As the season mericully is coming to a close, we have arrived at the newest baseball position, the designated hitter. As this position has only existed since 1973 there are only 40 years of data. So this time we will limit the quiz to the Top 15 by games played (not counting 2012 games). No cheating by pulling searches from BRef!!! Guess the player and approximate spot in the Top 15.
Rank |
Player |
Games Played |
1 |
Travis Hafner (2003-2011) |
896 |
2 |
Andre Thronton (1977, 1979, 1981-1987) |
737 |
3 |
Rico Carty (1974-1977) |
346 |
4 |
Ellis Burks (2001-2003) |
280 |
5 |
Eddie Murray (1994-1996) |
264 |
6 |
Dave Justice (1997-2000) |
238 |
7 |
Oscar Gamble (1973-1975) |
214 |
8 |
Chris James (1990-1991) |
184 |
9 |
Albert Belle (1989-1996) |
174 |
10 |
Pat Tabler (1983-1988) |
138 |
11 |
Jim Thome (1995-1996, 1998-2002, 2011) |
133 |
12 |
Cliff Johnson (1979-1980) |
108 |
13 |
Carmelo Castillo (1982-1988) |
101 |
14 |
Dave Clark (1986-1989) |
100 |
15 |
Reggie Jefferson (1992-1993) |
95 |
Postscript
We have 265 different guys who spent at least one game at DH. Only seven of them cracked the 200 game barrier, which is to be expected when this position is only 40 years in and we had two players with almost 25% of the total. not to mention, the DH is not always an everyday position (for most teams).
For the 2012 guys (through yesterday), Hafner upped his total by 59 to 955. Unless he takes a severe pay cut next year, he won't break the 1000 game mark. He could have had he been healthy this year (or last). Duncan reached 59 games, Santana is at 31, LaPorta 25, Chisenhall 15, Phelps 11, Asdubal 8, Brantley 6, Donald 5, Marson 2. Jose Lopez, Canzler, Damon, Kipnis, Cunningham, Rottino and Kotchman add 7 more to the total.
Some other notable guys not mentioned in the comments: Dave Winfield (39 games), Charlie Spikes (32), Rick Waits (10), Dennis Eckersley (1).