June 19, 20241 yr I only remember seeing him play for the Mets at the end of his career, but damn, what a loss. His savant page looks like a fucking massacre happened on it: Edited June 19, 20241 yr by Beau Vine
June 19, 20241 yr Yeah this sucks...my favorite "old school" player that I never got to see play. Watch Say Hey! Willie Mays Doc on HBO...worth it. I pulled this Topps buyback card a few years back that is an original 1961 Topps Mays card. (A buyback is when the company goes and finds the original cards in good shape and then re-release autographed, or in this case with the 20 Giant seasons stamp. Probably lowered the value but its in great shape.)
June 19, 20241 yr Dang. I don't think I ever saw him play. That over-the-shoulder catch was iconic. Rest in peace, Say Hey Kid.
June 19, 20241 yr Went into the Army in 1952 as rookie of the year. Won the MVP in 54 when he came out. Edited June 19, 20241 yr by Soliver465
June 19, 20241 yr What a monster. From ‘54 to ‘71 (18 seasons) he played at least 136 games. And in the one he didn’t he played 117 games. RIP.
June 19, 20241 yr wow. The last true hero from the golden age of baseball. End of an era. It has always been tough between him and Ruth but I'd go with Mays. only man with 3K hits, 600 HR's, and 300 SB's. and hit for .300. the OG 5 tool player. When quite possibly the greatest ever ballplayer dies it is a sad day but a life lived well. Say Hey Willie and Godspeed.
June 19, 20241 yr Damn, I feel terrible, didn’t know he was still kicking. RIP legend. I remember learning why the basket catch was so special, it was 420 feet in that deep ass Polo Grounds centerfield. Most of you probably knew that your whole life, I learned it about 15 years ago and changed my whole perception. Pure badass.
June 19, 20241 yr 4 minutes ago, dcar00 said: only man with 3K hits, 600 HR's, and 300 SB's. and hit for .300. Specifically 3,283 hits 660 home runs 339 stolen bases 0.301 batting average Holy shit. Edited June 19, 20241 yr by jimmyjazz
June 19, 20241 yr For the first time in my life, Willie Mays isn’t the greatest living baseball player. And that sucks.
June 19, 20241 yr For the first time in my life, Willie Mays isn’t the greatest living baseball player. And that sucks. Now its Martin Maldonado
June 19, 20241 yr My dad took me to see Willie Mays and the SF Giants at the Astrodome in the early 70's. I was about 8 and it was my first MLB game. I was probably more excited to eat my first foot long hot dog. RIP
June 19, 20241 yr 23 minutes ago, 'stache said: Damn, I feel terrible, didn’t know he was still kicking. RIP legend. I remember learning why the basket catch was so special, it was 420 feet in that deep ass Polo Grounds centerfield. Most of you probably knew that your whole life, I learned it about 15 years ago and changed my whole perception. Pure badass. 480 to C. And something like 450 to the alleys IIRC. And people ask why there are so few triples now...
June 19, 20241 yr If you're talking about the ability to do it all and do everything at an elite level, then the name Willie Mays is at or very close to the top. On top of that was his infectious enthusiasm and his love for the game.
June 19, 20241 yr 29 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said: Specifically 3,283 hits 660 home runs 339 stolen bases 0.301 batting average Holy shit. And he hit those numbers despite losing the better part of two seasons to serving in the military in the years immediately after winning ROY. Imagine what his career numbers would have been if he had played those two seasons in full. (Similar observations could be made about Ted Williams, Stan Musial, and others.)
June 19, 20241 yr 8 minutes ago, Beau Vine said: 480 to C. And something like 450 to the alleys IIRC. And people ask why there are so few triples now... for another thread but on baseball reference there is one color picture in the top 24 for lifetime triples - Stan Musial(19th), who ALSO has the 3rd most lifetime doubles. dude was an XBH monster.
June 19, 20241 yr I'm just old enough to have seen his last couple of years with the Giants before his swan song with the Mets. He was still great even as his Mets career was a sad, rapid descent. I don't know who anyone considers the greatest ever besides him.
June 19, 20241 yr Giants broadcast tonight discussed how Willie stayed around the Giants, giving pointers to guys as recently as Angel Pagan and Hunter Pence. If not more recently, but those two guys were specifically mentioned (Pence was in the booth tonight) Dave Flemming (pbp) mentioned seeing Willie's golf cart outside the clubhouse and going into listen and be a fly on the wall. The guy fucking loved ball and he played like it. And that's why everybody loved him.
June 19, 20241 yr 1 minute ago, tx 3 putt said: that is nuts it was the first time they ever met consider Dodgers and Giants were both in the NL and Vin was in Brooklyn too.
June 19, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, Beau Vine said: I only remember seeing him play for the Mets at the end of his career, but damn, what a loss. His savant page looks like a fucking massacre happened on it: Career: AVG .301, OPS .941, 660 HR, SLG .557, 1909 RBI Fucking hell. I already had him as probably the best all-round player ever, but Got damn. That's ridiculous. He might have been the best CF ever and the best all-around hitter ever.
June 19, 20241 yr How many MVPs did he win? Spoiler Only 2 Man, we think award voting these days is bad... It used to be absolutely indefensible on the regular. Such as: https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1964.shtml#all_NL_MVP_voting
June 19, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, wood said: Career: AVG .301, OPS .941, 660 HR, SLG .557, 1909 RBI Fucking hell. I already had him as probably the best all-round player ever, but Got damn. That's ridiculous. He might have been the best CF ever and the best all-around hitter ever. not to derail but considering Williams lost 4.5 years in his very much prime I would go with Ted for best hitter. he had 1839 RBI's 521 HR's and missed 4.5 years. OPS 1.116 and OPS+ 191 It's basically Ruth(pitching and how overall dominant his stats were to his peers) and Mays, IMO. and due to fielding and speed I'd probably take Mays.
June 19, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, wood said: Wow. 24-time All Star Aaron, Willie, and Musial will always be at the top of that leaderboard, because they got the period with 2 AS games per year right in their careers' wheelhouses. Also, because they were better than anyone else.
June 19, 20241 yr When my father, as an avid a baseball/Cubs fan as you'd ever know...would put into port in San Francisco on USN shore leave in the early-mid 1960's...him and his crew had two goals. First-score some chicks. Second-score some Giants tickets to see the great Willie Mays. I was born too late to ever see him play. But in my house after the Cubs, Willie Mays was Baseball Royalty. And now, Willie Mays-you are Baseball Immortality. May the four winds blow you safely home.
June 19, 20241 yr It’s mind bottling that those Giants team of the 60’s and early 70’s, with Mays , McCovey , Marichal and Gaylord Perry, only won the NL once and zero WS Edited June 19, 20241 yr by TonyTexas
June 19, 20241 yr 6 hours ago, wood said: Career: AVG .301, OPS .941, 660 HR, SLG .557, 1909 RBI Fucking hell. I already had him as probably the best all-round player ever, but Got damn. That's ridiculous. He might have been the best CF ever and the best all-around hitter ever. I think he was the best player in history.
June 19, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, TonyTexas said: It’s mind bottling that those Giants team of the 60’s and early 70’s, with Mays , McCovey , Marichal and Gaylord Perry, only won the NL once and zero WS Had to deal with Sandy Koufax, then Bob Gibson, then the peak Pirates and Reds.
June 19, 20241 yr https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40382709/willie-mays-new-york-san-francisco-giants-legacy-joy-watch pretty much mirrors what has been said in this thread but good article.
June 19, 20241 yr 5 hours ago, Hornius Emeritus said: I think he was the best player in history. If he's not, he's on the Mount Rushmore. I think he is.
June 19, 20241 yr I think the only legitimate arguments are for Ruth and mays, and it depends on 1) how you view the talent of each era, especially with before and after integration, and 2) how much you value Ruth having just ridiculous stats compared to his peers and the stock you put in his time pitching (also era defined)
June 19, 20241 yr 5 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said: I think the only legitimate arguments are for Ruth and mays, and it depends on 1) how you view the talent of each era, especially with before and after integration, and 2) how much you value Ruth having just ridiculous stats compared to his peers and the stock you put in his time pitching (also era defined) I would say Aaron has a bit of an argument given his overall stats and power(he also hit .305 and had 240 SB's so he wasn't a statue on the bases) but fielding gives Mays the nod.
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