Williams: The mystery of the 1930 Phillies
From SABR member Christopher Williams at Yahoo! Voices on June 14, 2013:
Imagine a team with a line-up that included a pair of outfielders who hit .386 and .383. The third baseman collected 207 hits for a .342 average, the guy at first hit .327 and the catcher chipped-in with a .313 average.
On the bench, the utility man figured out league pitching at a .341 clip, the back-up first sacker hit .380, and the second-string catcher finished the season at .331. The entire team batted .315, leading the league in hits with over 1,700 safeties.
Such an offensive juggernaut surely must have been a pennant contender, right?
Wrong.
The stats quoted were compiled by members of the 1930 Philadelphia Phillies and they finished dead last.
40 games out-of-first.
Seven games out-of-next-to-last.
Read the full article here: http://voices.yahoo.com/the-mystery-1930-phillies-12165300.html?cat=37
Originally published: July 5, 2013. Last Updated: July 5, 2013.