Watch out Teddy Ball Game, here comes Chipper

It has been nearly 70 years since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941.

Hundreds of Hall of Fame players have come and gone since then; many of them baseball icons, but none of them have hit as well as Williams over the course a season, at least in terms of batting average.

Williams' .400 campaigns was just the beginning of an exceptional career by a man many would consider one of the top baseball players of all time.

What may be the most astonishing thing about Williams' career, is the that he compiled such monster numbers while missing the entire 1943, 1944, 1945 and parts of the 1952 and 1953 seasons to serve as a United States Marine Corps pilot in WWII and the Korean War:

·         344 batting average;

·         521 home runs;

·         17 All-Star games;

·         Two, Triple Crowns.

Just think what Williams could have accomplished if he hadn't missed those six-years in the prime of his career.

One accomplishment that has stood the test of time for Williams is his .400 season in 1941. Thousands of men have put on a Big League uniform since, but none have matched Williams' mark.

In fact, only one person since, has come within 20-points of the mark over the course of a full season— George Brett, in 1980 with a .390 batting average.

Tony Gwynn had a .394 average on August 11, 1994 when the season ended after 117, because of a players strike.

Fast forward to 2008

While it may be a tad early to seriously debate it, Chipper Jones is eyeing a .400 season. As of June 5, Jones was batting .418.

A .310 career hitter, Jones appears to be getting it done from both sides.

Versus right-handed pitching in 2008, Jones was hitting .404; versus southpaws, the number improved to .442

Jones may be his own biggest critic

In an AP article on June 6, when asked about hitting .400, Jones said, it was far too early to get excited and that he certainly wouldn't be the one to break the record, if it ever did get broken.

"I don't think anyone can do it," he said. “The simple fact of the matter is that no one has done it in a very, very long time. We're talking about maybe the greatest hitter ever to step on the field is the one who did it. Man, I just don’t see myself in the same league as him. I really don’t.”

This however, is the deepest anyone has gone into the season with a .400 batting average since Todd Helton's .400 marks on June 10, 2000.

Helton finished the year with a .372 batting average.

For the month of May, Jones had good company in the pursuit for .400.

Lance Berkman, first baseman for the Houston Astros hit .471 for the month with 31 runs, nine homers and 22 runs batted in.

He finished the month hitting .385. His is currently hitting .382.

While it might be premature to talk about Jones hitting .400 over the course of a season, one thing is clear. He has had one heck of a season so far, but it may be some time before someone breaks Williams' record.

Longest .400 bids in the past 15 years

·         John Olerud: 400 on August 2,1993 (107 games)

·         Larry Walker: .402 on July 17, 1997 (96 games)

·         Normar Garciaparra: .403 on July 20, 2000 (92 games)

·         Tony Gwynn: .402 on July 14, 1997 (92 games)

·         Andres Galarrage: .400 on July 5, 1993 (81 games)

·         Todd Helton: .400 on June 10, 2000 (58 games)

·         Chipper Jones: .418 on June6, 2008 (56 games)

Note: In Tony Gwynn's .394 campaigns in 1994, he topped out at .394. George Brett had a .400 batting average until September 18 in his 1980 season (148 games).