Nellie Fox was one of many prime second basemen within the American League throughout the Nineteen Fifties. He led the Chicago White Sox to an sudden league title in 1959, profitable the Most Worthwhile Participant Award within the course of.
Fox’s most notable ability was his capability to place the bat on the ball. He hardly took a 3rd strike. He struck out simply 216 occasions in 9,232 at-bats, which translated to a contact rate of .977. (Contact price, which is abbreviated as CT, is the share of at-bats that didn’t finish in strikeouts.)
No postwar ballplayer within the Corridor of Fame might come near Fox’s contact price, so it’s unsurprising that everyone within the free-swinging twenty first century falls quick. But there are a number of batters who nonetheless show a capability to keep away from strikeouts, a ability that’s acknowledged by my annual Nellie Fox Award.
Luis Arraez, the superb hitting machine who received back-to-back batting titles within the American League in 2022 and the Nationwide League this season, topped the majors in 2023 with a .941 contact price.
Arraez received the Nationwide League’s Fox Award, whereas the .882 CT for left fielder Steven Kwan of the Cleveland Guardians secured the respect within the American League.
Listed under are the 15 batters who made not less than 502 plate appearances and completed with the best contact charges in every league.
Observe these hyperlinks for the beforehand introduced 2023 awards named for Ted Williams,Lou Gehrig, and Babe Ruth.
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1. Steven Kwan, Guardians, .882
2. Jose Ramirez, Guardians, .881
3. Alex Bregman, Astros, .860
4. Masataka Yoshida, Pink Sox, .849
5. Andrew Benintendi, White Sox, .842
6. Kyle Tucker, Astros, .840
7. Marcus Semien, Rangers, .836
7. Gleyber Torres, Yankees, .836
9. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, .834
10. Alex Verdugo, Pink Sox, .830
11. Adley Rutschman, Orioles, .828
12. Yandy Diaz, Rays, .821
13. Corey Seager, Rangers, .816
14. Whit Merrifield, Blue Jays, .815
15. Bobby Witt, Royals, .811
1. Luis Arraez, Marlins, .941
2. Jeff McNeil, Mets, .889
2. Keibert Ruiz, Nationals, .889
4. Ronald Acuna Jr., Braves, .869
5. Nico Hoerner, Cubs, .866
6. Alec Bohm, Phillies, .832
7. Bryson Stott, Phillies, .829
8. Dominic Smith, Nationals, .827
9. Cody Bellinger, Cubs, .826
10. Tommy Edman, Cardinals, .825
11. Ozzie Albies, Braves, .820
11. Nolan Arenado, Cardinals, .820
13. Mark Canha, Mets-Brewers, .818
14. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, .817
15. TJ Friedl, Reds, .816
