Hunters & Prey

Watching the Discovery Channel at night and you're bound to see some lion pouncing on a gazelle somewhere in Africa. It's the classic embodiment of hunter and prey. In the Major Leagues the scenario plays out a bit differently with the pitcher being the hunter and the batter the prey. I took it upon myself to find the top headhunters and targets of modern baseball, which you will find listed below.

Top Headhunters (since 1950):
1. Randy Johnson- 188
2. Charlie Hough- 174
3. Tim Wakefield- 163
4. Jim Bunning- 160
5. Roger Clemens- 159

Top Targets (since 1950):
1. Craig Biggio- 285
2. Don Baylor- 267
3. Ron Hunt- 243
4. Jason Kendall- 231
5. Frank Robinson- 198



Personally, I'd leave skid marks in my underpants if I had to face the gnarly-faced 6'10" Randy Johnson or the roided-up Texan bad boy Rocket Clemens. However, I can't imagine taking a Hough or Wakefield dancing knuckleball would have much of a sting to it. Of note- Kendall is still get plunked, Johnson is still firing death bullets, and Wakefield is still putting boo-boos on batters, as they are all active players.
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Linkage:
*We Should Be GM's has the answer to the Phillies April woes.

*Hugging Harold Reynolds has an interesting Q&A session with author Bruce Weber, who wrote a book about MLB umpiring.

*Walkoff Walk breaks down yesterday's MLB action (or inaction for Phils fans).


Zune: The Ballad of Lion and Gazelle