Who's 2009 season is All-Time worthy?

In the baseball writing world, this time of year is usually reserved for MVP debates, playoff predictions and how this season's statistics can be used to determine future success. Here at Baseball: Yesterday and Today, we tend to look at the game from a much more historical, high-level view.

I am interested in how historically significant a few players' 2009 seasons compare to those that came before them. With all due respect to Phat Albert, Joe Mauer has just completed possibly the best season ever by a catcher. While his counting stats (28 HR, 96 RBI, 94 R) don't exactly jump off of the page at you, we all know that, in this day and age of advanced statistics and metrics, there are better ways to measure a player's worth (I purposefully use the term worth, as the term "value" has been mangled and debated ad nauseum in recent years). When you realize that he didn't even play a game for the Twins until May 1, you can wrap your mind around the idea that his counting stats would be 20% higher if he had played the month of April. Don't think too hard, I did the math for you: 34 HR, 115 RBI, 113 R.

With an OPS of 1.027 and an OPS+ of 176, Mauer has, if there was any question about it to begin with, established himself as the premier player at his position in all of baseball. Obviously, this is a pre-requisite when you begin to discuss a season at an all-time level. It is very, very rare that two players at the same position will simultaneously produce a season that would compete with the all-timers. Therefore, to even qualify for this discussion, you need to have been the consensus best player at your position at the time (or at least at the conclusion of the season). With this season, Mauer has solidified his status as the best all-around backstop in the game.

The player that first comes to mind when comparing an offensive season by a catcher is Mike Piazza. His best season, by a longshot, was 1997. Let's compare their slash lines:

Piazza .362/.431/.638/1.070 OPS+ 185 wOBA .454
Mauer .364/.442/.586/1.027 OPS+ 176 wOBA .437

These numbers are eerily similar, with the biggest discrepancy being that Piazza had slightly more power than Mauer did this season (we are going to keep this discussion PED-free, by the way). So, Piazza's season was better, right? Wrong. This is the part of the conversation where I introduce the idea that hitting is only half of the game of baseball. The other half of the game for these catchers is spent in a squat playing the most demanding defensive position in the sport.

While it is amazing that Piazza started 139 games at catcher in 1997 while producing the kind of numbers he did, it is common knowledge that he was not a premier defensive player. He might have been better than some gave him credit for, but I don't think anyone would have ranked him in the top half of defensive catchers at any point during his career. This is not the case with Mauer. While defensive metrics for catchers are hard to come by, having seen both players, my naked eye tells me that Mauer is a vastly superior ball blocker and thrower and is much more agile behind the plate than Piazza ever was. Watching Piazza run was not a pretty sight. In fact, everything he did on the baseball field did not have an air of natural athletic ability about it. That long, looping swing of his was undoubtedly a product of his success with it and not a result of countless hours crafting a picture-perfect cut with his hitting coach.

All things considered, it was a pleasure to watch Joe Mauer this season and in my mind, he has had the most complete season the catcher's position has ever seen. It's a shame he missed 17% of Twins games this year. Here's hoping Mauer plays a significant role in today's one game playoff with the Tigers. Chances are he will, as the Twins wouldn't be in sniffing distance of this game without him.

Baseball History

I have read about baseball and the history of the sport more than any other subject in my 30 years on this planet. It's definitely a passion of mine and I crave the interesting nuggets of lore that the history of this game provides. The sport of baseball has been filled with all sorts of characters. The sport has also had it ups and downs.

It's golden age was undoubtedly the 1950's, with some of history's greatest players having played within this decade. It's hard to argue that there was a better decade when players named Mantle, Mays, Aaron, Ted Williams and Stan Musial all had portions of the prime of their career fell in this time period.

I believe this golden age followed the lowest point in the history of the game (yes, lower than canceling a world series, rampant steriod use and even the Black Sox Scandal): The color barrier. The not-so-unspoken color line excluding African Americans from Major League Baseball deprived fans from seeing some of the most entertaining and capable players of their generation, regardless of race. For instance, even though there are varying opinions, it has been reported Satchel Paige once pitched three shutout innings a game at the ripe old age of 60 (or thereabouts...no one ever knew how old Satchel really was). Imagine how he would have done in the majors, oh, I don't know, 40 years before that! By far the most intriguing figure in sports history for my nickel, I am fascinated by all things Satchel. If you haven't read his book, it's worth it. It won't take you very long and it will give you some good insight about what this man was like. Naive? Maybe. Dumb? No. Talented? You betcha. A conflicted man? Absolutely. Give it a try. If you like baseball anecdotes, this will not disappoint.

The Negro Leagues have always fascinated me. If anyone has good links, please send them over.

Who is the most valuable player in the game?

I read an interesting article today outlining who one particular writer felt were the most valuable trade commodities in the game today. Evan Longoria and Hanley Ramirez are definitely one-two in my mind. I realize some might believe putting Longoria at the top of this list after less than a half a season under his belt in the bigs might be a little bit of a reach, but this kid was born to play baseball. His mannerisms, makeup and tools scream out superstar.

I have a problem with David Wright and Albert Pujols being so high on the list. They both make tons of money (in Wright's case, not necessarily this year because his deal is so back-loaded). Don't get me wrong, they are both fantastic all-around baseball players that any GM would want on their team. When it comes to a ranking of this sort, Wright and Pujols already have too much money committed to them in the future. Also, I don't think this ranking puts enough emphasis on young, quality starting pitching. We all know that starting pitching is what takes you places once the regular season ends. This is the reason why I think it is ludicrous that the only two starting pitchers in the top ten are Tim Lincecum and Felix Hernandez. I definitely think Lincecum should at least be #4 and possibly even #3 on this list.

Speaking of Lincecum, the si.com article by Tom Verducci is pretty fascinating. It left me thinking that I could throw 98 mph with the proper mechanics. Here's hoping he's pitching for the Giants 20 years from now. In case that didn't let the cat out of the bag, I am a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan, but don't let that discourage you from feeling free to talk about all things baseball!