My friends recently debated who the greatest baseball player was. Names that popped up right away were Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Nolan Ryan, Cy Young, and Sandy Koufax. Cy Young had 511 wins, 14 seasons where he won 20 games and five other seasons where he won 30 games. But Sandy Koufax had three seasons where he had 300 strikeouts and in three seasons won 25 games. Babe Ruth hit 714 career home runs, a .342 lifetime average, and two seasons where he won 20 games as a pitcher. Willie Mays had 10 seasons where he batted in 100 runs, and was one of the best defensive centerfielders ever to play the game.

When all is said and done who is the best baseball player to play the game? Which individual had the best season? How do you compare a pitcher who was powerful like Koufax to a pitcher who had such longevity like Young. How about comparing Babe Ruth, who hit for power, to Cy Young, who was reliable every year.