Best batters of 2011-2015
Cabrera dominates the AL with four batting crowns; Tulowitzki leads the NL
Detroit’s Miguel Cabrera won the American League’s batting title in 2011 with a .344 average. He did it again (.330) on his way to a Triple Crown in 2012. And again in 2013 (.348). And one more time in 2015 (.338).
Is it any wonder that my new half-decade rankings pegged Cabrera as the AL’s best hitter for the period from 2011 through 2015?
The ratings for the National League weren’t as clear-cut. The winner was the only player who exceeded .305 in batting average and .530 in slugging average for the five-year period, Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki.
I’ve devoted my Friday stories this summer to an examination of the Modern Era’s best hitters, broken down into five-year chunks. I started the series on June 17 with a analysis of the period from 1961 to 1965, and I’ve rolled through the half-decades ever since.
The ratings are based on my Five-Year Test, which ranks hitters in these categories:
Batting average
Slugging average
Runs scored per 500 plate appearances
Runs batted in per 500 plate appearances
Wins above replacement (WAR) per 500 plate appearances
The 2011-2015 rankings covered every batter who made a minimum of two plate appearances per game, spread out over the full five-year period. That would translate to a threshold of 1,620 appearances over a normal schedule.
A total of 91 batters qualified for today’s American League rankings, as did 86 in the National League. The collective batting average for the AL hitters in the half-decade was .266 and the ratio of bases per out (BPO) was .733. The corresponding figures for the NL were a .270 BA and a .739 BPO.
Right behind Cabrera in the American League’s rankings for 2011-2015 were Mike Trout and Jose Bautista. Following Tulowitzki on the National League side were Paul Goldschmidt and Ryan Braun.
Scroll down to find lists of both leagues' 20 best hitters in the period. Each batter is followed by a breakdown of his 2011-2015 statistics: games, hits, home runs, batting average, and bases per out. The first three stats were not part of the Five-Year Test, but I've included them here to fill out the picture.
Next Friday’s installment will wrap up the series with a look at the best hitters of 2016-2020. You can see the previous standings through these links:
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American League top batters (series so far)
1961-1965: Mickey Mantle
1966-1970: Frank Robinson
1971-1975: Reggie Jackson
1976-1980: George Brett
1981-1985: Eddie Murray
1986-1990: Rickey Henderson
1991-1995: Frank Thomas
1996-2000: Ken Griffey Jr.
2001-2005: Alex Rodriguez
2006-2010: Alex Rodriguez
2011-2015: Miguel Cabrera
National League top batters (series so far)
1961-1965: Willie Mays
1966-1970: Willie McCovey
1971-1975: Willie Stargell
1976-1980: George Foster
1981-1985: Mike Schmidt
1986-1990: Eric Davis
1991-1995: Barry Bonds
1996-2000: Larry Walker
2001-2005: Barry Bonds
2006-2010: Albert Pujols
2011-2015: Troy Tulowitzki
American League top 20 batters (2011-2015)
1. Miguel Cabrera, G 748, H 931, HR 161, BA .334, BPO 1.035
2. Mike Trout, G 652, H 744, HR 139, BA .304, BPO 1.067
3. Jose Bautista, G 667, H 646, HR 173, BA .270, BPO 1.000
4. David Ortiz, G 661, H 705, HR 154, BA .292, BPO .954
5. Adrian Beltre, G 732, H 878, HR 135, BA .309, BPO .837
6. Edwin Encarnacion, G 701, H 701, HR 168, BA .274, BPO .913
7. Robinson Cano, G 793, H 940, HR 123, BA .306, BPO .832
8. Josh Donaldson, G 549, H 579, HR 103, BA .278, BPO .845
9. Curtis Granderson, G 377, H 340, HR 91, BA .244, BPO .877
10. Chris Davis, G 645, H 597, HR 164, BA .257, BPO .868
11. Nelson Cruz, G 703, H 731, HR 164, BA .273, BPO .824
12. Josh Hamilton, G 559, H 581, HR 107, BA .272, BPO .803
13. Adam Jones, G 769, H 859, HR 146, BA .281, BPO .748
14. Yoenis Cespedes, G 518, H 543, HR 89, BA .269, BPO .745
15. Prince Fielder, G 524, H 580, HR 81, BA .295, BPO .841
16. Alex Gordon, G 728, H 788, HR 89, BA .281, BPO .802
17. Evan Longoria, G 689, H 683, HR 123, BA .263, BPO .776
18. Mike Napoli, G 612, H 521, HR 112, BA .255, BPO .844
19. Jacoby Ellsbury, G 626, H 738, HR 68, BA .287, BPO .795
20. Victor Martinez, G 575, H 656, HR 69, BA .306, BPO .774
National League top 20 batters (2011-2015)
1. Troy Tulowitzki, G 494, H 557, HR 96, BA .309, BPO .925
2. Paul Goldschmidt, G 621, H 672, HR 116, BA .299, BPO .991
3. Ryan Braun, G 640, H 730, HR 127, BA .301, BPO .934
4. Joey Votto, G 654, H 715, HR 102, BA .308, BPO 1.060
5. Andrew McCutchen, G 775, H 864, HR 123, BA .302, BPO .970
6. Giancarlo Stanton, G 608, H 600, HR 159, BA .272, BPO .956
7. Bryce Harper, G 510, H 528, HR 97, BA .289, BPO .945
8. Carlos Gonzalez, G 595, H 629, HR 125, BA .285, BPO .886
9. Buster Posey, G 638, H 724, HR 84, BA .313, BPO .841
10. Matt Kemp, G 644, H 701, HR 116, BA .291, BPO .853
11. Carlos Beltran, G 438, H 467, HR 78, BA .288, BPO .846
12. Matt Holliday, G 651, H 685, HR 95, BA .289, BPO .850
13. Nolan Arenado, G 401, H 431, HR 70, BA .281, BPO .753
14. Matt Carpenter, G 590, H 605, HR 53, BA .287, BPO .837
15. Carlos Gomez, G 600, H 550, HR 82, BA .269, BPO .819
16. Justin Upton, G 762, H 762, HR 130, BA .271, BPO .836
17. Hanley Ramirez, G 463, H 469, HR 67, BA .277, BPO .816
18. Allen Craig, G 425, H 454, HR 53, BA .294, BPO .758
19. Freddie Freeman, G 731, H 767, HR 103, BA .286, BPO .823
20. Adrian Gonzalez, G 508, H 534, HR 80, BA .283, BPO .773