If you could hit .365 with 235 hits and, say, 20 homers and 90 RBIs or .270 with 40 homers and 125 RBIs, which would you choose?

Need more information than that to make an informed choice.

I prefer the oranges.

"I prefer the oranges."

See, I never got that saying. I do like oranges more than I like apples. They taste radically different, yes, but I don't see how it's illegitimate to say that I prefer the taste of one to the other.

The saying isn't generally meant to be used to express subjective preferences, but to objectively compare things that ought to be of the same basic kind for the comparison to be meaingful.

I'd take Griffey's choice, other things (doubles, triples, walks) being equal. Your Slugging will be about the same in 644 at bats but the .365 hitter will be getting on base a lot more. The RBI totals of the guys behind you will more than make up for the 35 you lose.

John's right; you need to know the rest of the lineup your team has that year. If the rest of the lineup can score plenty of runs, you go with the former. Otherwise, it's the latter.

Nice comments from Thomas about the home run trot and about what Aaron had to face compared to Bonds. One thing I like about Frank is that he generally "gets it," the likes of Jay Mariotti notwithstanding.

John's right; you need to know the rest of the lineup your team has that year. If the rest of the lineup can score plenty of runs, you go with the former. Otherwise, it's the latter.

Not to mention that the .270 hitter may get on base more due to more walks.

Funny thing is that IIRC Killebrew once had 45 home runs with only 96 RBI, which has to be some sort of a negative record for the RBI / HR ratio.

8: Soriano had 46 HR and 95 RBI last season, though mainly as a leadoff guy.

Funny thing is that IIRC Killebrew once had 45 home runs with only 96 RBI, which has to be some sort of a negative record for the RBI / HR ratio.

For players with at least 20 HR, it's only the 17th-worst ratio ever. (Though if you raise the cutoff to 40 homers, it's the fourth-worst.) Barry Bonds's 2001 leads the pack, with 70 homers and 137 RBI. Only two other guys have ever had at least 20 HR with fewer than twice as many RBI as HR: Kevin Maas in 1990 (21/41) and Chris Duncan in 2006 (22/43).

Funny thing is that IIRC Killebrew once had 45 home runs with only 96 RBI, which has to be some sort of a negative record for the RBI / HR ratio.

With Lenny Green and Vic Power as his table setters, I'm surprised that the Killer had that many RBI. :-)

Funny thing is that IIRC Killebrew once had 45 home runs with only 96 RBI, which has to be some sort of a negative record for the RBI / HR ratio

Mantle had years of 37-99, 42-97, and 40-94.

Thanks to Bauer, Kubek, Clete Boyer(?!) and .190 OBP in 109 AB's batting leadawful in '60...Bobby Richardson.

Thomas hit .270-39-114 last year. Basically he said he likes being Frank Thomas.

No doubt .270/40/125.

I love Griffey's answer though -- "40 HR? I spit on 40 HR. Do you know who you're talking to?" :-)

Griffey's choice makes him sound selfish. Not the choice itself, but the way he says it.

It is all about personal glory.

For players with at least 20 HR, it's only the 17th-worst ratio ever. (Though if you raise the cutoff to 40 homers, it's the fourth-worst.) Barry Bonds's 2001 leads the pack, with 70 homers and 137 RBI.

Nitpick: 73 homers, 137 RBIs.

Griffey's choice makes him sound selfish. Not the choice itself, but the way he says it. It is all about personal glory.

It has often been said that those people without a sense of humour find it extremely difficult to detect one in someone else.

um, there have been 35 seasons with more than 235 hits, and only 36 more with 225-235 hits.

out of those 71 seasons only one comes remotely close to the example given (and by remotely close, i go by +/- 10 pts ba, hits, rbi, and +/- 5 hr:
2000 Darrin Erstad: .355/.409/.541/137/240/25/100 (ba/obp/slg/ops+/h/hr/rbi)

there were 8 guys who came close as well
1928 Heinie Manush: .378/.414/.575/154/241/13/108
1977 Rod Carew: .388/.449/.570/178/239/14/100
1986 Don Mattingly: .352/.394/.573/161/238/31/113
1928 Freddie Lindstrom: .358/.383/511/132/231/14/107
1930 Freddie Lindstrom: .379/.425/.575/141/231/22/106
1946 Stan Musial: .365/.434/.587/183/228/16/103
1936 Charlier Gehringer: .354/.431/.555/142/227/15/116
1929 Bill Terry: .372/418/.522/131/226/14/117

meanwhile, there are tons of guys who go close to .270/40/125:
1948 Ralph Kiner: .265/.391/.533/146/40/123
1950 Ralph Kiner: .272/.408/.590/156/47/118
1953 Ralph Kiner: .279/.391/.512/132/35/116
1978 George Foster: .281/.360/.546/151/40/120
1997 Mark McGwire: .274/.393/.646/168/58/123
1999 Mark McGwire: .278/.424/.697/178/64/147
2003 Jim Thome: .266/.385/.573/151/47/131
2004 Jim Thome: .274/.396/.581/148/42/105
1990 Cecil Fielder: .277/.377/.592/167/51/132
1991 Cecil Fielder: .261/.347/.513/134/44/133
1992 Cecil Fielder: .244/.325/.458/117/35/124
1996 Cecil Fielder: .252/.350/.484/109/39/117
2005 Andruw Jones: .263/.347/.575/113/51/128
2006 Andruw Jones: .262/.363/.531/129/41/129
2003 Andruw Jones: .277/.338/513/121/36/116
1992 Albert Belle: .260/.320/.477/123/34/112
1997 Albert Belle: .274/.332/.491/116/30/116
2002 Shawn Green: .285/.385/.558/155/42/114 (again, ba a little high)
1959 Harmon Killebrew: .242/.354/.516/137/42/105
1962 Harmon Killebrew: .243/.366/.545/138/48/126
1964 Harmon Killebrew: .270/.377/.548/153/49/111
1966 Harmon Killebrew: .281/.391/.538/158/39/110
1967 Harmon Killebrew: .269/.408/.558/174/44/113
1969 Harmon Killebrew: .276/.427/.584/179/49/140
1970 Harmon Killebrew: .271/.411/.546/161/41/113
1995 Sammy Sosa: .268/.340/.500/123/69/119
1997 Sammy Sosa: .251/.300/.480/99/36/119
2000 Ken Griffey Jr: .271/.387/.556/128/40/118
1970 Frank Howard: .283/.416/.546/170/44/126
1974 Mike Schmidt: .282/.395/.546/158/36/116
1976 Mike Schmidt: .262/.376/.524/161/38/107
1986 Mike Schmidt: .277/.383/.536/155/36/106
1960 Ernie Banks: .271/.350/.554/145/41/117
1962 Ernie Banks: .269/.306/.503/110/37/104
2000 Troy Glaus: .284/.404/.604/150/47/102
2001 Troy Glaus: .250/.367/.531/127/41/108
2006 Troy Glaus: .252/.355/.513/119/38/104
1969 Reggie Jackson: .275/.410/.608/187/47/118
1975 Reggie Jackson: .253/.329/.511/137/36/104
1982 Reggie Jackson: .275/.375/.532/147/39/101
1960 Eddie Matthews: .277/.397/.551/165/39/124
1997 Rafael Palmeiro: .254/.329/.485/113/38/110
2001 Rafael Palmeiro: .273/.391/.563/145/47/123
2002 Rafael Palmeiro: .273/.391/.571/141/43/105
2002 Rafael Palmeiro: .360/.359/.508/117/39/112
1990 Jose Canseco: .274/.371/.543/158/37/101
1991 Jose Canseco: .266/.359/.556/157/44/122
1998 Jose Canseco: .237/.318/.518/113/46/107
2004 Vinnie Castilla: .271/.332/.535/104/35/131
2004 Adam Dunn: .266/.388/.539/152/46/102
2005 Adam Dunn: .247/.387/.540/135/40/101 (and again in 06, but w/o enough rbi)

and that's as far down as the BR single season HR leader board will go. I'm sure there's a ton more seasons closer to .270/40/120

that's over 50 seasons. i got a little lax in the rbi window i allowed, so i might have missed some seasons. but yeah...this is pretty pointless trying to compare something that's happened 8 times in baseball history to something that's happened well over 50 times (probably closer to 100 or more) i mean, some guys like kiner, fielder, killebrew, schmidt, palmeiro, andruw, and canseco have made a career out of hitting .270/40/120.

ok, i forgot about the new season finder on BR, and i didn't pay for it anyway. But i just ran a query for BA < .285, HR > 35, and RBI > 105 and there are well over 100 seasons...so yeah.

there's a bunch of names in here I missed b/c their homerun totals are lower: Roger Maris, Carlos Delgado, Mark Teixeira, Jeromy Burnitz, Dean Plamer, Howard Johnson, Gorman Thomas, Nate Colbert, Lee May, Jason Giambi, Pat Burrell, Darryl Strawberry, Carlton Fisk, Dave Winfield, Graig Nettles, Bobby Bonds, Jimmy Winn, Leon Wagner, Rocky Colavito, Hank Sauer, Preston Wilson, Mo Vaughn, Ron Gant, Tony Armas.

so yeah..there's a lot of mediocre .270/.40/120 seasons in there...