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MLB: Strikeouts at record pace for 9th straight year

By Phil Watson

Among hitters qualified for the batting title, no one strikes out more frequently this year than Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, once every 2.6 at-bats. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Among hitters qualified for the batting title, no one strikes out more frequently this year than Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox, once every 2.6 at-bats. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Big Frank Howard had prodigious power for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators in the early 1960s. But he also fanned a lot.
Big Frank Howard had prodigious power for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Senators in the early 1960s. But he also fanned a lot. /

1956-65: Pitchers Take Over

Home run rates increased markedly over the decade from 1956-65, but so too did strikeout rates and runs per game plummeted to their lowest levels since the Dead Ball Era.

Expansion may have helped in both cases; with the addition of two new American League franchises in 1961 and two National League clubs coming on board in 1962, the player pool thinned for the first time in decades—MLB had just 16 teams from 1901-60.

YEAR R/G HR SO AB/SO
1956 4.45 143 719 7.29
1957 4.31 138 747 7.11
1958 4.28 140 764 6.86
1959 4.38 141 788 6.69
1960 4.31 133 801 6.56
1961 4.53 152 830 6.49
1962 4.46 150 878 6.30
1963 3.95 135 939 5.85
1964 4.04 138 961 5.75
1965 3.99 134 964 5.69

As you can see by the table above, the entire league was striking out at the same rate as old “Swish” Nicholson by 1960 and the rate just kept increasing.

By 1965, hitters were fanning every 5.69 at-bats and teams were scoring less than four runs per game.

That’s not to say there weren’t some outstanding sluggers during this period.  Of the 10 most notorious hit-or-miss swingers, only Don Zimmer hit fewer than 100 home runs during the 10-year period, and Hall of Famers Harmon Killebrew and Mickey Mantle graced the list, with Mantle hitting 352 homers from 1956-65 and Killebrew slugging 293.

Rk Player AB/SO G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG
1 Frank Howard 4.1850 773 2624 346 716 102 20 144 466 234 627 .273 .333 .492
2 Dick Stuart 4.2195 1021 3768 492 1004 154 30 220 717 278 893 .266 .317 .498
3 Woodie Held 4.4212 1117 3590 479 886 137 21 170 521 447 812 .247 .336 .439
4 Harmon Killebrew 4.4411 1061 3735 638 978 129 13 293 735 623 841 .262 .369 .539
5 Jim Lemon 4.4488 935 3212 422 852 115 32 159 507 345 722 .265 .336 .469
6 Jim Gentile 4.5066 854 2731 416 718 106 5 170 527 449 606 .263 .371 .492
7 Wally Post 4.6299 870 2815 417 735 135 22 148 488 234 608 .261 .319 .482
8 Mickey Mantle 4.7439 1347 4483 1006 1389 187 32 352 899 1051 945 .310 .439 .601
9 Don Zimmer 4.9172 983 2970 312 700 120 20 76 302 224 604 .236 .291 .366
10 Bob Allison 4.9973 1046 3638 608 942 160 36 193 616 596 728 .259 .364 .482

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 6/23/2014.

The two most prolific sluggers of this period, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, struck out less frequently, but not at levels like DiMaggio or Berra during their careers. Aaron whiffed every 9.45 at-bats and Mays struck out at a rate of once every 8.38 at-bats.

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