I never really heard of this guy before, but looking at his stats intrigued me. I imagine he is written off here as a 'Baker Bowl creation', but a closer look at his numbers makes me wonder. He led in home runs 4 times and three times playing in the Baker Bowl..but he also led in 1916, playing in Chicago. He also led in OPS that year( though admittedly, all the great hitters played in the AL during that time). The funny thing is, 1916 was his only season of note until he was 32 years old. From age 32-29 he produced HOF caliber numbers, for a center fielder. But was this merely due to his home park? Looking at the team's numbers it appears that Williams was the ONLY one benefiting from the Baker Bowl: In 1923 he hit 41 home runs, and the next highest team total was 11. It could be that all of his teammates sucked, who knows?
Did Cy Williams have HOF potential? His OPS+ numbers look solid for his position, and he had some black ink. I really know nothing about him.
Did Cy Williams have HOF potential? His OPS+ numbers look solid for his position, and he had some black ink. I really know nothing about him.
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