Topline
The annual Congressional Baseball Game Wednesday night will see a group of congressional baseball veterans compete, including a group of lawmakers who have posted batting averages above 0.500, and one Democrat whose calculated wins above replacement puts him in a league of his own.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-LA, celebrates with GOP teammates after winning the 2021 Congressional ... [+]
Key Facts
Among all active players entering the game, Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., boasts the highest wins above replacement—the calculated number of wins a given player contributes over an unspecified replacement player—at 0.4—double second place Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., according to data compiled by FiveThirtyEight between 2009 and 2023.
Only two players this year have played in more than 10 previous Congressional Baseball Games: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn.
While home runs are not entirely common in the game, several active players have belted homers in recent years, including Panetta, with an inside-the-park home run in 2021, Steube, who blasted one over the right field fence that same game, and Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, who hit another inside-the-parker in the same game.
Panetta also has two triples to his name, making him one of only two players coming into the game with a triple along with Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., according to FiveThirtyEight’s data.
Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.
Who Has The Highest Batting Average In The Congressional Baseball Game? (at Least 10 Plate Appearances)
- Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., (0.556)
- Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., (0.500)
- Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, (0.462)
- Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., (0.333)
- Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, (0.300)
- Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., (0.294)
- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., (0.286)
Tangent
Among all active players, Schmitt is tied for the best batting average (0.667), though that’s in just five plate appearances, going one-for-three with two walks—Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., also hits 0.667 in four plate appearances. Behind them are four lawmakers with 0.500 averages in less than 10 plate appearances, including Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich, according to FiveThirtyEight’s data.
What To Watch For
First pitch at the Congressional Baseball Game is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at Nationals Park in Washington D.C.
Key Background
The Congressional Baseball Game dates back to 1909 as an annual exhibition game played in or near Washington D.C. between parties in Congress. The game, which is open to both representatives in the House and members of the Senate, had initially been played as a casual event, according to the game’s website, though in recent decades it has exploded in popularity, filling major league stadiums and becoming a lucrative charitable event. Since the 1980s, the game has seen a handful of professional athletes-turned-lawmakers participate, including late Sen. Jim Bunting, R-Ky., who led the GOP to three wins after his election in 1986, after recording 224 wins in the MLB. NFL Hall of Famer receiver and former Rep. Steve Largent also played in the game in the 1990s. The game was derailed in 2017, after 66-year-old gunman James Hodgkinson opened fire at a practice ahead of the game, shooting six people, including Scalise, who was sidelined from Capitol Hill while recovering from gunshot wounds. The shooter died days later of injuries sustained during the attack from a shootout with police.
