The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #59 Vladimir Guerrero

Teeing off at #59 on our list is Vladimir Guerrero. Vlad “The Impaler” was every bit as feared as his 15th-century counterpart, terrorizing pitchers with his combination of power, speed, and plate discipline. Vlad’s impact is reflected by the uniqueness of his accomplishments. He’s the only player to debut since 1960 with at least a .318 career batting average and a .553 career slugging percentage. He’s the only player to debut since 1960 with a career batting average of at least .318 and a career OPS+ of 140. He’s the only player since 1950 with at least 400 career home runs and fewer than 1,000 strikeouts. He’s the only player since 1950 with at least 400 career home runs and a .318 batting average. He’s the only player since 1950 with at least 970 career extra-base hits, an OPS+ of 140, and fewer than 1,000 strikeouts. He’s the only player in history with a career .318 batting average, 400 home runs, and 180 stolen bases and he’s also the only player in history with at least 200 hits, a .330 batting average, 40 stolen bases, and 39 home runs in a single season. Vlad is 7th all-time in intentional walks, leading the league five times which is tied for the 4th most in history. He was named the 2004 NL MVP and finished third in 2005 and 2007.

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Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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