In today’s baseball world, the stat on-base percentage is highly coveted because it indicates which players minimize outs the best. But apparently back in the 1980s minimizing outs wasn’t very important, because despite that, Dawson and his scary-low OBP can still sneak in, as ESPN’s Rob Neyer points out.
Luckily For Andre Dawson, OBP Didn’t Matter In 1980s
But Dawson did finish his career with a .323 on-base percentage, which means he’s wrested the title Hall of Fame Outfielder With the Worst OBP away from Lou Brock ... and it wasn’t much of a battle, as Brock’s OBP is 20 points higher than Dawson’s.
Dawson was the league’s MVP in 1987. He hit 49 home runs and knocked in 137 runs -- both league bests. But his OBP was a measly .328. To put that into perspective, Joe Mauer, the American League’s 2009 MVP, had a batting average of .365, a full .37 points higher than Dawson’s on-base percentage. Mauer’s OBP was .444 -- .116 points higher than Dawson’s in 1987.
Boy, how the times have changed.
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