Some Random Notes For Wednesday

Chipper Jones Approaching Rare Territory

With Chipper hitting his 398th career homer tonight against the Mets, he moved one step closer to joining a very elite group.

Since 1950, there has only been five players who have posted 400 career homers, an OPS+ over 140, an OBP over .400 and a SLG over .540 while making 8000+ trips to the plate.

Player	HR	OPS+	OBP	SLG
Barry Bonds	762	182	.444	.607
Frank Thomas	519	157	.420	.558
Jim Thome	515	149	.408	.562
Manny Ramirez	498	154	.409	.591
Jeff Bagwell	449	149	.408	.540

Doesn't matter how you slice it, that is one hell of a fivesome for any player to be a part of.

A Surprising Name

The list of players who have the lowest AB/HR rate is full of names that wouldn't surprise you -- Lance Berkman, Adam Dunn, Ryan Braun, Chase Utley and Alfonso Soriano -- but the name that is at the top of that list? Cardinals RF Ryan Ludwick, with 12 homers in 126 ABs.

Arizona Aces

Entering tonight, the Diamondbacks' top two starters, Danny Haren and Brandon Webb, were one and two in the NL in WHIP. Over the past twenty years in the Senior Circuit, only once has a team saw two members of their rotation atop that list. Johnson/Schilling? Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz? Swift/Burkett? Clemens/Pettite? Actually, you need look no further than last year's San Diego Padres with Jake Peavy and Chris Young.

On the Basepaths

The Dodgers, Rays and Astros are currently on pace to steal 160+ bases as a team, something the Majors hasn't seen since the Reds, Astros and Dodgers accomplished it in 1999.

'08 Arroyo/Harang/Volquez/Cueto = '03 Wood/Prior/Zambrano/Clement?

In 2003, Dusty Baker used his big four to the tune of 838 innings pitched in the 126 games they started. So far this season, Dusty has used his big four in over 225 innings in the 38 games they have started. That averages out to 6.65 IP/GS for the '03 foursome and 5.99 IP/GS for the foursome he has in his rotation this season. Definitely something to keep an eye on, especially with Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto being so young, and having even less experience at the ML level than Wood and Prior did when Baker ran them into the ground.