Could Gehrig have handled the pressure?

[packs]

I doubt it. Derek Jeter wasn't exactly a flashy guy or outrageous personality and he was just fine, even today in an age where there is no privacy for most celebrities and people have instant access to almost anyone via social media.

[billyb]

Packs,
Hard to compare today ballplayer to the 30's. With television, it is a way to connect with the ball player, but in the 30's, fans hung around the ball parks more, just to get a glimpse of a ball players. That was how they interacted with them back then.
If you look at Gehrig's first year without Ruth, 1935, Gehrig's numbers dropped. In 1936, he came back, but did it take a year for Gehrig to adjust?

[packs]

I agree it's hard to compare but for different reasons. Today it is almost impossible to do what Jeter did. No controversy, no episodes, no accusations. But Jeter was still able to handle himself the way he did in the age of information and intrusion.

If he were alive today I'd imagine we would have seen an equally quiet man who played without controversy, establishing himself as a legend while looking comfortable the entire time.

In my opinion, Ruth had no bearing on the greatness of Gehrig.

[billyb]

Packs,
I agree with you, Gehrig would have been great without Ruth around. As I said, I am not bashing Gehrig at all.
I was waiting before I post this, but I feel without Ruth, Gehrig's peak years may have been higher, but in his lesser seasons (which were good for anybody else), I think they would have declined even further. Probably balancing out his career as it is today.

[1963Topps Set]

I have wondered if Gehrig would of put up his numbers on a team like the Cubs or Senators. Remember, with Ruth out of the line up pitchers would not have pitched to Gehrig like they did with Ruth in there. Regardless, if he still was able to put up the numbers without Ruth, he would of been just fine!

[rats60]

Originally Posted by billyb

Packs,
Hard to compare today ballplayer to the 30's. With television, it is a way to connect with the ball player, but in the 30's, fans hung around the ball parks more, just to get a glimpse of a ball players. That was how they interacted with them back then.
If you look at Gehrig's first year without Ruth, 1935, Gehrig's numbers dropped. In 1936, he came back, but did it take a year for Gehrig to adjust?

His numbers in 1935 were about the same as 1933 though. 1934 he had an OPS+ of 206, 2nd highest of his career. I don't think it would have hurt his numbers outside of RBIs.

[CMIZ5290]

Could similar comparisons be made between Maris and Mantle?

[1963Topps Set]

Originally Posted by CMIZ5290

Could similar comparisons be made between Maris and Mantle?

No.. We know Maris could not handle the spotlight.. Mantle could.. Sort of...

[clydepepper]

His Home/ Away splits say that he suffered without someone else in the spotlight:

1934 - Home - .414 ; Away- .311
1935 - Home - .281 ; Away- .372
1936- Home - .352 ; Away- .356

Perhaps the pitchers had more energy when he came up to bat in 1935- facing Ruth or DiMaggio then Gehrig was a daunting task.

Interesting how much it effected him at home.

In 1961, Maris hit .281 in 520 ABs batting third (assuming Mantle batted fourth in all these)
.186 in 70 ABs anywhere else in the order.

[the 'stache]

If you've ever watched the movie 61*, Raymond, you'd remember that the reporters were asking Maris before the start of the 1961 season if he was going after Babe Ruth's single season home run record. He was, of course, the MVP in 1960, but Maris had slumped terribly after the All Star Break.

Through July 10, 1960 (72 games), Maris hit .320 with 27 home runs and 69 RBI in 269 ABs. His OPS pre-break was 1.101. That's where he won the MVP.

The All Star Game was on July 11th.

The second half of the '60 season, July 15th to October 2nd, 64 games, Maris hit .239 with 12 home runs and 43 RBI. His OPS was .777.

I would assume that new Yankee Manager Ralph Houk put Maris lower in the lineup to start the '61 season in order to ease him into it, and try to take some of the pressure off of him, knowing full well the terrible slump he experienced in the second half of the 1960 season.

It didn't work. Though the stress would visibly take a toll on him, Maris performed best on the field when the pressure was on him.

Through May 17th, 29 games into the 1961 season, with Maris having batted 3rd, 5th and 7th in the lineup at different times, he was hitting a paltry .218 with 4 home runs and 13 RBI. He had a .703 OPS. When you combine that cold stretch with the end of his 1960 season, as of May 17th, his prior 93 games, a total of 331 at bats, Maris hit .233 with 16 home runs and 56 RBI. Hardly MVP-like.

But consider then what he did going forward. On May 19th, Roger Maris hit a home run in the first of three consecutive games. It was the start of what I consider the greatest power display in baseball history.

In his final 131 games, Roger Maris would be walked 74 times. He would hit .280. He would hit 14 doubles. Good numbers.

In 489 at bats from May 19th until the end of the 1961 season, Roger Maris would hit 57 home runs, and drive in 128 runs!

128 RBI in 132 games. And a home run every 8.58 at bats.

In 1927, when Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs, he did it in 540 at bats. That's a home run every 9 at bats. Maris beat that rate by nearly a half at bat.

But the most impressive statistic, if you ask me, about his entire 1961 season, is his strikeout rate. He struck out 67 times the entire season, against 61 home runs. But during "the run" I just mentioned, Maris hit 58 home runs, and only struck out 55 times.

Another remarkable statistic is his home run splits. He hit 30 home runs at Yankee Stadium in 1961. He hit 31 on the road.
His OPS at home was 1.001.
His road OPS was .986.
He struck out 31 times in 280 at bats at home.
He struck out 36 times in 319 at bats on the road.

Maris was consistent no matter where he played. He could hit the ball out of any park in the Majors, and he did.