Great Expectations

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Posted By: Rhys

Louis Sockalexis, without a doubt. Not a bust on his ability in the majors, but the fact he only lasted for a very short time. McGraw, Jennings and even Ed Barrow in the 1920's (when he was watching Ruth on a daily basis) said he was the greatest player EVER to play the game. Talk about 5 tools!! Throwing: He had Harvard professors measuring his throws and trajectory because they went so far without seeming to come down from gravity that they defied physics (true story). SPEED: The fastest player in the game when he played and that included Keeler and Hoy. FIELDING: The accolades of his fielding are numerous, he was one of the best 2-3 outfielders at least. POWER: In a college exhibition game against the Giants, Amos Rusie made public statements in the newspaper about what he was going to do to Sockalexis when he faced him, Sockalexis then hit a towering home run off of Rusie at the Polo Grounds on the first pitch he saw from him, and not an inside the parker; that was 1896. AVERAGE: He was hitting over .400 as a rookie at mid-season before he started to become an alcoholic.

All of this, and he really only played 1/2 a season in the major leagues, was out of the game in three years, and dead in 13 more.

To me, there is not a more intriguing, and tragic story in all of sports. He was also the first Native American to play the game, which is one of the reasons he resorted to alcohol as well.