Bill Terry
The last National Leaguer to hit .400 accomplished the feat during the most offense-heavy season in baseball history. Terry's .401 average in 1930 came when the entire NL hit .303, yet he still stood apart from his contemporaries by nearly 30 points.
Terry's .341 career average over 14 seasons with the Giants represents sustained excellence rather than a brief peak. He drove in 100-plus runs six times and rarely struck out, embodying the contact-heavy approach that defined pre-war baseball. His 154 home runs might seem modest today, but he ranked among the game's premier sluggers during an era when most first basemen were selected purely for their gloves.
Beyond the statistics, Terry bridged two distinct baseball eras. He played alongside aging legends like Rogers Hornsby while mentoring future stars, eventually managing the Giants to a World Series title in 1933. His .401 season remains the high-water mark for National League hitting in the modern era.
Career · Batting
14 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | NY1 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | .143 | — | — |
| 1924 | NY1 | 77 | 163 | 5 | 24 | .239 | — | — |
| 1925 | NY1 | 133 | 489 | 11 | 70 | .319 | — | — |
| 1926 | NY1 | 98 | 225 | 5 | 43 | .289 | — | — |
| 1927 | NY1 | 150 | 580 | 20 | 121 | .326 | — | — |
| 1928 | NY1 | 149 | 568 | 17 | 101 | .326 | — | — |
| 1929 | NY1 | 150 | 607 | 14 | 117 | .372 | — | — |
| 1930 | NY1 | 154 | 633 | 23 | 129 | .401 | — | — |
| 1931 | NY1 | 153 | 611 | 9 | 112 | .349 | — | — |
| 1932 | NY1 | 154 | 643 | 28 | 117 | .350 | — | — |
| 1933 | NY1 | 123 | 475 | 6 | 58 | .322 | — | — |
| 1934 | NY1 | 153 | 602 | 8 | 83 | .354 | — | — |
| 1935 | NY1 | 145 | 596 | 6 | 64 | .341 | — | — |
| 1936 | NY1 | 79 | 229 | 2 | 39 | .310 | — | — |
| Career | 1721 | 6428 | 154 | 1078 | .341 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.