Disclaimer: Not advocating anything with this. Just providing the facts:
2010 - today: HR - Jose Bautista 140 / H - Miguel Cabrera 690
2000 - 2009: HR - Alex Rodriguez 435 / H - Ichiro Suzuki 2,030
1990 - 1999: HR - Mark McGwire 405 / H - Mark Grace 1,754
1980 - 1989: HR - Mike Schmidt (HOF) 313 / H - Robin Yount (HOF) 1,731
1970 - 1979: HR - Willie Stargell (HOF) 296 / H - Pete Rose 2,045
1960 - 1969: HR - Harmon Killebrew (HOF) 393 / H - Roberto Clemente (HOF) 1,877
1950 - 1959: HR - Duke Snider (HOF) 326 / H - Richie Ashburn (HOF) 1,875
1940 - 1949: HR - Ted Williams (HOF) 234 / H - Lou Boudreau (HOF) 1,578
1930 - 1939: HR - Jimmie Foxx (HOF) 415 / H - Paul Waner (HOF) 1,959
1920 - 1929: HR - Babe Ruth (HOF) 467 / H - Rogers Hornsby (HOF) 2,085
For full decade HR leaders, only Willie Stargell (475) and Duke Snider (407) are not in the 500 HR club.
For full decade Hits leaders, less than half (4/9) eventually joined the 3,000 Hit Club: Robin Yount, Pete Rose, Roberto Clemente, and Paul Waner. Ichiro Suzuki has 2,671 career Hits as of today (2013 is his Age 39 season). It will be close, as he is currently signed through 2014. He'll definitely need to be picked up for 2015, if not 2016 as well, when he will be 42.
Most notable discrepancy from the list: 2nd behind Babe Ruth's 467 HR in the 1920s was Rogers Hornsby, with 250 homers in the decade.
Ted Williams also missed 3 full seasons in the 1940s (1943 - 1945), which were his Age 24-26 seasons. He was already without a doubt the best hitter in baseball by 1941, and arguably by 1940, when he was only 21.
Source: baseball-reference.com's Play Index
June 25, 2013
June 23, 2013
Albert Pujols vs Miguel Cabrera
For Alex Sommer...
As Miguel Cabrera puts together another amazing season at the plate, it is interesting to see where he stands when ranked against another great contemporary. Albert Pujols presents a very fair comparison to Miguel Cabrera, as they have played the same positions over the course of their careers:
1B: 1,486 G for Pujols vs. 598 G for Cabrera
LF: 269 G for Pujols vs. 248 G for Cabrera
3B: 106 G for Pujols vs. 614 G for Cabrera
RF: 40 G for Pujols vs. 100 G for Cabrera
Fact: Since 2010, Miguel Cabrera is one of the best, if not the best hitter in Major League Baseball.
Fact: To say Miguel Cabrera is the "greatest hitter to this point in his career that we've seen in our lifetime" is not correct. The correct answer to that statement would be to insert Albert Pujols where Miguel Cabrera's name is, and have the sentence end at "lifetime".
Parameters for comparison:
Albert Pujols' career started in 2001, while Miguel Cabrera's started in 2003, a season in which he played 87 games. Looking at Pujols to the point in his career that puts him on a level playing field with Cabrera can be done simply by looking at his first 10 seasons in the Majors: 2001-2010. Because Cabrera didn't really have a full season in 2003, we can look at his entire career through yesterday, which would essentially give us 10 full seasons.
Pujols vs. Cabrera (first 10 full seasons with parameters mentioned above considered):
G: 1,558 Pujols vs. 1,585 Cabrera (only a 27 G difference, with Cabrera getting the edge)
PA: 6,782 Pujols vs. 6,813 Cabrera (only a 31 PA differential)
AB: 5,733 Pujols vs. 5,951 Cabrera (simple: Pujols walked more over his first 10 seasons)
R: 1,186 Pujols vs. 1,018 Cabrera (168 Runs scored advantage to Pujols)
H: 1,900 Pujols vs 1,908 Cabrera (Cabrera barely wins this)
2B: 426 Pujols vs. 403 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
HR: 408 Pujols vs. 341 Cabrera (67 more homers hit by Pujols)
RBI: 1,230 Pujols vs. 1,197 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
BB: 914 Pujols vs. 755 Cabrera (Pujols walked 159 more times)
SO: 646 Pujols vs. 1,159 Cabrera (Pujols struck out 513 less times)
BA: .331 Pujols vs. .321 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
OBP: .426 Pujols vs. .398 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
SLG: .624 Pujols vs. .565 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
OPS: 1.050 Pujols vs. .963 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
TB: 3,580 Pujols vs. 3,362 Cabrera (218 more total bases for Pujols)
Based simply on totals through their first 10 full seasons in the Majors, Pujols was clearly better at that point in his career.
Pujols vs. Cabrera (in comparison to the rest of the league over the span of their first 10 full seasons)
2001-2010 MLB
R: 1,186 Runs scored by Pujols ranks 1st
H: 1,900 Hits by Pujols ranks 3rd (Only Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter had more)
2B: 426 2B by Pujols ranks 1st
HR: 408 Home Runs hit by Pujols ranks 2nd (Alex Rodriguez hit 424 from 2001 to 2010)
RBI: 1,230 RBI by Pujols ranks 2nd (Alex Rodriguez batted in 6 more runners over that stretch)
BA (min. 5,000 PA): .331 BA by Pujols from 2001 to 2010 tied with Ichiro Suzuki for 1st
OBP (min. 5,000 PA): .426 OBP ranks 2nd behind Todd Helton's .428
SLG (min. 5,000 PA): .624 SLG easily 1st. 2nd was Manny Ramirez at .583
OPS (min. 5,000 PA): Again, 1.050 easily 1st. 2nd was Manny Ramirez at .997
TB: 3,580 TB by Pujols easily 1st. 2nd was Alex Rodriguez at 3,290 TB
2003-2013 MLB
R: Cabrera ranks 4th (Pujols still 1st over that span as well)
H: Cabrera ranks 5th (Pujols 3rd)
2B: Cabrera 2nd (Pujols 1st)
HR: Cabrera T-5 with 341 (Pujols 1st with 417)
RBI: Cabrera 2nd (Pujols 1st)
BA (min. 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .321 2nd (Pujols' .322 1st)
OBP (min. 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .398 4th (Pujols 2nd with a .413 OBP from 2003 to 2013)
SLG (min 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .565 3rd (Pujols 1st with a .605 SLG from 2003 to 2013)
OPS (min 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .963 3rd (Pujols 1st with a 1.018 OPS from 2003 to 2013)
TB: Cabrera's 3,362 2nd (Pujols 1st with 3,645 TB)
It will be fun to compare careers when both players are done, but in terms of their respective first 10 full seasons, Pujols has the clear edge.
Source: baseball-reference.com
As Miguel Cabrera puts together another amazing season at the plate, it is interesting to see where he stands when ranked against another great contemporary. Albert Pujols presents a very fair comparison to Miguel Cabrera, as they have played the same positions over the course of their careers:
1B: 1,486 G for Pujols vs. 598 G for Cabrera
LF: 269 G for Pujols vs. 248 G for Cabrera
3B: 106 G for Pujols vs. 614 G for Cabrera
RF: 40 G for Pujols vs. 100 G for Cabrera
Fact: Since 2010, Miguel Cabrera is one of the best, if not the best hitter in Major League Baseball.
Fact: To say Miguel Cabrera is the "greatest hitter to this point in his career that we've seen in our lifetime" is not correct. The correct answer to that statement would be to insert Albert Pujols where Miguel Cabrera's name is, and have the sentence end at "lifetime".
Parameters for comparison:
Albert Pujols' career started in 2001, while Miguel Cabrera's started in 2003, a season in which he played 87 games. Looking at Pujols to the point in his career that puts him on a level playing field with Cabrera can be done simply by looking at his first 10 seasons in the Majors: 2001-2010. Because Cabrera didn't really have a full season in 2003, we can look at his entire career through yesterday, which would essentially give us 10 full seasons.
Pujols vs. Cabrera (first 10 full seasons with parameters mentioned above considered):
G: 1,558 Pujols vs. 1,585 Cabrera (only a 27 G difference, with Cabrera getting the edge)
PA: 6,782 Pujols vs. 6,813 Cabrera (only a 31 PA differential)
AB: 5,733 Pujols vs. 5,951 Cabrera (simple: Pujols walked more over his first 10 seasons)
R: 1,186 Pujols vs. 1,018 Cabrera (168 Runs scored advantage to Pujols)
H: 1,900 Pujols vs 1,908 Cabrera (Cabrera barely wins this)
2B: 426 Pujols vs. 403 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
HR: 408 Pujols vs. 341 Cabrera (67 more homers hit by Pujols)
RBI: 1,230 Pujols vs. 1,197 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
BB: 914 Pujols vs. 755 Cabrera (Pujols walked 159 more times)
SO: 646 Pujols vs. 1,159 Cabrera (Pujols struck out 513 less times)
BA: .331 Pujols vs. .321 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
OBP: .426 Pujols vs. .398 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
SLG: .624 Pujols vs. .565 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
OPS: 1.050 Pujols vs. .963 Cabrera (category to Pujols)
TB: 3,580 Pujols vs. 3,362 Cabrera (218 more total bases for Pujols)
Based simply on totals through their first 10 full seasons in the Majors, Pujols was clearly better at that point in his career.
Pujols vs. Cabrera (in comparison to the rest of the league over the span of their first 10 full seasons)
2001-2010 MLB
R: 1,186 Runs scored by Pujols ranks 1st
H: 1,900 Hits by Pujols ranks 3rd (Only Ichiro Suzuki and Derek Jeter had more)
2B: 426 2B by Pujols ranks 1st
HR: 408 Home Runs hit by Pujols ranks 2nd (Alex Rodriguez hit 424 from 2001 to 2010)
RBI: 1,230 RBI by Pujols ranks 2nd (Alex Rodriguez batted in 6 more runners over that stretch)
BA (min. 5,000 PA): .331 BA by Pujols from 2001 to 2010 tied with Ichiro Suzuki for 1st
OBP (min. 5,000 PA): .426 OBP ranks 2nd behind Todd Helton's .428
SLG (min. 5,000 PA): .624 SLG easily 1st. 2nd was Manny Ramirez at .583
OPS (min. 5,000 PA): Again, 1.050 easily 1st. 2nd was Manny Ramirez at .997
TB: 3,580 TB by Pujols easily 1st. 2nd was Alex Rodriguez at 3,290 TB
2003-2013 MLB
R: Cabrera ranks 4th (Pujols still 1st over that span as well)
H: Cabrera ranks 5th (Pujols 3rd)
2B: Cabrera 2nd (Pujols 1st)
HR: Cabrera T-5 with 341 (Pujols 1st with 417)
RBI: Cabrera 2nd (Pujols 1st)
BA (min. 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .321 2nd (Pujols' .322 1st)
OBP (min. 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .398 4th (Pujols 2nd with a .413 OBP from 2003 to 2013)
SLG (min 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .565 3rd (Pujols 1st with a .605 SLG from 2003 to 2013)
OPS (min 5,000 PA): Cabrera's .963 3rd (Pujols 1st with a 1.018 OPS from 2003 to 2013)
TB: Cabrera's 3,362 2nd (Pujols 1st with 3,645 TB)
It will be fun to compare careers when both players are done, but in terms of their respective first 10 full seasons, Pujols has the clear edge.
Source: baseball-reference.com
June 22, 2013
3,000 IP (1920 - )
Since the inception of the "Live Ball Era" in 1920, 83 Pitchers have more than 3,000 Innings Pitched in their career (The requirement being that the 3,000 IPs were thrown from 1920 on). Within this total of 83 pitchers, there are a number of lists that can be generated to show different career achievements that have been accomplished along with surpassing the 3,000 IP mark.
Live Ball Era Career Wins (min. 3,000 IP):
All 13 pitchers whose careers started in the Live Ball Era that went on to win 300 or more games in their career pitched at least 3,000 innings to accomplish that milestone. Note: the other 11 pitchers in the 300 Wins Club (Pitchers whose careers started pre-1920) all threw at least 4,000 innings in their careers.
Live Ball Era 300 Win Club:
1. Warren Spahn: 363 Wins
2. Greg Maddux: 355 Wins
3. Roger Clemens: 354 Wins
4. Steve Carlton: 329 Wins
5. Nolan Ryan: 324 Wins
6. Don Sutton: 324 Wins
7. Phil Niekro: 318 Wins
8. Gaylord Perry: 314 Wins
9. Tom Seaver: 311 Wins
10. Tom Glavine: 305 Wins
11. Randy Johnson: 303 Wins
12. Lefty Grove: 300 Wins (The only pitcher in the club that didn't throw at least 4,000 career innings)
13. Early Wynn: 300 Wins
Honorable Mention: After Lefty Grove, the Live Ball Era Pitcher with the most career wins that didn't throw 4,000 innings in his career is Mike Mussina, with 270 Wins in 3,562 2/3 IP (This goes for all-time as well).
Live Ball Era Career ERA < 3.00 (min. 3,000 IP)
Out of the 83 pitchers that threw at least 3,000 innings from 1920 on, only 7 had a career ERA under 3.00:
1. Whitey Ford: 2.75 Career ERA
2. Jim Palmer: 2.86 Career ERA
3. Tom Seaver: 2.86 Career ERA
4. Juan Marichal: 2.89 Career ERA
5. Bob Gibson: 2.91 Career ERA
6. Don Drysdale: 2.95 Career ERA
7. Carl Hubbell: 2.98 Career ERA
Exclusive Club: Tom Seaver is the only Live Ball Era pitcher to have at least 300 career wins (311) and a career ERA under 3.00 (2.86). Note: the other 11 pitchers in the 300 Wins Club (Pitchers whose careers started pre-1920) all had career ERAs under 3.00 as well (An indication of why it's so important to break pitchers up by era). Thus, not only was posting a career ERA < 3.00 (min. 3,000 IP) in the Live Ball Era incredibly rare, only 1 Pitcher also surpassed 300 career wins in doing so.
Un-Honorable Mention: The highest career ERA among the Live Ball Era Pitchers that threw at least 3,000 Innings was posted by Livan Hernandez, at 4.44.
Live Ball Era Career Shutouts (min. 3,000 IP)
10 out of the 83 Pitchers in discussion had at least 50 career Shutouts: Warren Spahn, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Bert Blyleven, Don Sutton, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, and Juan Marichal. Only 20 Pitchers ever have had 50 career SHO, but of the 16 Live Ball Era Pitchers whose careers started post-1980, only 3 eclipsed 30 career SHO: Roger Clemens (46), Randy Johnson (37), and Greg Maddux (35). Furthermore, Andy Pettitte is the only active Pitcher that has pitched over 3,000 Innings, but ranks last on this list (83rd out of 83) of Live Ball Era Pitchers when it comes to career SHO, with only 4 (the current active leader in career SHO is Roy Halladay, with 20 in 2,721 2/3 Career IP).
Live Ball Era Career Strikeouts (min. 3,000 IP)
Only 16 Pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball have more than 3,000 career Strikeouts. Walter Johnson was the only Pitcher whose career started pre-1920 to accomplish this feat (3,509 K's in 5,914 1/3 IP for his career). 14 of the remaining 15 Pitchers that are in the 3,000 Career Strikeout Club threw at least 3,000 innings in the Live Ball Era: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven, Tom Seaver, Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Fergie Jenkins, Bob Gibson, Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz.
Exclusive Club: Pedro Martinez is the only Pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to have at least 3,000 career Strikeouts (3,154 career SO) while not topping 3,000 Career IP (2,827 1/3 Career IP).
Closing Thoughts
A maximum of 4 active Pitchers may reach 3,000 IP for a career in the next 2 to 3 years: Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, and CC Sabathia.
Source: baseball-reference.com
Live Ball Era Career Wins (min. 3,000 IP):
All 13 pitchers whose careers started in the Live Ball Era that went on to win 300 or more games in their career pitched at least 3,000 innings to accomplish that milestone. Note: the other 11 pitchers in the 300 Wins Club (Pitchers whose careers started pre-1920) all threw at least 4,000 innings in their careers.
Live Ball Era 300 Win Club:
1. Warren Spahn: 363 Wins
2. Greg Maddux: 355 Wins
3. Roger Clemens: 354 Wins
4. Steve Carlton: 329 Wins
5. Nolan Ryan: 324 Wins
6. Don Sutton: 324 Wins
7. Phil Niekro: 318 Wins
8. Gaylord Perry: 314 Wins
9. Tom Seaver: 311 Wins
10. Tom Glavine: 305 Wins
11. Randy Johnson: 303 Wins
12. Lefty Grove: 300 Wins (The only pitcher in the club that didn't throw at least 4,000 career innings)
13. Early Wynn: 300 Wins
Honorable Mention: After Lefty Grove, the Live Ball Era Pitcher with the most career wins that didn't throw 4,000 innings in his career is Mike Mussina, with 270 Wins in 3,562 2/3 IP (This goes for all-time as well).
Live Ball Era Career ERA < 3.00 (min. 3,000 IP)
Out of the 83 pitchers that threw at least 3,000 innings from 1920 on, only 7 had a career ERA under 3.00:
1. Whitey Ford: 2.75 Career ERA
2. Jim Palmer: 2.86 Career ERA
3. Tom Seaver: 2.86 Career ERA
4. Juan Marichal: 2.89 Career ERA
5. Bob Gibson: 2.91 Career ERA
6. Don Drysdale: 2.95 Career ERA
7. Carl Hubbell: 2.98 Career ERA
Exclusive Club: Tom Seaver is the only Live Ball Era pitcher to have at least 300 career wins (311) and a career ERA under 3.00 (2.86). Note: the other 11 pitchers in the 300 Wins Club (Pitchers whose careers started pre-1920) all had career ERAs under 3.00 as well (An indication of why it's so important to break pitchers up by era). Thus, not only was posting a career ERA < 3.00 (min. 3,000 IP) in the Live Ball Era incredibly rare, only 1 Pitcher also surpassed 300 career wins in doing so.
Un-Honorable Mention: The highest career ERA among the Live Ball Era Pitchers that threw at least 3,000 Innings was posted by Livan Hernandez, at 4.44.
Live Ball Era Career Shutouts (min. 3,000 IP)
10 out of the 83 Pitchers in discussion had at least 50 career Shutouts: Warren Spahn, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Bert Blyleven, Don Sutton, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Jim Palmer, Gaylord Perry, and Juan Marichal. Only 20 Pitchers ever have had 50 career SHO, but of the 16 Live Ball Era Pitchers whose careers started post-1980, only 3 eclipsed 30 career SHO: Roger Clemens (46), Randy Johnson (37), and Greg Maddux (35). Furthermore, Andy Pettitte is the only active Pitcher that has pitched over 3,000 Innings, but ranks last on this list (83rd out of 83) of Live Ball Era Pitchers when it comes to career SHO, with only 4 (the current active leader in career SHO is Roy Halladay, with 20 in 2,721 2/3 Career IP).
Live Ball Era Career Strikeouts (min. 3,000 IP)
Only 16 Pitchers in the history of Major League Baseball have more than 3,000 career Strikeouts. Walter Johnson was the only Pitcher whose career started pre-1920 to accomplish this feat (3,509 K's in 5,914 1/3 IP for his career). 14 of the remaining 15 Pitchers that are in the 3,000 Career Strikeout Club threw at least 3,000 innings in the Live Ball Era: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, Steve Carlton, Bert Blyleven, Tom Seaver, Don Sutton, Gaylord Perry, Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Fergie Jenkins, Bob Gibson, Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz.
Exclusive Club: Pedro Martinez is the only Pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball to have at least 3,000 career Strikeouts (3,154 career SO) while not topping 3,000 Career IP (2,827 1/3 Career IP).
Closing Thoughts
A maximum of 4 active Pitchers may reach 3,000 IP for a career in the next 2 to 3 years: Tim Hudson, Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay, and CC Sabathia.
Source: baseball-reference.com
June 21, 2013
.300 / .400 / .500 Club (min. PA of 3,000)
As if today, 1,817 players in the history of Major League Baseball had or have had 3,000 or more Plate Appearances in their career (baseball-reference requires a min. of 3,000 PAs to qualify for their career leader boards in rate stats). Of those 1,817, only 23 (1.27%) players have a stat line for their career of at least a .300 BA / .400 OBP / .500 SLG. Mentioned already were the 13 players who accomplished this feat with a minimum career PA total of at least 9,000: Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Chipper Jones, Frank Thomas, Ted Williams, Manny Ramirez, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, and Todd Helton. Reducing the minimum required PAs by 6,000 only adds 10 new players to this list:
14. Harry Heilmann: 8,966 PA, .342 BA / .410 OBP / .520 SLG
15. Edgar Martinez: 8,674 PA, .312 BA / .418 OBP / .515 SLG
16. Albert Pujols: 8,422 PA, .322 BA / .411 OBP / .602 SLG
17. Ed Delahanty: 8,400 PA, .346 BA / .411 OBP / .505 SLG
18. Larry Walker: 8,030 PA, .313 BA / .400 OBP / .565 SLG
19. Dan Brouthers: 7,676 PA, .342 BA / .423 OBP / .519 SLG
20. Hank Greenberg: 6,097 PA, .313 BA / .412 OBP / .605 SLG
21. Joe Jackson: 5,693 PA, .356 BA / .423 OBP / .517 SLG
22. Lefty O'Doul: 3,658 PA, .349 BA / .413 OBP / .532 SLG
23. Joey Votto: 3,400 PA, .317 BA / .418 OBP / .548 SLG
Honorable Mentions:
Only 3 active players on this list: Todd Helton, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto.
Only 2 of the 23 players were non-1B INFs (at least 66% of games in career played at that position): Chipper Jones (3B) and Rogers Hornsby (2B).
Lefty O'Doul did not play his age 24 and 27-30 seasons. In fact, in his first 4 seasons (1919-20 and 1922-23) the most PAs he had in a season was 39, and he was a pitcher at that point in his career (53.0 IP in 1923). He did not become a full-time LF until 1928, at the age of 31. It would be interesting to see where he would have ended up having not missed those years or if he was a LF from the start of his career. At a minimum of 3,000 PAs, his career .349 BA ranks 4th all-time, and he is tied with Bill Terry for the National League's all-time single season hits record (254).
13 out of the 23 are in the Hall of Fame, and are no doubt Hall of Famers: Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Harry Heilmann, Ed Delahanty, Dan Brouthers, and Hank Greenberg (Frank Thomas, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols will also for sure be elected once eligible). This list is not meant to show Hall of Fame worthiness, but rather how rare the accomplishment is.
Setting the minimum parameters at .290 BA / .390 OBP / .490 SLG, the list goes up to 37 out of 1,817 (2.04%, so still rare in my mind), adding the likes of: Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Mickey Mantle (HOF), Jeff Bagwell (future HOF) (these 4 mentioned previously), Bob Johnson, Brian Giles, Lance Berkman, Joe DiMaggio (HOF) , Johnny Mize (HOF), Earl Averill (HOF), Bill Terry (HOF), Miguel Cabrera (Future HOF), Ken Williams, and Hack Wilson (HOF). Again, I am not using this list to advocate Hall of Fame worthiness, but rather show that there are very few that just missed the cut, and therefore showing how rare the .300 / .400 / .500 combination for a career with a minimum of 3,000 PAs is.
Future member: through 65 career PAs, Yasiel Puig has a career .452 BA / .477 OBP / .790 SLG, one of only 26 players ever to have a career BA, OBP, and SLG of at least .300 / .400 / .500 at a minimum of 65 PAs. The future member reference is meant to be a joke, but time will tell.
14. Harry Heilmann: 8,966 PA, .342 BA / .410 OBP / .520 SLG
15. Edgar Martinez: 8,674 PA, .312 BA / .418 OBP / .515 SLG
16. Albert Pujols: 8,422 PA, .322 BA / .411 OBP / .602 SLG
17. Ed Delahanty: 8,400 PA, .346 BA / .411 OBP / .505 SLG
18. Larry Walker: 8,030 PA, .313 BA / .400 OBP / .565 SLG
19. Dan Brouthers: 7,676 PA, .342 BA / .423 OBP / .519 SLG
20. Hank Greenberg: 6,097 PA, .313 BA / .412 OBP / .605 SLG
21. Joe Jackson: 5,693 PA, .356 BA / .423 OBP / .517 SLG
22. Lefty O'Doul: 3,658 PA, .349 BA / .413 OBP / .532 SLG
23. Joey Votto: 3,400 PA, .317 BA / .418 OBP / .548 SLG
Honorable Mentions:
Only 3 active players on this list: Todd Helton, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto.
Only 2 of the 23 players were non-1B INFs (at least 66% of games in career played at that position): Chipper Jones (3B) and Rogers Hornsby (2B).
Lefty O'Doul did not play his age 24 and 27-30 seasons. In fact, in his first 4 seasons (1919-20 and 1922-23) the most PAs he had in a season was 39, and he was a pitcher at that point in his career (53.0 IP in 1923). He did not become a full-time LF until 1928, at the age of 31. It would be interesting to see where he would have ended up having not missed those years or if he was a LF from the start of his career. At a minimum of 3,000 PAs, his career .349 BA ranks 4th all-time, and he is tied with Bill Terry for the National League's all-time single season hits record (254).
13 out of the 23 are in the Hall of Fame, and are no doubt Hall of Famers: Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Harry Heilmann, Ed Delahanty, Dan Brouthers, and Hank Greenberg (Frank Thomas, Chipper Jones, and Albert Pujols will also for sure be elected once eligible). This list is not meant to show Hall of Fame worthiness, but rather how rare the accomplishment is.
Setting the minimum parameters at .290 BA / .390 OBP / .490 SLG, the list goes up to 37 out of 1,817 (2.04%, so still rare in my mind), adding the likes of: Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Mickey Mantle (HOF), Jeff Bagwell (future HOF) (these 4 mentioned previously), Bob Johnson, Brian Giles, Lance Berkman, Joe DiMaggio (HOF) , Johnny Mize (HOF), Earl Averill (HOF), Bill Terry (HOF), Miguel Cabrera (Future HOF), Ken Williams, and Hack Wilson (HOF). Again, I am not using this list to advocate Hall of Fame worthiness, but rather show that there are very few that just missed the cut, and therefore showing how rare the .300 / .400 / .500 combination for a career with a minimum of 3,000 PAs is.
Future member: through 65 career PAs, Yasiel Puig has a career .452 BA / .477 OBP / .790 SLG, one of only 26 players ever to have a career BA, OBP, and SLG of at least .300 / .400 / .500 at a minimum of 65 PAs. The future member reference is meant to be a joke, but time will tell.
June 18, 2013
.300 / .400 / .500 Club continued...
As of today, 153 players in the history of Major League Baseball reached (or have reached) and exceeded the 9,000 PA total for their respective career (this total will increase to 155 soon as Adrian Beltre and Ichiro Suzuki are within striking distance), yet out of the 75 players that are between 9,000 and 9,999 career PAs, only 6 new members join our exclusive career .300 / .400 / .500 Club. Joining the 7 mentioned at the min. PA level of 10,000 (Ty Cobb, Stan Musial, Tris Speaker, Mel Ott, Babe Ruth, Chipper Jones, and Frank Thomas), the 6 that bring our club to a total of 13 out of 153 include:
8.) Ted Williams: 9,788 PA, .344 BA / .482 OBP / .634 SLG
9.) Manny Ramirez: 9,774 PA, .312 BA / .411 OBP / .585 SLG
10.) Jimmie Foxx: 9.676 PA, .325 BA / .428 OBP / .609 SLG
11.) Lou Gehrig: 9,663 PA, .340 BA / .447 OBP / .632 SLG
12.) Rogers Hornsby: 9,480 PA, .358 BA / .434 OBP / .577 SLG
13.) Todd Helton: 9,170 PA, .319 BA / .417 OBP / .542 SLG
Honorable Mentions:
Todd Helton has the highest amount of PAs among active players that will eventually be on this list with the final minimum PAs set. He's a lock to retire and remain in this club, and I predict 2013 to be his final season.
Setting our parameters at a career .290 BA / .390 OBP / .490 SLG like we did at 10,000 PAs to give recognition to Barry Bonds and Gary Sheffield being close, doing the same at 9,000 PAs only adds the following 2 players:
Mickey Mantle: 9,907 PA, .298 BA / .421 OBP / .557 SLG
Jeff Bagwell: 9,431 PA, .297 BA / .408 OBP / .540 SLG
So, with a minimum PA of 9,000, only 8.5% of players have ever exceeded .300 / .400 / .500 for a career.
Source: baseball-reference.com
Source: baseball-reference.com
June 17, 2013
.300 / .400 / .500 Club
With a minimum of 10,000 Plate Appearances for a career (78 players have reached that total, and none will surpass it over the course of the 2013 season), only 7 players ever have finished with a Batting Average of .300 or higher, an On-Base % of .400 or higher, and slugged .500 or higher (source: baseball-reference.com):
1.) Ty Cobb: 13,082 PA, .366 BA / .433 OBP / .512 SLG
2.) Stan Musial: 12,717 PA, .331 BA / .417 OBP / .559 SLG
3.) Tris Speaker: 11,992 PA, .345 BA / .428 OBP / .500 SLG
4.) Mel Ott: 11,348 PA, .304 BA / .414 OBP / .533 SLG
5.) Babe Ruth: 10,622 PA, .342 BA / .474 OBP / .690 SLG
6.) Chipper Jones: 10,614 PA, .303 BA / .401 OBP / .529 SLG
7.) Frank Thomas: 10,075 PA, .301 BA / .419 OBP / .555 SLG
Honorable mention: If you keep PAs at a minimum of 10,000 and lower the parameters to a career .290 BA, .390 OBP, and .490 SLG, only two additional players make the list:
Barry Bonds: 12,606 PA, .298 BA / .444 OBP / .607 SLG
Gary Sheffield: 10,947 PA, .292 BA / .393 OBP / .514 SLG
To be continued over the next couple of days in order to show how rare this accomplishment is at even a very low minimum career PA requirement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)