Now that Pat has retired, we can take a look at his career totals in a number of ways. I thought I'd begin by updating his Black Ink and Grey Ink totals.
Here's the link to an explanation of how the metrics I'll be using here to evaluate Pat's career work:
Hall of Fame Metrics
For each of the categories listed below, the years in which Pat finished in the American League's top ten hitters have been listed. If Pat led the league, the year is listed in bold face.
Home Runs: 10, 11, 13, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
RBI: 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26
Batting Average: 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23,
26
Pat receives four points on the Black Ink scale for his two home run titles and his batting crown, and four points are added to his Grey Ink score for the other top-ten finishes in the Triple Crown categories.
Black Ink Total: 12 points
Grey Ink Total: 168 points
Runs Scored: 09,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16,
17, 18,
19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,
26, 27
Hits: 09, 10, 13, 14,
15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26
Slugging Average:
09, 10,
11, 12, 13, 14,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27
Pat led the league in these three categories a total of fifteen times. He placed in the top ten on 47 occasions. These achievements are worth three points each, so his totals now look like this:
Black Ink Total: 12 +45 = 57 points
Grey Ink Total: 168 + 141 = 309 points
Doubles: 08,
09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25,
26
Walks: 09, 10, 11, 12,
13, 14,
15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 22,
23, 24, 26, 27
Stolen Bases:
10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,
27, 28
These categories are worth two points, and Pat led the league in them a total of 19 times; he finished among the top ten 51 times. The totals, please:
Black Ink Total: 57 + 38 = 95 points
Grey Ink Total: 309 + 102 = 411 points
Games Played: Pat never played more than 151 games in a season, so I'll be very conservative here and assume he never led the league or placed in the top ten in this category.
At Bats: O'Farrell drew so many bases on balls that he never ranked high in this category. He was often among the leaders in plate apperances, however.
Triples: 08, 09, 10,
12, 13,
15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,
22, 23, 24, 27
Pat receives one point for each of his triples-hitting achievements.
Now it's time to add up the final totals:
Black Ink Total: 95 + 3 = 98 points
Grey Ink Total: 411 + 15 = 426 Points
Pat's score on the Black Ink test would place him seventh among "real" major league hitters, behind immortals like Ruth (161), Cobb (150), Hornsby (125), T. Williams (122), Musial (116), and Wagner (109).
According to the Grey Ink Test, a "real" Pat O'Farrell would be the most productive hitter of all time. Ty Cobb would be right behind him with 417 points, while Cy Young's total of 472 is the highest among pitchers.
Next, we'll see how Pat fares on the Hall of Fame Monitor.