RIP
Tony Gwynn's greatness was not just in the totals, but in the details
Tony Gwynn wasn't the greatest hitter who ever lived. He didn't collect the most hits. He wasn't even the brightest star of his day. All he did was stay great for 20 seasons, and baseball fans should never forget that.
Even a slam-dunk Hall of Fame career such as Gwynn's deserves the occasional review to help us remember the other-worldly details and to put things in their proper perspective. So let's take a look back at Gwynn's greatness on what would've been Mr. Padre's 57th birthday. Consider:
— He led the NL in hits seven times, with his greatest total — 220 — coming in his Age 37 season, when he hit .372.
— He won the NL batting title eight times, including three straight years from 1987 through 1989, and four straight years from 1994 through 1997.
— After his rookie season with the Padres in 1982, in which he hit .289 in 190 at-bats, Gwynn hit no worse than .309 for the next 19 seasons and hit .350 or better six times — reaching his pinnacle when he chased .400 in 1994 and finished a strike-shortened season at .394.
— After his rookie season, his on-base percentage never dipped below .355, peaking at .454 in 1994.
— Gwynn led the league in at-bats per strikeout 10 times, including 1995, when he struck out once every 35.7 at-bats.
— He would've had a string of 16 consecutive All-Star seasons, if not for the 1988 campaign when he was limited to 133 games. But he still won the batting title that year, hitting .313.
— Perhaps the most impressive of Gwynn's statistics were his numbers against one of the all-time greats. He faced Hall of Famer Greg Maddux — arguably the greatest pitcher of the era — 107 times. Maddux made even the best hitters look foolish. Gwynn hit .415 against him and never struck out.
He might not have looked the part at various times, but he could run, too. Consider:
— From 1984 through 1990, Gwynn stole 223 bases, including a career-high 56 in 1987.
— That speed gave him good range in the outfield. He led NL right fielders in putouts three times, and finished in the top three seven times. In 1986, he led all NL outfielders in the category. He also led all NL outfielders in runs saved above average three times, including 1991, when he registered a career-high 28.
Yes, for most of his career, Tony Gwynn was a complete player. Obviously. That's why he's was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007 with 97.6 percent of the vote.
But it's easy to gloss over or forget the finer points of a career when discussing that career as a whole.
Never forget Tony Gwynn's finer points.
His greatness was not just in the totals, but in the details.
