Greatest hitter of all time

1970s

The Cobb vs Rose debate has sparked my interest in what the CU forum thinks about who was the best.

lawnmowerman

Barry Bonds but not Tony Gwynn?

ledsters

"Barry Bonds but not Tony Gwynn?"

That's what I was thinking. I guess 8 Batting Titles doesn't get you into the top ten. Sheeesh!!! Yes, I typed it, Sheeesh! It's a shame that Tony never really got the respect he was due. I guess that's what happens when you play the game in a city you love, don't hype yourself, and play for the game, not the fame.

I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time.

grote15

The Splendid Splinter.

Better, even, than Barry Sanders.

markj111

I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time. >>






Are you serious? He is tied for 139th in all time OPS+.

orioles93

I think Miguel Cabrera could go on that list. I believe by the time he is finished, he will be one of the best right handed hitters of all time.

MrSnuffleupagus

Ruth? Who's Babe Ruth? I vote for him!

BunchOBull

<< <i>I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time. >>






Are you serious? He is tied for 139th in all time OPS+. >>



Only four modern players are in the top twenty, only one active (Pujols). The others are Bonds, McGwire, and Thomas.

WhiteTornado

Greatest hitter? Muhammad Ali

1954

Williams is the best pure hitter that was out there. Mays and Cobb are up at the top as well.

bounce

<< <i>I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time. >>


Are you serious? He is tied for 139th in all time OPS+. >>



OPS is a biased stat for power hitters; it's only one part of a much larger story

And I don't think there's really much of a debate here, and the stats are proving it out so far

Ted Williams was unbelievable, and as pointed out he may have missed his best years of production

Tabe

<< <i>

I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time. >>


Sorry, but to be top 5 all-time, you gotta hit for average AND power. Ruth did it. Williams did it. Bonds did it. Hornsby did it. Gehrig did it. Cobb did it. Gwynn... didn't.

jackstraw

Bonds hit everything thrown in his direction...

grote15

<< <i>

<< <i>

I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time. >>


Sorry, but to be top 5 all-time, you gotta hit for average AND power. Ruth did it. Williams did it. Bonds did it. Hornsby did it. Gehrig did it. Cobb did it. Gwynn... didn't. >>



+1

MrSnuffleupagus

This is photographic PROOF that Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter of all time. This is Ted Williams conceding the title to Babe Ruth.

garnettstyle

Cant decide between Williams and Bonds.

orioles93

<< <i>Bonds hit everything thrown in his direction... >>



thats why i picked him. He put up huge numbers, and was pitched around most of the time the second half of his career.

DanBessette

The correct answer isn't even a choice! It's YAZ!!


Yes, I'm kidding.

grote15

<< <i>The correct answer isn't even a choice! It's YAZ!!


Yes, I'm kidding. >>



Who's Yaz??

krums

DanBessette

Krums, you can be banned for that. Although you've been banned before, so what do you care?

MrSnuffleupagus

<< <i>

<< <i>The correct answer isn't even a choice! It's YAZ!!

Yes, I'm kidding. >>



Who's Yaz?? >>



He is the guy in this video in the outfield watching the home run go over his head and also the guy popping up to end the game:

Video

MrSnuffleupagus

summerof68

<< <i>Cant decide between Williams and Bonds. >>


It's a well documented fact that steroids improve eyesight. Had Williams been juiced his numbers would have been off the chart.

A "clean" hitting Frank Robinson hit 49 hrs in '66 and batted .342 in '63. Bonds didn't reach such lofty numbers until (after) he began juicing. I would place Robinson on that list before I would degrade it with the likes of Bonds.

bigdcards

<< <i>

<< <i>Cant decide between Williams and Bonds. >>


It's a well documented fact that steroids improve eyesight. Had Williams been juiced his numbers would have been off the chart.

A "clean" hitting Frank Robinson hit 49 hrs in '66 and batted .342 in '63. Bonds didn't reach such lofty numbers until (after) he began juicing. I would place Robinson on that list before I would degrade it with the likes of Bonds. >>



You can't only give Williams roids. He needs to face a fully integrated league with international talent. Then the pitchers also use PEDs. I'm not saying Williams wouldn't improve, but you have to include the whole league.

VitoCo1972

<< <i>
You can't only give Williams roids. He needs to face a fully integrated league with international talent. Then the pitchers also use PEDs. I'm not saying Williams wouldn't improve, but you have to include the whole league. >>



Williams hit .388 11 years after integration. Something tells me he'd be just as good in any year.

llafoe

Someone already did all the work for us... Baseballs Greatest Hitters of All Time!

MrSnuffleupagus

MrSnuffleupagus

<< <i>Someone already did all the work for us... Baseballs Greatest Hitters of All Time! >>

mdkuom

Keep in mind that there were many fewer teams back in the day. Almost half of all current MLB players would not have had jobs back in the '40's. I know for sure the Twins would love to throw away at least half of their current roster.

mesapsa

Barry Bonds hands down, don't care what people say about the ped situation, its still hard to hit a home run and last time I checked Barry Bonds is still number one! He belongs in the hall of fame just as much as Pete Rose does!

bigdcards

<< <i>Keep in mind that there were many fewer teams back in the day. Almost half of all current MLB players would not have had jobs back in the '40's. I know for sure the Twins would love to throw away at least half of their current roster. >>



Do you think Williams faced tougher pitching than Bonds?

Stingray

I would say overall it is Ted Williams, but I grew up watching Rod Carew and he could place that ball anywhere.

jackstraw

<< <i>

<< <i>Keep in mind that there were many fewer teams back in the day. Almost half of all current MLB players would not have had jobs back in the '40's. I know for sure the Twins would love to throw away at least half of their current roster. >>



Do you think Williams faced tougher pitching than Bonds? >>



Nothing against Williams but Bonds faced guys throwing 98 in the 7th. Was there a pitcher that threw that in the 40's or 50's?
No! I know that nobody wants to give Bonds his due but if it was that easy to take a magic potion then 75% of hitters would be
in the 300's all the time.. I get it he was a jerk and took PEDs but Ty Cobb was one too...

BPorter26

Roy Hobbs

thenextlevel

<< <i>

<< <i>Cant decide between Williams and Bonds. >>


It's a well documented fact that steroids improve eyesight. >>



This is not factual. Please show me evidence of anabolic steroids improving vision.

BaltimoreYankee

When I saw the title of this thread, one name came to mind: Ted Williams.

summerof68

<< <i>

<< <i>

<< <i>Cant decide between Williams and Bonds. >>


It's a well documented fact that steroids improve eyesight. >>



This is not factual. Please show me evidence of anabolic steroids improving vision. >>


At that famous televised congressional hearing where Canseco ratted out Sosa, McGwire & Palmeiro one of the nation's top PED experts testified that (**steroids or HGH?) significantly improves a hitter's eyesight. **Note--off the top of my head I can't specifically recall whether he testified it was steroids or HGH that enhanced a players sight--but it was one of the two. Having thought about it more he probably said it was HGH (human growth hormones) since Sosa, McGwire & Palmeiro were all three accused of using such.

lawnmowerman

Bonds allegedly admitted that steroids helped his hand to eye coordination in the book "Game Of Shadows". I never read it so I can't be sure.

link

krums

MrSnuffleupagus

lawnmowerman

*Fixed

downtown

<< <i>

<< <i>Williams is the best pure hitter that was out there. Mays and Cobb are up at the top as well. >>



On top of that, Ted Williams did not play at the age of 24,25,26.

To put that in perspective, Ty Cobb hit .420, .406, and .390 between the ages of 24-26.

Babe Ruth's highest OPS season was at the age of 25.

At the age of 25 Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs.
At the age of 26 Babe Ruth hit 59 home runs.


I think we can assume that we never saw Ted Williams greatest baseball seasons ever because of his service to his country. >>



+1

lahmejoon

<< <i>When I saw the title of this thread, one name came to mind: Ted Williams. >>


+1 Me too.

cardsfan73

In my opinion, it is Ted Williams.

telephoto1

Ted Williams, hands down...had he played in his true prime years he would have owned baseball, no question in my mind.

VictorLaszlo

I'll go with 1. Ted Williams 2. Lou Gehrig.

Cakes

<< <i>"Barry Bonds but not Tony Gwynn?"

That's what I was thinking. I guess 8 Batting Titles doesn't get you into the top ten. Sheeesh!!! Yes, I typed it, Sheeesh! It's a shame that Tony never really got the respect he was due. I guess that's what happens when you play the game in a city you love, don't hype yourself, and play for the game, not the fame.

I say Gwynn is in the top 5 all time. >>



Gwynn was also the only one close to 400 in the modern era.

markj111

Get real guys. No one else dominated the game the way Ruth did. Williams was a great hitter; Ruth was better.

eyebone

always difficult to assess players one has never seen play.....but I will anyway. if I managed a team I would always want somebody who had the ability to go deep. punch and judy hitters are fine but at crunch time I want somebody who can hit it out of the park. if the guy can hit for average as well as power then that makes him a special hitter.

that said: ted Williams, the babe and lou Gehrig. in that order.

eyebone

jmmiller777

<< <i>I would say overall it is Ted Williams, but I grew up watching Rod Carew and he could place that ball anywhere. >>



+1