Thursday
Sep132012
Salty is “Just shy”
Bill Chuck | Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 10:58AM 
- Jarrod Saltalamacchia homers against the Yanks last night. Photo by Bill Chuck
This is my Jarrod Saltalamacchia and my complaint about "just shy cycles" column for the day.
Salty is a batter with very mixed results hitting just .232 even after his 3-3 night last, but he has slammed 24 homers.
Here is what Saltalamacchia looks like hitting this season:
You can see where Salty's strength primarily resides as batter by looking at the largest red area.
It should then come as no surprise that that area is where the specious Yankee pitching threw last night:
This season, there have been four cycles, two by Aaron Hill:
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | PA | AB | 1B | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Beltre | 2012-08-24 | TEX | MIN | W 8-0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Aaron Hill | 2012-06-29 | ARI | MIL | W 9-3 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 3 | Aaron Hill | 2012-06-18 | ARI | SEA | W 7-1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | Scott Hairston | 2012-04-27 | NYM | COL | L 9-18 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
This has been a banner year for cycles as we can see from the yearly totals since 2000:
| Rk | Year | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | 8 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | 2004 | 6 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | 2008 | 5 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | 2006 | 5 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | 2001 | 5 | Ind. Games |
| 6 | 2000 | 5 | Ind. Games |
| 7 | 2012 | 4 | Ind. Games |
| 8 | 2010 | 4 | Ind. Games |
| 9 | 2003 | 4 | Ind. Games |
| 10 | 2007 | 3 | Ind. Games |
| 11 | 2005 | 3 | Ind. Games |
| 12 | 2011 | 2 | Ind. Games |
| 13 | 2002 | 2 | Ind. Games |
The 2009 season was a record for the most in a season since 1918, tying it with the eight hit in 1933.
One of my vexations is when reporters refer to a batter who hits a single, double and homer as being "just shy" of the cycle. This has happened 223 times this season, including last night by Alfonso Soriano.
In fact, take a look at the 15 times the "just shy of a triple" cycle has been done this month:
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | AB | 1B | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfonso Soriano | 2012-09-12 | CHC | HOU | W 5-1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | J.J. Hardy | 2012-09-11 | BAL | TBR | W 9-2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Kyle Seager | 2012-09-11 | SEA | TOR | W 4-3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | Eric Hosmer | 2012-09-11 | KCR | MIN | W 9-1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Cameron Maybin | 2012-09-10 | SDP | STL | W 11-3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 6 | Carlos Santana | 2012-09-09 | CLE | MIN | L 7-8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Curtis Granderson | 2012-09-09 | NYY | BAL | W 13-3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Brian McCann | 2012-09-08 | ATL | NYM | W 11-3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 | Aramis Ramirez | 2012-09-08 | MIL | STL | W 6-3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Aaron Hill | 2012-09-04 | ARI | SFG | W 8-6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | Chris Iannetta | 2012-09-03 | LAA | OAK | W 8-3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Stephen Drew | 2012-09-02 | OAK | BOS | W 6-2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Coco Crisp | 2012-09-01 | OAK | BOS | W 7-1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 14 | Adrian Beltre | 2012-09-01 | TEX | CLE | L 3-4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | David Freese | 2012-09-01 | STL | WSN | W 10-9 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
This is not an infrequent event in any year.
Take a look at the number of "just shy of a triple" cycles each year since 2000:
| Rk | Year | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2001 | 303 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | 2000 | 301 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | 2003 | 295 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | 2007 | 292 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | 2006 | 284 | Ind. Games |
| 6 | 2009 | 275 | Ind. Games |
| 7 | 2005 | 274 | Ind. Games |
| 8 | 2008 | 266 | Ind. Games |
| 9 | 2004 | 266 | Ind. Games |
| 10 | 2002 | 260 | Ind. Games |
| 11 | 2011 | 228 | Ind. Games |
| 12 | 2010 | 225 | Ind. Games |
| 13 | 2012 | 223 | Ind. Games |
"Just shy of a double" cycles are a much rarer event:
| Rk | Year | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | 41 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | 2007 | 36 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | 2008 | 33 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | 2010 | 31 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | 2001 | 31 | Ind. Games |
| 6 | 2000 | 29 | Ind. Games |
| 7 | 2004 | 28 | Ind. Games |
| 8 | 2006 | 27 | Ind. Games |
| 9 | 2002 | 25 | Ind. Games |
| 10 | 2005 | 24 | Ind. Games |
| 11 | 2003 | 22 | Ind. Games |
| 12 | 2011 | 21 | Ind. Games |
| 13 | 2012 | 18 | Ind. Games |
"Just shy of a homer" cycles are more frequent than doubles, but nowhere near as frequent as "shy of triple" cycles:
| Rk | Year | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2004 | 67 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | 2006 | 66 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | 2002 | 65 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | 2000 | 63 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | 2009 | 61 | Ind. Games |
| 6 | 2005 | 60 | Ind. Games |
| 7 | 2003 | 60 | Ind. Games |
| 8 | 2008 | 55 | Ind. Games |
| 9 | 2007 | 52 | Ind. Games |
| 10 | 2010 | 51 | Ind. Games |
| 11 | 2012 | 50 | Ind. Games |
| 12 | 2001 | 50 | Ind. Games |
| 13 | 2011 | 47 | Ind. Games |
This brings us to the Jarrod Saltalamacchia game last night against the Yankees in which he hit a double, triple, and homer (and walked).
This season batters have hit "just shy of a single" cycle just 13 times:
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | AB | 1B | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jarrod Saltalamacchia | 2012-09-12 | BOS | NYY | L 4-5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Adrian Beltre | 2012-08-24 | TEX | MIN | W 8-0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Ryan Braun | 2012-08-22 | MIL | CHC | W 3-2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Andres Torres | 2012-08-09 | NYM | MIA | W 6-1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | Billy Butler | 2012-08-09 | KCR | BAL | W 8-2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | Chris Johnson | 2012-07-27 | HOU | PIT | L 5-6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7 | Aaron Hill | 2012-06-29 | ARI | MIL | W 9-3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | Paul Goldschmidt | 2012-06-23 | ARI | CHC | W 10-5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Aaron Hill | 2012-06-18 | ARI | SEA | W 7-1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 | Mark Trumbo | 2012-05-28 | LAA | NYY | W 9-8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | Carlos Beltran | 2012-05-11 | STL | ATL | L 7-9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 12 | Scott Hairston | 2012-04-27 | NYM | COL | L 9-18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 13 | Omar Infante | 2012-04-07 | MIA | CIN | W 8-3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
That makes this event even rarer than a batter hitting a "just shy of a triple" cycle.
And here's how frequently the "just shy of a single" cycle has been hit each season since 2000:
| Rk | Year | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | 18 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | 2009 | 15 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | 2006 | 15 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | 2007 | 14 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | 2001 | 14 | Ind. Games |
| 6 | 2012 | 13 | Ind. Games |
| 7 | 2011 | 13 | Ind. Games |
| 8 | 2008 | 11 | Ind. Games |
| 9 | 2004 | 11 | Ind. Games |
| 10 | 2003 | 10 | Ind. Games |
| 11 | 2005 | 9 | Ind. Games |
| 12 | 2010 | 8 | Ind. Games |
| 13 | 2002 | 6 | Ind. Games |
Here are the top five seasons since 1918 of batters who were just shy of a cycle by not hitting a single, the only time we should use "just shy" when talking about a cycle:
| Rk | Year | # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | 18 | Ind. Games |
| 2 | 2009 | 15 | Ind. Games |
| 3 | 2006 | 15 | Ind. Games |
| 4 | 1988 | 15 | Ind. Games |
| 5 | 1929 | 15 | Ind. Games |
Thank you, Jarrod.
in Cycles | tagged Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Cycles | tagged Jarrod Saltalamacchia