PERFECT GAME CROSSCHECKER'S TOP TEN LIST
WEEK 22: 9/17/07 - 9/23/07
 
Thursday, September 20, 2007
PARITY EXISTS LIKE NEVER BEFORE
It may not be reflected in the discrepancy in major league payrolls, but parity exists on the field in Major League Baseball in 2007 like at no time in the game’s modern history.

Not only has there been a different World Series winner every year in this century, but the gap between the game’s winningest and losingest teams this season is on a record-breaking pace. Through games of Wednesday, the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians shared the majors’ best winning percentage at .592. The Tampa Bay Devil Ray had the worst at .412. The 180 percentage point gap is on a record pace. Only in 2000, when there was a .198 difference between the winningest (San Francisco Giants, .599) and losingest teams (Philadelphia Phillies/Chicago Cubs, .401) has the gap been less than 200 points. In fact, 2000 and 2007 are the only seasons in big league history in which the team with the best record had a winning percentage below .600 and the losingest team had a record above .400.

By contrast, the 10 greatest gaps between the winningest and losingest teams in the same season all occurred more than 50 years ago. The biggest single discrepancy occurred in 1909 when the Pittsburgh Pirates won at a .724 clip and the Washington Senators won at a .276 pace—a difference of 448 points. The greatest three gaps in the game’s modern history all occurred between 1902 and 1909.

Here are the 10 largest differences between the winningest and losingest teams in the same season in major league history:
 
Year Winningest Team Losingest Team Diff.
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates (.724) Washington Senators (.276) .448
1906 Chicago Cubs (.763) Boston Americans (.318) .445
1904 NY Giants (.693) Washington Senators (.252) .441
1919 Cincinnati Reds (.686) Philadelphia A’s (.257) .429
1939 New York Yankees (.702) St. Louis Browns (.279) .423
1932 New York Yankees (.695) Boston Red Sox (.279) .416
1935 Chicago Cubs (.649) Boston Braves (.248) .401
1942 St. Louis Cardinals (.688) Philadelphia Phillies (.278) .390
1954 Cleveland Indians (.721) Philadelphia A’s (.331) .390
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates (.741) New York Giants (.353) .388
--ALLAN SIMPSON
 
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
WARING SETS HOT PACE
Third baseman Brandon Waring set a hot pace in the spring at Furman by hitting 27 home runs, second-most in NCAA Division I, and continued to flourish in pro ball after being drafted in the seventh round in June by the Cincinnati Reds. His 20 home runs for Rookie-level Billings (Pioneer) were the most homers hit during the 2007 minor league season by any drafted player.

Four other players who finished in the top 10 nationally in the spring with aluminum also placed in the top 10 in their pro debuts during the summer with wood. They were Oakland outfield prospect Corey Brown (22 at Oklahoma State, 11 in the A’s system), Oakland first base prospect Danny Hamblin (22 at Arkansas, 11 in the A’s system), St. Louis first base prospect Stephen Hill (24 at Stephen F. Austin, 12 in the Cardinals system) and Milwaukee outfield prospect Matt LaPorta (20 at Florida, 12 in the Brewers system).

We’ll take another look at the standings when the 2007 regular season ends on Sept. 30. Shortly thereafter, PG Crosschecker will unveil its first look at the top 100 prospects for the 2008 draft.

Following are the top 10 minor league home runs leaders among players who were drafted in June. The team that drafted them and the round they were selected are noted:
 
  Player, Pos., Club (Round) HR
1. Brandon Waring, 3b, Reds (7) 20
2. Andy D’Alessio, 1b, Giants (19) 16
3. Clint Robinson, 1b, Royals (25) 15
4. Stephen Hill, 1b, Cardinals (13) 12
  Darin Holcomb, 3b, Rockies (12) 12
  Travis Jones, 2b, Braves (7) 12
  Matt LaPorta, of, Brewers (1) 12
  Steffan Wilson, 3b, Brewers (28) 12
9. Corey Brown, of, Athletics (1-S) 11
  *Michael Burgess, of, Nationals (1-S) 11
  Jonathan Greene, c, Rangers (8) 11
  Danny Hamblin, 1b, Athletics (10) 11
  Kyle Martin, ss, Royals (29) 11
* High school draft pick
S Supplemental phase
--ALLAN SIMPSON