Nap Lajoie or Eddie Collins 2nd base? Who would you take?

[oldjudge]

As a hitter I judge Lajoie superior, although they were different types. Collins was more a lead off hitter type with a high OBP due to many more walks, and lots of steals. Lajoie drove in more runs and had a much better slugging percentage. For me the best indicator was who got into the HOF first as the voters actually saw both play: Lajoie-1937, Collins-1939. BTW, for all Mickey Mantle fans, Lajoie, based on a 162 game season, averaged more RBIs , despite being a second baseman and playing in the dead ball era, than Mantle did.

[nolemmings]

It's a bit of a trick question, depending on what you mean by "T206 era". Lajoie already had 10 full seasons under his belt before T206, to Collins one. Nap was done by 1916, and Collins played more than a decade longer. If you want to compare full career stats of the two, then you are really going well beyond the "T206" era, and since Collins' career included most of Rogers Hornsby's seasons too, I would argue that Rajah was better than either of them, certainly so as a hitter.

[clydepepper]

On a windy day, I'll take Lajoie.


Collins was far too aerodynamic with those milk-jug handles he called ears.

Too much lift would make him miss all the grounders.



On a calm day, Lajoie for offense, Collins for defense.

[brianp-beme]

Eddie Collins, because he had more cards issued. If based on looks, Lajoie wins, as his cards are typically more attractive. The guy knew how to strike a baseball pose, as if he were model in the Sears Roebuck catalog.

Brian (card-centric, to say the least. And never one afraid of not just mentioning Sears, but throwing in the Roebuck as well)

[darwinbulldog]

Eddie Collins.

Here are all the 2nd basemen I rank among my top 100 players.
1. Hornsby
2. Collins
3. Lajoie
4. Morgan
[big drop-off]
5. Gehringer
6. Robinson
7. Carew
8. Grich

[bbcard1]

There's really not a dime's worth of difference between the two. Take your pick and you won't go wrong either way.

[packs]

I'd take Collins. He played later and still raked. The guy led the league in stolen bases at 37 years old. I think he would have been a star in any era whereas I think Lajoie's career is a product of his era, though who knows all those doubles he hit might have been bombs 10 years later.