Game 127 Yankees vs. A's (German vs Oller)

I'm back in my Friendly Confines and plunging in here after trench warfare fighting traffic across four states from Stamford to Philly. But as always a small price to pay for the good times.

I wanted to weigh in on the Nettles issue. A good case can be made that Graig is the best non-PED A-Rod third baseman the Yankees have ever had (although it is historically their weakest position.) Just going by their time with the Yanks, the closest argument would be Home Run Baker. They had nearly identical OPS+, but Nettles has a strong defensive edge. Boggs I discounted because he wasn't there long enough.

Nettles is eighth all-time in defensive WAR for the Yanks, behind Clete Boyer who is fifth, but Graig was far superior with the bat. Looking at the other realistic candidates, the Yankees have had plenty of solid ones -- Joe Dugan, Red Rolfe, Billy Johnson (unappreciated), Bobby Brown, Gil McDougald (but he was very multi-positional), Andy Carey, on up through Pags and Brosius -- I can't see anyone who was better.

I would have to give a firm vote for Roger Maris comparing him to Nettles overall. Roger was a two-time MVP and had a much higher OPS+ than Graig (139 to 114), had three great seasons and two more very good ones before injuries stopped him and then the shameful trade to St. Louis. Hard to compare a RFer to a third baseman, but relative to their positions they were both outstanding.

I was happy to note that Maris is still tenth all-time in OPS+. Shockingly two points behind Oscar Gamble at 141! But Maris played over 300 more games for the Yankees and defensively they were on different planets.

My two favorite Roger Maris stats from 1961, other than the HRs of course -- he had zero intentional walks and zero stolen base attempts. That's what happens when the next batter is Mickey Mantle. And he only struck out 69 times.

Last thought -- it's ridiculous that the numbers of HOFers Tony Lazzeri and Earle Combs aren't retired. Yeah, I know they were a long time ago, but they were great players on great teams, and they probably have family members who could enjoy it along with us history fiends. I remember watching a moving talk from Tony Lazzeri's widow when he was elected in 1991, 45 years after his death. There are still people who care.