Record Setting Pace
With the season nearing the midway point, I thought it’d be fun to look at how our SBa players are doing in comparison to all-time MLB single season records, as well as our own SBa records. I’ve selected a few stats to look at for this piece, but if there is anything you’d like me to look at maybe I’ll make this into a series. Let’s start with some offensive stats. First up: doubles!
Doubles MLB Record: 67, Earl Webb - 1931
SBa Record: 35, Donovan Solano - S3
The MLB record for doubles is wildly unobtainable. This record is nearly untouchable. Nicholas Castellanos made a valiant effort at it in 2019 when he hit 58. But here in SBa we’re blessed with small sample size freaks of nature. Andrew Stevenson has slugged an unbelievable 20 doubles through 40 games in season 4, and it doesn’t take a math degree to realize that a pace of 1 double every other game would be enough to set the MLB single season record. Stevenson is on pace for an incredible 81 doubles if extrapolated to 162 games. A potential MVP candidate in S4, Stevenson should be fun to watch.
Also keep an eye on Ketel Marte (19) and Ronald Acuna Jr (18) who would also be on pace to break the single season doubles record.
As for Solano’s SBa record? 5 players are already on pace to either tie or wipe this off the books.
Home Runs
MLB Record: 73, Barry Bonds - 2001
SBa Record: 37, Joey Gallo - S3
Barry Bonds’ roided up 2001 season was maybe the greatest achievement in baseball history. No batter in SBa history has finished a season with the sort of pace Bonds achieved. Currently there are 4 players setting a really nice pace of 64.8 home runs, but still well shy of Bonds. Those 4 are Robinson Cano, Tyler Stephenson, Randy Arozarena, and Byron Buxton.
They are all shy of the Gallo S3 pace, as well, as their SBa pace is about 35 dingers. Of those 4 big boppers, Robinson Cano is the most surprising. He has a solid power swing, but you’d be lying if you said you expected him to be near the top of this list before the season began. It’d be even more shocking if he kept up his pace. Tyler Stephenson is unfortunately injured for a few more weeks and likely won’t have much chance to catch up once his IL stint is done. Right now it looks like Byron Buxton and Randy Arozarena are the ones to root for here, as a good week or two and their pace could be right where it needs to be.
RBI
MLB Record: 191, Hack Wilson - 1930
SBa Record: 77, Christian Yelich - S3
RBIs have fallen from favor with the rise of sabermetrics, but they still hold a place in this writer’s heart. Hack Wilson’s 191 RBI season is a myth. There is no way this happened. The league didn’t even play 162 games back in this era. Not a chance any SBa slugger could match this pace, right? No, but Robinson Cano is actually putting up a scary pace of 182 RBIs. His SBa pace is 99 RBIs, which would absolutely shatter the current record. Could Cano somehow reach 100 RBIs in an 88 game season? I’d love to see it.
Yelich’s record is in serious jeopardy. Not only is Robinson Cano on pace to look back and laugh, but 6 other players are on pace to either tie or break it this season. That list includes Sam Huff, Jesse Winker, Ramon Urias, Byron Buxton, Corey Seager, and Randy Arozarena.
BB
MLB Record: 232, Barry Bonds - 2004
SBa Record: 73, Yasmani Grandal - S3
Seems like every offensive SBa record was set in S3. And look, it’s Barry Bonds again. Huh. OK, so nobody will catch Bonds’ pace unless we’re still in the first week of the season. That’s ridiculous. But the SBa record could be in jeopardy this season. Yolmer Sanchez is on pace for 79 walks and Paul Goldschmidt is heading towards 77. Jace Peterson isn’t too far off pace, either, with a pace of 75. Lots of patient swingers in the MLB these days leading to a lot of walks. Grandal’s record could be short-lived.
Strikeouts
MLB Record: 223, Mark Reynolds - 2009
SBa Record: 125, Javy Baez and Keston Hiura - S3
Strikeouts don’t actually hurt the club’s chances of winning all that much, right? That’s what they say anyway, and SBa players are doing their best to prove it. There are 8 players striking out at a pace that would tie or break the MLB single season record, led by Bobby Dalbec and Kyle Lewis, who are on pace for 263 embarrassing trips back to the dugout. Can you imagine a player breaking the single season strikeout record by 40? Wild. The SBa record has a good chance of falling this season with 6 on pace to break it.
Now let’s look at some pitcher records.
Wins
MLB Record: 27, Steve Carlton - 1972
SBa Record: 14, Charlie Morton - S2
You may notice that I’m cheating. The single-season MLB record is actually 60. But come on, that was set in like 1886 or something and they used their pitchers more ridiculously than I use Devin Williams. So I decided that the “modern” record would count, and I made the cut-off 1970. So there you go.
Well, with a weird 2020 and SBa managers doing everything they can to find an advantage, the single season Wins record would likely fall this season. Aaron Slegers is on pace for 40 wins if pushed to 162 games. He is pitching so often for a really good team and no wonder he has a chance at this thing. Fellow Los Muertos bullpen arm Erasmo Ramirez is just behind him setting a pace of 36 wins, and 2 others are also on pace to better Carlton’s record: Adbert Alzolay and Cesar Valdez.
The SBa record set by Morton is almost certainly doomed at this point. Slegers has 10 wins with more than half the season to go. It would be shocking if he didn’t get 4 more.
Innings Pitched
MLB Record: 343.0, Gaylord Perry - 1973
SBa Record: 143, Jacob deGrom - S2
Nobody is coming anywhere near Gaylord Perry, let alone the actual MLB record of 680 IP. Wow that’s stupid. And actually, the SBa record is probably pretty comfortably safe. Erasmo Ramirez leads the SBa with 60 IP through 40 games, setting him on pace for 132 IP. That’s pretty close, maybe with more usage… except that’s the absolute maximum number of innings Erasmo Ramirez is capable of pitching in a season.
Shane Bieber is sitting in 2nd place right now on pace for 130 IP. Maybe he can find a way? But not very likely. deGrom will hold onto this record for at least another season.
Strikeouts
MLB Record: 383, Nolan Ryan - 1973
SBa Record: 198, Gerrit Cole - S3
Gerrit Cole just finished putting himself in the SBa records books with an incredible 198 strikeout season. As his manager I was very disappointed that I wasn’t able to get him to crack 200. So will someone do it this season?
Probably. Devin Williams is being pushed hard and he is well above the pace to break Cole’s record. He is on pace for 222 strikeouts. Right on his tail is Jacob deGrom setting a pace of 215 strikeouts. Both of these electric pitchers could very easily reach the mark, unless injury or bad luck rears its ugly head.
And that Nolan Ryan record? Oh boy… it’s in trouble, too. Williams’ pace for a 162 game season is 409 strikeouts. Four hundred. And nine. deGrom is again right there, with a pace of 396. Either could potentially get there if we played enough games and if they stay healthy.
Saves
MLB Record: 62, Francisco Rodriguez - 2008
SBa Record: 21, Ken Giles - S3
Saves are another stat that many people tend to ignore. What does it even mean, really? But the SBa record could be in danger of becoming irrelevant this season. Yimi Garcia has recorded 11 saves this season, and his pace for the full 88 is over 24 saves. Alex Colome is also on a very near pace, as well, with 22. This one could be very interesting, seeing as saves are so erratic.
K-Rod is very safe though, with nobody on pace for anything over 44 saves.
Walks
MLB Record: 204, Nolan Ryan - 1977
SBa Record: 59, Patrick Corbin, S2
Not really a record you want. While Ryan’s record is very, very safe, Corbin’s record has a few contenders. And by contenders I mean Corbin better find another claim to fame. I almost wonder if there is an error in the database for this one, because Justus Sheffield, who currently leads the pack in SBa, is on pace for 97 walks. That’s nearly doubling the existing record. Walks are up in general, but I honestly did not see this coming. Sheffield has 44 walks on the season and could break Corbin’s full season record within his next few starts.
All right, that’s it. There are other records that are probably going to fall, and at least one that already has (HBP). If you want to see some analysis of other stats let me know!