Ivan Rodriguez retiring. Cooperstown?

[Edgy MD]

That's wrong. His two earliest short-season years cherry picked out of 380 games. And he was indeed good in those years, just not yet great.

Generally speaking, he was awesome coming up.

[Ceetar]

Edgy DC wrote: That's wrong. His two earliest short-season years cherry picked out of 380 games. And he was indeed good in those years, just not yet great. Generally speaking, he was awesome coming up.

yes, his _earliest_ as in the normal 4th dimensional progression that we all face. There was a jump. His numbers in the Florida state league in 1990 were league averageish. Of course, he was young for the age, but that wouldn't matter to an opposing player coming up against him, as the article states.

[metsmarathon]

if you're relatively young for a given level of the minor leagues, and perform to league average levels , you're doing really really well.

[Ceetar]

metsmarathon wrote: if you're relatively young for a given level of the minor leagues, and perform to league average levels , you're doing really really well.

from a development standpoint, probably not from a "I'm playing against you and dominating you" way.

[Frayed Knot]

Piazza's "jump" also coincided with his move from partial seasons to full, and from the pitching-friendly Fla St Lg to the hitter's-haven California League and on to offensive happy zones in San Antonio & Albuquerque

And, again, this is not an argument that he didn't, but at the same time it certainly lacks a lot as proof that he did.
That Brady Anderson that never as many as 25 HRs except for the year he hit 50 serves to many as proof of his guilt, but applying the same logic tars Maris as some kind of cheater for never managing to hit as many as 40 before or after his season of 61.

[Ceetar]

It's so much harder to prove something didn't happen. And the voters seem to buy into rumor and allusion to easily.

[Frayed Knot]

Some Pudge-trospective from Baseball Prospectus

Note, among other things, the career 46% caught stealing rate.
I even remember the season he personally stole more bases than he allowed.