Amongst baseball followers and historians, there has lengthy been a Mays vs Mantle debate. Each Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle are among the many best players in baseball history. However who was the higher participant, Mantle or Mays? Clearly, there’s no debate that each are among the many greatest outfielders in MLB history. However in case you might solely decide one, who would it not be?
Mays vs Mantle: Who had the higher profession?
For what it’s price, there may be most likely no improper reply within the Mays vs Mantle debate. However, we determined to have a look at the historical past books and look at each gamers carefully a long time after their careers ended. Let’s take a deep dive into the careers of each Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle to find out the higher participant.
Common
There’s actually a great debate between Mays and Mantle with regard to the higher general hitter. Every participant gained a battling title throughout their profession, though only one. Mantle had 10 seasons during which he hit .300 or higher, however his profession common plummeted throughout the latter years of his profession, inflicting his profession common to dip to .298. He additionally completed his profession with simply 2,415 whole hits whereas Mays surpassed 3,200 hits, albeit in an extended profession.
Likewise, Mays had 10 seasons during which he hit .300 or higher however did end his longer profession with a median of .301, barely greater than Mantle. Additionally, whereas Mantle was much more liable to strikeouts than Mays, the previous Yankee was additionally higher at drawing walks and completed with a better on-base proportion than Mays.
Energy
The ability division is one other space the place it’s robust to separate Mantle and Mays. The 2 completed their careers with an an identical slugging proportion of .557. In fact, Mays has the sting in whole dwelling runs, partially as a result of he performed extra seasons than Mantle.
Mays completed his profession with 660 homers, a quantity surpassed solely by Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez with just a few of these gamers helped by performance-enhancing medicine. In the meantime, Mantle ranks 18th on the all-time record with 536 dwelling runs. For what it’s price, each gamers averaged round 30 dwelling runs per season, so it’s laborious for both to face out, even when Mays ranks greater on the all-time dwelling run record.
Longevity
To be truthful, longevity might not be a very powerful issue when it comes to nice baseball gamers, nevertheless it’s laborious to disclaim that Mays will get a slight edge. Mantle’s knee issues brought about him to retire after 18 seasons whereas Mays spent over 20 seasons within the massive leagues, enjoying from 1951 to 73.
To his credit score, Mantle was within the massive leagues as a teen whereas Mays didn’t make his debut till just a few weeks after his twentieth birthday. However Mays additionally performed till he was 42 and in addition missed almost two full seasons early in his profession whereas serving within the Military. He was in a position to decide up the place he left off, which isn’t one thing that may be mentioned of Mantle.
Protection
The most important hole between Mays and Mantle exists with regards to their defensive prowess. For what it’s price, Mantle was a strong middle fielder who gained a Gold Glove in 1962 regardless of a shoulder harm throughout the 1957 World Sequence hindering his throwing. Nonetheless, Mantle needed to work laborious to develop into a reliable middle fielder whereas Mays was a extra pure match for the place.
Mays had elite pace, nice instincts, and the most effective arms of any middle fielder in baseball historical past. That’s why he was in a position to win 12 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1957 to 1968, leaving little doubt that he was one of the best middle fielder within the sport throughout that point. In fact, his well-known catch in Recreation 1 of the 1954 World Sequence stays one of many best defensive performs in baseball historical past, even when its’ simply the tip of the iceberg with regards to what Mays dropped at the desk defensively.
Awards
Evidently, each Mays and Mantle have been achieved gamers who gained loads of awards. In 1951, Mays gained Rookie of the 12 months, an award that Mantle by no means gained. He then gained MVP in 1954 regardless of spending your entire 1953 season within the Military. Mays later gained his second MVP in 1965, greater than a decade later. As talked about, he additionally gained a batting title and 12 Gold Gloves whereas additionally main the Nationwide League in dwelling runs 4 instances and stolen bases 4 instances.
Quite the opposite, Mantle gained MVP honors thrice and had three different years during which he was the MVP runner-up whereas Mays was MVP runner-up twice. Understand that Mantle gained MVP in back-to-back years in 1956 and 1957 and was a Triple Crown winner in 1956, which was the 12 months of his solely batting title. He additionally led the American League in dwelling runs 4 instances, together with thrice in a four-year span from 1955 to 1958.
The Verdict
The case is clearly sturdy for each gamers, however the edge on this dialogue has to go to Mays. Each gamers have been nearly equal to 1 one other when it got here to hitting, each for energy and common. Nonetheless, Mays was the superior base stealer, athlete, and defensive middle fielder.
The truth that Mays performed just a few extra years additionally provides him a slight edge over Mantle. Finally, Mays’ defensive skills put him excessive. He was essentially the most versatile and full middle fielder in baseball historical past, placing him a stage above each different middle fielder, together with Mantle.
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