Baseball Shorts: Banjo Hitter

In today’s episode of “Baseball Shorts” we talk about the term Banjo Hitter and where the term comes from.

The term banjo hitter refers to a player with limited offensive production, often characterized by a low batting average and on-base percentage, despite having strong defensive skills. They may excel in fielding or other aspects of the game but are not known for their hitting skills.

The term “banjo hitter” is derived from the association of a “banjo” with a small, unimpressive sound. In general, banjo hitters are know for their low batting average, low OBP and may not hit for power.

The first one who came up with the term banjo hit was Snooks Dowd. Dowd had a lengthy football career but played several games in MLB as well, next to a ten-year career in the minors. According to him, a banjo hit sounded like a banjo being plucked.

Perhaps the best known banjo hitter was Mario Mendoza, who had a career .215 batting average, is often cited as an example of a banjo hitter, as his offensive production was below average, though he was a solid defensive shortstop.