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Today is Jackie Robinson day, and for me that just means another reason to admire one of my favorite slash lines of all time, Jackie's 1952 season.

.308/ .440 /.465

Now, I've played around with esthetically-pleasing slash-stats before, especially those of the high OBP, low-SLG brand. But this time I'm using Robinson's exquisite 1952 as the benchmark.

Here are all seasons in the live ball era, where a batter has posted an OBP above .440 yet without slugging over .465 in at least 400 PA.

1952 JACKIE ROBINSON SEASON COMPS

First	Last	Year	Team	Age	PA	wOBA	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPSp	SB	BB%	K%	wRAA
Tony	Phillips	1993	DET	34	707	0.386	0.313	0.443	0.398	0.841	129	16	18.67	14.43	33.7
Richie	Ashburn	1958	PHI	31	725	0.399	0.350	0.440	0.441	0.881	136	30	13.38	6.62	44.9
Richie	Ashburn	1955	PHI	28	644	0.407	0.338	0.449	0.448	0.897	141	12	16.3	5.59	40.7
Ferris	Fain	1955	DET	34	716	0.383	0.260	0.455	0.326	0.781	115	10	26.26	6.98	31.4
Richie	Ashburn	1954	PHI	27	703	0.389	0.313	0.441	0.376	0.817	117	11	17.78	6.54	30.7
Jackie	Robinson	1952	BRO	33	636	0.430	0.308	0.440	0.465	0.905	152	24	16.67	6.29	49
Eddie	Stanky	1950	NY1	33	691	0.420	0.300	0.460	0.412	0.872	132	9	20.84	7.24	42.1
Eddie	Yost	1950	WS1	23	731	0.401	0.295	0.440	0.405	0.845	118	6	19.29	8.62	33.2
Augie	Galan	1947	CIN	35	491	0.413	0.314	0.449	0.416	0.865	130	0	19.14	3.87	29.5
Roy	Cullenbine	1941	SLA	27	629	0.430	0.317	0.452	0.465	0.917	144	6	19.24	6.84	46.4
Buddy	Myer	1938	WS1	34	534	0.428	0.336	0.454	0.465	0.919	131	9	17.42	5.99	37.1
Mickey	Cochrane	1935	DET	32	522	0.420	0.319	0.452	0.450	0.902	135	5	18.39	2.87	33.7
Max	Bishop	1933	PHA	33	505	0.401	0.294	0.446	0.399	0.845	126	1	20.99	9.11	27.6
Max	Bishop	1927	PHA	27	489	0.381	0.277	0.442	0.323	0.765	102	8	21.47	5.73	14.6
Eddie	Collins	1926	CHA	39	455	0.420	0.344	0.441	0.459	0.900	135	13	13.63	1.76	27.5
Eddie	Collins	1925	CHA	38	533	0.434	0.346	0.461	0.442	0.903	130	19	16.32	1.5	35.6
Johnny	Bassler	1924	DET	29	456	0.415	0.346	0.441	0.422	0.863	124	2	13.6	2.41	24.2
Eddie	Collins	1924	CHA	37	676	0.428	0.349	0.441	0.455	0.896	132	42	13.17	2.37	42.7
Eddie	Collins	1923	CHA	36	632	0.428	0.360	0.455	0.453	0.908	140	48	13.29	1.27	40.3

Thrice Hitten

Someone told me Delmon Young was plunked twice in yesterday's game vs the White Sox. As it turns out, that was a lie. A lie right to my face. Young was only hit once, but it got me wondering what the record is for getting pegged in the same game.

On 19 occasions a player has been hit by a pitch in the same game. Notably, it has happened to Reed Johnson three times! Two of those games occurred in the same season, in the same month.

MOST HBP IN ONE GAME

First	Last	Date	Year	HBP
Austin	Kearns	705	2010	3
Manny	Ramirez	705	2008	3
Chase	Utley	408	2008	3
Nomar	Garciaparra	703	2006	3
Reed	Johnson	429	2006	3
Reed	Johnson	407	2006	3
Jonny	Gomes	815	2005	3
Reed	Johnson	416	2005	3
Corey	Koskie	727	2004	3
Melvin	Mora	718	2002	3
Damion	Easley	716	2002	3
Richard	Hidalgo	419	2000	3
Damion	Easley	531	1999	3
Glenn	Davis	409	1990	3
Craig	Kusick	827	1975	3
Tito	Fuentes	913	1973	3
Ron	Hunt	429	1969	3
Bill	Freehan	816	1968	3
Sherm	Lollar	608	1956	3

...

Jon Niese Fever

I have Jon Niese fever.

He's entering his age 25 season, coming off a 2011 with a 19.9 K% a 6.3 BB%, and a 51.5 GB%. It's a thing of beauty, really-- seeing those factors all aligned at a very common 'peak' age. There is a quietly robust kinetic quality to it all.

Obviously, being poised for a break-out and actually breaking-out are separated by a continent of x-factors, and estimating such a jump based off of just 4 values is absurd, but just play along for a moment.

Take a glance at starting pitchers with similar numbers* since 1992 in at least their age 24-26 season, and how they fared immediately afterward.

NIESE COMPS

*with K% 18-22, BB% < 7, age 23-25,  > 125 IP

Blame Damon Berryhill

Pete Reiser, Hal Trosky

Pete Reiser is #7 on MLBN's top nine 'could have beens' and his is a case I could be convinced into believing. His career began with a bang in 1941, compiling almost 50 runs above average that season, leading the league in doubles, triples, earning batting and slugging titles, all as a 22 year-old. His sophomore effort then showed some regression, but certainly still very much impressed the Brooklyn faithful. At least up until the point he "ran into a concrete outfield wall while running at full speed."

Question: what kind of guy runs into a concrete wall at full speed? Answer: the same kind of guy that "fractured his skull running into an outfield wall on one occasion, was temporarily paralyzed on another, and was taken off the field on a stretcher a record 11 times... [was] once given his last rites in the ballpark" (per wikipedia).  In 1943 Reiser did what a lot of American ballplayers did around that time and joined the Army, where I'm certain he found plenty of new and exciting things to run into. Like, tanks, for instance.

hey Pete Reiser, I dare you to run into that.