This is my 300th post. Once again, thank you to anyone who has ever stopped here to read my meanderings. You guys and gals are great. Truly.
On this occasion, I thought I'd run through some of my favorite .300 seasons (300 posts/hitting .300, get it?). Batting average isn't the be-all and end-all of statistics like it was when I was growing up. We have many better statistical indicators of a player's performance -- many of which make my eyes glaze over when I try to understand them.
But the magic .300 level still means something to me. And certain players' .300 seasons stand out more to me than others. In most of the examples I'm listing, the player won the batting title. But not all of them. Here's what I got:
2006 - Freddy Sanchez, .344. If conditions are right, I'll root for the underdog like anyone else. That's why I am a full supporter of Freddy Sanchez's 2006 batting title. He played for the Pirates, a team that has been going nowhere for 15 years. And very few people (outside of Pittsburgh and Boston) had heard of Sanchez before 2006.
1970 - Alex Johnson, .329. I have mentioned before how there are many notable players who I had never heard of just because their careers occurred right before I started paying attention to baseball. Alex Johnson was one of them. I would look through the list of players who had won batting titles and then I would come to 1970 and see Johnson's name and think, "who is this guy?"
I asked that question often enough that I finally looked the guy up. And as many know, Johnson had a world of talent but was pretty much a malcontent who drove managers and teammates crazy. If I was a sportswriter at the time, we wouldn't get along at all, because he drove the media nuts, too. Marvin Miller famously called Johnson "emotionally disabled." And Miller was on Johnson's side. Johnson bounced from team to team because management got sick of dealing with him.
Still, I've always had an interest in controversial figures who are somewhat misunderstood. Thanks to Johnson's .329 season for the Angels in 1970, I know who he is.
1962 - Tommy Davis, .346. I don't know what is more amazing about Davis' 1962 season -- that he hit .346, that he drove in 153 runs, that he scored 120 runs, that he had 230 hits, that he stole 18 bases. The whole season was crazy.
Davis is also the last Dodger to ever win a batting title (he won again in 1963). That's crazy, too. Colorado Rockies are winning batting titles left and right, but the Dodgers haven't won one in 45 years. That's messed up. They've come close, though, a bunch of times.
1986 - Steve Sax, .332. Here is one of the examples of the Dodgers coming close. Sax completely surprised me in '86 with his season. But he still finished behind Tim Raines (.334) for the batting title.
Sax isn't the only Dodger to finish second since Tommy Davis won in 1963. There was Pedro Guerrero in 1987 (.338), and 1985 (.320), and Mike Piazza in 1995 (.346). Also, players like Piazza, Garvey and Baker have finished in the top three.
1980 - Miguel Dilone, .341. 1980 was a crazy time in the American League. We were used to players winning batting titles with .330 averages. Then George Brett hit .390. Cecil Cooper hit .352. And Dilone -- who? -- hit .341. Until 1979, Dilone had never hit higher than .235. He famously played in 135 games for the A's in 1978 and hit .229. Imagine how the Cubs felt, who dealt him away in May of 1980 and watched Dilone go nuts. Of course, he also walked only 28 times, but stole 61 bases.
1985 -- Willie McGee, .353. When McGee appeared out of nowhere in 1982 and had that great World Series, I was one of his biggest fans. How could you not like a guy who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else as he trudged up to the plate, and then hit like that? Even in 1985, when I was starting to loathe the Cardinals, I was happy to see McGee do so well.
1976 - Garry Maddox, .330. The Giants traded Maddox away and all he did was hit .330 and help the Phillies to five postseason appearances in the next six years. Hee-hee!
1977 - Rod Carew, .388. Carew's 1977 season was my first experience with watching a player try to hit .400. I think Carew and Brett (and Gwynn in the strike-shortened '94 season) are the closest we're going to see for years.
1980 - George Brett, .390. The man of the year that season. I can only imagine what it would have been like if Brett took a run at .400 today. Because even in 1980 it was crazy. His epic battle with hemorrhoids was daily news during the 1980 postseason. Really. It was. Look it up.
1979 - Willie Wilson, .315. I am not joking about this: there was a period in baseball history when the Kansas City Royals would churn out all-stars at staggering rate. When Wilson first arrived, we were like: "The Royals are geniuses. Where did they find this guy?" Wilson was fun to watch.
1974 - Ralph Garr, .353. Is it possible to like a player just because of his baseball card? Yeah, it is. Even if it's not the first time the photo has been used.
1980 - Bill Buckner, .324. Even though the Dodgers traded him away, I could never not like Buckner. So even when he won the batting title in 1980, I said, "you go, Billy Buck!" (Well, I didn't really say that, because that was during a time when we were mercifully free of the phrase "you go." But you know what I mean).
1979 - Fred Lynn, .333. Lynn was my brother's favorite Red Sox player as a kid. Lynn struggled a smidge after his great rookie season. But then in 1979 he had another great year, and it was good to see my brother happy about Freddie again.
1953 - Carl Furillo, .344. I'll end it with the last Brooklyn Dodger to win a batting title. And the second-to-last Dodger to win a batting title. Dodgers, I think you're due to take the crown again.
On this occasion, I thought I'd run through some of my favorite .300 seasons (300 posts/hitting .300, get it?). Batting average isn't the be-all and end-all of statistics like it was when I was growing up. We have many better statistical indicators of a player's performance -- many of which make my eyes glaze over when I try to understand them.
But the magic .300 level still means something to me. And certain players' .300 seasons stand out more to me than others. In most of the examples I'm listing, the player won the batting title. But not all of them. Here's what I got:
2006 - Freddy Sanchez, .344. If conditions are right, I'll root for the underdog like anyone else. That's why I am a full supporter of Freddy Sanchez's 2006 batting title. He played for the Pirates, a team that has been going nowhere for 15 years. And very few people (outside of Pittsburgh and Boston) had heard of Sanchez before 2006.
1970 - Alex Johnson, .329. I have mentioned before how there are many notable players who I had never heard of just because their careers occurred right before I started paying attention to baseball. Alex Johnson was one of them. I would look through the list of players who had won batting titles and then I would come to 1970 and see Johnson's name and think, "who is this guy?"I asked that question often enough that I finally looked the guy up. And as many know, Johnson had a world of talent but was pretty much a malcontent who drove managers and teammates crazy. If I was a sportswriter at the time, we wouldn't get along at all, because he drove the media nuts, too. Marvin Miller famously called Johnson "emotionally disabled." And Miller was on Johnson's side. Johnson bounced from team to team because management got sick of dealing with him.
Still, I've always had an interest in controversial figures who are somewhat misunderstood. Thanks to Johnson's .329 season for the Angels in 1970, I know who he is.
1962 - Tommy Davis, .346. I don't know what is more amazing about Davis' 1962 season -- that he hit .346, that he drove in 153 runs, that he scored 120 runs, that he had 230 hits, that he stole 18 bases. The whole season was crazy.Davis is also the last Dodger to ever win a batting title (he won again in 1963). That's crazy, too. Colorado Rockies are winning batting titles left and right, but the Dodgers haven't won one in 45 years. That's messed up. They've come close, though, a bunch of times.
1986 - Steve Sax, .332. Here is one of the examples of the Dodgers coming close. Sax completely surprised me in '86 with his season. But he still finished behind Tim Raines (.334) for the batting title.Sax isn't the only Dodger to finish second since Tommy Davis won in 1963. There was Pedro Guerrero in 1987 (.338), and 1985 (.320), and Mike Piazza in 1995 (.346). Also, players like Piazza, Garvey and Baker have finished in the top three.
1980 - Miguel Dilone, .341. 1980 was a crazy time in the American League. We were used to players winning batting titles with .330 averages. Then George Brett hit .390. Cecil Cooper hit .352. And Dilone -- who? -- hit .341. Until 1979, Dilone had never hit higher than .235. He famously played in 135 games for the A's in 1978 and hit .229. Imagine how the Cubs felt, who dealt him away in May of 1980 and watched Dilone go nuts. Of course, he also walked only 28 times, but stole 61 bases.
1985 -- Willie McGee, .353. When McGee appeared out of nowhere in 1982 and had that great World Series, I was one of his biggest fans. How could you not like a guy who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else as he trudged up to the plate, and then hit like that? Even in 1985, when I was starting to loathe the Cardinals, I was happy to see McGee do so well. 
1976 - Garry Maddox, .330. The Giants traded Maddox away and all he did was hit .330 and help the Phillies to five postseason appearances in the next six years. Hee-hee!
1977 - Rod Carew, .388. Carew's 1977 season was my first experience with watching a player try to hit .400. I think Carew and Brett (and Gwynn in the strike-shortened '94 season) are the closest we're going to see for years.
1980 - George Brett, .390. The man of the year that season. I can only imagine what it would have been like if Brett took a run at .400 today. Because even in 1980 it was crazy. His epic battle with hemorrhoids was daily news during the 1980 postseason. Really. It was. Look it up.
1979 - Willie Wilson, .315. I am not joking about this: there was a period in baseball history when the Kansas City Royals would churn out all-stars at staggering rate. When Wilson first arrived, we were like: "The Royals are geniuses. Where did they find this guy?" Wilson was fun to watch.
1974 - Ralph Garr, .353. Is it possible to like a player just because of his baseball card? Yeah, it is. Even if it's not the first time the photo has been used.
1980 - Bill Buckner, .324. Even though the Dodgers traded him away, I could never not like Buckner. So even when he won the batting title in 1980, I said, "you go, Billy Buck!" (Well, I didn't really say that, because that was during a time when we were mercifully free of the phrase "you go." But you know what I mean).
1979 - Fred Lynn, .333. Lynn was my brother's favorite Red Sox player as a kid. Lynn struggled a smidge after his great rookie season. But then in 1979 he had another great year, and it was good to see my brother happy about Freddie again.
1953 - Carl Furillo, .344. I'll end it with the last Brooklyn Dodger to win a batting title. And the second-to-last Dodger to win a batting title. Dodgers, I think you're due to take the crown again.
Comments
If I am not mistaken Pumpsie Green retired from baseball. That is what happened to him. May be wrong.
Garry Maddux - the Minister of Defense. 4/5's of the earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by Gary Maddux. I think Tommy Lasorda said that.
my fave 300 season, or at least one of them, is eddie murray's 1990 season. he had the highest ba in the major leagues, but didn't win a batting title. he finished second to willie mcgee while mcgee finished the season in the al.