Let’s move on to Hall of Famer number three.

Comparing Joe Morgan in 1975 and in 1976 is kind of like comparing the Reds in 1975 and 1976. It’s also like comparing Star Wars to the Lord of the Rings. You really can’t go wrong no matter which one you choose. Lou Whitaker was a fine player in his time, but Joe Morgan is simply the best of all time at his position. He won the NL MVP in 1975 (and 1976), and he led the league in OPS, walks, and OBP. And if you like defense, he walked away with a gold glove, his third of five consecutive gold gloves.

So let’s take a look at the tale of the tape:

Runs 107
Home Runs 17
RBIs 94
Average .327
OBP .466
Slg% .508
Runs Created 118
OPS+ 169
Batting Runs Above Replacement 86
Fielding Runs Above Replacement 50
Equalized Average .354
Wins Above Replacement Player 14.6

This really is too easy. Joe Morgan, like Tony Perez, pulls off the clean sweep. If you take away Lance Parrish’s homerun total vs. Johnny Bench’s, the 1975 Reds have beat their 1984 Tiger’s counterpart in EVERY, SINGLE STATISTIC!!!!!!

Score Card – 1975 Reds 3, 1984 Tigers ZERO

As much as I’d like to see this reign of terror continue, I’m still convinced Brian will balk at conceding defeat until it’s proven with the simulation. If you want to see me completely crush his will, you can help out by going to my past post here. It explains how you can help us raise money to buy Diamond Mind, and prove on the field (or computer) of battle that the 1975 Reds would have mopped the floor with the 1984 Tigers.

You can read Brian’s analysis of Lou Whitaker at Tigerblog.

Permalink | Posted in Debate