Time for another edition of then and now….today, I’m looking at the all-time hit king, Pete Rose. Which currently active player reminds me the most of Pete Rose? Let’s quickly go over what I’m looking for here. Rose was a player who amassed a ton of hits, having ten 200+ hit seasons. He also had longevity on his side, playing for 24 seasons until the age of 45. Rose also had phenomenal plate discipline, walking more than he struck out over his career and posting double digit walk rates nine times over his career. Rose also didn’t have a lot of power, topping a .500 slugging percentage just once in his career and having an isolated power of only .106 for his career. Now that we’ve squared everything away…which player most resembles Pete Rose?
There aren’t many players who walk at a double digit rate, and have a low amount of strikeouts. Albert Pujols is a guy who fits that mold, with 270 more walks than strikeouts over his career thusfar, and he’s also approaching 2000 career hits. But here’s where Pujols differs from Rose: the power. Pujols’ power is prodigious. Whereas Rose had a slugging percentage over .500 just once, Pujols has never had one below .500 over his 11 year career. Pujols is more of a power hitter than Rose ever was, and despite the high amount of hits, he’s not a good comparison for Rose.
What about Ichiro? He’s a good player who’s been compared to Rose for his entire career, especially when you factor in the amount of hits he had in Japan. He has over 200 hits in each season of his career, and has an outside shot to finish at 3000 in America alone. But Ichiro is already in decline, and is having by far the worst season of his career in 2011. He also has the minimal power of Rose. But here’s the thing about Ichiro: he was never a big walker. He’s topped 50 walks in a season just twice. Rose had more than 50 walks in a season 19 times. But Ichiro does do a good job at limiting strikeouts. He could be the best comparison to Rose, even with the lack of plate discipline.
Here’s another option for you to chew on: Ian Kinsler of the Rangers. He walks a lot, limits his strikeouts, and piles up the hits. But here’s the major issue with Kinsler: he can’t stay healthy. Over his six year career, his career high in games played is 144. He’s played in 130 or less games four times, with this season omitted since it’s only half over (he’s only missed five games this year).
One more decent comparison for Rose that’s popped into my head: Dustin Pedroia of the Red Sox. Over his career, Pedroia has more walks than strikeouts. He’s been piling up hits when healthy, with two seasons of 180 plus, and a third possibly on the horizon this season. Pedroia has more power than Rose did, but it’s not really prodigious like Pujols’ power is.
So, which player is the best comparison for Rose? Ichiro is probably the best choice. He’s been durable, he gets a ton of hits, and he limits his strikeouts. He doesn’t have the walks that Rose put on the board, but he’s still a solid comparison. There will never be another Pete Rose, but Ichiro is a solid comparison, even if he’s getting up there in years.
