SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/13373725/mike-hessman-sets-minor-league-home-run-record-no-433
Hessman is a classic itinerant minor league slugger: a guy who bounces around hitting fastballs over the fecne and winning minor league home run crowns but who can't hit a major league curve ball. Actually, Hessman isn't really one of the better guys of that ilk. He's only got a .232 lifetime minor league batting average and has struck out a ridiculous 2,347 times: he's sort of a minor league Dave Kingman. It's amazing his career lasted long enough to top Arlett, who was a much better player.
Buzz played in a time when there were only 16 major league teams in 10 cities, all in the northeastern quadrant of the country. The high minors were full of cities that later got major league teams when improved transportation made the majors nation-wide and they were independent teams in independent leagues. They owned the cotnracts of the players and could keep them the whole season if they wanted. Arlett was a west coast guy who played most of his career out there, when the PCL was trying to become a third major league. He did just fine when he faced major league pitching, (.313) but preferred playing in his home area.
Hessman in the minors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hessma001mic
Hessman in the majors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hessmmi01.shtml
Arlett in the minors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=arlett001rus
Arlett in the majors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arletbu01.shtml
Hessman is a classic itinerant minor league slugger: a guy who bounces around hitting fastballs over the fecne and winning minor league home run crowns but who can't hit a major league curve ball. Actually, Hessman isn't really one of the better guys of that ilk. He's only got a .232 lifetime minor league batting average and has struck out a ridiculous 2,347 times: he's sort of a minor league Dave Kingman. It's amazing his career lasted long enough to top Arlett, who was a much better player.
Buzz played in a time when there were only 16 major league teams in 10 cities, all in the northeastern quadrant of the country. The high minors were full of cities that later got major league teams when improved transportation made the majors nation-wide and they were independent teams in independent leagues. They owned the cotnracts of the players and could keep them the whole season if they wanted. Arlett was a west coast guy who played most of his career out there, when the PCL was trying to become a third major league. He did just fine when he faced major league pitching, (.313) but preferred playing in his home area.
Hessman in the minors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hessma001mic
Hessman in the majors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hessmmi01.shtml
Arlett in the minors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=arlett001rus
Arlett in the majors: http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arletbu01.shtml
