Baseball Averages over 135 Years

Lots of Batters - Lots of Hits.  What do the averages look like over the past 1 1/3 centuries?

 

 

Ted Williams hit 406.  Rod Carew 388.  300 has been a benchmark for "good-to-great" hitter.  How many hit it?

But before we start, do I want a 2 for 4 batter for a season distorting the graphic?  Below limits the data to "batters with 50 or more at  bats in a season".

 

 

In Total:  All 135 Years in one Graphic

By Decade

By Year

 

The 20s was indeed a hitter's paradise, whereas in the 60s, the pictures dominated.

Strike-shortened seasons stand out, as does the approximate time the season increased to 162 games.  The hitter's year of 1930 stands in stark contrast to the pitcher's year of 1968.

Ted Williams (1941: 406) stands out, but also notice how many more batters had more at-bats than Williams.

George Sisler (1920: 407) also stands out, because of both his batting average and number of at bats.

 

The fractal similarity of batter-performance over the years is striking.