Lou Gehrig
The Iron Horse wasn't just durable — he was devastatingly productive while playing hurt. Gehrig's .340 career average paired with 493 home runs represents a blend of contact hitting and power that few have matched, especially from the cleanup spot where he spent most of his career protecting Babe Ruth.
His 1995 RBIs in 17 seasons works out to an average of 117 per year, a staggering level of consistency for run production. The two MVP awards tell only part of the story; Gehrig finished in the top 10 of MVP voting eight times, including several seasons where he arguably deserved the honor over the winner.
What made Gehrig special wasn't just the 2,130 consecutive games — it was maintaining elite performance throughout that streak. While others took days off to preserve their numbers, Gehrig kept showing up and kept mashing. His Hall of Fame induction came via special election in 1939, bypassing the usual waiting period as the severity of his condition became clear.
Career · Batting
17 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | NYY | 13 | 26 | 1 | 9 | .423 | — | — |
| 1924 | NYY | 10 | 12 | 0 | 5 | .500 | — | — |
| 1925 | NYY | 126 | 437 | 20 | 68 | .295 | — | — |
| 1926 | NYY | 155 | 572 | 16 | 112 | .313 | — | — |
| 1927 | NYY | 155 | 584 | 47 | 175 | .373 | — | — |
| 1928 | NYY | 154 | 562 | 27 | 142 | .374 | — | — |
| 1929 | NYY | 154 | 553 | 35 | 126 | .300 | — | — |
| 1930 | NYY | 154 | 581 | 41 | 174 | .379 | — | — |
| 1931 | NYY | 155 | 619 | 46 | 184 | .341 | — | — |
| 1932 | NYY | 156 | 596 | 34 | 151 | .349 | — | — |
| 1933 | NYY | 152 | 593 | 32 | 139 | .334 | — | — |
| 1934 | NYY | 154 | 579 | 49 | 165 | .363 | — | — |
| 1935 | NYY | 149 | 535 | 30 | 119 | .329 | — | — |
| 1936 | NYY | 155 | 579 | 49 | 152 | .354 | — | — |
| 1937 | NYY | 157 | 569 | 37 | 159 | .351 | — | — |
| 1938 | NYY | 157 | 576 | 29 | 114 | .295 | — | — |
| 1939 | NYY | 8 | 28 | 0 | 1 | .143 | — | — |
| Career | 2164 | 8001 | 493 | 1995 | .340 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.