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All Star Reserve
Join Date: Aug 2003
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Remembering the Hall of Famers: 1B Earl Quon
As we prepare to head into the offseason, now seems like a good time to resume the Hall of Fame bios....
Earl Quon:
As has been mentioned before, Scott Border is the all time leader in Silver Slugger Awards, having won six in total. Two players came close to Border's record, with five apiece. The first of those players is Earl Quon. Additionally, Border holds the record for most consecutive Silver Sluggers, with five in a row from 2003 to 2007. Quon came the closest to matching that record, with four consecutive Silver Sluggers from 2038 to 2041.
After a long stretch of success from the very beginning of the league into the mid-2020's- a period that included three World Series appearances and two World Series victories- the Atlanta Braves began to struggle in the late 20's and into the early 30's. After posting 13 winning seasons from 2011 to 2026, the Braves lost 100 games in 2027 and 2029, and entered the 2034 season with just one winning season in the last five years. By virtue of the league's third worst record in 2033, Atlanta had the third pick in the '34 amateur draft. With it, the Braves selected 19 year old first-baseman, Earl Quon.
Quon initially began the 2034 season on the Braves' major league roster, as the backup to starter Clifford Stangl. Just a few days into the season, however, Atlanta traded for veteran first-baseman, Elias Neal, and Quon was sent to AAA. He had collected just one at bat in his short stay, but with it, he delivered a run-scoring double. In early May of that year, Neal suffered a minor injury, and Quon would get another chance to prove his worth on the big stage. In this short stint, Quon went 4 for 13, with 4 runs batted in. Over the next couple months, Quon would get a few more opportunities in the big leagues, collecting a handful of plate appearances in June and July. In late July, Stangl was traded, and Quon found himself on the major league roster for good. Not much of a fielder, Quon was used mostly as a DH by the Braves, but his playing time increased as the season came to a close. In August, he hit .306 in 36 at bats, and in September, he had a .760 OPS in 60 at bats. He finished his first professional season with a .738 OPS in 181 at bats at AAA, and a .755 OPS in 114 major league at bats. The Braves saw little change in their fortunes, finishing in last place in the Southeast Division, with a 72-90 record.
In 2035, Quon played regularly, usually at DH, but against left-handed pitchers, he replaced the lefty-hitting Neal at first base. He held his own for most of the year, though was not spectacular. Atlanta added another first-baseman at the trade deadline, veteran Anthony Fix, but both he and Neal wound up getting injured in September, leaving the job solely in the hands of Quon. Quon finished the season with a .754 OPS, 15 homeruns, and 90 runs batted in. Those numbers were deemed good enough to win him the Rookie of the Year award. Despite Quon's growing abilities, the Braves continued to flounder near the bottom of the league. They finished in last place in the Southeast, with a 65-97 record.
The now crowded first base situation was cleared up a bit in the offseason before the 2036 season. Anthony Fix was traded away, and Quon was handed the full time job. Neal remained on the roster, but strictly as a backup. Quon got off to a slow start, but heated up enough in May and June to be named to his first All Star team. He finished the year with a .313 batting average, 40 doubles, 21 homers, 100 RBI, and an .847 OPS. In a weak Southeast Division, the Braves managed to compete despite finishing with a 71-91 record. They wound up finishing just 5 games out of first place. If not for a woeful pitching staff, the Braves might very well have won the division.
In 2037, Quon took a step backward, while the Braves took a step forward. Despite ripping 55 doubles, Quon mustered just a .737 OPS. Though his first half was good enough to get him named to the All Star team, he completely disappeared in July and August, with an OPS under .600 in both months. He did catch fire in the final month of the season to help push the Braves into the playoffs. Atlanta outlasted Washington to win the Southeast by two games and earn a playoff matchup against Grand Rapids. Quon, however, contributed very little in the postseason, and the Braves fell in six games to the Tigers.
Quon exploded in 2038, hitting .347 with 64 doubles, 46 homeruns, a league-leading 165 runs batted in, 123 runs scored, and a 1.061 OPS. For his efforts, he won the American League Silver Slugger Award. Because of his efforts, Atlanta survived a three-way battle with Nashville and Washington to capture its second straight division crown. The Braves held off the Predators and Senators by 2 games, finishing with a record of 94-68. In the playoffs, they would face off against Tucson. Although the series went to seven games, little of that can be attributed to Quon. Atlanta blew a 3 games to 2 lead, and Quon was 0 for 8 in the final two games of the series.
In 2039, Quon continued his excellent play, posting a 1.027 OPS while hitting 41 homeruns and collecting 146 RBI. He won his second straight Silver Slugger Award. Atlanta, however, missed the playoffs by 2 games. Though the Braves won 97 games, that was not enough to overtake Knoxville.
Quon posted his third consecutive season with an OPS greater than 1.000, coming in at 1.038 in 2040. He also belted 52 doubles and 45 homeruns, while knocking in 155 runs and scoring 124. He was honored with his third straight Silver Slugger Award. Atlanta, meanwhile, cruised to the Southeast Division title, winning 99 games. That put them 8 games ahead of the surprising Miami Dolphins, who were in just their third year of existence. Like in 2038, the Braves would face the Tucson Diamondbacks in the ALCS. And also like in 2038, Atlanta would fall in seven games to Tucson. After winning Game Six by a score of 9-5, the Braves quickly fell behind in Game Seven. Through three innings, they trailed 4-0. In the middle innings, they began to get back into the game, eventually getting as close as 4-3 in the top of sixth inning. Tucson recovered, and led 6-3 through seven innings. Quon would deliver one last bit of hope for the Braves, hitting a solo homerun in the top of the eighth, but the Diamondbacks pulled away once more, by scoring three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tucson hung on to that 9-4 lead to reach the World Series. Quon, who had struggled in his two previous postseason chances, performed well this time, putting up an OPS of .900, but it was not enough.
In 2041, Quon won his fourth straight Silver Slugger Award, compiling an OPS of .994, while hitting 52 doubles and 40 homeruns. He drove in 151 runs, as well. Although Atlanta remained a good team, the American League suffered from an imbalance that year that caused all of the Southeast Division teams to finish above .500 and all of the Central Division teams to finish under .500. Thus, Atlanta's 90 wins were only good enough for third place, behind Knoxville and Washington, who both won over 100 games.
Quon's string of Silver Sluggers came to an end in 2042, although he still had a fine season. He put up a .936 OPS and hit 46 doubles and 42 homeruns. He also made his seventh consecutive All Star team. The Braves slumped to 77-85, and finished in fourth place in the Southeast. That snapped a streak of five consecutive winning seasons for Atlanta.
Following the 2042 season, Quon left Atlanta as a free agent. He signed with Grand Rapids, a team that had largely been mediocre since the mid-20's, although the Tigers had reached the World Series in 2037, which they lost. Quon had a typical season, with an OPS of .958, 58 doubles, 41 homeruns, and 160 runs batted in. Grand Rapids had a fairly well-balanced team, finishing in the top 10 in both runs scored and runs allowed, but nonetheless finished with a mediocre record of 81-81, tying for third place in the Central Division.
In 2044, Quon slumped a little bit. Though he blasted 56 doubles and 32 homeruns, his OPS dipped under .900 for the first time since 2037. The Tigers remained a strong offensive ballclub, but their pitching struggled. Once again, Grand Rapids finished in third place, just barely squeaking over .500 at 82-80.
In '45, Quon's OPS remained about the same as the year before, but both his batting average and on base percentage suffered. His .267 batting average was a career low at the time. He did, however, crank out 40 doubles and 45 homeruns. Meanwhile, Grand Rapids' offense collapsed, and combined with a still weak pitching staff, the Tigers stumbled their way to a 75-87, fourth place finish.
Earl Quon found new life in 2046. He blasted 62 doubles and hit a career high 50 homeruns. His 1.014 OPS marked the fourth time he had put up an OPS over 1.000, and his 178 runs batted in broke the American League single season record of 175, which had been set just two years before by Christopher Bohanon(a player who will be discussed very soon). Quon was named the American League Silver Slugger Award winner, making him only the second player to win the award five times in a career. Despite his efforts, Grand Rapids finished just 80-82 and wound up in second place, 10 games behind Memphis.
Quon's contract with Grand Rapids came to an end, and in the offseason, he signed with San Jose, a team about to begin its tenth year of existence. Like the others of the 2038 expansion group, the Sharks had begun their existence as a very poor team. And while the Miami Dolphins would be the quickest to find success, the others were not far behind. In fact, within five years, all four expansion teams- Miami, Denver, Buffalo, and San Jose- had achieved a winning season. By 2047, the Sharks had established themselves as a consistent competitor, having been above .500 in each of the previous five seasons. However, they had not yet reached the playoffs. The closest that San Jose had come to postseason play was in 2045, when it had won 101 games and tied for first place with Portland. The Sharks had been defeated in a one game playoff, and thus could only watch the playoffs at home. It is no surprise, then, that a player of Quon's ability would be very attractive to San Jose. Perhaps the addition of such a player would be just the piece to push them over the top. Likewise for Quon, who despite many accolades, still lacked a championship, the Sharks were an attractive destination: a competitive team that had an opening at first base and for whom a big bat might push them over the top.
For Quon's part, he earned his money, putting up a .935 OPS while hammering 50 doubles and 44 homeruns. The addition of Quon proved fruitful, and San Jose rolled to the West Division title. The Sharks finished with a record of 96-66 and won the division by 13 games. Matched against Pittsburgh in the NLCS, however, the Sharks didn't stand a chance. The Pirates whipped them in five games, and Quon vanished. He was held to just 2 hits in 16 at bats.
In 2048, Quon made his 11th, and final, All Star team. He put up a .948 OPS and clubbed 50 doubles and 32 homeruns. In early August of that year, he hit the 500th homerun of his career. San Jose remained good, winning 92 games, but the Sharks finished in second place, nine games behind Sacramento.
Quon his just .259 in 2049 and his OPS of .791 was his first under .800 since 2037. He still hit 50 doubles and 29 homeruns, but his streak of 100 RBI seasons came to an end at 13. The Sharks slumped to 71-91, and finished in third place.
In May of 2050, Quon was traded to Denver, a team that after a brief flare of success in the late 40's, had quickly sunk back to the bottom of the league. Quon rebounded somewhat from the previous year, managing an OPS of .874 while hitting 43 doubles and 40 homeruns, but the Broncos had to fight to avoid last place, finishing 67-95, only three games ahead of Kansas City.
In one last shot at a World Series, Quon signed with Hartford before the 2051 season. The Whalers had reached the World Series in 2050 but lost. Quon put up a .791 OPS and hit 53 doubles and 21 homeruns, but it was not enough for Hartford to reach the postseason again. The Whalers won 96 games, but finished in second place, eight games behind Pittsburgh in the Northeast Division. Quon did achieve some very important career milestones, however. In a year when two pitchers reached 300 career wins(Robert Padgett and Robert McComas), and two other players reached 3,000 career hits(Steven Piche and Jasper Pugh), Quon delivered both the 3,000th hit of his career and the 600th homerun of his career. He was the fourteenth player to reach 3,000 hits(the 15th, Pugh, would reach 3,000 about a month later) and the sixth to reach 600 homeruns.
Quon would hang around for one more season, but it was a trying one. In late April, he injured his ACL and missed over a month of action. He didn't return until early June, but before the month was over, Hartford had released him. In early July, he signed with Memphis, but a month later, he reinjured his ACL and missed another month. Memphis, who had finished with the worst record in baseball at 61-101, released Quon after the season had completed. He finished the year with an abysmal .597 OPS in 206 at bats. Quon retired after the 2052 season.
At the end of Quon's career, he ranked 13th in hits, 7th in homeruns, 2nd in runs batted in, 2nd in doubles, and 25th in runs scored. Today, Quon ranks 13th in homeruns, 4th in runs batted in, and 2nd in doubles.
Career Batting Stats:
Code:
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS Teams
2034 38 114 32 6 0 4 19 17 6 35 0 0 .281 .317 .439 .755 ATL
2035 136 502 145 32 0 15 90 62 17 126 0 0 .289 .312 .442 .754 ATL
2036 149 595 186 40 4 21 100 87 32 119 0 0 .313 .348 .499 .847 ATL,AL
2037 156 634 167 55 1 14 115 106 50 104 0 0 .263 .317 .420 .737 ATL,AL
2038 157 632 219 64 1 46 165 123 47 134 0 0 .347 .392 .669 1.061 ATL,AL
2039 156 609 208 46 3 41 146 110 57 146 0 0 .342 .398 .629 1.027 ATL,AL
2040 157 599 198 52 1 45 155 124 60 100 0 0 .331 .392 .646 1.038 ATL,AL
2041 154 592 188 52 2 40 151 117 59 91 5 0 .318 .379 .615 .994 ATL,AL
2042 157 611 181 46 3 42 118 116 49 98 1 0 .296 .348 .588 .936 ATL,AL
2043 154 620 185 58 1 41 160 108 64 79 1 0 .298 .364 .594 .958 GR
2044 155 621 180 56 0 32 132 96 51 94 0 0 .290 .344 .535 .878 GR,AL
2045 155 604 161 40 0 45 126 102 52 93 1 0 .267 .325 .556 .881 GR
2046 156 633 198 62 1 50 178 112 50 104 1 1 .313 .363 .651 1.014 GR,AL
2047 155 608 175 50 2 44 126 98 49 100 0 0 .288 .341 .594 .935 SJ,NL
2048 151 579 184 50 2 32 133 114 49 76 0 0 .318 .371 .577 .948 SJ,NL
2049 155 615 159 50 0 29 86 85 46 128 0 0 .259 .310 .481 .791 SJ
2050 148 534 139 43 0 40 114 88 37 137 0 0 .260 .308 .566 .874 SJ DEN
2051 150 509 125 53 3 21 78 74 44 123 0 0 .246 .306 .485 .791 HFD
2052 68 206 36 18 0 6 22 18 20 58 0 0 .175 .248 .350 .597 HFD MEM
Total 2707 10417 3066 873 24 608 2214 1757 839 1945 9 1 .294 .347 .558 .905
Career Minor League Batting Stats:
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
2034, AAA 43 181 47 6 1 9 27 25 8 45 0 0 .260 .285 .453 .738
Career Postseason Batting Stats:
Year G AB H 2B 3B HR RBI R BB K SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS
2037 6 23 4 2 0 1 2 4 3 2 0 0 .174 .269 .391 .661
2038 7 28 6 3 0 1 2 2 1 7 1 0 .214 .241 .429 .670
2040 7 27 8 4 0 1 2 2 2 5 0 0 .296 .345 .556 .900
2047 5 16 2 0 0 0 2 0 3 7 0 0 .125 .263 .125 .388
Total 25 94 20 9 0 3 8 8 9 21 1 0 .213 .282 .404 .686
Player History:
Drafted in 1st round, 3rd overall pick, by Atlanta in 2034...
Had first career hit (double) on 4/5/2034, off Tyler Marcellus (KNO)...
Hit first career homerun on 9/5/2034, off Leon Ruelas (WAS)...
Won Rookie of the Year Award in 2035, hitting .289 with 15 HR, 90 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2036, hitting .625 with 2 HR, 10 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Tucson on 6/9/2036...
Was selected to the 2036 Allstar game...
Was selected to the 2037 Allstar game...
Drove in 7 runs against Grand Rapids on 6/23/2038...
Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 6/25/2038...
Hit 3 homeruns against Tucson, driving in 5 runs on 6/28/2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/30/2038, hitting .607 with 5 HR, 20 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 7/1/2038, hitting .449 with 11 HR, 41 RBI...
Was selected to the 2038 Allstar game...
Had 5 hits with 8 RBI against Denver on 9/19/2038...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2038, hitting .567 with 5 HR, 15 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 10/1/2038, hitting .438 with 8 HR, 31 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2038, hitting .347 with 46 HR, 165 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/12/2039, hitting .500 with 1 HR, 9 RBI...
Was selected to the 2039 Allstar game...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2039, hitting .342 with 41 HR, 146 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 5/1/2040, hitting .358 with 10 HR, 36 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/19/2040, hitting .667 with 2 HR, 8 RBI...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Memphis on 5/21/2040...
Won Player of the Week award on 5/26/2040, hitting .536 with 4 HR, 13 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 6/1/2040, hitting .418 with 7 HR, 33 RBI...
Was selected to the 2040 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Knoxville on 8/13/2040...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2040, hitting .331 with 45 HR, 155 RBI...
Drove in 6 runs against Tucson on 5/19/2041...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/23/2041, hitting .640 with 3 HR, 6 RBI...
Won Batter of the Month award on 7/1/2041, hitting .389 with 7 HR, 22 RBI...
Was selected to the 2041 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Washington on 7/29/2041...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/4/2041, hitting .455 with 4 HR, 12 RBI...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2041, hitting .318 with 40 HR, 151 RBI...
Drove in 7 runs against Denver on 4/2/2042...
Drove in 6 runs against Grand Rapids on 6/11/2042...
Was selected to the 2042 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2042, hitting .462 with 3 HR, 8 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by Grand Rapids on 2/3/2043 to a 4-year deal worth $8,465,600 per year...
Won Player of the Week award on 9/22/2043, hitting .480 with 4 HR, 15 RBI...
Was selected to the 2044 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/7/2045, hitting .448 with 3 HR, 6 RBI...
Won Player of the Week award on 4/21/2045, hitting .438 with 4 HR, 11 RBI...
Had 2000th career hit on 8/1/2045, off Vo-gan Namboku (MEM)...
Drove in 6 runs against Miami on 9/13/2045...
Won Batter of the Month award on 7/1/2046, hitting .364 with 13 HR, 35 RBI...
Was selected to the 2046 Allstar game...
Won Player of the Week award on 7/14/2046, hitting .423 with 2 HR, 11 RBI...
Sets a new season AL-Record for RBI with 175 on 9/30/2046...
Won Silver Slugger Award in 2046, hitting .313 with 50 HR, 178 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by San Jose on 2/2/2047 to a 4-year deal worth $11,484,500 per year...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Buffalo on 5/24/2047...
Hit 3 homeruns against Rochester, driving in 7 runs on 6/4/2047...
Won Player of the Week award on 6/9/2047, hitting .393 with 6 HR, 11 RBI...
Was selected to the 2047 Allstar game...
Drove in 6 runs against Rochester on 9/16/2047...
Had 5 hits with 4 RBI against Hartford on 9/28/2047...
Had 5 hits with 3 RBI against Hartford on 6/23/2048...
Was selected to the 2048 Allstar game...
Had 500th career homerun on 8/6/2048, off Timothy Dunton (SAC)...
Had 25-game hitting streak snapped on 8/9/2048...
Traded from San Jose to Denver on 5/27/2050 (Going to DEN: 1B E. Quon. Going to SJ: P B. Molina, P F. Vidal, LF G. Llanos)...
Won Player of the Week award on 8/25/2050, hitting .429 with 5 HR, 9 RBI...
Signed as a free agent by Hartford on 2/2/2051 to a 4-year deal worth $2,152,800 per year...
Had 3000th career hit on 8/28/2051, off Keith Reed (LA)...
Had 600th career homerun on 9/7/2051, off Thomas Mcgonigal (SD)...
Injured on 4/24/2052 with a Strained Anterior Cruciate Ligament, out for 6 weeks...
Released by Hartford on 6/20/2052, refused assignment to minors...
Signed as a free agent by Memphis on 7/7/2052 to a 1-year deal worth $300,000 per year...
Injured on 8/1/2052 with a Strained Anterior Cruciate Ligament, out for 5 weeks...
Released by Memphis on 10/3/2052, refused assignment to minors...
Retired and inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2053.
Batting Leader Boards Appearances:
AVG
2038 - .347 - 6th
2039 - .342 - 4th
SLG
2038 - .669 - 3rd
2039 - .629 - 2nd
2040 - .646 - 2nd
2041 - .615 - 1st
2042 - .588 - 7th
2045 - .556 - 10th
2046 - .651 - 3rd
2047 - .594 - 2nd
2048 - .577 - 5th
OPS
2038 - 1.061 - 4th
2039 - 1.027 - 2nd
2040 - 1.038 - 3rd
2041 - .994 - 2nd
2046 - 1.014 - 8th
2047 - .935 - 6th
2048 - .948 - 6th
Hits
2038 - 219 - 2nd
2039 - 208 - 4th
2040 - 198 - 8th
2048 - 184 - 10th
Doubles
2036 - 40 - 9th
2037 - 55 - 2nd
2038 - 64 - 2nd
2039 - 46 - 5th
2040 - 52 - 2nd
2041 - 52 - 1st
2042 - 46 - 4th
2043 - 58 - 2nd
2044 - 56 - 1st
2046 - 62 - 1st
2047 - 50 - 6th
2048 - 50 - 3rd
2049 - 50 - 7th
2050 - 43 - 10th
2051 - 53 - 6th
Homeruns
2038 - 46 - 3rd
2039 - 41 - 3rd
2040 - 45 - 1st
2041 - 40 - 1st
2042 - 42 - 4th
2043 - 41 - 5th
2045 - 45 - 2nd
2046 - 50 - 1st
2047 - 44 - 2nd
2048 - 32 - 7th
2050 - 40 - 6th
RBI
2037 - 115 - 7th
2038 - 165 - 1st
2039 - 146 - 1st
2040 - 155 - 1st
2041 - 151 - 1st
2042 - 118 - 9th
2043 - 160 - 1st
2044 - 132 - 8th
2045 - 126 - 6th
2046 - 178 - 1st
2047 - 126 - 4th
2048 - 133 - 4th
Runs
2038 - 123 - 8th
2040 - 124 - 5th
2041 - 117 - 4th
2042 - 116 - 8th
2048 - 114 - 8th
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