Great Baseball Sayings and Curious Facts Topic

Posted by italyprof on 3/8/2016 2:20:00 AM (view original):
Who was the first National League player to win back-to-back MVP awards?
Not Honus Wagner.


Here is something interesting - from re-reading George Will's "Men at Work":

If you take out their PA at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, that is in neutral AL parks, the lifetime batting averages are:

Joe Dimaggio: .333
Ted Williams: .328
3/8/2016 6:33 AM
That other great NL shortstop....
3/8/2016 6:49 AM
Posted by contrarian23 on 3/8/2016 6:49:00 AM (view original):
That other great NL shortstop....
Yes, Ernie Banks won '58 and '59. I don't think any NL player did it before that.
3/8/2016 9:57 AM
It is Banks
3/8/2016 10:02 AM
Posted by italyprof on 3/8/2016 6:33:00 AM (view original):
Posted by italyprof on 3/8/2016 2:20:00 AM (view original):
Who was the first National League player to win back-to-back MVP awards?
Not Honus Wagner.


Here is something interesting - from re-reading George Will's "Men at Work":

If you take out their PA at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, that is in neutral AL parks, the lifetime batting averages are:

Joe Dimaggio: .333
Ted Williams: .328
I bet the OBP and SLG numbers would tell a different story.
3/8/2016 11:49 AM
Dimaggio was undoubtedly hurt in the SLG category by playing at YS. Ted helped by Fenway. OBP maybe
3/8/2016 11:59 AM
I think Will was actually giving the career "road" numbers for the two hitters...Joe D away from Yankee Stadium, Ted away from Fenway. The way it is phrased above implies that George was also removing DiMaggio's games at Fenway and Ted's games in the Bronx but:
(a) I doubt he had access to that data in 1987 or whenever he wrote the book...there were no references that I know of at that time that would have provided that information.
(b) Joe D's career road averages were .334/.406/.611. Ted's were .328/.467/.615. So the batting average and slugging were essentially the same, but Ted walked a lot more (or put differently, Ted made many fewer outs).

And of course Ted's career counting numbers are much more impressive...he never had a down season except for 1959 and kept putting up big numbers well past the age at which Joe D had retired. Both missed 3 years in WWII, so that's a wash at best, and Ted of course missed 2 more seasons due to military. Give Ted those five full seasons and he's probably neck and neck with Ruth for the HR record, and would be well over 3000 hits (conservatively I would put him at 3400), He would easily have the RBI record, almost certainly the runs scored record too. Plus something like 2800 walks....he would have been base over 6000 times. No one would be close.

DiMaggio was a great great hitter, no question; probably underrated by his career numbers. But Ted was greater.

One can argue about the total package...Joe D was no doubt a better baserunner and a better fielder. But Ted was clearly the greater hitter.
3/8/2016 12:02 PM
For what it's worth, Williams homered more often away from Fenway (in fewer career PA) than he did at home.

DiMaggio homered a LOT more often away from Yankee. Put him in another park for his career and he would be well over 400 HR. Give him back the 3 war years and it might be over 500.
3/8/2016 12:04 PM
I actually worked out the numbers outside of New York AND Boston:

Williams: .330/.464/.625
DiMaggio: .334/.405/.611

The big advantage of taking both out is that you're also doing a better job of normalizing opponents' pitching staffs. Of course they didn't play all the same seasons or all the same ages, but it's closer.
3/8/2016 12:11 PM
There isn't a ballpark in which Williams doesn't have a .400 career OBP. DiMaggio has 3 such parks: Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland. 4 if you include Yankee, which I suppose you should. Pretty important park for him.
3/8/2016 12:12 PM
Name the last year the AL and NL MVP both wore the same jersey number...
3/8/2016 12:53 PM (edited)
Posted by skunk206 on 3/8/2016 12:53:00 PM (view original):
Name the last year the AL and NL MVP both wore the same jersey number...
I'm gonna assume the number is either 5 or 24. The year I have no clue, 2003?
3/8/2016 1:02 PM
2003 is not correct. That was Bonds and A-Rod and A-Rod was wearing 3 that season, which Bonds never wore.
3/8/2016 1:23 PM
Posted by skunk206 on 3/8/2016 1:23:00 PM (view original):
2003 is not correct. That was Bonds and A-Rod and A-Rod was wearing 3 that season, which Bonds never wore.
It was a total guess. We're the jersey numbers right?
3/8/2016 1:51 PM
I know the number is 24. It's Bonds and someone else. Gotta find out who else wore 24
3/8/2016 2:01 PM
◂ Prev 1...24|25|26|27|28...57 Next ▸
Great Baseball Sayings and Curious Facts Topic

Search Criteria

Terms of Use Customer Support Privacy Statement

© 1999-2025 WhatIfSports.com, Inc. All rights reserved. WhatIfSports is a trademark of WhatIfSports.com, Inc. SimLeague, SimMatchup and iSimNow are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts, Inc. Used under license. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.