Talker series: The worst of the best -- 3,000 hit club

A fun diversion?

August 11, 2010 at 4:26PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

We were watching the Twins-Sox game with Rocket last night. And when he wasn't spitting out vitriol against Stu or we weren't enjoying the home run barrage or driving through 2-foot deep water on Lyndale, we were having a discussion about the worst of the best. As in, which players who have reached some of sports' most cherished milestones are the weakest members of their respective groups.

It was a spirited discussion -- not to mention a sports-nerdy exercise in seeing if we could name the various players who have 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, 100 TDs, etc. It also led to some startling discoveries. For instance: how many members of the 3,000 hit club in MLB history (there are 27 in all) would you guess have lifetime batting averages below .300? (Answer below).

It sparked an idea for a sweltering August series here on RandBall. Let's open up the discussion with the 3,000 hit club. Here is a list of all 27 members. Which of them, in your minds, are the weakest links? Maybe the bottom three? And the absolute worst? You can consider their all-around hitting prowess (power vs. finesse) and any other factors in your final decision. Just make sure to argue your point.

(All of this was started, by the way, with the realization that Omar Vizquel is less than 240 hits away from joining the 3,000 hit club).

OK, the list of players, in order of number of hits.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Have at it! (By the way: 10 of them have career averages below .300 ... many of them well below. Startling, no?)

about the writer

about the writer

Michael Rand

Columnist / Reporter

Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).

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