“You just can’t do it. Sometimes, hitters can pick up differences in spin. They can identify pitches if there are different release points or if a curveball starts with an upward hump as it leaves the pitcher’s hand. But if a pitcher can change speeds, every hitter is helpless, limited by human vision.
Except for that (expletive) Tony Gwynn.”
– Greg Maddux
These words are all you need to know about Tony Gwynn. While Maddux, Hall of Fame class of 2014, had difficulty explaining Gwynn, I’m up for the challenge.
Pour yourself your favorite drink, plop down into your favorite chair, and allow me to have the opportunity to take a deep dive into Gwynn. I hope to be able to teach you a thing or two.
First, allow me to share Gwynn’s career numbers.
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
BA
OBP
SLG
OPS
2440
9288
1383
3141
543
85
135
1138
790
434
.338
.388
.459
.847
If you’re like me, the first thing that stands out is that he struck out only 434 times during his 20-year career. That’s an average of 21.7 times per year. Do you want your mind blown? In April 2023, 115 batters struck out 22 or more times. Here is a link to FanGraphs to check it out for yourself. http://bit.ly/48DocPT
Speaking of strikeouts, did you know that Tony Gwynn struck out two times in a game only 33 times. Guess how many times a single batter struck out at least twice during the 2023 season? (Hint: The same batter can do it multiple times. For example, Mike Zunino had 15 games where he struck out twice.). Before I divulge the answer, ensure you are sitting down and not operating any heavy equipment. The number of times a batter struck out at least twice in a single game during the 2023 season was………10,293. And Gwynn had only done this 33 times in his career. Here is a link to Stathead so you can see for yourself. https://stathead.com/tiny/vRXVa
I will pause for a while to let you gather yourself after that Tony Gwynn fact.
Since 1940, the only batter with a better lifetime batting average (min. 3,000 AB) was Ted Williams, who batted .346.
Player
BA
From
To
AB
H
OBP
SLG
OPS
Ted Williams
.346
1940
1960
7141
2469
.485
.636
1.121
Tony Gwynn
.338
1982
2001
9288
3141
.388
.459
.847
Stan Musial
.331
1941
1963
10972
3630
.417
.559
.976
Wade Boggs
.328
1982
1999
9180
3010
.415
.443
.858
Rod Carew
.328
1967
1985
9315
3053
.393
.429
.822
Kirby Puckett
.318
1984
1995
7244
2304
.360
.477
.837
Vladimir Guerrero
.318
1996
2011
8155
2590
.379
.553
.932
Roberto Clemente
.317
1955
1972
9454
3000
.359
.475
.834
Todd Helton
.316
1997
2013
7962
2519
.414
.539
.953
Joe DiMaggio
.316
1940
1951
4502
1423
.399
.556
.955
If you limit it to players who have played since 1980, Wade Boggs has had the second-highest batting average. He batted .328.
Player
BA
From
To
AB
H
OBP
SLG
OPS
Tony Gwynn
.338
1982
2001
9288
3141
.388
.459
.847
Wade Boggs
.328
1982
1999
9180
3010
.415
.443
.858
Kirby Puckett
.318
1984
1995
7244
2304
.360
.477
.837
Vladimir Guerrero
.318
1996
2011
8155
2590
.379
.553
.932
Todd Helton
.316
1997
2013
7962
2519
.414
.539
.953
Nomar Garciaparra
.313
1996
2009
5586
1747
.361
.521
.882
Larry Walker
.313
1989
2005
6907
2160
.400
.565
.965
Manny Ramirez
.312
1993
2011
8244
2574
.411
.585
.996
Edgar Martinez
.312
1987
2004
7213
2247
.418
.515
.933
Ichiro Suzuki
.311
2001
2009
9934
3089
.355
.402
.757
Since 1940, Ichiro Suzuki has been the only left-handed batter with a better lifetime batting average against left-handed pitchers (min. 2,000 AB), and he batted .329.
Player
BA
From
To
AB
H
OBP
SLG
OPS
Ichiro Suzuki
.329
2001
2018
2842
935
.368
.418
.786
Tony Gwynn
.325
1982
2001
3226
1048
.371
.435
.806
Stan Musial
.316
1941
1963
3563
1126
.392
.524
.916
Rod Carew
.310
1967
1985
2905
900
.376
.396
.772
Larry Walker
.306
1989
2005
2109
645
.385
.518
.903
Todd Helton
.298
1997
2013
2315
689
.387
.449
.836
Richie Ashburn
.297
1948
1962
2265
672
.384
.358
.742
Wade Boggs
.297
1982
1999
2740
815
.372
.389
.761
Mark Grace
.296
1988
2003
2551
755
.363
.422
.785
Don Mattingly
.296
1982
1995
2480
734
.344
.448
.792
If you narrow it down since 1980, Gwynn stands out from his peers.
Player
BA
From
To
AB
H
OBP
SLG
OPS
Ichiro Suzuki
.329
2001
2018
2842
935
.368
.418
.786
Tony Gwynn
.325
1982
2001
3226
1048
.371
.435
.806
Larry Walker
.306
1989
2005
2109
645
.385
.518
.903
Todd Helton
.298
1997
2013
2315
689
.387
.449
.836
Wade Boggs
.297
1982
1999
2740
815
.372
.389
.761
Mark Grace
.296
1988
2003
2551
755
.363
.422
.785
Don Mattingly
.296
1982
1995
2480
734
.344
.448
.792
Brett Butler
.294
1981
1997
2524
741
.384
.360
.744
Joe Mauer
.290
2004
2018
2231
646
.360
.381
.740
Garret Anderson
.289
1994
2010
2583
746
.309
.437
.745
Hall of Fame peers’ batting averages with 2 strikes
Player
BA
AB
H
2B
3B
HR
SO
OBP
SLG
OPS
Tony Gwynn
.302
1926
581
88
14
25
266
.341
.401
.742
Barry Larkin
.234
3009
704
121
33
49
723
.299
.345
.644
Cal Ripken, Jr.
.219
2795
612
105
11
52
769
.294
.320
.614
Jeff Bagwell
.216
3540
763
161
11
139
1513
.334
.385
.719
Chipper Jones
.212
3442
728
141
9
124
1383
.321
.366
.687
Harold Baines
.206
2104
433
88
3
55
797
.206
.296
.329
Larry Walker
.205
2714
556
118
19
88
1188
.300
.360
.660
Eddie Murray
.200
1951
391
59
3
43
631
.271
.300
.571
Ken Griffey, Jr.
.192
4364
836
150
13
197
1764
.270
.367
.637
Fred McGriff
.176
3670
647
123
9
104
1730
.291
.300
.591
Are you $#!**$! Kidding me facts about Tony Gwynn
Tony Gwynn struck out thrice in a game only once – versus Bob Welch of the Dodgers on April 14, 1986. During his career years (1982-2001), there were 14,968 times when a single batter struck out at least thrice.
Including the postseason, Gwynn faced 18 Hall of Fame pitchers for 541 plate appearances (approximately an entire season’s worth). During these at-bats, Gwynn batted .331.
Against Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Pedro Martinez, Gwynn batted a combined .384 (109 hits, 284 at-bats), walked 19 times, and struck out only three times.
Gwynn had 45 games with at least four hits – 11 more times than he suffered a multi-strikeout game (see above).
Except for his rookie season (.289), Gwynn batted at least .300 for 19 straight seasons. Currently, Freddie Freeman has the longest streak with only four seasons.
Lefthander Frank DiPino was Gwynn’s most challenging pitcher (minimum of 20 at-bats). DiPino kept Gwynn to a .050 (one hit, 20 at-bats).
Here are some cool Tony Gwynn vs MLB average charts I found on FanGraphs.
Tony Gwynn vs MLB Average Season K%
Tony Gwynn vs MLB Average Batting Average
Tony Gwynn vs MLB Average On Base Percentage
I want to conclude by sharing one of my favorite quotes by Gwynn:
Remember these two things: play hard and have fun.”
SABR's Statistical Analysis Committee 