Very Interesting How Certain Stars are valued

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by rats60

As far as speed and defense, it is not close, Mays was far superior.

Defense? Sure. Speed? If Mays was faster, it wasn't by such a margin that it's "not close". Mickey was really, really fast. AFTER his knee injury, he was timed home to 1st in 3.1 seconds as a lefty. That's basically an average of 15mph starting from a dead stop.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Tabe

Defense? Sure. Speed? If Mays was faster, it wasn't by such a margin that it's "not close". Mickey was really, really fast. AFTER his knee injury, he was timed home to 1st in 3.1 seconds as a lefty. That's basically an average of 15mph starting from a dead stop.

Mantle took an extra base 54% of the time, which is exceptional. Mays took an extra base 63% of the time, which is the most ever.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Tabe

Defense? Sure. Speed? If Mays was faster, it wasn't by such a margin that it's "not close". Mickey was really, really fast. AFTER his knee injury, he was timed home to 1st in 3.1 seconds as a lefty. That's basically an average of 15mph starting from a dead stop.

Correction - er, maybe. I just found where Wikipedia insinuates the 3.1 timing was in 1959(?!) I had always read it was from his rookie season. If true and not just legend, that's really remarkable - after the knee surgeries as you mention, and at age 27? Does anyone know for sure when the 3.1 timing was taken?

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The 3.1 timings were from the spring of '51 - which would have been before the knee injury in the World Series with the drain pipe. He was certainly fast afterward, but not that fast.