Who was better, who would you take, Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams?

[conor912]

Oy. Splitting hairs here. Williams was a better hitter hands down. Joe edges out Ted as an overall player. That said, DiMaggio pussied out at age 36 before he started to decline whereas as Williams stuck it out to age 42. Maybe that makes Joe smarter or maybe it makes him a pansy....your decision. However, if we're strictly comparing their respective primes, I would take Williams and sacrifice a little defense for arguably the best hitter of all time.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by conor912

Williams was a better hitter hands down. Joe edges out Ted as an overall player.

Conor,

I completely agree with this.

Best,

Eric

[yanksfan09]

Originally Posted by conor912

Oy. Splitting hairs here. Williams was a better hitter hands down. Joe edges out Ted as an overall player. That said, DiMaggio pussied out at age 36 before he started to decline whereas as Williams stuck it out to age 42. Maybe that makes Joe smarter or maybe it makes him a pansy....your decision. However, if we're strictly comparing their respective primes, I would take Williams and sacrifice a little defense for arguably the best hitter of all time.

Yankee fan here but Williams was definitely the better hitter. However, I think it's pretty weak to say a guy "pussied out" by retiring at age 36. He felt he was done and wanted to walk away with class and that's pussying out? I don't get it. He wasn't obligated to prove anymore to anyone and walked away with his Championship rings. I don't think it makes him smarter by walking away but it doesn't make him a pansy either for sure. Every guy ages differently and when a guys done, he's done. No need to put them down for it.

[dabigyankeeman]

Joe had bad heel problems, and other leg problems which prompted him to retire at a young age. But mainly, his power was to left-center, and the home runs he lost in Yankee Stadium were a killer.

I'll take Joe in the outfield, and Ted as my DH.

[AMBST95]

Ted's bat far out shadowed the difference in their fielding ability. Williams is the easy pick for this reason.

[Paul S]

As a life-long Yankee fan...I have to get honest and answer Williams. When you can hit like...WOW!!

[bbsports]

Of the two, Ted Williams, but I prefer Stan the Man Musial. Stan was a class act to the game of baseball.

[bigtrain]

Though I am a life long Yankee fan, I would pick Ted Williams. Better hitter. Much longer career. Neither was a really personable guy. The media kissed up to DiMaggio and hated Williams, with good reason I guess. I attended a lot of old-timers games in the sixties and seventies and it always annoyed me that Joe D insisted on being announced as "the greatest living ballplayer. When was he ever that? Babe Ruth died in 1948 but Cobb lived to 1961 and certainly by the late 60s, Willie Mays was clearly better than DiMaggio.

[Peter W Thomas]

Williams +++. Lost almost 5 prime years to 2 wars, by far the best hitter of my lifetime. Played Left Field in Fenway pretty well. I saw his last HR when I was a MIT freshman, and got a hands on fly fishing lessen from him at the sportman's show in 1954 or 1955. I miss him and so do the sox.