In Memoriam: Ted Williams

It's Ted Williams week, which means it's time for us to remember one of the best hitters of all time. How great was The Splendid Splinter? Well, the man ranks 13th on the list of career RBI leaders. What's amazing about that you ask? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he managed to compile 1,839 RBI while missing 5 seasons to two separate wars. He was a pilot in World War II during the '43,'44 and '45 seasons. Being in his prime at the time, he probably would have averaged 120 RBI/season during those years. That alone would've brought his career total up to 2,199, which would put him in third place behind Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth. What if he hadn't missed two seasons as a pilot in Korea? He was still putting up monster numbers in the surrounding seasons. If we once again give him 120 RBI/season (which is conservative in my opinion), it puts his career total up to 2,439; first place by a large margin. Along with the RBI numbers he also lost approximately 660 walks (again i'm being conservative) which would put him at the very top of the list ahead of Barry Bonds. Imagine a hitter having 2700 walks and less than 1000 strikeouts? Those are extraordinary numbers. Unfortunately, he like Barry Bonds and Ernie Banks, never got a coveted World Series ring. What a travesty. He was a truly extraordinary pure hitter. Not to mention he had incredible eyesight that allowed him to pick up the spin on any pitch quicker than any other hitter could even think about doing it.