Reaching Safely on an Error As a Batting Statistic

[Brownieand45sfan]

I know the reaching safely on air is counted as an at bat without a hit, just the same as if the batter struck out or flied out or anything else. So reaching safely on an error is not counted in Total Bases or anything else. It is like it does not even exist statistically.

And maybe this is a stupid question, but are statistics kept about how often a batsman induces a fielder to commit an error? Who are the all-time leaders in this category? I am thinking of players like Vince Coleman, whose speed rattles the opposition fielders.

Then there would also be the situation where a hitter hits safely but induces a fielder to commit an error in trying to hold him to a single, for example.

Anecdotally, then, which players in history seem to have had good luck in getting the defense to flub? is Vince Coleman the champ in this category??

[tag0519]

I recall this subject being discussed on Clubhouse Confidential on MLB Network. I think Jeter was the all time leader .... I think

[Jackaroo Dave]

You can get ROE from Baseball Reference, by clicking the tiny "splits+" tag above the top batting line. Of the ones I checked, Jeter was the clear leader with 178, Henderson next with 160. Jeter also had the second highest rate, .0156 per PA. Ralph Garr had the highest rate, .0159, 87/5456.

These data only go back so far, so I couldn't check on Cobb or his contemporaries.

I think you'll find that ROE goes along with speed, and as Garr exemplifies, ground-ball tendency.

I'm not sure that it's because players get jumpy. I think it's just that a very fast runner will be safe on a very small bobble. I think ROE goes along with infield hits the way pitchers who throw a lot of wild pitches--knucklers, for example--throw a lot of passed balls. When judgment comes into the call, there's a grey area; fast runners make that grey margin broader.