How Good was Billy Williams?

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PaulMaul
PaulMaul Posts: 5,024 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk

Who are his closest comps?

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  • coinkat
    coinkat Posts: 24,542 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Being a Cubs fan, I always liked Williams- sort of thought he could have been MVP afew times. If I suggest Yaz as a comp, I suspect that might create a discussion. I am trying to think of others- perhaps Oliva but I see Williams as the better choice. Keep in mind I am trying to limit players to the 1960- 1980 time frame

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  • PaulMaul
    PaulMaul Posts: 5,024 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    His ability to put up power numbers while hitting .300+ was certainly noteworthy.

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  • craig44
    craig44 Posts: 13,163 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    I have never really given Williams much thought. after briefly looking over his statline, He looks a lot like Eddie Murray to me, just without quite as long of a career. I would say Murray was better as he was able to keep similar percentages but over a longer career. But both look like very steady producers.

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • JoeBanzai
    JoeBanzai Posts: 12,854 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    Olivia's career to short for a good comparison, Yaz's much longer than Williams's.
    Orlando Cepeda seems close in length of career and time frame.
    I like Williams better than any of these guys except Yastrzemski and Williams was much more consistent than Carl. Not the monster years, but less sub par ones.
    Yaz was a great fielder as well, probably gets an edge there, along with a quite a bit longer career.
    How about Al Kaline?

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  • PaulMaul
    PaulMaul Posts: 5,024 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 5, 2023 11:00AM
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    Billy played in 150 or more games 12 years in a row. And even more amazingly, 161 or more 8 years in a row!

    Anyone accomplished that lately?

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  • craig44
    craig44 Posts: 13,163 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    @PaulMaul said:
    Billy played in 150 or more games 12 years in a row. And even more amazingly, 161 or more 8 years in a row!

    Anyone accomplished that lately?

    Cal Ripken had a few years like that.

    George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.

  • dallasactuary
    dallasactuary Posts: 4,491 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    His closest comp in overall value is probably Clemente. Williams was a slightly better hitter than Clemente, but Clemente was a better fielder. Strictly in terms of hitting he's probably closest to Goose Goslin, or, from his own era, maybe Al Kaline.

    (Murray and Yaz are also good choices; Oliva would be except for the short career.)

    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • PaulMaul
    PaulMaul Posts: 5,024 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited October 5, 2023 11:16AM
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    @craig44 said:

    @PaulMaul said:
    Billy played in 150 or more games 12 years in a row. And even more amazingly, 161 or more 8 years in a row!

    Anyone accomplished that lately?

    Cal Ripken had a few years like that.

    So did Lou Gehrig. I was thinking in the last 25 years or so. Guys like Pete Alonso seem to want to do it, but he gets hit on the hand every week or two. I don’t know how guys stayed reasonably healthy for such long stretches in the past.

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