Bill
Burgess /
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[From Bill Burgess'
Ty Cobb Memorial
Collection]
Dates
Ty Cobb's Supporters Died
Ty
Cobb As A Manager
Was Cobb
the greatest all-around baseball player who ever lived?
PART
I
TY COBB'S POWER CASE
By Bill Burgess III
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 |