Earned Run Average : 1948 American League Top 25

Finding the American or National League leader in virtually every hitting & pitching statistic is easy-to-do. Finding the top 25 players during any given season is far more challenging. Baseball Almanac has taken away that difficult problem and is pleased to present the data you requested:

"The baseball season - six months & 2,106 games - is flat out long, and it's a rare one of those games that doesn't ramble or sputter or digress or somehow violate the rules of dramatic narrative. Baseball takes its own sweet time reaching its conclusions." - Dwight Allen in Reds, Yanks and O's (1989)
 

1948 Earned Run Average Leaders

Top 25 in the American League

Gene Bearden 2.43 (2.4296) Cleveland Indians 1
Ray Scarborough 2.82 (2.8166) Washington Senators 2
Bob Lemon 2.82 (2.8195) Cleveland Indians 3
Hal Newhouser 3.01 (3.0073) Detroit Tigers 4
Mel Parnell 3.14 (3.1415) Boston Red Sox 5
Ned Garver 3.41 (3.4091) St. Louis Browns 6
Spec Shea 3.41 (3.4111) New York Yankees 7
Dizzy Trout 3.43 (3.4301) Detroit Tigers 8
Sam Zoldak 3.44 (3.4384) St. Louis Browns 9
Cleveland Indians  
Joe Dobson 3.56 (3.5584) Boston Red Sox 10
Bob Feller 3.56 (3.5636) Cleveland Indians 11
Ed Lopat 3.65 (3.6529) New York Yankees 12
Ellis Kinder 3.74 (3.7416) Boston Red Sox 13
Allie Reynolds 3.77 (3.7701) New York Yankees 14
Dick Fowler 3.78 (3.7818) Philadelphia Athletics 15
Virgil Trucks 3.78 (3.7842) Detroit Tigers 16
Walt Masterson 3.83 (3.8298) Washington Senators 17
Vic Raschi 3.84 (3.8398) New York Yankees 18
Carl Scheib 3.94 (3.9413) Philadelphia Athletics 19
Joe Coleman 4.09 (4.0896) Philadelphia Athletics 20
Lou Brissie 4.13 (4.1289) Philadelphia Athletics 21
Cliff Fannin 4.17 (4.1700) St. Louis Browns 22
Fred Hutchinson 4.32 (4.3167) Detroit Tigers 23
Jack Kramer 4.35 (4.3463) Boston Red Sox 24
Phil Marchildon 4.53 (4.5331) Philadelphia Athletics 25



The first player from the Angels franchise (they were the California Angels at the time) to wear the number twenty-five was Bob Perry.

Jim Thome wore number twenty-five since he first came up with the Cleveland Indians making him the franchise record holder for that particular number (Mike Garcia is second).

Future Hall of Famer Sammy Sosa is best known for wearing number twenty-one; however, when the young slugger played for the Chicago White Sox (1989-1991) he only wore number twenty-five.