Quote:
Originally Posted by the 'stache
If I told you that Yastrzemski hit .301 with 23 HR and 74 RBI in 1968, you'd immediately say that was an ok season.
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It was a fine season under tough conditions. Good for 9th place in MVP voting behind Denny McLain, Willie Horton, Bill Freehan and Ken Harrelson.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the 'stache
And it's that same judgement that you're applying to his career.
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By any standard, the .264/12/68 Yaz put up in 1972 was not great. Or the .254/15/70 the year before.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the 'stache
I think it's a misnomer to say he had only a few great seasons.
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Obviously, since I said it, I disagree.
Fact is, we're talking about a corner outfielder who played 23 seasons yet topped 30 HRs just 3 times. He topped .300 just 6 times. And for all his defensive prowess in left field - a position so defensively important in Boston that Manny Ramirez manned it for nearly a decade - he played barely 60% of his career in LF. And, as mentioned, .264/.357/.422 on the road for his career. That's not even remotely in the elite category.
Really, he's a guy that looked like an elite player up through 1970 and then coasted on that rep for another 13 years.