1. Brandon Guyer isn’t a name you hear very often, but he currently has been hit by a pitch a major-league leading 20 times this season. Since 1901, only 81 times has a player ever been hit at least 20 times in a season. Tampa Bay’s Guyer has done it while playing in just 51 (!) games so far in 2016. Ron Hunt, who was hit fifty times in 1971, currently holds the record for most HBP in a season. Guyer would be on pace to break Hunts record if he played a full season.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
2. I feel like I mention Clayton Kershaw every time I write one of these articles. To be honest, I probably do, but I do not feel bad about it. He is that good. At the break, Kershaw currently leads all starters with a 0.727 WHIP. If the season finished today, Kershaw’s WHIP would be the lowest mark ever for a pitcher who started at least 60% of their games and qualified for the ERA title. The current record is held by Pedro Martinez, who posted a .737 WHIP in 2000. Kershaw seems to be on the verge of setting a record every season (or every start, really).
Associated Press
3. Miguel Cabrera has been so good for so long that I think people tend to forget just how talented of a hitter he is. Since the 2012 All-Star Game (July 10th) – about four years ago – Cabrera leads MLB in batting average (.327), slugging (.570), and OPS (.977). Cabrera is the definition of consistency, and is well on his way to the Hall of Fame. Enjoy –and appreciate — being able to watch one of the greatest hitters of all-time for as long as you can.
(Photo by Brad Mangin)
4. Juan Pierre no longer plays baseball, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t talk about him. He was a really fun player to watch, and he had a long career in the big leagues. However, he doesn’t necessarily seem like a guy who would hold any all-time records. Right? Wrong. Pierre has the highest career contact percentage — 93.7 percent — of any hitter in baseball history. When Pierre was at the plate you could count on him to put the ball in play.
Photo: AP
5. Michael Pineda is having one of the most — if not the most — bizarre seasons for a pitcher in the history of baseball. He currently has a 10.67 K/9 and a 2.45 BB/9 in 2016. Only six different pitchers that have qualified for the ERA title have ever had a K/9 of 10.67 or better and BB/9 of 2.45 or less. Those six players are Curt Schilling (2x), Randy Johnson (1x), Pedro Martinez (3x), Clayton Kershaw (2x), Chris Sale (2x), and Max Scherzer (1x). That is an elite group. Of those six pitchers – who have achieved this feat in a combined 11 seasons – the worst ERA in a season was Chris Sale’s 3.41 ERA in 2015. Michael Pineda’s ERA this season is currently 5.38. The numbers just do not add up, and even the Yankees do not have an answer for Pineda’s peculiar season.
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