.300 Hitters Who Didn't Stick

One of baseball's "big" numbers is .300. If you hit .300 or better, you're a good hitter. As the following players can attest, however, hitting .300 isn't always enough to stick in the major leagues.

Since 1954, thirteen players have hit .300 in more than 50 but fewer than 500 career plate appearances. Players who appeared in the majors during 2009 were not included. I chose fifty PA as the minimum because it takes at least ten starts to rack up that many times at the plate. Impressive as John Paciorek's career was, it doesn't fit the spirit of this post. By the end of this post, you'll see why I used 500 as the maximum.

Name	Year(s)	Age	Team(s)	Pos	PA	AB	AVG/OBP/SLG
Kevin Rhomberg	1982-1984	26-28	CLE	LF	52	47	.383/.423/.447
Randy Asadoor	1986	23	SDP	3B	60	55	.364/.397/.455
Rudy Pemberton	1995-1997	25-27	DET BOS	RF	147	134	.336/.395/.515
Joe Hall	1994-1995 1997	28-31	CHW DET	LF	52	47	.319/.385/.468
Norris Hopper	2006-2008	27-29	CIN	CF	440	396	.316/.367/.371
Victor Mata	1984-1985	23-24	NYY	CF	83	77	.312/.316/.416
Bob Hazle	1955 1957-1958	24-27	CIN MLN DET	RF	297	261	.310/.390/.467
D.T. Cromer	2000-2001	29-30	CIN	1B	114	104	.308/.327/.577
Eddy Garabito	2005	28	COL	2B	102	88	.307/.384/.398
Bob Henley	1998	25	MON	C	132	115	.304/.377/.470
Andy Barkett	2001	26	PIT	LF	51	46	.304/.373/.413
Jose Ortiz	1969-1971	22-24	CHW CHC	CF	136	123	.301/.358/.390
Gerry Davis	1983 1985	24-26	SDP	RF	82	73	.301/.370/.397

The position listed is where the player spent the most time. Almost every player on the list played two or more positions.

Bob Hazle is probably the most famous name on this list. He hit .403 down the stretch in 1957 to help the Braves win the NL pennant. A slow start in 1958 doomed his career. Norris Hooper may still appear again in the majors. He played in AAA for the Reds, White Sox, and Nationals in 2009.

It's worth noting that two pitchers also qualified under the 50-500 PA criteria. Terry Forster, who pitched for five teams from 1971 to 1984, hit .397/.413/.474 over 86 plate appearances during his career. He was one for four as a pinch hitter. Renie Martin, who pitched for three teams from 1979 to 1984, hit .301 over 90 plate appearances. He was 0 for 1 as a pinch hitter.

Obviously, small sample size applies to all of these players. Who knows if they would have been able to hit .300 over a longer career. The fact remains, however, that they hit well in the few opportunities they were given.

I thought it would be interesting to post the following list as well. If you take out active players, here are the .300 hitters who debuted in 1954 or later with the fewest career plate appearances (min. 400):

1. Norris Hopper, 440 (.316)
   
2. Lyman Bostock, 2214 (.311)
   
3. Reggie Jefferson, 2300 (.300)
   
4. Manny Mota, 4227 (.304)
   
5. Rusty Greer, 4420 (.305)
   
6. Hal Morris, 4443 (.304)
   
7. John Kruk, 4603 (.300)
   
8. Mike Greenwell, 5166 (.303)
   
9. Ralph Garr, 5456 (.306)
   
10. Pedro Guerrero, 6115 (.300)

It looks like Norris Hopper has found a uncomfortable niche between flash in the pan and solid regular.

Most Career PA, Zero Triples

Admittedly I don't watch him all that often, but Ryan Howard doesn't seem like a very fast ballplayer to me. Call it an assumption about large first basemen. Howard hit a triple in tonight's NLCS game and I figured it had to be one of only a few in his career. It turns out it was his first in postseason play, but twelfth overall in his major league career. Not only that, but he stole eight bases this year. You learn something new every day, I suppose.

It seems as though if a player plays long enough, he'll wind up hitting a triple. Cecil Fielder had six triples by the time he swiped his first base, over 1000 games into his career. Javier Valentin may never have attempted to steal a base but he legged out five triples in his career. Bill Schroeder, a run-of-the-mill 1980s catcher, brags about how his only career triple, also his first major league hit, must have screwed up scouting reports on him for a while.

But not every player is lucky enough to accomplish the career cycle. The following players just couldn't hit it far enough away from the defense to run 270 feet.

Most Career PA, Zero Triples
(position players)

1. Johnny Estrada, 2244
   
2. Jason Phillips, 1537
3. Mark Parent, 1428
4. Craig Worthington, 1423
5. Ramon Castro, 1400*
6. Sal Fasano, 1245*
7. Earl Averill, 1217
8. Aaron Guiel, 1099
9. Kelly Shoppach, 1043*
10. Doc Edwards, 973
11. Jim Traber, 897
12. Geronimo Gil, 887
13. Chris Coste, 885*
14. Jeff Mathis, 861*
15. Troy Neel, 861
16. Bob Uecker, 843
17. Brian Giles, 791
18. Hawk Taylor, 766
19. Bob Burda, 723
20. Scott Hemond, 687

* - active player (majors or minors in 2009)

Worthington (3B), Guiel (RF), Traber (1B), Neel (1B), Giles (2B), and Burda (1B) are the non-catchers on the above list. Giles, not related to the current Padre, actually stole seventeen bases one season. Of course, he was caught ten times that year. The active non-catcher leader is Scott Thorman, with 440. Thorman spent 2009 in AAA with Kansas City and Texas. Among players who appeared in the majors in 2009, Paul Janish is the active leader with 381. Robert Andino is seven behind Janish.

Most Career PA, Zero Triples
(pitchers)

1. Gaylord Perry, 1220
2. Whitey Ford, 1208
3. Tommy John, 1030
4. Lefty Gomez, 1024
5. Bob Buhl, 952
6. Burt Hooten, 913
7. Curt Davis, 904
8. Andy Benes, 880
9. Larry Dierker, 876
10. Sandy Koufax, 858
11. Dave McNally, 848
12. Rick Rhoden, 830
13. Andy Messersmith, 826
14. Mike Krukow, 819
15. Dick Donovan, 801
16. Darryl Kile, 786
17. Ken Raffensberger, 779
18. Dean Chance, 759
19. Pat Malone, 752
20. Mike Scott, 743

No active players are in the top twenty. The active leader is Jason Schmidt with 712. Randy Johnson is at 691 and Roy Oswalt is third with 670. One notable in the above list: Bob Buhl's 0 for 70 in 1962 is a record for hitting futility.

Three True Outcomes Per Plate Appearance, 1913-2009

An update to my Three True Outcomes (TTO) posts of January 2008 and July 2009. This version is complete through 2009. Once again, I have expanded the board by five more places.

Most Career TTO/PA, 1913-2009, min. 3000 PA

Rank	Name	PA	SO	BB	HR	TTO/PA
1	Adam Dunn	5417	1433	913	316	.4914
2	Rob Deer	4512	1409	575	230	.4907
3	Ryan Howard	3145	878	406	222	.4789
4	Jim Thome	9463	2313	1619	564	.4751
5	Mark McGwire	7660	1596	1317	583	.4564
6	Carlos Pena	3713	973	495	202	.4498
7	Mickey Tettleton	5745	1307	949	245	.4353
8	Pat Burrell	5864	1392	842	265	.4262
9	Jay Buhner	5927	1406	792	310	.4231
10	Gorman Thomas	5486	1339	697	268	.4200
11	Brad Wilkerson	3753	947	492	122	.4159
12	Danny Tartabull	5842	1362	768	262	.4094
13	Don Lock	3116	776	373	122	.4079
14	Jose Canseco	8129	1942	906	462	.4072
15	Troy Glaus	5872	1277	791	304	.4040
16	Jason Bay	3897	896	491	185	.4034
17	Mickey Mantle	9909	1710	1733	536	.4016
18	Reggie Jackson	11416	2597	1375	563	.3972
19	Nick Swisher	3119	665	439	133	.3966
20	Darryl Strawberry	6326	1352	816	335	.3957
21	Gene Tenace	5525	998	984	201	.3951
22	Pete Incaviglia	4677	1277	360	206	.3941
23	Richie Sexson	5604	1313	588	306	.3938
24	Eric Davis	6147	1398	740	282	.3937
25	Jim Edmonds	7307	1669	974	382	.3924
T-26	Cecil Fielder	5939	1316	693	319	.3920
T-26	Ray Lankford	6674	1550	828	238	.3920
28	Mike Schmidt	10062	1883	1507	548	.3914
29	Harmon Killebrew	9831	1699	1559	573	.3897
T-30	Sammy Sosa	9896	2306	929	609	.3884
T-30	Mike Cameron	7435	1798	825	265	.3884

If you carry it out beyond four decimal places the ties go away but, hey, I wanted an excuse to include another active player.

Russell Branyan is poised to jump atop the table with 176 more plate apperances. Through 2824 career PA, he has 946 strikeouts, 339 walks, and 164 home runs, good for a .5131 TTO/PA. If you add the necessary 176 TTO-less PA to get to 3000, he still places third with .4830. Not bad. Bo Jackson, of all people, pops up between Pete Incaviglia and Richie Sexson by the same method.

Another player who should make his way into the table next year is Brad Hawpe. He sits at .3983 after 2807 career plate appearances. If Tony Clark signs on somewhere next season, he might work his way back onto the list. He's currently 32nd at .3881.

Most Runs Allowed in a Season, All Earned

In 2009, Houston's Roy Oswalt allowed 83 runs in 181 1/3 innings pitched. Every single one of his runs were earned. He became just the twentieth pitcher in major league history to allow more than 70 runs in a season with all of them earned. The full list:

1. Joel Pineiro, 2005 SEA, 118 R
2. Dick Ruthven, 1976 ATL, 112 R
3. Frank Tanana, 1990 DET, 104 R
4. Brian Anderson, 1998 ARI, 100 R
5. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2007 BOS, 100 R
6. Rick Sutcliffe, 1988 CHC, 97 R
7. Kelvim Escobar, 2004 ANA, 91 R
8. Curt Schilling, 2006 BOS, 90 R
9. Bobby Jones, 1998 NYM, 88 R
10. John Thomson, 1998 COL, 86 R
11. Omar Olivares, 1992 STL, 84 R
12. Roy Oswalt, 2009 HOU, 83 R
    
13. Scott Erickson, 2000 BAL, 81 R
14. Art Decatur, 1927 PHI, 78 R
15. Dennis Ribant, 1967 PIT, 78 R
    
16. Hideki Irabu, 1998 NYY, 78 R
17. Ryan Dempster, 1999 FLA, 77 R
18. Hideo Nomo, 2004 LAD, 77 R
19. John Farrell, 1993 CAL, 74 R
20. Phil Regan, 1961 DET, 70 R
    

Grand Slams by Pitchers

Here is a list of all the grand slams hit by pitchers since 1954:

Date	Batter	Tm	Opp	Pitcher	Inn	Score
4/22/1956	Don Larsen	NYY	BOS	Frank Sullivan	4	2-1
7/10/1958	Lew Burdette	MLN	@LAD	Johnny Podres	4	0-0
4/15/1959	Bob Grim	KCA	@CHW	Barry Latman	3	4-0
8/1/1959	Bob Purkey	CIN	CHC	John Buzhardt	3	5-2
8/14/1960	Camilo Pascual	WSH	@NYY	Bob Turley	6	1-1
8/9/1961	Don Drysdale	LAD	MLN	Don Nottebart	2	1-1
5/30/1962	Pedro Ramos	CLE	@BAL	Chuck Estrada	6	3-0
8/2/1962	Art Mahaffey	PHI	@NYM	Craig Anderson	3	2-1
5/31/1963	Orlando Pena	KCA	WSA	Claude Osteen	5	4-3
7/15/1963	Carl Willey	NYM	HOU	Ken Johnson	2	1-2
4/27/1965	Camilo Pascual	MIN	@CLE	Stan Williams	1	3-0
7/20/1965	Mel Stottlemyre	NYY	BOS	Bill Monbouquett	5	2-1
9/29/1965	Bob Gibson	STL	@SFG	Gaylord Perry	8	4-0
7/3/1966	Tony Cloninger	ATL	@SFG	Bob Priddy	1	3-0
7/3/1966	Tony Cloninger	ATL	@SFG	Ray Sadecki	4	9-0
8/13/1966	Earl Wilson	DET	@BOS	Dan Osinski	7	6-1
5/20/1967	Jack Hamilton	NYM	STL	Al Jackson	2	0-0
6/1/1967	John O'Donoghue	CLE	@DET	Denny McLain	6	2-0
5/5/1968	Gary Peters	CHW	NYY	Al Downing	4	1-0
7/28/1968	Al McBean	PIT	STL	Larry Jaster	5	3-1
8/26/1968	Dave McNally	BAL	OAK	Chuck Dobson	1	3-0
7/9/1969	Fred Talbot	SEP	CAL	Eddie Fisher	6	3-0
9/4/1970	Mike Corkins	SDP	@CIN	Jim Merritt	4	3-0
5/11/1971	Steve Dunning	CLE	OAK	Diego Segui	2	1-0
8/28/1971	Rick Wise	PHI	SFG	Don McMahon	7	3-3
9/16/1972	Burt Hooton	CHC	NYM	Tom Seaver	3	4-1
7/26/1973	Bob Gibson	STL	NYM	John Strohmayer	5	6-1
8/21/1973	Rick Wise	STL	@ATL	Roric Harrison	3	3-0
6/24/1974	Jim Lonborg	PHI	@MON	Chuck Taylor	3	4-0
7/6/1977	Don Stanhouse	MON	@CHC	Bill Bonham	2	1-1
9/27/1977	Larry Christenson	PHI	@CHC	Dennis Lamp	7	7-2
8/26/1979	Bruce Kison	PIT	@SDP	Bob Shirley	2	1-0
10/1/1980	Enrique Romo	PIT	@NYM	Roy Lee Jackson	8	6-3
9/11/1982	Scott Sanderson	MON	@CHC	Randy Martz	3	3-1
5/15/1984	Joaquin Andujar	STL	ATL	Jeff Dedmon	8	5-1
5/16/1984	Steve Carlton	PHI	@LAD	Fernando Valenzu	4	1-1
9/12/1985	Don Robinson	PIT	CHC	Warren Brusstar	8	6-2
8/10/1986	Bob Forsch	STL	PIT	Mike Bielecki	5	1-0
5/29/1995	Chris Hammond	FLA	HOU	Shane Reynolds	2	0-2
6/27/1995	Denny Neagle	PIT	@CHC	Jim Bullinger	6	2-2
8/25/1995	Jeff Juden	PHI	LAD	John Cummings	4	10-2
9/7/1996	Donovan Osborne	STL	SDP	Andy Ashby	5	1-1
7/20/1998	Kevin Tapani	CHC	@ATL	Denny Neagle	3	1-0
9/2/1998	Kent Mercker	STL	@FLA	Jesus Sanchez	4	3-0
5/24/2000	Shawn Estes	SFG	MON	Mike Johnson	5	7-0
9/29/2001	Denny Neagle	COL	MIL	Jimmy Haynes	4	9-6
6/2/2002	Robert Person	PHI	MON	Bruce Chen	1	3-0
7/7/2006	Dontrelle Willis	FLA	@NYM	Jose Lima	4	3-0
6/23/2008	Felix Hernandez	SEA	@NYM	Johan Santana	2	0-0
9/22/2008	Jason Marquis	CHC	@NYM	Jonathon Niese	4	2-2
10/1/2009	Chris Carpenter	STL	@CIN	Kip Wells	2	1-0

UPDATE: Two pitchers have hit postseason grand slams. Both were on the same team in the same year. On October 3, 1970, Baltimore's Mike Cuellar hit one off Minnesota's Jim Perry in Game 1 of the ALCS. Ten days later, Dave McNally hit one in Game 3 of the World Series off Cincinnati's Wayne Granger.

Most SB in a Season with 0 CS

On February 22, 2008, I posted about players who stole the most bases in a season without being caught. Since the regular season is now over for all but two teams, it's time to put the new record holder atop the list. As noted in the previous post, the AL has recorded caught stealings since 1920. The NL has did not consistently record caught stealings until 1951.

Most Stolen Bases in a Season, 0 Caught Stealings

1. Chase Utley, 2009, 23
2. Kevin McReynolds, 1988, 21
3. Paul Molitor, 1994, 20
4. Gary Thurman, 1989, 16
5. Jimmy Sexton, 1982, 16
6. Davey Lopes, 1984, 15
7. Terry Shumpert, 1999, 14
8. Sean Berry, 1994, 14
9. Carlos Beltran, 2000, 13
10. Desi Relaford, 2000, 13
11. Rex Hudler, 1995, 13
12. Tim Raines, 1994, 13
13. Lee Tinsley, 1994, 13
14. Tom Tresh, 1964, 13
15. Leon Culberson, 1943, 13
16. Johnny Damon, 2009, 12
    
17. David Dellucci, 2003, 12
18. Paul Molitor, 1995, 12
19. Fred Lynn, 1980, 12
20. Miguel Dilone, 1977, 12
21. Alexei Casilla, 2009, 11
    
22. Albert Belle, 1996, 11
23. Joe Carter, 1994, 11
24. Tony Bernazard, 1982, 11
25. Johnny Bench, 1975, 11
    
26. Jesse Hill, 1936, 11
27. Jason Bay, 2008, 10
28. Michael Young, 2008, 10
    
29. Mark Teahen, 2006, 10
30. Miguel Tejada, 2003, 10
31. Jim Eisenreich, 1995, 10
32. John Jaha, 1992, 10
33. Frank Duffy, 1976, 10
34. Dan Meyer, 1976, 10
35. Red Wilson, 1958, 10
    
36. Charlie Gehringer, 1940, 10

Congratulations to Chase Utley for setting a new record. Utley isn't the only new addition to the list. Johnny Damon and Alexei Casilla also joined this year. Jason Bay and Michael Young should have been added after 2008 (oops).

Thanks to Tom for commenting on my February 2008 post and bringing this to my attention.