Total Bases

This statistic fascinates me. For me it shows the difference
between a slugger and a home run hitter. There have been players that have hit home runs that I do not consider good hitters. But when they are slugging, they get all four kinds of hits, amassing total bases. Usually the players are hitting home runs and have a high batting average are the players that are the better hitters.
Total bases are a category I use to assess the better hitters.

Here are some stats that are worth mentioning.

Most seasons with at least 400 total bases.

Lou Gehrig - He had Five seasons.

Chuck Klein - He had Three seasons.

Jimmy Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth,

Sammy Sosa and Todd Helton - All five players
with two seasons each.

Most Seasons with at least 350 total bases.

Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth - Each had Nine seasons.

Willie Mays - He had Seven seasons. Jimmy Foxx - He had Six seasons.

Stan Musial, Hank Greenburg, Alex Rodriguez
Hank Aaron, Rogers Hornsby, Vladimir Guerrero

Each of these six players had Five seasons.
Al Simmons, Sammy Sosa, Chuck Klein -
These three players had four seasons.

Albert Pujols - In his first four seasons - All over 300 total bases.
Three of those seasons he had over 350 total bases.

There are only three players that have accumulated
over 6000 total bases in their careers.
All three players played at least 22 seasons.
Hank Aaron - 6856, Stan Musial - 6134, Willie Mays - 6066

There were four players out of the top 35 players in lifetime
total bases that did not hit at least 200 life time home
runs. Here they are with their life time home run totals.

Tris Speaker - 117 home runs. Ty Cobb - 117 home runs.

Pete Rose - 160 home runs.

Honus Wagner - 101 home runs.

In Ted Williams first eight years in the majors
he had at least 300 total bases.

Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein and Jimmy Foxx
are the only players to have over 400 total bases
in consecutive years.

Babe Ruth had eight seasons when he
had 374 or more total bases.

Of the top 55 seasons for total bases. This would be the highest number of total bases per seasons.

19 of those seasons occurred from 1990 to 2004

One season in the 1950's was in the top 55

One season in the 1970's and one in the 1980's as well

None occurred in the 1960's

Recapping - 33 of the top seasons for total bases
happened from 1900 to 1949.

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. His passions have included; playing, watching, reading, evaluating, and coaching the game he adores. Do you love inspiring quotes, unusual statistics and most of all, heartwarming baseball stories? If you love baseball you will love his baseball ezine.

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