Most dominant seasons of all time?

[Blackout]

taking out degree of difficulty, what are the most "dominating" seasons?

what I can think of:

Hugh Duffy 1894: .440/.503/.694, 160 runs, 51 doubles, 16 triples, 18 home runs, 145 RBI's, 85 XBH, 177 OPS+ and 48 stolen bases in 125 games

Nap Lajoie 1901: .426/.463/.643, 145 runs, 48 doubles ,14 triples, 14 homers, 125 RBI's, 76 XBH, 200 OPS+ and 27 stolen bases in 131 games

Fred Dunlap 1884 (Federal league): .412/.448/.621, 160 runs, 39 doubles, 8 triples, 13 home runs, unknown RBI's, 60 XBH, 250 OPS+ in 101 games

Pete Browning 1882 (American Association): .378/.430/.510, 67 runs, 17 doubles, 3 triples, 5 home runs, unknown RBI's, 25 XBH, 222 OPS+ in 69 games

and ofcourse Wagner's 08, Cobb's 1911, Rogers Hornsby's 1922, Hack Wilson's 1930, a couple Ted Williams years, Mantle's 1956, Barroid Bonds*'s 2001-04 and half of the Babe's seasons.

[Baseball Guru]

How about Sam Thompson in 1894 & 85?

Sam Thompson 1894: .407/.458/.686, 108 runs, 29 doubles, 27 triples, 13 home runs, 141 RBI's, 69 XBH, 176 OPS+ and 24 stolen bases in 99 games...

141 RBI's in 99 games is insane....

Sam Thompson 1895: .392/.430/.654, 131 runs, 45 doubles, 21 triples, 18 home runs, 165 RBI's, 84 XBH, 177 OPS+ and 27 stolen bases in 119 games...

[Baseball Guru]

Lou Gehrig 1927: .373/.474/.765, 149 runs, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, 175 RBI's, 117 XBH, 221 OPS+ and 10 stolen bases in 155 games.

His 1931 season was just as impressive...

[RuthMayBond]

Musial 48, Bagwell 94, Rosen 53, Mantle 56, Yaz 67, FRobby 66, Foxx 32, maybe Medwick 37?

[Honus Wagner]

Levi Meyerle
Year Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLUG TB
1871 NA 26 130 45 64 9 3 4 40 4 0 2 1 .492 .500 .700 91
*adj OPS 243

1887 (AA) Tip O'Neill
1st: R, H, 2B, HR, TB, RBI, BA, OBP, SLUG
2nd: 3B
didn't like to walk (only 50 BB)
adj OPS 205

**my personal favorite:
Hack Wilson 1930
56/190, .356/.454/.723

2-way:
Al Spalding 1875 NA
55-5, 52 CG, hit .312 with 56 RBI

[Myankee4life]

Ruth's 20, 21, 23 to name a few.

Grove from 1928-1933

Lefty Gomez in 1933 and 1937 ( won triple crown both seasons)

[grey eagle]

Benny Kauff's Federal League years have "dominance" written all over them.

[digglahhh]

In terms of impressive traditional stats at face value, Larry Walker '97 deserves a mention.

[csh19792001]

Trivia:

What player led in the greatest number of offensive categories in any one season in the history of modern Major League Baseball (1901-present)?

[iPod]

Not sure if this is the most all-time but sweet lord, what a season Frank Robinson had in 1966. Led the league in BA/OBP/SLG, OPS (obviously), HR, RBI, runs, total bases, extra base hits, times on base, and sac flies.

Todd Helton in 2000 was right there, too, leading the NL in BA/OBP/SLG, OPS, hits, total bases, doubles, RBI, extra base hits, and times on base.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

I'll post a longer list later, but a tip of the cap to RuthMayBond for pointing out Musial in 1948. He led the league in almost everything, had a ton of total bases, slugged over .700 (when it really meant something), and came within 1 HR of being the only person ever to lead the league, or tie for the league lead, in 2B's and 3B's and HR's.

And it wasn't because of the absurdly friendly dimensions of Sportsman's Park. These were Musial's HOME/ROAD splits:

BA: .334/.415
R's: 56/78
RBI's 55/76
2B's 17/29
3B's 9/9
HR's 16/23

I don't have his OBP and SLG numbers for the year (because I'm too lazy to calculate them), but in stark contrast to the rest of his career, Musial was far better on the road than he was at home, in this, his showcase year. How this happened, I have no clue, but it resulted in what was certainly one of the single most dominant seasons ever.

BHN

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Trivia:

What player led in the greatest number of offensive categories in any one season in the history of modern Major League Baseball (1901-present)?

Well, I guess you know what I'm going to guess. Stan Musial, 1948.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

Trivia:

What player led in the greatest number of offensive categories in any one season in the history of modern Major League Baseball (1901-present)?

Hmmm...Cobb immediately came to mind but that seems too obvious for a trivia question. So does Ruth's '21, '23 and '24 when he led in 11 categories...

League Leader: second place in red

1921 - Ruth - 53 WS

OBP (.512) (.452), SLG (.846) (.606), OPS+ (239) (167), R (177) (132), HR (59) (24), RBI (171) (139), RC (233) (162), Xtra BH (119) (80), BB (145) (103), TB (457) (365), PWR/SPD (26.4) (21.8) (note: 3rd in B.A.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1923 - Ruth - 55 WS, wins only MVP

League Leader:

OBP (.545) (.481), SLG (.764) (.632), OPS+ (239) (194), R (151) (133), HR (41) (29), RBI (131) (130), RC (216) (163), Xtra BH (99) (87), BB (170) (198), TB (399) (350), PWR/SPD (24.0) (22.2) (note: 2nd in B.A. (.393) - missed triple crown by 10 % points)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1924 - Ruth - 45 WS

League Leader:

B.A. (.378) (.359), OBP (.513) (.441), SLG (.739) (.533), OPS+ (220) (149), R (143) (115), HR (46) (27), RC (199) (129), Xtra BH (92) (72), BB (142) (102), TB (391) (306), PWR/SPD (26.4) (21.8) (note: 2nd in RBI - missed triple crown by 8 RBI, 3rd in pwr/spd, 4th in hits)

[flash143817]

Mickey Mantle in '56 was the last player to lead the entire MLB in the Triple Crown categories.

[AstrosFan]

At BB-Ref, Cobb's 1911 season has him leading in 15 categories, though I'm not sure how many of these you count.

[soberdennis]

Ruth's 21 season is considered even better than his 27 season, Maybe the greatest single season a player ever had.
Pitching, I have to add Koufax in 1963, 65, and 66. Possibly his greatest was 65.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

In 1948, Musial led the NL in all of the following unquestionably major stats:

1. Batting average
2. OBP
3. Slugging (.702, when it really meant something)
4. Runs
5. Hits
6. Total bases (429, a historically significant figure)
7. Doubles
8. Triples
9. RBI's
10. Extra base hits (103, a historically significant figure)

He also led the league in OPS, Adjusted OPS, runs created and times on base, which may or may not count. And, for those who believe grounding into double plays is the sign of a good player, he was second in the NL for most double plays grounded into.

Let me add, however, that I am not saying I believe Musial had the greatest season ever in 1948. I believe Ruth had several better, and I specifically believe Ruth's 1921 season is the greatest natural season in MLB history. But in terms of traditional stats, I'm thinking Musial's 1948 season may top them all for categories led.

BHN

[ElHalo]

Trivia:

What player led in the greatest number of offensive categories in any one season in the history of modern Major League Baseball (1901-present)?

The answer, of course, is one that nobody has mentioned at all in this thread. As would be expected from a trivia question.

BA, SLG, OPS, G, AB, R, H, TB, 2B, HR, RBI, RC, XBH, OPS+.

By a player who never, in any other season, led in BA, SLG, OPS, OPS+, G, AB, R, HR, or OPS+.

Ducky Medwick, 1937.

[AstrosFan]

The answer, of course, is one that nobody has mentioned at all in this thread. As would be expected from a trivia question.

BA, SLG, OPS, G, AB, R, H, TB, 2B, HR, RBI, RC, XBH, OPS+.

By a player who never, in any other season, led in BA, SLG, OPS, OPS+, G, AB, R, HR, or OPS+.

Ducky Medwick, 1937.

I count 14 there. Cobb led in BA, SLG, OPS, R, H, TB, 2B, 3B, RBI, SB, 1B, OPS+, RC, XBH, TOB. That's 15.

[sturg1dj]

I think if you put it into context by era, then Yaz's 67 is hard to top. He won the triple crown, a gold glove, and brought the Sox to the series (of course they lost, but they lost in 7 games to Bob Gibson and the Cards, and Yaz still hit .400 during that series)

I am not even a Sox fan, but this has always been a season that impressed me

[RuthMayBond]

The answer, of course, is one that nobody has mentioned at all in this thread. As would be expected from a trivia question. Um, post #4 :ughh

[ElHalo]

I count 14 there. Cobb led in BA, SLG, OPS, R, H, TB, 2B, 3B, RBI, SB, 1B, OPS+, RC, XBH, TOB. That's 15.

Sorry, I was just going by Black Ink points. Using those, Medwick scores 25 points. Cobb scores 22 points.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

Sorry, I was just going by Black Ink points. Using those, Medwick scores 25 points. Cobb scores 22 points.

Musial led by 14 of the categories on the front page on baseball-reference.com, listed above by me. Ten of them are inarguably both major and well-settled stats. Still, Musial's one missing HR not only kept him from making it 15 categories, but also kept him from doing one very important thing which Medwick did in his year: win the Triple Crown.

Can you imagine if Musial HAD led the league in 2B, 3B AND HR's?

B.T.W., how many Black Ink points does Musial score for 1948?

BHN

[Sultan_1895-1948]

The answer, of course, is one that nobody has mentioned at all in this thread. As would be expected from a trivia question.

BA, SLG, OPS, G, AB, R, H, TB, 2B, HR, RBI, RC, XBH, OPS+.

By a player who never, in any other season, led in BA, SLG, OPS, OPS+, G, AB, R, HR, or OPS+.

Ducky Medwick, 1937.

How is GAMES an offensive stat?

And AB? Come on.

We need to define what categories are eligible here.

[GiambiJuice]

I've always liked Albert Belle's '94 and '95 seasons. Extremely dominant.

A few more of my favorites:

Dimaggio '37
Foxx '32
Hornsby '22
Simmons '30
Mize '47
Mays '54
Thomas '94
Aaron '59

[ElHalo]

B.T.W., how many Black Ink points does Musial score for 1948?

20.

The categories for which you can get black ink points are:

BA, SLG, G, AB, H, 2B, 3B, HR, R, RBI, BB, SB.

There's a total of 30 points to be had.

Medwick missed 1 point for 3B's, 2 points for SB's, 2 points for BB's.
Musial missed 1 point for G's, 1 for AB's, 4 for HR's, 2 for BB's, 2 for SB's.

[AstrosFan]

I think a good measure of dominance is not just how many categories you led, but how much you led them by. Wagner's 1908 becomes extremely dominant when this is taken into account, to give one example.

[Blackout]

I've always liked Albert Belle's '94 and '95 seasons. Extremely dominant.

A few more of my favorites:

Dimaggio '37

shhh, dimaggio supports like us are supposed to keep quiet around here

[Bill Burgess]

Black Ink Leaders, Single Seasons

24 - Medwick(1937) -----------R, H, D, HR, RBI, BA, SLG, G
23 - Hornsby(1922)------------R, H, D, HR, RBI, BA, SLG
23 - Cobb(1909)--------------R, H, HR, RBI, BA, SLG, SB
23 - Lajoie(1901)--------------R, H, D, HR, RI, BA, SLG
22 - Cobb(1911)--------------R, H, D, T, RBI, BA, SLG, SB
21 - Yaz(1967)---------------R, H, HR, RBI, BA, SA
21 - Hornsby(1921)-----------R, H, D, T, RBI, BA, SLG, G
20 - T. Williams(1942)--------R, HR, RBI, W, BA, SLG
20 - T. Williams(1947)--------R, HR, RBI, W, BA, SLG
20 - Klein(1933)--------------H, D, HR, RBI, BA, SLG
20 - Musial(1948)------------R, H, D, T, RBI, BA, SLG
19 - Wagner(1908)----------H, D, T, RBI, BA, SLG, SB
19 - Williams(1949)----------R, D, HR, RBI, W, SLG, G
18 - Mantle(1956)-----------R, HR, RBI, BA, SLG
18 - F. Robinson(1966)------R, HR, RBI, BA, SLG
17 - Hornsby(1924)---------R, H, D, W, BA, SLB
17 - Cobb(1908)-----------H, D, T, RBI, BA, SLG
16 - Cobb(1907)-----------H, RBI, BA, SLG, SB
16 - Musial(1946)----------R, H, D, T, BA, SLG
16 - Gehrig(1934)----------HR, RBI, BA, SLG, G
16 - Ruth(1921)------------R, HR, RBI, W, SLG
16 - T. Williams(1941)-------R, HR, W, BA, SLG
15 - Cobb(1917)-----------H, D, T, BA, SLG, SB
15 - Hornsby(1925)--------HR, RBI, BA, SLG
15 - Klein(1932)------------R, H, HR, SLG, SB
14 - Foxx(1932)------------R, HR, RBI, SLG
12 - Cobb(1915)------------R, H, BA, SB
11 - Cobb(1912)------------H, BA, SLG
13 - Wilson(1930)----------HR, RBI, W, SLG
10 - Cobb(1910)------------R, BA, SLG,
10 - Wagner(1900)---------D, T, BA, SLG
08 - Sisler(1920)-----------H, BA, G
07 - Gehrig(1927)----------D, RBI, G
07 - Simmons(1930)-------R, BA
07 - DiMaggio(1937)-------HR, SLG
00 - Babe Herman(1930)---00

This has been quite instructive. Some of the greatest offensive stat seasons were achieved without leading the league much, and appear at the bottom. A prime example, would be Babe Herman's great 1930 campaign, where he couldn't lead his league in ANYTHING, due to Hack Wilson and Chuck Klein garnering all the leads to themselves. And yet, Herman had a fantastic season. With stats such as BA -.393, R - 143, H - 141, HR - 35, RBI - 130, OBP - .455, SLG - .678. Amazing.

Summary: Black Ink is not a very revealing, incisive stat. A more useful stat would be a combo of Black/Grey ink. If you're Gehrig, Ruth absorbs all your ink. Gehrig's '27 campaign, one of the most impressive ever, garners 7 points. Dreadful.

This was not comprehensive. I didn't do Ruth's seasons. We also need to do pitchers.


Ty Cobb did fairly well in black ink. 5 seasons of 15 or more. A black/grey combo stat would be much more representative of accurate value.
Cobb's yrly Black Ink
1907 - 16
1908 - 17
1909 - 23
1910 - 10
1911 - 22
1912 - 11
1913 - 4
1914 - 4
1915 - 12
1916 - 5
1917 - 15
1918 - 5
1919 - 7

Bill Burgess

[RuthMayBond]

I've always liked Albert Belle's '94 season. Extremely dominant.He wasn't even as good as at least Frank Thomas

[GiambiJuice]

He wasn't even as good as at least Frank Thomas

What's your point?

[RuthMayBond]

What's your point?How did he dominate the league the most if someone else did it better?

[Blackout]

How did he dominate the league the most if someone else did it better?

You could say the same about Gehrig and Ruth, or Babe Ruth's 1920 compared to George Sisler's 1920 in the same league

[Bill Burgess]

Some of the Greatest Hitting Seasons Ever: Listed according to PCA.



----------------Rel.SLG-Rel.OBP--Rel.BA.-OPS+-INK--PCA-----WS--TPR
Ruth, 1920-------2.08----1.47-----1.27---256---16--28.83---51--10.0
Ruth,1921--------2.07----1.43-----1.29---239---16--24.79---53---9.8
Mantle,1956------1.78----1.36-----1.35---210---18--22.96---49---8.8
Ruth, 1923-------1.96----1.55-----1.39---239---16--22.2----55--11.2
Williams, 1941---1.88----1.61-----1.52---235---16--22.1----42---8.8
Bonds, 2004------1.83----1.76-----1.32---260---09--21.8----53--12.5
Bonds, 2001------2.04 ---1.57-----1.27---262---09--20.82---54--12.2
Ruth, 1924-------1.86----1.43-----1.30---220---16--20.8----45---8.5
Cobb,1911--------1.73----1.38-----1.53---196---22--20.74---47---6.4
Bonds, 2002------1.96----1.77-----1.45---275---09--20.6----49--11.2
Hornsby,1922-----1.78----1.31-----1.37---207---23--20.37---42---9.2
Musial,1948------1.83----1.35-----1.44---200---20--20.30---46---7.3
Cobb, 1917-------1.78----1.39-----1.54---209---16--19.7----46---8.4
Lajoie, 1901-----1.53----1.38-----1.73---200---23--18.94---42---7.4
Foxx,1932--------1.85----1.35-----1.31---205---14--18.54---40---7.2
Wagner,1908------1.76----1.38-----1.48---205---19--18.42---59--10.2
Speaker, 1912----1.44----1.39-----1.54---188---06--18.13---51---7.1
Medwick, 1937----1.37----1.24-----1.42---180---24--17.47---40---5.2
Cash, 1961-------1.41----1.46-----1.37---201---07--17.30---42---8.3
T.Williams,1949--1.71----1.38-----1.30---192---19--17.24---40---6.6
Gehrig,1927------1.91----1.34-----1.30---221---07--17.17---44---9.1
J.Jackson, 1911--1.49----1.38-----1.49---193---00--17.13---39---6.8
Yaz,1967---------1.77----1.38-----1.38---195---21--16.81---42---6.5
F.Robinson, 1966-1.28----1.31-----1.68---199---18--16.48---41---6.8
H.Duffy, 1894----1.42----1.26-----1.58---177---20--16.44---33---4.0
Delahanty, 1899--1.44----1.33-----1.59---189---16--16.36---41---5.4
Babe Herman,1930-1.51----1.26-----1.29---170---00--16.26---32---3.5
Wagner, 1900-----1.36----1.28-----1.56---175---10--16.05---34---4.3
Hack Wilson,1930-1.61----1.26-----1.17---178---13--15.81---35---4.9
Carew, 1977------1.45----1.35-----1.40---178---10--15.74---37---6.3
Vaughan, 1935----1.38----1.48-----1.31---190---09--15.72---39---7.6
Kiner, 1951------1.18----1.31-----1.60---184---12--15.64---35---5.1
Sisler,1920------1.63----1.29-----1.43---181---08--15.40---33---7.6
Al Rosen, 1953---1.28----1.23-----1.60---180---14--15.33---42---6.5
Burkett, 1901----1.42----1.35-----1.49---181---11--15.21---38---5.8
Aaron, 1959------1.36----1.24-----1.59---181---10--15.21---38---7.2
Mize, 1937-------1.33----1.24-----1.55---172---00--14.95---34---3.3
Terry, 1930------1.32----1.25-----1.38---158---07--14.46---32---5.5
Klein,1930-------1.53----1.21-----1.27---159---06--14.17---28---5.6
Sisler, 1922-----1.49----1.34-----1.47---170---13--14.08---29---5.2
Zimmerman, 1912--1.36----1.19-----1.54---169---16--13.16---34---5.0
Ott, 1929--------1.11----1.22-----1.49---165---02--13.15---31---5.8
Simmons,1930-----1.68----1.20-----1.32---176---07--12.94---36---4.5
Averill, 1936----1.30----1.16-----1.48---159---04--12.86---27---4.0
DiMaggio,1937----1.62----1.16-----1.32---168---07--12.78---39---5.9
Clemente, 1967---1.13----1.24-----1.52---170---07--12.59---35---5.6
Brett, 1980------1.44----1.38-----1.66---202---07--12.43---36---7.4
Greenberg, 1937--1.19----1.22-----1.60---172---04--12.38---33---5.5
Snider, 1954-----1.28----1.20-----1.58---170---03--12.33---39---4.2
J.Robinson, 1949-1.30----1.23-----1.35---159---06--12.22---36---6.5
Heilmann, 1921---1.34----1.24-----1.51---167---07--12.13---28---3.4
Mays, 1954-------1.30----1.22-----1.63---175---08--12.11---40---6.8
Rose, 1969-------1.39----1.27-----1.38---158---07--11.94---37---3.7
B.Williams, 1970-1.24----1.10-----1.49---147---07--11.88---29---3.5
O'Doul, 1929-----1.35----1.30-----1.46---159---07--11.83---31---5.1
T.Davis, 1962----1.31----1.13-----1.34---148---11--11.70---36---3.6
Crawford, 1911---1.38----1.23-----1.46---163---00--11.49---32---2.2
Keeler, 1897-----1.42----1.28-----1.49---164---07--11.28---32---4.0
Manush, 1928-----1.34----1.15-----1.44---154---00--11.08---35---2.9
Lindstrom, 1930--1.25----1.07-----1.28---132---00--10.78---32---4.7
Z.Wheat, 1924----1.32----1.25-----1.40---163---00--10.67---35---4.5
Z.Wheat, 1925----1.22----1.13-----1.30---142---00--10.61---27---2.5
P.Waner, 1927----1.27----1.22-----1.33---155---13--10.45---36---3.4
Gehringer, 1936--1.22----1.15-----1.31---142---02--10.37---34---5.9
Reiser, 1941-----1.32----1.18-----1.54---165---13--10.22---34---4.7
Colavito, 1961---1.13----1.17-----1.46---157---01--10.10---33---4.0
J.Rice, 1978-----1.20----1.08-----1.55---158---17--10.08---36---4.0
KiKi Cuyler,1930-1.13----1.15-----1.17---133---03---9.82---29---3.0
Trosky, 1936-----1.14----1.01-----1.46---148---04---9.66---21---1.9
Oliva, 1964------1.30----1.10-----1.45---150---12---9.43---27---3.2
K.Williams, 1922-1.16----1.13-----1.57---164---08---8.95---30---4.3
J.Tobin, 1921----1.20----1.05-----1.19---119---02---8.24---25---0.5
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Away Games Only, indexed to League Averages.

--------------------Rel.SLG-------Rel.OBP---------Rel.BA.
Musial,1948----------2.03----------1.43------------1.59
Gehrig,1927----------2.01----------1.39------------1.38
Ruth,1921------------1.89----------1.34------------1.21
Hornsby,1922---------1.73----------1.31------------1.36
Wagner,1908----------1.71---------no-data----------1.38
DiMaggio,1937------- 1.71----------1.11------------1.23
Mantle,1956----------1.68----------1.33------------1.28
Foxx,1932------------1.68----------1.22------------1.23
Cobb,1911----------- 1.67----------1.36------------1.54
Yaz,1967-------------1.61----------1.34------------1.36
T.Williams,1949------1.56----------1.32------------1.27
Klein,1930-----------1.45----------1.18------------1.19
Sisler,1920----------1.29----------1.13------------1.20

Wilson,1930---------no-data-------no-data----------no-data
Simmons,1930--------no-data-------no-data----------no-data
Babe Herman,1930----no-data-------no-data----------no-data
Bonds, 2001---------no data-------no data----------no data
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


name, yr.-----------home HRs-----away HRs------home Slg-----away slg.
Ruth, 1920------------29-------------25----------.985----------.736
Ruth, 1921------------32-------------27----------.929----------.772
Ruth, 1923------------19-------------22----------.805----------.728
Gehrig, 1927----------24-------------23----------.722----------.805
Hornsby, 1922---------24-------------18----------.741----------.703
Sisler, 1920----------15--------------4----------.760----------.503
DiMaggio, 1937--------19-------------27----------.631----------.711
Klein, 1930-----------26-------------14----------.794----------.578
Foxx, 1932------------31-------------27----------.820----------.682
Mantle, 1956----------27-------------25----------.746----------.664
Cobb, 1911-------------5--------------3----------.640----------.602
Williams, 1949--------23-------------20----------.710----------.595
Ott, 1929-------------20-------------22----------.575----------.692
Musial, 1948----------16-------------23----------.618----------.780

The home/away splits were located at Total Baseball, Vol. 1, ed. by John Thorn & Pete Palmer with David Reuther, 1989, pp. 2200-2213.

[RuthMayBond]

You could say the same about Gehrig and Ruth, or Babe Ruth's 1920 compared to George Sisler's 1920 in the same leagueNow what is your point?

[GiambiJuice]

How did he dominate the league the most if someone else did it better?

Next time try to actually read my post. I very clearly had Thomas on my list.

[RuthMayBond]

Next time try to actually read my post. I very clearly had Thomas on my list.I realize that very well. My point is, why have both? It's doubtful two of the most dominant seasons come from the same year AND league

[GiambiJuice]

I realize that very well. My point is, why have both? It's doubtful two of the most dominant seasons come from the same year AND league

so .357/.438/.714 is not dominant because someone else was better? How about '95? How many other players hit 50 HR and 50 doubles that year? How many other players have ever done it? Z E R O

Oh yeah, and it was in a shortened season.

[RuthMayBond]

How about '95? How many other players hit 50 HR and 50 doubles that year? How many other players have ever done it? Z E R O

Oh yeah, and it was in a shortened season.Now '95 is another story. Belle was ROBBED of the MVP, and I'm pretty familiar with his story (see my avatar). I was going to go to the game when he hit his 50th HR but it didn't work out. I still remember seeing the tape of when he hit it onto the home run porch. An absolute MOB!

[drjjpdc]

Great post but I still put my vote in for the Rajah's 1922 season. Still in the throes of the dead ball era hitting 40+ homers while hitting .400 plus is just so unusual (no one else has ever done it) that I still can't believe it today. It's just breathtaking to see power and average at the same time.

[Sultan_1895-1948]

It's just breathtaking to see power and average at the same time.

No doubt. .393/41

[StanTheMan]

Still, Musial's one missing HR not only kept him from making it 15 categories, but also kept him from doing one very important thing which Medwick did in his year: win the Triple Crown.

BHN

And Musial hit a HR early in a game that was rained out in 48...... he would have tied for the lead in HR's if it had stood, and would have officially won the Triple Crown (in which a tie in a category is good for first in the category).

I believe that missing HR is all that separate's Musial in 48 from INSTANTLY being recognized along with all the other great seasons, and posters who bring it up would not get a "tip of the hat" as it would be much more well known.

But, generally speaking, Musial does not get his due, anyway. Certainly not from the average fan.

[drjjpdc]

No doubt. .393/41
Yes Sultan Babe '23 is incredible and with just 7 points more he could have joined Hornsby, but when you do something no one else has done, you get extra points.

As much as I appreciate Joltin Joe when you compare 1941, I have to give it to Ted only because of the .406 average. As great as Joe's streak was he didn't come close to averaging .400 just for the 56 games, while Teddy did it for an entire year. Also the way he did it only makes his ethic and attitude even better. Refusing to sit down and going 6 for 8 is baseball at it's finest. Also except for Derek Jeter, are there any present stars that would not have taken the choice Cronin gave Ted. Just shows how far the work ethic in the game has fallen. And work ethic is NOT working out and exercising but how you play the game. And if you don't get the difference I can never make you understand.

Stan the Man, my father was a slovak immigrant who arrived in the late 1930's. He learned english by listening to the radio and doing box scores of St. Louis games (I have the books he used to write in). I was a Cardinal fan at age 6-7 an my first active WS memory is 1964. Boy how Philly lost it and then we beat the Yankees, I thought that was how baseball was every year. My favorite Musial story was when he was asked if he would rather hit against Righties or Lefties. He said it didn't matter because they had to throw it over the plate and then he would hit it.

[BaseballHistoryNut]

And Musial hit a HR early in a game that was rained out in 48...... he would have tied for the lead in HR's if it had stood, and would have officially won the Triple Crown (in which a tie in a category is good for first in the category).

I believe that missing HR is all that separate's Musial in 48 from INSTANTLY being recognized along with all the other great seasons, and posters who bring it up would not get a "tip of the hat" as it would be much more well known.

But, generally speaking, Musial does not get his due, anyway. Certainly not from the average fan.

He gets his due from me, and has for almost half a century now. Considering how indifferent and frankly awful Williams was defensively, at least when away from the minuscule pastures of Fenway's LF--and how indifferent (and naturally inferior) he was on the bases--it's not clear to me he was better than Musial. I used to pick Musial over Williams on the hypothesis Williams' misanthropic, malignant personality hurt his team even worse than his defensive nonchalance. But I'm no longer comfortable taking that view, since Bobby Doerr, Dom DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky--who obviously know a lot more about Williams-the-teammate than any of us ever could--thought the guy was a saint. That makes it hard to say he was a clubhouse cancer.

Still, it's not 100% clear to me that he was a better player than Musial. I do rate him ahead of Stan, but only by a little. And please know this: I was born in 1953 and started following the game in 1958. By 1960, I was both following the game and studying its history, and I mean maniacally. And because I lived 25 miles from San Fran, I was a Giants fan, a worshipper of Willie Mays and far more knowledgeable about the N.L. (the desegregated league) than I was about the A.L (where Elston Howard had not yet become the Yankees' regular catcher, a position he gained only when Stengel retired).

I don't know if you were around then, but if you weren't--and for the benefit of others who weren't--let me tell you this: The Giants' announcers, the then-young Lon Simmons and broadcasting deity Russ Hodges, talked about Musial like he was God. When Musial hit .330 (with an equally impressive OBP, by the way) at age 41+ in 1962, everyone was dumbfounded. No, he wasn't the best player in the league and Mays had long since supplanted him for that distinction, but as I said on another thread:

This is THE guy, among the players whose careers tailed off before 1960, who played against desegregated competition, when the A.L. was still a de facto segregated league and the N.L. had all the great black players (unless you count Larry Doby), and still put up stunning numbers year in and year out. He's the poster child for the fact greats like Cobb, Speaker, Ruth, Gehrig, Williams and Musical could have done just fine, thank you, against desegregated competition and the likes of: (1) Roy Campanella, a 3-time MVP and my #1 all-time MLB catcher; (2) Willie Mays, my #1 CF and #2 all-time player; (3) Hank Aaron, my #2 RF and Top 10 or Top 15 all-time player, plus holder of a zillion records; Ernie Banks at his prime, Don Newcombe at his brief but brilliant prime, Roberto Clemente, and a bunch of others.

Some rag on Musial for playing in 1943 and 1944. He went into the Army when called, and anyway, I say it's TED WILLIAMS, the man in the plantation league--the man whose General Manager infamously said, "There'll be no n-----s on this team as long as I have any say about it," which turned out to be until 1959--whose stats need a mental asterisk. Musial faced some great players (even if the N.L. teams rarely beat the Yankees in the Series, lol), is #2 all-time in extra base hits and total bases, is way up there in a zillion other categories, and I think it's a damn shame he's gradually slipped off into anonymity since his retirement.

In his career, thousands of people said a combined total of millions of words about Ted Williams, and almost none of those words were good--until he retired. I have never heard of anyone's saying anything personally bad about Stan Musial, who, by all accounts, is one of the greatest guys the game of baseball ever had. It is beyond rational cavil that he is one of MLB's 20 greatest players, and I consider him one of MLB's 10 greatest. That he was Williams' lesser as a player is probable, but by no means certain. That I would rather have had him over for dinner is a mortal lock.

BHN

[StanTheMan]

Great post Nut....

For what it's worth, I was not around then. But I do remember seeing the Stan the Man statue outside old Busch Stadium on one of my first trips there, and being in awe of the guy.... simply because of the size of the statue. I suppose I was about 4 or so. I had know idea what "Here stands baseball's perfect warrior, here stands baseball's perfect knight." meant, or what weight it carried when it is said by the commissioner. As I got older, I figured it out.

I would have to say that Williams was a better hitter than Musial, but not by a huge margin. All the other aspects of the game, such as defense, base running, arm, versatility, teammate factors, well, Musial has him beat.

We could go on and on about Stan The Man, how the Mets had a "Stan Musial night" at the Polo Grounds in 1962.... how often did a team have a "night" for a VISITING player? The Mets, local businesses, etc. showered him with gifts. I often wonder how many of his 725 doubles went off the screen in right field at Sportsman's Park and could they have potentially put him over the magical number of 500 homers instead of ending up at 475. What about how playing in the midwest hurt his place in the national mindset, etc. etc. etc.

He is top 10 for me as well, and of course, people on this website generally recognize his greatness. I'm glad you do. I wish the country did so.

I admit I am from St. Louis, and all St. Louisans know Stan The Man, but it irks me that MOST of the baseball people in America do not.

The idiots who voted for the ALL Century Team did not vote him in. Fortunately for baseball, Selig actually got one right and made sure Stan the Man was added, saying "There could not be an All Century Team without Stan Musial." Of course that voting process was not much of a reflection of the knowledgeable people in the game..... but his 1948 season should be more well known.

Leading the league in average, RBI's, Singles, Doubles, Triples, and missed leading in HR's by one rained out homer. I don't even need the other 6 or 7 categories he lead the NL in..... those first 6 are astonishing.

My favorite Musial story is this.... a friend of mine was at the HOF about 20 years ago. He was a good HS player who went on to play college ball, got hurt, and eventually became an umpire and made it to AAA. He was in a restaraunt with his family and his Dad saw Musial across the room. His Dad was born in the 40's and of course in going berzerk that Musial is a few tables away. He sends his son over to get an autograph, and Stan asks my buddy to sit down. He signs his ball, and chats him up. Eventually, my buddy gets around to telling Stan that it was his Dad's birthday, and that they were at the HOF to celebrate it etc. My buddy goes back to the table to show off his autograph. Musial finishes eating, and then goes over to the table, takes out his harmonica, plays "Happy Birthday to You" to the astonished Father, shakes the man's hand and leaves. When the still giddy father later asks for the check, the waitress said.... "Mr Musial took care of it." :clapping

I'm sure that there are stories of Ted Williams doing nice things for fans, but from a guy who would not even tip his cap (even if it was media driven), well I've never heard any stories like that, and there is probably a good reason for that.

Uh Oh... I've gone on too long again about Musial.

Back to Ruth in 21... the greatest season for me... or is it Hornsby's hitting 40 Homers and hitting .424!!!

[Sockeye]

How about Ross Barnes

1873 .425 AVG/.456 OBP/.584 SLG/197 OPS+/125 runs in 60 games

OR

1976 .429 AVG/.462 OBP/.590 SLG/231 OPS+/126 runs in 66 games

Both while playing second base