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Luke Voit was right, but not about everyone. Nearly six seasons have passed since we asked the question of whether the .300 hitter -- baseball's timeless standard for batting prowess -- was becoming a thing of the past. The investigation was prompted by Voit telling a reporter back then, "I feel like batting average isn't a thing now." Even after MLB's attempt to address the issue by banning extreme shifts, the downward trend of batting average continues. The overall average this season (.244) is just one point better than the record low for non-pitchers in a campaign. And that record was set in 2022, the last year before the shift ban went into effect. When league averages dive, so does the preponderance of .300 hitters, but we've never seen anything like this. Batting average leaderboards boggle the mind. There are currently just eight qualifying hitters -- across both leagues -- hitting at least .300. There are just two active players (minimum 3,000 plate appearances) who have a career average that high. Despite all of this, these strange batting average leaderboards tell us another story: You can still hit .300 even if it isn't your primary aim. A precious few have cleared the bar or even soared over it. What's more, these trend-defying hitters, those sporting averages reminiscent of stars' from generations past, are doing so while enjoying MVP-level campaigns. They lead winning teams angling for the playoffs. They aren't playing at that level because of batting average alone, but the high averages are part of the package. How are they doing it? Are they charting paths others can follow? Here's a closer look at MLB's .300 hitters, circa 2024.
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