It's Hard[er] to Hit Triples - A Look at the Career Best in the Majors
Sometimes I look at the all-time lists of hitting feats in major league history. Sometimes it gets me thinking. I typically look at the all-time home run list, or stolen bases, as some of my all-time favorite players favor those charts. I also will look at pitching lists, like all-time winners, or all-time ERAs (Earned Run Averages), or all-time percentage winners for pitching decisions. I generally look at batting statistics, though, like RBIs (Runs Batted In), OBP (On-base percentage), singles, doubles, and triples. Oh, and walks. In the score cards, those are BBs. (Base on balls).
I like to see where my all-time favorite player, Tim Raines Sr., stacks up. He was not a power hitter; he had a lot of shortened seasons because of strikes and injuries, but he still compares well in most categories with all-time great offensive players. With the advent of former hometown prized slugger Bryce Harper, since 2012, and currently Juan Soto, since 2018, I like to see how they compare in Home Runs to career greats. Anticipating marching up the charts.
I have been reviewing the all-time career hitters of triples. All the top hitters on my main chart are old black and white photos, i.e. players of yesteryear. Who are the top ones, and how does any modern player factor in?
| 1. | Sam Crawford+ (19) | 309 | 10625 | L |
| 2. | Ty Cobb+ (24) | 295 | 13103 | L |
| 3. | Honus Wagner+ (21) | 252 | 11766 | R |
| 4. | Jake Beckley+ (20) | 244 | 10518 | L |
| 5. | Roger Connor+ (18) | 233 | 8847 | B |
| 6. | Tris Speaker+ (22) | 222 | 12020 | L |
| 7. | Fred Clarke+ (21) | 220 | 9864 | L |
| 8. | Dan Brouthers+ (19) | 206 | 7691 | L |
| 9. | Joe Kelley+ (17) | 194 | 8163 | R |
| 10. | Paul Waner+ (20) | 191 | 10767 | L |
| 11. | Bid McPhee+ (18) | 189 | 9429 | R |
| 12. | Eddie Collins+ (25) | 187 | 12087 | L |
| 13. | Ed Delahanty+ (16) | 186 | 8402 | R |
| 14. | Sam Rice+ (20) | 184 | 10260 | L |
| 15. | Jesse Burkett+ (16) | 182 | 9629 | L |
| Ed Konetchy (15) | 182 | 8675 | R | |
| Edd Roush+ (18) | 182 | 8157 | L | |
| 18. | Buck Ewing+ (18) | 178 | 5772 | R |
| 19. | Rabbit Maranville+ (23) | 177 | 11260 | R |
| Stan Musial+ (22) | 177 | 12721 | L | |
| 21. | Harry Stovey (14) | 176 | 6848 | R |
| 22. | Goose Goslin+ (18) | 173 | 9830 | L |
| 23. | Tommy Leach (19) | 172 | 9075 | R |
| Zack Wheat+ (19) | 172 | 10007 | L | |
| 25. | Rogers Hornsby+ (23) | 169 | 9481 | R |
| 26. | Shoeless Joe Jackson (13) | 168 | 5697 | L |
| 27. | Roberto Clemente+ (18) | 166 | 10212 | R |
| Sherry Magee (16) | 166 | 8557 | R | |
| 29. | Jake Daubert (15) | 165 | 8749 | L |
| 30. | Elmer Flick+ (13) | 164 | 6434 | L |
| George Sisler+ (15) | 164 | 9018 | L | |
| Pie Traynor+ (17) | 164 | 8298 | R | |
| 33. | Bill Dahlen (21) | 163 | 10438 | R |
| George Davis+ (20) | 163 | 10188 | B | |
| Lou Gehrig+ (17) | 163 | 9665 | L | |
| Nap Lajoie+ (21) | 163 | 10471 | R | |
| 37. | Mike Tiernan (13) | 162 | 6732 | L |
| 38. | Sam Thompson+ (15) | 161 | 6526 | L |
| George Van Haltren (17) | 161 | 9020 | L | |
| 40. | Harry Hooper+ (17) | 160 | 10277 | L |
| Heinie Manush+ (17) |
The top 40 of all time are not recent at all. Roberto Clemente at number 27 is the most recent, who tragically (and heroically) died in 1970. He and Shoeless Joe would have finished a bit higher if their careers had not been ended prematurely. The rest may have been finished by the 1950s, and even more of the top 40 were probably done by the 1930s. Perhaps not coincidentally, the advent of the home run came in the 1930s. Triples before in the early decades of the game became home runs, or at minimum, doubles.
Who is someone since 1970 that figures into the best career triples?
Hmmmm... Willie Wilson is the most modern high number triple earner that I see, tied at 56, with a total of 147. He completed his career in 1994. He played a total of 19 seasons at the major league level. My guy Raines tops out at 118th with 113 triple baggers. I think if he had not had the strikes, he would have hit another 6-8. Injuries hampered him, too, including retiring for Lupus in 1999. Arguably he would not have hit many triples for Oakland that year. Or next, had he not sat out.
Who is the current career leader still playing? Dexter Fowler. Numbers below. He is 36 years old.
| 263. | Ginger Beaumont (12) | 82 | 6313 | L |
| Wid Conroy (11) | 82 | 5615 | R | |
| Frank Fennelly (7) | 82 | 3451 | R | |
| Dexter Fowler (14, 36) | 82 | 5902 | B | |
| Phil Garner (16) | 82 | 6861 | R | |
| Bill Hallman (14) | 82 | 6643 | R | |
| Billy Herman+ (15) | 82 | 8641 | R | |
| Hans Lobert (14) | 82 | 5232 | R | |
| Johnny Mostil (10) | 82 | 4103 | R |
After him, who is currently playing on the top 1,000 triples list of all time?
| 549. | Alcides Escobar (13, 35) | 58 | 6182 | R |
| Chone Figgins (12) | 58 | 5360 | B | |
| Rank | Player (yrs, age) | Triples | PA | Bats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elbie Fletcher (12) | 58 | 5828 | L | |
| Josh Gibson+ (14) | 58 | 2511 | R | |
| Bubbles Hargrave (12) | 58 | 2853 | R | |
| Walter Holke (11) | 58 | 4834 | B | |
| Ducky Holmes (10) | 58 | 4023 | L | |
| Sadie Houck (8) | 58 | 2727 | R | |
| Red Kress (14) | 58 | 5672 | R | |
| Brian McRae (10) | 58 | 5737 | B | |
| Jim McTamany (7) | 58 | 3682 | R | |
| Bob O'Farrell (21) | 58 | 4744 | R | |
| Everett Scott (13) | 58 | 6387 | R | |
| Bob Skinner (12) | 58 | 4874 | L | |
| Lonnie Smith (17) | 58 | 5952 | R | |
| Milt Stock (14) | 58 | 6955 | R | |
| Phil Todt (8) | 58 | 3768 | L | |
| Hal Trosky (11) | 58 | 5750 | L | |
| Chase Utley (16) | 58 | 7863 | L | |
| Frank White (18) | 58 | 8468 | R |
Mr. Escobar, not get much playing time with the woeful 2022 Washington Nats. He is 35 years of age.
There are more home run hitters than ever before, and there are fewer triples, which has a lot to do the configurations of the ball parks, as well as the skill sets of power over speed.
And there you have it.
The triple. All time greats.
Here are the top twenty:
No comments:
Post a Comment