Chicago White Sox all-time lists: Top 15 batting averages
Top 15 all-time batting averages: 2-7
Now to get into a bunch of people you’ve probably never heard of. Well, maybe you have. I definitely had never heard of them.
7. Taffy Wright (.312)
These 1930s-40s Chicago White Sox had some hitters on them.
Wright first came to the South Side from the Washington Senators in 1940 and promptly hit .337 in his first season in Chicago. In 1941, the right fielder hit 10 home runs and 97 RBI to go with his .322 average.
5. Bibb Falk/Al Simmons (.315)
Another double-dip at the fifth spot in our list. Falk and Simmons overlapped in their time in the league, but they never played together on the Chicago White Sox.
Falk played in Chicago from 1920-1928, hitting .352 in 1924. Simmons, on the other hand, didn’t show up in Chicago until 1933 and only played there for three seasons before departing to Detroit. His second was his best on the South Side; he hit .344 with 18 home runs and 118 RBI.
4. Zeke Bonura (.317)
Who? Well, either way, I think that he probably has the second-best name on this list.
As far as batting averages go, though, he ranks fourth at .317. The big (for his time) first baseman played four years in Chicago, slugging his way to a .345 average, 19 long balls and 100 RBI in 1937.
Fun fact: he finished his career with the Chicago Cubs, hitting .262 with four home runs and 20 RBI in 49 games.
3. Carl Reynolds (.322)
Like Bonura, Reynolds also played for the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs.
He started his career on the South Side in 1927 and hit his stride the next season, breaking out for a .323 average.
He especially tore the cover off the ball in 1930, hitting a robust .359 with 22 home runs and 104 RBI. His numbers fell of significantly after that season, but his huge five years with the Sox earned him his spot at #3 on this list.
2. Eddie Collins (.331)
Collins is the quintessential example of how different today’s baseball is from the early 1900s.
He hit .331 in 12 seasons with the Chicago White Sox (just below his .333 career average). But in those 25 seasons, he only managed 47 home runs. Now, at least one player regularly approaches or surpasses that number every season.
Then again, not many players today hit over .320 15 times, topping .360 three times, the way he did.
And now, for the final spot on this list. If you know your White Sox history, you’ve probably already guessed.