Happy Birthday to “Charlie Hustle,” the Hit King, Pete Rose. Throughout 24 seasons in the majors, playing primarily for the Cincinnati Reds but also for the Philadelphia Phillies and Montreal Expos, no player has appeared in more Games (3,562) or taken more career At Bats (14,053) and Plate Appearances (14,890); than Rose.

Pete Rose Career Statistics & Accolades (1963-1986):

.303 BA 4,256 HITS 160 HR 1,314 RBI 2,165 RUNS .375 OBP

  • 17x All-Star
  •  3x World Series Champion (1975-76 & 80)
  •  2x Gold Glove
  •  Silver Slugger (1981)
  •  1973 NL MVP
  •  1963 NL Rookie of the Year

As a Hitter

As a Switch Hitter, Rose batted leadoff, where he belonged. At the plate, he had more career Walks (1,566) than Strikeouts (1,143). As a pure contact hitter, Rose batted .300 or higher 15 times, as well as being a three time batting champion. Being the all-time Hit leader Rose had 18 seasons recording 170 or more Hits, 10 with 200 or more Hits, and 7 leading the league. While he wasn’t known for hitting Home Runs, and typically for Singles, Rose hit for 746 Doubles in his career, which is 2nd all-time, leading the league five times. While he didn’t steal a lot of bases, Rose ran bases hard scoring 100 or more Runs ten times, leading in Runs four times. He was a fearless baserunner, always running hard, never afraid to dive and collide.

As a Fielder

Versatile is definitely a word to describe Pete Rose, as he is the only player in the history of baseball to appear in 500 or more games at five different positions. While he did win two Gold Gloves playing Right Field in 1969-70, every position he played besides Second Base where he was average, based on Fielding Percentage he was an above average fielder.

First Base: 939 Games/7,857.1 Innings .994 Fielding Percentage +.02

Left Field: 673 Games/5,841.0 Innings .991 Fielding Percentage +.17

Third Base: 634 Games/5,236.1 Innings .961 Fielding Percentage +.10

Second Base: 628 Games/5,408.1 Innings .975 Fielding Percentage 

Right Field: 589 Games/5,125.0 Innings .991 Fielding Percentage +.12

Best Years

In 1973, Rose took home the NL MVP award, which you can say was his best season. However, I would argue that his 1969 season was his best season, in which Rose had the highest AVG & OBP of his career. 

1965: .312 BA 209 HITS 11 HR 81 RBI 117 RUNS .382 OBP (162 Games)

1968: .335 BA 210 HITS 10 HR 49 RBI 94 RUNS .391 OBP (149 Games)

1969: .348 BA 218 HITS 16 HR 82 RBI 120 RUNS .428 OBP (156 Games)

1970: .316 BA 205 HITS 15 HR 52 RBI 120 RUNS .385 OBP (159 Games)

1973: .338 BA 230 HITS 5 HR 64 RBI 115 RUNS .401 OBP (160 Games)

1975: .317 BA 210 HITS 7 HR 74 RBI 112 RUNS .406 OBP (162 Games)

1976: .323 BA 215 HITS 10 HR 63 RBI 130 RUNS .404 OBP (162 Games)

1979: .331 BA 208 HITS 4 HR 59 RBI 90 RUNS .418 OBP (163 Games)

Legacy

Whether it was with Reds or Phillies, he performed well whenever Rose was in the Postseason. He not just won the 1975 World Series MVP in 67 career playoff games, but he was a lifetime .321 hitter.

So what if he gambled, screw MLB, for everything Rose did for the game of baseball on and off the field. He didn’t cheat or do anything evil, like killing someone, and everything he did on the field earned him a spot in the Hall of Fame. As well as being the Hit king, Rose should be remembered as a Winner, an All-Time Great, and one of the greatest hard-nosed, gritty ballplayers to ever live. While he isn’t in the Hall of Fame, his #14 is rightfully retired by the Reds, and in 1999, he was ranked #25 on The Sporting News list of 100 Greatest Ballplayers.

References:

  1. Pete Rose Career Statistics via Baseball-Reference: https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rosepe01.shtml