six fine NL pitchers (Messersmith and Kaat both won two in a row, and Niekro won three in a row).
How did this happen? It may sound preposterous, but I have it figured out.
Andy Messersmith: GG in '74 and '75 for no real reason; at least it had nothing to do with actually "fielding" his position well. His Range Factor of 1.91 in '74 was slightly better than league average (1.88). He followed that up with a 1.51 in '75, which was significantly worse than league average. Let's face it: He was chosen simply because he was a high profile free agent who was signed by the Dodgers in '74 - and they went on to play (and lose) in the World Series. Somehow, the aura of all that notoriety lasted for another season; hence, the ridiculous second GG.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.77 Range Factor in '74 and a 2.95 in '75.
Jim Kaat: GG in '76 and '77 for no real reason; except his reputation from all those GG seasons in the AL carried over in his first two seasons in the NL. Kaat's Range Factor for both seasons was exactly 1.46. These would be the last of 16 Gold Glove Awards Kaat would bag. He actually deserved the first four.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.63 RF in '76 and a 2.57 in '77.
Phil Niekro: 3 straight GG - '78 (2.21 RF) - '79 (2.29 RF) & '80 (1.90 RF). Niekro had never won before, so it was simply his time. He was very good with the glove, but somebody else was better.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.52 RF in '78, a 2.86 RF in '79 and a 2.94 RF in '80. Do we detect a trend yet?
Steve Carlton was about as "high profile" as it gets for a pitcher in '81. He was a taciturn World Series champion in '80 and he was closing in on the 3000 career strikeout plateau. Of course, that has nothing to do with "fielding" - which Carlton rarely did that season (1.18 RF).
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.59 RF in '81. Can you believe it?
Reuschel was out of commission for the '82 and '83 seasons. When he came back in '84, he was still leading the NL with a 2.53 RF, but '82 World Series champion Joaquin Andujar posted a respectable 2.38 RF to take home the Gold. He was colorful, and that's good enough here, folks.
By 1985, the opposing coaches and managers in the NL finally realized this Rick Reuschel fellow was pretty darned good with the glove. He won GG number one with a 2.97 RF.
Fernando Valenzuela: GG in '86 with a very nice 2.54 RF. He almost deserved it.
Rick Reuschel led the NL with a 2.84 RF in '86, so it appears he should have won back-to-back Gold Glove Awards. But no.
However, Reuschel led the NL with a 2.50 RF in '87. Not coincidentally, his team - the San Francisco Giants - just happened to play the Cardinals in that season's NLCS, thus creating the perfect candidate for the GG: Big Daddy!
For his career, the underrated Reuschel had a career 2.52 RF (compared to NL average 1.89 RF). In the National League, only Greg Maddux was a better fielding pitcher in the history of the Gold Glove Award. He was a guy who deserved all 18 of his Gold Gloves; proving that sometimes, they do get it right.
Showing posts with label rick reuschel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rick reuschel. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
Did Jim Kaat Really Deserve 16 Gold Glove Awards?
There's very little doubt that Jim Kaat was the best fielding pitcher in the American League from 1962 through 1965. At the conclusion of each of those four seasons, Kaat was fittingly honored with four consecutive Gold Glove Awards.
The key defensive metric - Range Factor - was significantly better than what was "league average" over that four season span (as shown below):
Kaat Lg Avg
1962 - 2.94 - 2.08
1963 - 3.13 - 1.99
1964 - 2.37 - 1.90
1965 - 2.69 - 2.04
For some reason, in 1966, Kaat's fielding prowess diminished significantly. He was now just an average fielding pitcher, at best; although apparently, no one really noticed. As he aged, his skills diminished further, and by the early '70's, Kitty Kaat was significantly below average with the glove, as opposed to the guys who should have won the Gold Glove (as shown below):
Kaat Lg Avg Revised GG Award Winner (Range Factor)
1966 - 1.92 - 1.99 Joe Horlen (3.50)
1967 - 2.02 - 1.96 Tommy John (3.63) (Also won an imaginary '73 GG in the NL)
1968 - 1.77 - 1.89 Tommy John (3.25)
1969 - 1.41 - 1.88 Mel Stottlemyre (3.33)
1970 - 2.27 - 1.86 Joe Horlen (3.34)
1971 - 1.87 - 1.98 Mike Hedlund (2.76)
1972 - 1.91 - 1.86 Mel Stottlemyre (2.42)
1973 - 1.44 - 1.86 Mel Stottlemyre (2.47)
1974 - 1.53 - 1.81 Steve Busby (2.37)
1975 - 1.60 - 1.87 Steve Busby (2.56)
Yet, Jim Kaat still managed to win a Gold Glove Award, year in and year out.
In 1976, Kaat moved to the National League, winning his last two Gold Glove Awards - bringing his grand total to sixteen consecutive - a record for pitchers; equaling the major league record for most consecutive Gold Gloves won (Brooks Robinson - the greatest defensive third baseman of all-time also won 16 in a row):
Kaat Lg Avg
1976 - 1.46 - 1.88 Rick Reuschel (2.63) (Revised GG Winner)
1977 - 1.46 - 1.85 Rick Reuschel (2.57)
More often than not, the managers and coaches polled for this prestigious award get it right. They got it right the first four times with the affable Kaat. Somehow, they failed to notice the regression over those final twelve seasons. Consequently, they failed to notice the fielding prowess of Horlen (twice), John (twice), Stottlemyre (thrice), Hedlund (once), Busby (twice) and Reuschel (twice).
Kaat is a borderline Hall of Famer, who just missed getting voted in by the latest Veteran's Committee panel (needed 12 votes - got 10). Certainly, those in favor of his induction cite the 287 career wins he amassed in 25 major league seasons; not to mention his impressive collection of Rawlings' Gold Glove Awards - sixteen to be exact. Whereas this achievement earned Kaat a place in Rawlings' Hall of Fame in 1991, that grand total needs to be taken with a grain of salt when considering his true Hall of Fame credentials.
The key defensive metric - Range Factor - was significantly better than what was "league average" over that four season span (as shown below):
Kaat Lg Avg
1962 - 2.94 - 2.08
1963 - 3.13 - 1.99
1964 - 2.37 - 1.90
1965 - 2.69 - 2.04
For some reason, in 1966, Kaat's fielding prowess diminished significantly. He was now just an average fielding pitcher, at best; although apparently, no one really noticed. As he aged, his skills diminished further, and by the early '70's, Kitty Kaat was significantly below average with the glove, as opposed to the guys who should have won the Gold Glove (as shown below):
Kaat Lg Avg Revised GG Award Winner (Range Factor)
1966 - 1.92 - 1.99 Joe Horlen (3.50)
1967 - 2.02 - 1.96 Tommy John (3.63) (Also won an imaginary '73 GG in the NL)
1968 - 1.77 - 1.89 Tommy John (3.25)
1969 - 1.41 - 1.88 Mel Stottlemyre (3.33)
1970 - 2.27 - 1.86 Joe Horlen (3.34)
1971 - 1.87 - 1.98 Mike Hedlund (2.76)
1972 - 1.91 - 1.86 Mel Stottlemyre (2.42)
1973 - 1.44 - 1.86 Mel Stottlemyre (2.47)
1974 - 1.53 - 1.81 Steve Busby (2.37)
1975 - 1.60 - 1.87 Steve Busby (2.56)
Yet, Jim Kaat still managed to win a Gold Glove Award, year in and year out.
In 1976, Kaat moved to the National League, winning his last two Gold Glove Awards - bringing his grand total to sixteen consecutive - a record for pitchers; equaling the major league record for most consecutive Gold Gloves won (Brooks Robinson - the greatest defensive third baseman of all-time also won 16 in a row):
Kaat Lg Avg
1976 - 1.46 - 1.88 Rick Reuschel (2.63) (Revised GG Winner)
1977 - 1.46 - 1.85 Rick Reuschel (2.57)
More often than not, the managers and coaches polled for this prestigious award get it right. They got it right the first four times with the affable Kaat. Somehow, they failed to notice the regression over those final twelve seasons. Consequently, they failed to notice the fielding prowess of Horlen (twice), John (twice), Stottlemyre (thrice), Hedlund (once), Busby (twice) and Reuschel (twice).
Kaat is a borderline Hall of Famer, who just missed getting voted in by the latest Veteran's Committee panel (needed 12 votes - got 10). Certainly, those in favor of his induction cite the 287 career wins he amassed in 25 major league seasons; not to mention his impressive collection of Rawlings' Gold Glove Awards - sixteen to be exact. Whereas this achievement earned Kaat a place in Rawlings' Hall of Fame in 1991, that grand total needs to be taken with a grain of salt when considering his true Hall of Fame credentials.
Monday, August 11, 2014
August 11, 1987 - Cards Win See-Saw Battle in Pittsburgh
Tuesday, August 11, 1987 - At Three Rivers Stadium (John Tudor - Starting Pitcher) - Opponent: Pittsburgh Pirates (Rick Reuschel - Starting Pitcher) - Attendance: 14,637
In a see-saw battle with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals broke a 4-4 tie - scoring two runs in the top of the ninth - and then held on for dear life to come away with a nail-biting 6-5 win. Ken Dayley - who pitched two perfect innings of relief - improved to 7-2, as Todd Worrell minimized the calamity in the bottom of the ninth to record his 24th save of the season.
John Tudor had a rough outing - allowing four runs in just five innings of work - but had been sidelined for most of the season after a freak dugout mishap in mid-April resulted in a smashed kneecap. He would eventually return to form as the season progressed, but would only make sixteen starts - about half of what he would normally log had he been able to avoid any trips to the DL.
For the Pirates, Rick Reuschel was hit hard, but manager Jim Leyland left him in for a full nine innings of work, almost as if his entire bullpen crew had been kidnapped. In nine innings, the soon-to-be-traded veteran (to San Francisco) coughed up six runs on twelve hits - but at least he got the complete game. To the casual observer, it seemed that Leyland either lost his senses, or fell into a coma - right in the middle of a very important game. But that's okay - the Cardinals won.
The Redbirds scored first, on Terry Pendleton's solo second-inning home run off the durable but ineffective Reuschel.
However, the Pirates quickly took the lead in the bottom of the second off a rusty Tudor - when Andy Van Slyke led-off with a single - then scored on Sid Bream's two-run shot deep to right.
St Louis tied the game in the fourth - on John Morris' two-out single - scoring Tommy Herr from third.
Pittsburgh untied it in the bottom of the fourth - on Johnny Ray's two-out solo blast.
After the Cardinals failed to score in the top of the fifth, the Pirates added another run in the bottom half - when Darnell Coles singled home Reuschel (who walked) from third.
Nursing a two-run lead, a tiring Reuschel went back to work in the sixth-inning - but couldn't hold the lead. Ozzie Smith started the rally with an infield single which third baseman Bobby Bonilla couldn't make a play on. Herr then doubled home Ozzie, as the Pirates bullpen was still missing in action. Meanwhile, Leyland began nodding off in the Pirates dugout, incredibly, with a lit cigarette dangling from his lower lip.
In the meantime, Willie McGee advanced Herr to third on a ground out to first baseman Bream - to Reuschel for the putout. Pendleton then tied the game once again - with a base hit to center.
Herzog - who rarely fell asleep in the dugout - brought in reliever Steve Peters to pitch the sixth-inning - and he survived it - two hits but no runs.
Meanwhile, Reuschel worked a scoreless seventh and eighth, while Ken Dayley - in relief of Peters - did the same.
The Cardinals broke through again in the ninth, when Tony Pena started a one-out rally with a single to left. Pinch hitting for Ken Dayley - Jose Oquendo - reached on another infield single which Bonilla could do nothing with. Vince Coleman also reached on an infield single to Bonilla - loading the bases. Concerned fans now were contacting local authorities as to the whereabouts of anyone matching the description of any relief pitcher currently under contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Ozzie then scored Pena from third on what is referred to as a "fielder's choice". The name and position of the "fielder" remains a mystery to this day; however, we do know that Smith was safe at first to re-load the bases for Herr - who scored Jose from third with a sacrifice fly to right field. That ended the scoring. As it turned out, those two extra runs were just enough to ensure victory.
Todd Worrell made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Consecutive singles by Cangelosi and Bonds put runners on first and second. The situation turned grave when the devious Al Pedrique laid down a perfect bunt which Worrell couldn't reach in time to get the speedy Pedrique.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Worrell decided it was time to wriggle out of this predicament. He retired R.J. Reynolds on a fly ball to right - although it scored Cangelosi from third. Bonilla - who had a tough day in the field and especially at the plate (0 for 5) - struck out on some high heat. Worrell then got the dangerous Van Slyke on a pop fly to Ozzie - to end this crazy game.
Reuschel took the hard-earned complete game loss (8-6) - but proved he could pitch nine innings - regardless of the circumstances. He would make just one more start as a member of the Pirates - a six-inning no decision effort - before being shipped off to bolster the Giants' stretch run to the postseason.
Big Daddy would make two starts against the Cardinals in the '87 NLCS - losing Game 1 and getting a no decision in Game 5 - a game eventually won by the Giants. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this trade were the Cardinals. After all, had they lost Game 1, they would have lost the series to San Francisco in five games.
In a see-saw battle with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals broke a 4-4 tie - scoring two runs in the top of the ninth - and then held on for dear life to come away with a nail-biting 6-5 win. Ken Dayley - who pitched two perfect innings of relief - improved to 7-2, as Todd Worrell minimized the calamity in the bottom of the ninth to record his 24th save of the season.
John Tudor had a rough outing - allowing four runs in just five innings of work - but had been sidelined for most of the season after a freak dugout mishap in mid-April resulted in a smashed kneecap. He would eventually return to form as the season progressed, but would only make sixteen starts - about half of what he would normally log had he been able to avoid any trips to the DL.
For the Pirates, Rick Reuschel was hit hard, but manager Jim Leyland left him in for a full nine innings of work, almost as if his entire bullpen crew had been kidnapped. In nine innings, the soon-to-be-traded veteran (to San Francisco) coughed up six runs on twelve hits - but at least he got the complete game. To the casual observer, it seemed that Leyland either lost his senses, or fell into a coma - right in the middle of a very important game. But that's okay - the Cardinals won.
The Redbirds scored first, on Terry Pendleton's solo second-inning home run off the durable but ineffective Reuschel.
However, the Pirates quickly took the lead in the bottom of the second off a rusty Tudor - when Andy Van Slyke led-off with a single - then scored on Sid Bream's two-run shot deep to right.
St Louis tied the game in the fourth - on John Morris' two-out single - scoring Tommy Herr from third.
Pittsburgh untied it in the bottom of the fourth - on Johnny Ray's two-out solo blast.
After the Cardinals failed to score in the top of the fifth, the Pirates added another run in the bottom half - when Darnell Coles singled home Reuschel (who walked) from third.
Nursing a two-run lead, a tiring Reuschel went back to work in the sixth-inning - but couldn't hold the lead. Ozzie Smith started the rally with an infield single which third baseman Bobby Bonilla couldn't make a play on. Herr then doubled home Ozzie, as the Pirates bullpen was still missing in action. Meanwhile, Leyland began nodding off in the Pirates dugout, incredibly, with a lit cigarette dangling from his lower lip.
In the meantime, Willie McGee advanced Herr to third on a ground out to first baseman Bream - to Reuschel for the putout. Pendleton then tied the game once again - with a base hit to center.
Herzog - who rarely fell asleep in the dugout - brought in reliever Steve Peters to pitch the sixth-inning - and he survived it - two hits but no runs.
Meanwhile, Reuschel worked a scoreless seventh and eighth, while Ken Dayley - in relief of Peters - did the same.
The Cardinals broke through again in the ninth, when Tony Pena started a one-out rally with a single to left. Pinch hitting for Ken Dayley - Jose Oquendo - reached on another infield single which Bonilla could do nothing with. Vince Coleman also reached on an infield single to Bonilla - loading the bases. Concerned fans now were contacting local authorities as to the whereabouts of anyone matching the description of any relief pitcher currently under contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
Ozzie then scored Pena from third on what is referred to as a "fielder's choice". The name and position of the "fielder" remains a mystery to this day; however, we do know that Smith was safe at first to re-load the bases for Herr - who scored Jose from third with a sacrifice fly to right field. That ended the scoring. As it turned out, those two extra runs were just enough to ensure victory.
Todd Worrell made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Consecutive singles by Cangelosi and Bonds put runners on first and second. The situation turned grave when the devious Al Pedrique laid down a perfect bunt which Worrell couldn't reach in time to get the speedy Pedrique.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Worrell decided it was time to wriggle out of this predicament. He retired R.J. Reynolds on a fly ball to right - although it scored Cangelosi from third. Bonilla - who had a tough day in the field and especially at the plate (0 for 5) - struck out on some high heat. Worrell then got the dangerous Van Slyke on a pop fly to Ozzie - to end this crazy game.
Reuschel took the hard-earned complete game loss (8-6) - but proved he could pitch nine innings - regardless of the circumstances. He would make just one more start as a member of the Pirates - a six-inning no decision effort - before being shipped off to bolster the Giants' stretch run to the postseason.
Big Daddy would make two starts against the Cardinals in the '87 NLCS - losing Game 1 and getting a no decision in Game 5 - a game eventually won by the Giants. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this trade were the Cardinals. After all, had they lost Game 1, they would have lost the series to San Francisco in five games.
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