Travis Hafner: Setting the Bar
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by user Timothy Moreland(Bball3345)
In a previous article, I suggested Travis Hafner was the best hitter in the American League. Apparently, not everyone agreed with this claim; therefore, I will try to back it up.
First, position does not matter. While it is more beneficial to receive offense from the catcher position than first base, this article is simply about who is the best hitter. It would be different if I were discussing who was the most valuable hitter; although, Hafner would still come out on top. Second, my argument only pertains to this season. It does not matter how great Alex Rodriguez has been in the past. I am searching for the best hitter at this point in time, not last year or the last decade.
Here are some of their stats, which I will explain in a second. All of the stats I will use are going to be rate stats. So, RC/G, GPA, and Batting Average will be used, while total runs created, RBIs, and Home Runs will not. I am looking for the best hitter based on talent level, regardless of playing time.
| Rank | Player | Team | RC/G | GPA | BA | RISP |
| 1. | Hafner | CLE | 12.3 | .389 | .318 | .347 |
| 2. | Thome | CHW | 10.4 | .336 | .287 | .375 |
| 3. | Giambi | NYY | 10.2 | .352 | .269 | .288 |
| 4. | Mauer | MIN | 9.9 | .341 | .391 | .371 |
| 5. | Ramirez | BOS | 9.9 | .345 | .312 | .315 |
All of the above stats come from The Hardball Times.
By almost any rate stat available, these five hitters are ranked as the top five in the American League. The first stat column lists the hitter's Runs Created per Game. In other words, a team of Hafner's would score about 12 runs per game. He has a comfortable two-run cushion between him and the second ranked Jim Thome. The second column shows the player's GPA. GPA stands for Gross Production Average. It is a more accurate form of OPS and can be read the same as a batting average. Therefore, Hafner is running away with a .389 GPA while Giambi follows behind in second place at .352. The other hitters are all within 16 points of Giambi while Giambi is 37 points behind Hafner. The GPA race between Hafner and Giambi is similar to another race in the AL. Joe Mauer heads the league at .391, while Ichiro lags behind at .355. Finally, the last column shows how the top five hitters have faired with runners on base. Everyone but Mauer has improved in such situations. Still, Mauer has hit higher than any of the five but Thome. Outside of Giambi, they are all hitting over .300.
Here is another way to look at the ability to drive in runs, compliments of Baseball Prospectus. This chart shows each hitters percentage of baserunners, excluding themselves, driven in. As shown below, Hafner has driven in 19.087% of baserunners, good for fifth in the AL.
5. Hafner 19.087
7. Thome 18.834
29. Mauer 16.588
33. Giambi 16.194
35. Ramirez 15.810
As this article has shown, Hafner creates a plethora of runs with his league-leading .460 OBP. Also, he has been one of the best hitters in the leauge at driving in other runners. Jim Thome has the strongest argument, outside of Hafner, for best hitter in the American League. Still, one must look no farther than Cleveland to find the man setting the standard for offensive dominance.
Date
Wed 07/05/06, 5:49 pm EST
