Baker: Many team records in peril
From Jim Baker at Baseball Nation on August 18, 2012:
For a variety of reasons, team counting stat leaders are fairly static, which is why it’s pretty gosh darn exciting when one of them undergoes a transition at the top. Today, we’re going to look at a sampling of those counting stat leaders who stand to lose their exalted positions in the near or very near future. (All numbers are through Thursday, August 16, 2012.)
New York Mets – Hits
Current leader: Ed Kranepool – 1,418
Pursuer: David Wright – 1,383When Ed Kranepool stopped playing in 1979, he was the franchise leader in hits, home runs, runs batted in, doubles and total bases — plus all of the longevity stats such as games, plate appearances and at-bats. He was even third in triples, which is illustrative of a lot of things about the Mets when you also consider that he was 15-for-42 in career stolen-base attempts. Three decades later, Kranepool’s longevity-stats leads are still in place, but the only counting stat he still owns is hits. David Wright will put an end to that sometime next month and is in excellent position to eventually grab the leads in every other significant category that he doesn’t already own (exception: stolen bases).
The Mets, unlike most teams their age, have never had a long-term position player of sustained talent. Until Wright came along, that is. This chart shows where their hit leader ranks among the other team of their approximate vintage. As you can see, most teams have had at least four players with more hits than Kranepool’s 1,418.
Read the full article here: http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/8/18/3250963/mlb-team-records-danger-derek-jeter-yankees
Originally published: August 18, 2012. Last Updated: August 18, 2012.