Just Sayin'

With Bill Mueller slumping just a bit - I was curious how his numbers compared to Shea Hillenbrand. So I checked 'em. Here are the numbers for both Hillenbrand and Mueller from the start of last season:

Shea Hillenbrand:

164 G / 622 AB / 74 R / 172 H / 41 2B / 1 3B / 24 HR / 114 RBI / .277 BA

Bill Mueller:

180 G / 661 AB / 107 R / 206 H / 51 2B / 5 3B / 24 HR / 105 RBI / .312 BA

Bill Mueller had a career year last year - so I was surprised that the numbers for the two players were this close. I know that Bill Mueller also kills Hillenbrand in the Moneyball OBP comparison (and my favorite - OPS+) and in Bill James win shares (25 win shares for Mueller and just 13 for Hillenbrand - which really tells the whole story).

I know that trading Hillenbrand allowed Mueller to have his career year and probably more importantly - allowed David Ortiz the AB's to prove his worth to the team. However, at the back of my head I keep remembering that Hillenbrand is four years younger than Mueller and that Johnny Pesky cried when told that Hillenbrand was traded (and that has to count for something).

I know at this point in time it was an excellent move by the Red Sox but I think we have to reserve complete judgement for a couple of years. There is the potential for a George Scott / Cecil Cooper analogy if Hillenbrand at some point finds his groove.

Anyway - I was just curious - so I checked.