For this go-around, I couldn’t think of anything that said sucks-at-hitting quite like batting below the Mendoza Line. Yup, there were half a dozen Hall of Famers who couldn’t make it to .200 in the postseason.
Ain’t Been There, Ain’t Done That
Before we take a look at those poor fellows, though, it’s important to point out that three times as many Hall of Famers never even got the chance. Now, a third of this group played primarily in the period when there really wasn’t any post-season:
- Ed Delahanty
- Hugh Duffy
- Billy Hamilton
- Jake Beckley
- Joe Kelly
- Hughie Jennings
- Willie Keeler
Poor Hughie Jennings was know mostly for
striking this pose, then yelling, “Ee-yah!”
The rest, though, surely should have:
- Ron Santo
- Ernie Banks
- Luke Appling
- George Sisler
- Ralph Kiner
- Nap Lajoie
- Harry Heilam
- Elmer Flick
- George Kell
- Rick Ferrell
- Bobby Wallace
If they hadn’t been cursed, that is, by having to play for clubs the Cubs, White Sox, Indians, and Browns.
Poor guys
Been There, But Barely
It’s hard to believe, but there are a couple of Hall of Famers who got in the postseason, but never got a hit. At the same time, they accomplished all that with under ten at-bats. It didn’t really seem fair to put them in this particular hall of shame – at least not without a big asterisk.
And, so, our small sample size heroes are:
- Earl Averill, who went hitless in three at bats for the 1940 Detroit Tigers, at age 38. Previously, he had spent almost his entire career with the lowly Cleveland Indians. Yup, they’re lowly right now, and they were lowly back then too.
- Billy Williams, who went hitless in a much more impressive seven at-bats. And that was for the 1975 Oakland A’s, in a losing effort in the ALCS. Interestingly, his brush with the postseason was at age 37, having spent his career with the extremely lowly Cubs.
Hey, wait a minute! That’s not Earl.
(Well, yes, it actually is – Earl Jr., that is)
Can’t Hit Their Own Weight
And, without further ado, here they are, the worst of the worst. Let’s take them in order, from bad to worst:
Andre Dawson.
A Rookie of the Year and an MVP, “The Hawk” would get into two postseasons, in 1981 with the Expos (that team’s only appearance) and in 1989 with the Cubs. And all that amounted to was two championship series and one division series – i.e., no World Series for Andre. In total, Dawson would “amass” 59 at-bats, a .186 average, zero homers, and three RBIs.
Joe Morgan.
Here’s our only true surprise. And I’m not saying that because Morgan was so great in the regular season. It’s also surprising as Morgan’s stats reflect quite a large sample size. I’m talking 11 series and 181 at bats. He also seemed to do pretty well outside of average – five HRs, 13 RBIs, 26 runs, and 15 stolen bases. Unfortunately, none of that is going to help him overcome a .182 average. Just to top it all off, there were actually two times when he went 0-for-the-series (the ‘76 and ‘79 NLCS’s), for a grand total of 18 at-bats.
No, not that Joe Morgan
Richie Ashburn.
Not known for a big bat, Ashburn could nonetheless slap singles with the best of them. But just not in the postseason. Ashburn’s sole stint in October (a defeat in the 1950 World Series) amounted to 17 ABs, a .176 average, no homers, no runs, no stolen bases (a specialty of his), and a measly one RBI.
Go “Put Put,” go!
Dave Bancroft.
Dave who? Yup, we’re getting squarely into that zone of Hall of Famers who maybe, you know, probably really shouldn’t be there in the first place. It’s really not too surprising, though, that the likes of these guys are helping us fill out this list. I mean, the only thing Bancroft ever led his league offensively was caught stealing (and, no, that doesn’t mean he was a catcher either). And that kind of futility is reflected in his totals from no less than four World Series – 93 ABs, .172 BA, 0 HRs, and 1 SB. Somehow or other, he did manage to get 7 RBIs and get into double figures in runs (with 10).
And if he hadn’t played for the Giants,
he wouldn’t even be here
Travis Jackson.
Another case in point. Unlike his buddy Dave Bancroft, though, Travis Jackson never led his league offensively in anything. Like Bancroft, on the other hand, Jackson was another slick-fielding shortstop who happened to play for the Giants, back when that major-market team was very good indeed. Jackson’s postseason stats were even more underwhelming – 67 at-bats, a .149 average, no homers, one steal, four RBIs, and seven runs.
I dunno, I’m having kind of a hard time
telling these two guys apart
Heinie Manush.
You can actually make an argument that Mr. Manush belongs in Cooperstown. Not much of an argument, but you can at least make one. In a 17-year career in the bigs, Heinie finished with a .330 average, the 32nd best all time. In the postseason, unfortunately, that average drops to a measly .111. Getting 18 at-bats in the 1933 World Series, Manush would get a mere two hits. Except for two runs, the rest of his stats would be goose eggs – no homers, no RBIs, no steals, no nuthin.
Hard to believe, but he got into that one Series
with the famously inept Senators
