Matt Carpenter is the game’s quietest star. With four contests remaining in the month, the St. Louis Cardinals’ third baseman is batting .377 with an MLB-best .506 on-base percentage in June.
I asked researcher Tom Orf to help me put Carpenter’s month in context. We looked at June on-base percentage of all Cardinals hitters who had at least 87 plate appearances, Carpenter’s current total.
In the history of the franchise, only three others have logged a June on-base mark of .500 or more – and all three have plaques in Cooperstown. The group is led by Rogers Hornsby (.584 OBP in June 1925 – also the best single month in team history), and joined by Stan Musial and Jim Bottomley, both with a .508 OBP in June 1948 and 1925, respectively.
(As a side point, those 1925 Cardinals went 19-9 in June, but finished just one game over .500 for the season. Of course, the next year, St. Louis won the first of 11 World Series championships.)
But back to the here and now, Carpenter could easily finish this month with the second-highest June OBP in team history.
Pretty impressive territory!
| Cardinals hitter |
Month | Year | G | OBP | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Rogers Hornsby | June | 1925 | 28 | 0.584 | 28 | 126 | 100 | 31 | 48 | 9 | 2 | 9 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 6 | 0.480 | 0.584 | 0.880 | 1.464 |
| Stan Musial | June | 1948 | 28 | 0.508 | 28 | 122 | 102 | 22 | 42 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 2 | 0.412 | 0.508 | 0.725 | 1.234 |
| Jim Bottomley | June | 1925 | 28 | 0.508 | 28 | 125 | 108 | 19 | 48 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 0.444 | 0.508 | 0.852 | 1.360 |
| Matt Carpenter | June | 2016 | 19 | 0.506 | 19 | 87 | 69 | 16 | 26 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 0.377 | 0.506 | 0.696 | 1.201 |
Going a step further…
Logging a .500 OBP in any month of the season with at least 87 PAs has been accomplished 20 other times by Cardinals hitters, for a total of 23 to date. Multiples are led by Hornsby with five .500 months, including five of the top six monthly performances in team history. (The other best of the best month was by David Freese, at .562 in July 2012.)
After The Rajah, there is a surprise next Cardinal at three .500 OBP months, logged by Jim Edmonds in three different seasons. Albert Pujols. Johnny Mize, Mark McGwire and Musial each did it twice.
Carpenter has four days before he can officially join them in the Cardinals’ .500 OBP monthly club.
| Cardinals hitter |
Other months | Year | G | OBP | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
| Rogers Hornsby | August | 1924 | 29 | 0.570 | 29 | 127 | 106 | 29 | 54 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 22 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 7 | 0.509 | 0.570 | 0.896 | 1.466 |
| Rogers Hornsby | Sept/Oct | 1925 | 21 | 0.568 | 21 | 91 | 74 | 21 | 36 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 8 | 0.486 | 0.568 | 0.892 | 1.460 |
| David Freese | July | 2012 | 22 | 0.562 | 21 | 89 | 72 | 15 | 33 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 11 | 0.458 | 0.562 | 0.625 | 1.187 |
| Rogers Hornsby | July | 1924 | 31 | 0.556 | 31 | 139 | 112 | 34 | 52 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 27 | 1 | 2 | 23 | 6 | 0.464 | 0.556 | 0.777 | 1.332 |
| Rogers Hornsby | July | 1923 | 31 | 0.540 | 31 | 142 | 125 | 31 | 61 | 13 | 4 | 7 | 39 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 0.488 | 0.540 | 0.824 | 1.364 |
| Johnny Mize | Sept/Oct | 1938 | 29 | 0.537 | 29 | 121 | 101 | 21 | 45 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | 0.446 | 0.537 | 0.762 | 1.300 |
| Johnny Mize | August | 1939 | 29 | 0.532 | 29 | 128 | 106 | 16 | 47 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 10 | 0.443 | 0.532 | 0.726 | 1.258 |
| Jack Clark | July | 1987 | 25 | 0.531 | 25 | 113 | 71 | 17 | 19 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 28 | 0.268 | 0.531 | 0.563 | 1.094 |
| Albert Pujols | April/March | 2008 | 29 | 0.523 | 28 | 128 | 96 | 17 | 35 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 7 | 0.365 | 0.523 | 0.594 | 1.117 |
| Les Bell | July | 1926 | 30 | 0.520 | 30 | 131 | 108 | 23 | 49 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 9 | 0.454 | 0.520 | 0.676 | 1.196 |
| Jim Edmonds | August | 2004 | 26 | 0.519 | 25 | 108 | 78 | 21 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 22 | 0.359 | 0.519 | 0.795 | 1.313 |
| Jim Edmonds | April/March | 2000 | 25 | 0.515 | 23 | 103 | 76 | 23 | 29 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 23 | 26 | 0.382 | 0.515 | 0.776 | 1.291 |
| Mark McGwire | May | 2000 | 26 | 0.514 | 26 | 111 | 79 | 25 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 22 | 0.316 | 0.514 | 0.848 | 1.362 |
| Stan Musial | Sept/Oct | 1949 | 29 | 0.514 | 29 | 138 | 115 | 31 | 48 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 5 | 0.417 | 0.514 | 0.800 | 1.314 |
| Mark McGwire | May | 1998 | 26 | 0.513 | 26 | 119 | 86 | 25 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 27 | 0.326 | 0.513 | 0.907 | 1.420 |
| Matt Holliday | April/March | 2011 | 20 | 0.511 | 20 | 92 | 76 | 19 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 0.408 | 0.511 | 0.618 | 1.129 |
| Albert Pujols | April/March | 2006 | 25 | 0.509 | 25 | 110 | 81 | 27 | 28 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 28 | 7 | 0.346 | 0.509 | 0.914 | 1.423 |
| Chick Hafey | July | 1928 | 27 | 0.504 | 25 | 116 | 106 | 30 | 49 | 18 | 2 | 9 | 34 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 10 | 0.462 | 0.504 | 0.925 | 1.429 |
| Jim Edmonds | April/March | 2002 | 23 | 0.500 | 21 | 98 | 76 | 18 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 21 | 0.355 | 0.500 | 0.724 | 1.224 |
| Ted Simmons | July | 1975 | 30 | 0.500 | 28 | 120 | 103 | 15 | 43 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 0.417 | 0.500 | 0.631 | 1.131 |
June 29 update: With two games to go and through 96 plate appearances, Carpenter’s June OBP is exactly .500.
Follow me on Twitter.