OBP >= .500: some astonishing numbers!

In only 14 seasons since 1903 have batters had an On Base Percentage (OBP) greater than or equal to .500, which, of course, is an average, not a percentage.

OBP: ((H+BB+HBP)/(AB+BB+HBP+SF)

These seasons were also addressed in the previous post in a different context:

Sacrifice Fly should be removed to normalize historical data.  Saturday, August 16, 2014

Rk	Player	OBP	Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	IBB	SO	HBP	SH	SF	GDP	SB	CS	BA	SLG	OPS	Pos
1	Barry Bonds	.609	2004	39	SFG	NL	147	617	373	129	135	27	3	45	101	232	120	41	9	0	3	5	6	1	.362	.812	1.422	*7/HD
2	Barry Bonds	.582	2002	37	SFG	NL	143	612	403	117	149	31	2	46	110	198	68	47	9	0	2	4	9	2	.370	.799	1.381	*7/DH
3	Ted Williams	.553	1941	22	BOS	AL	143	606	456	135	185	33	3	37	120	147		27	3	0		10	2	4	.406	.735	1.287	*7H/9
4	Babe Ruth	.545	1923	28	NYY	AL	152	697	522	151	205	45	13	41	130	170		93	4	3			17	21	.393	.764	1.309	97/83
5	Babe Ruth	.532	1920	25	NYY	AL	142	616	458	158	172	36	9	54	135	150		80	3	5			14	14	.376	.847	1.379	*978/3H1
6	Barry Bonds	.529	2003	38	SFG	NL	130	550	390	111	133	22	1	45	90	148	61	58	10	0	2	7	7	0	.341	.749	1.278	*7/DH
7	Ted Williams	.526	1957	38	BOS	AL	132	547	420	96	163	28	1	38	87	119	33	43	5	0	2	11	0	1	.388	.731	1.257	*7/H
8	Babe Ruth	.516	1926	31	NYY	AL	152	652	495	139	184	30	5	47	153	144		76	3	10			11	9	.372	.737	1.253	*79/H3
9	Barry Bonds	.515	2001	36	SFG	NL	153	664	476	129	156	32	2	73	137	177	35	93	9	0	2	5	13	3	.328	.863	1.379	*7/DH
10	Ted Williams	.513	1954	35	BOS	AL	117	526	386	93	133	23	1	29	89	136		32	1	0	3	10	0	0	.345	.635	1.148	*7/H
11	Babe Ruth	.513	1924	29	NYY	AL	153	681	529	143	200	39	7	46	124	142		81	4	6			9	13	.378	.739	1.252	*97/8H
12	Mickey Mantle	.512	1957	25	NYY	AL	144	623	474	121	173	28	6	34	94	146	23	75	0	0	3	5	16	3	.365	.665	1.177	*8/H
13	Babe Ruth	.512	1921	26	NYY	AL	152	693	540	177	204	44	16	59	168	145		81	4	4			17	13	.378	.846	1.359	*78/13
14	Rogers Hornsby	.507	1924	28	STL	NL	143	642	536	121	227	43	14	25	94	89		32	2	13			5	12	.424	.696	1.203	*4

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/16/2014.

Barry Bonds August 26, 2006
by Kevin Rushforth via Wikimedia Commons

It seems like more time has passed but ten years ago Barry Bonds broke his own record and became the only batter with OBP of at least .600.  That was aided by opposing mangers completely abdicating any form of decision making and simply going on the conventional wisdom that they would not be fired for walking Bonds.  Buck Showalter once ordered Bonds walked with the bases loaded.  In 2004 Bonds had 232 BB, 120 of which were intentional; this is a sad commentary on those managers.  In 1923 Babe Ruth walked 170 times, which was the record until 

Bonds walked 177 in 2001, then 198 (68 intentional) in 2002.  So, in my opinion, the top two seasons are skewed but they are still astonishing.  I'd like to say they were accomplishments but standing still and doing nothing is not an accomplishment.

Williams and Mantle in 1957 were the only batters to do it in the same season; it was also in the same league, so Mantle is the only one to not lead the league in OBP.  Williams beat Mantle across the board in averages in 1957 and even in home runs (HR) in fewer at bats (AB).

What's astonishing about these 14 seasons by only five batters is how versatile they were.  Mantle and Hornsby did it only once and they have the lowest OBP.  Ruth 5, Bonds 4, Williams 3.  Williams was at .499 in his two triple crown seasons: 1942 and 1947.

In half of the seasons the batter led in HR, nine times at least 41, under 30 only twice, three times setting new HR records:
1920 Ruth 54
1921 Ruth 59
2001 Bonds 73.

Only Williams in 1954 and 1957 had fewer than 100 Runs but eight times batters led the league, including Ruth's record 177 in 1921.

Not surprisingly their RBI suffered: five under 100, including Williams twice under 90.  But four seasons led, all by Ruth.

Only Hornsby led in Hits: 227; he also is the only one with fewer than 100 BB: 89, which still led.  Williams is the only one to not lead in BB, Mantle's lone 1957 victory over Williams.

All had fewer than 100 SO but Ruth twice led the league.  Williams the fewest: 27 in 1941.

Mantle, the only switch hitter, was the only one not Hit By Pitch (HBP).  Only Bonds was in double figures and had the top four totals, all more than twice anyone else but Williams.

Only Ruth, all four times, and Hornsby had any SH.  This was addressed in the previous post and is probably a function of the scoring rules in the 1920s, which were both dumb and in flux. Among these 14 seasons before 1954 SF was null.

Ground into Double Play (GDP) was null in the 1920s.  Williams is the only one in double figures.

Williams stole two bases (SB) in 1941, none in 1954 (no attempts) and 1957.  Ruth had the most: 17 but in those seasons he was caught stealing (CS) 21 and 13 times.  Mantle is next: 16 SB, 3 CS.  Bonds has good numbers.  Hornsby: 5 SB, 12 CS.  I guess managers didn't pay much attention in the 1920s.

Surprisingly, only six of 14 led in batting average (BA).  Obviously, only one could lead in 1957: Williams .388, Mantle .365.  Bonds had the two lowest BA in the two seasons with his lowest BB among his four seasons; but Bonds led in BA the years he had those ridiculous BB totals:
2004 .362, 232 BB
2002 .370, 198 BB.

11 of the 14 had BA at least .362.  Hornsby and Williams over .400.  Ruth next with .393 with only 3 of those suspect SH, so his BA is solid and with null SF.  Ruth did have 10 SH in 1926, so his 184/495 (.3717) could really be 184/505 (.3643).

Perhaps the most astonishing thing is that all but Mantle led in slugging average (SLG).  11 of 14 at least .731!  Four at least .812.  Lowest OPS: Williams 1954: 1.148.

All in all: wow!