Monday, May 15, 2006


GREATEST HITTERS IN BASEBALL: HOME ROAD SPLITS

Baseball Musings' Day by Day Database is a fantastic resource. You can look up any sort of stats for all hitters and pitchers. You can compare players over any given time frame and within any parameters you wish.

Let's compare hitters from the 1974 through 1992 seasons. I like to stop at 1992 because a huge offensive explosion started in 1993 (due to expansion, Coors Field and later, steroids).

I believe that there are many players whose legacies are colored by their home field advantage througout their careers. Yes, most players hit better at home than on the road but let's compare some Hall of Fame, great and very good players. (Players are grouped into the following categories according to how their home/road rankings compared to each other).

*04/01/1974: Start Date*
*10/31/1992: End Date:*
*1255: Minimum Plate Apps (roughly 5 seasons)*

VERY IMPRESSIVE
Rod Carew
Home: .339 (3rd highest)
Road: .330 (highest of all)

Tony Gwynn
Home: .330 (4th highest)
Road: .324 (2nd highest)

Wade Boggs
Home: .369 (highest of all)
Road: .307 (4th highest but big discrepancy)

CONSISTENCY
Don Mattingly
Home: .316 (9th)
Road: .306 (5th)

Paul Molitor
Home: .309 (13)
Road: .298 (14)

Mike Greenwell
Home: .315 (10th)
Road: .297 (16th)

HALL OF FAMERS THAT MAKE YOU GO, HMMM...
Kirby Puckett
Home: .349 (2nd highest)
Road: .293 (29th)

George Brett
Home: .323 (6th)
Road: .292 (31st)

Ryne Sandberg
Home: .309 (14)
Road: .270 (142)

SCRATCH YOUR HEAD: ROAD WARRIORS
Bill Madlock
Home: .305 (21)
Road: .303 (8)

Cecil Cooper
Home: .302 (32)
Road: .297 (17)

Bob Watson
Home: .285 (104)
Road: .305 (6)

Mickey Rivers
Home: .285 (110)
Road: .309 (3) !!!

Manny Sanguillen
Home: .271 (c. 200) [not quite enough home pa's]
Road: .304 (7)

FENWAY LOVED MORE THAN BOGGS & GREENWELL
Jim Rice
Home: .320 (8th)
Road: .277 (94)

Carl Yastrzemski
Home: .301 (35)
Road: .251 (306)

Fred Lynn
Home: .299 (38)
Road: .267 (165)

FAVORITE SONS
AL OLIVER
Home: .326 (5th)
Road: .295 (23rd)

Will Clark
Home: .314 (11)
Road: .289 (41)

Lou Brock
Home: .311 (12)
Road: .272 (127)

Mark Grace
Home: .306 (18)
Road: .292 (33)

Hal McRae
Home: .308 (15)
Road: .285 (52)

Thurman Munson
Home: .306 (20)
Road: .288 (42)


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