Doubles Machine 2.0

[scOtt]

Without checking definitive stats... Ted Williams never did what Manny is doing. At any age.

[Can_of_corn]

Without checking definitive stats... Ted Williams never did what Manny is doing. At any age.

Williams hit too many home runs.

[El Gordo]

Ted's max was 44 twice.

[DrungoHazewood]

Williams hit too many home runs.

And walked too often. Ted hit doubles in 6.8% of his at bats, almost exactly the same as Brian Roberts, and only ~6 doubles off Tris Speaker's pace. But he topped out at 566 AB in a year because he walked 100+ times like clockwork.

[Nigel Tufnel]

And walked too often. Ted hit doubles in 6.8% of his at bats, almost exactly the same as Brian Roberts, and only ~6 doubles off Tris Speaker's pace. But he topped out at 566 AB in a year because he walked 100+ times like clockwork.

Yeah, it's also an interesting piece of trivia that Williams never had 200 hits in a season. Again because he walked so much.

[tinamodotti]

Double #35 today in team game 78.

In the 78th game of the 1931 Red Sox season, Earl Webb went 1 for 4, that one hit being double #37.

Almost July and MM is not slowing down at all.

[SteveO]

Manny is at the perfect developmental stage to break this record. Its gonna be fun to root for.

In a couple years I expect that a decent number of those line drives that are now doubles will be HR's

[Moose Milligan]

Is it wrong that I was hoping the ball would stay in the yard and hit off the scoreboard so it'd be a double?

[Malike]

Is it wrong that I was hoping the ball would stay in the yard and hit off the scoreboard so it'd be a double?

I was too.

[tinamodotti]

Its gonna be fun to root for.

If he's near 60 around labor day, this should become a mainstream story nationwide.

Live look-ins from MLBN and ESPN.

The FO needs to start brainstorming a tracker at the Yard if he maintains this pace. Maybe not as grand as Cal's #s on the warehouse, but something similar. The vast majority of us have never witnessed a 60 double season.

[DrungoHazewood]

This is similar to Hack Wilson's RBI record. 1930 - 191. Manny is on that pace. A chance to break a long held record that SHOULD have been broken long ago.

Are you saying Wilson's RBI record should have long since been broken? That's a record that would require a pretty radical change in baseball to be broken. The only way to get 190 RBI is to have a Cabrera type of season (like hitting .330+ with maybe 90 XBHs) combined with two or three ridiculous OBP guys batting in front of him. Wilson had Woody English (.430 OBP) and Kiki Cuyler (.428 OBP) hitting in front of him most of the time.

Weird aside... the 1930 Cubs had five regulars with an OBP over .400. It was a crazy offensive year and Wrigley was a great place to hit. Yet their most common leadoff hitter was Footsie Blair, who OBP'd .306. Gabby Hartnett, their HOF catcher who had a 1.000+ OPS, hit 7th or 8th exclusively because it used to be tradition to bat your catcher 8th, like batting your pitcher 9th. Ah, the good ol' days. Giving us real life evidence that in the great scheme of things batting order really just doesn't matter.

Weird aside #2: Hartnett, hitting .339 with a 1.039 OPS, and often batting in front of the pitcher had 14 sacrifice hits in 1930.

[callahan09]

Is it wrong that I was hoping the ball would stay in the yard and hit off the scoreboard so it'd be a double?

Definitely wrong, but I was glad it happened that way. I would love to see Manny break that record. In losses, I get over it quick if Manny hits a double in the game. I still consider that a victory of sorts.

[InsideCoroner]

Manny is at the perfect developmental stage to break this record. Its gonna be fun to root for.

In a couple years I expect that a decent number of those line drives that are now doubles will be HR's

I completely agree. I have heard a couple people wonder where his power "went", but personally, if he could keep hitting .320 and getting into scoring position, I could care less if he hits less homers than Duane Kuiper. He's only going to get stronger in the next couple years, and those deep doubles will soon be over the wall.

[andrewrickli]

I completely agree. I have heard a couple people wonder where his power "went", but personally, if he could keep hitting .320 and getting into scoring position, I could care less if he hits less homers than Duane Kuiper. He's only going to get stronger in the next couple years, and those deep doubles will soon be over the wall.

A la A Rod. Look at his 1996 (age 20) numbers. 54 doubles and they all turned in to HR. Although he did hit 36 HR in that year.

Machado is special to watch. I can only hope it continues

[Nigel Tufnel]

Grantland on Machado:

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-triangle/post/_/id/66970/to-an-athlete-flourishing-young-manny-machados-great-start-in-baltimore