This statistic fascinates me. For me it shows the difference
between a slugger and a home run hitter. There have been players that have hit home runs that I do not consider good hitters.But when they are slugging, they get all four kinds of hits, amassing total bases. Usually the players are hitting home runs and have a high batting average are the players that are the better hitters.
Total bases are a category I use to assess the better hitters.
Here are some stats that are worth mentioning.
Most seasons with at least 400 total bases.
Lou Gehrig Five seasons
Chuck Klein Three seasons
Jimmie Foxx, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth,
Sammy Sosa and Todd Helton All with two seasons
Most Seasons with at least 350 total bases
Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth Nine seasons
Willie Mays Seven seasons
Jimmie Foxx and Alex Rodriguez - Six seasons
Stan Musial, Hank Greenburg, Hank Aaron,
Rogers Hornsby, Vladimir Guerrero Five seasons
Al Simmons, Sammy Sosa,
Chuck Klein Four seasons of at least 350 total bases
Albert Pujols His first five seasons (2001-2005)
All over 300 total bases
Four seasons over 350 total bases
He is averaging 367 total bases per year.
There are only three players that have accumulated
over 6000 total bases in their careers.
All three players played at least 22 seasons.
Hank Aaron 6856
Stan Musial 6134
Willie Mays 6066
There were four players out of the top 35 players in lifetime
total bases that did not hit at least 200 life time home
runs.
Tris Speaker 117 home runs
Ty Cobb 117 home runs
Pete Rose 160 home runs
Honus Wagner 101 home runs
In Ted Williams first eight years in the majors
he had at least 300 total bases.
Lou Gehrig, Chuck Klein and Jimmy Foxx
are the only players to have over 400 total bases
in consecutive years.
Babe Ruth had eight seasons when he
had 374 or more total bases.
Of the top 55 seasons for total bases.
This would be the highest number of total bases per seasons.
19 of those seasons occurred from 1990 to 2004
One season in the 1950's was in the top 55
One season in the 1970's and one in the 1980's as well
None in the 1960's
From 1900 to 1949 - 33 of the best season for
total bases occurred.