Ross Barnes. He was simply the best player in the NA and is the only player to hit over .400 four times in his career.
As I've said prior, we have a preoccupation with stats when evaluating players of the earliest era. These players can not be judged by the benchmarks accepted for later players. Many played prior to the arrival of professionalism and the rules were different. I believe the period assessments given to early players by their peers hold a lot of weight, also. Anson, Spalding, and the Wrights all put Barnes at or near the top of their list when asked to name the greatest players of their era. It doesn't get any better than that.
Last edited by GaryPassamonte; 05-23-2012 at 05:55 AM.
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