Pete Reiser or Tony Conigliaro

[TonyK]

Before the injury and before the war:

Reiser 320 games - 11.8 WAR - 144 OPS+ - home OPS 843, away OPS 913, MVP voted 2nd and 6th, black ink 17, HoF Monitor 36
TonyC 494 games - 10.2 WAR - 132 OPS+ - home OPS 855, away OPS 794, MVP voted 28th and 33rd, black ink 4, HoF monitor 15

So, Resier has 15% more WAR, while Tony C has 54% more games. Reiser has almost 10% higher OPS+. Reiser was hurt by his home park (while Tony C may have had a slight benefit.) MVP votes...black ink...

Not close IMO. Reiser was potentially capable of multiple MVP seasons after 1941. (Not saying he would win every time, who does. But wining a couple. Sure.) I see nothing that indicates Tony C would even threaten to get one.

It's no disrespect to Tony C. I grew up knowing about him when he was a rookie and we all thought highly of him. But Reiser was at another level altogether.

I agree with this and would add that Tony C was only 22 when he was beaned so he still had a ton of potential. The 1968 Red Sox would have been a contender with Yaz and Tony C leading the way IMO. Unfortunately we will never know what type of career he would have had or if he would have led his league in some categories.

Tony C was the local boy who made good, and everyone I knew looked up to him and rooted for him. We loved to copy his stance and his rocking back and forth at the plate like a dangerous animal when we played ball in the backyard. I even earned my nickname because of him. It was a sad day when I learned that he died.

[drstrangelove]

Before the injury and before the war:

Reiser 320 games - 11.8 WAR - 144 OPS+ - home OPS 843, away OPS 913, MVP voted 2nd and 6th, black ink 17, HoF Monitor 36
TonyC 494 games - 10.2 WAR - 132 OPS+ - home OPS 855, away OPS 794, MVP voted 28th and 33rd, black ink 4, HoF monitor 15

So, Resier has 15% more WAR, while Tony C has 54% more games. Reiser has almost 10% higher OPS+. Reiser was hurt by his home park (while Tony C may have had a slight benefit.) MVP votes...black ink...

Not close IMO. Reiser was potentially capable of multiple MVP seasons after 1941. (Not saying he would win every time, who does. But wining a couple. Sure.) I see nothing that indicates Tony C would even threaten to get one.

It's no disrespect to Tony C. I grew up knowing about him when he was a rookie and we all thought highly of him. But Reiser was at another level altogether.

[Cowtipper]

Reiser all the way here, but I didn't realize how good Conigliaro was in his first four seasons. But just in his short reign of dominance, Reiser was a league leading type player. He was an All-Star three times and he finished in the top ten in MVP voting three times. Conigliaro didn't sniff that. Reiser could have been a "superstar" Hall of Famer, like Mantle or DiMaggio...Conigliaro could have been a compiler type Hall of Famer.

[bluesky5]

Wasn't there ever talk of moving Reiser back to third when the Dodgers saw how reckless [and detrimental to his health] his outfield play was?

[lizmcl]

Tony C was my favorite player growing up, bar none, but the thing was, when he wasn't hitting homers he was getting hurt, even before the eye injury. Given the way he crowded the plate something disastrous was bound to happen -- the beaning was horrifying, but it wasn't particularly unexpected.

Tony wasn't a bad fielder -- he doesn't get a lot of credit for that, and he wasn't any Dwight Evans in right field, but he had a decent arm and made his share of spectacular catches. He was as fiercely competitve, in his own way, as Reiser was in his.

[leecemark]

--With good health and playing out his full career in Boston Tony C might have hit 500 HR. He was off to one of the best HR hitting starts of anyone. That was his only plus tool though. Reiser was a much better all around ballplayer. I'd would definately say he had the greater talent, but a long healthy career was probably never in the cards for him due to his style of play. If not for the eye injury there is no reason to believe Tony C wouldn't have had at least a normal length career.

[JR Hart]

Without question Pete Reiser had superstar talent. Tony C was a fine young slugger, but nowhere near the talent that Reiser was. Reiser was devastated by an injury running into a wall in 1942 and then had to serve 3 years in the Army in WWII and was injured playing Army ball. Tony C may have hit 300-400 hrs, but Reiser would have been a HOFer.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

I do think Reiser had more potential but Tony C. had a better career. It is tough to say because both had great starts.

[bluesky5]

This is a good question and i'd have to look at both careers again but off the top of my head I would pick Tony C. I know Reiser had an amazing 1941 season though.

I thought this would be interesting since they are two of the most famous "unrealized potential" players.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

This is a good question and i'd have to look at both careers again but off the top of my head I would pick Tony C. I know Reiser had an amazing 1941 season though.

[bluesky5]

Who was the most talented player?

Who had the potential to be the better player?

Who had the better career?