Rogers Hornsby
The numbers alone tell the story: a .358 career batting average that stands as the highest ever recorded by a second baseman and second-highest in modern baseball history. Hornsby's peak was even more ridiculous — he hit over .400 three times and averaged .401 across five seasons from 1922-1925.
What made "The Rajah" truly special was his combination of average and power in the dead-ball-to-live-ball transition era. He led the National League in home runs four times while maintaining that otherworldly batting average, something unthinkable in today's game. His 1925 season (.403 average, 39 homers, 143 RBIs) remains one of the most complete offensive performances ever.
Hornsby was baseball's perfectionist, famously avoiding movies to protect his eyesight and studying pitchers with scientific precision. His two MVP awards only scratch the surface of his dominance during the 1920s Cardinals dynasty.
Career · Batting
23 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | STL | 18 | 57 | 0 | 4 | .246 | — | — |
| 1916 | STL | 139 | 495 | 6 | 65 | .313 | — | — |
| 1917 | STL | 145 | 523 | 8 | 66 | .327 | — | — |
| 1918 | STL | 115 | 416 | 5 | 60 | .281 | — | — |
| 1919 | STL | 138 | 512 | 8 | 71 | .318 | — | — |
| 1920 | STL | 149 | 589 | 9 | 94 | .370 | — | — |
| 1921 | STL | 154 | 592 | 21 | 126 | .397 | — | — |
| 1922 | STL | 154 | 623 | 42 | 152 | .401 | — | — |
| 1923 | STL | 107 | 424 | 17 | 83 | .384 | — | — |
| 1924 | STL | 143 | 536 | 25 | 94 | .424 | — | — |
| 1925 | STL | 138 | 504 | 39 | 143 | .403 | — | — |
| 1926 | STL | 134 | 527 | 11 | 93 | .317 | — | — |
| 1927 | NY1 | 155 | 568 | 26 | 125 | .361 | — | — |
| 1928 | BSN | 140 | 486 | 21 | 94 | .387 | — | — |
| 1929 | CHC | 156 | 602 | 39 | 149 | .380 | — | — |
| 1930 | CHC | 42 | 104 | 2 | 18 | .308 | — | — |
| 1931 | CHC | 100 | 357 | 16 | 90 | .331 | — | — |
| 1932 | CHC | 19 | 58 | 1 | 7 | .224 | — | — |
| 1933 | STL | 57 | 92 | 3 | 23 | .326 | — | — |
| 1934 | SLA | 24 | 23 | 1 | 11 | .304 | — | — |
| 1935 | SLA | 10 | 24 | 0 | 3 | .208 | — | — |
| 1936 | SLA | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | .400 | — | — |
| 1937 | SLA | 20 | 56 | 1 | 11 | .321 | — | — |
| Career | 2259 | 8173 | 301 | 1584 | .358 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.