http://0rz.tw/b846j The 10 worst cleanup hitters since 1957 1957年以來最糟糕的十位四番 by Steve Treder May 20, 2008 So far in this series, we've examined leadoff hitters, second-slot hitters and No. 3 men. Now it's time to focus on the very worst No. 4 hitters of the past half-century (defined as starting at least one-half of their team's games in that lineup slot). 這系列文章我們已討論了史上最糟的一棒、二棒以及三番。現在是該將焦點轉到半世紀來 最糟糕的四番們（這裡的四番規定至少須半季被排在先發上） The stat we're using to rank these stinkers is OPS+. Certainly, OPS+ isn't the be-all and end-all of offensive measurement, but, hey: This isn't a serious "study." It's just for fun. One might quibble with the exact ordering of these guys, but even the blunt instrument of OPS+ has properly identified them all as hitters leaving something to be desired, particularly in the cleanup spot. 為了衡量這群爛透的傢伙，這兒我們使用的數據是OPS+，當然，OPS+並不是啥完美的數據 ，不過呢，這種博君一笑的文章也不是什麼認真的「學術研究」，認真你就輸了。 有人可能會質疑這些爛傢伙的排行有問題，不過那並非這篇文章的重點。我只想說明： 即使使用最粗淺的OPS+，我們也可以看得出他們全都缺乏某種四番該有的能耐... 沒錯，就是清壘的能力。 What about "cleanup" is there not to understand? 有誰不懂啥叫「清壘」的嗎？ Last time, we discussed the fact that the third-place hitter's job isn't all that complicated: He's just supposed to be darn good, effective at both getting on base and driving runners in. The fourth-slot guy's job is, if anything, even simpler than that. The role has been called "cleanup" since forever for a reason: See the runners soiling the pristine white bases out there? This guy's job is to clean them bases up, get them runners home. 上回我們討論過三番的工作並非那麼複雜，他只要承前啟後：有效率地上壘與推進跑者。 至於四番呢，他的工作甚至比三番更簡單：「清壘」！四番被叫四番只有這麼個永恆的 理由：看到那些將白色壘包踏髒的跑壘者了嗎？四番這傢伙的工作就是把他們全打回來， 如此而已。 Obviously it's great if a cleanup hitter hits for a high average and/or draws a lot of walks, but if he's doing either or both of those things without hitting for power, he isn't properly performing the cleanup function. Setting the table is a means to an end, not an end in itself; the purpose of getting on base is to come around and score. The cleanup hitter is there to convert baserunners into runs, to finish what the others have started. And that means hitting for power, and plenty of it. 一個高打擊率及（或）很會選到BB的四番當然是很不賴，但要是符合上述兩者卻沒有砲瓦 ，這個四番根本毫無清壘能力可言。 永遠要記得一件事：上壘只是手段並非目的；上壘的目的就是要回到本壘。 四番的能力就是完成一切——將跑者轉化成分數！換個說法，就是四番必須有充沛的砲瓦 (Dis)honorable mentions （不）榮譽的列表 Here are this week's guys who just missed the cut: 底下就是這週不及格的四番們： Team Rank OPS+ Player Pos Year Team Lg OPS+ 23T 92 Bill Robinson LF 1978 PIT NL 99 23T 92 Rico Carty DH 1979 TOR AL 82 23T 92 Dave Parker RF 1987 CIN NL 102 23T 92 Andre Dawson DH 1993 BOS AL 90 23T 92 Orestes Destrade 1B 1993 FLA NL 80 20T 91 Andre Thornton DH 1981 CLE AL 96 20T 91 Steve Garvey 1B 1986 SDP NL 103 20T 91 Cal Ripken SS 1995 BAL AL 98 18T 90 Ken Boyer 3B 1965 STL NL 92 18T 90 Keith Moreland RF 1986 CHC NL 97 17 89 Greg Luzinski DH 1984 CHW AL 92 13T 88 Dick Billings C-LF 1972 TEX AL 82 13T 88 Dale Murphy CF-RF 1989 ATL NL 89 13T 88 Joe Carter LF 1995 TOR AL 92 13T 88 Andruw Jones CF 2007 ATL NL 107 12 87 Deron Johnson DH 1975 CHW AL 94 Predictably, most of these are veteran sluggers in decline; whether understandably or foolishly, their deployment just hadn't yet caught up with their rate of production. A different sort of case is that of Orestes Destrade: He wasn't much good, but the Marlins were a first-year expansion team who can't be much faulted. 可預期地，大多糟糕的四番都是面臨衰退的強打老兵們，不管可理解還是愚蠢至極， 把他們擺在四番的產值都低得可以。不過Orestes Destrade算是個特例，他雖然不怎樣， 不過那是馬大魚擴編成軍第一年，要怪他們實在也說不過去。 Much more interesting is the case of Dick Billings and the 1972 Rangers: They weren't a first-year expansion team, but you sure couldn't tell that by looking at their roster. That their manager was none other than Ted Williams simply added to the pathos. Sure, Billings was marginal and overmatched, but so was nearly everyone else poor Teddy Ballgame had to work with. What a mess. 另個有趣的例子是1972年條子的Dick Billings，條子那年當然不是啥擴編球隊，但光看 打序你是無法辨別差異在哪低；更哀傷的是，他們當時的監督是打擊之神Ted Williams… 可憐的Teddy Ballgame，他的同事們幾乎都和Billings一般糟糕，一切真是一團混亂。 As for Keith Moreland ... I don't know. They were the Cubs. What can you say? 至於Keith Moreland嘛…我該說什麼呢？小熊嘛，你知道的。 And as though we needed more evidence that the once-formidable Andruw Jones fell off a cliff last year ... how's that big Dodger contract looking so far? 雖然還得找出更多蛛絲馬跡才知道那強大的Andruw Jones去年究竟發生了啥事… 這名重量級的新躲人目前揮擊情況如何呢？ And as for Joe Carter ... well, we'll be encountering him below. So why don't we proceed? Joe Carter呢…我們底下還會再遇見他，所以接著看下去吧。 Tied for ninth-worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最糟的四番——兩個第九名 OPS+: 85 Tony Armas, center fielder, 1983 Boston Red Sox (team OPS+: 99) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 142 613 77 61 107 29 0 131 2 0 8 31 0 1 .218 .254 .453 .707 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 141 606 77 61 106 28 0 131 2 0 8 31 0 1 .218 .254 .456 .710 Jim Presley, third baseman, 1990 Atlanta Braves (team OPS+: 95) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 137 577 59 54 72 29 0 130 3 0 4 10 1 1 .242 .282 .414 .696 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 106 451 50 48 63 26 0 105 3 0 4 6 0 1 .244 .290 .447 .737 Joe Carter, center fielder-left fielder, 1990 San Diego Padres (team OPS+: 97) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 161 697 79 52 115 48 18 93 7 0 8 12 22 6 .232 .290 .391 .681 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 84 368 43 27 59 23 13 59 5 0 3 4 12 4 .220 .277 .386 .663 Armas was, of course, among the most one-dimensional hitters in the history of the game. Thus, while as we said above that delivering the power is a cleanup hitter's No. 1 priority, completely eschewing everything else, as Armas did, is really going too far. Armas was making an out three times out of every four trips to the plate, for crying out loud, yet manager Ralph Houk, who as we've seen before had some odd notions about batting orders, and moreover was extremely reluctant to modify a set lineup, had decided that Armas was going to be his cleanup man and, by golly, that's just how it was going to be. Armas無疑是史上全壘打控排行榜的一份子，雖然依照上面我們對四番的第一要求就是 砲瓦，但他也實在太極端些，況且四次打擊三次上不了壘包未免也太爛。好吧，我們都 知道監督Ralph Houk對打序有某種異於常人的想法加上又不愛更動打序，既然他決定讓 Armas當四番，結果也就是這樣了。 And, yes, you're reading that correctly: Armas grounded into a double play more frequently than he drew a walk. 對沒錯，你沒看錯：Armas的雙殺打比四壞還多…。 Speaking of free-swinging, undisciplined one-dimensional sluggers ... my favorite Jim Presley story is one my brother-in-law Ross loves to tell. Ross has lived most of his adult life in the Pacific Northwest, and has been a faithful (which means generally long-suffering) Mariners fan for decades. 說到愛自由揮擊、沒啥選球的強打者…我最愛故事的是妹夫Ross常講的Jim Presley。 Ross他長大後大部分時間都待在太平洋西北部，是個幾十年忠誠（同時也意味著煎熬） 的水手迷。 Now, Ross tells this story far better than I can write it. Ross is a keenly insightful "baseball guy": an outstanding player in his day, and an accomplished youth and high school coach for decades since. What's more, he's a brilliant and deeply learned man, and oh hell but I hate him so, a gifted storyteller, as well. 我無法將故事寫得像Ross描述地那般生動，他完全是個熱情的棒球份子，一個出色的球員 ，也擔任了幾十年的國高中教練，他是個天資聰穎且學習能力強的天才；當然，還有我最 討厭的一項才能——他實在太會講故事了。 All I can offer is this: Try to imagine yourself on a lazy late afternoon, comfortably nestled in a scruggly old patio chair, about half-way through your second (oh, why not, your third) oh-so-cold-and-satisfying Full Sail Ale, while far overhead, birds flutter and chirp among gently swaying Pacific Northwest treetops ... 我只能這麼描述：想像你在某個懶洋洋的下午舒適地坐在天井的舊椅子上，喝著你第二瓶 （當然也可以是第三瓶，只要你喜歡就好）透心涼的啤酒；頭底上吱喳的小鳥輕盈地飛 過西北太平洋的樹梢… When Dick Williams took over as Seattle manager in mid-1986, he was nearly 60, and was taking on his sixth major league manager's job. It was safe to say he'd learned a thing or two. 當1986球季中Dick Williams接下水手監督時，他已經近耳順之年，同時這也是他第六個 大檸檬教頭職務，依他的資歷，說他擔任監督應該有些經驗並不為過。 After observing his young third baseman for a while, Williams took Presley aside. 再看過他隊上的三壘手後，William將Presley拉到旁邊來。 "Jim," Williams said, "I've got a question for you." 「Jim，我問你一個問題」William開口了 "Fire away!" Presley said with a grin. 「說吧！」Presley給了教頭一個微笑 "Okay, then," Williams continued, "Have you ever heard the expression, 'Don't get cheated up there'?" 「好吧，那麼你有沒有聽過『打擊時時不要被投手給騙了』這種說法？」 "Oh, absolutely, Dick," Presley answered, nodding intently. "That's my whole philosophy. I don't want that pitcher to get me out with the bat on my shoulder, or on a check-swing. If I'm goin' down, I'm goin' down hard!" 「喔，那當然囉」Presley刻意點了點頭回答「這完全是我的打擊哲學。我才不想讓投手 誘使我將棒子舉到肩膀高或是出棒過半。我如果要出局，也一‧定‧不讓對方好過的！」 "Uh-huh," said Williams. "Well, you know what, Jim?" 「嗯哼，Jim你知道嗎？」William說道 "What?" Presley asked. 「啥？」Presley不解地說 "The next time you find yourself in a two-strike situation," Williams said, "There's something I want you to do." 「下回你發現自己陷入二好球窘境時」William說「我希望你能作某件事。」 "What's that, skip?" 「啥事？」 "Get cheated." 「給投手騙。」 And as for Joe Carter, well ... we'll be encountering him below. Again. 至於Joe Carter，還是那句老話：我們底下還會再碰到他的。 The eighth-worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最糟的四番——第八名 OPS+: 84 Jeffrey Leonard, left fielder-designated hitter, 1990 Seattle Mariners (team OPS+: 97) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 121 525 39 30 75 37 6 97 3 0 7 20 4 2 .251 .305 .356 .661 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 98 420 35 23 66 24 4 74 3 0 7 17 4 2 .256 .300 .368 .668 That Leonard's nickname was "Hackman" tells you all you need to know about his offensive approach. He was an impressive athlete and a talented player, but Leonard was one of those guys whose reputation was generally a stride or three ahead of his performance. He batted cleanup more than twice as often as he batted in any other spot in the order, even though Leonard was never a serious power generator. Leonard的綽號是「司機」，這生動的名詞完全描述了他的攻擊方式。他是個極具天分 且使人印象深刻的運動員，但同時也是個名過其實的傢伙。他打四番的次數比他在其他 打序上多兩回，雖然他從來不是個強力的攻擊發動機。 And if he'd been a questionable choice as a cleanup man in his prime, by this point the 34-year-old Hackman was a ludicrous choice as a cleanup man. That he was deployed in the role for back-to-back seasons by the Mariners tells you all you need to know about the managerial brilliance of Jim Lefebvre. 他在本質上適不適合擔任四番這件事是很有疑問的，找個34歲的司機當四番是個可笑的 選擇。特別是竟然連續兩季把他擺在這位置，因此我們可以知道當時的水手監督Jim Lefebvre是多麼地天縱英名啊。 The seventh-worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最糟的四番——第七名 OPS+: 83 Don Baylor, left fielder-designated hitter, 1980 California Angels (team OPS+: 98) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 90 380 39 19 51 24 4 32 11 0 5 9 6 6 .250 .316 .341 .657 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 85 361 38 17 47 24 4 28 11 0 5 9 6 6 .246 .316 .330 .646 His selection as AL MVP in 1979 was pretty silly, but Baylor had delivered an outstanding season as the Angels' cleanup hitter. So it was completely reasonable for manager Jim Fregosi to start out 1980 with Baylor in the role. 選他作為1979年MVP真的是挺蠢的，但Baylor作為猴子四番的球季表現挺出色，所以1980 球季Jim Fregosi會將他放在第四棒是相當合情理的決定。 What wasn't so reasonable was that Fregosi stuck with Baylor even as it became abundantly obvious that the wrist injury that was plaguing Baylor that season had thoroughly drained his power. Baylor's utter lack of production in the heart of the Angels' lineup was a key reason for their collapse from a division-winner in '79 to a 65-95, sixth-place disaster in 1980. 之所以會變調的原因則是Fregosi滿滿的愛，明明Baylor的手傷不僅困擾著他而且大幅 降低他的力量，但他的位置依舊不動如山。他佔住猴子中心打線所造成的傷害，是天使從 79年的分區冠軍掉到80年第六名，65勝95敗這種鳥成績的主要因素。 Tied for fifth-worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最糟的四番——兩個第五名 OPS+: 81 Dick Stuart, first baseman, 1962 Pittsburgh Pirates (team OPS+: 96) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 100 433 52 31 64 32 1 94 2 0 5 9 0 1 .228 .286 .398 .684 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 96 403 51 28 57 28 1 86 2 0 5 9 0 1 .226 .280 .399 .679 Ron Coomer, first baseman, 2000 Minnesota Twins (team OPS+: 85) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 135 589 64 46 82 36 2 50 4 0 5 25 2 0 .270 .317 .415 .732 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 120 518 52 38 63 31 2 44 3 0 5 22 2 0 .267 .313 .395 .708 Stuart's dismal 1962 performance has always slightly puzzled me. He was a famously dreadful fielder, and a frightfully slow baserunner, but one thing Stuart could be counted upon to do was deliver with his booming bat. I've never heard about any injury issue Stuart was facing that year. Stuart在1962年低潮總讓我感覺有點奇怪，他是個令人聞風喪膽的外野手，同時跑壘速度 也真慢得可以。但Stuart送回跑者的大棒子無疑是值得信賴的，可是那年我從沒聽到過他 有啥傷痛問題。 Manager Danny Murtaugh can't be faulted for giving Stuart the generous opportunity he did to break out of the slump, especially since it apparently was just a slump, though a real humdinger. Indeed, Murtaugh can be credited for handling the situation quite wisely, giving Stuart his due chance, then decisively turning the late-season first base starts over to the talented rookie Donn Clendenon, who performed well. 不能怪教練Danny Murtaugh給予陷入低潮的Stuart這麼多機會，尤其是那看起來顯然只是 一段低潮。事實上Murtaugh後來的處理方式相當高明：先是給Stuart按表操課，季末又果 決地將一壘交給具天賦的新人Donn Clendenon。 Okay, a great Dick Stuart story I recently heard, told by Larry Gerlach at this year's Nine conference. Larry was a teenager in 1956 in Lincoln, Neb., taking a job as a scorecard-seller at the Lincoln Chiefs' ballpark just to get a chance to hang around and watch the games. 好吧，Larry Gerlach最近告訴我一個關於偉大Stuart的故事。1956年Larry仍是個住在 內布拉斯加州林肯市的青少年，他在Lincoln Chiefs'棒球場賣記分卡打工，並看有沒有 機會混進去看比賽。 Larry's at that ballpark on the season's opening day, an hour or two before gametime. Suddenly, instead of the usual dusty, dented pickup truck or station wagon, a glistening two-tone, lavishly finned Cadillac convertible comes hurtling off the highway into the stadium's gravel parking area, brodying to a jauntily angled halt. 在球場開幕賽那天前一兩個小時，Larry看到台特殊的車子，它不同以往髒兮兮、凹損的 卡車或車站貨車，那是台閃亮亮雙色的凱迪拉克敞篷車，它開下公路並在球場的碎石停車 處停了下來。 Startling as this set of wheels and its entrance is, its occupant is even more so. Coolly easing himself out of the car is a handsomely tall, rippling-muscled, bronzely-tanned wonder, sporting an exquisitely greased dark-brown pompadour and ducktail. 而車主甚至比這台凱迪拉克的輪子與車門還閃亮。他自若輕鬆的下了車，高大挺拔的他有 著糾結古銅色的肌膚，他棕色的頭髮仔細的往後梳並抹著光亮的髮油。 And that's not all. This specimen is decked out in oh-so-sharp sunglasses, a lime-green (yes, lime-green) skin-tight short-sleeved polo shirt, creamy-white crotch-bulging pegged pants, Italian loafers, and—Larry is keen to add—no socks. 還不只是這樣。這特殊人士還戴著超炫的太陽眼鏡，穿著件澄綠色（你沒看錯，就是"澄" 綠色）的短袖緊身Polo衫、奶油色分叉褲、義大利休閒鞋，而且——Larry特別強調—— 沒穿襪子。 "This," Larry says, still awestruck more than half a century later, "was Dick Stuart." 「他，」即使已經過了半世紀，Larry還是敬畏的表示「就是Dick Stuart。」 Stuart would wallop 66 home runs for Lincoln that season. 那一季Stuart替林肯市夯了66發全壘打。 So, how can Ron Coomer possibly hope to follow that act? 所以囉，Ron Coomer憑什麼覺得自己比得上Stuart呢？ Well, he can't. As extravagantly memorable as Stuart was even in his failures, Coomer was blandly forgettable. 嗯，當然他辦不到，就算Stuart後來簡直一塌糊塗大家依然是記得一清二楚； Coomer？誰是Coomer啊？ Coomer was a blandly forgettable player on a blandly forgettable team who appears on this list only because his—well, maybe not blandly forgettable, but something less than colorfully memorable—manager (Tom Kelly) chose to bat him cleanup. It was a poor choice, but one little noted at the time, and even less remembered. 在這排行榜上的Coomer跟他的球隊一樣Dororo化，這名字之所以會不那麼光彩地出現在這 ，自然也是因為監督(Tom Kelly)糟糕地選了他作四番。這個決定當時沒啥人注意到， 所以後來沒啥人記得也是很正常的。 Tied for third-worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最糟的四番——兩個第三名 OPS+: 77 Tim Wallach, third baseman, 1991 Montreal Expos (team OPS+: 95) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 150 637 60 36 73 50 8 100 6 0 4 12 2 4 .225 .292 .334 .626 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 127 542 51 31 66 40 7 85 6 0 4 11 1 4 .236 .299 .343 .642 Joe Carter, designated hitter-first baseman-left fielder, 1997 Toronto Blue Jays (team OPS+: 83) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 157 668 76 55 102 40 5 105 7 0 9 12 8 2 .234 .284 .399 .683 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 89 381 47 35 47 20 4 64 7 0 5 8 5 2 .244 .294 .413 .707 Wallach wasn't a great hitter, but he was a good one. He really wasn't the sort of guy you want batting cleanup, and usually he didn't: Over his career he had twice as many starts in the fifth or sixth slot as he did batting fourth. But most of the time he wouldn't embarrass you batting fourth, as he did here; this just happened to be the season in which he suddenly hit the wall. Thus he's in the same boat as a lot of the veterans in the honorable mentions list above. Wallach不是個偉大的打者，但也算不錯了。他真的不是那種你會看到的四番打者，而 通常他也不是。他生涯打五棒或六棒的次數是他打四番的兩倍之多。不過他打四番的成績 也非那般難堪——除了這一年以外；這季是他的撞牆期，這也是他之所以和這些值得尊敬 的老傢伙一起被列入排行榜的原因。 Now, as for Joe Carter ... well. 至於Joe Carter呢…這個嘛 The whole Joe Carter mystique baffled me at the time, and still does. Yes, he was remarkably durable, yes, he was a "gamer," yes, he ran the bases quite well for a big man. All told he was a good ballplayer, a fine guy to have on your team. Joe Carter的神秘感從以前一直困惑著我，的確，他的耐操令人印象深刻；沒錯，他是個 「玩家」；是的，對個大個頭來說他跑壘很不賴——這一切都說明他是個好球員，你會想 將他擺進你的隊伍裡。 But he wasn't anything more than a pretty good hitter. He certainly wasn't a star hitter, and most definitely he wasn't the sort of hitter you want in the heart of your order. Yet Carter was nearly universally perceived as a terrific hitter, a big star hitter, and he was deployed in the third or fourth slot in his team's order more than 1,700 times—that is, nearly his entire career. He was named to the All-Star team five times, was voted the Silver Slugger Award twice, and received MVP votes in eight separate seasons, including two top-five finishes. 回頭看來他也不是最棒的打者，至少不是明星級的，更顯然地，你並不會想將他放進你的 中心打線裡。然而一般人廣泛認知Carter是個了不起的打者，他在隊上擔任第三或第四棒 長達1700場——差不多是他的整個棒球生涯。他被提名進全星星五回、也曾拿下兩次銀棒 獎，更在八個不同球季裡得過MVP的票，其中兩次以前五名作終。 All of this huzzah was completely, utterly unwarranted. It isn't that he wasn't quite that good; it's that he wasn't anywhere close to that good. But everyone, not just the mainstream media, but his management as well, was merrily drinking the Joe Carter Kool-Aid. 但這些獎項全然不保證什麼，這並不是說他只差點沒「那麼好」，而是指他根本就完全沒 「那麼好」。可是所有人，不僅僅是主流媒體，都因為他的長袖善舞而欣然為他著迷。 I don't intend this as any sort of knock on Carter himself. He was obviously a hard-working player who kept himself in top shape, and did the very best he could. By all accounts he was (and presumably still is) a wonderful guy. 我並不是想給Carter什麼當頭棒喝，他確實是個認真的球員而且將身材保持的很好，場上 表現也盡其所能。就每個角度來看，他曾是（可能現在還是）一個很棒的傢伙。 But he just, well, wasn't anywhere flipping anything close to that good. Indeed he was, as indicated here, repeatedly performing as one of the very worst cleanup hitters in the second half of the 20th century. 不過嘛，老話一句，他的成績真的沒那麼出色啦。就如同上面數據，他是二十世紀下半中 最糟糕的四番之一。 The next time someone tells you that the RBI statistic isn't really all that overrated, and hasn't really served to cause people to misperceive the actual value of ballplayers, just answer with these two words: Joe Carter. 下回若有人告訴你RBI真的沒有被過度高估，而且並不會讓人錯誤評估一個球員的真正 價值時，只要回他們兩個字：Joe Carter。 The second-worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最糟的四番——第二名 OPS+: 75 Willie Kirkland, right fielder, 1962 Cleveland Indians (team OPS+: 96) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 109 470 56 31 72 43 3 63 0 3 5 10 9 1 .200 .272 .377 .649 When batting f\Fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 85 367 47 28 61 36 3 43 0 2 5 6 9 1 .219 .293 .426 .719 Kirkland's major league career consisted of not just one, but two distinct phases of disappointment. He was a tremendous five-tool athlete, and he destroyed the minors, leading this league or that in runs scored, triples, homers, RBIs and batting average. Kirkland的大聯盟生涯並不只是一段，而是由兩個明確且令人失望的時期所組成。他曾是 個厲害的五拍子球員，並在小聯盟屠殺，在一個又一個聯盟裡得分、三壘安打、全壘打、 打點以及打擊率勇冠群雄。 Thus when he arrived in the majors, the Giants anticipated stardom, but instead what they got was good-but-nothing-special performance. After three uninspiring seasons, they gave up and traded Kirkland to Cleveland. The Indians, figuring the change of scenery would trigger Kirkland's blossoming, instead got yet another nice-but-hardly-great year from him in 1961. 自然而然當他上了大聯盟，巨人軍對他滿心期待，結果他們得到的是個「不錯但沒啥特別 」的成績。歷經三個平凡的球季，他們將Kirkland送到了克里夫蘭。笑臉人也幻想著環境 的改變有可能讓Kirkland爆發，後來證明他們跟巨人軍都看走眼了，1961還是個「不錯但 就是這樣」的球季。 That was disappointment phase No. 1. Then came 1962. 這是失望時期一，於是來到1962年球季。 As we see, Kirkland simply didn't hit a lick. His batting average last saw the heights of .250 nine games into the season, and he spent the bulk of the year wrestling the .200 mark to a draw. Forget stardom, forget even cleanup-hitter status; the 28-year-old Kirkland was now struggling to justify deployment in the starting lineup altogether. 如我們所見，Kirkland從來沒爆發過，他打擊率上回高於二成五是球季開始的前九場，而 他剩下的時間都在努力維持兩成打擊率。別管那些好表現，更甭提啥四番能力了；28歲的 Kirkland現在只想保住他的先發位置。 And he'd never recover. He'd spend the next four years producing in this sluggish manner, steadily receding into part-time status. Finally he'd wind up in Japan, in those days the boneyard for American has-beens. 不過這不是什麼勵志小說，他再也沒有恢復過。接下四年他表現依舊這麼糟糕，逐漸退化 成工具人。最後他只能轉往日本發展。 The worst cleanup hitter since 1957 1957年以來最最糟糕的四番 OPS+: 72 Aramis Ramirez, third baseman, 2002 Pittsburgh Pirates (team OPS+: 88) Overall: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 133 570 51 44 71 29 3 95 8 0 11 17 2 0 .234 .279 .387 .666 When batting fourth: GS PA R XBH RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF GDP SB CS BA OBP SLG OPS 99 411 38 34 54 22 3 69 5 0 7 10 2 0 .241 .287 .390 .677 So Ramirez had broken out with a big year as a 23-year-old in 2001, and so it made complete sense for Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon to have him in the cleanup spot at the outset of '02. So far, so good. And over the first couple of weeks of the season, Ramirez was delivering at a .348/.407/.500 clip. So far, so good. 2001球季23歲的Ramirez表現異常出色，所以隔年海盜教頭Lloyd McClendon將他移至四番 是完全合理的。事情進展至此還不錯，在球季的前幾週，Ramirez的打擊三圍是 .348/.407/.500，的確，事情發展的還不賴。 Then in a bench-clearing brawl on April 17, Ramirez severely twisted an ankle. Hey, these things happen. 4/17在一次兩隊發生激烈衝突下，Ramirez嚴重傷到腳踝，但也沒辦法，這種鳥事總是會 發生。 But rather than give Ramirez a sufficient DL stint to fully heal, the nobody's-idea-of-a-serious-contender Pirates had him back in action within two-and-a-half weeks, and in the starting lineup, batting cleanup, within three-and-a-half. 匪夷所思的是，教練並未將他放進DL名單中好好的治療，這個對重大事故毫無概念的 海盜隊兩週半後將他拉上場，三週半後讓他扛先發四番。 And stinking on ice. 亂搞也要有個限度嘛 Ramirez wasn't close to fully healed. He was hobbling, hampered by the bad ankle in the field, on the bases, and at the plate. He hit .160/.185/.307 in May—but McClendon left him in the lineup, and in the cleanup spot. 跛腳的Ramirez根本沒完全復原，他受傷的腳踝影響他在場上的表現，他五月的打擊三圍 衰退至.160/.185/.307，但腦殘的McClendon繼續將他擺在四番先發。 He hit .217/.272/.265 in June—but McClendon left him in the lineup, and in the cleanup spot. He hit .198/.224/.342 in July—but McClendon left him in the lineup, and in the cleanup spot. 他六月的成績.217/.272/.265只比五月好一點，但腦殘的McClendon繼續將他擺在四番先 發；七月的成績.198/.224/.342，但腦殘的McClendon繼續將他擺在四番先發。 All told, Ramirez would hit .223/.265/.376 after returning from his injury— but McClendon left him in the lineup, and in the cleanup spot all the way into mid-September. Ramirez would finally get his rest, and heal—in the offseason. 大家都說，Ramirez傷後頂多是.223/.265/.376的水準，但腦殘的McClendon繼續將他擺在 四番先發直到九月中。可憐的Ramirez終於可以——在季後賽時好好休息療傷。 Give Ramirez his props for playing hurt. But give McClendon and the Pirates a weapons-grade raspberry for failing to get any kind of a clue that maybe this "let him play through it" thing wasn't working out so hot. 我們可以體諒Ramirez帶傷卻得繼續奮戰的難處；但對堅信「讓他繼續打球克服這一切」 會成功的腦殘McClendon與海盜隊，請務必開汽水噓死他們。 -- ◢ 雜詩 十四首其一 清‧龔自珍 ◆ ◢█▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▌ ▕ 年少無端愛令名 也無學術誤蒼生 ▕ 白雲一笑懶如此 忽遇天風吹便行 ▕▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁▁ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ ◤ --

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