He led the entire major leagues in all of these stats:
- 52 HR
- .398 OBP
- .645 SLG
- 1.043 OPS
- 185 OPS+
- 360 TB
He also hit .317 with 112 RBI and 118 Runs scored.
That’s a LOT of offensive production, right there.
Plus, only 71 strikeouts in 638 PA, a strikeout rate of 11.1%, which is almost inconceivable for a guy who led the majors in homers, slugging and total bases.
He also won NL MVP in 1954, with similar stats. 1954 was 11 years earlier, so ... he won MVP awards eleven years apart. Has that ever happened before? Seems extremely unlikely, and is amazing either way.
Willie Mays’ career stats at baseball-reference.com
via the excellent Baseball by BSmile Twitter