Jose Reyes has 11 doubles and 6 triples through 34 games this season – totals that, if he kept this pace all season, would leave him with 52 doubles and 29 triples. How unprecedented is that? One way to look at it is that nobody’s ever hit 50 doubles and 25 triples in the same season. Another is that Reyes projects to get – even before you factor in steals (he’s also on pace for 57 of those) – 110 extra bases just from doubles and triples. That would break the (admittedly obscure) record of 96 by Shoeless Joe Jackson going away; only 9 players have notched as many as 90 in a season, and only one of them (Stan Musial in 1946) in post-World War II era baseball. I included Curtis Granderson’s 2007, the closest modern season, for comparison. Note that one of the guys on this list, Tip O’Neill of the old St. Louis Browns of the American Association, managed this in a 138-game schedule; he also batted .435. Relatedly, 1887 was the only year in the history of the majors when it took four strikes to notch a strikeout.
| Player | Year | 2B | 3B | PA | ExB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Reyes (proj.) | 2011 | 52 | 29 | 772 | 110 |
| Shoeless Joe Jackson | 1912 | 44 | 26 | 653 | 96 |
| Kiki Cuyler | 1925 | 43 | 26 | 700 | 95 |
| Ty Cobb | 1911 | 47 | 24 | 654 | 95 |
| Adam Comorosky | 1930 | 47 | 23 | 685 | 93 |
| Ty Cobb | 1917 | 44 | 24 | 669 | 92 |
| Chief Wilson | 1912 | 19 | 36 | 643 | 91 |
| Stan Musial | 1946 | 50 | 20 | 702 | 90 |
| Joe Medwick | 1936 | 64 | 13 | 677 | 90 |
| Tip O’Neill | 1887 | 52 | 19 | 572 | 90 |
| Curtis Granderson | 2007 | 38 | 23 | 676 | 84 |
Talk about your salary drives. Whatever other complaints Mets fans have this year, lack of a Grade A performance by Reyes hasn’t been one of them.
A bit early to be projecting Reyes’ numbers. He is somewhat injury prone.
It’s interesting to consider but very rarely do guys keep on pace. Last year through almost the exact same number of games (37) Jason Werth was on pace to hit 87 doubles which would have shattered the all-time mark. Then in his next 46 games he hit 6 doubles. It’s easy to go off pace really, really quickly.
re Twitter:
Care to expand on Newt/Pat? If I interpreted correctly I do not agree. The last good Senator from NY was more than a big thinker, he got a lot right. Newt’s been slumping in that category since 90’s, see his recent kowtow to the Ethanol lobby. He is a lazy has-been trying to co-opt a popular movement.