The Toughest Guy in MLB?

So ... I was doing my daily MLB check-in, browsing all of my favorite websites (see links on the right panel of the blog), and I came across an amazing page! MLB.com has a sub page dedicated to tracking milestones in baseball from the seemingly small (Tyler Flower’s upcoming 500th game) to those destined for the hall of fame (Albert Pujols’ soon to pass Frank Robinson for 25th on the all-time RBI list).

MLB.com — Milestone Tracker

As you can probably imagine, if you’ve been keeping up with the blog, this information sent me down a rabbit hole reminiscing past milestones and freeing up my schedule so I can watch live as some history is made this season.  

Anyway, as I was perusing, I expected to see the names David Ortiz, Carlos Beltran, Albert Pujols, but dominating the page was a player that I believe is often forgotten. Adrian Beltre is 37 years old and finishing up his nineteenth season in MLB, and I feel like he’s rarely grabbing the headlines despite an incredible career. To be fair, as I began to write this blog post I came across a piece that Sports Illustrated did on Adrian Beltre in March of this year (SI Profile — Adrian Beltre), so I guess I’m not the only one who is making this realization. In any case, Adrian Beltre deserves far more praise than he’s received in his nineteen years in MLB.

The milestones, in case you were getting curious, that Beltre is approaching are the following: 1,600 RBIs, 500 HRs, and 3,000 Hits. Currently, there are only four players in MLB history that have accomplished that feat: Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Eddie Murray, Rafael Palmeiro. Let me say that again, only FOUR people have managed to accumulate these stats since the RBI became an official stat in 1920. Now, I am getting a little ahead of myself because Beltre is certainly going to have to do some work to reach these stats (he currently has 2,915 Hits, 439 HRs, and 1,559 RBIs).

**Disclaimer: There will be plenty of videos in this blog post and I suggest you try to watch them all**

We asked 100 people to name …”People who are Durable”

Averaging 142 games/season in his nineteen year career, Beltre has garnered the praise of teammates and coaches for being one of the toughest guys in baseball.

Beltre came back from this injury suffered in Game 1 of the 2015 ALDS to bat .444 in the final three games of the series.  

In June of last year, Texas recalled Beltre from the DL following just one batting practice session and without a rehab stint sparking Jon Daniels, the GM of Texas at the time, to call him a “freak”. Beltre IS a freak and his desire to be out on the field and help his team win games is at the very heart of what makes baseball great (along with wearing high baseball socks or stirrups).

The Answer is …

Adrian Beltre. The answer is Adrian Beltre. Seriously, if you are ever in a pinch to answer a baseball related trivia question just guess Adrian Beltre and you’ll probably be right. For instance, you’d be right if you answered Adrian Beltre to any of the following five questions:

1. Name one of the five AL 3B to have seven 20-homer seasons. (Graig Nettles, Adrian Beltre, A-Rod, Eric Chavez & Gary Gaetti)

2. Which player from the Dominican Republic has played in the most career games? (Adrian Beltre)

3. Name the two active players with 400+ HRs and 100+ SBs. (Adrian Beltre, Albert Pujols)

4. Name the two active players with 300+ HRs and 4+ Gold Gloves. (Adrian Beltre, Mark Teixeira)

5. Name the four players who have hit for the cycle a record 4 times. (Bob Meusel, Babe Herman, John Reilly)

He’s ALIIIIVEEEEE!

Beltre is a statistical monster! I won’t reiterate the obvious stats above, but on top of those unfathomable benchmarks Adrian Beltre has won countless awards and be on the precipice of a few more. He’s finished in the top 15 of the MVP voting seven times, including each of the last six season; he’s won four Silver Slugger awards; he’s won four Gold Glove awards; and he’s been selected to the All-Star Game four times. The only thing that has continued to elude him for the past two decades seems to be a World Series title. Could this be the year? Texas is finally going all in this year and has surrounded Beltre with the supporting cast to possibly pull it off. On top of that, Beltre is certainly pulling his weight (Elias Sports Bureau tweeted on Wednesday, “Adrian Beltre has scored in 12 straight games — longest streak by a player 37 or older since 1944.” - the streak ended Wednesday although he has reached base in both the past two games).

And the Academy Award goes to …

Speaking of awards, Beltre is one of the funniest guys in baseball, and his constant commentary on the game should be awarded an Oscar. Here are some examples of his hysterical antics:

Beltre uses a broom to avoid a Gatorade shower and then helps the grounds crew.

Beltre, facing Pat Venditte (an ambidextrous pitcher), tries to decide which side of the plate to hit from.

Beltre’s best moments — this one is priceless!

Possibly my favorite story of Beltre’s sense of humor dates back to last year in April when Beltre broke three bats in a game against pitcher Garrett Richards — the next day, Beltre sent a $300 invoice to Richards to cover the replacements.  

Back to the milestones, it's clear Beltre will easily reach 1,600 RBIs and 3,000 Hits, but 500 HRs will be a lot tougher. Although, with two years left on his contract in Texas and at least another year after that somewhere as a DH, I think he will do whatever it takes to reach that club. I’m certainly rooting for him!

Math Schmath ...

Sports are universally enjoyed by people all over the world for a variety of reasons. Some people love the competition and the high stakes drama; some people love the drama of the player’s personal lives; some people are introduced to sports at a young age and follow along with the family fanaticism. Personally, I love sports because, within their constraints, individuals often find ways to defy the laws of physics and math and push the limits of the human body beyond the unfathomable. One of my favorite plays in baseball (and your favorite according to the recent poll on this blog) is the steal of home. The most exciting thing about it is that anyone was ever crazy enough to think it was a good idea.

The act of stealing home requires two key characteristics that Jackie Robinson, in the previous video, was widely known for: superior athleticism and absolute commitment. Even if I didn't mention it, it's blatantly obvious if you take a look at the field and the players. The pitcher's mound is closer to home plate than 3rd base (60' 6" vs 90") and a 90 mph fastball takes far less time to get to the plate than a runner at top speed (. 4 seconds vs 4.4 seconds). On the face of it, the math doesn't compute at all. And yet …

Alright, I know what you're thinking, and I agree, I've ignored the variables here too long. First of all, the steal of home rarely takes place unless there is a left-handed pitcher on the mound (notice both videos above). This is because the left handed pitcher, pitching from the stretch (typical when there are runners on base), has his back to the runner on third base and has to rely on his peripheral eyesight and defense to keep the runner close. You'll notice, in the next video, how it only takes a split second of lost concentration or distraction to make all the difference.

As you just saw, an element of planned distraction is often employed when attempting the steal of home. This can be simply the runner on third acting a little lackadaisical to lull the pitcher and defense into falsely believing he has no intention of going anywhere. It can also be a second runner on the base paths causing havoc. If there is a runner on first base, as well as the runner on third, then the pitcher has to split his attention three ways (the two runners and the batter). To make matters worse, if he’s a left-handed pitcher, as we discussed above, then the runner on first is in his vision at all times and will most definitely cause confusion.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of poor execution. In the previous clip, with two outs the White Sox wanted to just throw the runner out at second and have the inning be over with. However, when the runner slowed down early on the base paths their plan was foiled and it gave the Yankees the opportunity to score the tying run. It not only takes a lot of preparation to complete the steal of home, but also to defend it. You never want to let another runner get to second base, but you definitely don’t want to let a run score like that. I think coaches tend to underestimate opponents when it comes to low-probability plays like the steal of home, and that’s exactly why it works sometimes. One thing is for sure, it’s always exciting and you’re always left wondering how the defense could “let” that happen. Well, hindsight is 20/20 after all, and Math isn’t always so cut and dry when you add all the variables.

So enjoy one of the best plays in baseball!