The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #25 Jimmie Foxx

Terrorizing the list at #25 is “The Beast” Jimmie Foxx. Babe Ruth deservedly gets credit for being the king of the 20th century, but Foxx wasn’t far off. A quick glance at his placement on the all-time statistical leaderboard reveals a hitter worthy of his nickname. Foxx is 4th all-time in slugging %, 5th in OPS, and 10th in on-base percentage and RBIs. It’s obvious we’re dealing with a serious player here. A deeper look brings Foxx’s explosive bat even more into focus. Foxx and Ruth are the only two players in history with 500 home runs, 1,900 RBIs, and a .325 batting average. In 1932, Foxx produced the only season in history with at least 151 runs, 169 RBIs, 58 home runs, and 213 hits.  In 1938, he produced the only season in history with at least 50 home runs, 175 RBIs, and a .462 on-base percentage. Foxx is the only player in history to have two seasons with at least 48 home runs, 163 RBIs, and 204 hits. His 12 consecutive seasons of at least 30 home runs and 105 RBIs are the most all-time and his three seasons of at least 48 home runs and 163 RBIs are the most all-time. His 11 seasons of 115 RBIs are tied for most in history with Lou Gehrig and his 4 seasons with at least 156 RBIs are also second to Gehrig. Foxx’s three seasons with at least 163 RBIs are second behind Gehrig, and his two seasons with at least 169 RBIs are the second-most behind, who else, Lou Gehrig. Foxx’s bat was equally destructive in the postseason as he led the Philadelphia A’s to three consecutive World Series appearances including back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930 in which he hit .341 with a .683 slugging percentage across 44 plate appearances.

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Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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