Which Team Has the Longest Cycle Drought?

Which MLB team has gone the longest without someone hitting for the cycle? For a couple of teams it has been over thirty years.

Issue #79

Before I get to the main topic of this article, here is a related, quick update on the trade analysis I wrote back in January: Twins and Marlins Trade Seems Like a Win-Win.

The two main players in the deal were starting pitcher Pablo López and 2B/DH Luis Arraez (both players interestingly were born in Venezuela). The Marlins were trading from their surplus of young pitching talent, and getting back the 2022 AL Batting Champion to bolster their relatively weaker hitting attack. The Twins were giving up a fan-favorite and good contact hitter in Arraez, but he doesn't hit for much power or steal many bases, and they were facing a glut of hitters relative to the desire to bolster their rotation.

As of now, both teams have winning records this year, with the Twins leading the AL Central at 11-7, and the Marlins somewhat surprisingly coming in at 10-9. And Lopez and Arraez have been critical to both team's early success:

• Pablo Lopez: 4 GS, 1.73 ERA, 26 IP, 15 H, 33 K (currently leading the AL)

• Luis Arraez: 27 hits in 59 at-bats, 1 HR, 0 SB, .458 BA and .508 OBP (both leading the majors)

The Marlins have been playing Arraez consistently at 2B, and thus far his defense there has been improved over 2022 as well.

But it is that one HR by Arraez so far this season that led me to write today's article. About a week ago, on April 11th in a game against the Phillies, Arraez hit for the cycle (a single, double, triple, and homerun in the same game). With that the Marlins became the last of the current 30 MLB franchises to have a player with a cycle, a fact I noted in my article last summer Baseball Cycles: Most Recent and All-Time Leaders by Position.

So which team has the longest cycle drought at this point? Here are the most recent cycles hit for each team:

• Marlins - Luis Arraez, 4/11/23

• Cardinals - Nolan Arenado, 7/1/22

• Orioles - Austin Hays, 6/22/22

• Angels - Jared Walsh, 6/11/22

• Mets - Eduardo Escobar, 6/6/22

• Brewers - Christian Yelich, 5/11/22 (one of three in his career, tied for the most ever)

• Braves - Eddie Rosario, 9/19/21 (interestingly Freddie Freeman also hit for the cycle a little over a month earlier, on 8/18/21)

• Padres - Jake Cronenworth, 7/16/21

• Nationals - Trea Turner, 6/30/21 (also one of three in his career, tied for the most ever)

• Blue Jays - Cavan Biggio, 9/17/19

• Guardians (Indians) - Jake Bauers, 6/14/19

• Twins - Jorge Polanco 4/5/19

• Rockies - Charlie Blackmon, 9/30/18

• Red Sox - Mookie Betts, 8/9/18

• White Sox - José Abreu, 9/9/17

• Rays - Evan Longoria, 8/1/17

• Dodgers - Cody Bellinger, 7/15/17

• Rangers - Carlos Gómez, 4/29/17

• Pirates - John Jaso, 9/28/16

• Astros - Brandon Barnes, 7/19/13

• Diamondbacks - Aaron Hill, 6/29/12 (interestingly he also hit for the cycle 11 days earlier on 6/18/12)

• Giants - Pablo Sandoval, 9/15/11

• Yankees - Melky Cabrera, 8/2/09

• Mariners - Adrián Beltré, 9/1/08 (also one of three in his career, tied for the most ever)

• A's - Mark Ellis, 6/4/07

• Tigers - Carlos Guillén, 8/1/06

• Phillies - David Bell, 6/28/04

• Cubs - Mark Grace, 5/9/93

• Royals - George Brett, 7/25/90

• Reds - Eric Davis, 6/2/89

So the Reds have the longest drought for cycles at this point, dating back almost 34 years to the great Eric Davis in 1989. Since 2017, excluding the abbreviated 2020 season, we've been getting about five cycles per year. So if that rate continues in 2023 it will be interesting to see which teams produce the four or so additional cycles—perhaps it will be the Reds, or the Royals or Cubs who also haven't had one since the 1990s?

I noted above three of the players who are tied for the career lead (since 1901) with three cycles each—Christian Yelich, Trea Turner, and Adrián Beltré. Two other players from yesteryear also managed that feat, Bob Meusel and Babe Herman. Given the decrease in Yelich's offensive capabilities—which so far appears to be continuing in 2023—I'd say Trea Turner of the Phillies has the best shot of breaking that five-way tie. If he does, he'd also end the fourth longest team drought, since the Phils haven't had a cycle since David Bell's in 2004.

For more interesting facts about baseball cycles, see this page at The Baseball Almanac.

All data is from Baseball-Reference.com, and also their subscription service Stathead.com. If you are a big sports fan, be sure to check out the latest features at Stathead and the Sports Reference family of sites.

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Did you know? I wrote a book with the same title as this Substack newsletter / blog: Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises. It was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports, the publisher of the annual Bill James Handbook and other popular titles. You can learn more about it at www.NowTakingTheField.com, or buy directly at Amazon and other booksellers.