The following AL baseball players led their positions in striking out (or Ks, in baseball shorthand) during 2011. These players’ vital statistics are included. The list is based on players who played the most games at their positions.
With the exception of catchers, the players must have a 500 at-bat (AB) minimum.
Catcher Miguel Olivo, Seattle Mariners:
477 ABs/107 hits/Average (Ave.). 224/19 home runs (HRs) 62 runs batted in (RBI)/140 Ks
First baseman Mark Trumbo, Los Angeles Angels:
539 ABs/137 hits/.254 Ave./29 HRs/87 RBI/120 Ks
Second baseman Ben Zobrist, Tampa Bay Rays:
588 ABs/158 hits/.269 Ave./20 HRs/91 RBI/128 Ks
Third baseman Mark Reynolds, Baltimore Orioles:
534 ABs/118 hits/.221 Ave./37 HRs/86 RBI/196 Ks
Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland Indians:
604 ABs/165 hits/.273 Ave./25 HRs/92 RBI/119 Ks
Left fielder Alex Gordon, Kansas City Royals:
611 ABs/185 hits/.303 Ave./23 HRs/87 RBI/139 Ks
(Left fielder Josh Willingham of the Oakland Athletics had 150 Ks in 488 ABs)
Center fielder Austin Jackson, Detroit Tigers:
591 ABs/147 hits/. 249 Ave./10 HRs/45 RBI/90 Runs scored/181 Ks
Right fielders Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees Nick Swisher:
Torii Hunter:
580 ABs/152 hits/.262 Ave./23 HRs/82 RBI/125 Ks
Nick Swisher:
526 ABs/137 hits/.260 Ave./23 HRs/85 RBI/125 Ks
Designated hitter Bobby Abreu:
502 ABs/127 hits/.253 Ave./8 HRs/60 RBI/113 Ks
(Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox struck out 177 times in 415 ABs. He had 66 hits/a miserable .159 Ave./11 HRs/42 RBI
But what are these players’ batting averages when they hit?
Subtract Olivo’s 140 Ks, and he had 337 ABs. So, when he hit, he batted .318.
Some of the K leaders in 2011 had more Ks then hits.
Take away first baseman’s Mark Trumbo’s 120 Ks and he had 419 ABs. So, with 137 hits, he batted .327.
Second baseman’s Ben Zobrist, minus his 128 Ks, had 460 ABs. With 158 hits, .he batted .343.
Third sacker Reynolds of the Orioles batted .319, discounting his 196 Ks. Still, Reynolds produced 37 HRs and 86 RBIs. He’s like the Dave Kingman of the 21st century. (And, hey, I liked Kingman, but I don’t think he K’ed more than 150 in one year.)
Shortstop Cabrera of the Tribe missed the ball a lot (at least at bat), but was a productive hitter. Take away his Ks, and he hit .340.
Left fielder Gordon had a decent season, despite his Ks. But, without them, he batted .392! Willingham did not. He struck out 3.25 times for every AB.
Jackson, who fields center for the AL champ Tigers, had 410 ABs, discounting his Ks. His average, minus the Ks, was .359. He scored 90 runs. I’d bet he’d score over 100 runs if he were on base more often.
Right fielders Torii Hunter’s and Nick Swisher’s numbers look almost identical. So was their Ks. Remove Hunter’s Ks and he batted .334. Remove Swisher’s Ks and he batted .342. Swisher swished a lot in 2011. Sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun.
Designated hitter Abreu batted .326, minus the Ks.
Adam Dunn may be done (I couldn’t resist that pun, either). Check his numbers, and he K’ed almost every other AB! Even taking away the Ks, Dunn hit .278.
Sources:
Various ESPN.com sites