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Posted By: Andy Baran

I will agree that Dawson was a better overall player than Rice, but Rice was a far more dominant hitter than Dawson. You can't just look at career totals. For over a decade Rice was the most dominant and feared hitter in the American League. I'm not sure that Dawson was ever the most feared hitter in either league. To quote a recent ESPN.com article:

"For a period of 12 years -- 1975-86 -- Rice led all American League players in 12 different offensive categories, including home runs (350), RBI (1,276), total bases (3,670), slugging percentage (.520), runs (1,098) and hits (2,145).

In that span, his typical season looked something like this: 29 homers, 106 RBI, 91 runs scored and an average above .300.

But what really elevates the case for Rice is context. He led every player in his league in virtually every significant offensive category for a dozen years.

Among all major leaguers, only nine players have compiled as high a career batting average (.298) and as many homers. They are: Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Hank Aaron, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Stan Musial."

All this being said, if I had a vote, I would vote for Rice AND Dawson!