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Thursday, April 5 Ken Griffey Jr. vs. Willie Mays ESPN.com | |||||||||
The numbers: Player G AVG OBP SLG OPS* OPS+^ Runs RBI TPR# Say Hey 2992 .302 .387 .557 .944 157 2062 1903 95.9 Junior 1680 .296 .384 .568 .951 147 1163 1270 51.6* on-base percentage + slugging percentage ^ OPS adjusted for home park and normalized to league average (from "Total Baseball") # Total Player Rating (wins above average player at his position -- from "Total Baseball") Ken Griffey Jr. is now 31 years old. He's still young enough that his career can approach the all-time records: Henry Aaron's 755 home runs (Griffey has 438), Aaron's 2,297 RBI and Ty Cobb's 2,246 runs scored. On the other hand, check Griffey's TPR the last four seasons: 6.9, 5.8, 4.7, 3.8. According to Total Baseball, after Willie Mays turned 31, he was the best player in the National League in 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1965. Mays didn't really start slowing down until he was 35. Griffey, while still a great player, has apparently began to slide from his 1993-1997 peak. He's young enough and talented enough to reverse that trend. If he does, he has a chance to come close to Mays. But for now ... Final tally: Mays. --David Schoenfield  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | ALSO SEE Best now vs. best ever: Catcher Best now vs. best ever: First base Best now vs. best ever: Second base Best now vs. best ever: Third base Best now vs. best ever: Shortstop Best now vs. best ever: Left field Best now vs. best ever: Right field Best now vs. best ever: Pitcher | ||||||||
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