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3fbrown · 10-27-2020, 11:52 PM

Today I have two more career path retrospectives. First, another Dodger, Frank Thomas. He started strong in his first two years (his rookie season was 1990), leading the league in walks and OBP both years. His second year was great - he hit .328/.448/.539 with 8 WAR. He looked like, well, Frank Thomas.

Then in 1992 he suffered a herniated disc in his back. This caused some talent declines, and they happened FAST. HE went from 121 walks in 1991 to 66 in 1992. He started out with 5 (out of 5) eye, but his eye was down to 2 by 1993. Why a back injury would affect his eye, I don't know. But he still had his power and hit .340 with 30 HR, and then .328 with a league leading 45 HR in 1993. But then his contact skills started to deteriorate too. In 1994 his average plummeted to .265, and hasn't been that high since. He has kept his power, never going below 30 HR, but these days his OBP is below .300! Very un-Thomas like.

One other guy to update tonight is Kal Daniels. Kal is now 35, having started his career in 1986. Like Thomas he was a superstar from day 1. Unlike Thomas, he has stayed strong his entire career. His career batting average is .316, and he averages 90 walks per season, so his OBP is consistently high. He has big power, with 417 career HR (average over 30), peaking at 53 HR in 1987. He also has tremendous speed, averaging more than 50 SB per year as well. In fact, he has gone 40-40 twice, 30-30 five more times, and 20-20 every year - his career low in HR is 22 and he has never had fewer than 40 SB in a season. His career SB total is at 673, and he had 44 last season so he isn't slowing down much.

Only two out of 13 seasons have been below 5 WAR (never below 4), and that total is currently at 85. He is #10 all-time in SB, only 60 behind Ty Cobb for 4th place. He is 22nd all-time in WAR (though pre-1948 numbers are wonky), and will reach the top 10 with only 6 more. He is 18th in career runs scored, 35th in RBI, 17th in HR, and well into the top 100 in hits and walks. In the rate state, he is 22nd in OBP, 9th in SLG, and 5th in OPS. Daniels is a monster of production. Sadly, he only made the postseason once, as the Twins have been pretty bad for most of his career. His abilities have started to deteriorate, so I suspect the end is near, though he was plenty good in 1998. Too bad the real Kal Daniels had bad knees!

10-27-2020, 11:52 PM	#19
3fbrown Major Leagues Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 414	1998: A Very Lengthy Update, Pt. 6 (Player notes) Today I have two more career path retrospectives. First, another Dodger, Frank Thomas. He started strong in his first two years (his rookie season was 1990), leading the league in walks and OBP both years. His second year was great - he hit .328/.448/.539 with 8 WAR. He looked like, well, Frank Thomas. Then in 1992 he suffered a herniated disc in his back. This caused some talent declines, and they happened FAST. HE went from 121 walks in 1991 to 66 in 1992. He started out with 5 (out of 5) eye, but his eye was down to 2 by 1993. Why a back injury would affect his eye, I don't know. But he still had his power and hit .340 with 30 HR, and then .328 with a league leading 45 HR in 1993. But then his contact skills started to deteriorate too. In 1994 his average plummeted to .265, and hasn't been that high since. He has kept his power, never going below 30 HR, but these days his OBP is below .300! Very un-Thomas like. One other guy to update tonight is Kal Daniels. Kal is now 35, having started his career in 1986. Like Thomas he was a superstar from day 1. Unlike Thomas, he has stayed strong his entire career. His career batting average is .316, and he averages 90 walks per season, so his OBP is consistently high. He has big power, with 417 career HR (average over 30), peaking at 53 HR in 1987. He also has tremendous speed, averaging more than 50 SB per year as well. In fact, he has gone 40-40 twice, 30-30 five more times, and 20-20 every year - his career low in HR is 22 and he has never had fewer than 40 SB in a season. His career SB total is at 673, and he had 44 last season so he isn't slowing down much. Only two out of 13 seasons have been below 5 WAR (never below 4), and that total is currently at 85. He is #10 all-time in SB, only 60 behind Ty Cobb for 4th place. He is 22nd all-time in WAR (though pre-1948 numbers are wonky), and will reach the top 10 with only 6 more. He is 18th in career runs scored, 35th in RBI, 17th in HR, and well into the top 100 in hits and walks. In the rate state, he is 22nd in OBP, 9th in SLG, and 5th in OPS. Daniels is a monster of production. Sadly, he only made the postseason once, as the Twins have been pretty bad for most of his career. His abilities have started to deteriorate, so I suspect the end is near, though he was plenty good in 1998. Too bad the real Kal Daniels had bad knees!