Today's Fun Fact

Willie Ballgame's final line for 2008, assuming his season is finished:

.279/.377/.285

Over 192 plate appearances, Willie drew 25 walks while clubbing but a single extra-base hit. Where the league average difference between a hitter's OBP and SLG is 82 points, in Willie's case it's 92 points in the opposite direction. This despite a fairly standard 51.7% of pitches to Willie ending up in the zone.

Since 1901, there have been 154 players who posted an OBP over .350 and an SLG under .300 (minimum 100 PA), the strangest being John Jaha's .175/.398/.216 small sample season in 2000. However, over the same span of time there have been just 47 players to post an OBP north of .350 and an ISO south of .030, with Willie's .006 coming in behind only Doc Farrell's 1933 and Jack Gilbert's 1904 (.000). Sure, he had that one walk-off hit that would've gone for a double under any other circumstances, but history isn't made by things proceeding normally. History is made by exceptions and rarities, and Willie's 2008 batting line will forever stand as one of the strangest that any Mariner has ever put up.

Meanwhile, Jose Vidro is one of four everyday DHs to come to the plate at least 300 times while OBP'ing under .300 and SLG'ing under .350. (Alvin Davis is another.) Atta way to go, Bill.