Tris Speaker and Willie Mays

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top OPS+ seasons

Willie Mays 184,175,175,174,174,172,165,165,159,159 (156 career)

Tris Speaker 188,185,182,181,179,178,173,172,171,166 (158 career)


I'll take Mays as a baserunner and Speaker defensively.


who was better in your opinion?

[Honus Wagner Rules]

I'll take Willie Mays. He played in a much stronger era and I believe he was everything the Grey Eagle was on defense.

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I'll take Willie Mays. He played in a much stronger era and I believe he was everything the Grey Eagle was on defense.

I'd argue it was harder playing centerfield in the "dead ball" era than the 50s/60s.


the ballparks had much more territory to cover, and the balls were much harder to throw than a clean new ball like after the 20's.

[CTaka]

I could accept that Speaker may have been just a tad better than Mays on defense. But I have Mays with a clear advantage on the bases. Mays' EqA was .330 compared to .320 for Speaker. Adding in LQ, I would give Mays the nod overall.

[steelcurtain76]

I took Mays because of his offensive numbers. Granted, Speaker played in the Dead Ball Era, so it's hard to say what he would have been like in his prime with a livelier ball, but I doubt he would have hit over 600 Hr's.

I wonder how may more Hr's Mays would have had if he had not played in the Polo Grounds as well. To me, Mays wins this battle, but Speaker is not far down from him.

[Bill Burgess]

You forgot to check the box that let's us see how we voted. That's half the fun for me.

I'll go with Sey Hey Willie, but not by as much as you think. Willie was the modern Tris, Tris was the early edition of Willie. That's how close they are.

[KCGHOST]

These two guys are awfully close. They are a push in career win shares, but Willie has a big lead in WARP3. Willie has a big advantage in that manyof us actually saw him in his prime whereas Speaker has been dead almost 50 years. I went with Willie but it is close.

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speakers best runs created per 9innings:

11.8, 11.3, 11.1, 11.0, 10.5


Willie?

10.6, 10.0, 9.8, 9.7, 9.2

[csh19792001]

These two guys are awfully close. They are a push in career win shares, but Willie has a big lead in WARP3. Willie has a big advantage in that manyof us actually saw him in his prime whereas Speaker has been dead almost 50 years. I went with Willie but it is close.

Ditto......

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Speaker was also a better playoff preformer

[Baseball Guru]

You forgot to check the box that let's us see how we voted. That's half the fun for me.

Willie was the modern Tris, Tris was the early edition of Willie. That's how close they are.

Well said and I agree...

Tris may have had a little better speed but Willie had more power and I think Willie was just as good on defense as Tris... I give the edge, probably slightly more than my friend Bill, to Mays....

[Blackout]

Well said and I agree...

Tris may have had a little better speed but Willie had more power and I think Willie was just as good on defense as Tris... I give the edge, probably slightly more than my friend Bill, to Mays....

who has better defensive win share rates?

[Moses Fleetwood-Walker]

Mays by a country mile.

[Bill Burgess]

Honus Wagner/Willie Mays have always been my proto-type poster boys for the title, 'Best Offensive/Defensive Combo Player'.

And Tris Speaker is just a half-step behind them for that title!

[Baseball Guru]

who has better defensive win share rates?

I would assume Speaker, since you asked

I do not have that info..

Mays however, has a higher overall Win Shares mark over Speaker doesnt he?