Mantle, Mays, and Snider in 1957
| 11
|
by Harold Friend LouGehrig
Nineteen fifty seven was not a good year for the New York Giants. They finished in sixth place, 26 games behind the pennant winning Milwaukee Braves, drawing 653,923 paying customers for the worst attendance in the league. It was their last season in New York, as they followed Walter O'Malley and the Dodgers to California, but it was one of the best season's of Willie Mays' career.
Mays Had a Great Season in 1957
National Leaguers batted .260 in 1957. Willie Mays hit .333, with 35 home runs, 26 doubles, 20 triples, and 97 RBIs. The offensively challenged Giants scored only 643 runs, which explains why Mays had only 97 RBIs. He had a .407 on base average and a .626 slugging average, compared to the league's .322 on base average and .400 slugging average. Willie also stole 38 bases. No one was better defensively.
In 1957, Duke Was Good But Not Great
Nineteen fifty seven was not a good year for the Brooklyn Dodgers. They finished third, 11 games behind the Braves, but they had an attendance of 1,028,258 fans, which was enough to make money but substantially less than the Braves' 2,215,404, a fact that played a major role in Walter removing the Dodgers from Brooklyn. Duke Snider had a good season, but it was not as good as most of his others. Duke batted only .274, which was considered low in the 1950s. He finished third in home runs with 40, making it the fifth consecutive season he hit at least 40 home runs, but Snider's on base average was only .368, and his slugging average of .587 was his lowest in five seasons. Compared to most players, Snider had a good season, but compared to Duke Snider, he did not.
Incredible Mantle
American Leaguers batted .255 in 1957. Mickey Mantle batted .365, with 34 home runs, 28 doubles, 6 triples, and 94 RBIs. Mickey walked 146 times, which explains why he had only 94 RBIs. His on base average was .512 and his slugging average was .665, compared to the league's .326 on base average and .382 slugging average. He stole 16 bases in 19 attempts. Mickey Mantle's batting average exceeded the league batting average by more than 100 points, his on base average was an incredible 186 points better, and his slugging average was 283 points better.
Willie Was the Most Exciting, But There Was More Involved
The statistics are revealing, but watching the three centerfielders play was more revealing. Overall, taking hitting, fielding, throwing, and running into account, Willie was the most exciting, but there was more to it. In the field, Willie was surer than Mickey or the Duke, but Mickey was faster and the Duke played in a small park that allowed him to climb the walls to rob players of home runs.
Home Runs
Until Red Schoendienst fell on Mickey's right shoulder in the 1957 World Series, Mickey had the best arm among the three, but Willie's was probably more accurate. At the plate, it was no contest. Mickey hit home runs with greater impact and for a greater distance than any player since Ruth. Duke was a greater home run threat than Willie, despite the fact that Willie hit more career home runs. Snider had to clear the forty foot high fence Ebbets Field right field fence, which meant that his home runs were high, arcing shots.
Records Are Incomplete
On the bases, Mays was the best base runner, although Mickey was faster and the Duke was pretty fast. Willie stole more bases and he could have stolen many more, but teams didn't steal much in the 1950s. Mickey stole only when it was necessary. Snider stole as many as 16 bases in a season twice in his career, getting thrown out 7 time in 1953. Interestingly, no one knows how many times he was thrown out in 1950 because the records are incomplete.
He Was Better Than Any of Them
In the last few years, individuals have taken "peak years" and concluded that Mantle's were better than Willie's or Duke's which is true, but a career includes everything. Mickey, Willie, and Edwin Donald all were great center fielders. It is tempting to compare them, and we have all been tempted. When they played, most of the baseball writers ranked Mays as the best, but with the perspective time provides, that is no longer the case. Mickey has probably become slightly overrated, Willie has dropped a little in the ratings, and the Duke was always vastly underrated. All that being said, DiMaggio was better than any of them. Reference:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/
