Elite home run hitters without HR crowns
Rafael Palmeiro
Okay, it’s snowing out and I will need to run my snow blower in a few hours. How about something to make you think of spring… a baseball stat!
There are 51 players in MLB history who have hit 400 or more home runs in their careers. Of those 51, 16 (31%) never led their league in home runs in a season. Topping the list is Rafael Palmeiro, who hit 569 home runs in his career yet never led the league in HRs in any season.
Two other players with 500-plus career HRs are also on the list: Frank Thomas (521 HRs) and Gary Sheffield (509 HRs).
Here’s the complete list of players with 400 or more career home runs who never led the league in HRs in a season.
Rafael Palmeiro (569), Frank Thomas (521), Gary Sheffield (509).
Stan Musial (475), Carlos Delgado (473), Chipper Jones (468), Dave Winfield (465), Adam Dunn (462), Jeff Bagwell (449), Vladimir Guerrero (449), Jason Giambi (440), Paul Konerko (439), Cal Ripken, Jr. (431), Mike Piazza (427), Billy Williams (426), Alfonso Soriano (412).
Five current players have a legitimate shot at joining the 400-HR Club in 2015: Adrian Beltre (395), Miquel Cabrera (390), Carlos Beltran (373), Aramis Ramirez (369) and Mark Teixeira). Beltre and Cabrera have already won league HR titles in their careers; Beltran, Ramirez and Teixeira have not.
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Torii Hunter, Carlos Beltran hoping to finally get World Series appearance
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Team members and coaches of the Cardinals, Dodgers, Red Sox and Tigers are hoping that their team will get four wins in their respective league championship series and make it to the World Series. For two players, however, that desire for a trip to the World Series may be burning a little hotter than his teammates.
Detroit‘s Torii Hunter and St. Louis Carlos Beltran currently rank second and third on the list of active major league players who have played the most regular season games without playing in the World Series. Hunter has played in 2,091 games and Beltran has 2,064 games under his belt without making an appearance in the World Series. For Beltran, this is his fourth time playing in an LCS (the final stop before the World Series). Hunter is making his third appearance in an LCS; this is the seventh season that he has played in the post-season.
Of players who played in the majors in 2013, Miguel Tejada tops the list; he has played in 2,171 games without getting to the Fall Classic.
Here’s a look at the active players (players who played in 2013) with the most games without playing in the World Series.
Player (2013 team), Games
Miguel Tejada (Kansas City) 2,171
Torii Hunter (Detroit) 2,091
Carlos Beltran (St. Louis) 2,064
Ichiro Suzuki (NY Yankees) 2,061
Aramis Ramirez (Milwaukee) 1,924
Mark Kotsay (San Diego) 1,914
Adam Dunn (Chicago White Sox) 1,870
Vernon Wells (NY Yankees) 1,731
Eric Chavez (Arizona) 1,571
Ramon Hernandez (L.A. Dodgers*) 1,526
* Hernandez was released by the Dodgers in June
While Hunter and Beltran have over 2,000 games played without a World Series appearance, they are still several games short of the all-time leader. Rafael Palmeiro played in 2,831 MLB games in his career, appeared in two LCS and played in the post-season in three seasons. He did not, however, ever see action in the World Series.
Here are the players who played the most games in MLB history without playing in the World Series.
Player, Games
Rafael Palmeiro, 2,831
Ken Griffey Jr., 2,671
Andre Dawson, 2,627
Ernie Banks, 2,528
Julio Franco, 2,527
Billy Williams, 2,488
Rod Carew, 2.469
Luke Appling, 2,422
Mickey Vernon, 2,409
Buddy Bell, 2,405
Four of the players listed above not only never played in the World Series, they also never played in any post-season game. The four: Banks, Appling, Vernon and Bell. Carew made four appearances in the LCS, but his team never won the chance to advance to the World Series.
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
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Jim Thome: 600-HR Club member with only one HR crown
Jim Thome... Image via Wikipedia
Sports Stats ‘on Tapp’ is a biweekly blog published every Wednesday and Sunday
Jim Thome became the eighth member of the majors’ 600-HR Club with a pair of homers tonight (August 15). He also becomes the first member of that club who won only one HR crown in his career. Thome led the National League in home runs when he hit 47 for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2003. That was the only year he won an HR crown in his career. All other members of the 600-HR Club led their league in HRs in two or more seasons.
In looking at the 25 members of the 500-HR Club, we discover that three players hit 500 or more home runs in their career yet never led the league in home runs. The three: Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield and Frank Thomas.
Here’s a look at the 25 members of the 500-HR Club and the number of times they led the league in home runs in a season in their career.
League HR crowns, Player (career HRs)
0: Rafael Palmeiro (569), Gary Sheffield (509), Frank Thomas (521)
1: Eddie Murray (504), Manny Ramirez (555), Frank Robinson (586), Jim Thome (600)
2: Ernie Banks (512), Barry Bonds (762), Eddie Mathews (512), Sammy Sosa (609)
3: Willie McCovey (521)
4: Hank Aaron (755), Jimmie Foxx (534), Ken Griffey, Jr. (630), Reggie Jackson (563), Mickey Mantle (536), Willie Mays (660), Mark McGwire (583), Ted Williams (521)
5: Alex Rodriquez (626)
6: Harmon Killebrew (573), Mel Ott (511)
8: Mike Schmidt (548), Babe Ruth (714)
(WE INTERRUPT THIS BLOG FOR A TRIVIA QUESTION: Can you name the five members of the 500-HR club who hit all of their home runs with only one team? Answer below.)
Did you know? Hank Aaron wore uniform number 44 and hit 44 home runs in a season four times!
TRIVIA ANSWER: Mel Ott (NY Giants), Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs), Ted Williams (Boston), Mickey Mantle (NY Yankees) and Mike Schmidt (Philadelphia)
Did you know? Gary Sheffield hit 509 career HRs yet did not hit more than 130 for one team. He hit 129 for the LA Dodgers, most with one team in his career.
Did you know? Alex Rodriquez is the only player to hit 150 or more HRs for three different teams. Rodriquez hit 156 for Texas, 189 for Seattle and has hit 281 for the Yankees.
Most games played with no World Series appearance
Rafael Palmeiro...via Wikipedia
Rafael Palmeiro is one of only four major league players in history to have more than 500 career home runs and 3,000 career hits. But Palmeiro’s suspension after the 2005 season for steroid use has severely hampered his Hall of Fame quest. In fact, in his first year of eligibility last year he garnered only 11% of the vote.
But another disappointment in Palmeiro’s career is that he tops the list of players who played the most games in the majors, 2,831, without an appearance in the World Series. His 20-year MLB career began with the Cubs and included two stints each with Texas and Baltimore. He did, however, in three seasons play in the post season, but his teams never advanced to the Fall Classic.
Here’s a look at the ten players who played the most career games without a World Series appearance.
Player Most games played without World Series appearance
Rafael Palmeiro 2,831
Ken Griffey, Jr. 2,671
Andre Dawson 2,627
Ernie Banks 2,528
Julio Franco 2,527
Billy Williams 2, 488
Rod Carew 2,469
Luke Appling 2,422
Mickey Vernon 2,409
Buddy Bell 2,405
Note: Palmeiro, Griffey, Dawson, Franco, Williams and Carew all played in post-season games but their teams lost before the World Series. Banks leads the list of players who never played in a post-season game. Following Banks are Appling, Vernon, Bell and another Cub, Ron Santo (2,243).
Looking at active players, Bobby Abreu tops the list of active players with the most games played without a World Series appearance with 2,179. Adam Dunn tops the list of active players with the most games played who have never even played in a post season game with 1,514. (Through games of June 25)
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