Tag Archives: best sluggers of the 1930s

H2H 113: Hank Greenberg vs. Johnny Mize – Who was Better?

During World War II, many of MLB’s biggest stars lost years of their playing careers to military service, e.g. Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Bob Feller, etc., just to name a few.  Two of the most productive first basemen of the 1930s, Hank “Hammerin’ Hank” Greenberg and Johnny “The Big Cat” Mize, both served in the war effort for three plus seasons during their prime and consequently, their overall career numbers were impacted greatly by the prolonged absence.  Nevertheless, when they were in the lineup, the duo were among the best first basemen to ever play in the major leagues – in addition to thinking about what could have been, let us compare these two great sluggers and ask:

Who was better – Hank Greenberg or Johnny Mize?

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H2H 46: Jimmie Foxx vs. Lou Gehrig – Who was Better?

When it comes to a discussion about the greatest first basemen in MLB history, the shortlist usually includes names like Albert Pujols, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Hank Greenberg, etc.  In particular, with Babe Ruth helping to usher in a new age of baseball post the dead-ball era, offense exploded in the 1920s and 1930s. At the vanguard of this renaissance were Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig, two first basemen who are closely linked to Ruth: Foxx was arguably the second-greatest power hitter of the era (after Ruth), while Gehrig protected Ruth as the cleanup hitter in the New York Yankees’ lineup for a decade.  Between these two legendary sluggers, as fans continue to debate their careers and places in history, we ask the question:

Who was better – Jimmie Foxx or Lou Gehrig?

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