The Pecan Park Eagle

“Fanned Out”
By
Charles Dana Gibson
1867-1944
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These Astro fans finally got over the sad news that Larry Anderson had been traded to the Boston Red Sox.

ASTRO*NOTES

The HFA RACE. It’s not the end of the world. The Dodgers and Indians are looking more and more like a two-horse race for home field advantage through the World Series as we head into the last week of the season.

Altuve Needs Two. Two more hits and our incredible hitting man, Jose Altuve, racks up his 4th consecutive 200-hit season on his way to his 3rd AL batting championship in 4 years and an MVP award that feels ever the more like a coronation of the biggest big man to ever play the game. Let’s hope he gets them in Arlington tonight and puts that bear to bed forever.

The Batting Title Qualifier Rule About Minimal Participation. With 382 official times at bat, the long-injured Mike Trout returned to the list of qualified AL hitters by batting average yesterday, whereas, Carlos Correa has a higher total number of times at bat at 397, but still remains unqualified on the basis of insufficient service. The reason for this apparent error is simple.

It isn’t an error.

Eligibility for hitting recognition is not based upon official times at bat. It is based upon a player’s total plate appearances, averaged by the number of games his team of record has played to date.

If a player averages 3.1 or higher on plate appearances for all the games his team has played to date, he will be eligible for an official ranking and a possible batting title.

To get that number, you simply divide a player’s total plate appearances by the number of total games his team has played to date. If you get a number that is 3.1 or higher, he is eligible. Otherwise, he is not. This comparison of Trout and Correa crisply shows the difference between barely making it and barely missing it:

PA = PLAYER’S TOTAL PLATE APPEARANCES

/ = DIVIDED BY

TG = PLAYER’S TEAM GAMES PLAYED TO DATE

ES = ELIGIBILITY SCORE IS 3.1. ANY SCORE OF 3.1 OR HIGHER QUALIFIES THE BATTER FOR HIS OFFICIAL RANKING. AS WE SEE FROM OUR TABLE, TROUT JUST BECAME ELIGIBLE AGAIN YESTERDAY. CORREA REMAINS SHY OF THE 3.1 MARK.

Footnote: If a player is under contract to more than a single MLB club in the same season, obviously, you get the same correct answers by simply holding him accountable for the total number of games he was under contract to separate teams. If a guy is 90 games a Cub and 60 games a Giant in 2017, the total of 150 is the number to use in the batting eligibility division work.

Simple enough.

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE RACES, GB IN EACH

THRU GAMES PLAYED SUNDAY, 9/24/2017

L = LEADER BY LEAGUE AND WS OVERALL.

Overall Leader gets home field advantage (HFA) in World Series.

GAMES TO PLAY: DODGERS 6, INDIANS 6, ASTROS 7, NATIONALS 7 

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HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE SERIOUS CONTENDER SCORES

THRU GAMES PLAYED SUNDAY, 9/24/2017

ANGELS 7 – ASTROS 5

INDIANS 4 – MARINERS 2

NATIONALS 3 – METS 2

DODGERS 3 – GIANTS 1

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES PLAYED SUNDAY, 9/24/2017

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

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