Maury Wills did not make the Major Leagues until he was 26 years old yet still managed to rack up over 2,000 hits in his career. What numbers would he have put up if he had cracked a big league roster earlier, and would it have been enough to make him a member of the Hall of Fame?
Maury Wills might be known first in any baseball reference guide as the winner of the National League MVP award in 1962, but his real contribution was how he changed the perception of how runs could be scored. Wills was not the first man to be a star on the base paths, but he did usher in the base paths' renaissance. Wills was the first to steal over 100 bases, and it wasn’t long before teams across the country looked for a Wills-type player to lead off their lineup. Wills would go on to lead the NL in steals on six occasions.
Maury Wills however was not the perfect leadoff man. Wills did not walk enough, and his overall on-base percentage was not ideal. He also suffered in the post-playing career, with his managing stint with Seattle considered the worst in baseball history, and he often rubbed baseball writers the wrong way. Maury Wills may not have been the best base stealer in history, but he did change the way the game was played for a while, and that is certainly a huge pro on his Hall of Fame ledger.
Should Maury Wills be in the Hall of Fame?
Comments powered by CComment