"Chris, yes I can. Frank Baker, Pie Traynor, Jimmy Collins, George Brett, George Kell, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt, Tony Perez, Darrell Evans and Freddie Lindstrom ..."
Frank, while I usually agree with you on these things, I consider Santo to be the superior player to Traynor, Lindstrom, Kell and Collins. Traynor and Linstrom's stats were inflated by playing their peak years during a time of obscenely inflated batting averages (see 1929 and 1930 — there's a reason Hack Wilson had so many RBIs). Kell might have been a better place hitter than Santo, but he had little power and couldn't have been any better as a fielder. If you placed him in the 1960s, you would have to dock at least 10 points from his batting average. And I see nothing in Collins' record to show he was any better than any of the above. It's my belief Collins and Traynor are overrated because at one point, each was known as "the greatest third baseman ever," which dramatically illustrates why there are so few Hall of Fame third baseman.
I'd also take Santo over Perez, who may have been a slightly better hitter, but didn't have nearly the glove. It's my belief gloves are underrated and bats are overrated in the Hall of Fame, particularly at such a key position like third base. Perez was better suited for first base.
As for Evans, he's one of the most underrated of all players and I applaud you for putting him on the list.
Santo had a great glove, outstanding power, a keen batting eye and one of the best averages of any third baseman who played during an era that was absolutely dominated by pitching ...
|