Quiz – Pop Gun Hitters (stumped)

16 Replies

All of these players are well known singles hitters. But, among all power-starved batters to play their entire careers since 1901, what career accomplishment distinguishes these retired players?

Player ▴
Burt Shotton
Clyde Milan
Donie Bush
Eddie Foster
Horace Clarke
Johnny Evers
Larry Bowa
Luis Castillo
Maury Wills
Miller Huggins
Otis Nixon
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 11/21/2013.

Bonus: Who is the one active player on pace to join this group?

Howard got the bonus question, and Richard Chester was most of the way there with the solution. But they didn’t quite put all the pieces together. The solution is after the jump.

The quiz players are the only batters to play their entire careers since 1901 and compile 1500 total bases, with a Hit total exceeding 80% of total bases, and with more steals than doubles. More than half of these players played all or most of their careers in the dead ball era, and the remainder have played all or most of their careers in the past 50 years. It is indeed a rare breed of hitter who can make a significant career out of singles and stolen bases. Here are those careers, including Juan Pierre, the only active player currently in this group.

Rk Player TB ▾ SB 2B H From To Age G PA AB R 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS Pos
1 Juan Pierre 2714 614 255 2217 2000 2013 22-35 1994 8280 7525 1075 94 18 517 464 479 .295 .343 .361 .704 *87H/D
2 Larry Bowa 2696 318 262 2191 1970 1985 24-39 2247 9109 8418 987 99 15 525 474 569 .260 .300 .320 .620 *6/H4
3 Clyde Milan 2601 495 240 2100 1907 1922 20-35 1982 8318 7359 1004 105 17 617 685 404 .285 .353 .353 .706 *87/9H
4 Maury Wills 2513 586 177 2134 1959 1972 26-39 1942 8306 7588 1067 71 20 458 552 684 .281 .330 .331 .661 *65/H4
5 Luis Castillo 2285 370 194 1889 1996 2010 20-34 1720 7471 6510 1001 59 28 443 800 850 .290 .368 .351 .719 *4/H
6 Donie Bush 2165 406 186 1804 1908 1923 20-35 1948 8750 7210 1280 74 9 436 1158 630 .250 .356 .300 .656 *6/54H
7 Johnny Evers 2051 324 216 1659 1902 1929 20-47 1784 7210 6137 919 70 12 538 778 293 .270 .356 .334 .690 *4/569
8 Eddie Foster 1841 195 191 1490 1910 1923 23-36 1500 6325 5652 732 71 6 451 528 316 .264 .329 .326 .655 *54/H6
9 Miller Huggins 1747 324 146 1474 1904 1916 26-38 1586 6799 5558 948 50 9 318 1003 556 .265 .382 .314 .696 *4/5
10 Burt Shotton 1649 293 154 1338 1909 1923 24-38 1387 5745 4945 747 65 9 290 713 530 .271 .365 .333 .698 87/H9
11 Otis Nixon 1608 620 142 1379 1983 1999 24-40 1709 5800 5115 878 27 11 318 585 694 .270 .343 .314 .658 *87H/9D6
12 Horace Clarke 1507 151 150 1230 1965 1974 25-34 1272 5242 4813 548 23 27 304 365 362 .256 .308 .313 .621 *4H/65D
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/8/2013.

 

16 thoughts on “Quiz – Pop Gun Hitters (stumped)”

  1. Richard Chester

    They all had 5000+ PA and more than 80% of their hits were singles but so have 44 other retired players.

    Reply ↓
  2. Richard Chester

    Doug: I ran the PI for H greater than 0.8*TB, 5000+ PA and 150+ SB. Nine of the players on your list occupied the top nine positions, out of 24 total, with the exceptions being Horace Clarke and Eddie Foster. Am I getting close?

    Reply ↓
      2. Richard Chester

        Here’s the best I could do. Going back to my post #3 they all also had more SB than 2B but so did 5 other players out of the 24.

        Reply ↓
  4. Albanate

    I’m disappointed to see that bbref’s Burt Shotton page doesn’t list “Kindly Old Burt Shotton” or KOBS as one of his nicknames.

    Reply ↓
  6. John Autin

    Nice one, Doug! BTW, Maury Wills has the lowest rate of doubles per hit of any modern player with at least 1,200 hits (8.3%). Roy Thomas holds the all-time low mark (6.5%).

    Reply ↓
    1. Doug Post author

      Among players with 2000 hits, Wills’ 177 doubles are the lowest total by far.

      Rk Player 2B H From To Age G PA SB BA OBP SLG OPS Pos
      1 Maury Wills 177 2134 1959 1972 26-39 1942 8306 586 .281 .330 .331 .661 *65/H4
      2 Patsy Donovan 208 2256 1890 1907 25-42 1824 8172 518 .301 .348 .355 .702 *97/8
      3 Monte Ward 231 2107 1878 1894 18-34 1827 8114 540 .275 .314 .341 .655 64189/57
      4 Clyde Milan 240 2100 1907 1922 20-35 1982 8318 495 .285 .353 .353 .706 *87/9H
      5 Willie Keeler 241 2932 1892 1910 20-38 2123 9610 495 .341 .388 .415 .802 *9/54786
      6 Billy Hamilton 242 2164 1888 1901 22-35 1594 7608 914 .344 .455 .432 .888 *879
      7 Dummy Hoy 248 2048 1888 1902 26-40 1797 8385 596 .288 .386 .374 .760 *8/794
      8 Jake Daubert 250 2326 1910 1924 26-40 2014 8744 251 .303 .360 .401 .760 *3/H
      9 Juan Pierre 255 2217 2000 2013 22-35 1994 8280 614 .295 .343 .361 .704 *87H/D
      10 Larry Bowa 262 2191 1970 1985 24-39 2247 9109 318 .260 .300 .320 .620 *6/H4
      11 Tommy Leach 266 2143 1898 1918 20-40 2156 9051 361 .269 .340 .370 .710 85/7649
      12 Fred Tenney 270 2231 1894 1911 22-39 1994 8809 285 .294 .371 .358 .730 *3/29781
      13 Deacon White 270 2067 1871 1890 23-42 1560 6973 70 .312 .346 .393 .740 *5293/47861
      14 Tommy Davis 272 2121 1959 1976 20-37 1999 7736 136 .294 .329 .405 .733 *7DH58/394
      15 Ed McKean 272 2084 1887 1899 23-35 1655 7626 324 .302 .365 .417 .781 *6/743895
      Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
      Generated 12/9/2013.
      Reply ↓
        1. Lawrence Azrin

          @15/Ed,

          Wills stole third plenty of times (88 of 106 attempts), so I don’t think that would matter to him.

          Reply ↓

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