The Hitting Prowess of Jamie Moyer

Jamie Moyer, at 49, is not the oldest player to have played a game in the history of baseball.  That honor belongs to Satchell Paige, who was 59 when he made an appearance in 1965.  In fact, Satchell Paige (59), Nick Altrock (57), Jim O'Rourke (54), Minnie Minoso (54), Charley O'Leary (51) and Jack Quinn (50) all played the game while in their 50s. 

Despite his relative youth, Moyer is the oldest pitcher to win a game and the most successful pitcher on the far side of his 49th birthday.  Here are the stats amassed by pitchers who were 49 or older:

• Jamie Moyer - 2-3, 4.20 ERA, 45.0 IP, 29 Ks
• Hoyt Wilhelm - 0-1, 4.62 ERA, 25.1 IP, 9 Ks, 1 save
• Jack Quinn - 0-1, 4.02 ERA, 15.2 IP, 3 Ks, 1 save
• Satchell Paige - 0-0, 0.00, 3 IP, 1 K

What may be more amazing is that Jamie Moyer, owner of a lifetime slash line of .127/.197/.139, is now the most accomplished hitter over the age of 49.  Here's a look at the stats of those players:

• Jamie Moyer - 14 PAs, .182/.250/.182, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 RBIs, 1 walk and 2 sacrifices
• Minnie Minoso - 10 PAs, .100/.100/.100, 1 hit
• Jim O'Rourke - 4 PAs, .250/.250/.250, 1 hit, 1 run
• Nick Altrock - 3 PAs, .500/.667/.500, 1 hit, 1 walk
• Arlie Latham - 2 PAs, .000/.000/.000, 1 run, 1 stolen base
• Hoyt Wilhelm - 2 PAs, .000/.000/.000, 1 sacrifice
• Satchel Paige - 1 PA
• Jack Quinn - 1 PA
• Jimmy Austin - 1 PA

The Ageless Wonder continues to impress.

Bullpen K/BB

While most certainly not a complete picture, the strikeout to walk ratio is a decent measure of pitching effectiveness, especially when considering some of the potential fallacies created by competitive inequality and small sample size. 

Coming into the 2012 season, only five bullpens had been able to amass a K/BB ratio of over 3.00 for a season:

1. 1994 Montreal Expos - 3.41 K/BB
2. 2010 San Diego Padres - 3.32 K/BB
3. 2006 Minnesota Twins - 3.28 K/BB
4. 2003 Los Angeles Dodgers - 3.15 K/BB
5. 2011 Colorado Rockies - 3.04 K/BB

Nearing the quarter pole of the 2012 season, the St. Louis Cardinals are on pace to top that mark with a 3.68 K/BB, but they aren't even in the vicinity of the current MLB leaders.

The Texas Rangers bullpen is currently sporting a 10.29 K/BB ratio. 

To put that into perspective, the single season mark for an individual pitcher is Brett Saberhagen's 11.00 in 1994 (the strike shortened season).  Cliff Lee's 10.28 K/BB ratio is second on the list.