Obscure Record Time

What is the highest single-season batting average for any player with a minimum of 30 at-bats?  Why the heck would we even know that?  I really have no idea, but for what it is worth, the answer is Rudy Pemberton. 

Yep, that Rudy Pemberton.

I love obscure records and I love collecting obscure players with the Red Sox.  I remember Rudy Pemberton.  He was absolutely on fire during the last couple of weeks of the 1996 season.  Pemberton was signed as an amateur free agent by the Tigers in 1987 and finally made it to the Majors in 1995, playing in just 12 games for Detroit and hitting .300/.344/.467.  It was a fairly successful debut, yet he was 25 and was allowed to leave as a minor league free agent.  The Rangers scooped him up in December then sent him to Boston to complete a deal for southpaw Bryan Eversgerd, about as minor a deal as is possible.

Pemberton had a huge season in the minors, hitting .315/.360/.580 with 29 home runs and 103 RBIs while also stealing 17 bases.  Those numbers necessitated a September call-up to Boston and he continued to impress, making the most of his opportunity.  He played in 13 games and hit an amazing .512/.556/.780 with one home run, 10 RBIs, eight doubles, and three stolen bases.  The .512 average is the aforementioned record for a player in at least 30 at-bats in a season.  Pemberton was impressive enough that he put himself in position to claim the right field position in 1997.

Pemberton did indeed win the right field starting job in 1997 and appeared there on Opening Day.  Unfortunately, his luck would run out.  He played in 27 games for Boston, hitting just .238/.314/.365 with two home runs and 10 RBIs.  He was sent to the bench in favor of Troy O'Leary and was granted free agency in June.  He spent the rest of the season and the next one in Japan and then played internationally for a few more years.

Rudy Pemberton had a very brief career in the Major Leagues, but he holds one very obscure record.  As I said, I enjoy the obscure players some times.  It is kind of fun to look back at a player that ultimately did not amount to a lot, but had a brief moment in the sun.