It’s no surprise that the two MVPs also are the winners of this honor
Who was the greatest hitter in the history of baseball?
The debate usually centers on two immortal players from the first six decades of the previous century: Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.
Ruth was best known for a pair of long-standing records that have since been eclipsed: 60 home runs in a single season (1927) and 714 in a career (1914-1935). His lifetime slugging average of .690 remains the highest to this day.
Williams is usually recalled as the last major leaguer to bat .400 over an entire season (.406 in 1941). His career on-base percentage (OBP) of .482 is still the all-time best, eight percentage points ahead of the runner-up, who just happens to be Ruth.
Think of it this way: Williams went to the plate nearly 10,000 times (9,792 appearances from 1939 to 1960), and he reached base in almost half of those trips, a truly amazing feat.
That’s why I’ve named one of this newsletter’s postseason honors the Ted Williams Award. It goes to the batter in each league who finished with the highest ratio of bases per out (BPO), a comprehensive stat that encompasses Williams’s related abilities to hit for average, hit for power, and reach base in any way possible.
It’s unsurprising that the two winners of 2023’s Most Valuable Player Awards also led their respective leagues in BPO.
Shohei Ohtani, then of the Los Angeles Angels, attained 442 bases through hits, walks, hit-by-pitches, stolen bases, and sacrifices. If we match that figure against his total of 364 outs, we find that Ohtani finished the season with a sizzling BPO of 1.214, putting him 152 points ahead of his closest competitor in the American League.
Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves won the National League’s version of the Williams Award with 548 bases against 458 outs for a BPO of 1.197. He outpaced the NL’s runner-up by 94 points.
The top 15 batters in each league are shown below. Eligibility for the Ted Williams Award is limited to players who made at least 502 plate appearances during the 2023 season.
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American League BPO leaders
1. Shohei Ohtani, Angels, 1.214
2. Corey Seager, Rangers, 1.062
3. Kyle Tucker, Astros, .961
4. Yandy Diaz, Rays, .941
5. Triston Casas, Red Sox, .871
6. Jose Ramirez, Guardians, .867
7. Luis Robert Jr., White Sox, .861
8. J.P. Crawford, Mariners, .842
9. Adolis Garcia, Rangers, .840
9. Isaac Paredes, Rays, .840
9. Bobby Witt, Royals, .840
12. Rafael Devers, Red Sox, .839
13. Marcus Semien, Rangers, .835
14. Julio Rodriguez, Mariners, .828
15. Randy Arozarena, Rays, .823
National League BPO leaders
1. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, 1.197
2. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, 1.103
3. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 1.070
4. Matt Olson, Braves, 1.060
5. Juan Soto, Padres, 1.014
6. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks, .986
7. Bryce Harper, Phillies, .965
8. Cody Bellinger, Cubs, .914
9. Marcell Ozuna, Braves, .904
10. TJ Friedl, Reds, .875
11. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, .860
12. Christian Yelich, Brewers, .856
13. Francisco Lindor, Mets, .853
14. Ozzie Albies, Braves, .852
15. Jack Suwinski, Pirates, .849
