Trivia: Getting on Base (part 2)
 

Besides Barry Bonds, name the 9 other players with a single season On Base Percentage of .500 or better (minimum of 500 Played Appearances).

Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. I know John McGraw had a high career OBP, so he probably did it. Are you counting Negro League guys? If so, Josh Gibson.

Mantle, Sliding Billy Hamilton

Rogers Hornsby?

Cobb? Heilmann? SJ Jackson?

Yes! Ted Williams had the highest OBP% after Barry Bonds (for anyone with 500 Plate Appearances) , when he had .5528 in 1941. Ted also had .5256 in 1957. John McGraw is right after Ted with .5475 in 1899. Babe Ruth accomplished the feat an absurd 4 times, with highest being .5445 in 1923. So you got the top 3!

Unfortunately, no Negro League had 500 Plate Appearances, but if they did Josh Gibson would be right behind Bonds, as he recorded a .5596 OBP in 1943 with 302 PAs.

Correct! Sliding Billy Hamilton is #4 on the list with .5209 in 1894.

Mantle is #5 on the list as well, with .5120 in 1957. We've got the top 5!

Yes sir! Hornsby's .5072 in 1924 puts at #6 on our list.

We've got the top 6 on our list. 3 to go.

All fine guesses, but Cobb topped out at .4863, Heilmann at .4809 , and Shoeless Joe at .4677.

Brett ? Carew , Gwynn
Going with some high batting averages Although I don’t think Gwynn or Carew drew a lot of walks

I believe Hugh Duffy did it the year he hit .440

Three of my favorite players:

Roy Cullenbine
Rickey Henderson
Eddie Gaedel

Nice guesses, but Brett topped out at .4544, Carew at .4488, and Gwynn at .4469.

Good guess, but Cullenbine topped out at .4519, Rickey at .4392 and Gaedel didn't have quite enough Plate Appearances.

Yes, he sure did. Hugh Duffy had a .5017 OBP in 1894, the year he hit .440

Just 2 more to go. Both are Hall of Famers, though not exactly household names.

Bill Terry

Good guess, but Terry topped out at .4515.

In addition to both of the remaining players being HOFers, one had some siblings play MLB, and the other had the nickname "Kingpin of the Orioles."

Joe Kelly? I never would have guessed him but for the Orioles HOF clue. And Ed Delahanty? Again, guessing because of the clues.

Someone beat me to it.

You got it! Ed Delahanty's OBP was exactly .5000 in 1895.

The year prior, Joe Kelley, "Kingpin of the Orioles" posted an OBP .5024 to go along with teammate Hugh Duffy's OBP of .5017, teammate John McGraw's OBP of .451, teammate Hughie Jennings' OBP of .411, and teammate Willie Keeler's of .427.

The Orioles of the mid-1890s were quite the juggernaut. Kelley played on six pennant-winning teams during his 17-year stint in the major leagues. He hit .300 or better in 11 straight seasons. Kelley's most memorably moment may have been on September 3, 1894, when, batting leadoff, he stroked nine straight hits in a doubleheader sweep of the Cleveland Spiders in front of a Labor Day crowd of over 20,000 fans at Baltimore’s Union Park. He ended the day by slamming four consecutive doubles off Cy Young in the nightcap.

Good trivia question.

I'm convinced Frank Thomas would have finished above .500 in 1994, if Reinsdorf and Selig hadn't decided to shut down the season.

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