All the buzz about Madison Bumgarner’s possible participation at the 2016 Home Run Derby has been put to rest after the MLBPA barred the ace from taking part of the All-Star Weekend’s slugging festivities.
And yet, the baseball world is still clamoring for more hard-hitting pitchers after seeing the eye-popping batting numbers that Bumgarner has put up. Which begs the question: who exactly are the best hitting pitchers in MLB history?
Let’s find out below where MadBum ranks amongst all the pitchers that have refused to make way for designated hitters and would rather have knocked long balls on their own stellar capacity.
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Dontrelle Willis made a huge splash in his MLB debut by getting an All-Star nod and Rookie of the Year honors with some fantastic pitching behind his almost comical high-legged windup. However, his pitching prowess basically just lasted during his first two seasons in the league.
Well, at least D-Train had a solid bat working for him too when his command was off from the mound. Willis connected on eight long balls in his five years with the Florida Marlins, and he hit his sixth and final career homer with the Cincinnati Reds in the 2011 season, wherein he finished with a superb .387 batting average as well.
9. Zack Greinke
As the only other active pitcher other than Bumgarner on this list, Zack Greinke does not get as much recognition these days for his hitting skills compared to his NL rival. But he very well should have, as the 2013 Silver Slugger is slashing .227/.268/.326 for his career with five home runs in just 357 at-bats along with an insane 16.5 strikeout ratio since 2010.
This 2016 season, Greinke has yet to hit a home run, but at least he’s still sporting a sweet .290 batting average, proving that he doesn’t need to go deep to be considered as one of the best hitting pitchers around.
8. Madison Bumgarner
For all the hype surrounding Madison Bumgarner’s ability to go yard, he really pales in comparison to the other pitchers that have hit well in Major League history.
Then again, the reigning Silver Slugger amongst pitchers for the past two seasons should not be taken lightly at all. MadBum has 11 homers in his last 190 plate appearances – the same number of home runs that true sluggers Mike Trout and Bryce Harper have put up in the same timeframe.
Bumgarner also punishes his fellow aces across the mound, going 5-of-25 lifetime against Greinke and Clayton Kershaw combined with a total of three homers (two of which were given up by Kershaw), making him a constant threat on either half of any given inning.
7. Carlos Zambrano
Not that long ago, Carlos Zambrano was the cream of the hitting pitcher crop, and for quite some time at that.
Big Z was a three-time Silver Slugger awardee himself, having knocked out 24 long balls in 774 plate appearances lifetime. Zambrano even hit over the .300 mark in three different seasons, and probably could have made for a decent designated hitter for some teams if it wasn’t for his short fuse that turned many of his fellow colleagues off.
6. Don Drysdale
Like a lot of pitchers on the list, true-blue Dodger Don Drysdale made the most out of each ball that he makes contact with.
Although his .198 career batting average is abysmal to say the least, Drysdale still managed to hit a whopping 29 homers and 113 runs batted-in in 1,169 plate appearances. He even had a couple of seven-home-run seasons that were eight years apart!
5. Don Larsen
From one Don to another we go, this time with legendary Don Larsen stepping up to the proverbial plate.
Larsen will forever be known as the only player to pitch a perfect game in the World Series (1956 with the Yankees), but he was also quite the force with a bat in hand when he’s not busy baffling opposing batters. He has 14 homers and 72 RBIs in 653 career at-bats to his credit, and his 1958 campaign wherein he slashed .306/.364/.571 to go with four long balls and just nine strikeouts in 57 at-bats for the season is still a marvel to behold.
4. Ken Brett
Ken Brett did not have as much widespread acclaim as his younger brother and Hall-of-Famer George ever did, but the southpaw had his share of special moments on home plate and on the mound alike.
Not only was Brett the youngest player at 18 years of age to make a World Series appearance, he also has a terrific .772 OPS in 350 career plate appearances to go with a total of 10 homers and 42 runs driven in.
3. Micah Owings
In a case that’s quite similar to Dontrelle Willis, Micah Owings just didn’t have as much mustard on the mound as expected when he stepped into the big leagues. The Georgia native lasted just six seasons in the majors, but did win the Silver Slugger in his rookie season behind his big bat.
Owings’ stunning 106 OPS+ is tops amongst all the players on this list to complement his nine home runs and .283 lifetime batting average. Perhaps if he had just focused on becoming a full-time pinch hitter instead, he’d still be playing with the big boys to this date.
2. Mike Hampton
See that sledgehammer that Mike Hampton’s carrying in the image above? That’s about as symbolic as his hitting power gets as a pitcher, alright.
Hampton won five-straight Silver Slugger awards from 1999 to 2003 and had four separate seasons with a batting average of over .300, with his smashing .334 BA from the 2002 season being one of the best amongst all pitchers in MLB history. Oh, and did we mention that the lefty also had a total of 16 home runs and a mind-boggling 12 triples during his career?
1. Wes Ferrell
Bumgarner has a lot of work cut out for him if he truly desires to be called the best hitting pitcher in all of baseball. As it stands, he’s still chapters away from having his own story outdo that of The Legend of Wes Ferrell.
After 15 seasons in the majors, the righty out of North Carolina finished with a rather exceptional .280 batting average. Furthermore, Ferrell still holds the record for most career home runs by a pitcher with 38, and his nine home runs from the 1933 season is also a feat that has not been broken by any other hurler for nearly a century. Good luck with that, Madison.
