Posted By:
Chris CountsPeter,
While Baker and Santo played in different eras, they both played their best years during eras when hitters faced severe challenges. Baker played most of his career in the Dead Ball era, while Santo played most of his career in the 1960s, when pitchers dominated. To illustrate Santo's excellence, in an era where offensive stats don't look very impressive, let's look at what Santo accomplished in 1968, the same year Carl Yastrzemski won the AL batting crown with a measily .301 average. Santo hit an unimpressive .246. But he drove in 98 runs (second in the league), walked 98 times (first in the league), played in 162 games, and won the Gold Glove at third base. And this was considered an off-year for him ...