The Official 2021 MLB Random Thoughts Thread

Brozay

Brozay

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Remote said:
As of this writing,

Shohei Ohtani is slugging .700 on the season. In no way whatsoever do I think Ohtani will slug .700 for the entire season. But if he does, it would put him in historical company.
Here is the list of players who slugged .700 or better in a season (after WW2, since that's a somewhat fair break point):

Barry Bonds 2004
Barry Bonds 2003
Barry Bonds 2002
Barry Bonds 2001

Sammy Sosa 2001

Larry Walker 1999
Larry Walker 1997

Mark McGwire 1998
Mark McGwire 1996

Jeff Bagwell 1994
Frank Thomas 1994
Ted Williams 1957
Mickey Mantle 1956
Stan Musial 1948

Bonds, Sosa, McGwire and Bagwell all have very strong connections to being on the juice. Probably Larry Walker, too.
I'd be confident in saying that the only guys to slug .700 legitimately in the last 70 years are Williams, Mantle, Musial and Thomas -- and Thomas did his in a strike-shortened season.

If Ohtani can keep this up, it will be a miracle.

(for the record, prior to WW2 the list of players over .700 are Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hack Wilson and Rogers Hornsby...but that's effectively a different game back then)
Click to expand...

this really puts into context just how special of a season Frank Thomas was having in 1994, because everyone else listed post Ted Williams was 100% juicing
 
Remote

Remote

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Brozay said:
this really puts into context just how special of a season Frank Thomas was having in 1994, because everyone else listed post Ted Williams was 100% juicing
Click to expand...
Thomas finished 1994 with a .729 slugging percentage through August 10th.
With about 6 weeks left in the season, it was almost a certainty he'd have finished over .700

It's somewhat unfair how overlooked Frank Thomas was in the 1990s.
Ken Griffey Jr and Barry Bonds get all the attention when considering the best player of the 1990s. And rightfully so. They were amazing.

But from 1991 through 2000, Frank Thomas slashed .320/.439/.581 averaging 34 home runs, 115 RBI , 114 walks and just 78 strikeouts per season.
It's unfortunate that his best years were wasted on some awful White Sox teams. He might have had a better shot at more rings had the Wild Card existed before 1995.
 
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