Better Baseball player..... JR or RH?

Question

we had a discussion and there is a debate........... who is the better baseball player....
JACKIE ROBINSON or RICKY HENDERSON. keep in mind all the records Henderson broke, and Jackie's average statisical record. but then consider Jackie's racism he had to deal with, and Ricky's inability to retire.

Answer 1

i've already posted a dozen times all of the reasons why jackie is my hero. not only is he a better player than rickey, he is one of the greatest to play the game ever.

Answer 2

I'd go with Jackie Robinson.

Henderson was a great lead off hitter, probably the best the game has seen. He had to play 10 years when most guys on the bench could outhit and outfield him to break records. He destroyed his career BA in search of those records. I have no idea why anybody played Henderson his last 10 years. He lived on name alone and that is how he'll be remembered unfortunately. Look at his stats. He had what 2 good years in his last ten? Most of the time he was lucky to hit .250 during the last 10 years of his career where the first 10-15 he rarely hit under .300

Henderson did smash the all time stolen base record and did that in the first 10 years he was in the game. For that alone he belongs in the hall.

Jackie Robinson had far more to contend with off the field and had WAY more class than Henderson. Robinson was a consistantly excellent hitter and fielder. For that and what Jackie had to go through to produce better stats in than Henderson had while Robinson hit in a pitchers era, Henderson in a hitters era. I have to say Robinson was a better hitter than Henderson.

Answer 3

I am going to answer this question as it was written: Ricky Henderson had the better career but Jackie Robinson was the better player.

Jackie Robinson was a shortstop in the ***** Leagues when he was signed. The Dodgers already had Hall of Fame shortstop Pee Wee Reese but there was an opening at first base. Jackie simply became an All Star first baseman. Robinson later became an All Star at second base, third base and the outfield. He was a great leadoff hitter, later moving down the lineup when he was needed there,

Jackie Robinson was one of the best PLAYERS ever but he had a shorter career in the Majors due to his race and the fact that he served in the Army as an officer during World War II.

Answer 4

I would have to go with Jackie, despite Hendersons accomplishments. We will never be able to understand the amount of pressure Jackie had with the racism problem. I'm sure once he got on the field, JR put those worries behind him, but we will never know. Baseball is all about the big dollar contracts now, and the players complain endlessly about it. They consider this a huge problem. Shut up and play the game!

Answer 5

Interesting debate!

As big of a jerk that Ricky was, I've always said he's the best lead-off man ever. You're right about the records. I don't know all of them off hand (don't feel like looking them up), but if I remember correctly he's in the top 3 all time in runs score, SBs, walks, and 3Bs.

However, my vote would be for Jackie, and not because of his breaking the color barrier or even Ricky being a jerk. Jackie was a terrific all around athlete from his football and track accomplishments. Again, I don't have the stats in front of me, but I don't believe he played a full career and/or didn't have the opportunity to showcase his talents for a full career without distractions. In addition to the hitting, I think Robinson gives you more defensively. In short, if I were drafting a team I'd take Jackie over Ricky.

On a side note, did you ever hear the story about Ricky and John Olerud? Supposedly when Ricky played with him later in his career (was it Seattle?), when he first saw John O playing first base with his helmet he went up to him and said "Hey man, that's crazy that you wear that helmet in the field. I used to play with a guy in Toronto that also used to do that." John O said to him "That was me, ******."

Answer 6

That's very tough. Like you said, Rickey Henderson broke all those speed records (damn was he fast). And of course, he was still playing minor leauge baseball at 47 or so. But I have to say Jackie Robinson for exactly what you mentioned-he had to deal with so much adversity, where most people would have just quit. He will always remain a legend, because, with that adversity, he still played really well.

Answer 7

In all fairness you shouldn't compare players from two distinctly different eras who had two incredibily different Major League careers!

But give Jackie Robinson the 10 years he lost playing in the ***** Leagues and he would match up pretty close to Rickey Henderson. I think they would have had the same amount of HRs (close to 300); give the edge to Jackie in RBIs and Batting Average and give the edge to Rickey in stolen bases and runs. Jackie won the ROY award (1947) and MVP (1949); Rickey won the MVP in 1990.

Robinson played 151 games at 1st base in his rookie year (1947). Moved to 2nd base in 1948 and stayed there until 1953 when he moved to left-field. By that time Gil Hodges was a mainstay at first and a young Jim Gilliam played second. He played mostly at 3rd base his last two seasons, 1955-1956.

Two great, exciting players - would love to see Rickey steal home like Jackie did - 19 times in his career!

Answer 8

Both players were great athletes but the stats don't lie, Rickey Henderson was by far the better baseball player. He is arguably the greatest lead off hitter in baseball history. His career 1406 stolen bases and 2295 runs are both number one all-time and he finished second all-time with 2190 walks. His 130 steals in 1982 stands as the most stolen bases in a single season by a player after 1900. In his career, he lead the league in stolen bases twelve times.

If that doesn't impress you, consider this: Lou Brock holds the record for the second most career stolen bases with 938; that's 468 steals less than Rickey. There are only TWO active major leaguers, Kenny Lofton and Barry Bonds, who have even stolen more than 468 bases in their entire careers. In other words, you'd have to add the career of the fastest player of recent PLUS the career of the second fastest player in baseball history to pass Henderson.

Jackie Robinson is great in his own right and by no means a bad player. But Jackie's career was just far too short (only 10 seasons) to post enough stats to suggest he was better than Rickey.

Answer 9

Will Rickey be a first ballot HOFer? Could Rickey have done what Jackie did?

A lot of people don't realize that in college, baseball was Jackie's only 4th best sport and he still made the HOF.

To this day segregation in MLB still angers me.

Answer 10

It's pointless to say one is better than another. They played in different era's. Yes, I'm a huge Rickey Henderson fan. If I was starting a team I would be happy as a hog in crap to have either one on my team. Why can't we recognize each ones accomplishments, without pitting them against each other. Does it really matter who we think is better. They each had to endure problems that the other didn't have too.

SO my answer is simply this

They were both two of the greatest ball players of all time.

Answer 11

Ricky Henderson was a better player. I belive that if you let Ricky play he could still hit and play the field. The guy was by far the best player we ever saw on the base paths. He may have been one of the best we ever saw play.