From 1954 through 1957, these three men played complete Major League seasons in New York. Willie Mays patrolled center field at the Polo Grounds, Mickey Mantle covered center at Yankee Stadium and Duke Snider handled center field at Ebbets Field.
So, as it was back then, which one was the best center fielder? Let's take a look.
Willie Mays had a huge season in 1954. He batted .345 to win the National League batting title, slammed 41 home runs, drove in 110 runs and had a .411 on base percentage.
Mays started in the 1954 All Star game, was voted the Major League Player Of The Year and was the National League's Most Valuable Player.
In 1955, Mays hit .319 and added 51 home runs and 127 runs batted in.
Willie dipped a little in 1956. He batted .296 with 36 home runs and 86 runs batted in. 1957 saw Mays bat .333 with 35 home runs and 97 runs batted in. Mays also won the newly created Gold Glove Award in 1957.
So, for the four years, Willie Mays batted .323. He clobbered 163 home runs and drove in 418 runs. Willie made the All Star team all four years. He also stole 110 bases. He won one batting title and one MVP award.
Now, let's look at Mickey Mantle's stats for the same four seasons, 1954 through 1957.
Mantle batted .300, hit 27 home runs and drove in 102 runs in 1954. Mickey led the American league with 129 runs scored.
In 1955, the Mick batted .306. He went deep 37 times and knocked in 99 runs. He led the league in on base percentage(.431), slugging percentage(.611) and OPS(1.169). Then came 1956.
All Mickey Mantle did in 1956 was lead the league in batting average at .353, home runs with 52 and runs batted in with 130 to win the American League Triple Crown and Most Valuable Player Award. Mantle also led the league in runs, slugging percentage, on base percentage, OPS and total bases.
In 1957, Mickey batted .365 with 34 home runs and 94 batted in. Mantle also was an All Star all four of these seasons.
So, for the four years, Mickey averaged .331. He hit 150 home runs and drove in 425 runs. He won one batting title, two MVP Awards and a Triple Crown.
Next up is Duke Snider. The Duke Of Flatbush batted .341 in 1954. He added 40 home runs and 130 runs batted in. Snider also led the National League with 120 Runs Scored and total bases with 378.
In 1955, Duke batted .309 with 42 home runs. He led the league with 136 runs batted in and 126 runs scored. The Duke was named the Major League Player Of The Year, even though his team mate Roy Campanella was voted the National League Most Valuable Player.
In 1956, Snider