Cubs' Castellanos is 1st right-handed hitter in 83 years with 57 doubles
It appears as though nothing will stop Nicholas Castellanos from making history before this season is over.
The Chicago Cubs outfielder took another step toward the record books after lacing his 57th double of the season Friday, leaving him three shy of becoming the first hitter in 83 years with 60 doubles.
(Courtesy: MLB.com)
Castellanos is the first right-handed hitter to record at least 57 doubles since 1936, when it was done by two future Hall of Famers - the Cubs' Billy Herman (57) and Cardinals' Joe Medwick (64).
Additionally, Friday's double made him just the third hitter since 1950 with at least 57, joining Carlos Delgado (57) and Todd Helton (59). Both Delgado and Helton made their runs at 60 in 2000.
There have been just six individual 60-double seasons in Major League Baseball's 143-year history. Strangely, all six occurred in the 11-year span between 1926-36. Earl Webb of the Boston Red Sox holds the single-season record of 67 in 1931.
| Rk. | Player | Year | Team | Bats | Doubles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earl Webb | 1931 | Red Sox | L | 67 |
| 2 | George H. Burns | 1926 | Indians | R | 64 |
| Joe Medwick | 1936 | Cardinals | R | 64 | |
| 4 | Hank Greenberg | 1934 | Tigers | R | 63 |
| 5 | Paul Waner | 1932 | Pirates | L | 62 |
| 6 | Charlie Gehringer | 1936 | Tigers | L | 60 |
The 27-year-old is aware of the historic pace he's on but insisted this week he's not focusing on his own statistics.
"I'm trying to win ballgames. That's it," Castellanos told MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. "Winning makes it a lot more fun and better. I'd rather win than get to 60 doubles."
Castellanos, a free agent at season's end, began his season with the Detroit Tigers before joining the Cubs in a deadline-day trade.
He recorded 37 of his doubles with Detroit and now has 20 in only 207 plate appearances as a Cub. That makes him the fourth player to have 20-plus doubles with two teams in the same season, according to Eric Stephen of SB Nation.