Mendoza Line : The Batting Statistics of a Dodgers Player
- Makio Mukai
- Oct 10
- 3 min read
I have two CDs by the American rock band "The Mendoza Line." The only reason I bought them was because the band's name was derived from a famous phrase in Major League Baseball. But now I love this band because they have so many songs that really touch my heart.
Very few Japanese Major League Baseball fans know the term "Mendoza Line." However, I'm sure American Major League Baseball fans are well-acquainted with it (right?), so I'll briefly explain it just in case.
There was a Major Leaguer named Mario Mendoza who played for three teams from the 1970s to the 1980s. He was an infielder, primarily playing shortstop. His defense was average, but his batting wasn't great. His career batting average over his nine years in the major leagues was .215, with five seasons where his batting average was below .200. As a result, major leaguers have come to feel embarrassed when their name appears below Mendoza's in the batting average charts that appear in the sports section of newspapers. In other words, Mendoza's batting average came to be considered the minimum line a batter should never fall below, the Mendoza Line. Specifically, players whose batting average falls below .200 are said to be below the Mendoza Line.
Since the 1980s, good batting performance has been expected of players regardless of their defensive position or how good they are at defense, so it's safe to say that players with batting averages below .200 are rarely used as regular roster spots.
By the way, like many Japanese people, I love Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. He has a cheerful personality, is always eager to win, and I feel a special affinity with him because his mother is Japanese. While I don't want to say anything negative about Dave Roberts, I had some complaints I really wanted to express regarding his use of a player during this regular season. I know it's very presumptuous and disrespectful of me, an amateur, to complain about how a Major League Baseball manager uses his players.
My complaint has to do with the Mendoza Line.
Manager Dave Roberts frequently used Michael Conforto during this year's regular season. Although Conforto did not reach the minimal number of plate appearances (502) to qualify for the batting titles, he played in 138 games, totaling 486 plate appearances. It's fair to say he was treated like a regular player. However, Conforto's batting average was below .200 for most of the season (though he occasionally reached .200), and he ultimately finished the season below the Mendoza Line at .199.
Of the 177 players with at least 450 plate appearances this season, Conforto was the only one to have a batting average below the Mendoza Line.
Among the 145 players who reached the minimal plate appearances (502) to qualify for the batting titles this season, the lowest batting average was Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, at .200, but Cruz led the National League in stolen bases with 38.
While there are almost no players hitting below the Mendoza Line these days, it doesn't mean they've completely disappeared. A prime example is Joey Gallo in 2021. He reached the minimal number of plate appearances (502) to qualify for the batting titles, but his batting average was .199, the same as Conforto this season. However, he hit 38 home runs, compared to Conforto's 12 this year.
I'd like to ask Dave Roberts why he used Michael Conforto so often and what he thinks about the Mendoza Line.
Dave Roberts played as a major leaguer for 10 years from 1999, but during that time, his batting average never fell below .200. The only year he reached the minimal number of plate appearances (502) to qualify for the batting titles was in 2006, and his batting average that year was .293. He was a player who had nothing to do with the Mendoza Line.
( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)