Paul Waner
The most prolific contact hitter of his generation, Waner collected 3,152 hits while striking out just 376 times in his entire 20-year career. That's roughly one strikeout every 25 at-bats, a rate that would be unfathomable in today's game. His .333 career average speaks to a hitter who simply refused to make outs.
"Big Poison" earned his nickname not for any chemical dependency, but for how toxic he was to opposing pitchers. Playing primarily for Pittsburgh, Waner's 1927 MVP season helped anchor one of the greatest lineups in baseball history. His combination of average and durability — over 2,500 games played — made him the engine of Pirates offense for nearly two decades.
Modern fans should know Waner as the prototype of what a leadoff hitter could be when power wasn't the priority. He understood that getting on base was an art form, and he painted masterpieces at the plate.
Career · Batting
20 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | PIT | 144 | 536 | 8 | 79 | .336 | — | — |
| 1927 | PIT | 155 | 623 | 9 | 131 | .380 | — | — |
| 1928 | PIT | 152 | 602 | 6 | 86 | .370 | — | — |
| 1929 | PIT | 151 | 596 | 15 | 100 | .336 | — | — |
| 1930 | PIT | 145 | 589 | 8 | 77 | .368 | — | — |
| 1931 | PIT | 150 | 559 | 6 | 70 | .322 | — | — |
| 1932 | PIT | 154 | 630 | 8 | 82 | .341 | — | — |
| 1933 | PIT | 154 | 618 | 7 | 70 | .309 | — | — |
| 1934 | PIT | 146 | 599 | 14 | 90 | .362 | — | — |
| 1935 | PIT | 139 | 549 | 11 | 78 | .321 | — | — |
| 1936 | PIT | 148 | 585 | 5 | 94 | .373 | — | — |
| 1937 | PIT | 154 | 619 | 2 | 74 | .354 | — | — |
| 1938 | PIT | 148 | 625 | 6 | 69 | .280 | — | — |
| 1939 | PIT | 125 | 461 | 3 | 45 | .328 | — | — |
| 1940 | PIT | 89 | 238 | 1 | 32 | .290 | — | — |
| 1941 | BSN | 106 | 329 | 2 | 50 | .267 | — | — |
| 1942 | BSN | 114 | 333 | 1 | 39 | .258 | — | — |
| 1943 | BRO | 82 | 225 | 1 | 26 | .311 | — | — |
| 1944 | BRO | 92 | 143 | 0 | 17 | .280 | — | — |
| 1945 | NYY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | 2549 | 9459 | 113 | 1309 | .333 | — | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.