The Law of Averages

For the last couple of years, we’ve been hearing about how we are paying way above average money for a certain “average” ballplayer holding down right field for the Red Sox. That got me to thinking about what makes up an “average” major league ballplayer.

I went to Baseball-Reference.com for the answer because they have the answer to everything to do with baseball. Did you know that through the games of August 24, there have been 127,276 at bats, 33,425 hits, 3,922 home runs (most of them hit at Magnificent New Yankee Stadium) and 16,489 runs batted in throughout the major leagues?

So, how does this all shake out in terms of “average?”

Well, the Web site says that the average for 600 at bats, roughly equivalent to a full season for a player who stays healthy, is a .263 batting average, 16 home runs and 68 RBIs. We’re about three-quarters of the way through the season, so Mr. Average should be around .263/12 HR/51 RBI at this point.

Is there anybody who matches up to those numbers? Not exactly, but there is somebody who comes really close, and his name does happen to be Drew. But it’s not J.D., it’s his brother Stephen, shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Stephen Drew is batting .264 with 11 home runs and 53 runs batted in. Nobody else is as close to average as Stephen Drew.

J.D. is not too far off, though. He’s hitting .260 at this point with 16 homers and 50 RBIs, the only Red Sox player even close to average in all three categories.

Others who are close to being an average ballplayer seem to be congregated on the coasts. Starting in the West, Bengie, one of the Flying Molina Brothers, is .261/15 HR/64 RBI for the Giants. His teammate, Aaron Rowand, is hitting .278 with 12 home runs and 53 RBIs. Rowand is the cousin of the Rays’ James Shields. I’ve been waiting all year for the right place to fit that in.

There are some players who fit the “average” category in home runs and runs batted in, even with lower-than-average batting averages. The Rays’ Pat Burrell has 12 homers and 50 RBIs, but is hitting only .210, a below average year for him. Toronto catcher Rod Barajas also has 12 home runs, but with 52 RBIs and a .241 average. With their $2 million payroll the Yankees even have an average ballplayer, Melky Cabrera (.267/11 HR/48 RBI).

Now you’d think that these average ballplayers would all be earning around the major league average of $3.26 million dollars a year. Not so. Of course, J.D. Drew leads the pack with a $15 million a year salary. Rowand follows him at $9.6 million, Burrell making $7 million and Molina at $6.5 million. All veterans who have advanced beyond arbitration. Stephen Drew and Melky Cabrera, the younger players, are at $1.5 million and $1.4 million respectively. Yup, the Yankee is the lowest paid player on the list!!!