Quiz – Make Mine a Ruben with Chili

This quiz may be a little tougher (I think). But you guys are sharp, so no doubt you’ll surprise me.

Here’s a list of really good players (okay, maybe one exception) from the last 50 years. No duds or cup-of-coffee guys here – all are recognizable names, even some HOFers.

But, these players, and only these players, have accomplished one particular feat.

Hint: the feat is in two related parts characterized by a common, non-sabermetric, statistic.

The quiz has been solved. Congratulations to Evil Squirrel.

Player
Willie Horton
Ron Cey
Fred Lynn
George Brett
Carlton Fisk
Jack Clark
Ruben Sierra
Cal Ripken
Chili Davis
Ivan Rodriguez
Edgar Martinez

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com:

Generated 3/7/2012.

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Voomo Zanzibar

12 years ago

If Fred Lynn wasn’t in there this would have something to do with double plays…

Voomo Zanzibar

12 years ago

They all hit 300-something homers, except for Cal…

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

On the right track.

Evil Squirrel

12 years ago

300+ career homers with only one 30 HR season?

I only clicked on half of the players, but all I have looked at fit that….

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Evil Squirrel

So much for being tough.

Well done, Evil.

Evil Squirrel

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Woohoo!

Wouldn’t have noticed it without Voomo’s comment, so he should get partial credit…

Voomo Zanzibar

12 years ago

Reply to Evil Squirrel

Thank you much.

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Evil Squirrel

For the record, no player has yet had a 300 HR career without at least one 30 HR season. Cey, Brett, Sierra and Davis hit exactly 30.

Howard

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

How about Al Kaline? Career high of 29 but 399 lifetime.

Hartvig

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Howard- I am absolutely kicking myself that I didn’t spot that first.

Pardon me, while I go apologize to my autographed picture of Mr. Kaline.

Richard Chester

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Harold Baines has 384 HRs and no more than 29 in one season.

Richard Chester

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Yogi Berra had 358 HRs and his seasonal maximum was 30, twice.

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Sorry guys, I blew it.

It seems that P-I doesn’t always tell you when there are 0 seasons matching search criteria (it certainly does that on many queries I’ve run). Will have to watch that in future.

To clarify the quiz answer slightly, it is players with 300 HR and exactly one season with 30 HR.

bstar

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

No, it didn’t really change the quiz question at all. Kaline and Baines only disprove your #8 comment.

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

For the record, the only 300 HR players without a 30 HR season are the two identified by Howard and Richard, Kaline and Baines.

Author

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Evil Squirrel

And, doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon.

Every active player with at least 200 HR has at least one 30 HR season.

MikeD

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

Before the flaw was discovered, I was thinking about possible future candidates. Robinson Cano was one. He’s just at about half way to 300, had good 25+ HR power, yet no 30 HR seasons.

My guess, however, is he might eclipse 30 HRs in a season over the next season or two. While peak years are in the late 20s, it’s not uncommon for power to keep increasing until age 30 or so.

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

To correct #9, there are only two active player over 200 HR and without a 30 HR season – Johnny Damon and Derek Jeter.

Damon is at 231 HR and Jeter at 240 HR, both with a season high of 24 HR. Seems dountful that either will make it to 300.

bstar

12 years ago

Looking long-term, I think Brian McCann might be a candidate to hit 300 HR without 30 in a season. I liken his power to that of Lance Parrish. Although McCann overall is a better hitter than Parrish was, their power numbers are similar through age 27: McCann 136 HR, 22.6 AB/HR, .486 SLG, 122 OPS+ Parrish 129 HR, 21.9 AB/HR, .471 SLG, 115 OPS+ McCann will need to stay really consistent, which is the one thing he has definitively been able to do. FWIW, Lance Parrish finished with 324 career HR and two 30+ seasons. Parrish is more athletic than… Read more »

Mike L

12 years ago

There are 35 players with between 275 and 299 lifetime HR’s. All but four (Ricky Henderson, Biggio, Brian Downing and Paul O’Neill) hit 30 in a season at least once.

bstar

12 years ago

There are 4 players between 400-499 HR’s who never hit 40 HR in a season. Eddie Murray never had 40 but had 504 career HR’s. We know Ripken is one of the four. Anybody wanna guess the other three?

12 years ago

Reply to bstar

Dave Winfield is one of them.

Mike L

12 years ago

Reply to bstar

McGriff and Winfield, but I can’t think of the third

bstar

12 years ago

Reply to Mike L

Stan the Man is the third.

Richard Chester

12 years ago

Reply to bstar

Stan the Man. It’s not a guess, I have a book with the list.

Richard Chester

12 years ago

And while we’re on the subject Ron Fairly is the only guy with more than 200 HRs and fewer than 20 in a season.

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Nice. This symmetry (20/200, 30/300, 40/400) is pretty cool.

bstar

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

I’m thinking of doing no 50 years/500+ but it’d be a pretty long list. I may anyway.

Doug

12 years ago

Reply to Doug

I’m afraid the symmetry breaks down at 50/500.

Of 25 players with 500 HR, only 10 have a 50 HR season.

12 years ago

Reply to Richard Chester

Fairly came close in 1977, his next to last year. He hit #19 in his first plate appearance on Sept. 11th. (off the recently discussed Dick Tidrow). He got 45 more plate appearances that year but failed to homer. Looks like the Blue Jays also held him out of some games near the end of the year, presumably to try out some younger guys.

Timmy Pea

12 years ago

What about Gary Carter? Over 300 HR and only one 30 plus HR season. Joe Carter had 396 HR and 6 30 plus HR seasons. Gary and Joe are twin brothers.

Timmy Pea

12 years ago

Sorry everyone, Gary had 2 seasons of 30+ HRs. I’m tired.

Tmckelv

12 years ago

“no doubt you’ll surprise me”

I like that, and oxymoron I have never heard before.

Editor

John Autin

12 years ago

Most 40-HR seasons without reaching 400 HRs:
5, by Ralph Kiner (369) and Adam Dunn (365).

(I’m sure the odds still favor Dunn reaching 400, especially with 3 more years and $44 million on his contract, but it’s no lock.)

bstar

12 years ago

From an article on here a week or so ago, I believe we identified John Vukovich as having the lowest career batting average ever(.161), based on ?? at-bats. So Adam Dunn last year, miles away from Mario Mendoza, couldn’t even hit the “Vukovich Line”. That’s pretty scary.

Mr. Autin, I have the list of most career 40-homer seasons with me as it was something I was looking at a few weeks ago, so I will add the names of the 3 players with the most 40-HR seasons between 400-499 career HR:

5-Lou Gehrig(493)
5-Juan Gonzalez(434)
5-Duke Snider(407)