Who was better, who would you take, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays?

39special · #1 04-22-2013, 02:08 PM

I have never seen either one play,but on what I have read Mays would be my pick.
I do alot of TTM's,and always ask questions.I wrote to J.W.Porter not to long ago.
He played from '52-'59 and asked him who the best all around player he ever saw was.

bbsports · #2 04-22-2013, 02:30 PM

If your looking at stats, it's Willie Mays. With the help of Joe DiMaggio in 1951, started a series of injuries for Mantle that carried him through his entire career. There's no telling what Mantle could have done if healthy.

CMIZ5290 · #3 04-22-2013, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbsports

If your looking at stats, it's Willie Mays. With the help of Joe DiMaggio in 1951, started a series of injuries for Mantle that carried him through his entire career. There's no telling what Mantle could have done if healthy.

Well said, totally agree....

WhenItWasAHobby · #4 04-22-2013, 02:58 PM

Mickey Mantle once admitted that Mays was the better of the two - or was Mickey just being overly modest?

bfrench00 · #5 04-22-2013, 03:00 PM

11.2 1965 mays best season
11.3 1956 and 57, mantles best seasons

Mays a better career. mantle had more talent, just out partying too much and injury prone. mays didnt have the same off the field issues. if mantle used his head like mays, this wouldnt have been a conversation. mantle would be the BEST ATHLETE OF ALL TIME. when the mick was healthy and sober there was no one better, ever.

sbfinley · #6 04-22-2013, 03:26 PM

While you were busy assembling the case for Mays, Mantle homered twice and tore up Broadway.

Runscott · #7 04-22-2013, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bfrench00

...mays didnt have the same off the field issues. if mantle used his head like mays, this wouldnt have been a conversation. mantle would be the BEST ATHLETE OF ALL TIME. when the mick was healthy and sober there was no one better, ever.

??? You mean if Mantle had drank less and gambled more? That would have been using his head.

itjclarke · #8 04-22-2013, 04:18 PM

Drinking/partying/injuries have to be fully taken into account when reviewing players' careers (unless the question were to specify, "who would you take at the beginning of their careers based on potential?", or "during their peak years". Mantle/Ruth and others were able to overcome their vices and have amazing HOF careers... But guys like Bobby Bonds (alcoholism), pegged as Willie Mays' heir, and countless others were not able to realize their full potential due to lifestyle/fluke injuries/death. I mean Brien Taylor might have been the next Sandy Koufax if he hadn't torn his rotator cuff in a bar brawl.

Adding- Still vote Mays.

mr2686 · #9 04-22-2013, 04:40 PM

Mays had 2 mvp's and 12 gold gloves, while Mantle had 3 mvps 1 gold glove and a major league triple crown. Mays made the WS catch that took the wind out of Cleveland before they could even get going. Mantle made the WS catch to save Larson's perfect game.
I think either one would be a nice addition to your team as a centerfielder...until Paul Blair came along

CW · #10 04-22-2013, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 39special

I have never seen either one play,but on what I have read Mays would be my pick.
I do alot of TTM's,and always ask questions.I wrote to J.W.Porter not to long ago.
He played from '52-'59 and asked him who the best all around player he ever saw was.

Damn, what a cool letter on many levels. He was kind enough to fill up the entire space with his answers, he named both players in this thread as #1 and #2, he loved Tiger Stadium (the coolest ballpark ever

), and he finishes the letter off with a poignant note.... "Thanks for remembering"

Thanks for posting.

pepis · #11 04-22-2013, 07:37 PM

One was a champion and the other wasn't

i saw them both play a lot however i did see Willie more often!

that's right i saw the Dodgers consistently take out Willie
and go out to loose to Mickey.

Exhibitman · #12 04-22-2013, 07:44 PM

C'mon Jose, it is a team sport. Dimaggio's Yankees won 10 pennants in his 13 active years. Is he better than Mays?

By that logic, Ernie Banks and Ted Willams stank on ice.

ElCabron · #13 04-22-2013, 08:59 PM

The Yankees won 3 championships in the 4 years immediately PRIOR to Mantle's arrival. So they were kinda good without him.

Still, Mantle's World Series hitting should absolutely be considered. And being the best player on the best team does mean something. But none of that, or having been a great prospect at one point, adds up to him being better than Mays. And for the record, I am not a Mays guy.

Career WAR:

Mays 156.1
Mantle 109.7

-Ryan

Jlighter · #14 04-22-2013, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoizeBringer

Career WAR:

Mays 156.1
Mantle 109.7

-Ryan

Career WAR isn't a good statistic to throw out there. It highly favors players who have longer careers. A much better one is avg. WAR per season.

Cy Young has the second highest career WAR, not many would argue he is the second best player ever.

ElCabron · #15 04-22-2013, 09:31 PM

I wouldn't even argue that Cy Young is one of the top 10 pitchers of all-time. The first part of his career was spent in a statistically different era. The second part in the dead ball era. His numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. One of the greats, without question. Doesn't even belong in the discussion of "greatest," in my opinion. I know that will be an unpopular view on this board.

I get the point about looking at average yearly performance vs. aggregate numbers, but there is also something to be said for sustained excellence. I'm not talking about mere longevity. No one is trying to say Jim Kaat was better than Sandy Koufax. But Mantle would have to have been MUCH better than Mays on the average to make up for how far behind his career numbers are. And he just wasn't.

I'm assuming you consider Mark McGwire to be the all-time home run king, right? He's the all-time career leader in HR per AB.

-Ryan

itjclarke · #16 04-22-2013, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jlighter

Career WAR isn't a good statistic to throw out there. It highly favors players who have longer careers. A much better one is avg. WAR per season.

Cy Young has the second highest career WAR, not many would argue he is the second best player ever.

I think WAR is a pretty shaky, overvalued, over calculated stat that attempts to yield an oversimplified number.. This is just my opinion of course, but it reminds me of those annoying BCS formulas. I'd rather just make my own determination, while looking at 5-10 key stats.. and of course ideally see the guy play.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Mickey Mantle + Willie Mays + Duke Snider Signed Litho	btcarfagno	Baseball Memorabilia B/S/T	0	08-15-2012 08:45 AM
Willie Mays Exhibit and 1964 Mickey Mantle Topps Giant For Sale	wpeters	1950 to 1959 Baseball cards- B/S/T	2	01-04-2011 06:51 PM
Willie Mays and mickey Mantle game used bats?	ichieh	Net54baseball Sports (Primarily) Vintage Memorabilia Forum incl. Game Used	2	05-19-2010 05:19 AM
FOR SALE The Three Outfielders Signed by Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Duke Snider	Archive	Baseball Memorabilia B/S/T	0	06-14-2008 07:24 PM
Vintage Baseball Card - Questions (Mickey Mantle & Willie Mays)	Archive	Net54baseball Vintage (WWII & Older) Baseball Cards & New Member Introductions	7	09-05-2007 08:12 PM