A question about batting average...

How many ABs would it take to be considered a .400 hitter a la Ted Williams?

Obviously, if some pinch hitter goes 3 for 7 over the course of an ENTIRE SEASON, he wouldn't be touted as having the first .400+ season since Ted Williams. (An everyday player in the MLB gets around 600 ABs a season.)

So how many ABs would it take before you were considered "for real?"

An excellent question...

And here is the answer:

10.22 Minimum Standards For Individual Championships
To assure uniformity in establishing the batting, pitching and fielding championships of professional leagues, such champions shall meet the following minimum performance standards:
(a) The individual batting, slugging or on-base percentage champion shall be the player with the highest batting average, slugging percentage or on-base percentage, as the case may be, provided the player is credited with as many or more total appearances at the plate in league championship games as the number of games scheduled for each club in his club’s league that season, multiplied by 3.1 in the case of a Major League player and by 2.7 in the case of a National Association player. Total appearances at the plate shall include official times at bat, plus bases on balls, times hit by pitcher, sacrifice hits, sacrifice flies and times awarded first base because of interference or obstruction. Notwithstanding the foregoing requirement of minimum appearances at the plate, any player with fewer than the required number of plate appearances whose average would be the highest, if he were charged with the required number of plate appearances shall be awarded the batting, slugging or on-base percentage championship, as the case may be.
Rule 10.22(a) Comment: For example, if a Major League schedules 162 games for each club, 502 plate appearances qualify (162 times 3.1 equals 502) a player for a batting, slugging or on-base percentage championship. If a National Association league schedules 140 games for each club, 378 plate appearances qualify (140 times 2.7 equals 378) a player for a batting, slugging or on-base percentage championship. Fractions of a plate appearance are to be rounded up or down to the closest whole number. For example, 162 times 3.1 equals 502.2, which is rounded down to a requirement of 502.
If, for example, Abel has the highest batting average among those with 502 plate appearance in a Major League with a .362 batting average (181 hits in 500 at-bats), and Baker has 490 plate appearances, 440 at-bats and 165 hits for a .375 batting average, Baker shall be the batting champion, because adding 12 more at-bats to Baker's record would still give Baker a higher batting average than Abel: .365 (165 hits in 452 at-bats) to Abel's .362.

mlb.mlb.com...

So it's plate appearances not "at bats" that determine the threshold. To protect against a player like Barry Bonds who has a high BB ratio and doesn't get many "at bats" compared to the number of plate appearances.

Stats Monkeys, not just for keeping them anymore...

Thanks Mirthful.

That's not the news I wanted though.

I was all ready to celebrate Seattle Mariners backup catcher, Jamie Burke, as the next Ted Williams.

(Unfortunately he went 1 for 4 yesterday and dropped his average 30 points.)

Originally posted by Mirthful Me
So it's plate appearances not "at bats" that determine the threshold. To protect against a player like Barry Bonds who has a high BB ratio and doesn't get many "at bats" compared to the number of plate appearances.

Which is why now OPS, or "On base pecentage + Slugging percentage, is considered just as important as batting average, if not more.

Edit: And yes, I am a fantasy baseball geek!

Peace

[edit on 28-6-2007 by Dr Love]

yea, plus batting high batting averages for todays players is different. Tony gwynn sat out games toward the end of his career just to stay in the mid 3's and edgar martinez was a career dh, kind of takes away from their numbers.

Slugging and OB% are more important IMO...

Whoa whoa whoa!!!

He who speaks poorly of Edgar shall incur my WRATH!!!

How does being a DH diminish any of your hitting stats?

I can see dismissing DHs from MVP discussions...I agree that you need to get a little grass on your cleats to land that honor.

But in a discussion centered entirely on hitting, what's your knock on a DH?

biggest knock I have on a DH is that he just hits, doesn't play the field, doesn't have the same drain as the other players. All they have to do is hit, which doesn't take away from his accomplishments or stats, but the everday grind wasn't as hard on him being a DH.

Or maybe I'm wrong..

Originally posted by acegotflows
biggest knock I have on a DH is that he just hits, doesn't play the field, doesn't have the same drain as the other players.

I don't know...and maybe I'm just showing my cards as to how I feel about the athleticism of baseball players...but how strenuous is it really?

The only players that really have a legitimate claim to exerting a significant amount of energy in the field are the pitcher and the catcher. Oncer every few innings an outfielder may have to do a 20 yard dash, but other than that...

I would argue that it's MORE difficult to sit on your behind for 45 minutes then get up and swing the bat well. It takes more mental focus and a concerted effort to keep your limbs from tightening up.

Or maybe I'm wrong..

Or maybe I am...that's the joy of sports conversations ain't it...we'll never know!

unless the pros are different than college or high school, dh takes a sprint to the outfield wall and back to the dugout between innings, so at least that helps. only pinch hitters come in truly cold...

yes the pros are different, they are already paid

big pappi does not due sprints to the outfield


and i would say the OPS is by far the biggest stat looked at today,

and then they take a look to say if there are any significant tendancy's such as
much higher or lower batting averages with runners in scoring position (you know pressure situations)

I have to agree, OPS is a better stat of how a player is doing than batting average. However, hitting .400 would and is extremely difficult. There are a lot of hitters today who are "free swingers" (Adam Dunn). Man trying to think of my Fantasy League and think of the hitters that have a good average, I don't think there is a player in the league right now that could hit .400, and I'm not just talking about this year, it's almost impossible to hit .400 because you can be pitched around too.