Don Mattingly -vs- Will Clark

[Billy Costigan]

which guy do you think was better?

[GAVol]

Mattingly because nobody that went to Mississippi State is any good at anything.

[zjcvols]

Originally Posted by GAVol

Mattingly because nobody that went to Mississippi State is any good at anything.

Bryce Drew agrees.

[zjcvols]

Depends.

If you want to go by primes, Mattingly slightly. Higher slugging and OPS+ and never ever struckout.

Overall career, Clark.

[Vercingetorix]

Mattingly struck out 40 times a year. Joe Sewell never, ever struckout. Once he got going he struck out less than 10 times a year.

Guy also played his entire Hall of Fame career and used one (1) bat.

Believe it or not.

[zjcvols]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

Mattingly struck out 40 times a year. Joe Sewell never, ever struckout. Once he got going he struck out less than 10 times a year.

Guy also played his entire Hall of Fame career and used one (1) bat.

Believe it or not.

That's freakin incredible with the one bat.

The point remains, for a power slugger to strike out only 40 times a year is incredible.

God Vercy, you're old, dropping Joe Sewell?

[Vercingetorix]

You'd only have to be 85 or so to have been old enough to remember seeing Sewell play. It's feasible. Though there can't be many guys who both saw Sewell play and are posting on Internet message boards.

I'd take Mattingly, because he was far scarier during the few years he was great than Clark ever was. Clark wasn't ever really that much better than Keith Hernandez, and if Keith Hernandez was the best hitter on your team you were screwed.

Of course, you can imagine how overrated Mattingly was by the New York media though. Donnie Baseball. He wasn't even the best player on his own team the year he won his MVP. (Rickey was.)

[TBrown]

Both overrated.

[TBrown]

Very difficult to believe on the bat. Wooden bats eventually lose pop just like aluminum ones and also splinter if used enough. Have no reason to doubt you though so that's amazing.

[orangesox]

**Before I start my post I must give a disclosure in the interest of fairness. Don Mattingly is my favorite baseball player in my lifetime, though I was a Will Clark fan. Now, on to the point...
Mattingly over Clark by a landslide. Clark had a couple of good years in the late 80's, but he was never as good in his prime as Mattingly was in his. If Mattingly's back hadn't gone out on him around '90, he'd have made it to the Hall. Easily. He has 14 gold gloves, 6 silver sluggers, and finished in the top 5 of MVP voting 9 times - all while playing on some of the worst Yankee teams of the past century. You could make the argument that he's one of the top ten players of the 80's, even taking into account that he didn't even break into the big leagues until 1984.

[GAVol]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

You'd only have to be 85 or so to have been old enough to remember seeing Sewell play. It's feasible. Though there can't be many guys who both saw Sewell play and are posting on Internet message boards.

I'd take Mattingly, because he was far scarier during the few years he was great than Clark ever was. Clark wasn't ever really that much better than Keith Hernandez, and if Keith Hernandez was the best hitter on your team you were screwed.

Of course, you can imagine how overrated Mattingly was by the New York media though. Donnie Baseball. He wasn't even the best player on his own team the year he won his MVP. (Rickey was.)

Dave Winfield was right there with them too. It's a crime that Steinbrenner meddled so much back then.

[Yankee_Vol]

Donnie Baseball and it's not even close

[Scotty's Flat Top]

Originally Posted by Vercingetorix

Mattingly struck out 40 times a year. Joe Sewell never, ever struckout. Once he got going he struck out less than 10 times a year.

Guy also played his entire Hall of Fame career and used one (1) bat.

Believe it or not.

That is crazy, I don't doubt it though. Nowadays, it would be impossible with the way pitchers make a living throwing inside and maple bats.

The year the great Tony Gwynn hit .394 he used one bat for pretty much the entire year.

[n_huffhines]

Pretty even in my book. Clark played a few more years, and still ended up with the better OBP and SLG.

[2ironVol]

Mattingly. Will Clark was overrated IMHO. I would take Hernadez over him too.

Did someone mention Hernandez in a joking manner?

One of the best pure hitting first baseman of all time. Won a batting title and a few gold gloves.

Also smoked cigs between innings and didn't give dam who knew about it