Who Is Your Favorite Baseball Player?
Who is your favorite baseball player? Why?
George Herman “Babe” Ruth
George Herman “Babe” Ruth (1895-1948) was an American professional baseball player who became one of the most famous and popular athletes in history. He played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1914 to 1935.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland
George Herman Ruth, better known as “Babe Ruth” and nicknamed “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat”, was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 to 1935. Ruth originally broke into the major leagues with the Boston Red Sox as a starting pitcher, but was soon traded to the New York Yankees, where he developed into one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. His record-setting home run hitting prowess helped set major league and World Series records. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time.
Played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Boston Braves
George Herman “Babe” Ruth Junior. was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”, he began his MLB career as a stellar left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth established many MLB batting records, including career home runs (714), runs batted in (RBIs) (2,213), bases on balls (2,062), slugging percentage (.686), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164); the latter two still stand as of 2019. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time.
In 1936, Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its “first five” inaugural members. At age 53, he became the youngest man ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Career batting average of .342
Babe Ruth had a batting average of .342 throughout his career, which is one of the highest averages in baseball history. He played for 22 seasons and had a total of 2,873 hits, 1,330 RBIs, and 714 home runs. Ruth is considered to be one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
Hit 714 home runs
George Herman “Babe” Ruth Jr. (/ˈruːθ/; February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”, he began his MLB career as a stellar left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, but achieved his greatest fame as a slugging outfielder for the New York Yankees. Ruth established many MLB batting records, including career home runs (714), runs batted in (RBIs) (2,213), bases on balls (2,062), slugging percentage (.692), and on-base plus slugging (OPS) (1.164); the latter two still stand as of 2019. Ruth is regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture and is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time.
In 1936, Ruth was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame as one of its “first five” inaugural members. At age 53, he became the youngest person ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Willie Mays
I remember the first time I saw Willie Mays play.It was at the Polo Grounds in New York in the early 1950’s.I was with my father and we were sitting in the upper deck.Mays was in center field and I was watching him run down a ball that was hit over his head.He made a running catch and then he threw the ball to the infield to get the runner out.
Born in Westfield, Alabama
Willie Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama, on May 6, 1931. He was the first of 12 children born to Anna and Cat Mays. His father was a sharecropper who had also played baseball for a local Negro League team . Mays’ mother worked as a maid. When Willie was just three years old, his father moved the family north to nearby Fairfield to find better opportunities. It was there that young Willie began his lifelong love affair with baseball.
Played for the New York/San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets
William “Willie” Howard Mays, Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid”, is an American former professional baseball center fielder who spent almost all of his 22-season Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the New York/San Francisco Giants, before finishing with the New York Mets. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
Mays won two National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, he ended his career with 660 home runs—third at the time of his retirement and fifth all-time—and ranks fourth on the all-time list with a career batting average of .302. He was named the greatest living baseball player in a vote conducted by The Sporting News in 1999. Mays also had a profound effect on the game of baseball off the field as one of its first African American superstars and as its foremost ambassador during times when it faced racial integration issues.
Career batting average of .302
Willie Mays, nicknamed “The Say Hey Kid”, is an American former professional baseball center fielder who spent almost all of his 22-season Major League Baseball (MLB) career playing for the New York/San Francisco Giants, before finishing his career with the New York Mets. Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his first year of eligibility.
Mays began his professional career in 1947 with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League and regularly faced Racism until he debuted in the Major Leagues in 1951 with the New York Giants. Throughout his career he received multiple awards, including two MVP Awards, a Rookie of the Year Award, 24 All-Star selections, and 10 Gold Glove Awards. He is credited with popularizing numerous baseball plays and techniques such as the batting stance known as “the Willie Mays Hays” and “the basket catch”.
Mays’ over-the-shoulder catch of a Vic Wertz drive to deep center field in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series is considered one of baseball’s greatest catches and is referred to as “the catch”. When Mays was younger he had trouble reading both English and braille which may have contributed to his poor grades at school; however he managed to earn a high school diploma from Benjamin Franklin High School in Alabama.
Hit 660 home runs
In his 22-year career, Willie Mays hit 660 home runs, which is the fifth-most in Major League Baseball history. He also won 12 Gold Glove Awards, was named to 24 All-Star teams, and was the National League Most Valuable Player two times.
Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron is a retired American baseball outfielder who played 23 seasons in the Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1954 to 1976. He is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Aaron was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama. He played baseball for a local Negro league team before being signed by the Milwaukee Braves in 1952. Aaron made his MLB debut in 1954.
Born in Mobile, Alabama
Hank Aaron was born in Mobile, Alabama on February 5, 1934. He was raised in a poor neighborhood and had to help his family make ends meet. Hank did whatever he could to help out, whether it was working in the family grocery store or helping his father with the yard work. Despite their meager circumstances, Hank’s parents made sure that their children had the opportunity to play baseball. It was through playing baseball that Hank developed his incredible skills as a hitter.
In 1954, Hank Aaron made his Major League debut with the Milwaukee Braves. He quickly became one of the best players in baseball, and in 1957 he helped lead the Braves to victory in the World Series. Hank continued to play for the Braves until 1974, when he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He finished his career with the Brewers in 1976.
Throughout his 22-year career, HankAaron was one of the most consistent and prolific hitters in baseball history. He amassed a total of 3,771 hits, including 755 home runs – which is still second only to Babe Ruth’s record of 714 home runs. Hank Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.
Played for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves and the Milwaukee Brewers
Henry Louis Aaron (born February 5, 1934), nicknamed “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank”, is a retired American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He served as the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves from 2002 until his retirement in 2016.
Aaron played 21 seasons for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons for the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL), from 1954 through 1976. Aaron held numerous MLB records when he retired in 1976. He still holds several records as of 2019, including most career hits at 3,771, most home runs in a season with 40 (set 1971), most RBIs with 132 (set 1963), and most total bases with 624 (set 1963). In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on its “100 Greatest Baseball Players” list.
Career batting average of .305
Hank Aaron, nicknamed “Hammer” or “Hammerin’ Hank,” is a retired American Major League Baseball (MLB) right fielder. He serves as the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves. Aaron held the MLB record for career home runs for 33 years, and he still holds several records for batting statistics.
Aaron was born and raised in and around Mobile, Alabama. He had seven siblings, including Tommie Aaron, who later played with him in the major leagues. Aaron appeared briefly in the Negro American League (NAL) and in minor league baseball before starting his major league career. By his final MLB season, Aaron was the last Negro league baseball player on a major league roster.
Aaron played 21 seasons with the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves in the National League (NL) and two seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers in the American League (AL), from 1954 through 1976. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, The Sporting News ranked Aaron fifth on their “100 Greatest Baseball Players” list.
Hit 755 home runs
Hank Aaron – nicknamed “Hammer,” “Hammerin’ Hank,” and “the Hammer” – is a retired American Major League Baseball right fielder. He serves as the senior vice president of the Atlanta Braves.
Aaron holds the MLB records for the most career home runs (755), RBIs (2,297), extra base hits (1,477), and total bases (6,856). He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982. In 1999, The Sporting News placed Aaron fifth on their list of “Baseball’s 100 Greatest Players.”
During his 23-year MLB career, Aaron hit at least 30 home runs 15 times and 40 or more home runs 8 times. His 100 RBI seasons included 11 times between 1957 and 1976. In 1957, he set a record for outfielders with 29 home runs and 95 RBIs. There were only 16 100 RBI outfielders in baseball history before Aaron turned 22 years old. For comparison purposes, only two players achieved that milestone in 2012: Miguel Cabrera and Jason Heyward.