I used bases.chat, the baseball AI program created by fellow SABR member Ted Ingram, to create this list. The qualifiers for different time periods were used since this rule has changed a few times. See Rate Stats Qualifiers from mlb.com.
For Rogers Hornsby in 1921 there were 2 games left in the season. After 584 ABs & 664 PAs he had a .402 batting average. The Cardinals had no chance to make the post season. Yet he played the last 2 games of the season. He went 0 for 8 and his average fell below .400 to .397.
|
Player |
Qualifier |
Season |
Final AVG |
Peak AVG |
Last Day at .400 |
|
Burkett |
60% team G |
1899 |
0.395 |
0.405 |
9/4/1899 |
|
McGraw |
60% team G |
1899 |
0.391 |
0.404 |
8/26/1899 |
|
Speaker |
60% team G |
1912 |
0.383 |
0.405 |
8/31/1912 |
|
Joe Jackson |
60% team G |
1913 |
0.373 |
0.409 |
8/4/1913 |
|
Ty Cobb |
60% team G |
1915 |
0.369 |
0.400 |
8/3/1915 |
|
Speaker |
60% team G |
1916 |
0.388 |
0.401 |
8/13/1916 |
|
Speaker |
100 G |
1920 |
0.388 |
0.421 |
8/16/1920 |
|
Heilmann |
100 G |
1921 |
0.394 |
0.419 |
9/24/1921 |
|
Hornsby |
100 G |
1921 |
0.397 |
0.415 |
10/1/1921 |
|
Ruth |
100 G |
1923 |
0.394 |
0.405 |
9/1/1923 |
|
Ruth |
100 G |
1924 |
0.378 |
0.408 |
8/16/1924 |
|
BaHerman |
100 G |
1929 |
0.383 |
0.414 |
9/1/1929 |
|
Klein |
100 G |
1930 |
0.385 |
0.407 |
8/16/1930 |
|
BaHerman |
100 G |
1930 |
0.393 |
0.405 |
8/18/1930 |
|
Vaughan |
100 G |
1935 |
0.385 |
0.407 |
9/10/1935 |
|
Medwick |
100 G |
1937 |
0.374 |
0.402 |
8/19/1937 |
|
DiMaggio |
100 G |
1939 |
0.381 |
0.409 |
9/10/1939 |
