Ron Santo

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

Morgan is a better player.
Comparing the players against the leagues that they played in:

Batting average
Morgan .271 vs league .260
Sandberg .285 vs league .269
slight advantage to RS

OBP
Morgan .392. vs league .326
Sandberg . 344 vs league .333
huge advantage Morgan

OPS
Morgan .819 vs league .710
Sandberg .796 vs league .741
huge advantage Morgan

Slg %
Morgan .427 vs League .384
Sandberg .452 vs league .404
even

Runs Created per 27 outs
Morgan 6.59
Sandberg 5.58
advantage Morgan

Runs created per 650 Ab
Morgan 100.4
Sandberg 91.8
advantage Morgan

Secondary average
Morgan .431
Sandberg .296
huge advantage Morgan

Sb
Morgan 689 from 801 attempts 86%
Sandberg 344 from 451 attempts 76%
big advantage Morgan

And these stats are a bit skewed in favor of Sandberg because he played his whole career in a very favorable hitters park while Morgan had 6 years of the Astrodome. Plus Morgan did not know when to go and really dragged his numbers down the last 2 years of his career. Sandberg is a great player and a top 6 all time second basemen. But Morgan is only behind the great Rogers Hornsby as a second baseman and is the best of the modern age.

You cherry picked numbers there CRAZY style, where is HR's/RBI's/2b's/Errors/hits/K's/Walks. You bust out 2nd rate stats except for SB's (which I will not and can't argue with because Sandberg wasn't a good baserunner). The interesting thing about this is I have never seen runs created per AB's. I am now a HUGE fan of that stat. Where did you get that from?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Scav

You cherry picked numbers there CRAZY style, where is HR's/RBI's/2b's/Errors/hits/K's/Walks. You bust out 2nd rate stats except for SB's (which I will not and can't argue with because Sandberg wasn't a good baserunner). The interesting thing about this is I have never seen runs created per AB's. I am now a HUGE fan of that stat. Where did you get that from?

The stats I selected are not second rate and are more easily comparable then strictly raw data like HR, runs, rbis, etc which are directly related to era, ballpark and lineup. Baseball Prospectus has tons of interesting stats like these. I think that the biggest and probably best all around offensive stat is Value over replacement player(VORP) because it eliminates the biases of era, ballpark, lineups, position difference, etc. This stat takes almost every offensive stat into consideration and compares the players # vs. the league average from each individual year at the same position. The beauty of this is that you can compare players of different eras and positions (except pitchers which have thier own measure). It would be very similar to a sheet number in horseracing where all the variables are formulated into a single number. Using VORP it is readily apparent that Morgan is not only better than Sandberg but by a wide margin.

VORP by year for Morgan
Year MLB ranking VORP ranking at 2b
1970 18th 53.6 1st
1971 12th 43.1 1st
1972 1st 74.1 1st
1973 1st 77.6 1st
1974 1st 79.8 1st
1975 1st 92.0 1st
1976 1st 94.3 1st
1977 3rd 72.4 1st
1978 68th 26.7 6th
1979 59th 29.5 7th
1980 48th 31.8 6th
1981 41st 22.0 3rd
1982 17th 47.9 1st
1983 57th 27.6 7th

VORP for Sandberg
year MLB ranking VORP ranking at 2b
1983 134th 13.6 18th
1984 2nd 68.3 1st
1985 9th 61.0 1st
1986 51st 29.3 8th
1987 37th 40.6 4th
1988 49th 30.8 4th
1989 14th 49.5 2nd
1990 3rd 68.7 1st
1991 14th 52.6 2nd
1992 5th 61.7 1st
1993 73rd 27.2 8th
1994 350th 16.0 23rd
1996 111th 19.7 14th

Morgan was not only the best 2nd baseman in baseball from 1970 thru 1977 he is probably the best overall player in baseball during that time. Sandberg was the #1 rated 2nd baseman 4 times but was in the top 10 in all of baseball those same 4 years. He has some other years years where he was a top player but not to the same degree as Morgan.
I have not been able to find much difference in the defensive abilities of the 2 players but Morgan is not only a better player than Sandberg he may well be the best overall player of the 1970's.

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

I have not been able to find much difference in the defensive abilities of the 2 players but Morgan is not only a better player than Sandberg he may well be the best overall player of the 1970's.

Sandberg was the better defensive player. He covered much more ground. This of course goes unnoticed, the errors playing a large role in determining Gold gloves. Sandberg was much, much longer than Morgan and shut down balls hit to right field. I watched this. Also Sandberg rarely made dives at balls because he was already in the spot. He was great at anticipating and so smooth he hardly looked like he was moving.

I dont think its close on the defensive end. Of course Sandberg was the All-American boy who cheated on his beautiful wife and kids... so that story follows him along. Good looking guy, nice family, a hero... he took a publicity fall. Did not keep him out of the Hall. But he fell from superhero status.

[timmgirvan]

Did he just say "motion picture camera"??

Originally Posted by pgardn

Sandberg was the better defensive player. He covered much more ground. This of course goes unnoticed, the errors playing a large role in determining Gold gloves. Sandberg was much, much longer than Morgan and shut down balls hit to right field. I watched this. Also Sandberg rarely made dives at balls because he was already in the spot. He was great at anticipating and so smooth he hardly looked like he was moving.

I dont think its close on the defensive end. Of course Sandberg was the All-American boy who cheated on his beautiful wife and kids... so that story follows him along. Good looking guy, nice family, a hero... he took a publicity fall. Did not keep him out of the Hall. But he fell from superhero status.

You've got it ass backwards. Sandberg's first wife was rumored to be hooked up with a number of different athletes, the most often heard name was Don Marijle, then of the Phoenix Suns. Sandberg divorced her. During his induction speech into the HOF, he broke down when he thanked his second wife, whom he met after his divorce, for helping him cope during that period which he called the most difficult period of his life.

Originally Posted by pgardn

Sandberg was the better defensive player. He covered much more ground. This of course goes unnoticed, the errors playing a large role in determining Gold gloves. Sandberg was much, much longer than Morgan and shut down balls hit to right field. I watched this. Also Sandberg rarely made dives at balls because he was already in the spot. He was great at anticipating and so smooth he hardly looked like he was moving.

I dont think its close on the defensive end. Of course Sandberg was the All-American boy who cheated on his beautiful wife and kids... so that story follows him along. Good looking guy, nice family, a hero... he took a publicity fall. Did not keep him out of the Hall. But he fell from superhero status.

You've got it ass backwards. Sandberg's first wife was rumored to be hooked up with a number of different athletes, the most often heard name was Don Marijle, then of the Phoenix Suns. Sandberg divorced her. During his induction speech into the HOF, he broke down when he thanked his second wife, whom he met after his divorce, for helping him cope during that period which he called the most difficult period of his life.

[SCUDSBROTHER]

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/hi...Locator=GARVEY

What about this guy? I know he had an odd personality,but, without him, I honestly don't think the Dodgers would have had nearly the success they did from '74-'81.All those 200+ hit seasons......They weren't Ichiro hits.They were mainly hits that were clutch,and led to division titles,and 4 World Series appearances(the last resulting in a ring.)

[Crown@club]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/hi...Locator=GARVEY

What about this guy? I know he had an odd personality,but, without him, I honestly don't think the Dodgers would have had nearly the success they did from '74-'81.All those 200+ hit seasons......They weren't Ichiro hits.They were mainly hits that were clutch,and led to division titles,and 4 World Series appearances(the last resulting in a ring.)

He's tending to his hundred of children - he he he!

You had to remind me of '84, didn't you. ?!

Hmmm! Reminds me of Kirk Gibson also. OK! so he was not a 3B!

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by Crown@club

He's tending to his hundred of children - he he he!

You had to remind me of '84, didn't you. ?!

Hmmm! Reminds me of Kirk Gibson also. OK! so he was not a 3B!

No,I wrote nothing about his 5th World Series appearance.Of that Dodger infield of the 70's-early 80's,I think the only one that retired as a Dodger was Billy Russell(how did that bumblin' Okie ever get a ring?) They brought the '81 team back for a reunion a couple years ago.Too bad Cey,Lopes,and Garvey couldn't have retired as Dodgers,but that isn't realistic.As for Garvey's personal life,I don't know much about it.Doesn't help that he married a pretty mental patient named Cindy.You are probably right. His private life will (most likely)keep a very good player from ever getting into the Hall.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by SCUDSBROTHER

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/stats/hi...Locator=GARVEY

What about this guy? I know he had an odd personality,but, without him, I honestly don't think the Dodgers would have had nearly the success they did from '74-'81.All those 200+ hit seasons......They weren't Ichiro hits.They were mainly hits that were clutch,and led to division titles,and 4 World Series appearances(the last resulting in a ring.)

If he had those stats as a 2nd baseman or ss he may have some support but as a 1st baseman his stats are lacking

[SCUDSBROTHER]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

If he had those stats as a 2nd baseman or ss he may have some support but as a 1st baseman his stats are lacking

Well,I watched him play more games than I would like to admit to seeing.What stat(s) is he lacking? Obviously,you're right,because it doesn't look like he's getting in.I'd say that he didn't hit as many home runs as I would have liked.He would be in if he had hit 350,or 400 of them.Kind of a sucker for that outside pitch, too.Here,if voters ever see this link,they would never vote for him.I don't think he is getting in.Not exactly a sympathetic figure.Probably sealed his fate with those fat pills he use to push on cable.


http://www.stevegarvey.com/cooperstown.html

Did that say "surely allow him to take his proper place.....in the Hall of Fame".................LOL..........Can you imagine trying to squeak into the Hall by saying you should "surely" get in?? TOO FUNNY........If Tony Perez is in,then this guy should be in,or maybe neither should be in.I know he was a lot better than Tony was,and Tony was also a 1st baseman.So,it is tough to say Garvey shouldn't be in('cause Perez is already in.)

Originally Posted by Satan's Twin

You've got it ass backwards. Sandberg's first wife was rumored to be hooked up with a number of different athletes, the most often heard name was Don Marijle, then of the Phoenix Suns. Sandberg divorced her. During his induction speech into the HOF, he broke down when he thanked his second wife, whom he met after his divorce, for helping him cope during that period which he called the most difficult period of his life.

Yes and R.Palmerio and on and on. And then Sandberg remarries his neighbor. Two sides to every story.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Satan's Twin

You've got it ass backwards. Sandberg's first wife was rumored to be hooked up with a number of different athletes, the most often heard name was Don Marijle, then of the Phoenix Suns. Sandberg divorced her. During his induction speech into the HOF, he broke down when he thanked his second wife, whom he met after his divorce, for helping him cope during that period which he called the most difficult period of his life.

Dan not Don who was also rumored to be on both sides of the fence if you know what I mean