I thought it was time for another look at the career leader boards. Here are the all-time leaders in a number of hitting and pitching categories.
Code:
BATTING AVERAGE
1 T. Cobb .357
2 W. Keeler .350
3 B. Leonard* .346
4 H. Wagner .343
5 D. Alexander* .341
6 C. Klein* .340
7 L. Waner* .340
8 C. Bell* .339
9 O. Charleston .336
10 G. Goslin* .336
11 N. Lajoie .335
12 M. Haas* .334
13 J. Jackson .333
14 P. Waner* .332
15 C. Jamieson .332
16 E. Averill* .332
17 E. Murphy .331
18 C. Hafey* .331
19 L. Gehrig* .330
20 F. Luderus .329
21 H. Manush* .329
22 M. Suttles* .329
23 B. Chapman* .328
24 T. Shafer .327
25 P. O'Farrell .327
A few of these active players may move off this list as they decline. If a player is still fairly close to the top as he reaches his mid-thirties, he’s a decent bet to stay on the chart. Among these players are Goslin (age 35), Alexander, Haas, Bell, and Paul Waner (all 32).
Code:
HOME RUNS
1 B. Ruth 617
2 O. Charleston 422
3 L. Gehrig* 370
4 B. Leonard* 256
4 J. Bottomley* 256
6 J. Foxx* 239
7 M. Ott* 232
8 J. Hauser* 225
9 R. Hornsby 216
10 P. O'Farrell 209
The two leading home run sluggers in history have now put away their booming bats for good. Oscar would have been a cinch to join the Babe in the 500 club had he been able to begin his career at 22, say, instead of 26. Gehrig (age 32) has a great chance at 500, and I’ll predict that Leonard and Foxx, who are both 28, will join him.
Take your last look at the name of Pat O'Farrell among the top ten home run hitters of all time.
Code:
RUNS BATTED IN
1 B. Ruth 2038
2 P. O'Farrell 1847
3 J. Jackson 1613
4 O. Charleston 1582
5 J. Beckley 1568
6 S. Crawford 1551
7 T. Speaker 1538
8 F. Frisch* 1525
9 T. Cobb 1501
10 G. Davis 1461
Frisch spent much of his career overshadowed by bigger stars like Pat O’Farrell and Lou Gehrig, but he’s quietly put together a Hall of Fame-calibre career. At age 37, the Fordham Flash might find himself third on this list by the time he’s done. Gehrig is the next active player on the list, ranked 14th with 1390. He might push Pat out of second, and could challenge the Babe for the top spot with a few more good years.
Code:
HITS
1 T. Cobb 3840
2 P. O'Farrell 3668
3 J. Jackson 3142
4 E. Murphy 3132
5 W. Keeler 3115
6 T. Speaker 3088
7 S. Crawford 3077
8 J. Beckley 2912
9 H. Wagner 2877
10 G. Beaumont 2849
The active hits leader is Frank Frisch, who picked up his 2500th career hit late in the 1935 season and now ranks 24th with 2520.
Oscar Charleston retired with 2470; again, the color line possibly kept him from reaching a milestone. It's not unreasonable to suggest that Oscar was the greatest hitter of all time.
Code:
DOUBLES
1 P. O'Farrell 685
2 T. Speaker 639
3 N. Lajoie 566
4 H. Heilmann 555
5 B. Ruth 534
5 R. Hornsby 534
7 H. Wagner 529
8 J. Jackson 515
9 M. Suttles* 500
10 S. Crawford 481
The Mule has kicked at least 50 doubles in a season four times, including 54, 56, and 51 the last three seasons. Suttles is 34, so he might retire as the all-time leader. Heinie Manush (480) and Gehrig (478) will rank among the top ten very soon.
Code:
TRIPLES
1 P. O'Farrell 325
2 T. Cobb 253
3 S. Crawford 252
4 O. Charleston 251
5 T. Speaker 246
6 J. Beckley 243
7 F. Frisch* 242
8 F. Clarke 206
9 C. Bell* 203
9 G. Moriarty 203
There’s Frisch again, and there’s Cool Papa. Cool can still motor, but whether or not he has enough left to catch Pat O'Farrell is yet to be seen.
Code:
BASES ON BALLS
1 B. Ruth 2103
2 P. O'Farrell 2002
3 L. Gehrig* 1552
4 T. Shafer 1511
5 N. Leibold 1361
6 T. Cobb 1209
7 A. Bridwell 1154
8 M. Konnick 1140
9 R. Thomas 1132
10 S. Strang 1131
Gehrig has walked 150 or more times in a season three times, including an amazing 181 in 1931. He looks like a lock for 2000 walks, and possibly considerably more.
It's going to take a little research, but I'm going to make a list of the top OPS guys in the history of Pat's universe. Off the top of my head, I'd say Ruth, Gehrig, Charleston, and O'Farrell are the top four, probably in that order.
Code:
RUNS
1 P. O'Farrell 2466
2 B. Ruth 2140
3 T. Cobb 2103
4 T. Shafer 1784
5 W. Keeler 1764
6 E. Murphy 1738
7 T. Speaker 1617
8 J. Beckley 1597
9 H. Hooper 1586
10 O. Charleston 1574
Gehrig, once again, is the active leader in this category; his total of 1542 is good for 15th place. Lou might catch Cobb and the Babe, but he would need to average over 150 runs scored a game until he's 42 to pass Pat.
Code:
STOLEN BASES
1 P. O'Farrell 1439
2 T. Cobb 1180
3 T. Shafer 1107
4 E. Murphy 1049
5 S. Piez 952
6 B. Herzog 834
7 G. Moriarty 814
8 T. Speaker 675
9 J. Lelivelt 670
10 H. Wagner 658
A nice, nostalgic look back a time "when the ball was dead, and the bases alive with the scurrying of feet." I remember reading that phrase in
The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball when I was a kid, and for some reason it's stuck with me ever since.
Cool Papa (647) is tied for 11th, and Frisch (604) ranks fifteenth. Archie Graham has 428 career steals, after swiping 76 and 62 over the last two years. Moonlight turned 33 over the off-season, so it’s not too likely he’ll keep up that pace.
Code:
WINS
1 C. Young 441
2 P. Perritt 386
3 J. Wood 350
4 C. Mathewson 340
5 R. Hitt 337
6 A. Joss 325
7 W. Johnson 313
8 R. Marquard 306
9 D. Mason 305
10 C. Rose 295
11 H. Moran 292
12 G. Alexander 289
12 N. Brady* 289
14 G. Mullin 277
15 J. Powell 261
16 M. Craft 257
17 J. Dubuc 255
18 E. Jacobs 251
19 R. Castleton 247
20 B. Burns 245
21 J. Tesreau 240
21 J. Chesbro 240
23 C. Griffith 237
24 J. Coombs 236
25 J. McGinnity 230
Neal Brady was the “throw-in” who went to the Red Sox in the Ruth-Gehrig trade. Now, there’s a spot saved for him in Cooperstown. Other active wins leaders: Lucas 219, Hoyt 217, Grove 195, Paige 173, Rufus Smith 156, Hilton Smith 146. Hoyt is the only one of these pitchers who was born in the 1800s, and Paige and Hilton are the youngest.
Rufus Smith is one of the more outrageous "surprise stars" I've uncovered. I don't know about you, but I think I would have let Rufus pitch another game. I have no idea why the hell they called him "Shirt," either.
Among the pitchers who won a significant portion of their games pre-simulation are Young, Powell, Griffith, Chesbro, and McGinnity.
Code:
EARNED RUN AVERAGE
1 R. Waddell 2.33
2 M. Brown 2.43
3 C. Mathewson 2.64
4 J. McGinnity 2.68
5 D. Phillippe 2.70
6 J. Tannehill 2.70
7 C. Young 2.73
8 S. Leever 2.78
9 D. White 2.82
10 B. Burns 2.82
This list isn't nearly as interesting as it could be, because only four pitchers on it--Brown, Matty, White, and Burns--compiled a significant portion of their stats during the simulation. The others' records were imported with them when I created Pat's universe, which began in 1904.
To earn a spot on the lifetime ERA leaderboard, you have to beat a 3.06. No active player makes it. Hilton Smith is close, with a 3.09 at age 29, but no other active ace is currently within striking range. Red Lucas stands at 3.32; Satchel Paige has a 3.55; Neal Brady and Waite Hoyt are both at 3.53; Lefty Grove has a 3.59.
Code:
STRIKEOUTS
1 W. Johnson 4179
2 J. Wood 4056
3 P. Perritt 3993
4 R. Hitt 3312
5 N. Brady* 3014
6 G. Alexander 2996
7 C. Mathewson 2769
8 M. Craft 2759
9 D. Mason 2757
10 H. Moran 2622
Brady became the fifth member of the 3K-K fraternity late in 1935. Lefty Grove has 2345, which places him twelfth, while Satchel has 2108 before his thirtieth birthday and ranks 15th. Hilton Smith, who is three months or so younger, is 23rd, with 1957.