Is The Next .400 Hitter Out There?

I recently offered up this random question on Twitter.

Is there an active player who's capable of a .400 season?

Gaby Sanchez or Clint Barmes: @MattCarlins: Random baseball question: Is there an active player who's capable of a .400 season? #MLB
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) August 9, 2013

Very funny Ian, but this is a conversation about statistics and baseball. There's no room for jokes.

Ted Williams closed out the 1941 season with a .405 batting average. His was the last of the 28 .400+ seasons. There haven't been many serious runs since. These are the best since Williams topped .400 in 1941. I included their age that season and which side of the plate they bat from.

1946 - Stan Musial - .365 (25 - L)
1948 - Stan Musial - .376 (27 - L)
1948 - Ted Williams - .369 (29 - L)
1957 - Ted Williams - .388 (38 - L)
1977 - Rod Carew - .388 (31 - L)
1980 - George Brett - .389 (27 - L)
1985 - Wade Boggs - .367 (27 - L)
1987 - Tony Gwynn - .370 (27 - L)
1993 - Andres Galarraga - .370 (32 - R)
1994 - Tony Gwynn - .393 (34 - L)
1994 - Jeff Bagwell - .367 (26 - R)
1995 - Tony Gwynn - .368 (38 - L)
1997 - Tony Gwynn - .371 (37 - L)
1997 - Larry Walker - .366 (30 - L)
1999 - Larry Walker - .379 (32 - L)
2000 - Nomar Garciaparra - .372 (26 - R)
2000 - Todd Helton - .372 (26 - L)
2002 - Barry Bonds - .369 (37 - L)
2004 - Ichiro Suzuki - .372 (30 - L)
2009 - Joe Mauer - .365 (26 - L)

See a trend? One of my Twitter friends saw it coming.

@MattCarlins @ismithkdka don't think a righty will ever do it. Just the way the game has evolved
— Scott G (@JustBaseball25) August 9, 2013

Scott also thinks there's only one active player who was capable of a .400 season. That's Ichiro, whose best shot was in 2004. He hit .372.

Ichiro hit a ton of ground balls in 2004. His ground ball pecentage was 63.7%, the highest of his career. His fly ball percentage was the lowest of his career (17.9%). Ichiro didn't do it by bunting more. His bunt hit percentage was 40%, below his career mark (46.3%).

Ichiro also posted career-best marks for strikeout percentage (8.3%) and BABIP (.399, compared to .345 for his career).

Todd Helton followed a similar path to his .372 season in 2000. His strikeout percentage plunged to career-low 8.8%, and his BABIP that season outdistanced his career pace. It was one of the best offensive seasons in the history of Major League Baseball, but it wasn't enough to produce a .400 batting average.

There is a formula to hitting .400, but few are capable of putting all the ingredients together.

Stan Musial won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 1946 and 1948, when he came closest to hitting .400. He hit a modest .312 in 1947. I thought it might be interesting to look at some key stats for Musial during those three seasons.

Stan Musial 1946 / 1947 / 1948

Strikeout Percentage: 4.4% / 3.5% / 4.9% (Career: 5.5%)

BABIP: .367 / .301 / .355 (Career: .320)

Ted Williams was 22 years old and in only his third season in the big leagues when he became the last player to hit over .400 in 1941. A couple years later, he went to war and lost three seasons from the prime of his career. After returning, he made a couple more runs at .400: 1948 and 1957, when he hit .388 at the age of 38. Here's how those three seasons compare.

Ted Williams 1941 / 1948 / 1957

Strikeout Percentage: 4.5% / 6.4% / 7.9% (Career: 7.2%)

BABIP: .378 / .368 / .367 (Career: .328)

Tony Gwynn was a modern master at chasing the elusive .400 mark. There was a lot of buzz in 1994, before the strike abruptly ended the season. Gwynn was hitting .393, and not seeing how his pursuit would end was one of the most bitter disappointments that surrounded the work stoppage. Gwynn also made runs in 1987, 1995 and 1997. Here are some of his numbers from those seasons.

Tony Gwynn 1987 / 1994 / 1995 / 1997

Strikeout Percentage: 5.1% / 4.0% / 2.6% / 4.3% (Career: 4.2%)

BABIP: .383 / .389 / .364 / .363 (Career: .341)

Tony Gwynn's walk percentage was really high in both 1987 (12.1%) and 1994 (10.1%). He was never big on drawing bases on balls. He finished in the top 10 in the N.L. just once, in 1987. Meantime, he led the N.L. in hits 7 times. Ichiro also rarely draws a walk, but he led his leage in hits 7 times during his career.

In that sense, Ichiro and Gwynn are very different from the mold of Ted Williams. Williams never led the A.L. in hits, but he was a league leader in walks 8 times. In his .400 season in 1941, his walk percentage was 24.3%, the second highest of his career. In 1954, his walk percentage was 25.9%. He hit only .345, perhaps because his BABIP for that season was .317.

Larry Walker rarely drew a base on balls, struck out a lot and was never a league leader in hits. Still, when he was able to contain the less pleasant parts of his game, he was one of the best hitters for average in his generation. He hit .379 in 1999, after hitting .366 and .363 in the previous two seasons. He did it by controlling his strikeouts.

In 1999, Walker's strikout percentage was 10.1%, the best of his career. That season he hit .379. His on-base + slugging percentage was 1.168, one of the highest ever for a single season. What's scary is that it was even higher in 1997 (1.719). That season Walker hit .366.

OPS isn't just a good indicator for Walker. It holds for the best seasons of Ted Williams and Stan Musial, as well as other players who posted high batting averages during their career seasons, Jeff Bagwell (1.2009 in 1994) and Todd Helton (1.1617 in 2000).

So, when we're looking for the next .400 hitter, do we use Ichiro and Gwynn as the model? Or, is the player we're looking for more like Larry Walker? On the list of the top 500 OPS seasons in MLB history, you'll find Gwynn only once. Ichiro is nowhere to be found.

George Brett made the list. His OPS in 1980 was 1.1181, the 68th best all-time. His batting average was .389, one of the best runs at .400 since 1941.

You also need luck to hit .400, as seen in BABIP that exceed the career benchmark. You have to put the ball in play. Nothing eats away at batting average like strikeouts. Finally, history tells us batting left-handed is almost a must.

So, are there any contenders among active players?

Miguel Cabrera may the best hitter of this generation, but he doesn't appear to fit the profile of a .400 hitter. Cabrera is currently posting a 1.1202 OPS in 2013. That would be the 66th best all-time, but it still can't approach Larry Walker in his prime. Cabrera also has the historical misfortune of batting right-handed.

@MattCarlins Can't see that. Catching has probably taken it's toll over the years. Don't think he'd have the stamina.
— Steve Malawski (@SteveMalawski) August 9, 2013

Joe Mauer bats left-handed, so he has that going for him. He posted a 1.0309 OPS in 2009, when his batting average reached his career peak at .365. However, some of Mauer's career trends are troubling. His strikeout percentage is rising.

Joey Votto posted a 1.0240 OPS in 2010. He's just 29 years old. He's already led the N.L. in walks three times. But it can't seem to offset his high strikeout percentage. Still, he could post a career-best batting average in 2013, approaching .330.

Strikeout percentage is a big issue for Mike Trout as well, though there's hope that he's young enough to improve his plate discipline and perhaps improve his batting average in the process. He's already showing the eye and approach needed to boost his walk percentage to among the best in baseball. There is one other issue. He's got that dang right-handed batter thing hanging over him.

The truth is that few players look capable or even interested in hitting .400. Baseball history is a vast, seemingly endless ocean. I would expect we'll see another someday, but I doubt it will be anytime soon.

Kings Of The First Half? Not Quite.

As of this blog post, the Pittsburgh Pirates are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the best record in Major League Baseball. This is nothing new for the Pirates. First half success has been the theme of the Clint Hurdle era. Don't ask about the second half of those three seasons.

The Pirates have been really good before the All-Star Break, but they haven't been the best in the National League. Here's some crude research I put together with some help from Baseball Reference. Feel free to check and correct my math.

The Truth Is Out There

"42" has been seen by millions since it opened in theaters, so it's unlikely reality will ever eclipse what Hollywood planted in the public consciousness. Still, the truth about what actually happened between Jackie Robinson and former Pirates pitcher Fritz Ostermueller is spreading.

Fritz Ostermueller's Daughter Talks About "42"

Over the past couple weeks, I've had the pleasure of speaking with Fritz Ostermueller's adopted daughter Sherrill Ostermueller Duesterhaus. She was born in Canonsburg, PA - just outside Pittsburgh - and was adopted just after her birth. She now lives in Joplin, Missouri.

Sherrill learned about the less than flattering (and frankly, inaccurate) portrayal of her father in "42" on the Monday after the film's opening. No one from the studio ever contacted her to inform her that her father would be one of the movie's primary villains opposing Jackie Robinson.

"It's broken my heart," she told me over the phone.

Since our first conversation, Sherrill has seen "42" for herself. She recently put her reaction into words, and posted it as a comment under my previous post on Fritz Ostermueller on this blog. She also shared some press clippings from her personal scrapbook of her father's career. It includes the best evidence I've seen that Ostermueller did not hit Jackie Robinson with a pitch out of malice.

I've become very invested and passionate about Fritz Ostermueller, and how he's portrayed in "42". However, I could never speak or write with the same honest and heartfelt emotion as his daughter does. The man she knew was not a racist. He was a good man. A great father. Now, she's taken up what she calls her duty to defend his good name.

Projecting Pirates Opening Day Roster

In light of the signing of Brandon Inge and the start of spring training, I find myself pondering the Pirates opening day roster. It appears Inge has a legit chance to make the team as a platoon option for Pedro Alvarez.

C
Russell Martin
Michael McKenry

OF
Andrew McCutchen
Starling Marte
Travis Snider
Jerry Sands

IF
Garrett Jones
Gaby Sanchez
Neil Walker
Clint Barmes
Pedro Alvarez
Brandon Inge
Josh Harrison

SP
AJ Burnett
Wandy Rodriguez
James McDonald
Jeff Karstens
Francisco Liriano (if healthy)

RP
Jason Grilli
Mark Melancon
Jared Hughes
Tony Watson
Bryan Morris
Chris Leroux
Justin Wilson

The Pirates schedule last season allowed the team to break camp with 4 starting pitchers (Burnett was on the DL). That won't be the case this year.

They also brought 7 relief pitchers north last season. The final few bullpen spots could change, but the important conclusion is how many there will be, not who they are.

Inge's signing looks like bad news for players like Clint Robinson, Jose Tabata and Alex Presley. Josh Harrison is a must to back up Barmes and Walker. Plus, he's versatile enough to play outfield, if needed. The Pirates broke camp last season with 4 outfielders, and there's not much reason to think things will be different this year if everyone is healthy.

In general, I like the current position players. There is no Nate McLouth or Matt Hague, whose roster spot appears questionable. Everyone here can be expected to contribute in a positive way. Hopefully, that's not a sign that a trade is imminent.

"42" Trailer #2: Forbes Field In Its Glory!

The new trailer for "42", the biopic on Jackie Robinson, has made its debut online. The first trailer was spectacular, and it really got my wheels turning. My interest was peaked by a scene in which Robinson is hit in the head by a ball thrown by a Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher. It's pretty vile, and we get to see more of it in the second trailer. Take a look.

It's now well-established that the Pirates pitcher portrayed in "42" is a real person. His name is Fritz Ostermueller. In this new trailer we see more of a confrontation between Ostermueller and Robinson, and there's even some dialogue. Here's a fresh collection of screen grabs. You can check out the shot by shot analysis I did for the first trailer here.

"You don't belong here, and you never will."

 Jackie Robinson batting at Forbes Field in 1947, his rookie season. This is the first in a series of shots from the Forbes Field scene that we saw in the first trailer.

Ostermueller delivers a pitch. Look at the detail in the scenery behind him. The scoreboard looks perfect. Just beyond it, you can see part of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

The ball hits Robinson square in the head.

This did happen in real life. Robinson has hit by a pitch thrown by Ostermueller during a game at Forbes Field in 1947, but the circumstances in "42" appear to be much different, and quite frankly, fabricated. One account I found of the game indicates it was most likely an accident. The report says Ostermueller apologized to Robinson through a teammate later in the game.

This new trailer for "42" suggests Robinson later gets his revenge against Ostermueller.

Robinson drives the ball to left in this gorgeous shot. It looks like it could be a home run. That would be interesting because Robinson didn't record an extra base hit at Forbes Field during his rookie year. Again, the details of Forbes Field are incredible, especially the buildings beyond the outfield wall.

Robinson makes a face. 

Ostermueller makes a face. 

This a new shot that was not in the first "42" trailer, and it may be the most remarkable one yet from the Forbes Field scene. You can clearly see the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

There's little doubt in the my mind that "42" will include the most detailed and accurate recreation of Forbes Field ever put to film. It's almost mind-blowing to see just the handful of shots in the first couple trailers. What makes it all the more remarkable is that Forbes Field probably plays little more than a cameo role in the movie.

In both trailers there are also scenes at Brooklyn's Ebbets Field which look just as gorgeous. I can imagine more than a few longtime Dodgers fans will be welling up when they see it on the big screen. For Pirates fans, seeing the old "House of Thrills" in recreated with such care and attention to detail is going to be a great treat.