Most AVERAGE Hitter in Baseball History?

frankhardy

I know this question is a little unusual, but I got to thinking about this. Maybe skinpinch or someone else can help out. I was wondering which player in history (preferably modern history; one that we would have heard of) was the most average hitter? I guess, first of all, one would have to find out what the batting average is for all players combined and then see which player has the closest career batting average to the combined batting average of everyone.

I would also be interested in which player in history was the most average ALL AROUND hitter. The first one was JUST BATTING AVERAGE. I would also want to know which one player would be the most average in all three of these categories - batting average; HR; RBI's. You would figure the batting average just like the first question - simply career batting average. I would say in order to do the HR's and RBI's, you would have to figure out what the average number is for Home Runs/RBI's per hitter per season, then see which player came the closest to those averages. For instance, let's say that the average number for HR's for a hitter per season is 10, and the average number for RBI's for a hitter per season is 40, and the the batting average for all playes combined is .250 - which player would come the closest to those numbers per season. Remember, those are hypothetical numbers. Is there even a way to find out what those numbers are for sure?

This may be an impossible question to answer. It is (at the very least I would say) a difficult one.

I would say, if possible, leave out the hitting stats for pitchers. Anybody want to give it a shot?

drewsef

I'm throwin' down with Mariano Duncan

frankhardy

That's probably not a bad guess.

Skinpinch

How does Derek Bell sound?

Career Avg .276
League avg .266

OB% .336
LB OB% .336

SLG% .421
LG SLG% .419

OPS .757
LG OPS .755

OPS+ 100. 100 equals league average player. All league figures are minus pitchers batting.


I would be curious to see if there is a player that was consistently on a year by year basis that was close to league average. Bell had up and downs, and ended up as average.

frankhardy

Good work, skinpinch. That's pretty close, I would say.

Are those league averages over the entire history of baseball or a certain other time frame? What about HR and RBI's? I probably should have mentioned OBP and OPS.

stown

Do you mean overall average or consistently average.

For example, career wise, D Bell was average but feast or famine from year to year.

perkdog

I say Trot Nixon

MeteoriteGuy

My guess is Eric Davis.

MeteoriteGuy

Davis career averages: .269 BA, 16.58 Home Runs, 54.94 RBI's, OBP .359. He does look decent in Stolen Bases with 20.52 (and that includes that moster 80 steal season).

Mark

Wondo

I think all the answers are way too high. The average ML ballplayer sucks. First of all, if you bat 500 times in a season, you are not an average player - you are a regular. Try this exercise. 37 ab per game times 162 games equalsabout 6000 at bats in a season per team. If a team carries 18 batters (trying to ave NL and AL) that number of AB is 6000/18 is 333 - a semi regular. Extrapolate from that.


Just trying to show that even a medicre regular major league player is way above the average.


Editted to add: Mariano Duncan was a heckuva option., I would add Dick Gernert, Jay Johnstone and Jim Spencer to the list although they all probably exhibited too much power.

markj111

<< <i>I think all the answers are way too high. The average ML ballplayer sucks.





So did Derek Bell.