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David Schoenfield, ESPN Senior Author
Possibly the best baseball participant of all time is Babe Ruth. Maybe it is Henry Aaron or Barry Bonds or Josh Gibson or Oscar Charleston. Proponents of a extra antiquated model of the game may argue for Ty Cobb or Honus Wagner. For a time, earlier than accidents wrecked their careers and their potential stamps on final greatness, it might have been Ken Griffey Jr. or Mike Trout or Mickey Mantle, for that matter. Possibly if Ted Williams would not miss 5 seasons whereas serving in wars, he towers over the game as the best hitter who ever lived.
You may, nevertheless, punch holes within the instances for any of these guys. Small holes — possibly they did not play heart subject, possibly they could not throw, possibly their peak lasted only some seasons — however nonetheless holes. You may’t discover any holes for Willie Mays.
“There have been solely two genuine geniuses on the planet,” actress Tallulah Bankhead as soon as stated. “Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.”
Williams himself as soon as stated, “They invented the All-Star Recreation for Willie Mays.”
Mays appeared in 24 of them.
Author Joe Posnanski as soon as got here up with an thought known as “The Willie Mays Corridor of Fame,” as a result of followers would complain that the requirements for choice to Cooperstown had been too low. It was a joke, after all. As Joe wrote, if Mays had been the usual for the Corridor of Fame, it might have just one member.
Mays might run.
How nice was Mays on the basepaths? In 1971, he tied for the Nationwide League lead in a class known as baserunning runs. He was 40 years outdated.
Mays might subject.
Possibly his well-known catch within the 1954 World Sequence wasn’t the best catch of all time. Mays himself stated he made higher performs. But it surely’s the catch everybody nonetheless talks about as the best ever — 70 years later it stays unsurpassed, a mythological play with video proof that he was worthy of every of his 12 Gold Gloves.
Mays might throw.
“[Mays] scooped the ball up on the base of the 406-foot signal, whirled and fired. It got here in on one bounce, immediately in entrance of the plate, and into the glove of catcher Tom Haller, who put it on the astonished Willie Stargell. It was described by old-timers as the best throw ever made in historical Forbes Subject,” Bob Stevens wrote of a 1965 recreation.
Mays might hit.
A lifetime common of .301, with a lot of his prime years coming within the pitching-dominant Nineteen Sixties, when mounds had been as excessive as Mount Everest and pitchers like Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson would buzz you with a fastball in the event that they did not like the way in which you checked out them. Ten seasons with a .300 common and practically 3,300 profession hits. “As a batter, his solely weak spot is a wild pitch,” Invoice Rigney, one in all his managers, as soon as quipped.
Mays might hit for an influence.
He wasn’t a giant man, listed at 5-foot-10 and 170 kilos, however he was all sinewy muscle with large fingers that gripped the bat like a toothpick. He completed with 660 house runs — and, if not for lacking practically two full seasons whereas serving within the Military, might need damaged Ruth’s house run report earlier than Aaron did. He led his league 4 occasions in house runs.
Two years in the past, ESPN ranked Mays the second-greatest participant of all time behind Ruth. Invoice James had him third (behind Ruth and Wagner). Posnanski ranked him first. And here is the factor: As nice as Mays was, as good as his all-around play, as extremely ranked as he seems on these lists, Mays could be even higher than we consider.
Mays gained simply two MVP awards in his profession, in 1954 and 1965. If we contemplate trendy analytics and the way voting philosophy has advanced over the previous couple of a long time, Mays might need gained … effectively, let’s contemplate what number of MVP awards he might need gained below trendy standards.
In Mays’ period, the MVP award often went to a participant on the pennant-winning workforce. Different subjective qualities like management factored into the thought course of, and writers had been loath to present it to the identical man each season. At this time, the main focus is way more on statistical worth — the very best participant versus simply the important thing participant on a first-place workforce.
So, let’s go yr by yr and dig into Mays’ profession — bear in mind, he is competing with inner-circle Corridor of Famers akin to Aaron, Frank Robinson, Ernie Banks, Roberto Clemente, Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson for MVP honors. We’ll skip his rookie season of 1951 after which his two seasons within the Military and begin with 1954.
1954
Precise winner: Willie Mays
Mays hit .345/.411/.667 with 41 house runs in main the Giants to the pennant. He led the NL in WAR at 10.4. Whereas he gained simply, he by some means acquired solely 16 of the 24 first-place votes. He would nearly definitely be the unanimous winner immediately.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 1
1955
Precise winner: Roy Campanella
Mays’ end: Fourth
The Dodgers gained the pennant, and Campanella, their catcher, had a effective season with 32 house runs and a .318 common. Mays hit .319 with a league-leading 51 house runs and 1.059 OPS, simply topping Campanella in WAR (9.2 to five.2). At this time, it is possible a two-man race between Mays and Dodgers heart fielder Duke Snider (8.6 WAR), who had 42 house runs and 1.046 OPS. The Dodgers successful the pennant helps Snider, however Mays’ house runs and protection give him the slightest of edges. He takes house his second trophy.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 2
1956
Precise winner: Don Newcombe
Mays’ end: seventeenth
Mays tied Snider for the lead league in WAR at 7.6, with Aaron at 7.2. Newcombe gained 27 video games. At this time, it is a three-man race among the many outfielders. The Dodgers gained the pennant, however it’s one other coin flip. We’ll give this one to Snider and hold Mays at two.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 2
1957
Precise winner: Henry Aaron
Mays’ end: Fourth
Mays did lead Aaron in WAR (8.3 to eight.0), however Aaron led the NL in house runs and RBIs and his Milwaukee Braves gained the pennant. This one goes to Aaron.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 2
1958
Precise winner: Ernie Banks
Mays’ end: Second
Robust one. Mays once more leads in WAR (10.2), however Banks wasn’t far behind (9.3) Banks did outhomer Mays (47 to 29) and out-RBI him (129 to 96), however Mays hit .347 to Banks’ .313 and had the upper OPS whereas enjoying in a more durable hitters’ park. Fashionable voters would know that Banks hit .340 at Wrigley with 30 house runs and a extra pedestrian .287 with 17 house runs on the highway. No. 3 for Mays.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 3
1959
Precise winner: Ernie Banks
Mays’ end: Sixth
Banks, with 10.2 WAR, was the deserving winner (Mays was at 7.8, a “down” yr for him).
Hypothetical MVP tally: 3
1960
Precise winner: Dick Groat
Mays’ end: Third
Groat was the shortstop for the Pirates, the shock pennant winner, and had a effective season, hitting .325 with good protection, however he additionally had simply two house runs and 50 RBIs. Writers on the time valued his management and gritty toughness. Teammate Don Hoak was second within the voting. However Mays towered over each in WAR (9.5 to six.1 and 5.4) and would win immediately. That is No. 4.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 4
1961
Precise winner: Frank Robinson
Mays’ end: Sixth
Mays was second in WAR to Aaron with Robinson, on the first-place Reds, fourth. Robinson led the league in OPS and may nonetheless win immediately, though in a a lot tighter vote (he acquired 15 of the 16 first-place votes again then).
Hypothetical MVP tally: 4
1962
Precise winner: Maury Wills
Mays’ end: Second
In my guide, one of many worst MVP votes ever. The voters had been infatuated with Wills breaking the single-season stolen base report with 104, however Mays was the way more beneficial participant — 10.5 WAR to six.0 — and he bought denied in an in depth vote regardless that the Giants beat Wills’ Dodgers in a tiebreaker to win the pennant. Give Mays his fifth MVP.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 5
1963
Precise winner: Sandy Koufax
Mays’ end: Fifth
This debate would make heads explode in 2024. Koufax (9.9 WAR) went 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA and 306 strikeouts. Mays led the league with 10.6 WAR, hitting .314 with 38 house runs and his common Gold Glove protection. Aaron (9.1 WAR) led with 44 house runs and 130 RBIs. The Dodgers gained the pennant, which is how Koufax simply gained. In 2024? Pitchers do not often issue into the voting (effectively, in addition they do not pitch 311 innings). I am giving Mays No. 6.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 6
1964
Precise winner: Ken Boyer
Mays’ end: Sixth
Boyer was no slouch, and he led the NL in RBIs as his Cardinals gained the pennant on the season’s ultimate day (the Giants completed fourth, three video games again). Little question, the Giants’ incapacity to win extra pennants, regardless of Corridor of Famers akin to Juan Marichal, Willie McCovey and Orlando Cepeda surrounding him, harm Mays within the MVP voting. The Giants can rightly be seen as underachievers given their top-line expertise and had been definitely seen as such again then. However Mays? Not his fault. He had an 11.0 WAR whereas main the NL with 47 house runs and .990 OPS. I’ve to suppose he’d win immediately in a landslide with that WAR. That is No. 7.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 7
1965
Precise winner: Willie Mays
Lastly, 11 years after his first MVP win, Mays takes house one other — posting a career-best 11.2 WAR after hitting .317/.398/.645 with 52 house runs. He bought solely 9 of the 20 first-place votes, nevertheless, as Koufax (six) and Wills (5) cut up votes from the first-place Dodgers. Anyway, Mays would win immediately to present him No. 8.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 8
1966
Precise winner: Roberto Clemente
Mays’ end: Third
Marichal and Koufax tied for the lead in WAR at 9.7, with Mays at 9.0 and Clemente at 8.2. Koufax may win immediately (he completed second) given 27 wins, a 1.73 ERA, 323 innings and 317 strikeouts. Our heads would explode with these numbers, however Mays would definitely place within the high three in his ultimate nice season.
Hypothetical MVP tally: 8
After that, Mays tailed off, so he finishes with eight MVP awards — another than the seven Bonds has because the all-time chief.
Then once more, possibly it would not take going again in time and making Mays an eight-time MVP winner to understand his stature among the many recreation’s greatest. He was, in spite of everything, a genius. Fifty-one years after his ultimate recreation, that also looks as if the suitable description.