Falling Franchise Records, Part 2: National League

By Bill

On Wednesday, I wrote about the plethora of franchise records set to fall in the AL. Short on time to do the whole shebang, I promised that the NL would come later in the week. I also noted that it probably wouldn't be as interesting; and as it turns out, it's really not that interesting at all. The thing is, most National League teams are really old, and the ones that aren't have generally had incredible performances in the past (Rockies) or don't have any particularly noteworthy performances this year (Diamondbacks). There are no Tampa Bay Rays here.

Here are a few records that could, conceivably, fall this year:

Falling Franchise Records, Part 1: American League

By Bill

Impossible to believe the summer went by so fast, but most teams have something just shy of 25 games remaining this season. Nobody's threatening Bonds' 73, Ryan's 383 or Ichiro's 262 this season, but there are 30 teams out there that each have their own leaderboards (published or un-). Here's a look at some American League franchise single-season records that have a reasonable chance to fall in 2010:


Josh Hamilton: Rangers/Senators Batting Average
We'll start with the easy one; Hamilton is out for an extended period with a bruised ribcage, has already accumulated enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, and is hitting .361. In the franchise's first 49 seasons, the highest single-season average was Julio Franco's .341 in 1991. Hamilton would have to go 0 for his next 30 to finish at .341. If he makes a miraculous recovery, appears in the lineup tomorrow, averages four AB per game the rest of the way and hits .200, he'll just miss at .336. There's a very good chance that Josh Hamilton will hold the Rangers' all-time highest single-season batting average at the end of this season.