Holy Cow! Look at These Numbers

Thursday, September 20 2007 @ 10:55 PM EDT

Every year, there are a few numbers that just jump off the Sunday sports stats wrapups (okay, these days, off the ESPN.com MLB screen) screaming, in a Harry Carey voice, "Holy Cow!"

Oh, I don't mean the Bonds-73 and McLain-31 types of numbers -- those jump off the page/screen at even the most casual of fan. But in just skimming the nearly-complete 2007 season numbers, I found myself shaking my head a number of times. For instance, did you realize ...

• Matt Holliday is hitting .339/36/131?
• Jose Valverde is leading the majors in saves with 46?
• Placido Polanco is hitting .342, good for third in the AL -- and second on his own team (to Magglio Ordonez)?
• Carlos Pena has hit 40 home runs?
• Adam Dunn has hit at least 40 home runs now in each of the last four seasons?
• Fausto Carmona is leading the AL in ERA, but his 3.07 mark wouldn't even crack the top five in the NL?
• Three players in the majors -- Ichiro, Holliday and Ordonez -- have already reached or surpassed 200 hits? he next four in line to get there -- Hanley Ramirez, Jimmy Rollins, Derek Jeter and Michael Young -- are all shortstops.
• Shane Victorino is 37-for-40 in the SB department? Every other player in the majors with at least 32 steals has been caught stealing six or more times.
• Atlanta's Kelly Johnson (Kelly Johnson?) is one of just four men in the majors to have reached double digits in triples? (He has 10 right now.)
• Two players -- Jeff Francoeur and Raul Ibanez -- have reached the 100 RBI plateau but have not yet hit 20 home runs? They have 17 and 19, respectively, while Bobby Abreu is at 16/98.
• Just five players have walked at least 100 times so far this season, while no less than 76 have struck out that many times already? The latter group is "led" by Ryan Howard, with 189, who seems a good bet to break Dunn's all-time record of 195.
• Rollins already has 675 AB, and seems a sure thing to break 700? He would be just the fourth player ever to do so, and has a good shot at Willie Wilson's all-time mark of 705.
• Just five SP have cracked the 200 K barrier so far this season? Jake Peavy leads the way at 225 -- the days of Nolan Ryan and 383 seem far away -- well, hey, that was 34 years ago!
• Aaron Harang is 16-4? (Aaron Harang!!) Ben Sheets (12-5) and Claudio Vargas (11-4) are a combined 23-9 for Milwaukee.
• Kip Wells is 6-17 and Edwin Jackson is 4-15?
• Sixteen different pitchers have at least 30 saves? Six more are in the 20's and 14 others have reached double digits.
• Only two starting pitchers in the majors (among qualifiers) have an ERA of 6.00 or higher? Adam Eaton is at 6.36 while Scott Olsen is at 6.06. According to USA Today, Eaton is earn - er, nake that, "is being paid" $7,208,333 by the Phillies in 2007; Olsen is making "only" $380,000 with the Marlins.

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