COMMENTARY : ‘Analyst’ Gems Ease Some of the Anguish for Baseball Fanatics

It certainly cannot fill the vacuum by itself. It cannot compensate for the absence of those reassuring sounds of radio broadcasts from Florida. And while this long lockout lasts, it may serve only to tease those who lust for the genuine article.

But “The 1990 Elias Baseball Analyst” is on its way, and it promises to provide the baseball community with an alternative to tracking the movement of labor negotiations. The “Analyst” is on its way in all its wonder and therapeutic value. If the lockout irritates you and causes anxiety and anguish, consult your “Analyst.” It will help get you through the fight.

The sixth edition of the Elias Sports Bureau’s annual contribution to spring has reached Florida--at least, an advance copy has--and it appears to be every bit as fascinating and seductive as its predecessors. Again, it is an unparalleled expose, feeding the masses whose hunger for baseball information cannot be satisfied.

What phenomenon in the world is scrutinized so enthusiastically by so many people as major league baseball statistics? Newspapers regularly devote pages to the numbers of the game. There are heavy baseball books filled with decimals. And with the immense popularity of rotisserie leagues, there now are statistical services that, for a fee, provide numbers for would-be general managers. Elias provides numbers and details, but beyond that, it provides perspective, interpretation and touches of humor. And there are common sense and moderation, too. The Elias people don’t just dump their computers into a binding. Still, they provide so much intriguing stuff.

Some samples:

Kirby Puckett last year had 13 hits in 21 at-bats, a .619 average, with runners in scoring position and the Minnesota Twins trailing by one run.

Not since Jackie Robinson drove in 124 runs and hit 16 home runs in 1949 has a player produced more RBI with fewer home runs than Pedro Guerrero did last season--117 and 17.

Eric Davis is the only player in major league history with four consecutive seasons of more than 25 home runs and fewer than 475 at-bats.

Ernest Riles hit .432 in 37 at-bats against the 10 leading strikeout pitchers in the National League last season, the highest average of any player with at least 30 at-bats against them. The league’s composite average against the 10 was .217.

Fernando Valenzuela pitched five shutouts in his first seven major league starts and none in his last 68.

Willie McGee (.353 in 1985) and Norm Cash (.361 in 1961 with help from cork) are the only players in history to bat higher than .350 in a season and never bat higher than .300 in any other season (450 at-bats minimum).

Among active pitchers with 750 career innings, only Dwight Gooden, Orel Hershiser, Dan Quisenberry and Rich Gossage have lower career ERAs than Alejandro Pena (2.93).

Randy Myers’ career record at Shea Stadium is 11-1. His record in all other parks is 6-12.

Bo Jackson’s home run and RBI totals and batting average have increased in each of the last three seasons. Only four players ever have achieved increases in all three in four successive seasons--Cy Perkins (1918-1921), Charlie Gehringer (1926-1929), Rogers Hornsby (1926-1929) and Rick Cerone (1977-1980).

Dave Stieb pitched at least one shutout in each season of the ‘80s. He has a streak of 11 years with at least one shutout. The record is 21 by Walter Johnson, who pitched at least one in each season of his career.

Don Mattingly’s career average in April is .275 with four home runs in 480 at-bats. In at-bats after April, he has hit one home run every 22 at-bats and batted .330.

Baseball has had the DiMaggios, the Boyers, the Alous and the McDaniels. And now it has the Hirdts--Stephen, Peter and Thomas. These siblings are executives of the Elias Sports Bureau and, along with Seymour Siwoff, the owner of Elias, they are primarily responsible for producing the “Analyst.”

Each has a favorite passage in this edition of the “Analyst.” These are their respective picks:

Peter: Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Rob Murphy has begun his career with 273 errorless games. The record for errorless games by a pitcher at the outset of a career, established by Rawly Eastwick, the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees reliever, is 286. St. Louis Cardinals reliever Ken Dayley reached 285 errorless games last season, but his errant pick-off throw in his 286th game saved Eastwick’s record. As Peter pointed out, “Blame it on the witches of Eastwick.”

Stephen: The middle name of Cubs center fielder Jerome Walton is O’Terrell. The “hates to face, loves to face” portion of the “Analyst’s” report on Walton notes that the National League Rookie of the Year was hitless in eight at-bats against Walt Terrell or, as the “Analyst” says, “He’s never had a hit o’ Terrell.”

Thomas: Of 570 fair balls hit by Wade Boggs last season, 300 (or 53%) were hit to the opposite field. And Boggs batted .150 (six for 40) when he pulled the ball against left-handed pitchers.

Other statistical gems:

- Chicago White Sox pitcher Bill Long was born Feb. 29, 1960. Therefore, he is the youngest player to win at least 20 games before his eighth birthday. What does Dwight Gooden think of that record?

- What does the short-term future hold for Tom Gordon, the Kansas City Royals pitcher with a big curve ball and a little body? Gordon stands 5-9. Since 1960, only four pitchers shorter than 5-10 have produced more than 50 career victories--Bobby Shantz (119), Elroy Face (104), Fred Norman (104) and Tom Phoebus (56).