Carlos Quentin always a threat to break HBP records
So I look at the leaderboards today, and I notice that White Sox leftfielder Carlos Quentin has already been plunked 6 times this year, and is on pace to get nailed 39 times by the end of the season. If he could maintain that pace, he would be in pretty elite company - the all time record for HBP in a season is Ron Hunt’s astonishing 50 in 1971, followed by Don Baylor’s 35 in 1986, and Craig Biggio’s 34 in 1997.
Of course, that plucky munchkin David Eckstein has also been plunked 6 times so far, and Reed Johnson of the Cubs has been hit 5 times, but who is most likely to keep up the insane pace?
The answer is clearly Quentin, who has already demonstrated that he is the greatest at getting hit by pitches in the history of the game. So far in his pro career, Carlos Quentin has been hit by a pitch every 16 plate appearances. This is an insanely high rate, when you consider that modern master Biggio was hit every 43.8, 80’s champ Baylor was plunked every 35.2, and HBP god Ron Hunt was hit “only” every 25.3 plate appearances.
In 2004, Quentin set the all-time minor league record for getting hit by the pitch by getting plunked 43 times across 2 levels, and in 2005, he set the all-time Pacific Coast League record for HBP by getting hit 29 times.
And Quentin’s propensity for getting hit by the pitch didn’t just start in the pros either. When I was at Stanford, he set the NCAA Division I record by getting hit by 5 pitches in a single game against Florida State. 5 plate appearances, 5 HBP! That was insane.
So get used to seeing images like the photo above, because going forward, if Quentin can avoid the injury bug that has plagued him thus far in his major league career, you can expect him to mount a serious threat to Ron Hunt’s record each and every season.
April 30th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Wow, that’s really interesting stuff.
I honestly don’t know how I feel about HBPs. I feel like once we consider it a “skill”, it’s like we’re basically condoning cheating. If I was a pitcher, I’d be pissed.
At the same time, it helps teams.
Hmm…
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April 30th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Insane.
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April 30th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Chase Utley gets hit by a lot of pitches, too. So far this year he’s been hit by a pitch four times, though three came in the same game.
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April 30th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I used to play in a head to head fantasy league that had HBP as a category… Quentin might be worth a first round pick in that league…
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April 30th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Yeah, Quentin is especially strategic with his HBPs. I know at least two of his 6 HBP this year came with the bases loaded.
And here is a quote from his manager, Ozzie Guillen:
“Carlos has had good [at-bats] since the first day I put him in the lineup. He’s always getting hit by a pitch at the right spot. I like it.”
To me it’s great. It’s definitely a skill and a strategy and I see nothing wrong with it. If you can get hit in a way that doesn’t seem obvious enough for the umpire to call bullshit and in a way to help your team, then you should do it. And after all, the pitcher still has to throw far enough inside that it will work.
It’s like before when we were talking about the difference between steroids and stealing signs. I don’t think they are the same. One is something where only people who go outside the game and buy some illegal drugs gain an unfair advantage that other players do not have. The other is in-game gamesmanship that all players can do if they are cagey enough.
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