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Atlanta Braves have a chance to see teammates do something rare

By Alan Carpenter

MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 8: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Nick Markakis #22 after scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 8, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WI - AUGUST 8: Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves is congratulated by Nick Markakis #22 after scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 8, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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The Braves have something pretty cool in progress.  If these players get bring it to the finish, it will be something rare indeed.

The Atlanta Braves have been getting some impressing work at the plate from both Nick Markakis and Freddie Freeman.  That much should be obvious to the casual observer.

Both have batting averages that are near the top of the Nationals League:  Markakis is 2nd at .321 with Freeman 3rd at .319 as of the point in between games of the Tuesday doubleheader.

Both are producing runs at a high level:  134 wRC+ for the Braves’ right-fielder; 146 for Freeman.  Both have excellent WAR ratings, both walk above a 20% rate and strike out under 20% (especially Markakis).

But it’s their hit counts that I want to focus on today.

As of Game 109 (before the Tuesday nightcap), here’s where they stand:

  • Markakis:  137 hits
  • Freeman:  134 hits

Freddie Freeman is currently on pace to get 199.15 hits…just short of that nice milestone of 200.  Nick is on a 203.6 pace.

This begs the question:  how many times have teammates met this plateau together?

To the spreadsheets

In the recorded history that fangraphs.com maintains, there are 15,327 ‘qualified’ seasons for hitters since 1871… 15,327 times that hitters have qualified for a batting title.

Just to make sure I didn’t miss anybody, there are 18,524 times in which players had 400 or more plate appearances during a season.

533 of these players reached 200 hits over a single season.  21 of these were accomplished by Braves players.

Never have Braves’ teammates both hooked up to do this during the same season.. at least since they became known as the ‘Braves’.  This pair has a good chance to be the first in the modern era of this franchise.

Long History

This has been done before – 77 times over 148 seasons:

  • 1893 – Phillies (Ed Delahanty and Sam Thompson)
  • 1894 – Phillies (Delahanty again and Lave Cross)
  • 1894 – Orioles (a 3-bagger:  Joe Kelley, Wee Willie Keeler and Steve Brodie)
  • 1894 – Boston Beaneaters (the Braves – Duffy and Bobby Lowe)
  • 1895 – Phillies again (Thompson and Billy Hamilton)
  • 1895 – Orioles again (Keeler and Hughie Jennings)
  • 1896 – Orioles (Keeler and Jennings)
  • 1898 – Beaneaters (Fred Tenney and Chick Stahl)

Then the 1900’s hit and the pitching seems to have improved… we have a gap until:

  • 1920 – White Sox (Eddie Collins, Shoeless Joe Jackson*, and Buck Weaver*)
    • this was the year after the Black Sox scandal; the * players were banned in 1921.
  • 1920 – Cardinals (Rogers Hornsby and Milt Stock)
  • 1920 – Browns (George Sisler, Jack Tobin, and Baby Doll Jacobson)
  • 1921 – Tigers (Bobby Veach and Harry Heilmann)
  • 1921 – Cardinals (Hornsby and Austin McHenry)
  • 1921 – Browns (the same trio that did it the year before)
  • 1922 – Tigers (Ty Cobb and Bobby Veach)
  • 1922 – Pirates (Max Carey and Carson Bigbee)
  • 1922 – Giants (Dave Bancroft and Irish Meusel)
  • 1922 – Browns (Sisler and Tobin this time)

Okay, I’ll stop here with the roll-call, except to point out a few highlights since then:

More from Tomahawk Take

  • Lou Gehrig was part of a 200 pairing in 1927, but it wasn’t with Babe Ruth:  it was Earle Combs from that great Yankees team that he teamed up with.
  • The Phillies had four teammates all get to 200 hits (remember: this was during the days of the 154 game schedule) in 1929.  But it was the other Philadelphia team – the Athletics – who won the World Series that year.
  • There was one other 4-some to top 200 hits in a single year:  the 1937 Tigers.
  • Since World War II, this event has occurred just 22 times.
  • The Rangers of 1991 were the last team to boast 3 teammates at 200+ hits.
  • Hall of Famers Joe Torre and Lou Brock went back-to-back with the Cardinals in 1970-71.

In the past decade, it has happened 3 times:

  • 2009 Yankees (Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano)
  • 2011 Red Sox (Adrian Gonzalez and Jacoby Ellsbury)
  • 2016 Red Sox (Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia)

The last Nationals League club to turn the trick?  You have to go all the way back to 1998 – 20 years ago – to find Dante Bichette and former Brave Vinny Castilla (219 and 206 hits respectively).

That was also the only NL instance of this since 1980, so that’s why a 200/200 teammate event is still notable:  the National League simply doesn’t turn it very often.

Next. We got your prospects right here. dark

There’s not a lot of wiggle-room in there for Freeman and Markakis, but hopefully their uncanny consistency will help them bring this home – along with a playoff berth.

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