Want to hit .400?

What would it take to be the first guy to hit .400 since 1941?

Hitting .400 is widely believed to be impossible in the modern era–there’s a good reason nobody has done it since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. The players are all-around better than they were in the ’40s. Sabermetrics and video analysis allow defenses to study and exploit a hitter’s weak points. Better bullpen and relief pitching.

But just because it’s incredibly difficult doesn’t mean we can’t envision a scenario in which it could happen.

Basically, you’ll need a guy who a) misses enough time to just qualify for a full season and b) happens to put together the best and luckiest season of his entire life.

The longer you play, the closer to a earth a high batting average will fall. It’s just basic statistics; regression to the mean. The minimum number of plate appearances to qualify for a full season is 502. So let’s say our guy tallies a little over that–510 PAs (roughly 128 games). And he’ll need to be able to draw a lot of walks–at least 100, or close to one walk a game. So you’re left with ~400 at-bats. The guy then needs to go 160/400. That’s definitely doable. Tough, but doable.

A few other ingredients we’ll need to pass the .400 mark:

– Our guy will definitely need to be a left-handed hitter. As well as the natural advantage against right-handed pitchers, a shorter run to first means a couple of extra hits in a season.

– Additionally, our hitter must have excellent foot speed

– Not a power hitter; strikeouts should be at the absolute minimum.

– Ideally, our guy would be a DH, so as to minimize wear-and-tear and fatigue. (Sorry, NL!)

– While this may be considered gamesmanship, he ideally wouldn’t miss time because he was injured; he’d selectively back out of games in which he’s more likely to play poorly. Cold April game on the road facing a pitcher you’re a lifetime .198 against? Time to sit. He’d get insane criticism for it, but, hey, .400 is .400. Also, you’d need management’s approval for this–most likely because you’re a Mike Trout/Bryce Harper demigod (though both strikeout far too often to ever hit .400) and management knows better than to displease you.

– Also, we’ll need a guy who’s a seasoned veteran. We need a guy who can handle the media spotlight and stay focused. We should also rule out playing in certain media-circus cities. The spotlight will be bright enough, there’s no need to add the insanity of the New York or Boston market into the mix.

– Luck. The stars just plain come together. Like we said, there’s a good reason nobody’s hit .400 since World War II.

There’s no reason this cannot happen. Hitting .400 isn’t impossible, although it does push the limits of what is reasonable.