Danny Tartabull Somehow Has a Higher OPS Than All of These Incredible Players
By Kyle Koster
Fellas and ladies, you know how it is. You’re planning on getting to bed early but then you remember Danny Tartabull’s star turn in that Seinfeld episode. One thing leads to another and you’re looking up clips and poring over Tartabull stats deep into the night. We’ve all been there.
So perhaps everyone already knows the astonishing weirdness I’m about to share. Tartabull, a one-time All-Star, posted an .864 OPS for his 14-year career. Eight sixty-four, good for 127th in baseball history. In all but one he was above .800, a pillar of understated consistency.
Not impressed yet? Well, let’s take a look at some guys who have a lower career OPS than Tartabull. See if you recognize any of these names.
- George Brett
- Honus Wagner
- Al Kaline
- Frank Howard
- Robinson Cano
- Anthony Rizzo
- Reggie Jackson
- Carl Yastrzemski
- Kirby Puckett
- Roberto Clemente
- Joe Mauer
- Ernie Banks
- Cecil Fielder
- Roger Maris
- Manny Machado
- Eddie Murray
- Dave Winfield
- Rod Carew
- Rickey Henderson
- Joe Morgan
- Derek Jeter
- Paul Molitor
- Dale Murphy
- Luke Appling
- Ivan Rodriguez
- Carlton Fisk
- Ryne Sandberg
- Cal Ripken Jr.
- Pete Rose
- George Kell
- Steve Garvey
- Robin Yount
- Joe Carter
- Alan Trammell
Amazing.
Consider Rizzo and Machado, two stars of the game approaching prime. Neither has an OBP or slugging percentage on par with Tartabull. Maintaining a similar level of production won’t get them there.
Tartabull, beset by injury, only managed to play 100 games per year over his career. This prevented him from excelling in many of the basic counting categories. And he was overshadowed in Kansas City with Bo Jackson and George Brett before being stuck on some poor New York Yankees clubs.
But hey, the guy mashed and mashed for a long time without much fanfare. Respect.