Each MLB season since 1876, the National League has handed out a batting title to the hitter with the best average at season's end, from the days of Ross Barnes of the Chicago White Stockings 149 years ago to Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins and San Diego Padres in 2024.
In between those two poles, the one consistency among the many men that have taken home an NL batting title was their ability to hit above .300 across the marathon that is the MLB regular season, though that 149-year streak is in jeopardy this season.
With that in mind, RotoWire.com wanted to take a look at who can do enough to avoid becoming the first sub-.300 hitter to win an NL batting title.
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2025 National League Batting Average Leaders:
Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies shortstop): .305 in 140 games played
Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs second baseman): .303 in 146 games played
Sal Frelick (Milwaukee Brewers right fielder): .296 in 134 games played
Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman): .295 in 139 games played
Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop): .289 in 152 games played
Trea Turner (Philadelphia Phillies shortstop)
Turner's third season in Philly has been his best statistically, with a .305 average to go with 15 home runs, 69 RBIs and 36 stolen bases in 140 games played. Turner has three full seasons at or above the .300 mark, doing so with the Washington Nationals in 2016, 2020 and with the Nationals and Dodgers in 2021.
This year, Turner and his 5.3 WAR in 140 games played are firmly in the NL batting title race, thanks to his ..435 average in five September games played before Turner hit the 10-day injured list with a nagging hamstring injury that's kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 7.
With nine games left in the regular season and the NL East title wrapped up for the Phils', we might not see Turner suit up for the club again until the playoffs begin, which would erase any doubt about 2025 becoming the first season in NL history with a batting champ that's hit below the .300 mark.
Nico Hoerner (Chicago Cubs second baseman)
The seventh season of the Nico Hoerner experience in the North Side has netted new heights for all involved, as the 28-year-old second baseman has posted career high numbers across the board, with 6.3 WAR in 146 games played, to go with six homers, 59 RBIs, 28 stolen bases and a .303 batting average.
Right now, Hoerner and the Cubs are a lock to be one of the three NL Wild Card teams in 2025, making it to the postseason for the first time in a half-decade, which means that Hoerner might get some rest down the stretch with Chicago's place in the NL race virtually locked in with 10 games left.
For now, we're keeping our collective eye on whether the seventh-year pro from Oakland can keep his batting average north of the .300 mark, as he's hit .410 in September, going 25-for-61 with one homer and five RBIs during that stretch with an OPS of 1.053 during the ninth month of the year.
Sal Frelick (Milwaukee Brewers right fielder)
The former first-round pick out of Boston College is in the midst of a career year in Milwaukee, with 3.2 WAR in 134 games played, along with his .296 average,11 home runs and 61 RBIs.
Better yet for Brew Crew fans is the fact that Frelick's putting up his best numbers when it matters most, with a .295 average in September, going 13-for-44 at the plate with three doubles, one home run and 8 RBIs during that stretch.
So far this month, Frelick's managed to raise his average to keep his average level at .296, while the Brew Crew have already clinched the NL Central crown with the best record in the Majors, at 93-59, though his strong start to the month means that anything's possible in the Cream City.
Freddie Freeman (Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman)
If there's one man in the current NL batting average race that knows what it takes to get the job done, it's Freeman, who has somehow never won a batting crown in his 16-year MLB career, though he was a runner-up twice, in 2020 and 2022.
This season, Freeman enters the home stretch of the season fourth overall in terms of average, at .295, after coming back to earth a bit in September, with a .262 average at the dish with three homers and doubles and seven RBIs during that stretch for L.A., who hold a two-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West race with 10 games to play.
Geraldo Perdomo (Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop)
Year Five of the Geraldo Perdomo experience in the Valley has produced historic returns for the Arizona Diamondbacks' everyday shortstop, as the fifth-year pro has smashed career highs for WAR (6.8), homers (19), RBIs (97) and batting average (.289) this season.
Entering the home stretch of the season, Perdomo sits fifth in the NL batting title race at .289, having played in all but one of the D'backs' 153 games and anchoring the team's late chase to catch the New York Mets for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.
With nine games to play, Perdomo and the D'backs are 77-76, with the team's shortstop hitting .327 with four homers and 10 RBIs during the month of September, pacing the club as it looks to make a miraculous run towards the sport's postseason in 2025.
