Which retired player had the better career????

[scotty21690]

Player 1:

Player 2:

DISCUSS.





(Names are taken away to reduce bias)

 

[All The Hype]

2's got 1 beat in almost every important category.

 

[scotty21690]

2's got 1 beat in almost every important category.

Let's have a little debate shall we?

Player 1 beats player two in OPS+, OBP, and SLG%, and played in less games and less AB's then the other...It's closer then you think.

 

[stanthemanmusial]

I do know player 2 is Joe Dimaggio.

 

[cowboysrule48]

2's got 1 beat in almost every important category.

Let's have a little debate shall we?

Player 1 beats player two in OPS+, OBP, and SLG%, and played in less games and less AB's then the other...It's closer then you think.

Exactly why I voted for 1

 

[scotty21690]

I do know player 2 is Joe Dimaggio.

I guess I can't fool everyone.

Who was your pick and/or why?


Battle of the 13 year careers!

 

[subpop77]

#1 had 1 AB first season so technicly he amased his stats in 12 seasons instead of 13 as for #2

 

[stanthemanmusial]

And player #1 is Hank Greenberg.

 

[stanthemanmusial]

I do know player 2 is Joe Dimaggio.

I guess I can't fool everyone.

Who was your pick and/or why?


Battle of the 13 year careers!

Ha! Yeah, I say Joe DiMaggio had the better career. He was amazing, and look at all those World Championships he won. Injuries hurt Dimaggio's career, or we could have seen even more impressive stats from him.

 

[moxacaine]

player 2 by a long shot. the difference in OBS, SLG% and such is not that significant. and you say that player 1 beats him out in these categories with less ABs and such but he also had almost 500 more strikeouts.

 

[Jurgy25]

I like #1. Sure #2 has better stats in most, he also had 1700 more AB's. But i could argue for both sides.

 

[scotty21690]

player 2 by a long shot. the difference in OBS, SLG% and such is not that significant. and you say that player 1 beats him out in these categories with less ABs and such but he also had almost 500 more strikeouts.

SLG% difference is not all that insignificant. He beats him out by .25% in his career. He does SO more, but walks more also (thus the higher OBP). And Player #1 has a better HR/AB and RBI/AB ratio then player #2. And 1 more 200 hit season.

Again, just sparking up a debate...I think it's nearly dead even. :mrgreen:

 

[soccerman034]

Don't fault Joe Dimmagio for fighting in WWII. He was a better player than Hank, and that is only not apparent due to the years he missed. Greenburg also lost seasons to the war, but he was a bit older man when he left, and it was apparent his best years were behind him at 30. Dimmagio left in the prime his career at 27, and came back a grizzled man at 31.

Some food for thought: Before Dimmagio went to war in '43, he had finished in the top 10 of MVP voting every year, winning two. When he came back in '46 he went on to win one more while finishing 2nd once. How many would he have won had he stayed home? One could argue that he was the best player in the league every year he played. Greenberg was a decent defensive 1B...Dimmagio was the best defensive CF of his generation.

 

[jeremy]

Don't fault Joe Dimmagio for fighting in WWII. He was a better player than Hank, and that is only not apparent due to the years he missed. Greenburg is extremely underrated, but hes not better than the Yankee Clipper.

greenberg was in the war also

everyone knows yankees get more love than anyone

both great players

 

[soccerman034]

Don't fault Joe Dimmagio for fighting in WWII. He was a better player than Hank, and that is only not apparent due to the years he missed. Greenburg is extremely underrated, but hes not better than the Yankee Clipper.

greenberg was in the war also

everyone knows yankees get more love than anyone

both great players

I edited my post as you were posting. Its not about the Yankee factor, Dimmagio was one of a kind and would have been regardless of what team he played on.

 

[cgilmo]

You cannot compare players without knowing what era they played in, and how much better they were then their peers.

 

[MaineMule]

...I've always loved how few k's Joe D. had as a player......he was a golden-boy centerfielder who dated/married models in NYC while Greenberg was in Detroit.......Greenberg should probably get more "love" than he gets as compared to Joe D. and Ted W.

 

[crowhop]

You cannot compare players without knowing what era they played in, and how much better they were then their peers.

We know the two players. Greenberg and DiMaggio.

Both wore #5. Both lost time due to the War. Both are legendary. Both won multiple MVPs.

The difference is Greenberg played 1B whilst DiMaggio played CF. The stats are similar. DiMaggio is a little overrated because of his celebrity. He won two MVPs he probably shouldn't have. But still, great player and leader of some great teams. That can't be overstated. He also played in Yankee Stadium. Imagine patrolling THAT CF for a few years. And don't forget the HRs that were caught at the 400 foot mark in left center, you know, only 75 feet from the fence.

Greenberg played in 342 fewer games. That is a TON of games (2+ full seasons). Amassed only 10 fewer 2B and had a higher career SLG% (he's 6th All-Time in career Slugging). His OPS+ is great too. Greenberg played in Tiger Stadium. A much more friendly park than Yankee Stadium could have ever been.

After factoring in the position and the park, I'd have to give the edge to DiMaggio, but it's quite close.

Great debate.

 

[ballerskrip]

player 2 also struck out LESS than 50% as much as 1 with 1700 more at bats. That is VERY impressive.

I'll take 2

skrip

 

[predatorkj]

I picked player two but based on stats alone they are both pretty close. The strikeouts (or lack thereof) for player 2 were amazing.

Take into consideration two of todays top and most feared hitters...Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols and compare it to those totals based on strikeouts and there is a huge difference.

Pujols: 8 years of playing in the bigs; 1228 games played thus far; 503 SO's.

Howard: 5 years of playing in the bigs; 562 games played thus far; 683 SO's.

Now stack those against player 2 and that is simply amazing!
I know everybody will bust my chops for trying to throw in these comparisons and argue that you can't compare different eras but I am doing so anyway just to show how the strikeout numbers match up.

The question is: were the pitchers that crappy back then (likely not) or were some of the hitters just more disciplined?

I think the strikeouts totals of player two alone made me choose him before I found out it was Joe D.