Fewest Triples in a Season

[Three Run Homer]

I hadn't heard this being mentioned anywhere, but the O's are likely to set an all-time MLB record for fewest triples in a season. The all-time record is 11, set by the O's in 1998. The O's currently have only 5 triples. Every other team in the MLB has at least 14.

The O's are also almost certain to finish last in MLB in stolen bases; they currently have 15, and everyone else has 30 or more. But the all-time record is safe--the Senators stole only 13 bases in 1957.

Not too surprising considering the O's lack of team speed and the fact that OPACY has a small outfield, and I'd definitely rather lead the lead in HR like the O's currently do.

[Can_of_corn]

Found the person that doesn't read the Wall Street Journal.

Cute factoid I guess but ultimately pretty meaningless.

[OrioleAL]

Expand the dimensions at OPACY and we'll hit more triples.

[Spy Fox]

Bourn and Stubbs to the rescue!

[Three Run Homer]

Bourn and Stubbs to the rescue!

I knew there was a reason for getting them!

[DrungoHazewood]

Expand the dimensions at OPACY and we'll hit more triples.

The 1894 Orioles still hold the all time record for team triples at 150, in a 130-game schedule.

If you want a lot of triples here's a few tips:

1) Make the RF line 350+, and CF and/or RC well over 400'.

2) Deaden the baseball so home runs become rare.

3) Draw your players from a small fraction of a sub-100M population base with only word-of-mouth scouting and no organized farm systems. The OFers become much worse.

4) Infrequently cut the grass with manual push mowers and/or goats so the ball gets lost while in play occasionally.

5) Only use one umpire so your runners don't always have to go all the way to 2B when on the way to 3B.

6) Don't scrupulously level the playing field to make fielding more challenging.

7) Spend decades drilling into players' heads that slugging is stupid and scientific baseball is real baseball.

[DrungoHazewood]

Please forgive my rambling and going a little off topic, but maybe someone finds this a little interesting...

A Google search on Union Park, Baltimore, led to a site called deadballbaseball.com. They first have the famous picture of Union Park from the 1897 late-season game against Boston:

But they also, rather astonishingly, have a detailed Sanborn fire insurance drawing of the park:

Various sources have long listed Union Park as 300' to LF, 350' to RF, but no other dimensions. If you take the fire insurance drawing and start penciling in a diamond in roughly the configuration from the '97 photo it's hard to get 300'/350'. The LF line has to run into the grandstand in LF. And if you assume those dimensions are correct no fence in the park is longer than about 370'.

How do you hit 150 triples in 130 games in a park that's mostly smaller than OPACY? I'd always assumed Union Park was well over 400' to RC/CF. Maybe I'm missing something.

[bobmc]

Please forgive my rambling and going a little off topic, but maybe someone finds this a little interesting...

A Google search on Union Park, Baltimore, led to a site called deadballbaseball.com. They first have the famous picture of Union Park from the 1897 late-season game against Boston:

But they also, rather astonishingly, have a detailed Sanborn fire insurance drawing of the park:

Various sources have long listed Union Park as 300' to LF, 350' to RF, but no other dimensions. If you take the fire insurance drawing and start penciling in a diamond in roughly the configuration from the '97 photo it's hard to get 300'/350'. The LF line has to run into the grandstand in LF. And if you assume those dimensions are correct no fence in the park is longer than about 370'.

How do you hit 150 triples in 130 games in a park that's mostly smaller than OPACY? I'd always assumed Union Park was well over 400' to RC/CF. Maybe I'm missing something.

Is the crowd in the field of play? Can't tell if there is a fence separating players from crowd standing in the OFs. Hit it down the lines or into the gaps on a hard bouncer into a scurrying crowd? If that's a hard field, seems to me it could get "lost" for a second or two. That's a real SRO!

[bobmc]

Bourn and Stubbs to the rescue!

If they could only hit.....:slytf: or perhaps use them as designated runners for Wiety, Hardy, Kim and Trumbomb!

[DrungoHazewood]

Is the crowd in the field of play? Can't tell if there is a fence separating players from crowd standing in the OFs. Hit it down the lines or into the gaps on a hard bouncer into a scurrying crowd? If that's a hard field, seems to me it could get "lost" for a second or two. That's a real SRO!

Yes. Into the 1930s it was common for overflow crowds to be put on the field behind ropes, or even just sitting/standing in front of the stands around the infield. I bet more than a few people were seriously injured by foul balls. I believe the listed capacity of Union Park was under 10k, but that game had an attendance of around 30k.

I think many/most sports attendance records are from pre-WWII and pre-strict fire codes. You'd just sell general admission tickets until nobody else could physically fit into the park.

[atomic]

We had significantly more triples in other seasons when we played at Camden Yards. The stadium isn't the issue. It is we have a bunch of slow guys. The team needs more speed. An area for improvement for next season.

[DrungoHazewood]

We had significantly more triples in other seasons when we played at Camden Yards. The stadium isn't the issue. It is we have a bunch of slow guys. The team needs more speed. An area for improvement for next season.

Does team speed or number of triples have much of anything to do with being a good baseball team? I think power and OBP have dramatically higher correlations to runs and wins than speed does.

[Babypowder]

Does team speed or number of triples have much of anything to do with being a good baseball team? I think power and OBP have dramatically higher correlations to runs and wins than speed does.

Quick and dirty, and therefore not extremely meaningful:

The San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks are 1 and 2 in MLB in baserunning runs above average, they are 27th and 18th in total offensive runs above average.

The Red Sox and Cubs are 1 and 2 in MLB in OBP, they are 1 and 2 in MLB in total offensive runs above average.

The Cardinals, Blue Jays and Orioles are 1 and T-2 in ISO, they are 5, 4, and 6 in total offensive runs above average.

[TouchemAll]

I hadn't heard this being mentioned anywhere, but the O's are likely to set an all-time MLB record for fewest triples in a season. The all-time record is 11, set by the O's in 1998. The O's currently have only 5 triples. Every other team in the MLB has at least 14.

The O's are also almost certain to finish last in MLB in stolen bases; they currently have 15, and everyone else has 30 or more. But the all-time record is safe--the Senators stole only 13 bases in 1957.

Not too surprising considering the O's lack of team speed and the fact that OPACY has a small outfield, and I'd definitely rather lead the lead in HR like the O's currently do.

Really not surprised by this, FOOT SPEED is pedestrian at best in Baltimore. Watching guys like Wieters and Hardy run the base's is agonizing AND I am pretty sure there are some kid's on Sundays after the games that could give them a good run for their money. :laughlol:

[Ohfan67]

If the Orioles fall completely out of playoff attention, then I would urge Buck to set other obscure records like most players thrown out advancing to second on a single in a game and most players thrown out attempting to steal. Of course you have to set the per game and per inning versions of those records. I would guarantee a record setting night of performances for the fans. Throw in most IBB maybe.