best peak by a DH ever?

[Blackout]

it's hard to do since most players don't spend 5 years straight as a primary D.H.



but here we go, based on 162 games:




edgar martinez: .334/.455/.579, 48 doubles, 1 triple, 30 HR, 113 RBI, 114 Runs, 4 SB, 123 BB, 165 OPS+


david ortiz: .302/.402/.612, 46 doubles, 2 triples, 46 HR, 141 RBI, 115 Runs, 1 SB, 102 BB, 156 OPS+


frank thomas: .280/.399/.553, 37 doubles, 39 HR, 117 RBI, 99 Runs, 1 SB, 109 BB, 144 OPS+


travis hafner: .291/.400/.556, 31 doubles, 1 triple, 28 HR, 94 RBI, 81 Runs, 1 SB, 74 BB, 150 OPS+



Hal McRae: .297/.359/.471, 46 doubles, 7 triples, 16 HR, 92 RBI, 93 Runs, 19 SB, 56 BB, 128 OPS+

[EricAnno]

I don't think it's really close.

I'll take Edgar Martinez. Though Hal McRae gets bonus points for...well, you all know...:think:

Now stick that in your f***ing pipe and smoke it!

[Scoops]

What about this line?

.318/.390/.480, 37 doubles, 7 triples, 18 HR, 92 RBI, 111 Runs, 23 SB, 77 BB, 135 OPS+

Well... it's better than McRae, at least.

[dgarza]

What about this line?

.318/.390/.480, 37 doubles, 7 triples, 18 HR, 92 RBI, 111 Runs, 23 SB, 77 BB, 135 OPS+

Well... it's better than McRae, at least.Hafner? Molitor? Chili Davis? Rico Carty? Canseco? Baylor? Baines?

[dominik]

What where thomes best years. I guess he played more than five years as a DH(at least more than 80% games of the season at that pos.).

[dgarza]

What where thomes best years. I guess he played more than five years as a DH(at least more than 80% games of the season at that pos.).
I think he's been a DH only 4 years now.

[538280]

Hafner? Molitor? Chili Davis? Rico Carty? Canseco? Baylor? Baines?

That's Molitor.

How about this line:

.291/.400/.556 40 doubles, 2 triples, 35 HR, 119 RBI, 101 Runs, 2 SB, 93 BB, 150 OPS+

Or this one:

.249/.395/.530 17 doubles, 2 triples, 33 HR, 81 RBI, 81 Runs, 3 SB, 100 BB, 149 OPS+

[PVNICK]

I went Edgar, but shouldn't McRae get some kinda bonus points for having them change the rulebook on his account. He was probably the fiercest baserunner of his generation.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I went Edgar, but shouldn't McRae get some kinda bonus points for having them change the rulebook on his account. He was probably the fiercest baserunner of his generation.

Edgar Martinez, and it's not even close.

Edgar posted a higher OWP in his best season than any other DH, and had more consecutive years with a .700 or better OWP than any other DH.

[dgarza]

That's Molitor.

I figured :gt

I was also using that line as a lead to point out other DHs that might have been good to add to the poll.

[Extra Innings]

Molitor's the only guy in the Hall of Fame that went in as a DH. I wonder if Thome makes it, if he'll be in the same categeory..?

[willshad]

Edgar Martinez, and it's not even close.

Edgar posted a higher OWP in his best season than any other DH, and had more consecutive years with a .700 or better OWP than any other DH.

If you don't think that Ortiz is 'close' to Edgar for peak, then I'd love to see what you WOULD consider close. Edgar walked more, but Ortiz was producing a lot more runs. I can see how you can pick Martinez if you are an on base percentage freak, but to say that it isn't close seems odd. Are we suppsoed to be penalizing guys that may have taken steroids? Ortiz also finished way better in the MVP voting..5 years in a row in the top 5 in the voting. That's hard to beat.

[Paul Wendt]

it's hard to do since most players don't spend 5 years straight as a primary D.H.

What is a primary DH?
Does it mean a player's primary position, which may cover 30 games at DH among 50 games in all roles? or a team's primary player in the role, which may imply 81 or 100 or 135 games?


What where thomes best years. I guess he played more than five years as a DH(at least more than 80% games of the season at that pos.).
80% of team games is a high threshold to define a team's regular player in a role but it's plausible that "best peak seasons" at a position does imply at least 80% of team games played.

After this season Jim Thome will have four seasons primarily as DH, 2006-2009, but only two 80% seasons at DH, 2006 and 2008.


How commonly does anyone play 80% of team games at DH? (That is 130 games for a team that plays 162.) Through 2006 the answer was 80 times in 468 team-seasons, about 17%, only 2.3 per season!

Who achieved those eighty 80% seasons? Only nine different players have three or more!

number of 80% seasons at DH, 1973-2006
7 Chili Davis, Edgar Martinez
6
5 Baylor
4 Baines, McRae, Molitor
3 Kingman, Luzinski, Frank Thomas

Among them only Martinez (6), Davis (5) and Molitor (4) were 80% players at DH during four consecutive seasons.

Notes.
The timespan is 1973 to 2006 only.

The threshold is 80% of all team games played. During the last ten seasons covered, 1997 to 2006, that was about 85% of team games played under the DH rule, because AL teams routinely played 9 games under NL rules. Before 1997 there were 63 "80% seasons" at DH, about 19% of teams or 2.6 per season. Beginning 1997 there were 17, about 12% of teams or 1.7 per season.


How commonly does anyone play 50% of team games at DH? (That is 81 games for a team that plays 162.) Through 2006 the answer was 249 times in 468 team-seasons, about 53%, only 7.3 per season.
Before 1997: 194 times, about 57% or 8.1 per season.
Beginning 1997: 55 times, about 39% or 5.5 per season. (50% of games = 53% of games under the DH rule.)

[Iron Jaw]

Best peak by a DH?

1972.............the last time that neither league had a Degenerated Hitter.:hissyfit:

[Blackout]

it means that player had to be DH more than any other position for the 5 years

[leecemark]

If you don't think that Ortiz is 'close' to Edgar for peak, then I'd love to see what you WOULD consider close. Edgar walked more, but Ortiz was producing a lot more runs. I can see how you can pick Martinez if you are an on base percentage freak, but to say that it isn't close seems odd. Are we suppsoed to be penalizing guys that may have taken steroids? Ortiz also finished way better in the MVP voting..5 years in a row in the top 5 in the voting. That's hard to beat.

--Weren't you just saying in the catcher thread that Bench was overrated because of his RBI totals? Isn't "producing alot more runs" just a way of giving Ortiz credit for his RBIs? I actually agree with you that its close between Martinez and Ortiz, but at least try and be consistent over the course of the same evening:laugh