All-Star Question:

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by the 'stache

Fun question, Raymond. You make me feel like such a stat nerd, lol. It's ok, because I am one. I take Bill James' book with me to the restroom a few times a day, and read it as soon as I wipe the sleep out of my eyes in the afternoon. I've learning SABR like the WOPR in Wargames.

Maybe I'll commission the city of Flower Mound to put together a Bat Signal for you to shine when one of these questions comes up, only instead of a winged bat, I imagine it would look like a Louisville Slugger.



Tony Gwynn wasn't the only Padres representative at the 1996 All Star Game. Ken Caminiti played the whole season for the Padres. He was an All Star, and the National League MVP.

By the way, I'm trying to figure out how the 1985 Padres got seven All Stars going 83-79. I know they won the National League Pennant the year before, but talk about teams that drastically underperformed!

Their All Star selections in '85:

Steve Garvey
Rich "Goose" Gossage
Tony Gwynn
LaMarr Hoyt
Terry Kennedy
Graig Nettles
Garry Templeton

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The name that immediately popped into my mind, and new leader, is Ralph Kiner. He was the only representative on a horrible Pirates team five times. I thought it would have been six, but alas, three Pirates were sent in 1948. They were 83-71 that year, and he was joined by guys named Frankie Gustine (who?) and Elmer Riddle (who part two?). Gustine was inexplicably the lone Pirates All Star in 1947, but I think somebody mixed up the ballot counting. Gustine hit a respectable .297 for the 62-92 Pirates, but Kiner wasn't voted to the game. How, I'll never know. Generally, guys who score 118 runs, tally 177 hits, 51 home runs, 127 RBI, 98 walks, 361 total bases, hit .313 and slash .417/.639/1.056 get to go to the midseason classic. Kiner led the NL in home runs, slugging, OPS, total bases, and OPS +. Not only was he not an All Star, he finished sixth(!) in the MVP.

He was the only Pirate to go in the following years:
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953

Bill- Elmer Riddle was the best from my hometown the first half of the 20th Century. We have since produced Frank Thomas and Tim Hudson, but Elmer had a couple of nice seasons (albeit with the Reds) 'back in the day'. No (?) about it. Nineteen Wins and the ERA title in 1941 ; 21 Wins in 1943.

With the Pirates is '48, Riddle was 9-4 with a 2.66 ERA in 15 Starts with 11 CGs and 3 Shutouts at the break for a team that was 24-20.
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