BABIP by Location

May 16, 2017 by · 3 Comments

Are there any factors that influence batting average to various locations on a baseball diamond? Does batter or pitcher “handedness” provide any advantage? Can we identify traits among the leaders in each category? “Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) measures how often a ball in play goes for a hit. A ball is “in play” when the plate appearance ends in something other than a strikeout, walk, hit batter, catcher’s interference, sacrifice bunt, or home run. In other words, the batter put the ball in play and it didn’t clear the outfield fence.” – Fangraphs Library

Methodology

I extracted BIP data for 1988 – 1998 and 2003-2016 from the Retrosheet Events Files (missing location data for prior seasons along with 1999 – 2002 prohibited inclusion in this study). I placed the resulting data into groups based on the nine fielding positions. Sorting the outcomes by location for batters and pitchers, we can observe single-season or career BABIP leaders on balls hit to shortstop or second base as compared to the outfield posts. We can find the answers to queries such as “Are there any ballplayers who post consistently high batting averages on balls hit to the left side of the infield?”

Terminology

BABIP Batting Average on Balls In Play, calculated for each batter and pitcher using the formula (H – HR) / (AB – K – HR + SF) FranchID– the first organization to sign a player to a Major League Baseball contract, based on the criteria defined in my book, “ Hardball Retrospective ”. P1 – P2– Primary and Secondary Pitch Type, as sourced from “The Neyer / James Guide To Pitchers”. Pitch Types are derived from the pitch selections for each pitcher listed in the NJGTP and matched (to the best of my ability) to the Pitch Type Abbreviations & Classifications on the Fangraphs website. I determined Pitch Type for the hurlers not listed in the NJGTP based on the percentages listed on the corresponding Fangraphs’ player page.

FA = fastball

FF = four-seam fastball

FT = two-seam fastball

FC = fastball (cutter)

FS / SI / SF = fastball (sinker, split-fingered)

SL = slider

CH = changeup

CB / CU = curveball

SC = screwball

KC = knuckle-curve

KN = knuckleball

EP = eephus

BABIP by Location

The diagram above illustrates that a batted ball to the infield results in six base hits in every hundred chances (actually .065) whereas more than half of all shots to the outfield (.552) are tallied as safeties. Batter handedness is not a consideration when looking at the BABIP leaderboards among balls hit to the pitcher and the catcher. A quick glance at both lists reveals two crucial elements for safely reaching first base on balls fielded by one of the battery mates – above-average foot speed along with a proficiency in bunting the ball.

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Pitcher (1988-2016)

Willy Taveras holds the career record for BABIP to the pitcher (.326) and places runner-up with a .388 BABIP to the catcher. The fleet-footed center fielder also places in the top 20 for BABIP to third basemen and shortstop. The runner-up for the 2005 NL Rookie of the Year Award swiped at least 30 bags in four consecutive campaigns (2005-08) and torched the circuit with 68 successful steals in 75 attempts in ’08. Taveras maintains the highest cumulative “BABIP-Infield” since 1988 with a .196 average. Emilio Bonifacio ranks second in BABIP to the pitcher (.277) while legging out enough hits to place inside the top 30 in BABIP to 1B and 3B. The swift utilityman produced a .296 BA with 40 stolen bases as a full-timer with the Marlins in 2011. Nyjer Morgan , the Pirates 33 rd round selection in 2002, registers fifth on the chart below with a .267 BABIP-P. “Tony Plush” established career-highs with 42 stolen bases and a .307 BA in ’09, splitting time between Pittsburgh and Washington. Michael Bourn and Tom Goodwin hustle onto four charts including BABIP to pitcher, first base, third base and shortstop. Bourn amassed three consecutive NL stolen base crowns (2009-2011) while Goodwin recorded four campaigns with 50+ swipes. Brian Lawrence limited the opposition to four base hits out of 114 batted balls to the mound. The Padres 17 th round selection in the June ’98 draft emerges in the shortstop and third base BABIP tables.  Tim Leary and Randy Tomlin tied for second place with a .039 BABIP-P. The Mets #1 selection in the June 1979 Amateur Draft, Leary blossomed with the Dodgers in 1988 as he established personal bests with 17 victories, a 2.91 ERA and a 1.124 WHIP. Sluggers predominantly inhabit the BABIP-P trailers chart. Paul Konerko (.049) is the lone lumberjack scoring as an automatic out when putting the ball into play to the pitcher or either corner infielder. Matt Garza (.243) struggles to keep the opposition from reaching first base safely after a ball is batted back to the mound.
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Willy Taveras R 221 72 0.326
Emilio Bonifacio B 148 41 0.277
Corey Patterson L 167 46 0.275
Brett Gardner L 192 52 0.271
Nyjer Morgan L 120 32 0.267
Carlos Gomez R 177 43 0.243
Gregor Blanco L 143 34 0.238
Angel Pagan B 148 35 0.236
Michael Bourn L 260 59 0.227
Cameron Maybin R 128 29 0.227
Willie Bloomquist R 121 27 0.223
Adam Eaton L 103 23 0.223
Jose Tabata R 103 23 0.223
Jean Segura R 154 34 0.221
Melvin Upton R 128 28 0.219
Jose Reyes B 331 72 0.218
Erick Aybar B 268 58 0.216
Endy Chavez L 222 48 0.216
Tom Goodwin L 159 34 0.214
Tony Womack L 159 34 0.214
Ryan Braun R 169 36 0.213
Ichiro Suzuki L 493 105 0.213
Asdrubal Cabrera B 151 32 0.212
Vince Coleman B 183 38 0.208
Deion Sanders L 116 24 0.207
Everth Cabrera B 128 26 0.203
Luis Castillo B 320 65 0.203
Dee Gordon L 172 35 0.203
Melvin Mora R 138 28 0.203
Brian L. Hunter R 109 22 0.202
Otis Nixon B 435 88 0.202
Neifi Perez B 114 23 0.202
Luis Polonia L 220 44 0.200
Michael Brantley L 102 20 0.196
Ian Desmond R 153 30 0.196
Kenny Lofton L 331 64 0.193
Craig Biggio R 309 59 0.191
Adeiny Hechavarria R 115 22 0.191
Ramon Santiago B 121 23 0.190
Nick Punto B 160 30 0.188
Reggie Sanders R 112 21 0.188
Rondell White R 117 22 0.188
Ben Zobrist B 176 33 0.188
Rajai Davis R 124 23 0.185
Omar Infante R 178 33 0.185
Elvis Andrus R 227 41 0.181
Denard Span L 243 44 0.181
Carl Crawford L 289 52 0.180
Howie Kendrick R 218 39 0.179
Robby Thompson R 117 21 0.179
Justin Upton R 106 19 0.179
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP P1 P2
Brian Lawrence R 114 4 0.035 FA SL
Tim Leary R 153 6 0.039 SF FA
Randy Tomlin L 103 4 0.039 CH FA
Michael Jackson R 118 5 0.042 SL FT
Russ Ortiz R 119 5 0.042 FA CU
Trevor Wilson L 119 5 0.042 FA SL
Bobby J. Jones R 165 8 0.048 SI CU
Bronson Arroyo R 278 14 0.050 FA SL
Shaun Marcum R 136 7 0.051 FA CH
Mark Mulder L 138 7 0.051 FA CU
Alex Fernandez R 271 14 0.052 FA CU
Mike Maroth L 115 6 0.052 FA CH
Mariano Rivera R 230 12 0.052 FC FA
Rick Reed R 111 6 0.054 FT FC
Jeff Ballard L 110 6 0.055 CH SI
Brett Tomko R 142 8 0.056 FA SL
Kevin Ritz R 158 9 0.057 FA CU
Bob Tewksbury R 312 18 0.058 SI CU
Mike Timlin R 138 8 0.058 FA FC
Allan Anderson L 100 6 0.060 CH FA
Luis Aquino R 116 7 0.060 FA SL
Jose Rijo R 165 10 0.061 FA SL
Andrew Cashner R 128 8 0.062 FA SL
Salomon Torres R 111 7 0.063 FA SL
Greg Hibbard L 157 10 0.064 CH SI
Joe M. Smith R 125 8 0.064 FA SL
Mark Langston L 294 19 0.065 * *
Horacio Ramirez L 154 10 0.065 * *
Jeff Russell R 107 7 0.065 * *
Johan Santana L 217 14 0.065 * *
Carlos Silva R 153 10 0.065 * *
Bill Wegman R 170 11 0.065 * *
Josh Fogg R 137 9 0.066 * *
Dwight Gooden R 267 18 0.067 * *
Scott Karl L 105 7 0.067 * *
Kirk Saarloos R 101 7 0.069 * *
Bill Swift R 304 21 0.069 * *
Zack Greinke R 315 22 0.070 * *
Cory Lidle R 143 10 0.070 * *
Kenny Rogers L 556 39 0.070 * *
Jeff Francis L 181 13 0.072 * *
Rick Sutcliffe R 138 10 0.072 * *
Danny Darwin R 192 14 0.073 * *
John Franco L 123 9 0.073 * *
Chris Haney L 109 8 0.073 * *
Tom Glavine L 611 45 0.074 * *
Mike Maddux R 121 9 0.074 * *
Dennis Martinez R 404 30 0.074 * *
Jamie Moyer L 421 31 0.074 * *
Bob Ojeda L 162 12 0.074 * *
Roy Oswalt R 244 18 0.074 * *
Chan Ho Park R 189 14 0.074 * *
Kirk Rueter L 272 20 0.074 * *
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Pitcher (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Dmitri Young B 111 4 0.036
Edwin Encarnacion R 103 4 0.039
George Brett L 100 4 0.040
Eric Chavez L 112 5 0.045
Eddie Murray B 127 6 0.047
J. T. Snow L 107 5 0.047
Tino Martinez L 124 6 0.048
Tony Pena R 124 6 0.048
Paul Konerko R 122 6 0.049
Alfonso Soriano R 123 6 0.049
Joe Oliver R 101 5 0.050
Ken Caminiti B 117 6 0.051
Carlos Lee R 156 8 0.051
Javy Lopez R 116 6 0.052
A. J. Pierzynski L 248 13 0.052
Dave Magadan L 130 7 0.054
Jacque Jones L 127 7 0.055
Matt Lawton L 110 6 0.055
Hideki Matsui L 146 8 0.055
Mike Piazza R 127 7 0.055
Juan Rivera R 108 6 0.056
Jason Varitek B 107 6 0.056
Jeff Conine R 121 7 0.058
Joe Orsulak L 103 6 0.058
David Segui B 120 7 0.058
Ray Lankford L 102 6 0.059
Jorge Posada B 101 6 0.059
Brian Schneider L 118 7 0.059
Felix Fermin R 184 11 0.060
Jose Guillen R 150 9 0.060
Skip Schumaker L 151 9 0.060
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP P1 P2
Matt Garza R 173 42 0.243 FA SL
Matt Belisle R 116 24 0.207 FA SL
Chris Archer R 102 21 0.206 FA SL
Aaron Sele R 157 31 0.197 FA CU
Zach Britton L 112 22 0.196 FA SL
Rick Porcello R 194 38 0.196 FA SL
Max Scherzer R 138 27 0.196 FA CH
Homer Bailey R 119 23 0.193 FA SL
Chuck Finley L 238 46 0.193 FA CH
Chris Sale L 119 23 0.193 FA SL
Chris R. Young R 100 19 0.190 * *
Derek Holland L 118 22 0.186 * *
Mark Clark R 146 27 0.185 * *
Jim Deshaies L 124 23 0.185 * *
Clay Buchholz R 137 25 0.182 * *
Cliff P. Lee L 221 40 0.181 * *
CC Sabathia L 333 60 0.180 * *
Brett Anderson L 141 25 0.177 * *
Justin Masterson R 218 38 0.174 * *
Chris Volstad R 104 18 0.173 * *
Jim Johnson R 111 19 0.171 * *
Jeff Samardzija R 140 24 0.171 * *
Norm Charlton L 106 18 0.170 * *
Chris Tillman R 101 17 0.168 * *
Kevin Correia R 162 27 0.167 * *
Doug Fister R 198 33 0.167 * *
Scott Kazmir L 156 26 0.167 * *
J. A. Happ L 145 24 0.166 * *
Mike W. Stanton L 103 17 0.165 * *
James Shields R 262 43 0.164 * *
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Catcher (1988-2016)

Another table ruled as expected by the agile batsmen and the adroit bunter, topped by annual league leaders in stolen bases. Kenny Lofton and Willy Taveras are discussed elsewhere. Ichiro Suzuki earns his highest entry with a third-place mark (.264). The 2001 American League MVP and Rookie of the Year began the 2017 campaign with a .313 career BA in the Major Leagues. Suzuki eclipsed the 3000-hit plateau in 2016 (not to mention 1278 base knocks in the Japan Pacific League from 1992-2000). The ten-time All-Star surpassed 200 hits in each of his first ten seasons and established the Major League record with 262 safeties in 2004. A quartet of mound maestros held opposing batters hitless on batted balls fielded by the backstop – Sid Fernandez , Scott Sanderson , Curt Schilling and Bobby Witt . “El Sid” outdoes all hurlers in our focus group for BABIP-RF (.292 vs .556 league average) and places seventh in BABIP-CF (.357).  Eleven sluggers were unable to scratch a hit in fifty or more at-bats when the catcher fielded the ball. Todd Zeile owns the futility award for BABIP-C, failing to reach safely in 68 AB.
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Kenny Lofton L 73 33 0.452
Willy Taveras R 67 26 0.388
Ichiro Suzuki L 91 24 0.264
Otis Nixon B 76 19 0.250
Juan Pierre L 116 28 0.241
Erick Aybar B 57 13 0.228
Brett Butler L 90 18 0.200
Coco Crisp B 58 11 0.190
Jose Reyes B 91 17 0.187
Omar Vizquel B 111 20 0.180
B. J. Surhoff L 50 8 0.160
Jack Wilson R 64 10 0.156
Endy Chavez L 50 7 0.140
Hanley Ramirez R 57 7 0.123
Omar Infante R 50 6 0.120
Shane Victorino R 67 6 0.090
Jody Reed R 58 5 0.086
Roberto Alomar B 63 5 0.079
Marquis Grissom R 55 4 0.073
Johnny Damon L 85 6 0.071
Torii Hunter R 56 4 0.071
Billy Hatcher R 60 4 0.067
Cal Ripken R 89 6 0.067
Craig Biggio R 112 7 0.062
Brian McRae B 73 4 0.055
Brady Anderson L 57 3 0.053
David Ortiz L 59 3 0.051
Ron Gant R 83 4 0.048
Alex Rodriguez R 64 3 0.047
Ken Griffey L 91 4 0.044
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP P1 P2
Sid Fernandez L 73 0 0.000 FA CU
Scott Sanderson R 50 0 0.000 FA CU
Curt Schilling R 69 0 0.000 FA SL
Bobby Witt R 58 0 0.000 FA SL
Ramon J. Martinez R 84 1 0.012 FA CH
Pete Harnisch R 65 1 0.015 FA SL
John Lackey R 66 1 0.015 FA CU
Jeremy Guthrie R 58 1 0.017 FA SL
Cliff P. Lee L 60 1 0.017 FA CH
Cal Eldred R 56 1 0.018 FA CU
Alex Fernandez R 57 1 0.018 FA CU
Fernando Valenzuela L 55 1 0.018 SC FA
Clayton Kershaw L 53 1 0.019 FA SL
Bronson Arroyo R 98 2 0.020 FA SL
Tom Gordon R 50 1 0.020 CU FA
Barry Zito L 82 2 0.024 FA CU
Mark Langston L 75 2 0.027 FA SL
Mike Mussina R 103 3 0.029 FT FF
Chris R. Young R 65 2 0.031 FA SL
Matt Garza R 60 2 0.033 FA SL
Melido Perez R 61 2 0.033 FA SF
Jimmy Key L 58 2 0.034 CU FA
Javier Vazquez R 83 3 0.036 FA CH
David Wells L 110 4 0.036 CU FA
Dave Stewart R 54 2 0.037 FA SL
  • Minimum 50 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Catcher (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Adrian Beltre R 55 0 0.000
Edwin Encarnacion R 58 0 0.000
Raul Ibanez L 59 0 0.000
Carlos Lee R 59 0 0.000
Mark McGwire R 50 0 0.000
Eddie Murray B 53 0 0.000
Chris Sabo R 52 0 0.000
Ed Sprague R 51 0 0.000
Mickey Tettleton B 53 0 0.000
Greg Vaughn R 62 0 0.000
Todd Zeile R 68 0 0.000
Ruben Sierra B 80 1 0.012
Albert Pujols R 71 1 0.014
Gary Gaetti R 67 1 0.015
J. J. Hardy R 68 1 0.015
Rafael Palmeiro L 65 1 0.015
Juan Uribe R 67 1 0.015
Matt Williams R 64 1 0.016
Orlando Cabrera R 58 1 0.017
Tino Martinez L 59 1 0.017
Aramis Ramirez R 59 1 0.017
Ellis Burks R 55 1 0.018
Juan Gonzalez R 57 1 0.018
Andruw Jones R 55 1 0.018
Ryne Sandberg R 57 1 0.018
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP P1 P2
A. J. Burnett R 61 11 0.180 FA CU
Kevin J. Brown R 71 11 0.155 FT FF
Derek Lowe R 58 9 0.155 SI CU
Ricky Nolasco R 55 8 0.145 FA SL
Randy D. Johnson L 97 14 0.144 FF SL
Felix Hernandez R 50 7 0.140 FA CH
Greg Maddux R 88 12 0.136 FA CH
Pat Hentgen R 60 8 0.133 FC FF
Tim Hudson R 58 7 0.121 FA SL
Steve Trachsel R 51 6 0.118 FT FF
Dwight Gooden R 60 7 0.117 * *
Tom Candiotti R 96 11 0.115 * *
Bruce Chen L 52 6 0.115 * *
Roy Oswalt R 65 7 0.108 * *
Jack Morris R 56 6 0.107 * *
John Burkett R 66 7 0.106 * *
Jack McDowell R 66 7 0.106 * *
James Shields R 57 6 0.105 * *
Dan Haren R 79 8 0.101 * *
Wilson Alvarez L 50 5 0.100 * *
Jon Lester L 60 6 0.100 * *
Andy Pettitte L 80 8 0.100 * *
Kirk Rueter L 50 5 0.100 * *
John Smoltz R 93 9 0.097 * *
Roger Clemens R 104 10 0.096 * *
  • Minimum 50 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the First Baseman (1988-2016)

Otis Nixon leads all Major Leaguers since 1988 with six appearances on the BABIP location charts, encompassing the entire infield. Pilfering at least 30 bags in eleven straight seasons (1988-1998) Nixon ranks third with a .210 BABIP-1B and fourth with a .250 BABIP-C. Five-timer Shane Mack maintains the highest BABIP-1B (.197) for a right-handed hitter. Alex Sanchez nabbed 52 bags in his sophomore season (2003) and exceled at beating out bunts and ground balls to the first baseman as his .300 BABIP-1B readily attests. Scott Garrelts held the opposition hitless in 155 at-bats when they put the ball in play to the first baseman. Excluding Jimmy Anderson, Felix Heredia and Scott Downs, the BABIP-1B list is dominated by right-handed hurlers. The speedster has the best chance to beat out an infield roller to the first-sacker. However there are a number of fair to below-average runners scattered about the batters’ chart.
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Alex Sanchez L 120 36 0.300
Mike Felder B 147 31 0.211
Otis Nixon B 262 55 0.210
Gary Varsho L 111 22 0.198
Shane Mack R 127 25 0.197
Rafael Belliard R 106 20 0.189
David Howard B 104 19 0.183
Kevin Maas L 105 19 0.181
Tom Goodwin L 224 40 0.179
Vince Coleman B 260 45 0.173
Chuck Knoblauch R 215 37 0.172
Steve Sax R 176 30 0.170
Bip Roberts B 267 44 0.165
Brett Butler L 324 53 0.164
Deion Sanders L 190 31 0.163
David Hulse L 115 18 0.157
Carlos Gomez R 186 28 0.151
Luis Polonia L 232 35 0.151
Lance Johnson L 528 79 0.150
Paul Molitor R 263 39 0.148
Alfredo Griffin B 177 26 0.147
Michael Bourn L 410 60 0.146
Junior Felix B 153 22 0.144
Candy Maldonado R 104 15 0.144
Willie Wilson B 165 23 0.139
Mike Bordick R 188 26 0.138
Kirby Puckett R 218 30 0.138
Kevin Reimer L 152 21 0.138
Gary Pettis B 118 16 0.136
Brian McRae B 431 58 0.135
Luis Rivera R 126 17 0.135
Emilio Bonifacio B 164 22 0.134
Mitch Webster B 119 16 0.134
Andre Dawson R 150 20 0.133
Billy Hatcher R 195 26 0.133
Mark Lewis R 120 16 0.133
Pat Listach B 113 15 0.133
Milt Thompson L 233 31 0.133
Thomas Howard B 168 22 0.131
Dave Roberts L 237 31 0.131
Ricky Jordan R 100 13 0.130
Willie McGee B 300 39 0.130
Gregg Jefferies B 456 59 0.129
Craig Biggio R 362 46 0.127
Milt Cuyler B 152 19 0.125
John Kruk L 271 34 0.125
Andy Van Slyke L 432 54 0.125
Julio Franco R 170 21 0.124
Brian Harper R 137 17 0.124
Felix Jose B 169 21 0.124
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP P1 P2
Scott Garrelts R 155 0 0.000 FA SL
Shawn Camp R 165 1 0.006 FA SL
Tyson Ross R 166 1 0.006 FA SL
Jose Valverde R 169 1 0.006 FA SF
Kameron Loe R 133 1 0.008 FA CU
Randall Delgado R 106 1 0.009 FA CH
Troy Percival R 109 1 0.009 FA CU
Dave Schmidt R 106 1 0.009 SL CH
Brad Bergesen R 103 1 0.010 FA SL
Richard Dotson R 100 1 0.010 FA CU
Jeanmar Gomez R 105 1 0.010 FA CH
Brad Hennessey R 100 1 0.010 FA SL
Wade Miller R 104 1 0.010 FA CU
Robb Nen R 105 1 0.010 FA SL
Chris Sampson R 100 1 0.010 FA SL
Jeff Karstens R 145 2 0.014 FA CU
Josh Towers R 145 2 0.014 FA SL
Byung-Hyun Kim R 132 2 0.015 FA SL
Ian Snell R 200 3 0.015 FA SL
Victor Zambrano R 136 2 0.015 FA SL
Clay Buchholz R 307 5 0.016 FA CH
Jake Odorizzi R 124 2 0.016 FA CH
Jason Davis R 117 2 0.017 FA SF
Jon Garland R 419 7 0.017 FA CH
Guillermo Mota R 115 2 0.017 FA CH
Rafael Soriano R 116 2 0.017 FA SL
Randy Wells R 120 2 0.017 FA SL
Brandon Backe R 112 2 0.018 * *
Kris Benson R 166 3 0.018 * *
Wade Davis R 167 3 0.018 * *
John Maine R 112 2 0.018 * *
Tanner Roark R 114 2 0.018 * *
Jesse Crain R 104 2 0.019 * *
Kris Medlen R 107 2 0.019 * *
Erasmo Ramirez R 106 2 0.019 * *
Armando Benitez R 101 2 0.020 * *
Elmer Dessens R 147 3 0.020 * *
Adam Eaton R 199 4 0.020 * *
Javier Lopez L 151 3 0.020 * *
Shaun Marcum R 245 5 0.020 * *
Rich Robertson L 100 2 0.020 * *
Chris Sale L 152 3 0.020 * *
Travis Wood L 147 3 0.020 * *
Carlos Carrasco R 140 3 0.021 * *
Scott Downs L 144 3 0.021 * *
Jeff Francis L 238 5 0.021 * *
Ryan Madson R 142 3 0.021 * *
Scott Baker R 226 5 0.022 * *
Tom Gorzelanny L 178 4 0.022 * *
Zack Greinke R 503 11 0.022 * *
Julio Teheran R 181 4 0.022 * *
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the First Baseman (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Daric Barton L 131 0 0.000
Pat Burrell R 128 0 0.000
Jorge Cantu R 102 0 0.000
Dan Johnson L 145 0 0.000
Corey Koskie L 110 0 0.000
Mike Napoli R 120 0 0.000
Paul Konerko R 198 1 0.005
Alex Rios R 217 1 0.005
Trot Nixon L 157 1 0.006
Mike Lowell R 141 1 0.007
Jack Hannahan L 120 1 0.008
Melvin Mora R 133 1 0.008
Juan Rivera R 133 1 0.008
Ramon Vazquez L 129 1 0.008
John Buck R 108 1 0.009
Miguel Cabrera R 226 2 0.009
Chris Iannetta R 110 1 0.009
Albert Pujols R 226 2 0.009
Cody Ross R 112 1 0.009
D’Angelo Jimenez B 104 1 0.010
Alex Gonzalez R 179 2 0.011
Eric Byrnes R 151 2 0.013
Casey Kotchman L 388 5 0.013
David Bell R 139 2 0.014
Joe Crede R 139 2 0.014
Jeff Francoeur R 208 3 0.014
Chris Gomez R 130 2 0.015
Scott Hatteberg L 323 5 0.015
Lyle Overbay L 410 6 0.015
Nick Swisher B 392 6 0.015
Rondell White R 131 2 0.015
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP P1 P2
Dave Righetti L 114 23 0.202 FA SL
Chuck McElroy L 118 22 0.186 FA CU
Shawn Hillegas R 100 18 0.180 FA CU
Chris Nabholz L 125 22 0.176 FA CU
Bill Krueger L 141 23 0.163 FA SL
John Habyan R 119 19 0.160 SL FA
Scott Scudder R 108 17 0.157 FA SL
Alex Fernandez R 348 54 0.155 FA CU
Bob Ojeda L 187 29 0.155 CH FA
Brett Anderson L 149 23 0.154 FA SL
Rich DeLucia R 143 22 0.154 * *
Dave Fleming L 131 20 0.153 * *
Todd Frohwirth R 119 18 0.151 * *
Dan Plesac L 120 18 0.150 * *
Julio Valera R 107 16 0.150 * *
Anthony Young R 147 22 0.150 * *
Jim Gott R 109 16 0.147 * *
Jimmy Jones R 163 24 0.147 * *
Joe Grahe R 118 17 0.144 * *
Jose Guzman R 223 32 0.143 * *
Randy Myers L 133 19 0.143 * *
Bob Scanlan R 168 24 0.143 * *
Paul Assenmacher L 142 20 0.141 * *
Rich Monteleone R 108 15 0.139 * *
Trevor Wilson L 173 24 0.139 * *
Les Lancaster R 153 21 0.137 * *
Mike Magnante L 117 16 0.137 * *
Rod Nichols R 102 14 0.137 * *
Stan Belinda R 126 17 0.135 * *
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Second Baseman (1988-2016)

Seven-time All-Star and member of the 3000-hit club Craig Biggio registers four appearances on the BABIP infield charts (BABIP-P, C, 1B, 2B). Zach Miner coaxed 125 batted balls towards the general direction of two-time Gold Glove second baseman Placido Polanco. Joey Gathright preferred hitting the ball up the middle as his placement in the top-3 for BABIP-2B and CF (along with a top-25 in BABIP-SS) demonstrates. Jose Guzman, Bill Krueger and Dave Otto encountered difficulty retiring the opposition on balls hit to their infielders. The trio registered in three of the four BABIP trailer lists for infield positions 3 through 6.
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Mike Caruso L 105 26 0.248
Joey Gathright L 149 28 0.188
Gary Varsho L 155 27 0.174
Odubel Herrera L 103 17 0.165
Billy Hamilton B 134 22 0.164
Lew Ford R 120 19 0.158
Carlos Hernandez R 114 18 0.158
Rafael Belliard R 225 35 0.156
Otis Nixon B 571 86 0.151
Chico Walker B 134 20 0.149
Brian Downing R 142 21 0.148
Lonnie Smith R 103 15 0.146
Steve Lyons L 179 26 0.145
Casey Candaele B 209 30 0.144
Darrin Jackson R 132 19 0.144
Starling Marte R 146 21 0.144
Alex Cole L 281 40 0.142
Willie Randolph R 211 30 0.142
Craig Biggio R 665 94 0.141
Xander Bogaerts R 142 20 0.141
Brett Butler L 649 91 0.140
Leo Gomez R 121 17 0.140
Sam Horn L 114 16 0.140
Pat F. Kelly R 136 19 0.140
Rey Ordonez R 200 28 0.140
Julio Borbon L 122 17 0.139
Mike Trout R 180 25 0.139
Shane Mack R 283 39 0.138
Kevin Reimer L 205 28 0.137
Billy Burns B 103 14 0.136
Drew Stubbs R 162 22 0.136
Alex Sanchez L 170 23 0.135
Ruben Amaro B 135 18 0.133
Marquis Grissom R 594 79 0.133
Randy Ready R 113 15 0.133
Jordan Schafer L 128 17 0.133
Dee Gordon L 285 37 0.130
Pat Listach B 215 28 0.130
Brian McRae B 636 82 0.129
Andy Fox L 141 18 0.128
Greg Olson R 109 14 0.128
Jose Uribe B 219 28 0.128
Willie McGee B 628 80 0.127
Ryne Sandberg R 417 53 0.127
Vince Coleman B 461 58 0.126
Luis Rivera R 191 24 0.126
Jeff Blauser R 264 33 0.125
Doug Glanville R 192 24 0.125
Scott Podsednik L 550 69 0.125
Pitcher Throws AB H BABIP
Zach Miner R 125 0 0.000
Hector Noesi R 139 1 0.007
Ray King L 118 1 0.008
Rubby De La Rosa R 142 2 0.014
Santiago Casilla R 194 3 0.015
Tommy John L 116 2 0.017
Duaner Sanchez R 121 2 0.017
Floyd Bannister L 104 2 0.019
Tim Byrdak L 108 2 0.019
Tanyon Sturtze R 102 2 0.020
Jon Rauch R 187 4 0.021
Rick Rhoden R 140 3 0.021
John Tudor L 144 3 0.021
Jo-Jo Reyes L 128 3 0.023
Craig Breslow L 201 5 0.025
Vinnie Chulk R 120 3 0.025
Dennis Springer R 162 4 0.025
Trevor Bauer R 191 5 0.026
Bob Forsch R 114 3 0.026
Michael Wacha R 194 5 0.026
Bob Wells R 116 3 0.026
Chris Holt R 112 3 0.027
Ryan Rowland-Smith L 147 4 0.027
Koji Uehara R 113 3 0.027
Nick Tepesch R 109 3 0.028
Mark Melancon R 207 6 0.029
Edward Mujica R 172 5 0.029
Troy Percival R 136 4 0.029
Anthony Reyes R 103 3 0.029
Sergio Romo R 139 4 0.029
Doug Waechter R 136 4 0.029
Alfredo Aceves R 135 4 0.030
Andrew Cashner R 265 8 0.030
Manny Delcarmen R 135 4 0.030
Christian Friedrich L 100 3 0.030
Mike Scott R 265 8 0.030
Jeff D’Amico R 161 5 0.031
Richard Dotson R 162 5 0.031
Ken Howell R 130 4 0.031
Taylor Buchholz R 124 4 0.032
Tyler Chatwood R 216 7 0.032
Jason Frasor R 217 7 0.032
J. A. Happ L 410 13 0.032
Ivan Nova R 309 10 0.032
Ron Villone L 252 8 0.032
Jair Jurrjens R 305 10 0.033
Damaso Marte L 121 4 0.033
Steve Sparks R 246 8 0.033
Luis Vizcaino R 152 5 0.033
Victor Zambrano R 214 7 0.033
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Second Baseman (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Jason Castro L 230 3 0.013
Ron Hassey L 150 2 0.013
Khalil Greene R 138 2 0.014
Aaron Hicks B 117 2 0.017
Fred Lynn L 119 2 0.017
Jason L. Phillips R 121 2 0.017
Eric Munson L 112 2 0.018
Russell Branyan L 155 3 0.019
Lyle Overbay L 669 14 0.021
Carlos Santana B 373 8 0.021
Rich Gedman L 135 3 0.022
Nick Swisher B 457 10 0.022
Yorvit Torrealba R 217 5 0.023
Mark Bellhorn B 127 3 0.024
Daryle Ward L 169 4 0.024
Jose Abreu R 118 3 0.025
Greg Brock L 199 5 0.025
Marty Barrett R 114 3 0.026
Ryan Church L 231 6 0.026
Trevor Crowe B 115 3 0.026
Ryan Garko R 146 4 0.027
Javier Valentin B 147 4 0.027
Darnell Coles R 108 3 0.028
Greg Dobbs L 252 7 0.028
Eduardo Escobar B 144 4 0.028
Adrian Gonzalez L 836 23 0.028
Brad Hawpe L 355 10 0.028
Ryan Ludwick R 215 6 0.028
Luis Rodriguez B 142 4 0.028
Randall Simon L 107 3 0.028
Geovany Soto R 108 3 0.028
Marvell Wynne L 109 3 0.028
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Vicente Palacios R 115 22 0.191
Barry Jones R 167 30 0.180
Chris Nabholz L 229 39 0.170
Wally Whitehurst R 213 33 0.155
Tom Edens R 118 18 0.153
Dave Otto L 144 22 0.153
Joe Slusarski R 105 16 0.152
Roger Mason R 120 18 0.150
Gregg Olson R 180 27 0.150
Russ Swan L 156 23 0.147
Carl Willis R 131 19 0.145
Anthony Young R 208 30 0.144
Scott Sanderson R 448 63 0.141
Brian Barnes L 115 16 0.139
Alejandro Pena R 151 21 0.139
Mike Sirotka L 122 17 0.139
Frank Viola L 563 77 0.137
Jim Mecir R 118 16 0.136
Trevor Wilson L 295 40 0.136
Oil Can Boyd R 202 27 0.134
Jose Guzman R 320 43 0.134
Bill Krueger L 299 40 0.134
Mark Eichhorn R 286 38 0.133
Xavier Hernandez R 233 31 0.133
Randy Myers L 293 39 0.133
Carlos Perez L 211 28 0.133
Alex Wood L 180 24 0.133
Chris Reitsma R 153 20 0.131
Norm Charlton L 285 37 0.130
John Franco L 332 43 0.130
Craig Kimbrel R 100 13 0.130
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Third Baseman (1988-2016)

Kenny Lofton’s elite wheels facilitated a .309 BABIP-3B. In a career spanning 17 seasons, the six-time All-Star poached 622 bases including six years with 50+ SB’s. Lofton also sits atop the BABIP-C rankings with a .452 mark. Dee Gordon registers dual third-place entries, sporting a .291 BABIP-3B and a .185 BABIP-SS. The 2015 NL batting champion topped the circuit with 50+ steals in back-to-back seasons (2014-15). Luis Polonia claims the third-highest BABIP-3B at .287. The career .293 hitter surfaces in four of the BABIP by Location charts (P, 1B, SS, 3B). Polonia purloined 45 or more bases in three successive campaigns (1991-93). Brett Butler places among the BABIP leaderboards at every infield position excluding pitcher. The nimble center fielder and four-time League leader in triples swiped 30+ bases in eleven consecutive seasons (1983-1993) while delivering a fourth-place finish in BABIP-3B (.285). One would not expect to find a pitcher with a 14-22 record and an ERA of 4.44 at the head of any baseball “best-of” lists. Nick Martinez may be the exception to the rule although it must be noted that the Rangers possess a Gold Glove defender at the hot corner in Adrian Beltre. Entering his fourth season in 2017, Martinez has induced 110 ground balls to the third sacker and only one has been scored as a base hit.
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Kenny Lofton L 337 104 0.309
Dee Gordon L 165 48 0.291
Luis Polonia L 258 74 0.287
Brett Butler L 471 134 0.285
Andy Van Slyke L 129 35 0.271
Dave Hollins B 307 80 0.261
Hal Morris L 200 52 0.260
Milt Cuyler B 117 29 0.248
Felix Jose B 187 45 0.241
Willy Taveras R 251 60 0.239
Lance Johnson L 244 58 0.238
Darryl Hamilton L 246 58 0.236
Keith A. Miller R 158 37 0.234
Willie McGee B 326 76 0.233
John Kruk L 114 26 0.228
Tom Goodwin L 116 26 0.224
Juan Lagares R 108 24 0.222
Nyjer Morgan L 104 23 0.221
Andy Stankiewicz R 100 22 0.220
Doug Dascenzo B 137 30 0.219
Craig Gentry R 116 25 0.216
Delino DeShields L 222 47 0.212
Alejandro De Aza L 105 22 0.210
Emilio Bonifacio B 206 43 0.209
Rex Hudler R 225 47 0.209
Orlando Merced B 159 33 0.208
Starling Marte R 232 48 0.207
Thomas Howard B 131 27 0.206
Doug Glanville R 157 32 0.204
Nori Aoki L 184 37 0.201
Gregor Blanco L 105 21 0.200
Pat Listach B 145 29 0.200
Robin Ventura L 250 50 0.200
Mitch Webster B 135 27 0.200
Tony Gwynn L 231 46 0.199
Shane Mack R 276 55 0.199
Dave Martinez L 231 46 0.199
Paul Molitor R 692 137 0.198
Milt Thompson L 182 36 0.198
Leo Gomez R 208 41 0.197
Mark Whiten B 235 46 0.196
Michael Bourn L 190 37 0.195
Gerardo Parra L 133 26 0.195
Yasiel Puig R 159 31 0.195
Jean Segura R 210 41 0.195
Roberto Alomar B 530 103 0.194
Jeff Treadway L 108 21 0.194
Lenny Harris L 239 46 0.192
Jerald Clark R 188 36 0.191
Ron Karkovice R 298 57 0.191
Manuel Lee B 157 30 0.191
Otis Nixon B 345 66 0.191
Steve Sax R 419 80 0.191
Pitcher Throws AB H BABIP
Nick Martinez R 110 1 0.009
Brad Hennessey R 109 2 0.018
Roger Bailey R 143 3 0.021
Zach Day R 131 3 0.023
Alfredo Aceves R 108 3 0.028
Angel Miranda L 122 4 0.033
Chris Perez R 111 4 0.036
Grant Balfour R 108 4 0.037
Neal Cotts L 134 5 0.037
Luke Gregerson R 135 5 0.037
Sergio Romo R 101 4 0.040
Kirk Saarloos R 174 7 0.040
Brian Tallet L 150 6 0.040
Dan Straily R 131 6 0.046
Tyler Chatwood R 167 8 0.048
Billy Wagner L 162 8 0.049
John H. Patterson R 120 6 0.050
Roenis Elias L 116 6 0.052
Miguel Gonzalez R 229 12 0.052
Kameron Loe R 233 12 0.052
Brad Thompson R 172 9 0.052
Jimmy Gobble L 151 8 0.053
John Thomson R 297 16 0.054
Joe Kennedy L 219 12 0.055
Wade LeBlanc L 164 9 0.055
Mike Mohler L 109 6 0.055
Mike Myers L 145 8 0.055
Jeff Weaver R 310 17 0.055
Tony J. Armas R 126 7 0.056
Justin Duchscherer R 126 7 0.056
Brian Fuentes L 126 7 0.056
Rubby De La Rosa R 123 7 0.057
Jeff D’Amico R 155 9 0.058
Josh Fogg R 310 18 0.058
Ron Mahay L 138 8 0.058
Nate Robertson L 463 27 0.058
Chris Sampson R 138 8 0.058
J. P. Howell L 222 13 0.059
Wade Miller R 102 6 0.059
Joel Peralta R 169 10 0.059
Rick Reuschel R 205 12 0.059
Gustavo Chacin L 117 7 0.060
Josh Johnson R 232 14 0.060
Brian Lawrence R 218 13 0.060
Franklin Morales L 133 8 0.060
Esmil Rogers R 133 8 0.060
Ugueth Urbina R 100 6 0.060
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Third Baseman (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Rod Barajas R 298 4 0.013
Bengie Molina R 347 5 0.014
Eddie Perez R 147 2 0.014
Craig Worthington R 143 3 0.021
Gary Bennett R 116 3 0.026
Toby Hall R 228 6 0.026
Andres Thomas R 155 4 0.026
Ramon Martinez R 113 3 0.027
Brian Giles L 189 6 0.032
Todd Helton L 248 8 0.032
Andy LaRoche R 154 5 0.032
Matt Dominguez R 123 4 0.033
Jason L. Phillips R 175 6 0.034
Jim Presley R 170 6 0.035
Michael Barrett R 220 8 0.036
Paul Konerko R 743 27 0.036
Kevin Millar R 336 12 0.036
Mike Moustakas L 163 6 0.037
Brian Schneider L 108 4 0.037
John Flaherty R 237 9 0.038
Ryan Garko R 132 5 0.038
Will Middlebrooks R 104 4 0.038
Geoff Blum B 178 7 0.039
A. J. Ellis R 155 6 0.039
J. T. Snow L 181 7 0.039
Josh Bard B 101 4 0.040
Chris Snyder R 247 10 0.040
Kenji Johjima R 269 11 0.041
Damian Miller R 190 8 0.042
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Tim Crews R 116 27 0.233
Les Lancaster R 173 40 0.231
Mike Jeffcoat L 127 29 0.228
Mike Hartley R 111 25 0.225
Matt Beech L 101 22 0.218
Jose Guzman R 276 59 0.214
Bill Sampen R 117 25 0.214
Dave Otto L 143 30 0.210
Craig Lefferts L 287 60 0.209
Rich DeLucia R 151 31 0.205
Alan Mills R 112 23 0.205
Rusty Meacham R 108 22 0.204
Greg Cadaret L 207 42 0.203
Randy Tomlin L 290 58 0.200
Jack Armstrong R 236 47 0.199
Wally Whitehurst R 172 34 0.198
Mike Gardiner R 140 27 0.193
Lee Guetterman L 197 38 0.193
Scott Scudder R 131 25 0.191
Chuck Crim R 200 38 0.190
Juan Guzman R 326 62 0.190
Bob Patterson L 137 26 0.190
Brian Barnes L 181 34 0.188
Joe Grahe R 133 25 0.188
Scott Kamieniecki R 293 55 0.188
Bill Krueger L 287 54 0.188
Dwight Gooden R 436 81 0.186
John Habyan R 118 22 0.186
Tom Bolton L 200 37 0.185
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Shortstop (1988-2016)

A diverse cast of characters intersperses the BABIP-SS charts. While spry baserunners abound, the top 50 batters list is sprinkled with runners of a more leisurely pace such as Geno Petralli , Andy Stankiewicz and John Wehner . Jason L. Phillips merits the futility award for BABIP-Infield. The former catcher / first baseman scattered 593 batted balls among the six positions and achieved a base hit merely 13 times (.022). The trailers on the BABIP-SS chart are predominantly catchers or slow-footed sluggers batting from the right side. Ramon Abraham Castro earns the goat horns, beating out a lone single in 129 attempts (.008). Chris Perez limited opponents to three hits out of 118 batted balls to the shortstop (.025). A first round selection for the Redbirds in 2006, “Pure Rage” tops the “BABIP-Infield” charts among qualifying hurlers at .038 (17 for 451)!
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Curt Wilkerson B 136 31 0.228
Chico Walker B 102 22 0.216
John Wehner R 107 21 0.196
Marvin Benard L 107 20 0.187
Dee Gordon L 260 48 0.185
Willie McGee B 560 103 0.184
Geno Petralli L 103 19 0.184
Derrick May L 186 34 0.183
Andy Stankiewicz R 104 19 0.183
Ichiro Suzuki L 1094 199 0.182
Alex Cole L 182 33 0.181
Ray Lankford L 295 53 0.180
Jarrod Dyson L 145 26 0.179
Jose Iglesias R 208 37 0.178
Luis Polonia L 556 99 0.178
Jermaine Allensworth R 124 22 0.177
Pat Listach B 243 43 0.177
Craig Gentry R 136 24 0.176
Tom Goodwin L 256 45 0.176
Nook Logan B 108 19 0.176
Jerald Clark R 236 41 0.174
Brian L. Hunter R 350 61 0.174
Bret Barberie B 127 22 0.173
Billy Burns B 104 18 0.173
Joey Gathright L 173 30 0.173
Curtis Goodwin L 106 18 0.170
Otis Nixon B 772 131 0.170
Willy Taveras R 324 55 0.170
F. P. Santangelo B 118 20 0.169
Mel Hall L 210 35 0.167
Doug Glanville R 259 43 0.166
Shane Mack R 394 65 0.165
Drew Stubbs R 340 56 0.165
Tony Womack L 340 56 0.165
Lenny Dykstra L 293 48 0.164
Junior Felix B 220 36 0.164
Darryl Hamilton L 464 76 0.164
Al Martin L 203 33 0.163
Deion Sanders L 215 35 0.163
Delino DeShields L 475 77 0.162
Chris Jones R 124 20 0.161
Bip Roberts B 515 83 0.161
Michael Bourn L 375 60 0.160
Shawon Dunston R 500 80 0.160
Nori Aoki L 315 50 0.159
Greg Briley L 132 21 0.159
Luis Castillo B 769 122 0.159
Jim Eisenreich L 435 69 0.159
Pitcher Throws AB H BABIP
Chris Perez R 118 3 0.025
Jarrod Parker R 143 4 0.028
Rick Bauer R 102 3 0.029
Byung-Hyun Kim R 218 7 0.032
Mike Munoz L 124 4 0.032
Brad Bergesen R 181 6 0.033
Mike Mimbs L 123 4 0.033
Terry Clark R 117 4 0.034
Zach Wheeler R 119 4 0.034
Jeurys Familia R 113 4 0.035
Mike Minor L 260 9 0.035
Dustin McGowan R 217 8 0.037
Dustin Moseley R 159 6 0.038
Marcus Stroman R 154 6 0.039
Jared Burton R 122 5 0.041
Dewon Brazelton R 117 5 0.043
Jesus Colome R 116 5 0.043
Dan Otero R 138 6 0.043
Ryan Rowland-Smith L 140 6 0.043
Mike Adams R 135 6 0.044
Travis Harper R 136 6 0.044
Brian Lawrence R 273 12 0.044
Albie Lopez R 137 6 0.044
Wade Miller R 137 6 0.044
Addison Reed R 113 5 0.044
Jorge Sosa R 270 12 0.044
Scott Elarton R 223 10 0.045
Brandon McCarthy R 418 19 0.045
David Williams L 110 5 0.045
Tim Redding R 303 14 0.046
Ronald Belisario R 148 7 0.047
Yordano Ventura R 212 10 0.047
Chad Bettis R 146 7 0.048
Jhoulys Chacin R 332 16 0.048
Julio Mateo R 104 5 0.048
Eric O’Flaherty L 166 8 0.048
John Axford R 164 8 0.049
Larry McWilliams L 185 9 0.049
Mike Mohler L 123 6 0.049
Charlie Morton R 448 22 0.049
Tony Watson L 143 7 0.049
Chuck James L 100 5 0.050
Jose Mercedes R 119 6 0.050
Clay Parker R 100 5 0.050
Jeremy Sowers L 220 11 0.050
Tanyon Sturtze R 121 6 0.050
Bob Wolcott R 119 6 0.050
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Shortstop (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Ramon Castro R 129 1 0.008
Jason L. Phillips R 187 3 0.016
Justin Smoak B 207 4 0.019
Rob Johnson R 101 2 0.020
Keith Moreland R 125 3 0.024
Brendan Harris R 241 6 0.025
Mike Morse R 303 8 0.026
Rey Quinones R 115 3 0.026
Alex Avila L 113 3 0.027
Kenji Johjima R 221 6 0.027
Javier Valentin B 110 3 0.027
Livan Hernandez R 107 3 0.028
Salvador Perez R 356 10 0.028
Toby Hall R 244 7 0.029
Vance Wilson R 102 3 0.029
Gary Bennett R 135 4 0.030
Mike Lamb L 131 4 0.031
Victor Martinez B 574 19 0.033
Bengie Molina R 455 15 0.033
Chad Tracy L 240 8 0.033
Geovany Soto R 235 8 0.034
Mike Jacobs L 138 5 0.036
Yadier Molina R 776 28 0.036
Daniel Nava B 111 4 0.036
Yangervis Solarte B 140 5 0.036
Glenn Wilson R 168 6 0.036
Darwin Barney R 328 12 0.037
Gaby Sanchez R 217 8 0.037
Drew Butera R 105 4 0.038
Ramon Hernandez R 533 20 0.038
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Steve Woodard R 100 26 0.260
Bob Kipper L 112 25 0.223
Mike Sirotka L 161 33 0.205
Matt Beech L 108 22 0.204
Bill Pulsipher L 120 22 0.183
Jeff Johnson L 123 22 0.179
Francisco Oliveras R 101 18 0.178
Jack Armstrong R 325 56 0.172
Mike Schooler R 116 20 0.172
Alejandro Pena R 170 29 0.171
Heathcliff Slocumb R 195 33 0.169
Scott Aldred L 191 32 0.168
Don August R 188 31 0.165
Dustin Hermanson R 272 44 0.162
Bryan Hickerson L 185 30 0.162
Randy Tomlin L 340 55 0.162
Dave Schmidt R 135 21 0.156
Dave Otto L 193 30 0.155
Andy Ashby R 572 88 0.154
Ed Nunez R 143 22 0.154
Yusmeiro Petit R 187 28 0.150
Bill Sampen R 127 19 0.150
Tony Saunders L 113 17 0.150
Barry Jones R 168 25 0.149
Joe Boever R 297 44 0.148
Steve Frey L 155 23 0.148
Michael Pineda R 190 28 0.147
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Infield (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Willy Taveras R 1238 243 0.196
Dee Gordon L 1081 199 0.184
Otis Nixon B 2461 445 0.181
Brett Butler L 2619 457 0.174
Alex Cole L 778 135 0.174
Luis Polonia L 1860 324 0.174
Billy Hamilton B 570 98 0.172
Shane Mack R 1202 203 0.169
Drew Stubbs R 921 149 0.162
Emilio Bonifacio B 1121 181 0.161
Pat Listach B 838 134 0.160
Willie McGee B 2031 324 0.160
Tom Goodwin L 1182 188 0.159
Kenny Lofton L 2700 427 0.158
Starling Marte R 861 135 0.157
Jarrod Dyson L 683 106 0.155
Doug Glanville R 774 119 0.154
Pat F. Kelly R 746 114 0.153
Jerald Clark R 699 106 0.152
Vince Coleman B 1641 250 0.152
Deion Sanders L 924 140 0.152
Darrin Jackson R 1057 160 0.151
Rex Hudler R 775 116 0.150
Yasiel Puig R 605 90 0.149
Mike Trout R 907 135 0.149
Craig Biggio R 3785 560 0.148
Peter Bourjos R 769 114 0.148
Milt Cuyler B 661 98 0.148
Tony Womack L 1301 193 0.148
Michael Bourn L 1943 285 0.147
Carlos Gomez R 1501 220 0.147
Luis Castillo B 2449 357 0.146
Mike Felder B 975 142 0.146
Brian L. Hunter R 1058 154 0.146
Jose Iglesias R 684 100 0.146
Felix Jose B 1063 155 0.146
Ichiro Suzuki L 4174 611 0.146
Bip Roberts B 1810 263 0.145
Ryne Sandberg R 2085 300 0.144
Paul Molitor R 2755 395 0.143
Delino DeShields L 1946 277 0.142
Darryl Hamilton L 1880 267 0.142
Keith A. Miller R 597 85 0.142
Junior Felix B 874 123 0.141
Leo Gomez R 659 92 0.140
Lance Johnson L 2619 366 0.140
Doug Dascenzo B 670 93 0.139
Mitch Webster B 732 102 0.139
Casey Candaele B 645 89 0.138
Dave Hollins B 1386 191 0.138
David Howard B 621 86 0.138
Jose Tabata R 761 105 0.138
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Chris Perez R 451 17 0.038
Troy Percival R 510 21 0.041
Tanyon Sturtze R 443 18 0.041
Richard Dotson R 572 26 0.045
Chris Sampson R 618 28 0.045
Dan Straily R 556 27 0.049
Rubby De La Rosa R 598 30 0.050
Bob Wells R 460 23 0.050
John H. Patterson R 508 26 0.051
Scott Proctor R 415 21 0.051
Tyler Chatwood R 822 43 0.052
Scott Garrelts R 785 41 0.052
Brian Lawrence R 1037 54 0.052
Nick Martinez R 446 23 0.052
Sergio Romo R 517 27 0.052
Jhoulys Chacin R 1289 68 0.053
Ryan Franklin R 1510 80 0.053
Wade Miller R 564 30 0.053
Victor Zambrano R 817 43 0.053
Kendall Graveman R 519 28 0.054
Brad Hennessey R 579 31 0.054
Tony J. Armas R 657 36 0.055
Brad Thompson R 743 41 0.055
Bob Wolcott R 475 26 0.055
Byung-Hyun Kim R 785 44 0.056
Guillermo Mota R 909 51 0.056
Doug Waechter R 519 29 0.056
Jeff Weaver R 1555 87 0.056
Alfredo Aceves R 543 31 0.057
Roger Bailey R 662 38 0.057
Grant Balfour R 582 33 0.057
Joaquin Benoit R 1114 64 0.057
Tyler Clippard R 665 38 0.057
Jarrod Parker R 543 31 0.057
Dennis Springer R 683 39 0.057
Jason Grilli R 760 44 0.058
Mark Melancon R 707 41 0.058
Mike Scott R 972 56 0.058
Brian Shouse L 617 36 0.058
Rafael Soriano R 674 39 0.058
  • Minimum 1000 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Infield (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Jason L. Phillips R 593 13 0.022
Bengie Molina R 1303 36 0.028
Toby Hall R 783 23 0.029
Rod Barajas R 1105 35 0.032
Javier Valentin B 448 15 0.033
Alex Avila L 640 22 0.034
Johnny Estrada B 653 22 0.034
Dan Johnson L 554 19 0.034
Victor Martinez B 2446 83 0.034
Greg Brock L 511 19 0.037
Jack Hannahan L 544 20 0.037
Brad Hawpe L 899 34 0.038
Lyle Overbay L 1803 69 0.038
Andres Thomas R 640 24 0.038
A. J. Ellis R 591 23 0.039
Brian Schneider L 1227 48 0.039
J. T. Snow L 1295 51 0.039
Josh Bard B 672 27 0.040
Ryan Garko R 596 24 0.040
Adrian Gonzalez L 2313 92 0.040
Ramon Hernandez R 1564 63 0.040
Nick Johnson L 794 32 0.040
Greg Dobbs L 753 31 0.041
Eric Hinske L 1087 45 0.041
Paul Konerko R 2232 92 0.041
Jason Kubel L 1105 45 0.041
Nick Swisher B 1688 69 0.041
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Dave Otto L 598 102 0.171
Alejandro Pena R 604 95 0.157
Mike Sirotka L 508 78 0.154
Bill Krueger L 1229 183 0.149
Randy Tomlin L 1088 161 0.148
Chris Nabholz L 1003 146 0.146
Wally Whitehurst R 859 125 0.146
Brian Barnes L 635 91 0.143
Barry Jones R 624 89 0.143
Scott Scudder R 640 91 0.142
Mike Magnante L 725 102 0.141
Jose Guzman R 1316 184 0.140
Craig Lefferts L 1054 148 0.140
John Habyan R 630 87 0.138
Heathcliff Slocumb R 814 112 0.138
Rich DeLucia R 820 112 0.137
Mike Jeffcoat L 583 80 0.137
Jack Armstrong R 1254 171 0.136
Les Lancaster R 920 125 0.136
Anthony Young R 855 115 0.135
Shawn Hillegas R 698 93 0.133
Dave Righetti L 735 97 0.132
Joe Boever R 1042 137 0.131
Mike Gardiner R 659 86 0.131
Bryan Hickerson L 602 79 0.131
Chuck McElroy L 771 101 0.131
Julio Valera R 528 69 0.131
  • Minimum 1000 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Left Fielder (1988-2016)

“Bo Knows BABIP” – Bo Jackson paces all lumberjacks in the past three decades with an astounding .888 BABIP-LF. Jackson swatted 32 big-flies and nabbed 26 bags in ’89, capping his finest campaign with a moon-shot in his lone All-Star Game . Runner-up Howie Kendrick possesses a .863 BABIP-LF entering the 2017 season. Kendrick also registers among the top 50 at BABIP-P and BABIP-CF. Francisco Oliveras tallied 8 wins and 5 saves for the Giants from 1990-92 while posting the lowest BABIP-LF at .394. Runner-up Neftali Feliz (.402) places third in BABIP-CF and fourth overall during the 1988-2016 timeframe. Bob Kipper and Tim Collins are the only southpaws among the BABIP-LF pitching leaders chart. Eight-time Gold Glove Award winner Barry Bonds patrolled left field throughout Kipper’s 6+ seasons in Pittsburgh. By the same token, Alex Gordon (four consecutive Gold Gloves) deserves to share in the glow of Collins’ low BABIP-LF. Batting and pitching handedness exceedingly influences BABIP to the corner outfield positions. All of the batters in the BABIP-LF top 50 bat right-handed while all of the trailers hit from the left side. The corner outfield trailer charts are littered with dead-pull hitters who were unable or unwilling to hit the ball with authority to the opposite field. The runner-up for 1990 AL Rookie of the Year, Yankees 1B-DH Kevin Maas laps the competition (in the wrong direction) with a .226 BABIP-LF. Conversely port-siders dwarf righties when evaluating the pitching trailers in BABIP-LF. We only have data for the final two seasons in Tommy John’s career. However “T.J.” yielded one or more bases on 79% of balls hit in the general direction of the Yankees’ left fielders in 1988-89, when the position was principally staffed by the “Man of Steal” – Rickey Henderson .
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Bo Jackson R 161 143 0.888
Howie Kendrick R 409 353 0.863
Carlos Quintana R 113 97 0.858
Ryan Spilborghs R 145 122 0.841
Derek Jeter R 718 601 0.837
Miguel Cabrera R 1106 910 0.823
Julio Franco R 419 345 0.823
Phil Bradley R 133 109 0.820
Matt Diaz R 178 146 0.820
Mike Trout R 334 273 0.817
Chris Denorfia R 182 147 0.808
Josh Phelps R 134 108 0.806
Chris Johnson R 339 273 0.805
Paul Goldschmidt R 322 259 0.804
Matt Kemp R 700 563 0.804
Mike Marshall R 184 148 0.804
Justin Maxwell R 102 82 0.804
Justin Ruggiano R 163 131 0.804
Andres Galarraga R 727 584 0.803
Cameron Maybin R 244 196 0.803
Junior Spivey R 122 98 0.803
Alex Rodriguez R 1103 882 0.800
Yunel Escobar R 471 376 0.798
Danny Tartabull R 525 419 0.798
Yasiel Puig R 192 153 0.797
Billy Butler R 589 469 0.796
Mike Redmond R 112 89 0.795
George Springer R 126 100 0.794
Mike Blowers R 198 157 0.793
Jeff Baker R 177 140 0.791
Mike Piazza R 607 480 0.791
Jerald Clark R 205 162 0.790
Kirby Puckett R 499 394 0.790
Wilson Ramos R 180 142 0.789
Starlin Castro R 443 349 0.788
Chris Jones R 104 82 0.788
A. J. Pollock R 165 130 0.788
Eric Davis R 428 337 0.787
Wil Nieves R 108 85 0.787
Jonathan Schoop R 178 140 0.787
Preston Wilson R 230 181 0.787
David Wright R 803 632 0.787
Craig Paquette R 196 154 0.786
Manny Ramirez R 996 783 0.786
Butch Huskey R 149 117 0.785
Derrek Lee R 703 552 0.785
Nick Castellanos R 199 156 0.784
John Mayberry R 216 169 0.782
Ryan Braun R 625 488 0.781
Pedro Munoz R 164 128 0.780
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Francisco Oliveras R 132 52 0.394
Neftali Feliz R 127 51 0.402
Lance Carter R 138 56 0.406
Craig Kimbrel R 112 46 0.411
Bob Kipper L 189 80 0.423
Todd Redmond R 107 46 0.430
Troy Percival R 242 107 0.442
Tim Collins L 119 53 0.445
Chad Cordero R 195 87 0.446
Juan Berenguer R 198 89 0.449
Charles Hudson R 122 55 0.451
Dave Smith R 102 46 0.451
Alberto Reyes R 143 65 0.455
Dwayne Henry R 148 68 0.459
Tanner Roark R 253 117 0.462
John Maine R 294 136 0.463
Wes Gardner R 181 84 0.464
Cecilio Guante R 112 52 0.464
Tom Henke R 207 96 0.464
Matt Shoemaker R 237 110 0.464
Darryl Kile R 735 342 0.465
Dylan Axelrod R 133 62 0.466
Jeff Reardon R 247 115 0.466
Cris Carpenter R 212 99 0.467
Tyler Clippard R 274 128 0.467
Rafael Betancourt R 389 182 0.468
Jose de Jesus R 156 73 0.468
Jay Howell R 188 88 0.468
Andy Hawkins R 388 182 0.469
Kelvin Herrera R 160 75 0.469
Scott Elarton R 394 185 0.470
Roger Mason R 155 73 0.471
Alejandro Pena R 225 106 0.471
Chris R. Young R 647 305 0.471
Ernesto Frieri R 142 67 0.472
Frank Francisco R 188 89 0.473
Rod Nichols R 253 120 0.474
Doug Waechter R 249 118 0.474
Jesus Colome R 160 76 0.475
David Cone R 884 421 0.476
Barry Enright R 103 49 0.476
Willie Fraser R 252 120 0.476
Jose DeLeon R 574 274 0.477
Jerad Eickhoff R 107 51 0.477
Jose Fernandez R 176 84 0.477
Jose Melendez R 109 52 0.477
Marty Clary R 134 64 0.478
Trevor Hoffman R 368 176 0.478
George Kontos R 113 54 0.478
Justin Speier R 230 110 0.478
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Left Fielder (1988-2016)

Batter Bats AB H BABIP
Kevin Maas L 115 26 0.226
Matt Carpenter L 371 108 0.291
Luis Rodriguez B 108 32 0.296
Matt Nokes L 201 60 0.299
Nate McLouth L 347 108 0.311
Reid Brignac L 115 36 0.313
Willie Harris L 217 68 0.313
Pete M. O’Brien L 281 89 0.317
Eric Anthony L 204 65 0.319
Randy Bush L 116 37 0.319
Tom Foley L 188 60 0.319
Bobby Higginson L 307 98 0.319
Dan Johnson L 133 43 0.323
Daryl Boston L 222 72 0.324
Mike Scioscia L 268 88 0.328
Colby Rasmus L 360 119 0.331
Lou Whitaker L 378 125 0.331
Lucas Duda L 271 90 0.332
Cody Asche L 108 36 0.333
Franklin Stubbs L 114 38 0.333
Mark Kotsay L 730 244 0.334
Darrin Fletcher L 349 117 0.335
Stephen Drew L 506 170 0.336
Jeff Treadway L 331 112 0.338
Chase Utley L 781 264 0.338
Grady Sizemore L 526 179 0.340
J. B. Shuck L 114 39 0.342
Ernie Whitt L 111 38 0.342
Matthew Joyce L 254 87 0.343
Wally Joyner L 896 308 0.344
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Tommy John L 143 113 0.790
Seth Maness R 100 78 0.780
Zach Britton L 165 126 0.764
Mark Mulder L 353 269 0.762
Roenis Elias L 117 89 0.761
Brett Anderson L 281 213 0.758
John Halama L 181 136 0.751
Doug Johns L 177 133 0.751
Felix Doubront L 251 188 0.749
Tom Urbani L 146 109 0.747
Eric Hillman L 118 88 0.746
Lenny DiNardo L 156 116 0.744
Shawn Estes L 426 316 0.742
Carlos Rodon L 120 89 0.742
Dana Eveland L 226 167 0.739
Dallas Keuchel L 329 243 0.739
Nate Robertson L 602 443 0.736
Zane Smith L 546 401 0.734
Tom Bolton L 268 196 0.731
Justin Grimm R 104 76 0.731
Marc Rzepczynski L 145 106 0.731
Patrick Corbin L 269 196 0.729
Chris Peters L 103 75 0.728
J. C. Romero L 165 120 0.727
Bruce Ruffin L 407 296 0.727
Jason Simontacchi R 138 100 0.725
Jo-Jo Reyes L 202 146 0.723
Joe Kennedy L 349 252 0.722
Andrew Miller L 261 188 0.720
Martin Perez L 209 150 0.718
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Center Fielder (1988-2016)

Runner-up Willie McGee sports a .687 BABIP-CF while upholding top-50 status at the four infield spots. The 1985 National League MVP claimed a batting title with a .353 BA and paced the Senior Circuit with 216 base knocks and 18 three-baggers. Right-hander reliever Jose Melendez excelled in relief work for the Padres in 1991-92, compiling 14 victories with a 3.10 ERA and a WHIP of 1.109. Melendez shut down opposing batsmen with a .268 BABIP-CF while making the top 50 list for BABIP-LF as well. On the other hand, former All-Star closer Mike MacDougal was pummeled at a .695 clip on batted balls to center field.
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Christian Yelich L 260 190 0.731
Willie McGee B 457 314 0.687
Joey Gathright L 114 78 0.684
Esteban German R 147 100 0.680
Derek Bell R 477 323 0.677
Wilson Ramos R 291 197 0.677
Tony Eusebio R 160 108 0.675
Ken Harvey R 125 83 0.664
Joel Skinner R 101 67 0.663
David Freese R 401 265 0.661
Warren Newson L 147 97 0.660
Anthony Gose L 120 79 0.658
Luis Castillo B 555 364 0.656
Matt Diaz R 276 181 0.656
DJ LeMahieu R 348 227 0.652
Skip Schumaker L 443 289 0.652
Derek Jeter R 1258 815 0.648
Wally Backman B 164 106 0.646
Ben Grieve L 166 107 0.645
Jean Segura R 332 214 0.645
Julio Franco R 833 535 0.642
Cameron Rupp R 106 68 0.642
Matt Murton R 125 80 0.640
Mike Morse R 359 229 0.638
Troy Neel L 130 83 0.638
Ricky Gutierrez R 275 175 0.636
Howie Kendrick R 733 466 0.636
Marty Cordova R 270 171 0.633
Jacque Jones L 341 216 0.633
Paul Goldschmidt R 418 264 0.632
Melvin Nieves B 141 89 0.631
Reggie Jefferson B 265 167 0.630
Carlos Gonzalez L 539 339 0.629
Joe Mauer L 917 577 0.629
Larry Walker L 774 487 0.629
Dave Clark L 268 168 0.627
David Hulse L 142 89 0.627
Kal Daniels L 263 164 0.624
Larry Bigbie L 159 99 0.623
Adonis Garcia R 106 66 0.623
David Peralta L 154 96 0.623
Milt Thompson L 321 200 0.623
Jack Cust L 217 135 0.622
Chris Nelson R 127 79 0.622
Shane Mack R 369 229 0.621
Mike Piazza R 863 536 0.621
Jose Tabata R 200 124 0.620
Clete Thomas L 105 65 0.619
Bo Jackson R 249 154 0.618
Jonathan Villar B 144 89 0.618
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Jose Melendez R 123 33 0.268
John Costello R 101 34 0.337
Neftali Feliz R 161 56 0.348
Brad Peacock R 158 56 0.354
Chuck James L 186 66 0.355
Kevin Siegrist L 110 39 0.355
Sid Fernandez L 667 238 0.357
Guillermo Moscoso R 156 56 0.359
Rick van den Hurk R 102 37 0.363
Mike Hartley R 165 60 0.364
Tyler Clippard R 305 112 0.367
Hector Santiago L 395 145 0.367
Koji Uehara R 187 69 0.369
Jeff Reardon R 218 82 0.376
Carlos Castillo R 116 44 0.379
Chris R. Young R 786 298 0.379
Todd Burns R 300 114 0.380
Cecilio Guante R 100 38 0.380
Jake Odorizzi R 334 127 0.380
John Wetteland R 303 115 0.380
David Riske R 226 86 0.381
Ugueth Urbina R 251 96 0.382
Antonio Bastardo L 167 64 0.383
Troy Percival R 256 98 0.383
Joaquin Benoit R 451 173 0.384
Tom Niedenfuer R 125 48 0.384
Tony Sipp L 195 75 0.385
Brad Brach R 146 57 0.390
Jason Motte R 195 76 0.390
Pat Neshek R 213 83 0.390
Francisco Oliveras R 138 54 0.391
Alejandro Pena R 271 106 0.391
Paul Clemens R 107 42 0.393
Fernando Rodriguez R 127 50 0.394
Jose DeLeon R 544 215 0.395
Bob Kipper L 172 68 0.395
Adam Peterson R 114 45 0.395
Armando Benitez R 237 94 0.397
Daniel McCutchen R 123 49 0.398
Yorkis Perez L 118 47 0.398
Rob Tejeda R 226 90 0.398
Bryan Harvey R 163 65 0.399
Dennis Cook L 475 190 0.400
Marco Estrada R 513 205 0.400
Vicente Palacios R 175 70 0.400
Roger Mason R 152 61 0.401
Travis Wood L 499 200 0.401
Dave Johnson R 261 105 0.402
Aquilino Lopez R 122 49 0.402
A. J. Ramos R 117 47 0.402
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Center Fielder (1988-2016)

Batter Bats AB H BABIP
Darrell Evans L 102 32 0.314
Andy Marte R 137 43 0.314
Mike Zunino R 144 47 0.326
Marcus Thames R 194 64 0.330
Nick Franklin B 107 36 0.336
Lloyd McClendon R 169 58 0.343
Charlie O’Brien R 284 99 0.349
Gary Carter R 201 71 0.353
Howard Johnson B 443 157 0.354
Leo Gomez R 293 104 0.355
Luis Valbuena L 335 119 0.355
Torey Lovullo B 101 36 0.356
Mitch Webster B 319 114 0.357
Jason Lane R 159 57 0.358
Terry Shumpert R 123 44 0.358
J. P. Arencibia R 209 75 0.359
Chris Parmelee L 145 52 0.359
Kevin McReynolds R 515 186 0.361
Jeff Hamilton R 152 55 0.362
Ron Karkovice R 270 98 0.363
Doug Dascenzo B 144 53 0.368
Chris B. Young R 577 213 0.369
Jerald Clark R 230 85 0.370
Rick Schu R 105 39 0.371
Luis Quinones B 109 41 0.376
Stephen Vogt L 204 77 0.377
Joe Carter R 951 363 0.382
Justin Smoak B 321 123 0.383
Drew Butera R 117 45 0.385
Don Kelly L 156 60 0.385
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Mike MacDougal R 164 114 0.695
Cla Meredith R 122 84 0.689
Nate Jones R 104 71 0.683
Terry Adams R 191 129 0.675
Jenrry Mejia R 107 72 0.673
Lenny DiNardo L 136 91 0.669
Mike Munoz L 175 117 0.669
Aaron Cook R 793 527 0.665
Darren Dreifort R 175 116 0.663
Randy Choate L 121 80 0.661
Brandon Webb R 512 338 0.660
Chad Bradford R 167 110 0.659
Vaughn Eshelman L 138 91 0.659
Brian Bass R 111 73 0.658
Roger Bailey R 198 130 0.657
Ronald Belisario R 143 94 0.657
Derek Lowe R 1144 752 0.657
Sergio Mitre R 240 157 0.654
Dan Otero R 130 85 0.654
Carlton Loewer R 101 66 0.653
Terry Clark R 138 90 0.652
Mike DeJean R 183 119 0.650
Ryan Wagner R 100 65 0.650
Brad Ziegler R 204 132 0.647
Tommy John L 147 95 0.646
Todd Williams R 113 73 0.646
Jay Witasick R 152 98 0.645
Brandon League R 266 171 0.643
Seth Maness R 123 79 0.642
Mike LaCoss R 217 139 0.641
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Right Fielder (1988-2016)

Christian Yelich vaults to the head of the class on batted balls hit to right (.890) and center field (.731). A .293 career hitter entering his fifth season in 2017, Yelich ranks second behind Odubel Herrera in career BABIP during the seasons covered by the Retrosheet BABIP location data with a .363 average. Reiterating an observation from the left field discussion, every batter in the BABIP-RF top 50 hit from the left side while all of the trailers in the category bat right-handed. Joe Mauer shares a comparable penchant for peppering the ball to right and center, posting the second-highest BABIP-RF at .860.  The 2009 AL MVP and three-time batting champion, Mauer carries a .341 BABIP into his fourteenth season. Utility infielder Mike Benjamin trails all qualifiers with a .179 BABIP-RF. Only three right-handed hurlers charted in the top 50 for the BABIP-RF list including Les Lancaster (.381), Doug Bochtler (.397) and Guillermo Moscoso (.408). 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner and two-time runner-up Brandon Webb was raked for a .758 BABIP-RF along with a .660 BABIP-CF. Webb averaged 19 wins with a 3.13 ERA, 1.172 WHIP and 185 strikeouts over a three-year stretch (2006-08).
Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Christian Yelich L 118 105 0.890
Joe Mauer L 463 398 0.860
Jon Jay L 257 216 0.840
Scott Stahoviak L 118 98 0.831
Juan Francisco L 102 84 0.824
David Peralta L 117 96 0.821
Jack Cust L 243 198 0.815
Brad Hawpe L 386 313 0.811
John Kruk L 249 202 0.811
Shin-Soo Choo L 473 383 0.810
Rich Becker L 183 148 0.809
Jacque Jones L 282 228 0.809
Joey Votto L 521 421 0.808
Lyle Overbay L 582 469 0.806
Jim Thome L 721 579 0.803
Jon Nunnally L 110 88 0.800
Bobby Abreu L 697 555 0.796
Gerardo Parra L 369 293 0.794
Skip Schumaker L 281 222 0.790
Josh Hamilton L 508 401 0.789
Brett Wallace L 147 116 0.789
Claudell Washington L 128 101 0.789
Harold Baines L 520 410 0.788
Rob Mackowiak L 212 167 0.788
Ike Davis L 252 198 0.786
Pedro Alvarez L 292 229 0.784
Kirk Nieuwenhuis L 106 83 0.783
Travis Ishikawa L 119 93 0.782
Chris Duncan L 177 138 0.780
Jimmy Paredes B 109 85 0.780
Jack Hannahan L 176 137 0.778
Geoff Jenkins L 374 291 0.778
Ryan Howard L 714 555 0.777
Mitch Moreland L 291 226 0.777
Seth Smith L 448 347 0.775
Alex Avila L 254 196 0.772
Robinson Cano L 937 723 0.772
Carlos Gonzalez L 504 389 0.772
Fred Lewis L 149 115 0.772
Mike Lamb L 217 167 0.770
Mike Carp L 104 80 0.769
Eric Hosmer L 321 247 0.769
Mo Vaughn L 585 450 0.769
Matt Carpenter L 385 295 0.766
Sean Casey L 487 373 0.766
Tike Redman L 154 118 0.766
Dee Gordon L 183 140 0.765
Alex Gordon L 666 509 0.764
Ben Revere L 242 185 0.764
Adam LaRoche L 861 656 0.762
Travis Lee L 231 176 0.762
Nyjer Morgan L 202 154 0.762
Jace Peterson L 101 77 0.762
Mark Teahen L 307 234 0.762
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Sid Fernandez L 565 165 0.292
Matt Beech L 169 55 0.325
Chris Nabholz L 250 83 0.332
Bob Kipper L 124 44 0.355
Brian Barnes L 179 64 0.358
Tom Browning L 618 223 0.361
Jim Deshaies L 534 193 0.361
Billy Wagner L 224 81 0.362
Ken Patterson L 132 48 0.364
David West L 266 97 0.365
Hector Santiago L 340 125 0.368
Don Carman L 266 99 0.372
Kent Mercker L 512 191 0.373
Carlos Perez L 268 101 0.377
Craig Breslow L 261 99 0.379
Les Lancaster R 286 109 0.381
Bill Krueger L 399 153 0.383
Donovan Osborne L 402 154 0.383
Curt Young L 297 114 0.384
Greg Smith L 104 40 0.385
Trevor Wilson L 290 112 0.386
Jose Rosado L 269 105 0.390
Randy Myers L 379 148 0.391
Steve Avery L 622 244 0.392
Adam Morgan L 120 47 0.392
Jerry Blevins L 173 68 0.393
Doug Bochtler R 140 55 0.393
Tom Bolton L 236 93 0.394
Mitch Williams L 208 82 0.394
Chuck Cary L 152 60 0.395
Dennis Cook L 390 154 0.395
Chuck James L 172 68 0.395
Pete Schourek L 393 157 0.399
Dennis Rasmussen L 425 170 0.400
Eric Milton L 465 187 0.402
Jesse Orosco L 246 99 0.402
Tony Watson L 154 62 0.403
Jimmy Key L 908 367 0.404
Wilson Alvarez L 707 286 0.405
John Cerutti L 284 115 0.405
Frank Viola L 647 263 0.406
Bob Macdonald L 113 46 0.407
Arthur Rhodes L 496 202 0.407
Madison Bumgarner L 571 233 0.408
Guillermo Moscoso R 142 58 0.408
Kazuhisa Ishii L 198 81 0.409
Ted Lilly L 780 320 0.410
Teddy Higuera L 316 130 0.411
Buddy Black L 502 207 0.412
Vidal Nuno L 136 56 0.412
Oliver Perez L 592 244 0.412
Travis Wood L 430 177 0.412
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Right Fielder (1988-2016)

Batter Bats AB H BABIP
Mike Benjamin R 106 19 0.179
Leo Gomez R 231 54 0.234
Mark McGwire R 449 119 0.265
Kevin McReynolds R 369 101 0.274
Jason Lane R 142 39 0.275
Tim Teufel R 161 45 0.280
Kevin Elster R 292 82 0.281
Richard Hidalgo R 114 32 0.281
Ryan Roberts R 199 57 0.286
Mike Fitzgerald R 143 41 0.287
Khalil Greene R 288 83 0.288
Adam Rosales R 149 43 0.289
Gary Redus R 185 54 0.292
Chris B. Young R 264 77 0.292
Charlie O’Brien R 163 48 0.294
Greg Vaughn R 279 82 0.294
Chris Woodward R 149 44 0.295
Darrin Jackson R 223 66 0.296
Paul Janish R 115 34 0.296
Chris Hoiles R 300 89 0.297
Mike Macfarlane R 262 78 0.298
Lloyd McClendon R 107 32 0.299
Henry Blanco R 190 57 0.300
Kevin Millar R 312 95 0.304
Benito Santiago R 567 173 0.305
Brian Dozier R 235 72 0.306
Kris Bryant R 120 37 0.308
Ben Francisco R 130 40 0.308
Josh Wilson R 143 44 0.308
Gary Carter R 139 43 0.309
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Brandon Webb R 434 329 0.758
Brian Stokes R 115 86 0.748
Sergio Mitre R 198 141 0.712
Terry Adams R 196 139 0.709
Brad Ziegler R 229 162 0.707
Bill Swift R 560 394 0.704
Chris Reitsma R 138 97 0.703
Aaron Cook R 614 430 0.700
Tyler Chatwood R 236 165 0.699
A. J. Sager R 139 97 0.698
Gerrit Cole R 294 205 0.697
Greg Keagle R 122 85 0.697
Cory Lidle R 370 256 0.692
Sam Deduno R 122 84 0.689
Marvin Freeman R 222 153 0.689
Derek Lowe R 839 576 0.687
Kendall Graveman R 153 105 0.686
Ramiro Mendoza R 169 116 0.686
Scott Erickson R 733 502 0.685
Kameron Loe R 235 161 0.685
Lucas Harrell R 202 138 0.683
Brian Shouse L 145 99 0.683
Marcus Stroman R 161 110 0.683
Kelvin Herrera R 144 98 0.681
Justin Masterson R 534 363 0.680
Gil Heredia R 180 122 0.678
Jake Westbrook R 749 506 0.676
Chad Bradford R 158 106 0.671
Jim Johnson R 225 151 0.671
Chien-Ming Wang R 389 261 0.671
  • Minimum 100 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Batted Balls Hit to the Outfield  (1988-2016)

Batter * Bats AB H BABIP
Christian Yelich L 649 450 0.693
Reggie Jefferson B 799 525 0.657
Willie McGee B 1326 865 0.652
Jacque Jones L 941 613 0.651
Bo Jackson R 649 421 0.649
Jose Abreu R 724 467 0.645
Carlos Gonzalez L 1456 939 0.645
Derek Jeter R 3364 2170 0.645
Preston Wilson R 694 447 0.644
Larry Walker L 2051 1312 0.640
Derek Bell R 1233 787 0.638
Luis Castillo B 1373 873 0.636
David Freese R 1074 682 0.635
Andres Galarraga R 2388 1511 0.633
Jim Thome L 2408 1525 0.633
DJ LeMahieu R 955 604 0.632
Skip Schumaker L 1281 809 0.632
Wily Mo Pena R 539 340 0.631
Paul Goldschmidt R 1156 727 0.629
Javy Lopez R 1543 969 0.628
Dave Clark L 678 425 0.627
Milt Thompson L 834 523 0.627
Avisail Garcia R 489 305 0.624
Giancarlo Stanton R 1037 647 0.624
Tony Clark B 1146 714 0.623
Brad Hawpe L 1201 748 0.623
Eric Hosmer L 1301 810 0.623
Craig A. Wilson R 538 335 0.623
Mike Morse R 991 616 0.622
Mo Vaughn L 1773 1100 0.620
Miguel Cabrera R 3643 2255 0.619
Jack Cust L 690 427 0.619
Julio Franco R 2223 1377 0.619
Shawn Green L 1829 1133 0.619
Shane Mack R 950 588 0.619
Jon Jay L 1070 661 0.618
Howie Kendrick R 1989 1229 0.618
Mike Marshall R 477 295 0.618
Everth Cabrera B 537 331 0.616
Wilson Ramos R 782 482 0.616
Mike Blowers R 827 508 0.614
Ryan J. Braun R 2105 1293 0.614
Shin-Soo Choo L 1718 1053 0.613
Geoff Jenkins L 1213 743 0.613
Mike Piazza R 2240 1374 0.613
Rich Becker L 619 379 0.612
Chris Denorfia R 781 478 0.612
Reed Johnson R 1389 850 0.612
Rob Mackowiak L 636 389 0.612
Joe Mauer L 2642 1615 0.611
Joey Votto L 2049 1252 0.611
Dmitri Young B 1300 794 0.611
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Sid Fernandez L 1944 801 0.412
Troy Percival R 698 293 0.420
Todd Burns R 838 364 0.434
Tyler Clippard R 869 378 0.435
Chris R. Young R 2160 944 0.437
Koji Uehara R 581 255 0.439
Jose de Jesus R 490 218 0.445
Alejandro Pena R 685 305 0.445
Pat Neshek R 529 237 0.448
Tom Browning L 2215 996 0.450
Jeff Reardon R 722 325 0.450
Juan Berenguer R 690 311 0.451
Nolan Ryan R 1362 617 0.453
Tony Sipp L 590 267 0.453
Brian Barnes L 594 270 0.455
Rafael Soriano R 864 395 0.457
Jim Deshaies L 2059 942 0.458
John Wetteland R 870 399 0.459
Grant Balfour R 772 355 0.460
Marco Estrada R 1349 621 0.460
Carlos Marmol R 685 318 0.464
Hector Santiago L 1157 537 0.464
Chris Nabholz L 843 393 0.466
Ugueth Urbina R 695 324 0.466
Mitch Williams L 700 326 0.466
Rafael Betancourt R 1123 525 0.467
Dan Straily R 732 342 0.467
Jose DeLeon R 1664 778 0.468
Trevor Hoffman R 1212 567 0.468
Steve Bedrosian R 721 338 0.469
Rich DeLucia R 986 462 0.469
Keith Foulke R 732 343 0.469
Jay Howell R 574 269 0.469
Stan Belinda R 857 404 0.471
Dennis Cook L 1377 648 0.471
Pete Harnisch R 2564 1210 0.472
A. J. Griffin R 640 303 0.473
Don Carman L 877 416 0.474
Jake Odorizzi R 894 425 0.475
David West L 943 448 0.475
Kazuhisa Ishii L 677 322 0.476
Joe Nathan R 928 442 0.476
Jered Weaver R 3353 1596 0.476
Travis Wood L 1465 698 0.476
Scott Bankhead R 1073 512 0.477
David Riske R 647 309 0.478
Scott Sanderson R 2030 971 0.478
Shawn Hillegas R 776 372 0.479
Charlie Hough R 2028 972 0.479
Don Robinson R 1196 573 0.479
  • Minimum 1000 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batted Balls Hit to the Outfield (1988-2016)

Batter Bats AB H BABIP
Gary Carter R 618 264 0.427
David Howard B 592 255 0.431
Leo Gomez R 854 370 0.433
Doug Dascenzo B 432 188 0.435
Casey Candaele B 566 247 0.436
Mitch Webster B 909 397 0.437
Billy Hamilton B 539 243 0.451
Jeff Huson L 586 265 0.452
Henry Blanco R 727 329 0.453
Kevin McReynolds R 1466 667 0.455
Jed Lowrie B 1417 646 0.456
Spike Owen B 1193 545 0.457
Dick Schofield R 951 436 0.458
Jose Oquendo B 1090 504 0.462
Steve Lyons L 577 267 0.463
Harold Reynolds B 1620 755 0.466
Geno Petralli L 647 302 0.467
Charlie O’Brien R 898 420 0.468
Kurt Stillwell B 1031 482 0.468
Jose Uribe B 692 324 0.468
Stephen Vogt L 667 312 0.468
Craig Grebeck R 659 309 0.469
Jeff Treadway L 1005 471 0.469
Kevin Elster R 1071 503 0.470
Alfredo Griffin B 651 306 0.470
Greg Olson R 498 234 0.470
Pitcher * Throws AB H BABIP
Terry Adams R 525 363 0.691
Brandon Webb R 1457 1000 0.686
Sergio Mitre R 667 455 0.682
Mike MacDougal R 466 316 0.678
Brad Ziegler R 648 436 0.673
Derek Lowe R 2918 1950 0.668
Aaron Cook R 2087 1389 0.666
Chad Bradford R 462 306 0.662
Brian Shouse L 438 290 0.662
Charlie Morton R 1233 799 0.648
Shawn Camp R 924 598 0.647
Ramiro Mendoza R 655 423 0.646
Bill Swift R 1790 1154 0.645
Kirk Saarloos R 673 433 0.643
Darren Dreifort R 467 300 0.642
Jake Westbrook R 2333 1495 0.641
Dallas Keuchel L 1043 668 0.640
Jamey Wright R 2085 1335 0.640
Brandon League R 681 435 0.639
Roger Bailey R 553 353 0.638
Zach Britton L 505 322 0.638
Marc Rzepczynski L 475 302 0.636
Kameron Loe R 868 551 0.635
Chris Rusin L 501 318 0.635
Tyson Ross R 826 524 0.634
  • Minimum 1000 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders

BABIP Career Leaders, Batters (1988-2016)

Odubel Herrera, Christian Yelich, Corey Seager and Kris Bryant are among the “Young Guns” atop the Career BABIP leaderboards within the scope of this study. The presence of perennial All-Star and MVP contenders Mike Trout, Joey Votto, Paul Goldschmidt and Miguel Cabrera are predictable while obscure talents such as Cesar Hernandez, Reggie Jefferson, Chris Johnson and Lyle Mouton also grace the top-20.
Batter * Bats AB H HR BABIP
Odubel Herrera L 815 314 23 0.366
Christian Yelich L 1434 549 41 0.363
Corey Seager L 573 226 30 0.360
Mike Trout R 2213 917 168 0.360
Starling Marte R 1694 648 58 0.359
Joey Votto L 3497 1407 221 0.359
Paul Goldschmidt R 2085 844 140 0.356
Lyle Mouton R 504 194 19 0.356
Chris Johnson R 2058 773 63 0.353
Kris Bryant R 809 330 65 0.352
Cesar Hernandez B 926 333 8 0.352
DJ LeMahieu R 1898 690 26 0.352
Alex Sanchez L 907 324 5 0.351
Austin Jackson R 2650 971 55 0.350
Reggie Jefferson B 1520 580 67 0.350
Paulo Orlando R 540 198 12 0.350
Willie McGee B 3371 1203 36 0.348
Miguel Cabrera R 6337 2519 446 0.347
Mo Vaughn L 2931 1180 233 0.347
Jonathan Villar B 824 307 29 0.347
Derek Jeter R 7305 2663 182 0.346
Danny Santana B 678 241 9 0.346
Lorenzo Cain R 1741 635 42 0.345
David Peralta L 753 281 29 0.344
Kirby Puckett R 4073 1510 144 0.344
Julio Franco R 4344 1590 129 0.343
David Freese R 2148 795 81 0.343
Shane Mack R 2157 796 76 0.343
J. D. Martinez R 1738 674 107 0.343
Shin-Soo Choo L 3219 1206 146 0.342
Dexter Fowler B 2760 1001 78 0.342
Dee Gordon L 1807 627 9 0.342
Brandon Belt L 1708 641 80 0.341
Freddie Freeman L 2484 949 138 0.341
Tony Gwynn L 5451 1940 89 0.341
Joe Mauer L 5054 1826 130 0.341
Matt Diaz R 1503 546 45 0.340
Jon Jay L 2206 777 31 0.340
Matt Kemp R 3921 1513 240 0.340
Yasiel Puig R 1195 447 57 0.340
Wilson Betemit B 1481 558 75 0.339
Michael Bourn L 3660 1272 36 0.339
Francisco Cervelli R 1164 410 18 0.339
Anthony Gose L 775 271 12 0.339
David Wright R 4704 1777 242 0.339
Jose Abreu R 1397 537 91 0.338
Jack Cust L 1253 498 104 0.338
Xander Bogaerts R 1472 528 41 0.337
Brad Hawpe L 2124 806 124 0.337
Joe Inglett L 664 229 6 0.337
Howie Kendrick R 4129 1465 95 0.337
Fred Lewis L 1172 415 27 0.337
Ichiro Suzuki L 7428 2580 98 0.337
Michael Young R 5926 2129 165 0.337
Carlos Gonzalez L 2999 1152 201 0.336
Rusty Greer L 2057 756 83 0.336
John Kruk L 2622 944 76 0.336
Nyjer Morgan L 1601 550 12 0.336
Jimmy Paredes B 664 239 20 0.336
Cory Sullivan L 874 305 10 0.336
Adam C. Eaton L 1662 582 34 0.335
Andres Galarraga R 4509 1737 320 0.335
Esteban German R 805 277 8 0.335
Kenny Lofton L 5345 1863 83 0.335
Nook Logan B 688 233 2 0.335
Eddie Rosario L 579 211 23 0.335
Chris Shelton R 678 254 37 0.335
Drew Stubbs R 1849 685 92 0.335
Jose Altuve R 2983 1046 60 0.334
Ryan Braun R 4179 1597 285 0.334
Robbie Grossman B 710 253 22 0.334
Hal Morris L 3226 1140 73 0.334
Stephen Piscotty R 626 230 29 0.334
Bip Roberts B 3387 1159 29 0.334
Bobby Abreu L 4841 1759 192 0.333
Rich Becker L 1230 433 31 0.333
Ben Grieve L 845 305 33 0.333
Matt Holliday R 5353 1995 295 0.333
Francisco Lindor B 837 304 27 0.333
Edgar Martinez R 4470 1647 210 0.333
Brandon Barnes R 800 279 19 0.332
Larry Bigbie L 813 292 29 0.332
Alex Cole L 1464 493 5 0.332
Reed Johnson R 2902 1014 65 0.332
Wade Boggs L 5091 1744 60 0.331
Josh Hamilton L 2971 1134 200 0.331
Felix Jose B 1989 696 51 0.331
Andrew McCutchen R 3541 1304 175 0.331
Mike Morse R 1879 698 104 0.331
Derek Bell R 2704 970 99 0.330
Charlie Blackmon L 1858 667 74 0.330
Brock Holt L 1046 358 13 0.330
Chris Nelson R 631 221 16 0.330
Yasmany Tomas R 690 255 40 0.330
Brett Butler L 4388 1474 28 0.329
Matt Carpenter L 2044 733 74 0.329
Nick Castellanos R 1107 400 44 0.329
Paul Molitor R 5569 1952 139 0.329
Bill Mueller B 2277 801 60 0.329
Manny Ramirez R 4985 1932 399 0.329
  • Minimum 500 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Leaders, Pitchers (1988-2016)

Troy Percival restricted opponents to a .224 BABIP during the seasons under consideration, posting top-50 BABIP’s at four fielding locations (1B, 2B, LF, CF). The catcher-turned-relief ace notched 35 saves per season (1996-2004) and struck out 10.4 batters per nine innings during his 14-year career.
Pitcher Throws AB H HR BABIP P1 P2
Troy Percival R 1216 322 61 0.224 FA CU
Pat Neshek R 1006 281 47 0.240 SL FA
Tyler Clippard R 1554 436 75 0.241 FA CH
Neftali Feliz R 902 248 36 0.243 FA SL
Bob Kipper L 946 259 34 0.244 FC SL
Sid Fernandez L 3360 941 140 0.246 FF CU
Mike Scott R 1974 547 71 0.248 SF FA
Mike Krukow R 534 148 18 0.250 CU FA
J. J. Hoover R 646 193 37 0.251 FA CU
Koji Uehara R 1074 312 53 0.252 FA SF
Pascual Perez R 1413 387 37 0.253 SL FA
Aaron Sanchez R 909 249 25 0.253 FA CU
Charlie Hough R 4257 1207 149 0.254 KN FA
Al Osuna L 547 156 17 0.254 SC FA
Tony Watson L 1035 293 34 0.255 FA CH
Chris R. Young R 3690 1083 179 0.255 FA SL
Todd Burns R 1570 439 43 0.256 FA CU
Darren O’Day R 1255 360 47 0.256 FA SL
Dennis Springer R 1433 431 80 0.256 KN FA
A. J. Griffin R 1182 361 74 0.257 FA CU
Greg Minton R 578 154 6 0.257 SI FA
Dan Straily R 1310 391 70 0.257 FA SL
Alfredo Aceves R 1141 333 48 0.258 FA CU
Daniel Bard R 666 193 25 0.258 FA SL
Marco Estrada R 2550 761 132 0.258 FA CH
Lance McCullers R 649 186 21 0.258 FA SL
Francisco Oliveras R 745 221 36 0.258
Alberto Reyes R 806 238 38 0.258 FA CH
Ugueth Urbina R 1233 367 62 0.258 FA SL
Lance Carter R 762 227 34 0.259 FA CH
Jose de Jesus R 1035 284 20 0.259
Brandon Finnegan L 634 193 37 0.259 FA SL
Charles Hudson R 574 168 23 0.259 FA SL
Bill Risley R 597 180 31 0.259
Jeff D. Robinson R 1858 540 72 0.259 SF FA
Rafael Soriano R 1548 444 54 0.259 FA SL
Dave Stieb R 2654 735 58 0.259 SL FA
Armando Benitez R 1196 361 61 0.260 FA SF
Cecilio Guante R 571 171 28 0.260 FA SL
Jose Mercedes R 832 248 40 0.260 FA SL
Tony Sipp L 1053 323 64 0.260 FA SL
Andrew Bailey R 715 211 29 0.261 FA FC
Steve Bedrosian R 1329 388 49 0.261 FA SL
Chad Cordero R 937 277 40 0.261 FA SL
Trevor Hoffman R 2206 637 76 0.261 CH FA
George Kontos R 768 221 24 0.261 FA SL
Ken Patterson L 987 290 38 0.261 FA CU
Chris Perez R 1027 304 45 0.261 FA SL
Willie Fraser R 1613 474 63 0.262 FA SL
Roger Mason R 847 248 31 0.262 FA SL
Julio Mateo R 925 278 43 0.262 FA SL
Alan Mills R 1463 431 58 0.262 SL FA
Tyler Thornburg R 579 170 23 0.262 FA CU
Cory Wade R 535 158 23 0.262 FA CU
Joaquin Benoit R 2467 741 113 0.263 FA CH
Carlos Castillo R 532 162 26 0.263
Josh Hancock R 559 170 29 0.263 FA SL
Bryan Harvey R 931 272 30 0.263 FA SF
Jay Howell R 1182 335 27 0.263 FA CU
Michael Jackson R 2392 696 79 0.263 SL FT
Joe Nathan R 1789 516 55 0.263 FA SL
Justin Duchscherer R 1282 372 42 0.264 FA CU
Jason Hirsh R 535 166 32 0.264 FA CH
Dan Wheeler R 1638 495 77 0.264 FA SL
Mike J. Adams R 1093 316 33 0.265 FA FC
Armando Galarraga R 1735 536 94 0.265 FA SL
David Riske R 1169 353 53 0.265 FA SF
John Tudor L 1165 326 21 0.265 FA SL
Juan Berenguer R 1276 375 42 0.266 FA SF
Buddy Black L 3610 1057 119 0.266 FA SL
Eric DuBose L 583 174 24 0.266 FA CH
Carlos Marmol R 1301 385 49 0.266 SL FA
Billy Wagner L 1492 443 59 0.266 FA SL
Grant Balfour R 1369 403 45 0.267 FA SL
Stan Belinda R 1654 493 60 0.267 FA SF
Tom Henke R 1318 387 43 0.267 FA SF
Guillermo Moscoso R 689 206 28 0.267 FA CU
Nolan Ryan R 2667 779 79 0.267 FA CU
Brian Sanches R 677 209 36 0.267 FA SL
Huston Street R 1811 540 70 0.267 FA SL
Pedro Strop R 839 241 20 0.267 FA SL
Jose Valverde R 1636 490 67 0.267 FA FC
John Wetteland R 1639 482 54 0.267 FA CU
Luis Avilan L 616 174 10 0.268 FA CH
Jeff Brantley R 2189 659 88 0.268 SF SI
Jim Deshaies L 3842 1146 140 0.268 FA CH
Dennis Martinez R 6360 1839 165 0.268 CU FA
Kyle McClellan R 1210 359 45 0.268 FA CU
Gene Nelson R 1344 396 39 0.268 FA SL
Jesse Orosco L 1680 503 60 0.268 FA SL
Jake Arrieta R 2744 804 86 0.269 FA CU
Keith Foulke R 1270 392 64 0.269 CH FA
Scott Garrelts R 1543 444 35 0.269 FA SL
Luke Gregerson R 1436 416 39 0.269 SL FA
Craig Kimbrel R 758 221 22 0.269 FA CU
Jose Melendez R 647 197 27 0.269
Hector Santiago L 2065 637 104 0.269 FA CH
Jose Veras R 1122 337 45 0.269 FA CU
Brian Barnes L 1232 364 39 0.270
Matt Guerrier R 1941 580 69 0.270 FA SL
Rick Honeycutt L 1393 407 33 0.270 SL CU
Chuck James L 989 317 63 0.270 FA CH
Fernando Nieve R 559 177 34 0.270 FA SL
A. J. Ramos R 690 199 14 0.270 FA SL
Mariano Rivera R 2792 801 57 0.270 FC FA
Tom Wilhelmsen R 990 292 29 0.270 FA CU
Joel Zumaya R 567 169 18 0.270 FA CU
  • Minimum 500 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Batters (1988-2016)

Batter Bats AB H HR BABIP
Darrell Evans L 578 148 33 0.209
Livan Hernandez R 583 138 6 0.228
Greg Maddux R 927 214 3 0.228
Jim Traber L 503 127 14 0.228
Eric Munson L 725 205 46 0.230
Rich Gedman L 714 181 18 0.231
Ken Williams R 536 138 15 0.233
Tom Prince R 579 145 10 0.234
Steve Jeltz B 622 151 4 0.237
Steve Balboni R 737 222 57 0.239
Drew Butera R 696 178 13 0.240
Gary Carter R 1224 323 33 0.240
John Smoltz R 544 134 4 0.240
Tom Lampkin L 865 229 25 0.241
Charlie O’Brien R 1777 473 54 0.241
Dan Johnson L 1138 324 57 0.242
Mark Parent R 957 275 53 0.242
Steve Decker R 510 137 13 0.245
Matt Nokes L 1882 543 101 0.245
Carmelo Martinez R 907 258 44 0.246
Andres Thomas R 1238 332 31 0.247
J. P. Arencibia R 1089 333 80 0.248
Einar Diaz R 604 158 8 0.248
Paul Janish R 965 247 7 0.248
George Kottaras L 519 155 32 0.248
Torey Lovullo B 589 157 13 0.248
Henry Blanco R 1354 376 47 0.249
Brian R. Hunter R 978 289 53 0.249
Ernie Whitt L 895 247 29 0.249
Mike Zunino R 721 219 50 0.249
Rod Barajas R 2589 752 128 0.250
Ron Hassey L 832 225 18 0.250
Andy Marte R 674 186 21 0.250
Dave Valle R 1963 538 59 0.250
  • Minimum 500 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded

BABIP Career Trailers, Pitchers (1988-2016)

Pitcher * Bats AB H HR BABIP P1 P2
Eddie Butler R 555 212 28 0.347 FA SL
Trevor May R 597 225 25 0.347 FA CH
Felipe Paulino R 1206 455 51 0.346 FA SL
Joe Roa R 671 252 28 0.345 FA CU
Robbie Ray L 936 349 38 0.343 FA SL
Christian Bergman R 524 196 24 0.342 FA SL
Terry Clark R 826 299 21 0.342 * *
Trevor Rosenthal R 683 244 14 0.342 FA CH
Esmil Rogers R 1435 533 60 0.340 FA SL
Jason Berken R 859 320 39 0.339 FA SL
Manny Parra L 1888 693 70 0.339 FA CU
Dana Eveland L 1461 522 34 0.338 FA SL
Billy Traber L 724 267 29 0.338 FA CU
Randy Flores L 689 250 22 0.337 FA SL
Tommy John L 877 308 17 0.337 SI CU
Casey Coleman R 587 211 18 0.336 FA CH
Bobby M. Jones L 515 186 15 0.336 FA SL
Randy Messenger R 618 225 21 0.336 FA CU
Glendon Rusch L 2964 1085 119 0.336 FA CU
Billy Buckner R 522 196 30 0.335 FA CU
Tyler Duffey R 606 223 29 0.335 FA CU
Gary Majewski R 833 296 19 0.335 FA SL
T. J. McFarland L 675 238 16 0.335 FA CH
Brian Stokes R 689 254 28 0.335 FA CU
Brian Keyser R 544 192 13 0.334 * *
Denny Bautista R 684 246 21 0.333 FA SL
Greg Gohr R 627 234 35 0.333 * *
Jeff Johnson L 672 239 20 0.333 * *
Jeff Mutis L 517 191 25 0.333 * *
  • Minimum 500 AB, event data from 1999-2002 excluded
Historical League AveragesThe League BABIP peaked in 1930 at .312, steadily declined to .270 in 1942, then gradually improved to .285 through 1992. Spiking nearly ten points in ’93, the “new normal” lies within the .294 to .303 range. Likewise, batting averages swelled in the Live Ball era to a Major League-best .296 in 1930 and follow a similar regression through the World War II years. Reaching the nadir in 1968 (.237), BA remained relatively stable after adoption of the Designated Hitter rule in ’73. The Home Run percentage chart depicts three peak periods along with the 1987 anomaly. Significant changes are noted in the early 1920’s, post-WWII and 1993 to present. Strikeout ratios climbed progressively until 1952 then increased from 10 to 17 percent over the next two decades. Following a recession to 14% in the late 1970’s, SO/AB percentage is again trending upwards with a new mark established in every campaign since 2008. Major League batters are strikeout victims in 23.5 out of every 100 at-bats as of 2016. While the league batting average has leveled off over the past half-century or so, BABIP has risen in conjunction with the escalating home run and strikeout rates.

League BABIP Data (1901-2016)

Year AB H HR SO SF BABIP SOAB HRAB
1901
77105 20957 455 6976 0 0.294 9.0% 0.6%
1902
76157 20318 356 6630 0 0.289 8.7% 0.5%
1903
75439 19776 335 7899 0 0.289 10.5% 0.4%
1904
82488 20363 331 9299 0 0.275 11.3% 0.4%
1905
81844 20300 338 9523 0 0.277 11.6% 0.4%
1906
80061 19742 261 9110 0 0.276 11.4% 0.3%
1907
80304 19700 244 8836 0 0.273 11.0% 0.3%
1908
80680 19279 267 9078 0 0.267 11.3% 0.3%
1909
80612 19655 259 9377 0 0.273 11.6% 0.3%
1910
81543 20332 361 9677 0 0.279 11.9% 0.4%
1911
82261 21914 514 9871 0 0.298 12.0% 0.6%
1912
82039 22039 442 9684 0 0.300 11.8% 0.5%
1913
81216 21021 470 9283 0 0.288 11.4% 0.6%
1914
122587 31129 710 14757 0 0.284 12.0% 0.6%
1915
121704 30460 635 14020 0 0.279 11.5% 0.5%
1916
81923 20285 383 9534 0 0.276 11.6% 0.5%
1917
82055 20391 335 8680 0 0.275 10.6% 0.4%
1918
67315 17085 235 5925 0 0.276 8.8% 0.3%
1919
74671 19624 447 6849 0 0.285 9.2% 0.6%
1920
84178 23275 630 7247 0 0.297 8.6% 0.7%
1921
85172 24782 937 6959 0 0.309 8.2% 1.1%
1922
85346 24613 1055 6950 0 0.305 8.1% 1.2%
1923
85229 24218 980 7021 0 0.301 8.2% 1.1%
1924
84666 24271 896 6637 0 0.303 7.8% 1.1%
1925
85432 24914 1169 6665 0 0.306 7.8% 1.4%
1926
83752 23505 863 6777 0 0.297 8.1% 1.0%
1927
84461 23960 922 6889 0 0.301 8.2% 1.1%
1928
84480 23736 1093 7099 0 0.297 8.4% 1.3%
1929
85210 24642 1349 6982 0 0.303 8.2% 1.6%
1930
86571 25597 1565 7934 0 0.312 9.2% 1.8%
1931
86624 24046 1069 7894 0 0.296 9.1% 1.2%
1932
87182 24106 1358 7878 0 0.292 9.0% 1.6%
1933
85222 22969 1067 7444 0 0.286 8.7% 1.3%
1934
85911 23962 1344 8432 0 0.297 9.8% 1.6%
1935
86437 24074 1325 8004 0 0.295 9.3% 1.5%
1936
87638 24863 1364 8235 0 0.301 9.4% 1.6%
1937
85963 23769 1430 9001 0 0.296 10.5% 1.7%
1938
85013 23293 1475 8335 0 0.290 9.8% 1.7%
1939
84879 23371 1445 8501 0 0.293 10.0% 1.7%
1940
86003 23002 1571 9049 0 0.284 10.5% 1.8%
1941
85854 22531 1331 8826 0 0.280 10.3% 1.6%
1942
83731 21176 1071 8325 0 0.270 9.9% 1.3%
1943
84701 21467 905 8546 0 0.273 10.1% 1.1%
1944
85665 22307 1034 8185 0 0.278 9.6% 1.2%
1945
84447 21977 1007 8045 0 0.278 9.5% 1.2%
1946
84333 21555 1215 9696 0 0.277 11.5% 1.4%
1947
84436 22003 1565 9157 0 0.277 10.8% 1.9%
1948
84411 22234 1555 9016 0 0.280 10.7% 1.8%
1949
84380 22168 1704 8951 0 0.278 10.6% 2.0%
1950
84823 22559 2073 9554 0 0.280 11.3% 2.4%
1951
85065 22191 1863 9335 0 0.275 11.0% 2.2%
1952
84195 21272 1701 10380 0 0.271 12.3% 2.0%
1953
84997 22459 2076 10213 0 0.280 12.0% 2.4%
1954
83936 21908 1937 10215 795 0.275 12.2% 2.3%
1955
83590 21610 2224 10803 698 0.272 12.9% 2.7%
1956
83856 21653 2294 11505 644 0.274 13.7% 2.7%
1957
84906 21865 2202 11948 687 0.275 14.1% 2.6%
1958
83827 21621 2240 12225 644 0.277 14.6% 2.7%
1959
84294 21636 2250 12604 616 0.277 15.0% 2.7%
1960
84014 21434 2128 12815 692 0.277 15.3% 2.5%
1961
97032 25066 2730 14947 761 0.279 15.4% 2.8%
1962
110688 28521 3001 17567 846 0.281 15.9% 2.7%
1963
109814 27043 2704 18773 769 0.273 17.1% 2.5%
1964
110464 27669 2762 19212 739 0.279 17.4% 2.5%
1965
109739 26952 2688 19283 766 0.274 17.6% 2.4%
1966
109467 27207 2743 18805 742 0.276 17.2% 2.5%
1967
109205 26464 2299 19413 738 0.274 17.8% 2.1%
1968
108622 25710 1995 19143 753 0.269 17.6% 1.8%
1969
131287 32581 3119 22473 914 0.276 17.1% 2.4%
1970
132140 33555 3429 22374 990 0.281 16.9% 2.6%
1971
130544 32547 2863 20956 987 0.276 16.1% 2.2%
1972
124828 30434 2534 20718 883 0.272 16.6% 2.0%
1973
132363 34010 3102 20358 1009 0.281 15.4% 2.3%
1974
132256 33969 2649 19495 1104 0.282 14.7% 2.0%
1975
131473 33863 2698 19280 1087 0.282 14.7% 2.1%
1976
131525 33598 2235 18745 1183 0.281 14.3% 1.7%
1977
143974 38037 3644 21722 1231 0.287 15.1% 2.5%
1978
141567 36508 2956 20058 1274 0.280 14.2% 2.1%
1979
142792 37911 3433 20035 1314 0.286 14.0% 2.4%
1980
144160 38144 3087 20212 1296 0.287 14.0% 2.1%
1981
94467 24157 1781 13237 829 0.279 14.0% 1.9%
1982
144149 37651 3379 21221 1221 0.284 14.7% 2.3%
1983
143538 37443 3301 21716 1256 0.285 15.1% 2.3%
1984
143829 37381 3258 22500 1286 0.286 15.6% 2.3%
1985
143075 36778 3602 22451 1144 0.281 15.7% 2.5%
1986
143106 36880 3813 24706 1175 0.286 17.3% 2.7%
1987
144095 37895 4458 25099 1110 0.289 17.4% 3.1%
1988
142568 36244 3180 23355 1265 0.282 16.4% 2.2%
1989
142821 36293 3083 23650 1240 0.283 16.6% 2.2%
1990
142768 36817 3317 23853 1261 0.287 16.7% 2.3%
1991
142968 36558 3383 24390 1249 0.285 17.1% 2.4%
1992
142895 36544 3038 23538 1294 0.285 16.5% 2.1%
1993
154995 41088 4030 26310 1430 0.294 17.0% 2.6%
1994
110266 29743 3306 19766 992 0.300 17.9% 3.0%
1995
138571 36975 4081 25425 1173 0.298 18.3% 2.9%
1996
156801 42320 4962 29308 1400 0.301 18.7% 3.2%
1997
155438 41471 4640 29937 1383 0.301 19.3% 3.0%
1998
167116 44489 5064 31893 1402 0.300 19.1% 3.0%
1999
167136 45327 5528 31119 1464 0.302 18.6% 3.3%
2000
167290 45246 5693 31356 1514 0.300 18.7% 3.4%
2001
166234 43879 5458 32404 1424 0.296 19.5% 3.3%
2002
165582 43272 5059 31394 1399 0.293 19.0% 3.1%
2003
166737 44057 5207 30801 1336 0.294 18.5% 3.1%
2004
167353 44522 5451 31828 1363 0.297 19.0% 3.3%
2005
166335 43991 5017 30644 1315 0.295 18.4% 3.0%
2006
167341 45073 5386 31655 1396 0.301 18.9% 3.2%
2007
167783 44977 4957 32189 1441 0.303 19.2% 3.0%
2008
166714 43972 4878 32884 1365 0.300 19.7% 2.9%
2009
165849 43524 5042 33591 1366 0.299 20.3% 3.0%
2010
165353 42554 4613 34306 1301 0.297 20.7% 2.8%
2011
165705 42267 4552 34488 1274 0.295 20.8% 2.7%
2012
165251 42063 4934 36426 1223 0.297 22.0% 3.0%
2013
166070 42093 4661 36710 1219 0.297 22.1% 2.8%
2014
165614 41595 4186 37441 1277 0.299 22.6% 2.5%
2015
165488 42106 4909 37446 1232 0.299 22.6% 3.0%
2016
165561 42276 5610 38982 1214 0.300 23.5% 3.4%
  • Sacrifice Fly data missing (1901-1953)

BABIP All-Time Leaders, Batters (1901-2016)

The subsequent chart comprises the top 100 BABIP career totals for all Major League ballplayers since 1901 (minimum 2500 at bats). The complete list is available here . Mike Trout leads all active qualifiers with a .360 BABIP, tied for third place among Modern Era contenders with Shoeless Joe Jackson! The old-time ballplayers including Jackson, Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby maintain a BABIP that aligns closely with their career batting average.
Batter Bats BABIP FranchID AB H HR SO SF BA
Ty Cobb
L 0.372 DET 11434 4189 117 357 0 0.366
Rogers Hornsby
R 0.365 STL 8173 2930 301 679 0 0.358
Shoeless Joe Jackson
L 0.360 OAK 4981 1772 54 158 0 0.356
Mike Trout
R 0.360 ANA 2997 917 168 784 36 0.306
Rod Carew
L 0.359 MIN 9315 3053 92 1028 64 0.328
Joey Votto
L 0.359 CIN 4501 1407 221 1004 32 0.313
Paul Goldschmidt
R 0.356 ARI 2824 844 140 739 33 0.299
Chris Johnson
R 0.353 HOU 2811 773 63 753 17 0.275
Harry Heilmann
R 0.351 DET 7787 2660 183 550 0 0.342
Derek Jeter
R 0.350 NYY 11195 3465 260 1840 58 0.310
Bill Terry
L 0.350 SFG 6428 2193 154 449 0 0.341
Austin Jackson
R 0.350 NYY 3573 971 55 923 24 0.272
Miguel Cabrera
R 0.347 FLA 7853 2519 446 1516 75 0.321
Ron LeFlore
R 0.347 DET 4458 1283 59 888 20 0.288
George Sisler
L 0.346 BAL 8267 2812 102 327 0 0.340
Kiki Cuyler
R 0.346 PIT 7161 2299 128 752 0 0.321
Riggs Stephenson
R 0.346 CLE 4508 1515 63 247 0 0.336
Tris Speaker
L 0.345 BOS 10195 3514 117 220 0 0.345
Ross Youngs
L 0.345 SFG 4627 1491 42 390 0 0.322
Wade Boggs
L 0.344 BOS 9180 3010 118 745 96 0.328
Roberto Clemente
R 0.343 LAD 9454 3000 240 1230 66 0.317
David Freese
R 0.343 SDP 2890 795 81 742 17 0.275
Kirby Puckett
R 0.342 MIN 7244 2304 207 965 58 0.318
Shin-Soo Choo
L 0.342 SEA 4310 1206 146 1091 30 0.280
Dexter Fowler
B 0.342 COL 3734 1001 78 974 16 0.268
Tony Gwynn
L 0.341 SDP 9288 3141 135 434 85 0.338
Willie McGee
B 0.341 NYY 7649 2254 79 1238 46 0.295
Joe Mauer
L 0.341 MIN 5919 1826 130 865 54 0.308
John Kruk
L 0.341 SDP 3897 1170 100 701 43 0.300
Freddie Freeman
L 0.341 ATL 3298 949 138 814 29 0.288
Eddie Collins
L 0.340 OAK 9949 3315 47 286 0 0.333
Ichiro Suzuki
L 0.340 SEA 9689 3030 114 1037 48 0.313
Al Simmons
R 0.340 OAK 8759 2927 307 737 0 0.334
Babe Ruth
L 0.340 BOS 8398 2873 714 1330 0 0.342
Matt Kemp
R 0.340 LAD 5288 1513 240 1367 63 0.286
Jon Jay
L 0.340 STL 2703 777 31 497 17 0.287
Paul Waner
L 0.339 PIT 9459 3152 113 376 0 0.333
Bobby Abreu
L 0.339 HOU 8480 2470 288 1840 85 0.291
David Wright
R 0.339 NYM 5996 1777 242 1292 65 0.296
Michael Bourn
L 0.339 PHI 4784 1272 36 1124 23 0.266
Lefty O’Doul
L 0.339 NYY 3264 1140 113 122 0 0.349
Lou Brock
L 0.338 CHC 10332 3023 149 1730 46 0.293
Manny Ramirez
R 0.338 CLE 8244 2574 555 1813 90 0.312
Mo Vaughn
L 0.338 BOS 5532 1620 328 1429 45 0.293
Shane Mack
R 0.338 SDP 2857 853 80 509 20 0.299
Howie Kendrick
R 0.337 ANA 5068 1465 95 939 27 0.289
Brad Hawpe
L 0.337 COL 2934 806 124 810 22 0.275
Jimmie Foxx
R 0.336 OAK 8134 2646 534 1311 0 0.325
Andres Galarraga
R 0.336 WSN 8096 2333 399 2003 58 0.288
Babe Herman
L 0.336 DET 5603 1818 181 553 0 0.324
Carlos Gonzalez
L 0.336 ARI 3955 1152 201 956 30 0.291
Phil Bradley
R 0.336 SEA 3695 1058 78 718 21 0.286
Bob Fothergill
R 0.336 DET 3269 1064 36 177 0 0.325
Heinie Manush
L 0.335 DET 7654 2524 110 345 0 0.330
Nap Lajoie
R 0.335 PHI 7498 2521 51 74 0 0.336
Edgar Martinez
R 0.335 SEA 7213 2247 309 1202 77 0.312
Drew Stubbs
R 0.335 CIN 2812 685 92 963 15 0.244
Dick Allen
R 0.334 PHI 6332 1848 351 1556 53 0.292
Earle Combs
L 0.334 NYY 5746 1866 58 278 0 0.325
Ryan Braun
R 0.334 MIL 5249 1597 285 1070 33 0.304
Hal Morris
L 0.334 NYY 3998 1216 76 548 39 0.304
Jose Altuve
R 0.334 HOU 3361 1046 60 378 31 0.311
Benny Kauff
L 0.334 NYY 3094 961 49 313 0 0.311
Julio Franco
R 0.333 PHI 8677 2586 173 1341 80 0.298
Michael Young
R 0.333 TOR 7918 2375 185 1235 72 0.300
Matt Holliday
R 0.333 COL 6583 1995 295 1230 40 0.303
Honus Wagner
R 0.332 LOU 8507 2766 78 327 0 0.325
Lou Gehrig
L 0.332 NYY 8001 2721 493 790 0 0.340
Larry Walker
L 0.332 WSN 6907 2160 383 1231 65 0.313
Reed Johnson
R 0.332 TOR 3630 1014 65 728 22 0.279
Andrew McCutchen
R 0.331 PIT 4463 1304 175 922 44 0.292
Bip Roberts
B 0.331 PIT 4147 1220 30 548 31 0.294
Josh Hamilton
L 0.331 TBD 3909 1134 200 938 55 0.290
Mike Easler
L 0.331 HOU 3677 1078 118 696 40 0.293
Mike Donlin
L 0.331 STL 3312 1106 35 39 0 0.334
Mike Morse
R 0.331 CHW 2533 698 104 654 18 0.276
Sam Rice
L 0.330 MIN 9269 2987 34 275 0 0.322
Todd Helton
L 0.330 COL 7962 2519 369 1175 93 0.316
Ray Lankford
L 0.330 STL 5747 1561 238 1550 53 0.272
Cecil Travis
L 0.330 MIN 4914 1544 27 291 0 0.314
Ed Morgan
R 0.330 CLE 2810 879 52 252 0 0.313
Felix Jose
B 0.330 OAK 2527 708 54 507 14 0.280
Willie Wilson
B 0.329 KCR 7731 2207 41 1144 35 0.285
Joe Medwick
R 0.329 STL 7635 2471 205 551 0 0.324
Luis Castillo
B 0.329 FLA 6510 1889 28 850 26 0.290
Roberto Kelly
R 0.329 NYY 4797 1390 124 862 41 0.290
Barney McCosky
L 0.329 DET 4172 1301 24 261 0 0.312
Steve Henderson
R 0.329 CIN 3484 976 68 677 22 0.280
Lew Fonseca
R 0.329 CIN 3404 1075 31 199 0 0.316
Matt Carpenter
L 0.329 STL 2579 733 74 535 31 0.284
Dick Porter
L 0.329 CLE 2515 774 11 186 0 0.308
Ted Williams
L 0.328 BOS 7706 2654 521 709 20 0.344
Edd Roush
L 0.328 CHW 7363 2376 68 260 0 0.323
Donn Clendenon
R 0.328 PIT 4648 1273 159 1140 47 0.274
Johnny Mostil
R 0.328 CHW 3507 1054 23 336 0 0.301
Emilio Bonifacio
B 0.328 ARI 2572 664 13 594 18 0.258
Zack Wheat
L 0.327 LAD 9106 2884 132 559 0 0.317
Richie Ashburn
L 0.327 PHI 8365 2574 29 571 18 0.308
Bob Meusel
R 0.327 NYY 5475 1693 156 619 0 0.309
Chick Hafey
R 0.327 STL 4625 1466 164 477 0 0.317
Rusty Greer
L 0.327 TEX 3829 1166 119 555 44 0.305
Joe Harris
R 0.327 NYY 3035 963 47 188 0 0.317
  • Minimum 2500 AB, Strikeout data missing (1901-1909 NL, 1901-1912 AL)
BABIP – BA differential All-Time Leaders, Batters (1901-2016)If you ever wondered aloud (or thought to yourself) “Hey, Johnny Wiffsalot could really elevate his game by cutting down on the strikeouts and putting the ball in play,” look no further than the following list. All of the batsmen below made their MLB debut after 1980 with the exception of Donn Clendenon , Cesar Geronimo , Bobby Knoop , Ron LeFlore and Ron Swoboda . With an eclectic mix of free-swingers, speed demons and legitimate sluggers, the table reinforces the modern attitude towards the strikeout. Batters eclipsed the century mark for strikeouts in a single season 999 times since Bruce Campbell whiffed 104 times in 1932 (see chart below, “Batters with 100 Strikeouts in a Single Season”). Only 29 of those seasons occurred through 1962. Fanning on a regular basis remained a rarity through 1985. However, since ’86 the tally surpassed ten or more batters in all subsequent seasons (excepting the strike-shortened campaign in ’94). A new record was established in 2016 when 53 hitters registered 100+ K’s.
Batter Bats BABIP BA BABIP-BA HR% SO%
Drew Stubbs
R 0.335 0.244 0.091 3.3% 34.2%
Austin Jackson
R 0.350 0.272 0.078 1.5% 25.8%
Chris Johnson
R 0.353 0.275 0.078 2.2% 26.8%
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
B 0.312 0.234 0.078 3.9% 34.2%
Gary Pettis
B 0.313 0.236 0.077 0.6% 26.4%
Dexter Fowler
B 0.342 0.268 0.074 2.1% 26.1%
Michael Bourn
L 0.339 0.266 0.073 0.8% 23.5%
Jose Hernandez
R 0.324 0.252 0.072 3.6% 30.1%
Melvin Upton
R 0.314 0.243 0.071 3.2% 30.2%
Emilio Bonifacio
B 0.328 0.258 0.070 0.5% 23.1%
David Freese
R 0.343 0.275 0.068 2.8% 25.7%
Mark Reynolds
R 0.301 0.234 0.067 5.5% 35.7%
Danny Espinosa
B 0.292 0.226 0.066 3.5% 31.5%
Chris Davis
L 0.314 0.250 0.064 6.5% 35.4%
Brad Wilkerson
L 0.311 0.247 0.064 3.8% 29.7%
Russell Branyan
L 0.296 0.232 0.064 6.6% 38.1%
Cameron Maybin
R 0.322 0.259 0.063 1.7% 23.6%
Chase Headley
B 0.326 0.263 0.063 2.6% 25.3%
Alejandro De Aza
L 0.324 0.261 0.063 2.0% 24.1%
Brad Hawpe
L 0.337 0.275 0.062 4.2% 27.6%
Shin-Soo Choo
L 0.342 0.280 0.062 3.4% 25.3%
Bill Hall
R 0.310 0.248 0.062 3.7% 29.1%
Gregor Blanco
L 0.320 0.258 0.062 0.8% 21.6%
Will Venable
L 0.310 0.249 0.061 2.9% 26.4%
Mark Teahen
L 0.324 0.264 0.060 2.3% 23.6%
Ian Desmond
R 0.326 0.267 0.059 3.2% 25.6%
Ron LeFlore
R 0.347 0.288 0.059 1.3% 19.9%
Carlos Gomez
R 0.315 0.257 0.058 3.0% 25.5%
Ray Lankford
L 0.330 0.272 0.058 4.1% 27.0%
Justin Upton
R 0.326 0.268 0.058 4.5% 27.8%
Paul Goldschmidt
R 0.356 0.299 0.057 5.0% 26.2%
Jonny Gomes
R 0.298 0.242 0.056 4.7% 31.5%
Giancarlo Stanton
R 0.322 0.266 0.056 7.0% 32.8%
Damian Miller
R 0.318 0.262 0.056 2.7% 24.3%
Mike Morse
R 0.331 0.276 0.055 4.1% 25.8%
Rickie Weeks
R 0.302 0.247 0.055 3.7% 27.3%
Rob Deer
R 0.275 0.220 0.055 5.9% 36.3%
Wes Helms
R 0.311 0.256 0.055 2.8% 25.3%
Brett Gardner
L 0.318 0.264 0.054 1.7% 21.4%
Manuel Lee
B 0.309 0.255 0.054 0.7% 19.7%
Donn Clendenon
R 0.328 0.274 0.054 3.4% 24.5%
Alex Gordon
L 0.318 0.264 0.054 3.2% 24.5%
Mike Trout
R 0.360 0.306 0.054 5.6% 26.2%
Jayson Werth
R 0.323 0.269 0.054 4.2% 26.4%
Matt Kemp
R 0.340 0.286 0.054 4.5% 25.9%
Ronny Cedeno
R 0.299 0.245 0.054 1.6% 22.1%
Bobby Knoop
R 0.290 0.236 0.054 1.5% 23.0%
Miguel Olivo
R 0.294 0.240 0.054 3.9% 28.2%
Pete Incaviglia
R 0.300 0.246 0.054 4.9% 30.2%
Juan Samuel
R 0.313 0.259 0.054 2.6% 23.7%
Mike Napoli
R 0.305 0.252 0.053 5.7% 31.5%
Colby Rasmus
L 0.294 0.241 0.053 4.4% 29.5%
Pedro Alvarez
L 0.291 0.238 0.053 5.4% 31.9%
John Vander Wal
L 0.314 0.261 0.053 3.5% 25.4%
Freddie Freeman
L 0.341 0.288 0.053 4.2% 24.7%
Nick Punto
B 0.298 0.245 0.053 0.6% 20.0%
Reed Johnson
R 0.332 0.279 0.053 1.8% 20.1%
Dale Sveum
B 0.289 0.236 0.053 2.7% 26.0%
Jon Jay
L 0.340 0.287 0.053 1.1% 18.4%
Kevin Stocker
B 0.306 0.254 0.052 0.8% 19.5%
Roger Cedeno
B 0.325 0.273 0.052 1.3% 19.3%
Mike Cameron
R 0.301 0.249 0.052 4.1% 27.8%
Cliff Pennington
B 0.295 0.243 0.052 1.3% 21.3%
Ron Swoboda
R 0.294 0.242 0.052 2.8% 25.1%
Jason LaRue
R 0.283 0.231 0.052 3.5% 28.0%
Jose Molina
R 0.284 0.233 0.051 1.5% 22.6%
Ben Grieve
L 0.320 0.269 0.051 3.7% 24.4%
Kelly Johnson
L 0.302 0.251 0.051 3.4% 25.2%
Ryan Howard
L 0.309 0.258 0.051 6.7% 32.3%
Austin Kearns
R 0.304 0.253 0.051 3.4% 24.9%
Preston Wilson
R 0.314 0.264 0.050 4.7% 27.1%
Vince Coleman
B 0.314 0.264 0.050 0.5% 17.8%
Brandon Moss
L 0.291 0.241 0.050 5.0% 30.3%
Chad Kreuter
B 0.287 0.237 0.050 2.2% 23.7%
Felipe Lopez
B 0.314 0.264 0.050 2.1% 21.1%
Franklin Gutierrez
R 0.307 0.257 0.050 3.2% 24.2%
Chone Figgins
B 0.326 0.276 0.050 0.7% 17.7%
Felix Jose
B 0.330 0.280 0.050 2.1% 20.1%
Phil Bradley
R 0.336 0.286 0.050 2.1% 19.4%
Cesar Geronimo
L 0.308 0.258 0.050 1.3% 19.7%
  • Minimum 2500 AB, Strikeout data missing (1901-1909 NL, 1901-1912 AL)
BABIP All-Time Trailers, Batters (1901-2016)
Batter Bats BABIP FranchID AB H HR SO SF BA
Bill Bergen
R 0.175 CIN 3028 516 2 81 0 0.170
Billy Sullivan
R 0.205 ATL 3335 692 11 0 0 0.207
Monte Cross
R 0.214 BLO 2898 628 9 0 0 0.217
Lee Tannehill
R 0.220 CHW 3778 833 3 0 0 0.220
George McBride
R 0.228 BAL 5526 1203 7 271 0 0.218
Charley O’Leary
R 0.228 DET 3232 731 3 34 0 0.226
Hobe Ferris
R 0.232 CIN 4800 1146 40 0 0 0.239
Pat Moran
R 0.233 ATL 2634 618 18 36 0 0.235
Tommy Corcoran
R 0.237 PTP 2951 705 7 0 0 0.239
John Knight
R 0.237 OAK 2664 636 14 27 0 0.239
Wayne Gross
L 0.239 OAK 3125 727 121 496 24 0.233
Jim King
L 0.240 STL 2918 699 117 401 22 0.240
Dave Duncan
R 0.240 OAK 2885 617 109 677 18 0.214
George Gibson
R 0.242 PIT 3776 893 15 132 0 0.236
Red Dooin
R 0.243 PHI 4004 961 10 87 0 0.240
Curt Blefary
L 0.243 NYY 2947 699 112 444 25 0.237
Buck Martinez
R 0.243 PHI 2743 618 58 419 35 0.225
Mickey Doolin
R 0.244 PHI 5977 1376 15 376 0 0.230
Bill Dahlen
R 0.244 CHC 4216 1045 22 3 0 0.248
Dave Brain
R 0.244 CHW 2543 641 27 0 0 0.252
Graig Nettles
L 0.245 MIN 8986 2225 390 1209 90 0.248
Wid Conroy
R 0.245 BAL 5061 1257 22 0 0 0.248
Fred Kendall
R 0.245 CIN 2576 603 31 240 25 0.234
Eddie Miller
R 0.246 CIN 5337 1270 97 465 0 0.238
Ossie Vitt
R 0.246 DET 3760 894 4 131 0 0.238
Billy Gilbert
R 0.246 BAL 2816 695 4 0 0 0.247
Bill Killefer
R 0.247 BAL 3150 751 4 126 0 0.238
Rod Barajas
R 0.248 ARI 3460 812 136 638 39 0.235
Paul Casanova
R 0.248 CLE 2786 627 50 430 24 0.225
Bob Swift
R 0.248 DET 2750 635 14 233 0 0.231
Ed Herrmann
L 0.248 ATL 2729 654 80 361 24 0.240
Del Crandall
R 0.249 ATL 5026 1276 179 477 42 0.254
Frank Isbell
L 0.249 CHC 4060 1019 13 0 0 0.251
Rollie Zeider
R 0.249 CHW 3210 769 5 138 0 0.240
Bobby Wine
R 0.249 PHI 3172 682 30 538 15 0.215
Darrell Evans
L 0.250 OAK 8973 2223 414 1410 90 0.248
Ed Brinkman
R 0.250 TEX 6045 1355 60 845 40 0.224
Joe Pepitone
L 0.250 NYY 5097 1315 219 526 35 0.258
Ron Hansen
R 0.250 BAL 4311 1007 106 643 41 0.234
Jack Barry
R 0.250 OAK 4146 1009 10 142 0 0.243
Tom Jones
R 0.250 NYY 3847 964 4 0 0 0.251
Bill Coughlin
R 0.250 WAS 3830 969 15 0 0 0.253
Henry Blanco
R 0.250 LAD 2761 615 72 546 26 0.223
Eddie Lake
R 0.250 STL 2595 599 39 312 0 0.231
Gorman Thomas
R 0.251 MIL 4677 1051 268 1339 53 0.225
Don Mincher
L 0.251 CHW 4026 1003 200 668 37 0.249
Gus Triandos
R 0.251 NYY 3907 954 167 636 32 0.244
Oscar Stanage
R 0.251 STL 3503 819 8 268 0 0.234
Larry Brown
R 0.251 CLE 3449 803 47 414 23 0.233
Eddie Miksis
R 0.251 LAD 3053 722 44 313 2 0.236
Clay Dalrymple
L 0.251 ATL 3042 710 55 403 27 0.233
Kevin Elster
R 0.251 NYM 2844 648 88 562 35 0.228
Matt Nokes
L 0.251 SFG 2735 695 136 395 26 0.254
Gary Roenicke
R 0.251 WSN 2708 670 121 428 26 0.247
Jack Brohamer
L 0.251 CLE 2500 613 30 178 29 0.245
Dave Kingman
R 0.252 SFG 6677 1575 442 1816 75 0.236
Jim Hegan
R 0.252 CLE 4772 1087 92 742 14 0.228
Rabbit Warstler
R 0.252 BOS 4088 935 11 414 0 0.229
Ernie Whitt
L 0.252 BOS 3774 938 134 491 37 0.249
Dan Meyer
L 0.252 DET 3734 944 86 277 35 0.253
Willie Kirkland
L 0.252 SFG 3494 837 148 648 34 0.240
Danny Hoffman
L 0.252 OAK 2981 762 14 0 0 0.256
Dave Valle
R 0.252 SEA 2775 658 77 413 17 0.237
John Mayberry
L 0.253 HOU 5447 1379 255 810 53 0.253
John Milner
L 0.253 NYM 3436 855 131 473 28 0.249
Heinie Wagner
R 0.253 SFG 3333 834 10 63 0 0.250
Kid Gleason
B 0.253 PHI 3218 818 6 0 0 0.254
Steve Balboni
R 0.253 NYY 3120 714 181 856 27 0.229
Eddie Ainsmith
R 0.253 MIN 3048 707 22 315 0 0.232
Ed Abbaticchio
R 0.253 PHI 2942 748 11 16 0 0.254
Harmon Killebrew
R 0.254 MIN 8147 2086 573 1699 77 0.256
Roger Maris
L 0.254 CLE 5101 1325 275 733 43 0.260
George Moriarty
R 0.254 CHC 3671 920 5 59 0 0.251
Dal Maxvill
R 0.254 STL 3443 748 6 538 23 0.217
Jake Stahl
R 0.254 BOS 3425 894 31 1 0 0.261
Bernie Allen
L 0.254 MIN 3404 815 73 424 17 0.239
Gary Sutherland
R 0.254 PHI 3104 754 24 219 18 0.243
Ken Harrelson
R 0.254 OAK 2941 703 131 577 23 0.239
George Strickland
R 0.254 LAD 2824 633 36 453 15 0.224
Bris Lord
R 0.254 OAK 2767 707 13 22 0 0.256
Joe Birmingham
R 0.254 CLE 2633 667 7 27 0 0.253
Rocky Colavito
R 0.255 CLE 6503 1730 374 880 60 0.266
Mark McGwire
R 0.255 OAK 6187 1626 583 1596 78 0.263
Hal Lanier
R 0.255 SFG 3703 843 8 436 19 0.228
Ed Kirkpatrick
L 0.255 ANA 3467 824 85 518 39 0.238
Joe Crede
R 0.255 CHW 3101 787 140 459 31 0.254
Jiggs Donahue
L 0.255 PIT 2852 729 4 0 0 0.256
Carlos Quentin
R 0.255 ARI 2790 702 154 516 30 0.252
Willie Jones
R 0.256 PHI 5826 1502 190 541 37 0.258
Andre Thornton
R 0.256 PHI 5291 1342 253 851 71 0.254
Jim Spencer
L 0.256 ANA 4908 1227 146 582 42 0.250
Rick Dempsey
R 0.256 MIN 4692 1093 96 736 42 0.233
Otto Knabe
R 0.256 PIT 4469 1103 8 191 0 0.247
Del Rice
R 0.256 STL 3826 908 79 522 7 0.237
Skeeter Newsome
R 0.256 OAK 3716 910 9 194 0 0.245
Doc Casey
B 0.256 WAS 3667 945 8 0 0 0.258
Steve Yeager
R 0.256 LAD 3584 816 102 726 28 0.228
John Bateman
R 0.256 HOU 3330 765 81 610 31 0.230
Buck Rodgers
B 0.256 DET 3033 704 31 409 37 0.232
  • Minimum 2500 AB, Strikeout data missing (1901-1909 NL, 1901-1912 AL)

Photo Credits

References and Resources

Albert, Jim and Max Marchi. Analyzing Baseball Data with R. Boca Raton, FL.: CRC Press, 2014. Print. Baseball-Reference Fangraphs Library – BABIP Gassko, David. “Uncovering DIPS” . Hardball Times, January 4, 2007. Web. McCracken, Voros. “Pitching and Defense – How Much Control Do Hurlers Have?” Baseball Prospectus, January 23, 2001. Web. Neyer, Rob and Bill James. The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers . Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print. Retrosheet Event Files  The information used here was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Interested parties may contact Retrosheet at “www.retrosheet.org”. SABR Baseball Biography Project

About the Author

I am a New Jersey native with a passion for baseball, statistics, computers and video games who enjoys spending quality time with his family. “Hardball Retrospective”is available in paperback and digital ( Kindle ) format at Amazon.com. Supplemental Statistics, Charts and Graphs along with a discussion forum are offered at TuataraSoftware.com .Don Daglow (Intellivision World Series Major League Baseball, Earl Weaver Baseball, Tony LaRussa Baseball) contributed the foreword for Hardball Retrospective. The foreword and preview of my book are accessible  here . “Hardball Retrospective – Addendum 2014 to 2016”supplements my research for Hardball Retrospective, providing retroactive standings based on Wins Above Replacement (WAR) and Win Shares (WS) for each “original” team over the past three seasons (2014-2016). Team totals from 2010 – 2013 are included for reference purposes. “Addendum” is available in paperback and digital ( Kindle ) format at Amazon.com. Hardball Retroactive”,published in June 2018, is available in paperback and digital ( Kindle ) format at Amazon.com. A cross-section of essays that I penned for Seamheads.com along with my Baseball Analytics blog spanning nearly a decade touching on subjects including “Taking the Extra Base”, “General Manager Scorecard”, “Worst Trades”, “BABIP By Location” and “Baseball Birthplaces and the Retro World Baseball Classic”. Rediscover your favorite hardball arcade and simulations in “Play Retro Baseball Video Games In Your Browser” or take a deep dive into every franchise’s minor league successes and failures in relation to their major league operations in “Minors vs. Majors”. “Hardball Architects”examines the trades, free agent acquisitions, draft picks and other transactions for the 30 Major League Baseball franchises, divided into a 2-volume set (American League and National League). All key moves are scrutinized for every team and Sabermetric principles are applied to the roster construction throughout the lifetime of the organization to encapsulate the hits and misses by front office executives. “Volume 1 – American League Teams” is available in paperback and digital ( Kindle ) format at Amazon.com. “Volume 2 – National League Teams” is tentatively scheduled for publication in the spring of 2022.

Comments

3 Responses to “BABIP by Location”
  1. Rod Humphrey says:

    You’ve outdone yourself again Derek!

  2. Charles Saeger says:

    Great work! Are there any clear lefty-righty trends for the infield data? And what are the averages by primary pitch?

  3. Derek Bain says:

    @CharlesSaeger – I did not find any clear trends in the infield data for batter “handedness” – perhaps a very slight edge to lefty batters with regards to hits to shortstop and third base (using the closer proximity from the batter’s box to first base to their advantage). I do not have the split data for pitch types, so I just denoted their primary and secondary pitch types out of curiosity to determine if there were any general trends.

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