ESPN: Willie Mays was even better than his all-time great stats

https://www.espn.com...at-career-stats

ESPN: Willie Mays was even better than his all-time great stats

https://www.espn.com...at-career-stats

In an era where every sport seems to have a dozen or so, greatest of all times, Willie might have been exactly that.  RIP to the Say Hey Kid.

The Ringer: Willie Mays Was the Greatest Baseball Player Who Ever Lived

CBS Sports: Willie Mays by the numbers: Five statistics to help tell story of Hall of Famer's legendary career

https://www.cbssport...gendary-career/

Legend.

Analysis of "The Catch"  Worth the 12 minutes.

The Ringer: Willie Mays Was the Greatest Baseball Player Who Ever Lived

 

Best part of the article:

 

Wins above replacement is not the be-all and end-all of baseball statistics. It is simply a tool, a useful framework to sum up the contributions a player makes on the field as a way to facilitate comparisons. Now that we have issued that disclaimer, here are the players who have accumulated the most WAR in baseball history, according to Baseball-Reference:

1. Babe Ruth (182.6)
2. Walter Johnson (166.9)
3. Cy Young (163.6)
4. Barry Bonds (162.8)
5. Willie Mays (156.2)
6. Ty Cobb (151.5)
7. Henry Aaron (143.1)
8. Roger Clemens (139.2)
9. Tris Speaker (134.9)
10. Honus Wagner (131.0)

We can quibble over the order, but as a list of the players with the most impressive statistical résumés in major league history, this certainly passes the eye test. Look at the list for another moment, however, and a few other things stand out. Six of the 10 men above played before Jackie Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier in 1947. (These men also did not face a slider, or play a game at night, but let’s stay focused.) Two of the other four men are Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens. I am not here to tell you that allegations of performance-enhancing drug use should disqualify them from being considered as Greatest Ballplayer Who Ever Lived. I am not sure that I believe that myself. But I would argue that, in terms of forcing a critical reevaluation of their legacies, we should focus on settling the debate about their Hall of Fame inclusion before making the case for them as the GOAT.

That leaves Willie Mays and Henry Aaron.

When debating who is the best player ever no one should consider anyone who played before segregation ended and breaking balls.

The Ringer: Willie Mays Was the Greatest Baseball Player Who Ever Lived

 

I forgot that he missed a fair amount of games due to the Korean War. As Rany details, that really bolsters his case in the GOAT debate imo. 

So so wild that these guys had to leave in their primes to join the military. Ted Williams shoots down enemy planes and then comes home and bats .400

Insane stuff

Imagine Mike Trout wins his 2nd mvp award and then has to go to Afghanistan for four years??

So so wild that these guys had to leave in their primes to join the military. Ted Williams shoots down enemy planes and then comes home and bats .400

Insane stuff

Williams actually hit over .400 (1941 age 23) and won his first Triple Crown (1942 age 24) before he went off to fight for three years in WW2. But your point is well taken.

Williams finished second both years to a member of the Yankees. DiMaggio in 1941 & Joe Gordon in 1942.

The military service absolutely cost Williams the chance to accumulate 3,000 hits.

Red Sox fans must have a long standing history of being ass wipes. They booed Williams for years. The guy was arguably the greatest all around hitter ever and was a true hero who served his country honorably.

What more can you expect from a guy who had a lifetime OBP of .482?