Monday, March 21, 2011

MLB Trivia: The Notorious G.I.D.P.

It's one of the most frustrating plays in baseball. A batter hits a ground ball that ends up turning into two outs, a.k.a. the ground into double play (GIDP). Fast guys tends to hit into fewer GIDPs, mainly because the slow guys give the defense more time to throw for the second out. In 1984, Jim Rice set the single season record for most GIDPs with 36. And Cal Ripken Jr. holds the all-time career record for most GIDPs with 350. Can you name who has the most career GIDPs among active MLB players entering 2011?

2 comments:

Pauly said...

I'll go out on a limb and say Jeter.

Greg McConnell said...

Pauly, I give you credit for going out on that limb, but now I'm going to saw it off... ;-)

Actually, Jeter's not a bad guess. He's #5 among active players. But the player with the most GIDP among active players is Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez.

Also, here are a few other nuggets for you to consider. Last year I-Rod finished his 6th season with more GIDPs than walks. That's the most by any player ever. And, depending on how much longer I-Rod plays, he's got a chance to surpass Ripken this season for the most GIDP of all time.