Who was better, who would you take, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays?

[Zone91]

Mays played a lot more games than Mantle...but if Mantle had been healthy he would have most likely finished with similar stats than Mays.

Popularity wise Mantle by a 100 miles easy!!! Ask kids of today who Mantle is they mostly all know can't say the same for Mays.

[Paul S]

Gary Cooper

[Sean]

Originally Posted by Zone91

Mays played a lot more games than Mantle...but if Mantle had been healthy he would have most likely finished with similar stats than Mays.

Popularity wise Mantle by a 100 miles easy!!! Ask kids of today who Mantle is they mostly all know can't say the same for Mays.

To paraphrase Bill James" someone is not a great player because he could have been a great player." Mantle would have had better stats if he had been healthy. But he wasn't, and he didn't. And in the end that's all that matters.

[jimivintage]

Diehard Yankees fans will likely pick Mantle, but is this really a competition? Mays by a landslide.

[Eric72]

I would take Willie Mays...in a New York minute.

[conor912]

Originally Posted by jimivintage

Diehard Yankees fans will likely pick Mantle, but is this really a competition? Mays by a landslide.

I agree. Mays, no contest.

[mark evans]

Although I was a Yankee fan and Mantle my hero, the answer has to be Willie Mays. He was the best ballplayer I've ever seen.

[CW]

Mantle was great, but I have to go with Mays on this one. Mays was a pure five-tool, all around player. Mantle may have had the speed, but he didn't have the fielding proficiency that Mays had. Mays had the knack of being in the right place at the right time. Of course, I never saw either of them play, so I am largely talking out of my ass.

[itjclarke]

Mays by far.

[Paul S]

With all the talk about Joe D and Williams, Mantle and Mays...

[Shoele$$]

Originally Posted by Zone91

Mays played a lot more games than Mantle...but if Mantle had been healthy he would have most likely finished with similar stats than Mays.

No he WOULD have had better stats than Mays had he played longer AND wasn't hung over/injured most of the time. Mantle thought he wasn't gonna live past 40......and he drank like it.

Not to mention he played damn near his whole career on a broken body. Had Mays gone through what Mantle did physically and drank himself half to death like Mick, Mays wouldn't even be in the HOF right now or have come even close to his career stats. "Die hard" Yankee fan or not......Mantle was the MUCH more talented ball player than Mays. Faster, stronger, tougher and more naturally talented than Mays or anybody else at that time.

[AMBST95]

You can have all of the talent in the world, but if you can't harness it and actually use it, it's pointless. Willie Mays wins this one. The question you pose isn't who had the most talent, but who was better. Mays was better than Mantle as his career numbers clearly show.

[Tanman7baseball]

Originally Posted by AMBST95

You can have all of the talent in the world, but if you can't harness it and actually use it, it's pointless. Willie Mays wins this one. The question you pose isn't who had the most talent, but who was better. Mays was better than Mantle as his career numbers clearly show.

Beautifully said. I know too many ballplayers in college and pro ball that had all the talent in the world but threw it away because of drugs, alcohol, and/or lack of determination... But I have to say if the Commerce Comet stayed healthy and had an extra an extra 3,000 plate appearances he would of done some unbelievable things. Mantle had a lot of freak accidents that hindered his career dramatically. Mickey Mantle wins my vote because I'm bias

[Tanman7baseball]

WILLIE MAYS
Hall Of Fame StatisticsPlayer rank in (·)
Black Ink Batting - 57 (21), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink Batting - 337 (8), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor Batting - 376 (5), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards Batting - 76 (3), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS Center Field (1st), 156.1 career WAR/73.6 7yr-peak WAR/114.8 JAWS
Average HOF CF (out of 18) = 70.5 career WAR/44.1 7yr-peak WAR/57.3 JAWS

VS.

MICKEY MANTLE
Hall Of Fame StatisticsPlayer rank in (·)
Black Ink Batting - 62 (15), Average HOFer ≈ 27
Gray Ink Batting - 272 (17), Average HOFer ≈ 144
Hall of Fame Monitor Batting - 300 (15), Likely HOFer ≈ 100
Hall of Fame Standards Batting - 65 (22), Average HOFer ≈ 50
JAWS Center Field (4th), 109.7 career WAR/64.8 7yr-peak WAR/87.2 JAWS
Average HOF CF (out of 18) = 70.5 career WAR/44.1 7yr-peak WAR/57.3 JAWS

(JAWS is what I go off of)

[travrosty]

Mickey mantle was one of the fastest players to ever play major league baseball.

[Mark]

Mays and it's not all that close. His WARP # is so high because he was hitting like a demon against National League pitching during the 1960's.

[Zone91]

Same in hockey what if Mario Lemieux was healthy would he be the all time points leader....that DOES not count he simply is not....same with Mantle...love the guy but Mays was better. Mantle should have known better and staid healthy but he CHOSE not to and the price to be paid now in history is that Mays was and still is a better player. Mays was simply a smarter man and staid healthy by CHOICE!!!

[Runscott]

Wow. I would have said Mantle, but I'm learning that you don't want to disagree with a Mays fan

[midwaylandscaping]

Even as a Yankee fan, I still say Mays

[obcbobd]

Mays

Mantle MIGHT have had more talent and MIGHT have accomplished more if he'd taken better care of himself.

But he didn't

[CW]

Nice cards, Sean! You've inspired me, too.

[ullmandds]

I agree with much that has been said...mickey was more dominant when healthy...and did have how many world series rings? 7 or 8?...but Mays had a longer...more fruitful career numberswise!

[Delray Vintage]

Both great players, but Mays did it much longer, Mantle was and is more of a legend based on yankee status. Had I had to choose one in their prime I would take Mantle. Of course Mays stayed great into his late 30's, Mantle lost his skills at 34 or so.

[Exhibitman]

Another way to parse the issue is to ask who you would sign to a long-term contract as a free agent.

And WTF: