Sadaharu Oh: Better than Joe DiMaggio?
The Power Hitter Pantheon: Baseball’s Greatest Home Run Heroes
This project aims to determine the greatest home run hitter of all time by comparing each slugger’s statistics to the average of their era using three formulas. The final adjusted stats will then be used to compare them head-to-head with other all-time greats.
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Sadaharu Oh will be the first Japanese home run legend analyzed in this study. For a comprehensive biography of Sadaharu Oh, please click here.
According to Baseball Reference, Oh’s official statistics show 868 home runs over 9,250 at-bats, resulting in an average of 10.66 at-bats per home run (AB/HR).
Oh played in the Japanese Central League from 1959 to 1980, during which the league collectively recorded 576,232 at-bats and hit 15,864 home runs. The league's average at-bats per home run (AB/HR) during Oh’s career was 36.32.
With this data, we can evaluate how Oh compares to the average Japanese League hitter of his era.
Raw Difference: 25.66
Formula: League Average – Player Career AverageImprovement Factor: 3.41
Formula: League Average / Player Career AveragePercentage Difference: 70.65%
Formula: (League Average – Player Career Average) / League Average × 100%
When comparing Oh to the average hitter in the Japanese League, it is clear that his power was exceptional. His statistics significantly surpass the league average, showcasing his extraordinary efficiency. Oh outperformed the typical hitter across all categories in our comprehensive analysis.
In a previous analysis, we examined the careers of Mickey Mantle, Alex Rodriguez, and Joe DiMaggio, as well as Josh Gibson’s career in another post. Now, let’s compare Oh’s dominance in his league to theirs.
The legend of Oh’s talent and power hitting is well-deserved, as his relative league dominance surpassed that of Mantle, A-Rod, and DiMaggio. Only Josh Gibson posted better numbers, which serves as a testament to both Gibson’s and Oh’s extraordinary talent. Many MLB pitchers and hitters, having faced him in exhibition games, held deep respect for Oh’s hitting ability. These statistics underscore why—he was undeniably a special hitter.
