Mark McGwire vs. Sammy Sosa

[White Knight]

Their names are always mentioned together, yet I have never seen a poll before. Both have been accused of taking PED's, so that shouldn't be an issue when comparing the two (unless you believe one is innocent while the other is guilty). So who's the better player?

[OleMissCub]

Obviously I'm biased, but I'd go with Sosa over Big Mac.

No doubt the metrics would show that Big Mac was more valuable, but Sammy seems more well-rounded as a player.

I could go either way actually.

[White Knight]

Obviously I'm biased, but I'd go with Sosa over Big Mac.

No doubt the metrics would show that Big Mac was more valuable, but Sammy seems more well-rounded as a player.

I could go either way actually.

Let's compare their top five years. Sammy hit for a higher average during their best. They were both elite in HR's, with Mac having the slight edge. Mac had the better OBP. Now, take away their best five, and Mac clearly wins. He has always been consistant, even in his last year he had 29 HR's and just 299 AB's. Could have easily held out one more year and retired with 600. He was always a consistant power hitter. Sosa has just had too many bad years, and aged terribly. For all of that, I'll go with Mac.

[OleMissCub]

Let's compare their top five years. Sammy hit for a higher average during their best. They were both elite in HR's, with Mac having the slight edge. Mac had the better OBP. Now, take away their best five, and Mac clearly wins. He has always been consistant, even in his last year he had 29 HR's and just 299 AB's. Could have easily held out one more year and retired with 600. He was always a consistant power hitter. Sosa has just had too many bad years, and aged terribly. For all of that, I'll go with Mac.

Sosa aged terribly compared to Mac? It looks like they are doing about the same thing at comparable ages.

Mac at 37: .187/.316/.492, 29 HR, 64 RBI, 105 OPS+

Sosa at 38: .252/.311/.468, 21 HR, 92 RBI, 102 OPS+

[White Knight]

Sosa aged terribly compared to Mac? It looks like they are doing about the same thing at comparable ages.

Mac at 37: .187/.316/.492, 29 HR, 64 RBI, 105 OPS+

Sosa at 38: .252/.311/.468, 21 HR, 92 RBI, 102 OPS+

Those 29 HR's came in just 299 at-bats. That's good for a whopping one HR every 10.3 AB's. 64 RBI's are good for those at-bats too. The year before that, he hit 32 HR, with just 236 at-bats (good for an amazing one HR ever 7.4 at-bats!). And of course, everything he did before that is legendary. Now with Sosa, he was good for one HR every 19.6 at-bats. The seson before, he didn't play. The season before that it was 27.1. Before that it was 13.7, and 12.9 before that.

So, I stand by my comments. Mac aged wonderful. Still a mega-power hitter until the day he retired. Not so with Sosa. He went downhill in his mid 30's. Mac could have and should have played a few more years. If he had held out until 2005 he could have retired with 850 HR's.

[philkid3]

Mark McGwire, very, very easily.

[OleMissCub]

Those 29 HR's came in just 299 at-bats. That's good for a whopping one HR every 10.3 AB's. 64 RBI's are good for those at-bats too. The year before that, he hit 32 HR, with just 236 at-bats (good for an amazing one HR ever 7.4 at-bats!). And of course, everything he did before that is legendary. Now with Sosa, he was good for one HR every 19.6 at-bats. The seson before, he didn't play. The season before that it was 27.1. Before that it was 13.7, and 12.9 before that.

So, I stand by my comments. Mac aged wonderful. Still a mega-power hitter until the day he retired. Not so with Sosa. He went downhill in his mid 30's. Mac could have and should have played a few more years. If he had held out until 2005 he could have retired with 850 HR's.

Sounds like you created this poll with a pretty good idea of what your correct answer would be.

[Blackout]

big mac was the better HR hitter but Sosa was a better player

[Edgartohof]

Those 29 HR's came in just 299 at-bats. That's good for a whopping one HR every 10.3 AB's. 64 RBI's are good for those at-bats too. The year before that, he hit 32 HR, with just 236 at-bats (good for an amazing one HR ever 7.4 at-bats!). And of course, everything he did before that is legendary. Now with Sosa, he was good for one HR every 19.6 at-bats. The seson before, he didn't play. The season before that it was 27.1. Before that it was 13.7, and 12.9 before that.

So, I stand by my comments. Mac aged wonderful. Still a mega-power hitter until the day he retired. Not so with Sosa. He went downhill in his mid 30's. Mac could have and should have played a few more years. If he had held out until 2005 he could have retired with 850 HR's.

I guess if he hit 67 HR/season for 4 years he could have...

850? Come on. He could have hit a few more, and POSSIBLY even stretched it to 700, but even that was stretching it.

267 HR in 4 years? I think not... not even in 8 or 10.

[White Knight]

I guess if he hit 67 HR/season for 4 years he could have...

850? Come on. He could have hit a few more, and POSSIBLY even stretched it to 700, but even that was stretching it.

267 HR in 4 years? I think not... not even in 8 or 10.

Since he has the greatest AB to HR ratio ever, he should have retired with 1,000. But, his number of AB's was rather low for a career. Just compare his AB's to Bonds, or Aaron.

No, Mac would not have retired with 850 if he quit in 2005, I said that off the top of my head. But, he easily could have averaged 40 each year, if he could stay healthy. Even unhealthy, as in 2000 and 2001, his AB to HR ratio was phenonimal.

Now, if he could have held out until last season...

[White Knight]

Sounds like you created this poll with a pretty good idea of what your correct answer would be.

Actually, I didn't even vote until I went back and studied their stats. But the poll isn't about me, I was curious as to how others would vote. Mac gets bashed (well, he was a Bash Brother) a lot around here, so I though it would be a good fair comparisment to put him up against someone also accused of PED's.

[White Knight]

big mac was the better HR hitter but Sosa was a better player

At their best, maybe. Over their careers, no way.

[OleMissCub]

I just don't understand this stuff about McGwire aging well and ending his career still in good condition, etc. McGwire was injury prone for a good portion of his career and in the end had to retire because his body was in such bad shape. I mean, Mac had 4 doubles his final year. 4! That tells me that the guy could barely move by that point.

[White Knight]

I just don't understand this stuff about McGwire aging well and ending his career still in good condition, etc. McGwire was injury prone for a good portion of his career and in the end had to retire because his body was in such bad shape. I mean, Mac had 4 doubles his final year. 4! That tells me that the guy could barely move by that point.

Like I said, even with injuries and in severe pain, Mac's last two years he hit one HR every 7.4 and 10.3 AB's. That's amazing, and something Sosa couldn't do in his last several years. No one retired with anything near that HR/AB ratio. Even Ruth's final three years his ratio was 16.6 and 12.0. Awesome anyway, but still not like Mac's.

[OleMissCub]

Like I said, even with injuries and in severe pain, Mac's last two years he hit one HR every 7.4 and 10.3 AB's. That's amazing, and something Sosa couldn't do in his last several years. No one retired with anything near that HR/AB ratio. Even Ruth's final three years his ratio was 16.6 and 12.0. Awesome anyway, but still not like Mac's.

Home Runs aren't everything.