Going a Whole Season With No Strikeouts
ALSO: WALKING WOUNDED WILL MAKE MAJOR IMPACT ON 2025 CAMPAIGN
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Pregame Pepper
Did you know…
Five clubs that didn’t spend a dime in the current free-agent market: Kansas City, Minnesota, San Diego, St. Louis, Seattle . . .
If the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t reach agreement with Maricopa County on a lease extension for decaying Chase Field, the team could relocate after the 2026 season . . .
Speaking of ballparks, FDR’s Works Progress Administration [WPA] built some 80 ballparks from 1934-40 in addition to bridges, roads, and tunnels . . .
Ailing Lou Gehrig stranded 10 base-runners in his last game as a Yankee in 1939 . . .
Seven years later, Jackie Robinson integrated Organized Ball during a spring exhibition game at City Island Park in Daytona Beach . . .
Also in 1946, future Brooklyn heroes Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella — two other up-and-coming black stars — helped future Brooklyn manager Walter Alston win a league title for the Nashua Dodgers in the Class B New England League . . .
Hall of Famer Roger Bresnahan not only invented shin guards but played every position, coaches, managed, owned a club in the minors, and saved lives after a deadly train crash.
Leading Off
Most Times Up In a Season — Without Ever Striking Out
By Andrew Sharp
Veteran SABR researcher and author Herm Krabbenhoft recently posted on the SABR-L email group a list of MLB players with the most times up in a season without being struck out.
Ten players in the live ball era, all in the National League, had 50 or more plate appearances in a season and never struck out, according to Krabbenhoft’s Stathead search.
By far the leader is Hall of Fame center-fielder Lloyd “Little Poison” Waner, who batted an amazing 234 times in 1941 without striking out. That’s more than twice as many times up as any other player who never struck out in a season.
So it’s no surprise that Waner ranks second on the list of men who played in at least 1,000 games since 1920 and were the hardest to strike out. He did it just once every 44.9 at bats, according to Baseball Reference. Based on plate appearances, Waner struck one every 48.2 times up.
Another Hall of Famer, longtime Cleveland shortstop Joe Sewell, struck out just once every 62.8 ABs (or every 73 plate appearances). Rest assured that no 21st Century player has topped those two.
The only post-World War II player even close to Waner and Sewell is Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox, who retired in 1965. He ranks fourth in fewest strikeouts per AB, but nearly equal to Waner per times up (once every 47.9). None of these guys was a slugger; each had several seasons with no more than a single home run.
Just as amazing as Waner’s ability to put the ball in play is pitcher Johnny Sain’s record as a batter in 1946. Sain came up 104 times and never struck out. He outdid the achievement of another pitcher on the top 10 list: Bill Sherdel, who in 1925 batted 79 times without striking out.
Tied for 10th on Krabbenhoft’s list was the only player in the past half-century to come up 50 times in a season and never strike out: Manny Mota in 1977 with the Dodgers.
Mota was the quintessential pinch-hitter. He got up exactly 50 times, had 15 hits, 10 walks and two sacrifice bunts in 49 games. His batting average was .395 and his on-base percentage was .521.
You have to go back three more decades to find another player with at least 50 plate appearances and no strikeouts.
In contrast, the American League player in the Live Ball era -- 1920 to date -- with the most plate appearances in a season without striking out is Bobby LaMotte, an obscure infielder who played briefly for the Washington Nationals/Senators in 1921. LaMotte did it over 16 games, and 49 plate appearances (41 ABs).
Negro Leagues seasons were not included because the statistics are incomplete, as are some A.L. and N.L. stats before 1920.)
Krabbenhoft also used the Stathead search engine to come up with a list of players with the most career plate appearances who never struck out. None of them had much more than the proverbial cup of coffee in the majors Just one player got up as many as 30 times without going down on strikes.
How prevalent are strikeouts in today’s game? The player in 2024 who got up the most time without a strikeout was Jason Daley of the Pirates, who had just 19 plate appearances. Next was Stone Garrett of the Nationals in just six times up.
Each of the top 20 players – there’s a tie for 20th – on the list of most strikeouts in a season has done it at least 200 times, all since 2008. Before then, no batter had ever fanned 200 times in a season.
But zero for the year? As we say in New Jersey, fuhgeddaboudit.
Andrew C. Sharp is a SABR member and retired journalist who lives in central New Jersey, but grew up in the D.C. area. He blogs about D.C. baseball at washingtonbaseballhistory.com
Cleaning Up
Return of Injured Players Will Impact 2025 Title Chases
By Dan Schlossberg
Some three-dozen prominent major-leaguers hope to return from surgery — some of them by Opening Day of the 2025 campaign.
Those walking wounded are likely to have a profound influence on the outcomes of the division races, playoffs, and World Series.
The list includes former MVPs Ronald Acuña, Jr. and Christian Yelich, former Cy Young Award winners Shane Bieber and Jacob deGrom, and erstwhile 20-game winners Kyle Wright and Spencer Strider.
Already out for the season are Joe Musgrove (Padres) and Alek Manoah (Blue Jays), along with Gavin Stone (Dodgers) and Joe Jimenez (Braves).
But the Boston Red Sox believe two injured starters, Lucas Giolito and Garrett Whitlock, will be ready for Opening Day, and are also hoping that potential closer Liam Hendricks, an Australian import, is finally recovered from Tommy John surgery.
Ditto Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lance McCullers Jr. of the Houston Astros, and Philadelphia’s Jordan Romano, just signed as a free agent after recovering from elbow surgery.
If the Astros also get a midseason return from Christian Javier, who had Tommy John surgery, Houston’s chances in the AL West will take a huge jump.
Likewise, the Milwaukee Brewers are banking on an early return by Brandon Woodruff, a pitcher sidelined for the entire 2024 season.
Bieber will return to Cleveland in midseason as well, along with outfielder David Fry, a surprise All-Star in 2024.
Another top starter expected to come off the shelf soon is Kodai Senga, who missed most of last season after starting well for the New York Mets.
But the biggest return on investment could be centered in Atlanta, where Acuña, Strider, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Sean Murphy, and Michael Harris II were all injured at the same time last season. If all are healthy, the Braves will be the team to beat in the NL East, even with Juan Soto now the king of Queens.
Strider led the majors in wins and strikeouts in 2023 but made only two starts in ‘24 when his elbow starting barking. Meanwhile, Acuña didn’t play after May 26, when he tore his ACL. So much for a repeat of his one-of-a-kind 40/70 season.
Probable second-half returnees, beyond Bieber, are Kyle Bradish (Orioles), Brusdar Graterol (Dodgers), Josiah Gray (Nationals), and Patrick Sandoval (Red Sox).
There are still dozens of free agents waiting to be signed, with teams studying the medical reports on players already under contract.
It’s going to be a very interesting spring training.
Former AP sportswriter Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ covers baseball for forbes.com, Memories & Dreams, USA TODAY Sports Weekly, Sports Collectors Digest, Here’s The Pitch, and many other outlets. He also writes baseball books, averaging one a year since 1974. Dan’s email is ballauthor@gmail.com.
Timeless Trivia: Potent Pitching Tandems
Now the Yankees have signed star southpaw Max Fried, they might have the best left-right tandem (with Gerrit Cole) in baseball . . .
Curt Schilling was part of a 1-2 punch twice: first with Randy Johnson for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and then with Pedro Martinez on the 2004 Boston Red Sox . . .
Before he was foolishly traded for Sam McDowell, Gaylord Perry was part of a powerful 1-2 punch for the Giants with Juan Marichal . . .
Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale formed a formidable left-right tandem for the Los Angeles Dodgers . . .
Perhaps the best 1-2 pitching tandem since the Second World War featured southpaw Warren Spahn and right-hander Lew Burdette of the Milwaukee Braves . . .
The Baltimore Orioles of Jim Palmer vintage had more than a 1-2 punch; they featured four 20-game winners, including Palmer, in the same season.
Know Your Editors
HERE’S THE PITCH is published daily except Sundays and holidays. Benjamin Chase [gopherben@gmail.com] handles the Monday issue with Dan Freedman [dfreedman@lionsgate.com] editing Tuesday and Jeff Kallman [easyace1955@outlook.com] at the helm on Wednesday and Thursday. The last original editor, Dan Schlossberg [ballauthor@gmail.com], edits the weekend editions on Friday and Saturday. Former editor Elizabeth Muratore [nymfan97@gmail.com] is now co-director [with Benjamin Chase and Jonathan Becker] of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, which publishes this newsletter and the annual ACTA book of the same name. Readers are encouraged to contribute comments, articles, and letters to the editor. HtP reserves the right to edit for brevity, clarity, and good taste.
Best pitching duo: Cardinals Gibson & Carlton!