Fernandez\u2019s 1968 numbers were beyond freakish.\u00a0He hit .170 with 50 strikeouts and 35 walks in 135 at-bats (171 plate appearances).\u00a0The right-handed swinger showed power with 7 HRs, and 30 RBI with just 23 hits is unprecedented.\u00a0Since he had 14 extra-base knocks, 60.9 percent of Fernandez\u2019s hits were doubles or better.\u00a0He had just nine singles.\u00a0Frank\u2019s .341 on-base percentage was 44 points higher than the AL average of .297.<\/p>\n 1968 is known as \u201cThe Year of the Pitcher\u201d in the American League, as 10 teams combined for a .230 average, so Fernandez was 60 points under a historically low number.\u00a0 Despite that, the slugging and walks gave him a fine OPS+ of 125. The Yankees set a live ball era record low by hitting .214.\u00a0A 2.79 team ERA was a major reason why the Yankees finished with an 83-79 record.<\/p>\n This was Mickey Mantle\u2019s final season.\u00a0Chronically bad knees and a stacked deck against hitters led to a .237 average (103 for 435) with 18 HR and 54 RBI.\u00a0That dropped the Mick\u2019s career average from .30155 to .29807.\u00a0Even an over-the-hill No. 7 was among the league leaders with 106 walks (2nd), .385 OBP (3rd) and a .782 on-base plus slugging (9th).<\/p>\n Fernandez saw his average soar 53 points to .223 in 1969.\u00a0He had 12 HR and 29 RBI in 229 AB with 68 Ks and 65 walks.\u00a0A .399 OBP would have been good for 8th in the AL if Fernandez had 502 or more ABs.\u00a0He had a .994 fielding percentage in 65 games behind the plate as compared to the American League average of .987.\u00a0Frank threw out 20 of 48 opposing base stealers for a solid 41.7 percent success ratio.<\/p>\n Traded to the A\u2019s prior to the 1970 season, Fernandez hit .214 with 15 HR and 44 RBI in 252 at-bats for Oakland.\u00a0Seventy-six strikeouts were in line with his norm, but a drop to 40 walks meant Frank declined from being an ultra-selective hitter to merely above average.\u00a0Despite that, his .327 OBP was better than the AL\u2019s cumulative .322 mark.<\/p>\n Fernandez became a baseball nomad in 1971.\u00a0He was traded to the Washington Senators on May 8 and returned to Oakland just 46 days later on June 23.\u00a0 Being managed by Senators skipper Ted Williams should have been a natural match, but Frank hit just .100 (3 for 30) in the nation\u2019s capital.\u00a0He spent 17 games with the AAA Iowa Oaks, and that included five appearances at shortstop.<\/p>\n Swapped to the Chicago Cubs on August 31, Fernandez put up one of the weirdest stat lines ever in his first month as a National Leaguer.\u00a0Small sample sizes can be extreme, but 7 for 41 (.171) with four solo homers, 15 strikeouts and 17 walks stands out like a floodlight in the darkness.\u00a0Frank\u2019s .414 OBP was 243 points higher than his batting average.\u00a0He finished the season hitting .138 (11 for 80) with 4 HR plus 9 RBI along with 28 Ks and 22 walks.<\/p>\n How did three at-bats make a significant difference in Fernandez\u2019s final numbers? A trio of unsuccessful pinch-hitting appearances for the 1972 Cubs dropped Frank\u2019s career average from .20027 (145 for 724) to .19944 (145 for 727).\u00a0Despite dipping under the Mendoza Line, Fernandez\u2019s career 39 HR, 116 RBI, 164 walks, 114 OPS+ and .350 OBP are impressive.\u00a0(Editor\u2019s Note: Joey Gallo, with his .194 career batting average, trails with a 106 OPS+.) That kind of performance would be worth $2 million or more as a platoon player in today\u2019s market.\u00a0Instead, Fernandez became baseball\u2019s first three true outcomes (K, BB, HR) player.<\/p>\n A second 1960s player takes the silver medal for under-.200 productivity.\u00a0Pitcher\u00a0Earl Wilson<\/a> hit 35 homers in just 740 at-bats, which means he cleared the fences every 21.1 AB.\u00a0The righty hitter and thrower had three triples and a homer while hitting .208 (15 for 72) with 7 RBI for the Boston Red Sox in 1964. Wilson found the Green Monster in 1965, as he slammed six long balls with 12 RBI in just 79 AB in 1965.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Traded to the Detroit Tigers on June 14, 1966, Wilson came through with 7 HR that year.\u00a0He had 22 RBI, averaging nearly an RBI per hit (23 for 96, .240).\u00a0The 6\u20193\u2033 Wilson kept slugging in Motown.\u00a0Earl hit .185 (20 for 108) with 4 HR and 15 RBI in 1967 in a season where he made 13 of his career 28 pinch-hitting appearances.\u00a0Wilson came through with 7 HR and 17 RBI while batting .227 (20 for 88) for the World Champion 1968 Tigers.<\/p>\n At this point, Wilson had a .206 career average (127 for 616).\u00a0His bat declined in 1969 and 1970, as Earl hit just .137 (17 for 124) with 2 HR for the Tigers and Padres. Wilson was no slouch on the mound, finishing with a 121-109 record and a 3.69 ERA.\u00a0His best seasons included an 18-11, 3.07 campaign in 1966 along with a 22-11 record and 3.27 ERA for the Tigers in 1967.\u00a0Wilson took a loss in Game 3 of the 1968 World Series against the Cardinals.<\/p>\n What could Wilson have done if he had focused entirely on hitting instead of getting sporadic batting practice swings? The result might have a big-time slugging right fielder with a cannon arm.<\/p>\n The best sub-Mendoza performance of all time is a no-brainer.\u00a0Kyle Schwarber<\/a> hit .197 for the Phillies in 2023.\u00a0He did nothing small that season. \u201cSchwarbs\u201d led the majors with 215 strikeouts, exactly 100 more than his 115 hits.\u00a0Both his 47 HR (40.9 percent of his hits) and 126 walks were second in the NL and majors.\u00a0The lefty-swinging slugger\u2019s 104 RBI was good for ninth in the NL. His .343 OBP was 20 points better than the league average of .323.\u00a0Schwarber made .197 productive with a 121 OPS+.<\/p>\n With 340 career homers, 32.4 percent of Schwarber\u2019s 1050 hits have cleared the fences. He has a decent chance of reaching 500 HR, especially since he just signed a five-year contract with the Phillies.\u00a0Hitting under .200 is still a large negative indicator, but there have been a few exceptions to the rule.<\/p>\n Follow me on Instagram: @rip_mlb<\/a><\/p>\n Follow me on Facebook: ripbaseball<\/a><\/p>\n Follow me on Bluesky: @ripmlb<\/a><\/p>\n Follow me on Threads: @rip_mlb<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ws-frankfernandez.jpg\")
Frank Fernandez was a 2-time Topps Rookie Star, appearing on a 1966 card with Fritz Peterson<\/a> and a 1968 card with Stan Bahnsen.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ws-frankfernandez2.jpg\")
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