TOWER GROVE — In some corners of baseball, batting average has become the ostracized stat, bullied by its bigger, badder — and yes — better statistics into being a quaint novelty, a baseball-card affectation. But around here it still matters.

True, we all know that a slugging percentage offers more revelation than a batting average because, we can agree, a double is better than a single, a homer better than a double and such. On-base percentage is also swell because the base idea of the game is to get on base — or keep hitters from reaching base. All that said, batting average is still important as a measure of players, if not their impact on the game, because it always has been.

You probably don’t know what .735 means to 1941.

But .406 sure resonates from that season.

The former is Ted Williams’ slugging percentage from 1941 (tops in the league), and the latter we all know as the last time a hitter batted better than .400. The batting title still carries a mystique, a link between All-Stars and eras. Batting champs carry that title through their careers. Tony Gwynn is a seven-time batting champ, but he finished in the top 10 in slugging twice. Doesn’t make him any less a Hall of Famer because that batting average matters.

With that in mind this blog is going to start tracking the batting title race between Chipper Jones, of Atlanta, and the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. At the start of each series, DGBL!!! will take a look at the matchups, the splits and anything else that could shape the tight race for the 2008 National League Batting Title.

Besides, Pujols already has the other titles wrapped up, with a .466 on-base percentage and a .649 slugging percentage.

***

CHIPPER JONES – .3578 (146-for-408)

vs. Colorado, at Turner Field

Career vs. Colorado: .313 (103 games)

Career at Turner Field: .322 (862 games)

2008 at Turner Field: .400 (84-for-210)

Career vs. Aaron Cook, Tuesday: .389 (7-for-18)

Career vs. Livan Hernandez, Wednesday: .364 (20-for-55) … 10 BB, 3 K

Career vs. Ubaldo Jimenez, Thursday: .250 (2-for-8)

***

ALBERT PUJOLS — .3593 (166-for-462)

vs. Chicago Cubs, at Busch Stadium

Career vs. Cubs: .294 (123 games)

Career at Busch Stadium: .332 (215 games)

2008 at Busch Stadium: .364 (83-for-228)

Career vs. Ryan Dempster, Tuesday: .269 (7-for-26)

Career vs. Ted Lilly, Wednesday: .348 (8-for-23)

Career vs. Rich Harden, Thursday: .000 (0-for-3)

***

Come back later today for the Bird Land 7 Project, part of the ongoing Prospect Audit.

-30-