2007-03-05 03:06:16 · 18 answers · asked by popular_bond 2 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Yes, Without a doubt. I'm sure people have often wondered what his career stats would have looked like if he had not lost 4 1/2 years to WWII and Korea. Those years were taken away during the prime of his baseball career.
2007-03-05 09:14:37 · answer #1 · answered by Yankee Dude 6 · 7⤊ 1⤋
Do you know what Lou Gehrig's numbers would have been if he had not gotten sick? They would have been amazing. He has 5 short of 2000 rbis, a .340 lifetime batting average, a .447 lifetime on base percentage, a lifetime slugging percentage of.632( The highest ever by a first baseman) and was a triple crown winner in 1934. He was named MVP twice and was an all star 6 times.(the first All-Star game was not until 1933. He started playing in 1925 and retired in 1939). He has 493 career home runs and is still the grand slam record holder with 23. If he is not better than Ted Williams then he is at least as good. I hope you can see past the fact that you are a Red Sox fan and take this answer to heart. Don't get me wrong, Ted Williams was one of the best and I think that the fact that he went to war when his country needed him makes him even more great. I just don't think that you can pick 1 greatest hitter of all time. I think everyone (including myself) is biased.
signed,
A Baseball fan
2007-03-05 13:01:26 · answer #2 · answered by Master Chief 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Williams hit .406 37 homers when he was 23 1941. He hit .356 36 homers 137 rbi 141 runs scored all league leading totals in 1942. he went to serve as a pilot in the Marines during the war he came back in 1946 and hit .342 he also served in parts of the Korean war as pilot. So yes he is the best hitter ever. Not that these statistics prove anything. His career taken as a whole, the average, the power, Cobb never hit for much power, the walks. Gehrig, Ruth, Cobb, Hornsby, were probably better players Williams could be very lazy on defense, although he could also be very good, all in all the best hitter is Williams, the best player was Ruth.
As for the people or person who mentioned Pete Rose, Rose was not even the best hitter of his time, mid 60s to the early 80s. He might have the most hits but that is only due to the fact that he extended his career by hanging on way after his prime. The best hitters of his era were in no particular order. Hank Aaron, Tony Oliva, Frank Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, George Brett, Rod Carew, Mike Schmidt.
2007-03-05 14:25:56 · answer #3 · answered by bartleyrose 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't think so. I think he should be listed as one of the greatest, but not THE greatest. When you look at career Batting Average, the top two are Ty Cobb (.366) and Rogers Hornsby (.358). They both also had 3 seasons where the hit over .400. The only place where Ted Williams is on top of the record books is On base Percentage, with a career .481. My thing with that is that your question was for the greatest HITTER ever, not who was on base most often. OBP includes things like walks as well, and you don't have to hit to draw a walk. So my argument would be that Ty Cobb is probably the greatest hitter ever, not Ted Williams.
2007-03-05 11:19:00 · answer #4 · answered by lighthouse_38 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best Hitter ever?...sure...
Had he not spent a few years in the middle of career as a fighter pilot at war...imagine the stats. I think he hit .400 after all that, if my memory serves me correctly(don't quote me on that though, I need to research it).
I always liked Tony Gwynn who everybody always compared to Ted Williams.
Ichiro is the next great one in line when it comes to talking about hitting. We are spoiled in this day and age to see so many SUPERstars, we've grown so acustom to how it is now, we take for granted the past, and just how truly special certain players were.
2007-03-05 11:19:24 · answer #5 · answered by ? 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Ty Cobb was baseball's greats player but Ted Williams was baseball's best hitter.
Ted Williams lived and breathed hitting and became a student of bats and and hitting techniques.
2007-03-05 11:56:55 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It’s somewhat funny if you mean the best, pure hitter then you have to say Ty Cobb I mean a .366 lifetime average doesn’t lie. But in my opinion the best all around hitter was Babe Ruth with a .342 career average (ninth all-time) to go along with his .474 on-base % (second all-time), his .689 slugging % (best all-time), 4978 time on base (ninth all-time), 5793 total bases (fifth all-time) and of course 714 home runs (third all-time). Yes, I know you asking for opinion but there are some facts that can’t be denied
2007-03-05 12:57:53 · answer #7 · answered by hair_of_a_dog 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sure, Ted could hit, but I am amazed no one has mentioned THE greatest hitter, Charlie Hustle, Pete Rose.
2007-03-05 12:47:29 · answer #8 · answered by jh 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not to take anything away from the splinter; If I had to get one hit to win a ballgame & anything else loses it, I go with Tony Gwynn, Hank Greenberg, Roberto Clemente, then Williams...of today's bunch I'd go with that Cabrera kid in Floriday...
2007-03-05 17:35:18 · answer #9 · answered by St. Copius 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
his average was good. but george brett almost hit .400 in the 80's and he could hit for power.
pete rose had more career hits, but many more years that ted.
but i'd have to say either ty cobb or honus wagner was the best contact hitters. and george brett and barry bonds for avg and power.
2007-03-05 22:01:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋