Hank Aaron finishes his most famous extra base hit in the company of the two bozos who invaded history.
As important as it is to get on base in the game of baseball, it’s also vital to have people in the lineup that can bring those ducks in off the pond once they land there. By and large, the best work in this regard is performed by the hitters who are capable of getting the extra base hit. RBI is fine here as a measurement, but RBI is an EFFECT stat that is largely the result of a CAUSE stat, like “hit”, and most often from a big CAUSE stat like “extra base hits.”
I’m not one of these people who chases the meaning of life down some ten place decimal point, but I do enjoy a look at something like these two Top 50 Lists for Career Extra Base Hits and RBI for some safe general confirmations. To no big surprise, Hank Aaron is both the cause and effect leader of what power baseball produces over time.
Stay with me here for a simple thought for a second, but I have to think about it to hold onto it. This isn’t “E” equals “MC Squared,” but it fits in with my comments yesterday about why having players in your lineup who can get on base often – is always important to winning:
Extra Base and RBI leader Hank Aaron played with a number of teams that put men on base fairly often. As a result, his prodigious number of extra base hits became the cause of more runs batted in than any other player has ever before, or since, produced.
Of local note, we find that former Astro Jeff Bagwell ranks at #39 on the all time extra base hit list and is also tied for the #45 spot on the RBI list with Tris Speaker. Craig Biggio checks in even higher on the extra base hit list at #30, but is way off our charts here at #155 on the all time RBI list. Had Biggio not batted first or second for so long, he could have been a far more prodigious RBI man, but that’s OK. He was just fast and too good at getting on base to move him back in the order. When you’ve got a guy leading off who can start the game with a runner on second, you leave him there. Craig Biggio holds the National League record for home runs by the lead-off batter to start the game. On 53 occasions, Biggio’s lead-off wall-bangers traveled a few extra feet and became leadoff homers. Rickey Henderson holds the MLB record in this category with an amazing 82 lead-off game-starting homers.
Again though, the subject today is extra base hits as the major cause of runs batted in.
Check out how often that seems to be true for so many others among the leadership in both categories below. Cap Anson of the 19th century small-ball era is the major exception as a basic singles hitter who also ranked high enough with his frequent “dinks” to place 3rd on the RBI list.
Then I hope you simply enjoy finding your own confirmations and exceptions to the general rule that getting men on base and then sending a great contact-making power hitter to the plate is not a bad way to go for managers seeking genius status in the media.
Have fun!
TOP 50 EXTRA BASE HIT LEADERS
+ = Hall of Fame Member
Bold Type = Active Player in 2010
TOP 50 RBI LEADERS
+ = Hall of Fame Member
Bold Type = Active Player in 2010
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