Baseball BeatSeptember 17, 2005
Stats and Almost Nothing But
By Rich Lederer

There are three players this year who are likely to reach the gold standard by posting .300/.400/.600 seasons.

                    AVG   OBP   SLG
Derrek Lee         .341  .423  .678
Albert Pujols      .336  .432  .622
Alex Rodriguez     .321  .423  .608

Derrek Lee and Albert Pujols are the top two candidates for National League Most Valuable Player (sorry, Andruw Jones), and Alex Rodriguez is in the process of putting a padlock on the American League MVP.

Lee leads the NL in AVG (.341), SLG (.678), and OPS (1.100); ranks second in HR (44) and R (113); fourth in OBP (.423); seventh in RBI (102); and ninth in BB (77). Pujols tops the NL in R (119), while ranking second in AVG (.336), OBP (.432), SLG (.622), OPS (1.054); third in HR (39) and RBI (109); and seventh in BB (87).

Rodriguez leads the AL in HR (43), R (111), SLG (.608), and OPS (1.031); ranks second in AVG (.321) and OBP (.423); third in BB (83); fourth in RBI (116); and tenth in SB (15).

As a third baseman, A-Rod's monster season stands out more than those produced by Lee and Pujols. While there have been 24 different first basemen covering 54 seasons who have put up .300/.400/.600 years, only seven third basemen have posted such rate stats. In fact, there have been just a dozen 2B, SS, or 3B in the history of baseball who have reached those magical numbers in the same season.

THIRD BASEMEN, SINGLE SEASON
AVG >= .300, OBA >= .400, SLG >= .600

                              YEAR      AVG      OBA      SLG    
1    George Brett             1980     .390     .454     .664   
2    Al Rosen                 1953     .336     .422     .613   
3    Chipper Jones            2001     .330     .427     .605   
4    Albert Pujols            2001     .329     .403     .610   
5    Ken Caminiti             1996     .326     .408     .621   
6    Chipper Jones            1999     .319     .441     .633   
7    Jim Thome                1996     .311     .450     .612   
8    Eddie Mathews            1953     .302     .406     .627

George Brett, Ken Caminiti, Chipper Jones (1999), and Al Rosen were named MVP during their .300/.400/.600 seasons. Rosen, in fact, was a unanimous choice. The Cleveland third baseman led the league in HR and RBI and missed winning the Triple Crown by finishing second in AVG to Washington's Mickey Vernon by a single point. Pujols, lest we forget he was once a 3B, was the NL Rookie of the Year in 2001 when he rang up the first of his soon-to-be four .300/.400/.600 seasons.

Rogers Hornsby accomplished this feat six times (1921-22, 1924-25, 1928-29) as a 2B. Heck, the Rajah almost went .400/.500/.700 in 1924 when he hit .424, .507, and .696. Hornsby, perhaps the greastest right-handed hitter ever (see OPS vs. League Average table below), won the Triple Crown in 1922 and 1925. Nap Lajoie also won the Triple Crown in 1901 when he posted the only other .300/.400/.600 season among second sackers.

SECOND BASEMEN, SINGLE SEASON
AVG >= .300, OBA >= .400, SLG >= .600

                              YEAR      AVG      OBA      SLG    
1    Nap Lajoie               1901     .426     .463     .643   
2    Rogers Hornsby           1924     .424     .507     .696   
3    Rogers Hornsby           1925     .403     .489     .756   
4    Rogers Hornsby           1922     .401     .459     .722   
5    Rogers Hornsby           1921     .397     .458     .639   
6    Rogers Hornsby           1928     .387     .498     .632   
7    Rogers Hornsby           1929     .380     .459     .679

Of note, if Rodriguez finishes the season at or above .300/.400/.600, it won't be the first time he has accomplished this trifecta. As a shortstop in 1996 and 2000, A-Rod hit these targets, posting almost identical totals five years ago and in 2005.

SHORTSTOPS, SINGLE SEASON
AVG >= .300, OBA >= .400, SLG >= .600

                              YEAR      AVG      OBA      SLG    
1    Arky Vaughan             1935     .385     .491     .607   
2    Alex Rodriguez           1996     .358     .414     .631   
3    Nomar Garciaparra        1999     .357     .418     .603   
4    Alex Rodriguez           2000     .316     .420     .606

To put Alex's current season in perspective vs. Derrek's and Albert's, let's check the first basemen who have reached these three milestones in the same year.

FIRST BASEMEN, SINGLE SEASON
AVG >= .300, OBA >= .400, SLG >= .600

                              YEAR      AVG      OBA      SLG    
1    George Sisler            1920     .407     .449     .632   
2    Bill Terry               1930     .401     .452     .619   
3    Lou Gehrig               1930     .379     .473     .721   
4    Lou Gehrig               1928     .374     .467     .648   
5    Lou Gehrig               1927     .373     .474     .765   
6    Todd Helton              2000     .372     .463     .698   
7    Andres Galarraga         1993     .370     .403     .602   
8    Jimmie Foxx              1932     .364     .469     .749   
9    Lou Gehrig               1934     .363     .465     .706   
10   Norm Cash                1961     .361     .487     .662   
11   Jimmie Foxx              1939     .360     .464     .694   
12   Todd Helton              2003     .358     .458     .630   
13   Jimmie Foxx              1933     .356     .449     .703   
14   Lou Gehrig               1936     .354     .478     .696   
15   Jimmie Foxx              1929     .354     .463     .625   
16   Frank Thomas             1994     .353     .487     .729   
17   Lou Gehrig               1937     .351     .473     .643   
18   Stan Musial              1957     .351     .422     .612   
19   Eddie Morgan             1930     .349     .413     .601   
20   Johnny Mize              1939     .349     .444     .626   
21   Frank Thomas             1996     .349     .459     .626   
22   Lou Gehrig               1932     .349     .451     .621   
23   Jimmie Foxx              1938     .349     .462     .704   
24   Todd Helton              2004     .347     .469     .620   
25   Frank Thomas             1997     .347     .456     .611   
26   Jimmie Foxx              1935     .346     .461     .636   
27   Carlos Delgado           2000     .344     .470     .664   
28   Jason Giambi             2001     .342     .477     .660   
29   Lou Gehrig               1931     .341     .446     .662   
30   Hank Greenberg           1934     .339     .404     .600   
31   Jimmie Foxx              1936     .338     .440     .631   
32   Johnny Mize              1938     .337     .422     .614   
33   Hank Greenberg           1937     .337     .436     .668   
34   Todd Helton              2001     .336     .432     .685   
35   Jimmie Foxx              1930     .335     .429     .637   
36   Jimmie Foxx              1934     .334     .449     .653   
37   Lou Gehrig               1933     .334     .424     .605   
38   Jason Giambi             2000     .333     .476     .647   
39   Albert Pujols            2004     .331     .415     .657   
40   Hank Greenberg           1935     .328     .411     .628   
41   Hank Aaron               1971     .327     .410     .669   
42   Ted Kluszewski           1954     .326     .407     .642   
43   Jim Bottomley            1928     .325     .402     .628   
44   Willie McCovey           1969     .320     .453     .656   
45   Frank Thomas             1993     .317     .426     .607   
46   Hank Greenberg           1938     .315     .438     .683   
47   Johnny Mize              1940     .314     .404     .636   
48   Mark McGwire             1996     .312     .467     .730   
49   Hank Greenberg           1939     .312     .420     .622   
50   Jeff Bagwell             2000     .310     .424     .615   
51   Frank Thomas             1995     .308     .454     .606   
52   Dick Allen               1972     .308     .420     .603   
53   Jim Thome                2002     .304     .445     .677   
54   Jim Gentile              1961     .302     .423     .646

Don't misunderstand me, the above is not meant to be a knock on Pujols, who has gone .300/.400/.600 every year since he broke in, except 2002 when he slumped to .314/.394/.561. Get this, Pujols' career rate stats are .334/.417/.624.

Pujols, in fact, is so great, he ranks second behind Hornsby among RHB in career OPS vs. the league average.

CAREER, RHB
OPS vs. LEAGUE AVERAGE

                                DIFF   PLAYER   LEAGUE   
1    Rogers Hornsby             .276    1.010     .735   
2    Albert Pujols              .268    1.040     .772   
3    Jimmie Foxx                .263    1.038     .775   
4    Hank Greenberg             .249    1.017     .768   
5    Frank Thomas               .232     .995     .763
6    Mark McGwire               .232     .982     .751   
7    Manny Ramirez              .231    1.004     .773
8    Joe DiMaggio               .213     .977     .764   
9    Willie Mays                .210     .941     .731   
10   Frank Robinson             .206     .926     .720

* through 9/16/05

Here is the same table through age 25:

                                DIFF   PLAYER   LEAGUE
1    Jimmie Foxx                .300    1.073     .773
2    Albert Pujols              .268    1.040     .772
3    Joe DiMaggio               .229    1.025     .796
4    Rogers Hornsby             .215     .897     .682
5    Joe Medwick                .201     .938     .738
6    Frank Robinson             .195     .946     .750
7    Joe Kelley                 .188     .952     .764
8    Vladimir Guerrero          .183     .965     .781
9    Hank Aaron                 .176     .931     .756
10   Alex Rodriguez             .170     .949     .779
* through 9/16/05

Source: Lee Sinins, Sabermetric Baseball Encyclopedia

While Lee's season appears to be either a break out or a fluke, A-Rod's and King Albert's are more the norm than not. I'll let others spend the next couple of weeks and beyond arguing about who the MVPs should be. Me? I'm going to sit back and enjoy watching two of the greatest players in the history of the game doing the stuff they do so well.

[Additional reader comments and retorts at Baseball Primer.]

Comments

Seeing Helton on this list should only remind us the role park factors in these accomplishments... given Yankee Stadium's harshness on righties you could make the case A-Rod is having his best year ever with the bat.

Did you disqualify Mike Schmidt's 1981 season (.316/.435/.644) from the list of thrid basemen because it was a strike-shortened season?

Schmidt failed to "qualify" because I used a higher minimum number of plate appearances, not because it was a strike-shortened season per se. To wit, Frank Thomas showed up in 1994 despite the strike-shortened season.

It's real simple:

When someone leads the league in HRs and RBIs, and they finish in first place, HISTORICALLY they win the MVP.

ANDRUW!

It's real simple:

When someone leads the league in HRs and RBIs, and they finish in first place, HISTORICALLY they win the MVP.

ANDRUW!

However, history won't repeat itself this year.

Andruw is having one heck of a year, but Pujols is the "MVP" of the NL. He's the best player in the National League with no question. A-Rod is the best player in the AL, with the same situation as no questions asked.

It is real simple!

Best player on the best team! Having another monster season. ALBERT PUJLOS!!!

Nuff said