The Baseball Guru - TY COBB's POWER CASE by Bill Burgess

When Cobb retired following the '28 season, he held the ML records for:

G, AB, BA, Hits, Runs, RBIs, TB, SB, steals of Home, EBHs, singles, runs produced.

He was second in: doubles, triples, extra bases on hits. A collection truly Cobbian.

Overall, Ty set more records than the Babe, or anyone else, 90. His records lasted the longest. 30 still stand.

Using traditional stats, Ty led his league more often than anyone else, I think around 60.

Today 75 yrs later, he is STILL:

1st: BA, Relative BA, Runs Produced

2nd: hits, runs, triples, OF assists, OF DPs,

3rd: Relative OBA for this century

4th: SB, G, AB, doubles, triples, OF putouts

8th: OBA unadjusted, extra bases

But there's more. Mr. Cobb hung up these impressive achievemets.

HRs - top 3 in the league - 5 times, won 1

RBIs - top 3 in the league - 7 times, won 4

TBs - top 3 in the league - 10 times, won 6

SLG. - top 3 in the league - 14 times, won 8

Looked at from another angle, Mr. Cobb led his league in the following years, in the following categories.

1907---BA, SLG, TB, RBI, H, OPS, OPS+, BR+,

1908---BA, SLG, TB, RBI, H, D, T, OPS, OPS+, BR+,

1909---BA, OBP, SLG, TB, RBI, R, H, HR, OPS, OPS+, BR+, SB,

1910---BA, OBP, SLG, R, OPS, OPS+,

1911---BA, SLG, R, H, D, T, RBI, SB, OPS, TB, OPS+, EBH,

1912---BA, SLG, H, OPS, OPS+, BR+, SB,

1915---BA, OBP, TB, R, H, OPS, OPS+, BR+, SB, SBR,

1917---BA, OBP, H, D, T, SLG, SB, OPS, TB, EBH, OPS+,

1918---BA, OBP, T, OPS, OPS+, BR+,

Power? Let's talk about it. From the 1893-1919 era, here is the Career HR list:

1. Zack Wheat ------132

2. Gavvy Cravath---119

3. Jimmy Ryan------118

4. Tilly Walker------118

5. Ty Cobb--------117

6. Tris Speaker-----117

9. Ed Delahanty----101

9. Honus Wagner---101

11. Sam Crawford---97

12. Frank Baker-----96

14. Herman Long----91

Ty Cobb / Willie Mays: Power

My most impressive stat is that Ty came in the top 3 in SLG. ave. 14 times! He won 8.

That is a record that I don't think Willie can compete with. Willie's power case cannot withstand that level of firepower!

Willie came in the top 3 in SLG. 8 times, and won 5.

Willie's peers tougher in power? Oh really.

Ty's peers: Ruth, Lajoie, Joe Jackson, Crawford, Speaker, Frank Baker, Sisler, Harry Heilmann,

Bobby Veach, Bob Meusel, Ken Williams, Bob Fothergill, Leon "Goose" Goslin, Tillie Walker.

Willie's peers: Aaron, Clemente, Musial, Frank Robinson, Banks, Snider, Ralph Kiner,

Big Klu, Eddie Mathews, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, J. Robinson, Campanella.

Willie's Home Run Record

Year-HRs-placed

1954-41-3rd

1955-51-1st

1956-36-5th

1957-35-4th

1958-29-6th

1959-34-5th

1960-29-6th

1961-40-2nd

1962-49-1st

1963-38-3rd

1964-47-1st

1965-52-1st

1966-37-3rd

1968-23-9th

Ty's Home Run Record:

Year-HRs-placed

1907-5-2nd

1908-4-6th

1909-9-1st

1910-8-2nd

1911-8-2nd

1912-7-3rd

1913-4-8th

1916-5-5th

1917-6-4th

1918-3-7th

1921-12-9th

Willie 14 times came in the top 10 in HRs. Ty did that 11 times. Obviously, Ty hurt himself in the 20's,

when he chose not to go for HRs, when others did. Still, Willie came in his top 3, 8 times,

Ty 6 times, when he was not even trying for homers.

Inside the park homeruns

Twenty Career Inside the Park Home Runs

1 Sam Crawford 51

2 Tommy Leach 49

3 Ty Cobb 46

4 Honus Wagner 41

5 Tris Speaker 37

6 Jake Daubert 33

7 Chief Wilson 31

8 Rogers Hornsby 30

Willie Keeler 30

Edd Roush 30

11 Max Carey 28

Ed Konetchy 28

13 Jesse Burkett 27

14 Zack Wheat 25

15 Hal Chase 24

16 Fred Clarke 23

Earle Combs 23

18 Rabbit Maranville 22

19 Ginger Beaumont 21

Sherry Magee 21

Sam Rice 21

Cy Seymour 21

23 George Sisler 20