Building the perfect player

Who would you say is the best player in MLB history? Well, before answering, you might ask me to specify an age. If you’re looking for someone under 25, it would have to be Ted Williams, right? Somebody in their early 30’s? That must be Babe Ruth. How about the best player in their late 30s to 40s? Clearly it’s Barry Bonds.

But what if you didn’t have to choose? What if we picked the best year by any player at each age, and put them all together to build the perfect player? That’s just what we do after the jump.

I found the player with the most batting runs at each age–that’s going by the player’s seasonal age as defined by Baseball-Reference.com. I ignored a few insignificant cups of coffee at younger and older ages, and otherwise here are the results:

Age  Player	Year  Rbat   G     PA  AB   R    H    2B  3B  HR   RBI  BB   SO   SB   CS
17 P Cavarretta	1934  2.26   7     23  21   5    8    0   0   1    6    2    3    1    0
18 Johnny Lush	1904  8.89   106  408  369  39   102  22  3   2    42   27   46   12
19 Mel Ott	1928  25.09  124  500  435  69   140  26  4   18   77   52   36   3	
20 Mel Ott	1929  60.57  150  675  545  138  179  37  2   42   151  113  38   6	
21 Ed Mathews	1953  61.55  157  681  579  110  175  31  8   47   135  99   83   1    3
22 Ted Williams	1941  104.4  143  606  456  135  185  33  3   37   120  147  27   2    4
23 Ted Williams	1942  92.62  150  671  522  141  186  34  5   36   137  145  51   3    2
24 Lou Gehrig	1927  104.73 155  717  584  149  218  52  18  47   175  109  84   10   8
25 Babe Ruth	1920  114.07 142  616  458  158  172  36  9   54   137  150  80   14   14
26 Babe Ruth	1921  120.41 152  693  540  177  204  44  16  59   171  145  81   17   13
27 Lou Gehrig	1930  93.7   154  703  581  143  220  42  17  41   174  101  63   12   14
28 Babe Ruth	1923  120.97 154  697  522  151  205  45  13  41   131  170  93   17   21
29 Babe Ruth	1924  103.55 153  681  529  143  200  39  7   46   121  142  81   9    13
30 Jason Giambi	2001  86.87  154  671  520  109  178  47  2   38   120  129  83   2    0
31 Babe Ruth	1926  100.74 152  652  495  139  184  30  5   47   146  144  76   11   9
32 Babe Ruth	1927  103.95 151  691  540  158  192  29  8   60   164  137  89   7    6
33 Babe Ruth	1928  88.13  154  684  536  163  173  29  8   54   142  137  87   4    5
34 Mark McGwire	1998  95.22  155  681  509  130  152  21  0   70   147  162  155  1    0
35 Babe Ruth	1930  95.13  145  676  518  150  186  28  9   49   153  136  61   10   10
36 Barry Bonds	2001  126.29 153  664  476  129  156  32  2   73   137  177  93   13   3
37 Barry Bonds	2002  123.61 143  612  403  117  149  31  2   46   110  198  47   9    2
38 Barry Bonds	2003  89.78  130  550  390  111  133  22  1   45   90   148  58   7    0
39 Barry Bonds	2004  124.46 147  617  373  129  135  27  3   45   101  232  41   6    1
40 Willie Mays	1971  40.03  136  537  417  82   113  24  5   18   61   112  123  23   3
41 Ted Williams	1960  43.35  113  390  310  56   98   15  0   29   72   74   41   1    1
42 Barry Bonds	2007  45.5   126  477  340  75   94   14  0   28   66   132  54   5    0
43 Tony Perez	1985  10.12  72   207  183  25   60   8   0   6    33   22   22   0    2
44 Cap Anson	1896  8.43   108  459  402  72   133  18  2   2    90   49   10   24	
45 Julio Franco	2004  5.97   125  361  320  37   99   18  3   6    57   36   68   4    2
46 Julio Franco	2005  2.66   108  265  233  30   64   12  1   9    42   27   57   4    0

Note that for caught stealing, data is not available for some early years, so there are blanks in the above table.

First of all, let’s look at the totals this mythical perfect player would have put up:

Stat     Career Total    Rank on Actual MLB Career Leader List
Rbat       2203           #1   (actual #1 is Babe Ruth, 1338)
G          4019           #1   (actual #1 is Pete Rose, 3562)
PA        16856           #1   (actual #1 is Pete  Rose, 15890)
AB        13106           #2   (#1 is Pete Rose, 14053, actual #2 is Hank Aaron, 12364)
R          3270           #1   (actual #1 is Rickey Henderson, 2295)
H          4493           #1   (actual #1 is Pete Rose, 4256)
2B          846           #1   (actual #1 is Tris Speaker, 792)
3B          156           #47  (actual #47 is Tommy Corcoran, 155)
HR         1096           #1   (actual #1 is Barry Bonds, 762)
RBI        3308           #1   (actual #1 is Hank Aaron, 2297)
BB         3455           #1   (actual #1 is Barry Bonds, 2558)
SO         1931           #9   (actual #9 is Mike Cameron, 1901)

Now, obviously, our Mr. Perfect has a huge edge in counting stats, since he was both an early-bloomer and played to an unusually old age. He had the most PAs in MLB history by a pretty wide margin.

So let’s take a look instead at counting stats. Mr. Perfect’s career batting average is .3428, which would put him 9th all time, just behind Billy Hamilton & Ted Williams at .3444 and just ahead of Dan Brouthers & Babe Ruth at .3421. Perfect’s career OBP is .4821, which would be #1 all time, the tiniest hair ahead of Ted Williams at .4817. Perfect’s career SLG is .6821, a smidge behind actual leader Babe Ruth at .6897.

It’s pretty stunning that Mr. Perfect has essentially identical OBP and SLG to the real all-time leaders.

A few other things of note:

    • Mr. Perfect is not a great base-stealer, with a success rate of only 59% for the years that we have CS data.
    • Mr. Perfect is 27% Babe Ruth, 17% Barry Bonds, and 10% Ted Williams.
    • Speaking of Williams, how awesome is it that he appears at both Ages 22-23 and Age 41?
    • Age 30 seems to be a bit of a hole. Jason Giambi makes it, but with the lowest Rbat total for the peak years.
    • Mr. Perfect has a pretty awesome K/BB of 0.559. Only 17 players have at least 10,000 career PAs and a lower ratio. These are guys like Tony Gwynn, Wade Boggs, Stan Musial, Sam Rice, etc.

Obviously this exercise is pretty much a fabrication, but I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a fun one.

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Doug
Editor
11 years ago

Fun stuff.

Mr. Perfect also edges Tris Speaker by a relatively small amount (< 10%) in doubles. It really would take a Mr. Perfect to break that mark - if Albert Pujols were to average 35 doubles for the next eight seasons (until age 40), he would still be 7 doubles shy of Speaker. But, hitting triples is just not his thing - barely 5 per year.

Brooklyn Mick
Brooklyn Mick
11 years ago

As great as Master Melvin’s age 20 was, I’ll take Trout’s age 20. Both very close in Rbat (61-56), but the WAR isn’t even close. Trout at 10.7 and Ott at 7.3.

So, just wondering how it shakes out if you use WAR as the searchable criteria rather than Rbat.

birtelcom
Editor
11 years ago

Part of the reason that the collective result is not that much different than that of the top real individuals is that so much of the collective is derived from a small number of real individuals. Of the 23 core age years from age 20 through 42 (the years before and after that are very small Rbat numbers), 16, or about two-thirds, are generated by three guys: Ruth, Bonds and Ted Williams. For the most part, what you’ve found is the best hitter in each age year tends not be a fluke guy but one of the handful of great… Read more »

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago

Very fun. While we here at HHS are obsessed with most X at each age (first the Mystery Ballplayers quiz, now this!) I for one am curious as to how it would work out if you used most WAR at each age instead of Rbat. I think Mr. Perfect’s career would go something like this (limited to ages 18-45 because Mr. Perfect would never have a season below 1 WAR): age 18 — Robin Yount, 1974 (1.3 WAR) age 19 — Bryce Harper, 2012 (5 WAR) age 20 — Mike Trout, 2012 (10.7 WAR) age 21 — Rogers Hornsby, 1917… Read more »

GrandyMan
GrandyMan
11 years ago

This shows that, like Williams, Mays was a top performer at all ages: early (23), middle (33), and late (40).

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  GrandyMan

True. I didn’t even notice that. I wonder if one day, many years from now, we could re-create this list and notice the same trend in

In addition to being top performers at all ages, Mays and Teddy were both outfielders, contemporaries, played in separate leagues, and bat on opposite sides of the plate. Unless one of their teams makes a large contractual or trade blunder, or one of them flames out early, Trout and Harper could end up being very similar to Mays and Teddy.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago

BAH! Should say “notice the same trend in Trout and Harper.”

bstar
11 years ago

If we staple on the 0.1 WAR earned at age 46 (Julio Franco and three others), age 47 (Nick Altrock), age 52 (Altrock again) and age !58! (Charlie O’Leary for one single in one at-bat in 1934), that gives Perfect Player 250.7 career WAR, which is over 90 WAR greater than the Bambino’s total (excluding his pitching WAR).

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

If we’re lowering the minimum to 0.1 WAR, then don’t forget to tag on 0.2 for 16-year-old Willie McGill in 1890, and of course 0.4 WAR for 17-year-old Phil Cavarretta in 1934. That brings Mr. Perfect up to 251.3 WAR.

Brooklyn MIck
Brooklyn MIck
11 years ago

These are the career totals and rankings when WAR is used. The WAR-STAR jumped from #47 all-time in 3B’s to #6 (that #47 in 3B’s really bugged me), improved from #9 most SO’s to #15, and still ranks #1 in the other counting stats listed above except AB, where he finishes #2. WAR-246.3(#1-actual #1 is Babe Ruth 159.2) G-4021(#1-actual #1 is Pete Rose 3562) PA-17147(#1-actual #1 is Pete Rose 15890) AB-13884(#2-actual #1 is Pete Rose 14053, actual #2 is Hank Aaron, 12364) R-3171(#1-actual #1 is Rickey Henderson 2295) H-4705(#1-actual #1 is Pete Rose 4256) 2B-851(#1-actual #1 is Tris Speaker 792)… Read more »

Brooklyn Mick
Brooklyn Mick
11 years ago

And my guess is that the WAR leaders would still rank #1 in most of the counting numbers listed above by Andy. I mean, look at the huge differences between HR and RBI between the Rbat Mr. Perfect and the actual leaders. Plenty of room to spare.

Adam Darowski
11 years ago

Oh gosh, I want to see the pitchers now!

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Adam Darowski

I don’t know what the pitching equivalent of Rbat is (or even if there is one), but here is Mr. Perfect-Arm’s career using WAR: age 17 — Bob Feller, 1936 (1.4 WAR) age 18 — Bob Feller, 1937 (3.2 WAR) age 19 — Gary Nolan, 1967 (6.1 WAR) age 20 — Dwight Gooden, 1985 (11.9 WAR) age 21 — Mark Fidrych, 1976 (9.3 WAR) age 22 — Walter Johnson, 1910 (10.8 WAR) age 23 — Dick Ellsworth, 1963 (9.9 WAR) age 24 — Walter Johnson, 1912 (12.9 WAR) age 25 — Walter Johnson, 1913 (14.3 WAR) age 26 — Walter… Read more »

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

What is that, like a spreadsheet? I can do that for you, but my laptop’s battery is low and it’s late at night, so I wouldn’t have it done until tomorrow (hopefully by noon).

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago

Pitchers seem to be able to maintain a high level of performance well into their 40s, with at least one 9+ WAR season up to age 41 with Cy Young. Not sure we’d see the equivalent with hitters, well not including Bonds.

Chris Waters
Chris Waters
11 years ago

This article is really interesting, but using a snide self-righteous moniker for Barry Bonds is so off-putting that I will probably never access this site again. too bad, because this is one site that is usually filled with interesting stuff.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Even if I’m the only one, I still think it’s important to note that only Balco Bonds shows up on this list, not Barry. If we don’t note that, we make the wrong conclusion that Bonds belongs amongst the likes of Ted Williams and Babe Ruth as a HITTER, and I think that’s dead wrong.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

It’s so wrong that I had to say wrong twice.

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

I think he means ignoring baserunning, defence etc. Just a comparison as a pure hitter.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Wow, Andy, thanks. No, I mean what you used, RBat, because really it’s the best measure of hitting contribution that we have at B-Ref. It’s everything one does with the stick, and properly weighted. If you focus on Rbat, I’ve shown before that pre-steroids, Barry is not an all-time top 5 or top 10 hitter. In fact, he’s closer to 20th all-time than he is to tenth. That’s nothing to sneeze at, but when we’re talking about the top 3 or 4 greatest hitters ever, I just don’t think Barry belongs in that class. No way. Albert Pujols at this… Read more »

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

bstar, I’ve seen you make this argument before (convincingly as I recall, which makes me hesitate somewhat here). But a cursory glance at their b-ref pages shows that, between their age 27 and 33 seasons, Bonds’ OPS+ is 185 to Williams’ 190. It’s not like a comparison is unreasonable.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Barry’s not on Andy’s list for any age between 27 and 33, RJ, so I’m not understanding why you’re bringing up those years.

My main point is this:

B Bonds up to age 33: 164 OPS+, 44 Rbat/150
Williams up to age 33: 190 OPS+, 75 Rbat/150

Ted’s Rbat rate is over 70% higher than Bonds’. Any statement that suggests the two should be mentioned in the same class of HITTERS, IMHO, is not reasonable.

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

I was using those seasons to demonstrate that there were a period of several years pre-steroids where Bonds was already hitting at a phenomenal level. I honestly don’t think it’s unreasonable for someone to look at this guy who has continually has an OPS over 1.000 and go “wow, this guy is pretty amazing”.

no statistician but
no statistician but
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Part of the tragedy of Bonds’ career is that we’ll never know how good a player he actually might have been in the new millennium.

I’m with bstar and Hartvig @ #33 on this one. Bonds himself put the bullseye on his back. It wasn’t a prankster.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

RJ, sorry to imply that Barry wasn’t phenomenal. He was, absolutely.

I just want to put him in the proper context, and by focusing on his artificial years we really get a distorted view of how great this guy really was.

Absolutely a 1.000 OPS is great, but it’s important to note that even if Bonds had AVERAGED that mark pre-steroids, he’s still not in the class of Ruth or Williams, which was my main point.

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Absolutely no statistician, this is what I’ve been thinking about in my head for the last few minutes. Let’s say Bonds continues at his mid to late 1990s level for several seasons more, where does that level of sustained excellence rank him? Hmmm.

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

No, bstar, you’re right, Barry didn’t put up big enough numbers for a long enough time to be considered the equal of Williams or Ruth as a hitter. I guess I was just surprised that, looking at Bonds’ and Williams’ in terms of the traditional peak ages of a hitter, they weren’t as far apart as I had expected. Williams of course was a ton better when he was younger, but as no statistician said, the real tragedy is that we don’t get to make a normal comparison for when they were older. Looking at the path Bonds was on,… Read more »

Hartvig
Hartvig
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Bonds was a great player pre-steroids. Assuming that he didn’t start before 1998 and given that many of the very greatest players aged very well- Wagner, Speaker, Cobb, Ruth, Williams, Musial, Mays & Aaron among them- it is very possible, even likely, that even without them he easily could have been in the mix for the top 10 of all time, especially when you factor in baserunning & defense. That’s partly what makes his steroid use so maddening- he didn’t have to do it.

Jeff Hill
Jeff Hill
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Bonds played exceptional defense til he was older and was a wonderful base runner and stolen base threat. Neither of those things Williams or Ruth could ever do. Better hitter, sure…Williams and Ruth but both are one trick ponies playing against white players and seeing the same pitchers over and over. Okay, Ruth was a great pitcher, sorry.

Anyway, Mays and Bonds overall game, Ruth and Teddy Ballgame hitting.

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  RJ

Jeff @44, no question about it. It’s a different story taking into account his complete game, yet the discussion was focusing just on their bats here. Hartvig @43, long before Bonds and steroids became associated, he was on path to certainly be considered one of the 20 greatest players ever, with a shot at top ten. Without PEDs, I think Bonds was so good and so driven that he would have hit over 600 HRs, joining a very select group. Sad, instead of talking about Bonds and his greatness, we now talk about Bonds and PEDs, and what he might… Read more »

topper009
topper009
11 years ago
Reply to  Chris Waters

There is no way anything could be more off putting than Bonds himself

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Andy, you just…did.

Chad
Chad
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

“I’ll take Smug Assholes for $762, Alex.”

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Chad

Alex: “This smug asshole is alleged to have used various steroids to attain multiple baseball records, as evidenced by his big head and known association with steroid producer BALCO.”

Contestant (not a baseball fan, I suppose): “Uhh… who is a smug asshole who’s never been in my kitchen?”

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

And Chris also overreacted wildly. I never saw the nickname in question, but how bad could it have been? If I only visited sites that were free of potentially offensive comments or phrases, I’d be down to Hotmail!

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
11 years ago

Damn it, I meant this for Andy @49, but there was no Reply button available.

Hartvig
Hartvig
11 years ago
Reply to  Chris Waters

I’ve got a pretty big head. It ain’t easy finding size 8 & 1/4 baseball cap. Now I’m a pretty big guy so it’s proportional to the rest of me but on occasion people still feel the need to comment on it. I simply tell them that it’s necessary to accommodate a brain the size of mine while a brain the size of theirs would be rattling around up there like a walnut in a gallon bucket. But I came by my big head naturally. Mr. Bonds, on the other hand, achieved his by injecting enough Human Growth Hormone to… Read more »

brp
brp
11 years ago
Reply to  Hartvig

And then he shrunk post-retirement, just a tiny bit:

comment image

Oh look, he’s magically normal-sized again…

Mike Felber
11 years ago

The list is interesting, but to be accurate make it the perfect batter. Clearly taking other aspects of the game into account changes who is best, & reflects who is best overall as a ballplayer.

At least relative to their era. And despite only contributing with his bat, Williams might have made the list more if not for the war years.

Why never access a great web site again due to on comment you do not like? Just critique it & enjoy the rest of the web site & many other writers & endless comments.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

I couldn’t resist putting that .342/.482/.682 line into the Play Index. Sadly, no results.

However, Ted Williams had a .342 BA and a 1.164 OPS in 1946. Teddy also had more runs scored, more walks, less strikeouts, one less extra base hit, and 5 less hits than Mr. Perfect despite playing in 150 games, whereas Mr. Perfect’s season stats are 162-game averages.

Doug
Doug
11 years ago

Williams’ 1949 season was also pretty close on the slash at .343/.490/.650, 1.141.

The special thing about 1949 was 150/150/150 as in runs, RBI and walks, a unique accomplishment, and one that is likely to stay that way for a long, long time.

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago

Babe Ruth’s career slash line of .342/.474/.690 (1.164 OPS) is alaso really close to Mr. Perfect – BA and OPS exactly the same, OBA a little lower, SLG a little higher.

His 162-game averages are all _better_ than Mr. Perfect, except for doubles and walks.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago

There have also been only eight individual players to put up a qualifying slash line with greater BA, OBP, and SLG than Mr. Perfect. The Babe did it 7 times, and Teddy did it twice (1941 and 1957–once early in his career and once late!). Barry Bonds and Rogers Hornsby each did it twice as well, and four players have done it once. If anyone can guess those four (without the easy PI search), I would be truly amazed (hint: three are 19th-century guys, but the fourth is one of our COG members).

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago

– Frank Thomas (1994)
– Hugh Duffy (1894)
– Tip O’Neill (1887) (I think that there were four strikes for a K that year…).

I don’t see a fourth, unless you count the NA and Levi Meyerle in 1871.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Lawrence Azrin

Technically, that was a qualifying season, so I do, although with not as much as reverence due to the MUCH shorter season.

topper009
topper009
11 years ago

Since we are looking at huge numbers, here is Babe Ruth playing every season in 2000 Coors:

12275 PA, 3048 R, 3690 H, 659 2B, 181 3B, 907 HR, 3117 RBI, 2637 BB, 1418 K, .385/.520/.776/1.296

birtelcom
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  topper009

That’s brilliant! 74 homers in 1927, 71 in 1921, 69 in 1928 and 67 in 1920. 223 RBI in 1927, one of 8 seasons in which he tops Hack Wilson’s real-world season record of 190 RBI. Of course he might not have lasted in the majors in the first place, as he started as a pitcher and his career ERA would have gone from 2.28 to 4.67.

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

4.67 ERA at Coors? That’s a $20M-a-year pitcher!

Jeff Hill
Jeff Hill
11 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

And people wonder why I hate Larry Walker for the Circle of Greats, much less the Hall of Fame. Look at those numbers.

brp
brp
11 years ago
Reply to  Jeff Hill

Problem is that Walker was still an excellent player when he was with Montreal and St. Louis. Inflated stats, yes; great player, also yes.

I haven’t voted for him in the CoG lately either but it’s not like he’d be a terrible choice.

Artie Z
Artie Z
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

He was a .278/.370/.495 hitter on the road. Doubling his counting stats gives 1132 R, 1934 H, 406 2B, 336 HR, 1128 RBI, 218 SB, and 938 BB in 6956 AB (8086 PA). Are those numbers that different than Shawn Green, Fred Lynn, or Magglio Ordonez? I think people focus on the Coors effect but that this takes away from other parts of analyzing Walker’s complete game. Walker has about the same rbat total as Berkman or Piazza or Vladimir or Palmeiro or Winfield (those are the players within 11 career rbat of Walker). That’s pretty good company. But his… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Walker’s road stats include games played at Coors while a member of the Expos and Cards, so doubling those atats may not be an accurate way of judging. I think it is better to compare his Coors stats, regardless of who was playing for, versus his stats everywhere else. BA wise he was .381 at Coors and .282 everywhere else.

His OPS+, which is park-adjusted, would put him in 41st place among current HOFers.

Chuck
Chuck
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Walker played about 60% of his career with Colorado, so the Coors Field factor doesn’t play into it as much as it will for Todd Helton.

Walker’s numbers became inflated when he went to Colorado because he became inflated.

Instead of doubling his road numbers, you should be deducting 25% of his career.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Artie Z – I generally agree with your analysis. Here’s where I part ways. Let’s compare Larry Walker and Luis Gonzalez just in terms of hitting. They were contemporaries and both played essentially their whole careers in the NL (Gonzalez played a little in the AL but not enough to make a difference for our purposes). Now, let’s look at their Road OPS. Walker’s was .865. Gonzalez’ was .856. About as close as can be. And while I can’t compute an OPS+, given that they were contemporaries playing in the same ballparks against the same pitchers, I can’t imagine there’s… Read more »

Artie Z
Artie Z
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

@Ed – I had the same concerns but then I looked at what Rbat was doing to other Rockies players like Galarraga, Burks, Bichette, Castilla – the usual suspects. Those guys, with the exception of Walker and Helton and a season or two here and there, get hammered on Rbat. Jeff Cirillo in 2001 had an .838 OPS. He had an Rbat of 2. Ichiro had an .838 OPS in 2001 – he had 30 Rbat. Jeter had an .858 OPS – he had 31 Rbat. Walker’s 2001, in which he hit .350/.449/.662 for an OPS of 1.111 gets 49… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Walker’s slashes:

Coors: .381/.462/.710/1.172
Everywhere else: .282/.372/.501/.872

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

.278/.370/.495/.865 .288/.363/.470/.833 First line is Walker’s road stats, the second is Paul O’Neill’s career line. Walker comes out ahead, but doubling Walker’s road stats doesn’t make him a HOFer, especially looking at the high-offense time he played. A .278/.370/.495/.865 line with 1934 hits, 406 doubles, 336 HRs, etc. does not a HOF OFer make, especially one whose career and peak coincided with the so-called steroid era. That all said, I’m not arguing against him. His case is legit. Just pointing out what he has going against him. Working in his favor is he put ap 151 OPS+ his last year… Read more »

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Artie Z – Thanks for the well-thought out reply. I don’t really have any points of disagreement. It’s just that with so much of the new stats, we have to take things on faith, and I don’t like to do that. I often say that I should have been born in Missouri – the Show Me State. Anyway, with the new split finder on baseball reference, I was able to find out that Walker’s home OPS is the 5th highest of all-time. The only players ahead of him are Ruth, Williams, Greenberg and Foxx. Bonds is 6th, one point behind… Read more »

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

MikeD @64 – I don’t feel like digging up the links again (I’ve posted them here before) but every study I’ve ever seen refutes the existence of the so-called “Coors Field hangover”.

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

@66, Ed, I’ll take your word on it since I haven’t seen a recent study on it.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Mike D – The world would be a much better place if people just took my word on things. 🙂

Adam Darowski
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Artie Z—I’m a strong Walker supporter, but the way you laid out his case is probably the best I’ve seen. Great job.

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

@70 Ed, I understand. I wish everyone would just agree with me, too! 🙂 Yet in this cae I was trying to throw in everything off the top of my head to agree with Andy on why Walker has a legit case. The “Coors effect” stuck in my mind, but I haven’t seen anything written on it in a while. I was a bit questioning of it when I first read it, although I can see where it might be possible, even if it’s unlikely. The altitude creates issues throwing effective breaking balls, which means pitchers change their approach, leading… Read more »

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago

Ruth’s career line in 2000 Coors: .385/.520/.776/1.296

Bonds’ 2004 season non-adjusted: .362/.609/.812/1.422

Even taking into account PEDs, I still can’t grasp late-career Bonds!

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  MikeD

This was meant as a reply to topper @20. Not sure why it didn’t nest. Probably user error.

Bryan O'Connor
Editor
11 years ago

In the seven seasons above, Ruth was caught stealing 91 times in 180 tries. If we add in the rest of his seasons from 1920 on (when CS became a stat), he was thrown out 52% of the time. Is there something about the way the CS stat is counted that changed over time, or was Ruth realy that reckless?

Hartvig
Hartvig
11 years ago
Reply to  Bryan O'Connor

Don’t forget that this is the guy who made the final out in game 7 of the 1926 World Series by trying to steal second bases when the Yankees were behind 3 to 2 and Bob Meusel – who drove in 138 runs the year before- was at the plate.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago
Reply to  Hartvig

I read where he wasn’t really trying to steal.
Morganna’s grandma had run onto the field and she was holding a hotdog and a pint of beer.

topper009
topper009
11 years ago
Reply to  Bryan O'Connor

A great trivia question:
Among players with 100+ SBs, which 2 have the WORST career SB%

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Bryan O'Connor

In response to Bryan’s original question, Ruth’s stolen base rates are fairly similar to his teammates:

Gehrig: 102 steals, 100 caught stealing
Bob Meusel: 134 steals, 102 caught stealing
Earle Combs: 98 steals, 71 caught stealing
Ruth: 110 steals, 117 caught stealing

(only includes years for which caught stealing data is available)

Ruth was the worst of those 4 but none of them were very good. Even Combs, who was fast enough to have 20+ triples three times, wasn’t a very good base stealer.

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago

I hope they are able to clone Ted Williams from that freezer down in Arizona. If they get the kid with the right adoptive parents for the kid, he’ll be one hell of a hitter and angler. I think maybe Pete Rose and that good lookin’ oriental gal that he dates now would be a good choice for Teddy II.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

OK, this one’s going in the random comment Hall of Fame. Priceless. BTW, Tim, Jack Nicklaus is a pretty good fly fisherman, too. No word from the Nicklaus camp on what’s to be done with the Golden Bear’s body when he passes, although I think having his ashes spread over Augusta National would be a nice touch. Sorry for the morbidity.

Adam Darowski
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

No, Andy. Pete Rose would be far more entertaining than Jesus Christ in that role.

Adam Darowski
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

You’re meaner to me than you are to Barry Bonds.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Adam Darowski

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if some desperate NBC execs pitch it as a sitcom idea! They could go with one of many potential puns as titles, such as “Cloned Roses” or “Roses and Ballgames”… I can see the annoying popup ads blocking half of my Parks & Rec viewing already…

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
11 years ago

The title should be obvious to anyone who frequents this site: “WAR of the Roses”.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago

Dan, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. What’s the emoticon for shame?

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
11 years ago

I’m not sure…would it involve Jim Grey in any way?

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

Andy, your best response yet!

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

Clone a frozen Ted Williams? – don’t you remember what Jimmy Dugan said in “A League Of Their Own”:

“There’s _no_ cryogenics in baseball!!!”

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago

I think “Mr. Perfect” is at least 1% Rickey Henderson.

I suspect that Rickey agrees. 🙂

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago

Sometimes I think Paul Molitor might have been the modern day pied piper of steroids. Look at that guys late career numbers.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

There’s actually a good amount of speculation about that, if you dig deep enough into the chat sites and sports blogs where nobody really has evidence, beyond José Canseco’s infamous claim that there is one current HOFer who used steroids, and his later claim that it isn’t Rickey Henderson, who is what most people assumed he meant (I think Rickey was the most recent inductee when he said it), but someone elected early in the 2000s decade. Canseco has been correct about almost everything he’s said about who did and didn’t use steroids, and Molitor was busted for cocaine in… Read more »

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago

I read Canseco’s book about 4 years ago.
Pretty sure I remember him clearing Rickey, saying that Rickey was a “freak of nature.”

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago

All good points.

topper009
topper009
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

No, he was referring to George Brett as a Hemroid haver

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

George Brett was inducted ’99, but I was actually paraphrasing, Canseco had actually said the ‘roider was inducted “about 7-8 years ago” before whenever he said that, which was a few years ago (I can’t seem to pinpoint exactly when using the Web). That would also explain why Brett was suddenly very good again in the late ’80s. However, it doesn’t fit with the infamous “Mr. Milkshake” story (which I failed to consider in my above analysis). “Mr. Milkshake”, for those who don’t know, is an HOFer who told Tim Boswell in the clubhouse that he was making a “José… Read more »

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

However, I’m surprised that you presume Brett. Most people actually presume someone inducted much more recently, such as Henderson, Gwynn, or even Ripken, despite Canseco’s insistence that the user was inducted 7-8 years prior to Canseco’s making the claim.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago

INH – I have to disagree re: Molitor. 1) As a % of PAs his home runs in ’93 were the same as in ’87 (3% both years). So I don’t see evidence of a home run surge. 2) As you know, he was in a new home ballpark in ’93 and 13 of his 22 home runs came in Skydome, a park he seemed to really hit well in. 3) He played 137 games at DH in ’93, his highest total at that point. Although his splits show that he hit better as a first baseman than as a… Read more »

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

@110 Are you serious Andy? George Brett? I think Brett was as clean as the wind driven snow. He was a unique player, but PED’s? I don’t think so.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

Andy – Where are you seeing a late career surge for Brett? He had his last really big year at age 32. His age 37 year was no different from what he did at ages 33-35.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

I’m stubborn. I’m sticking with Molitor as the guy. I know about the ballpark change and all, but his career best for HRs was at age 36, with almost twice as many HRs as his previous season. He fits both Boswell’s and Canseco’s stories.

Adam Darowski
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

I don’t really see a late surge for Brett: http://www.hallofstats.com/player/brettge01/#seasonal-stats

Of course, perhaps longevity in general is reason to suspect. Playing baseball in your late 30s is hard, surge or not.

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

@138 I suppose you’re right, we don’t really know what goes on when the camera is not on. I’m biased, growing up in Nebraska Brett was larger than life and a local hero. You might say he had a bit of a late career surge, but he was hurt so often in his mid career it really cost him. At age 34 he stopped playing 3B, and DH’ed almost exclusively his last 3 years. That had to have helped him stay healthy late in his career. Brett might be the only player in the history of sports to freak out… Read more »

Adam Darowski
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

That’s fair. Molitor didn’t surge either, but rather stayed steady like Brett.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

@146 Andy

Well Brett did drop off some from his earlier highs. And I remember a quite cogent analysis centered around Derek Jeter that showed that we shouldn’t necessarily expect such drop offs:

http://www.highheatstats.com/2012/08/derek-jeter-is-having-a-very-unusual-season/

John Autin
Editor
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

Brett’s “late surge” in batting has to be measured against his younger averages. And his overall value (not just batting) also should be considered. From age 22-32, Brett averaged a 148 OPS+ and 5.6 oWAR. From 33 on, he had just 2 years that were even close to those averages — age 35 and 37, 149 OPS+ and 153 OPS+, with oWAR of 5.0 and 4.3. Brett’s oWAR at 35 and 37 were just his 8th- and 11th-best years. And batting value is what’s best retained as players age. In overall value, Brett’s aging pattern doesn’t seem unusual. From 22-32,… Read more »

Chad
Chad
11 years ago
Reply to  Tim Pea

@Andy138 … does this guy seem like a jerk to you? One of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6hu4aLXv7U

topper009
topper009
11 years ago

“Molitor was busted for cocaine in the 1980s”

which is why he was the only player for Milwaukee in the 1980s to not have a mustache, cant block the nose

Tim Pea
Tim Pea
11 years ago
Reply to  topper009

Was Molitor actually busted for cocaine, or did it just come to light that he had used it? When he had his late career surge I remember it being tossed around but I don’t remember the details. I know it was early in his career.

JasonZ
11 years ago

John A.-

Ricky does agree, but only if you move that decimal point two places right.

Timmy Pea-Paul Molitor debuted in a low offensive environment and finished in a high offensive environment. So there is that. Also his swing looks a lot like Joe D.

Finally, as I mentioned once before on the old site, my buddy who pitched for the Angels told me that Paul Molitor was the best hitter he ever faced. He debuted in 1990, which I think was Molitor’s 14th season. Just saying, and I assume and hope you are kidding about Molitor but who knows?

JasonZ
11 years ago

The tragedy is that the speculation is out there. And rightfully so.

What saddens me is that in a sport where the numbers mean so much, they have in some ways become meaningless.

I wonder if the kids today relish the numbers the way we did.

Does anyone study the back of baseball cards anymore?

714
61
56
.406
755

I doubt it.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago

I’m continuing the Larry Walker commentary down here with a serious question:

Does anybody know how to contact Larry Walker directly?

Because I think we should ask him his opinion.
Seriously.
Look, he’s not running around pimping his HOF case with a book like Mike Piazza.
Maybe he is a 100% honest person who would (and could) give an honest answer to the question:

Were you one of the best of all time or a toosly better-than-average canadian who especially liked thin dry air?

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

Voomo, he addressed it somewhat here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/mlb/news/20130111/larry-walker-hall-of-fame/

He does want to get in (but doesn’t directly say that he thinks he should). He also doesn’t seem to entirely understand how the home/road splits are used to compare him to other players’ careers, but he likes that it’s done that way.

Voomo Zanzibar
Voomo Zanzibar
11 years ago

“Ask anybody who looks at me — if there was a needle going in my butt, it had pancake batter in it, not steroids. ”

– Larry Walker

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

What I always found a little off-putting about Walker is he constantly let it be known that he’d rather be playing hockey. To each his own, but I always took his repeated insistence on this as being a bit disrespectful to the game of baseball. I get it, hockey was his passion, but the general vibe I got from him was that baseball almost bored him. Not one of my favorites for sure. Is this guiding my narrative about questioning the legitimacy of his Coors Field numbers? That might have been the genesis of it, I admit. But most of… Read more »

Chuck
Chuck
11 years ago
Reply to  Voomo Zanzibar

“Does anybody know how to contact Larry Walker directly?”

He’s in Scottsdale with the Rockies as an instructor, and is the Team Canada hitting coach in the WBC who as luck would have it are also in Arizona.

bstar
11 years ago

660 – to me, etched in stone just like 714 and 755
190(or is it 191?-Hack Wilson)
52, 149, .320 (George Foster in ’77-I’ll take those TC numbers to my grave)
792(Speaker’s doubles record)

That’s certainly how I grew up, Jason. I remember Yaz’s last few cards and marveling at how small they had to make the print to fit all of his stats. You could barely make out the numbers.

Man, I love and miss me some counting stats.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

This was meant as a reply to JasonZ @85

MikeD
MikeD
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

4,191 is still stuck in my head.

I understand and agree with the revision to 4,189, but 4,191 is still there in my head. That said, I do have issues with other revisions that take today’s rules and make them the rules of a past generation, in some cases altering league leaders.

JasonZ
11 years ago

Bstar- My brain is swimming with numbers from almost 40 years ago. They won’t leave. Say Hey kid you say… .477 his BA at Minneapolis before Giants promoted him in 1951. 0 for 12 before the first hit, a homer off Spahn. Hack Wilson picked up that 191st RBI some sixty years after that 1930 season. 56 homers .356 BA .303 the cumulative NL BA in 1930. .319, Phillies team BA in 1930. Good for 6th place 184, Gherig’s AL RBI record, 1931? .316 44 121, Yaz in 67. 2,721, Le Grand Orange career hit total. Might be 2,716, I… Read more »

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

Sorry to be a party pooper but the Phils batted .315 in 1930, good for 6th place. Standings-wise they were last. The .303 NL BA for 1930 is correct. If the Phils finished 6th in batting the NL average would most likely be more than .303

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago

What a dumb typo. The Phils were second in batting behind the Giants’ .319.

RJ
RJ
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

JasonZ, do you have a long lost brother who deals in expensive cars and is perhaps played by Tom Cruise?

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

Most impressive, Jason! I loved the all-time HR list. 563 Reggie 548 Schmidt 630 for Griffey two guys at 511 and 521(some combination of Mccovey, Banks, Ted Williams, ?Ott?). I recently discovered somebody re-tied the 521. I think it was Big Hurt don’t know most of the recent guys’ final totals 493 also for Crime Dog and 399 for Kaline. 398 for Murphy (damn!) 475 for Winfield and Yaz 586 and 573 I think F Rob is the first and Killebrew is the latter 699 AB for Dave Cash in 1975 (the record back then) Mike Schmidt hitting 38 HR… Read more »

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

Yaz hit .326 in his Triple Crown year of ’67, not .316, which was Frank Robinso’s BA in HIS Triple Crown year of ’66.

Anyone who was a Red Sox fan of about my age has those numbers permanently etched in their brain.

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

To give you an idea how extreme the BA (.303) of the 1930 NL was:

In the 1968 AL, Tony Oliva had the third best BA, .289. In the 1930 NL, this would’ve been the 9th WORST BA.

JasonZ
11 years ago

One more for you Bstar 29 121 George Foster with that black bat in 76. Ashamed to admit I can’t recall his BA. 17-18. Nolan Ryan in 1976. 9 HR 30 RBI. Ron Cey in April 1977 as the Dodgers jumped out to a 17-3 start and unseated the Big Red Machine in the classic NL West. 3. Reggie Jackson’s swings and homers in game 6 as the Yankees ended a 15 year drought against the Dodgers in the Fall Classic that same season. BTW, 32 110 during the 77 season. OK. Now I am really done, and yes I… Read more »

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

No you don’t have a problem. I love this stuff. Pete Rose .370 in the ’75 World Series (Given that avg and the number of games, I remember deriving it had to be 10 for 27. One of the first tasks I asked my first calculator to compute). 27-10 Carlton in ’72. 25-3 for Guidry in ?’77? 24-8 for Smoltz in ’96. 24-4? in ’85 for Gooden- not sure on that one. 19-1 for Big Unit. Sutcliffe 16-1 as a Cub in ’84. Maddux again 19-4 with a 2.20 in ’97 (but Pedro was sub-2.00 that year). Gibson’s 1.13 in… Read more »

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

Bstar and Jason Z – I’m impressed! When I was younger I used to be able to do this but not anymore. And I can’t blame age cause I know Bstar’s about the same age I am and it sounds like Jason is older than me.

JasonZ
11 years ago

My bad. I definitely thought the Phil’s led in BA and finished in sixth place. How silly.

The giants do make sense, because now that I think of it, they were buoyed by Bill .401 Terry.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

1930 NL:

BA at Baker Bowl, the Phils’ home park: .351
BA at all other parks combined: .296

JasonZ
11 years ago

No. Just a memory that runs in the family. My grandfather was in the record business for about fifty years. Had a place near Times Square until 1972. He was an expert in rare records. He provided hard to get records for Eisenhower, Kennedy and LBJ. I would watch Name That Tune on his knee In the early 70’s. He never missed one. He would sing Suwanee River to me. Now that I think of it, probably due to that classic Honeymooners episode. As we all know Ed Norton is not the composer if that song. In 1981 just to… Read more »

Jason Z
11 years ago

Okay Ed and Bstar… I will be 46 on Sunday. Happy birthday to me and Eddie Murray. Here goes, just gonna let it fly… Louisiana Lightning was 16-7 in 1977 25-3 1.74 248 K’s in 1978, 18-8 in 79, 11-5 in 81. 22 or 21-9 in 85. Dave Rozema 15-7 in 1977 Mark Fydrich 19-9 in 76, 6-4 in 77 Frank Robinson had 2,943 hits Eddie Collins had 3,318 Pete Rose 4,256 John Hiller, 38 saves in 73 Jerry Koosman 3-15 in 78 with the Mets, 21-10 in 79 with the Twins. I want to say 222-209 career. Tom Seaver… Read more »

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Jason Z

I’ll be 45 next Thursday, but I’m too old already to reply to that last one, Jason. 🙂

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Jason Z

Interesting that you share a bday with Eddie Murray. He was my favorite player when I was growing up. We shared a name (I was called “Eddie” as a kid) and I had a couple of his rookie cards.

I’ll be 44 in early May so I guess I’m the baby of the group! Happy birthday to both of you!!!

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

Speaking of Eddie Murray and birthdays…

Mine’s September 6, date of Eddie Murray’s 500th HR, which was itself on the 1st anniversary of Cal Ripken’s 2131st consecutive game played. Recognizing the omen, I now secretly root for the Orioles when it wouldn’t hurt the Red Sox too badly.

As for players actually born on that day, I manage an HOFer as well: Red Faber, born 9/6/1888, the year my direct ancestor Benjamin Harrison was elected U.S. President.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago

INH – Completing the circle…my birthday is May 3rd, the same as the other HOF pitcher named “Red” – Red Ruffing. (Eppa Rixey, another HOF pitcher was also both on May 3rd).

And your direct ancestor later campaigned of behalf of William McKinley, who ran his campaign from his home in Canton, OH – which also happens to be my hometown!

GrandyMan
GrandyMan
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

I don’t have a lot of notable players matching my birthday; probably the only Hall of Very Good guy is Jim Kaat.

My dad, on the other hand, matches Hugh Jennings, Luke Appling, Reggie Smith, and Don Sutton.

Insert Name Here
Insert Name Here
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

The circle is not complete yet! McKinley (like all Presidents of the 19th century) was inaugurated on March 4th, which is both my brother’s and a great-grandfather’s birthday. (Interestingly, the two of them were born exactly 100 years apart, so their birth dates (in MM/DD/YY form) are exactly the same.) Also born on March 4th were another HOF pitcher, Dazzy Vance, and a player named… wait for it… Red Murray.

And… McKinley was shot on September 6, 1901.

Ed
Ed
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

Bravo, INH, Bravo!!!

PP
PP
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

Old Hoss Radbourn tops out the Dec 11 candidates, and the best batter is Jay Bell, though Solzhenitsyn and Mahfouz add a literary flair to that date

T-Bone
T-Bone
11 years ago
Reply to  Ed

My birthday is 12/20. shared with Branch Rickey, and I have lived for the last 15 years in Delaware, ohio where Branch Rickey attended college (Ohio Wesleyen University) and was the Baseball coach a bit later on. The Branch Rickey Arena is a building named in his honor.
I used to be able to tell you the latest season totals and career averages for any baseball player I had a card for, but the last cards I bought were in the 70’s and life has a way of taking over those leisure activities of our youth.

Mike L
Mike L
11 years ago

My odometer turns 57 next Tuesday. Along with HOF Pete Alexander (although my drink of choice is Diet Coke)

PP
PP
11 years ago
Reply to  Jason Z

I always liked RBIs: Gehrig 184, Foxx 175, DiMaggio 167, Williams 159, Greenberg 183.

I also used to love looking at Aaron’s career record, but who the heck can pick out numbers that would stand out from 10 other years? How about something like 314 44 123 might be close, and if it happens to be a match, I didn’t look.

Lawrence Azrin
Lawrence Azrin
11 years ago
Reply to  PP

Aaron’s best years are probably 1959 and 1963 (I know that WAR lists 1961, but that’s mainly due to his anomoulous +23 Rfield), but I know what you mean; it seems like most years between 1957 and 1971, he put up numbers similar to those that you listed.

He did bat .314, he did hit 44 HRs (four times!!),and have 123 RBI, but not all in the same year. 1957 or 1963 probably comes the closest to your numbers.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  PP

I love those gaudy RBI totals, too, PP, and Lou Gehrig is the unquestioned master. He’s got three of the nine seasons over 175 RBI. Hank Greenberg has two.

Give him a full career, and I just can’t see how Gehrig doesn’t end up to this day as still the all-time RBI king. He only played a small portion of his age 36 season and finished a few RBI short of 2000. Henry Aaron ended up only ~300 RBI ahead of that mark.

PP
PP
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

How about RBI man Joe D? 1537 in 13 years. 143 per 162. Insane over the course of a career. Gehrig did have 149 per, which I’m assuming is the highest ever.

JasonZ
11 years ago

If only your birthday was next Friday, you would be 11.

Happy Birthday.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  JasonZ

Same to you. I missed the Leap Year thing by 12 hours.

Chuck
Chuck
11 years ago
Reply to  bstar

My wife is Feb 29th.

We have a niece who is March 1st..she missed being a “Leapy” by 18 minutes.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Chuck

There are only 11 Leap year babies to ever play MLB with the most notable being 1953 AL MVP Al Rosen.

Jason Z
11 years ago

Thanks for the birthday shout out Ed.

I just checked, and I also got The Flying Dutchman.

Sweet.

Jason Z
11 years ago

To continue…

My daughter is Feb. 9, Vladimir Guerrero, Mookie Wilson, John Kruk,
Vic Wertz, Heinie Zimmerman and Clete Boyer. No HOF’ers but my angel
has depth.

My wife is May 6, Willie Mays!!

My sister is Feb. 6, Babe Ruth!!!

In a parallel universe we would have quite the juggernaut.

Chad
Chad
11 years ago
Reply to  Jason Z

Vlad has a chance, no?

Discuss.

bstar
11 years ago
Reply to  Andy

It’s bad logic, but it seems to me that if the Hall of Fame has Jim Rice and Andre Dawson in it, there should be room for the Impaler somewhere. Defensively, Vlad actually grades out as a slightly plus defender for his career (fielding runs-wise). It’s the positional adjustment that’s killing his dWAR. Were he not considered a steroid era baby, I think Vlad would sail into the Hall of Fame like Dawson did. Voters would love his MVP, his cannon arm in right was the stuff of legend, and his .318 career BA from the right side is mighty… Read more »

mosc
mosc
11 years ago

Nobody made the joke that Mr. Perfect bats mostly left, a little right, and very occasionally… switch. HA!

kohlscareer
10 years ago

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