More Home Runs than Strikeouts in a Single Season

[fkw]

On the Tommy Holmes WWII super season!
Just thought of a real good baseball quiz you can use on some of your Know it All Baseball History friends.

"Name the Non-Hall of Fame player who led the League in Homeruns, while striking out less than 10 times that season?"

 

[scotty21690]

Great Post, Ive been using the stat for many years as the Best example of a pure power/contact hitter.

Thats why I always put Yogi Berra as the top Catcher of All Time, very impressive doing this feat 5 times in your career (6 if you count ties), especially when youre 5'8" in high heels.
DiMaggio basically did it for his entire career, another reason I put Joe in the top 5 hitters of all time.

They should have put the entire list, some of the most impressive ones will be below the 20 HR mark, like Sewell's 11 HRs and only 3 strikeouts in 576 plate appearances.

Ive known and respected Klu for this feat since I was a kid, He actually did this feat 5 years in a row!
I always though he should have been a HOFer. 365 strikeouts in 15 seasons. If he only had more complete season near the end of his career to pad his good numbers.

Bonds really almost did it 2 times, Pujols has a very good chance to do it.

Yeah I wouldn't be disappointed to see Klu in the HOF, he was a great all around hitter. Not gonna lie though, I hadn't realized his plate discipline was as good as it was for being a slugger.

I would be able to find out this whole list if I was subscribed to BR ($36....might sub in a couple weeks)...they probably didn't show the players with under 20HRs to shorten it up, several seasons for a few players I had looked up.

I don't think Pujols has a chance any more, as his strikeouts have been climbing every season since his 50 in 06'. I am not going to say it won't happen again....but it will take that one really gifted hitter and a lot of luck.

 

[200lbhockeyplayer]

If nothing else Scotty, thanks for posting this to allow everyone who hasn't heard of the Sleeveless Slugger to take a moment to stare at his stats. Cut short by injury, Kluszewski was putting up some crazy numbers for about 5 years...just amazing.

Anyway...cool topic highlighting some quality baseball talk.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

Also keep in mind that back in the day, it was harder to strike out because the pitchers were in lesser physical condition and had less steroids available

 

[RL24]

Also keep in mind that back in the day, it was harder to strike out because the pitchers were in lesser physical condition and had less steroids available

And it was easier to hit home runs because the bats were made of aluminum.


*PING!*


:lol:

 

[scotty21690]

I don't see why not. Someone could come along and have a 35/35-type season. Trouble is, you get a guy who hits 35 homers, he realizes every homer over 30 is worth about a half-million dollars a year in free agency, so he bangs away.

Anyway, I think it'd be a guy like Wade Boggs in 1987, someone who has a good eye and usually low Ks who has a breakout power season all of a sudden. It probably won't happen the other way, a power hitter suddenly not missing a lot. Although, even a guy like Vlad Guerrero has come sort of close with a career low of 48 Ks (2005) and a high of 44 HRs (2000), though there was a discrepancy in games played. Plus, it seems like it's OK for even leadoff hitters to have 150 Ks these days (like my boy).

Most surprising thing about that list is the presence of Ted Kluszewski not once but 4 times, and Yogi Berra 5 times. Except for Joe D (7 times), they did it most often.

The problem is that most hitters in the league either hit homeruns and strikeout quite a bit, or don't hit many homeruns but strikeout very few....some in between.

I have been looking up players that have struck out very few times <55 over a season from the past few years and none seem likely to have 30+ HRs even if they had a breakout season. A player has to have an AB/SO of 20+ and you don't see that very often nowadays.

I would love to see it happen again, but it's very unlikely.


And yes, a catcher accomplishing this feat not once, but FIVE times is very impressive. Props to Yogi.

 

[ChasHawk]

Also keep in mind that striking out was much more greatly frowned upon when many of the players on this list played.

When they would get to two strikes, many would choke up and slap the ball at the SS to avoid striking out.

 

[scotty21690]

If nothing else Scotty, thanks for posting this to allow everyone who hasn't heard of the Sleeveless Slugger to take a moment to stare at his stats. Cut short by injury, Kluszewski was putting up some crazy numbers for about 5 years...just amazing.

Anyway...cool topic highlighting some quality baseball talk.

Yeah he was an incredible hitter in his prime, raw power who had a very good eye. He would be in the HOF had his career not been cut short by injury. He went sleeveless because his arms would not fit in the sleeves, correct?


How about this guy on the list....check out his crazy 4 year run:

In 29' he had a .398 BA with 254 hits. :shock:

 

[scotty21690]

Also keep in mind that striking out was much more greatly frowned upon when many of the players on this list played.

When they would get to two strikes, many would choke up and slap the ball at the SS to avoid striking out.

Great point Charlie....nowadays striking out 50-65 times/season is considered low and most players don't seem to mind striking out 100+ times. That isn't going to get you on this list.

 

[elmalo]

Joey D.!!! Greatest of all time!

 

[fkw]

You reminded me...
of my other good Quiz Ive used for many years.

"Name the Player who had a career batting average of nearly .350, but is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, ....yet is in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame?

two good hints (1 will confuse people that its Ruth)
#1. He broke into MLB baseball in the teens as a Pitcher with the Red Sox and Yankees his 1st 4 seasons.
#2 He has a bridge, bar, and beer named after him.

 

[scotty21690]

I am surprised by the voting, to say the least.

Over 50% "Yes" votes.


Anyone else care to say why they believe this feat will happen again? It seems rare for a player with 55 or less K's to have even 10 HRs, so a breakout season could potentially give them 15 HRs....still not close.

Pujols had the best chance but IMO his chances are gone because he has been striking out a bit more since then. Players like Pedroia and Mauer have great eyes and while they can hit 20 HRs I don't see them hitting 50. A player like Yuniesky Betancourt has a career AB/K of 10+, but I doubt he will hit 40+ HRs. Paul La Duca came close in 01', with 25 HRs and 30 Ks. It's sad that only 10 current MLB players have an AB/K of 10+, none named Ichiro.

So does anyone have stats or examples as to why you think it will happen again? Or are you guys just waiting for Bryce Harper to make it to the bigs?

 

[scotty21690]

You reminded me...
of my other good Quiz Ive used for many years.

"Name the Player who had a career batting average of nearly .350, but is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame, ....yet is in the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame and the Pacific Coast League Hall of Fame?

4th all time!


Nice cards, by the way....are they yours?

 

[fkw]

Ya but I just sold the U1 matchbook a couple weeks ago
Check out the hints I added to the O'Doul post above.

IMO if Bonds didnt take called strike 3's as much as he did he would have done it more often.
One season, he had 9 HRs and only swung and missed a pitch 9 times, at that point early in the season.

 

[bigpapiMA32]

I don't think it will happen. A lot of times, to hit a home run you have to go out of the strike zone a little bit. This leads to Ks as well.

Pedroia interests me here. He often takes big hacks at a lot of high fastballs. If he didn't take those swings he'd probably hit 5 less home runs a year but strike out 20 less times. That would put him close to more HR than Ks, but not too close.

 

[scotty21690]

I don't think it will happen. A lot of times, to hit a home run you have to go out of the strike zone a little bit. This leads to Ks as well.

Pedroia interests me here. He often takes big hacks at a lot of high fastballs. If he didn't take those swings he'd probably hit 5 less home runs a year but strike out 20 less times. That would put him close to more HR than Ks, but not too close.

He can't resist those neck high fastballs :lol:

You are very correct though, if he laid off more of those he would be better off overall. Fun to watch him crush those pitches over the wall, though. Even so, he strikes out a lot less than most hitters in the league. Hopefully he is fully healed up and ready to go this season....we can't really afford to lose him at all this year (even though Lowrie is a decent backup).

 

[scotty21690]

Sorry for continuing to bump this but I have been looking over a lot of stats of a lot of players and I can't find one current player that has a shot at this, and have came across two players who have came close to this feat over the past 10 years (though, saying 25 HRs/30 Ks is coming close...is very generous). Most hitters nowadays rarely strike out less than 50 times, and those who do hit about <5 HRs per season.

I would like to hear from more of the 58% of you who voted "yes" and get a good debate going on here.

 

[elmalo]

DiMaggio was almost 1 for 1 in his career. That is rediculous. A guy with that power who was just as likely to hit a homerun as he was to strike out.

 

[scotty21690]

DiMaggio was almost 1 for 1 in his career. That is rediculous. A guy with that power who was just as likely to hit a homerun as he was to strike out.

Yeah he was one of a kind...

Definitely wouldn't put him above Gehrig, Williams, or Ruth though. ("Greatest of all time!" comment)

 

[elmalo]

DiMaggio was almost 1 for 1 in his career. That is rediculous. A guy with that power who was just as likely to hit a homerun as he was to strike out.

Yeah he was one of a kind...

Definitely wouldn't put him above Gehrig, Williams, or Ruth though. ("Greatest of all time!" comment)

Greatest all around player, I would put him over all of them. Imagine if he was a lefty. He played at one of the worst right handed hitting ballparks in the history of baseball.