Click here to read a transcript of Tuesday’s chat with MLBTR’s Steve Adams.
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odds someone hits .400 in shortened season? I mean, this is the year it could happen? Or maybe a starter with an ERA below 1.12 or a reliever who doesn’t allow a run all season?
Steve Adams
6:15 Maybe — but it wouldn’t go into the record books anyhow. Won’t be enough ABs or IP to qualify in a 162-game season.
Aren’t records based on team games played, not based on a flat 162-game season? So to qualify for the batting title, you have to have 3.1 plate appearances per team game, and for pitching, you just have to have 1 IP per team game. So if there are only 60 team games per season, those qualifiers would also still be prorated.
I think the Baseball Encyclopedia would say that the 2020 season wouldn’t count toward season records. It’s an aberration.
“Maybe — but it wouldn’t go into the record books anyhow. Won’t be enough ABs or IP to qualify in a 162-game season.
I kind of doubt the .400 anyway … when was the last time someone was hitting even .375 a couple of months into the season? ”
Chipper Jones didn’t drop below .400 until the 74th game (June 19th) in 2008.
Cody Bellinger was at .376 on June 2nd 2019, I couldn’t tell if Steve was joking or not about the last time someone hit .375 a couple months into the season.
So if Kevin Mass debuted ton July 23, 2020 you would consider him the home run and RBI holder for all of baseball for a single season?
If he could hit 74 HRs and 192 RBI in 60 games, absolutely.
But we’re talking about average stats, which are substantially different than counting stats. HRs and RBI don’t have a minimum AB or plate appearance threshhold to qualify like average stats do.
With how low the value of speed based players is, it would be interesting to see a team buy low on 5 or 6 guys with elite speed who can hit at replacement level/slightly above and base a team around that.