Trivia: Batting Champs spilt between teams

[cgjackson222]

Name the 6 players that played for multiple teams the year they won a Batting title?

[jayshum]

Luis Arraez and Willie McGee

[Cliff Bowman]

Harry Walker.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by jayshum

Luis Arraez and Willie McGee

Yes! Last year, Arraez led the NL with a .314 Batting Average (the lowest to lead the NL since Gwynn did so in 1988 with .313), splitting time between the Marlins and the Padres.

And in 1990, McGee led the NL with a .335 Batting Average while splitting time between the Cardinals and the Athletics. I believe McGee is the only player to be traded to a different League in a year he won the Batting Title.

Only one person did the feat in between McGee and Arraez.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Cliff Bowman

Harry Walker.

Correct!

Harry Walker led the NL with a .363 Batting Average in 1947 while splitting time between the Cardinals and the Phillies.

[Peter_Spaeth]

E Murray?

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

E Murray?

I don't think Eddie Murray ever won a Batting Title, but he was certainly traded a lot. He was traded twice midseason late in his career (Cleveland to Baltimore at age 40) and the following year from Anaheim to the Dodgers to close out his career.

[Peter_Spaeth]

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/co...ing/?rdt=32780

was thinking of something else, related to mcgee

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Only one person did the feat in between McGee and Arraez.

LOL, I got frustrated and had to look that one up. In the process, it kind of blew my mind some of the names who actually won Batting Titles in the last 35 years, and how those names had completely left my memory in that time.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

LOL, I got frustrated and had to look that one up. In the process, it kind of blew my mind some of the names who actually won Batting Titles in the last 35 years, and how those names had completely left my memory in that time.

Yeah, lots of obscure guys have won batting titles. Of the 3 players remaining, one is pretty well known (is still playing), one is probably only a household name to people on this site (was a deadball player) and one guy is not very well-known at all, as he only played for 5 seasons almost 100 years ago.

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/co...ing/?rdt=32780

was thinking of something else, related to mcgee

Eddie Murray having the highest Batting Average in the majors, but not winning a batting title is super-weird and its own trivia question.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

I actually bumped into Eddie once and asked him about that. He said he bet I win a lot of bar bets with that one lol.

[howard38]

Dale Alexander

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by howard38

Dale Alexander

Correct!! I thought Alexander would be the last to be guessed.

Dale Alexander hit .367 in 1932, when he was traded from the Tigers to the Red Sox for doubles king Earl Webb. Over his 5 season career, Alexander hit .331 (which would have tied him with Stan Musial on the all-time list if he had recorded 3,000 plate appearances, but Alexander only amassed 2,450).

Per SABR: Alexander hurt his leg sliding into home plate in 1933. Red Sox trainer Doc Woods used a new deep-heat method called diathermy to try to reduce pain and inflammation, and speed healing. Unfortunately, Woods left the machine on too long (apparently leaving the treatment room and not returning for quite some time) and burned Alexander’s leg. “They’d just barbecued his leg,” said his son Steve. Don Alexander (Dale’s other son) reported, “It really sort of atrophied. It really was smaller than the other. Just like it was a burn. Scarring tissue. It was discolored.” He was so badly burned that there was worry they might need to amputate his leg.

Dale never blamed anyone for it, never complained about bad treatment, and certainly never tried to sue the Red Sox. Don said, “He played the game hard, and then when it was over, he came home. He never felt like anybody mistreated him in baseball.”

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5568e9fe

He did not return to MLB.

Two more to go.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Correct!! I thought Alexander would be the last to be guessed.

Dale Alexander hit .367 in 1932, when he was traded from the Tigers to the Red Sox for doubles king Earl Webb. Over his 5 season career, Alexander hit .331 (which would have tied him with Stan Musial on the all-time list if he had recorded 3,000 plate appearances, but Alexander only amassed 2,450).

Per SABR: Alexander hurt his leg sliding into home plate in 1933. Red Sox trainer Doc Woods used a new deep-heat method called diathermy to try to reduce pain and inflammation, and speed gealing. Unfortunately, Woods left the machine on too long (apparently leaving the treatment room and not returning for quite some time) and burned Alexander’s leg. “They’d just barbecued his leg,” said his son Steve. Don Alexander (Dale’s other son) reported, “It really sort of atrophied. It really was smaller than the other. Just like it was a burn. Scarring tissue. It was discolored.” He was so badly burned that there was worry they might need to amputate his leg.

Dale never blamed anyone for it, never complained about bad treatment, and certainly never tried to sue the Red Sox. Don said, “He played the game hard, and then when it was over, he came home. He never felt like anybody mistreated him in baseball.”

https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/5568e9fe

He did not return to MLB.

Two more to go.

Yup, another fascinating story of a flash in the pan type of player. He was also a hitting machine in the Minor Leagues both before and after his stint in the Majors.

Hit .336 for the Yankees farm club in Newark the year after he was forced out of the MLB, and then continued to carry a solid stick for several more organizations after that. Had over 2000 hits and carried a lifetime .338BA at various levels in the Minors.

Gotta think he would have challenged for more batting titles if not for the injury and following malpractice on his leg.

[cgjackson222]

Not that anyone cares (nor should they), but the last two were Trea Turner in 2021 (Nats/Dodgers) and Nap Lajoie in 1902, who played one game with the Athletics before going to Cleveland.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

Not that anyone cares (nor should they), but the last two were Trea Turner in 2021 (Nats/Dodgers) and Nap Lajoie in 1902, who played one game with the Athletics before going to Cleveland.

Trea Turner was the one I had to look up. Completely forgot about him.

Never would have guessed Lajoie.