Fri Oct 20, 2023 8:14 pm
“For me it’s the Mick , everything stopped when he came up to bat. He could beat out a drag bunt with unmatched speed or hit a ball out of any park from both sides of the plate. He was the one we all wanted to be In my Queens neighborhood. I can remember the photos of him taping up his knees to get ready to play , by all accounts his teammates loved him as much as his fans.”
I wasn’t alive when Mantle played, but from what I have read, I would agree he was the best. And keep in mind, he ripped his knee up at the end of his rookie season, and he played with a lot of pain for his whole career. He was fast, but prior to the injury he had blazing speed. And he had unrivaled power.
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.