Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred
From the LA Times: "Josh Gibson, a power-hitting catcher for Negro League teams, will likely be awarded baseball' single season record for batting average. Gibson hit .441 for multiple Negro League teams in 1943, surpassing the mark of .440 set in 1894".
Gibson had 342 plate appearances, 124 hits in 281 at bats in 1943. How can a comparison be made for a season with only 281 at bats to a season (Hugh Duffy's 1894 season) that ended up with a .440 average based on 616 plate appearances, 237 hits in 539 at bats?
How many times have we seen a player over .400 at the All-Star break only to have that average plunge after the break?
This is going to be really stupid.
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Hugh Duffy set his record in a year when the first 5 batters on the leaderboard hit over 400.
Since detractors have made such an issue over the level of play, it seems disingenuous to bring up Hugh Duffy.