[the 'stache]

I don't think anybody here disagrees with the assertion that Garvey was a good, consistent player. We're talking Hall of Fame here.

As for his OBP being skewed by his early and late years, couldn't you really say that about any player? I mean, Robin Yount was a career .285 hitter. Between 1978 and 1989, twelve years, he hit a combined .301. We talked about Clemente's lifetime .359 OBP as being a bit low. Well, eliminate his first five years, leaving his last thirteen years, and his career OBP is .375.

Garvey's OBP, even during his prime years of 1974 to 1981 (only eight seasons), was still only .346. He was a .309 hitter during that span, but only walked, on average, 36 times a year. He averaged only 26 walks a season for his career, or 33 per 162 games played.

It's not a knock on Garvey. New metrics have changed the perceptions of some players. Garvey, unfortunately for his fans, might be one where his stature is diminished slightly. The guy only missed 8 games between 1974 and 1982. And he was very productive in his prime. I'll take consistency and reliability on my team any time.

Garvey is one of those guys I consider a .300 hitter, even though his lifetime is only .294. Mantle is another (and it killed him that he finished below .300 for his career). A few really down seasons at the end of a career doesn't sour an otherwise brilliant career. But for those players who really remained truly great hitters at an advanced age, like Clemente, it should only add to their reputation.

Originally Posted by KCRfan1

Garvey was a very good player. Most teams would have loved to have had him playing for them. His OBP is skewed by his early and later years stats. During his peak with LA his OBP was only less than .341 once, and that was in '77 at .335. This covered a 7 year span. I would have loved to have had him on KC! The guy played almost every game, was good for almost 200 hits, 20+ home runs, 100 RBI's, and .300.