Maury Wills might be known first in any baseball reference guide as the National League MVP award winner 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 its 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 from a post-playing career where his managing stint with Seattle is 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 undoubtedly a big pro on his Hall of Fame ledger.
Wills, who played most of his career with Los Angeles save for two years with Pittsburgh and a short spell with Montreal in their inaugural year, had 1,732 Hits and 490 Stolen Bases in Dodger Blue.
Later, in 2019, Wills was one of four players awarded plaques in the stadium as Legends of Dodgers Baseball.
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