Clemente: Inner circle of the elite, or on his way?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by pclpads

Nobody, but nobody ever or now had / has the arm that RC had. Just a lazer shot for runners foolish enough to try stretching a double into a triple. Had he played another 4 years, I think he would now be the all time hits leader.

He had 3000 hits, was 37, and was coming off a 118 hit season. I don't think he was a threat to the all-time hit record.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He had 3000 hits, was 37, and was coming off a 118 hit season. I don't think he was a threat to the all-time hit record.

Agreed. Still a long ways to go to catch Pete. At 150 hits/year, he would have needed more than 8 more seasons.

[packs]

All due respect to Al Kaline but I don't know if I can point to one thing anyone would remember Kaline for. Clemente's death will keep his name on people's minds forever.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by packs

All due respect to Al Kaline but I don't know if I can point to one thing anyone would remember Kaline for. Clemente's death will keep his name on people's minds forever.

Even though I agree, in an effort to avoid neutralizing comments I suggest we all refrain from throwing acid on Al Kaline's legacy.

Brian

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

Even though I agree, in an effort to avoid neutralizing comments I suggest we all refrain from throwing acid on Al Kaline's legacy.

Brian

Battery acid?

[ronniehatesjazz]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He had 3000 hits, was 37, and was coming off a 118 hit season. I don't think he was a threat to the all-time hit record.

Yeah hard to imagine him getting north of 3500. I never got a chance to watch him play (I'm only 32) but I think his humanitarian efforts have hoisted into the conversation of greatest players ever. It's hard for me to imagine that, based on stats, he is much above a mediocre HOF player (even though that would still make him one of the top 100 players of all time). I think even a lot of relatively recent inductees are better then him, e.g. Griffey.

[Peter_Spaeth]

It's all arbitrary but I would probably rank him somewhere between 30 and 40 -- for me, the high batting average, the fielding, and what I sense were some powerful intangibles put him well above the average HOFer, though still not in the class of Mays Aaron and Mantle and even a bit below Frank Robinson.

[pclpads]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He had 3000 hits, was 37, and was coming off a 118 hit season. I don't think he was a threat to the all-time hit record.

As the late Mr. Dangerfield said, "tough crowd, tough crowd." For all you wizards of the keyboard - like the above - who piped in, like jackals waiting to pounce on the latest innocuous mistake, I offer a mea culpa. I neglected to note his age, thinking he was younger than 37 when he passed. So, 300 hits for four years at that age would be inconceivable even for the great RC. However, couldn't help noting there - so far - are no rebukes to my comment re: his cannon-like arm. Hello? Anybody? Tough to dispute that one, eh?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Griffey, Vlad and Bo were none too shabby.

[obcbobd]

A picture (video) is worth a thousand words. There's a video of a throw he made earlier in his career that was even better, but I could not find it. I was a nine year old base ball fanatic in 1971, and was blown away by what he did in that World Series

https://youtu.be/-WnfqgOsR6A

I also agree with the previous poster who mentioned Dwight Evan's arm. The best I ever seen in person

[Bpm0014]

Had he played another 4 years, I think he would now be the all time hits leader.

He would have to average 315 hits a year......

[ronniehatesjazz]

Originally Posted by pclpads

As the late Mr. Dangerfield said, "tough crowd, tough crowd." For all you wizards of the keyboard - like the above - who piped in, like jackals waiting to pounce on the latest innocuous mistake, I offer a mea culpa. I neglected to note his age, thinking he was younger than 37 when he passed. So, 300 hits for four years at that age would be inconceivable even for the great RC. However, couldn't help noting there - so far - are no rebukes to my comment re: his cannon-like arm. Hello? Anybody? Tough to dispute that one, eh?

A poor man’s Andruw Jones. That’s all, a poor man’s Andruw Jones.

[ALR-bishop]

Originally Posted by ronniehatesjazz

A poor man’s Andruw Jones. That’s all, a poor man’s Andruw Jones.

Thanks for the tip. I am buying Andruw anywhere and everywhere