Who’s the greatest……

In my lifetime, it was clearly Bonds. I know everyone beats him up over the steroids, but he was a hall of fame player before that. And he carried the pirates to 3 playoff series, and with a little luck, would have been in World Series with them. I saw him play many times, and I bet if you asked pitchers in his day, they would say he was the most feared.

I agree about this, in my lifetime. I watched (mostly) all of Bonds' games with the Giants in his peak. He'd get maybe one good pitch to hit during an at bat, and he'd smash it out of the ballpark. Steroids, yes, he did, but no one has come anywhere near what he did and so many of these guys today use some performance enhancer or something anyhow.

Is there an algorithm to ascertain how Willie Mays would have done playing in the hitter friendly '20s and '30s like Ruth? Mays mostly played in a pitcher's era and in a HR-decreasing ballpark (Candlestick). Given his defensive accolades, I would say he might be the very best all-around of any era. I do think the Mick had roughly the equal talent, power and speed -- and a great penchant for walks and OBP -- but Mays had the better health and played more games, a better centerfielder, too.

It's very difficult to compare across different eras. The game changes, evolves across the decades. Context is everything, so many variables.

The + stats like wRC+ and OPS+ are league-adjusted and park-adjusted. WAR is too in the sense that every league starts out with the same number of WAR (assuming the same number of teams), and the better you are compared to the league's scrubs, the bigger slice of the WAR pie you get.

Micky always said May's was the better player but he was so self depreciating. He also said if he would have known they made such a big deal about 30HR and 30Sb
B he would have done it. The Yanks of the 50s and 60s didn't run much .

Unfortunately with these new rules 30/30 won’t seem as impressive as it used to be. 4 guys got there last season and I don’t see how that’s not the new norm headed forward.

When you add in Ruth's pitching to overall career WAR, he easily tops Mays:

Ruth: 182.6 WAR
Mays: 156.1 WAR

But when you subtract Ruth's pitching, it's fairly close with Mays as a hitter position player:

Ruth: 162.2 WAR
Mays: 156.1 WAR

Mays adds a lot with his defense: 18.2 WAR vs. -2.3 for Ruth. One element incorporated into WAR -- Runs from Baserunning, Mays is at 78 while Ruth is at -9.

Ruth was the best, such an outlier against his peers. Mays and Bonds not far behind.

In my lifetime. Best clutch hitters I ever saw. (1) Ted Williams. (2) Mantle. (3) Mays. (4) Brett. (5) Carew. Best Pitchers. (1) Koufax. (2) Maddux. And best all round. Bobby Orr

The best player of all time: Sidd Finch, going away.
nobody could hit that guy. nobody.

In my lifetime. Best clutch hitters I ever saw. (1) Ted Williams. (2) Mantle. (3) Mays. (4) Brett. (5) Carew. Best Pitchers. (1) Koufax. (2) Maddux. And best all round. Bobby Orr

Damn. Someone who actually remembers seeing Ted Williams on these boards! I'm envious

That's a privilege of being old. Remember seeing Williams often on Saturday MLB game of the week. Often with Dizzy Dean doing the broadcast. IMHO Williams was the best hitter I have ever seen.

That's a privilege of being old. Remember seeing Williams often on Saturday MLB game of the week. Often with Dizzy Dean doing the broadcast. IMHO Williams was the best hitter I have ever seen.

Hit over.400 with power in the modern era? Yeah I think I'd have to agree.