100 Greatest Phillies: 57 – Johnny Moore
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Thu, January 29, 2009 07:49 PM | Comments: 24
100 Greatest Phillies, Posts
Johnny Moore
Outfielder
1934-1937
Career w/Phillies: .328 AVG / 55 HR / 303 RBI / 14 SB
An expert hitter, Moore came from Cincinnati in a midseason 1934 trade for Ted Kleinhans, Wes Schulmerich and Art Ruble. Considering the Reds got only one season from Kleinhans and Schulmerich out of the trade, it was a steal for the Phillies. Moore was hitting .190 when he came to the Phils, then struck a .343 average the rest of the way. He continued with a .323 in 1935, a .328 in 1936 and a .319 in a minimized 1937. He struck out only 176 times in his career — that’s 23 less than Ryan Howard’s entire 2007 total. He also approached 100 RBI twice.
Comment: For some reason, Moore was amazing with the Phillies. His career before Philadelphia was mediocre, but once he hit the City of Brotherly Love, he became one of the game’s best hitters — a top 10 swinger for three consecutive seasons. He easily deserves his placement here.
Posts: 0 Jason B.
Those are pretty good numbers. If he would have done that for two more years as a Phil, he could have been much higher on this list, I think. To think that he struck out less times in his career than Howard does during a bad month, amazes me. Boy, the game of baseball has drasticlly changed.
Posted: 09:07 PM on January 29, 2009
Posts: 0 Jim
Not exactly jason, 176 career ks. Still less than howard averages in a year!!!
Posted: 09:10 PM on January 29, 2009
Posts: 0 Jh
TIM——>what ever happened to the nickname poll thing, please continue it
Posted: 09:53 PM on January 29, 2009
Posts: 0 Jason B.
Jim, no disrespect, but my comment had a certain level of sarcasm in it. I am in no way saying that Moore is better than Ryan Howard.
Posted: 10:01 PM on January 29, 2009
Posts: 0 steve
Tim: “For some reason, Moore was amazing with the Phillies”
Well, the fact that he was a left-handed batter playing in Baker Bowl may have had something to do with that.
Posted: 10:57 PM on January 29, 2009
Posts: 0 Chuck P
I woke up sick so I’m a bit cranky… I don’t mean to be critical but I’m sure it will sound that way.
Tim – so far, many players on this list only lasted 3-4 years with the Phillies… it seems like you gave a strong preference for averages over cumulative numbers. I’m guessing that will change but I would rank Puddin’ Head Jones much higher than Johnny Moore… the fact that he played for 13 years as a Phil is enough for me but he also amassed much better total numbers. You did note that you could have ranked Puddin’ Head higher… so I give you credit for pointing that out. Regardless, I would rank a lifer higher than a guy who just stumbled in and had two or three good years… even if he only batted .258. It’s hard to play in this league for any extended period of time, let alone ten years with the same team. A guy like that leaves a more permanent mark on franchise lore (I think that you really missed with Puddin’ Head… he was the defensive cornerstone of a team known for its defense. Certainly, one of the best defensive 3B of that decade and not a terrible hitter). That’s my opinion. Don’t get offended… you’re doing a great job and I love reading about some of these lesser known players.
Posted: 10:39 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
With all apologies to Johnny Moore… wanted to post something off-topic:
Need some advice/input from other baseball fans:
My Keeper league, three position players, and three pitchers.
Position Players (HR, RBI, R, SB, etc):
Ryan Howard, Brian McCann (I think i’m def keeping), but one more out of:
Jimmy Rollins, Jacoby Ellsbury, Ryan Ludwick, Chipper Jones.
Pitchers (W, Ks, S, ERA, WHIP, etc):
CC Sabathia, Brandon Webb (I’m def keeping), but one more out of:
Joakim Soria, Ricky Nolasco, Ervin Santana.
My take, I didn’t know that Ludwick has such a MONSTER year last year until I looked back at the numbers.. but can he really repeat that? I snagged Soria early last year, and he was great for me.. Santana is more solid than you would think, and Nolasco puts up very similar numbers and should only get better..??
Posted: 10:43 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Don M., Rollins is the pick for your third hitter keeper. Reyes and Hanley are the top two SS, and they will most likely be kept. After Rollins, the quality drops off a lot and you’re left with Alexei Ramirez, Stephen Drew and Jeter. Go with Rollins.
As for the pitcher, I think it’s between Soria and E. Santana. I don’t know how many other closers will be kept, so it’s hard to say who to go with. E. Santana is probably a top 10-13 starting pitcher, while Soria is about the 6th or 7th best RP (only because he’s on the Royals). So I think I’d go Santana.
Posted: 11:01 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Don M., you can check out mockdraftcentral.com They list the top 75 overall for free.
They have a listing of players based on ADP (average draft position). Rollins is 9.49, Howard is 11.26, McCann is 46.01, Chipper is 51.70, Ellsbury is 61.34, and Ludwick isn’t in the top 75.
None of your pitchers are in the top 75.
Posted: 11:06 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
I’ve also seen things where Utley is the 6th ranked 2b… so I don’t trust these expert-mock-draft-projection things too much
Kinsler, Brian Roberts, Brandon Phillips, Dan Uggla, whoever else are pretty good… but really, ahead of Utley in stats?
Last year my first two picks at #8 and #11 overall were Howard, and then Rollins… and I finished 8th of 10 in my league.
I was well out of any prize by the time Howard started putting the numbers up.. Soria is a top-closer, he converts almost every time, and the Royals hardly ever win by large margins.. same reason I grabbed Joe Borowski two years ago and he then lead the AL in Saves..
you need to find the average-above average teams, and jump on their closers, but this is my first time doing a keeper league, so I’m not sure what other starts aren’t kept if I dump Ervin Santana.. its crazy
Posted: 11:12 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
and if CC Sabathia and Brandon Webb aren’t in the top 25.. then the stats they are using for their rankings, must not really include pitching, because they are both top-10 SPs everywhere I look, and more importantly, in my head
Posted: 11:16 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
well, a lot of leagues don’t value starting pitcher as much as hitting. So guys like Webb and Sabathia will be the #3 or 4 SP, but they won’t make the overall top 25 list. The reason for this is that pitching is more unpredictable than hitting. PItchers get hurt a lot more than hitters, so picking stud hitters early is the safe route.
Posted: 11:20 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
yea but then you take Prince Fielder, and Rickie Weeks and you kick yourself…
THIS is what cost me… overvaluing stats and selecting Aaron Harang before Roy Halladay.. I had Harang on my team the two previous years and was on his balls
Posted: 11:24 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
yeah, it’s not a perfect science and guys come out of nowhere to be good (Gavin Floyd, John Danks, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Wellenmeyer, Carlos Quentin, Nelson Cruz, etc.)
Last year I drafted Delmon Yong and Jeff Francoeur way too early. Ouch.
Posted: 11:34 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Chuck P
There must not be too many teams in the league… that’s a heck of a roster.
I’m not the best fantasy b-ball manager when it comes to drafting players. I’m above average when it comes to making trades. With that being said, here ya go…
Ellsbury and Rollins would be my first picks… not because I think they’re going to have the best seasons… it’s more difficult to find SS than it is to find OF. Ludwick is a monster and I was really hoping that we would make a run at him… but the Cards always seem to have these players that have one or two good years and fall off… he could fall into that category. When healthy, Chipper is the best producer but his health is always a concern and who is going to protect him in 09?
I had Santana in my fantasy league last year and he was a beast. He faded in the second half and that’s something to be concerned about. In my opinion, it’s between Santana and Nolasco. I would probably go with Nolasco. Soria was great but he’s still the Royals closer… there are usually two or three closers available on the FA wire that can be serviceable. It depends on how you want to build your team… I like going with high K starters.
Posted: 11:34 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
Yea but with the High-K starters, there is a greater risk for long term injury… Harang had over 200 Ks and like a 3.75 ERA in 2006 and 2007.. and then he sucked on the balls last year.
Nolasco might be good…but I feel like he came from nowhere, I dont even remember hearing about him in the minors or anything
Posted: 11:42 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Nolasco is a health risk. Santana is much safer and has the higher upside, so I’d go with Santana.
Howard and Rollins are no-brainers, and you could debate McCann vs. Ellsbury, but I’d go for position scarcity and take the #2 Catcher (Martin being the top Catcher).
Posted: 11:54 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
Mauer is probably top Catcher…
Yea I guess if I want McCann because the other Catcher options aren’t so great, I should also keep Rollins, because the other SS options aren’t great either.
Posted: 11:57 AM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Pete
Keep Rollins and Santana. Rollins’ numbers are hard to get from an SS; I don’t expect Ludwick to have the same kind of year he did last year. Santana vs. Soria is a close call, I’d take Sanatana because he’s a stud and I see the Royals being even WORSE this year leading to fewer good spots for Soria.
Posted: 12:00 PM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
See I actually see the Royals scoring some runs this year, adding Coco Crisp and Mike Jacobs around a bunch of young talents… I wouldn’t be completely surprised to see the Royals win 75 games this year
Pitching needs to hold up, its not great, but they have Meche, Grienke, Kyle Davies, and Brian Bannister (who is sometimes good, sometimes horrible)
Posted: 12:04 PM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Mauer is the clear #3 catcher. He doesn’t steal bases (like Martin) or hit double digit HRs (like Martin and McCann). His value is BA driven.
Posted: 12:20 PM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Don M
BA was one of the things in my leage I think.. hits definitely..
So Mauer has the most Hits, Runs, and RBIs … McCann is way better than we realize.. and Bengie Molina had great numbers on a bad team last year
Posted: 12:30 PM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Chuck P
I’m going to remember this conversation… I’m leaning towards Santana having a poor year and Nolasco taking off… but then again, I’m not very good at fantasy drafts.
Posted: 12:32 PM on January 30, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Mauer will get more runs than McCann, but similar RBIs. Martin will get more runs than both, but less RBIs, and close to 20 SB. That’s why Martin is the top Catcher.
Posted: 12:50 PM on January 30, 2009