Move Over Barry Bonds—That's Why I Play in Center Field, Part II

No. 6: Joe Dimaggio

There was another center fielder that played long before Ken Griffey Jr. who possessed similar type of wheels—the kind that get you from second to home faster than a speeding bullet but don't produce a lot of stolen bases.   

Joltin' Joe DiMaggio was his name.

Joe could do it all—field, throw, hit, and run.  But in all honesty, his stats really sell his talents short. 

The Yankee Clipper hit a surprisingly low number of dongs throughout his career (361), and only smacked 40 or more in a season on one occasion.  Despite all the talk about his hitting streak, Joe didn't even win the batting title in 1941, and in fact only claimed two crowns throughout his entire career. 

His lifetime on base percentage (.398) is significantly lower than the hitting legends he is usually compared with (Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, etc.)  Let's also not forget that Dimaggio stole a mind boggling 30 bases—in his career!—far fewer than any other center fielder discussed in this column.   

So why then is Joe considered to be one of the greatest center fielders, and indeed one of the best overall players, in Major League history?

For one, he spent his entire career in Yankee stadium, an ideal spot for lefty sluggers and an awful one for righties.  According to Bill James' calculations, DiMaggio lost more homeruns to his stadium than any other player in the history of the game.  This should come as no surprise, as left center in Yankee stadium went back an astonishing 457 feet while Joe played there. 

DiMaggio was also quite savvy with the whole "team ball" concept; he won four World Series championships during his first four years in the majors, and nine out of 10 throughout his 13 years of professional play.  While the Clipper shared the spotlight with the Iron Horse for his first three seasons in the league, Dimaggio was undoubately the Crux of the Yanks for the remainder of his tenure. 

Let's also not forget his solid RBI totals: Dimaggio drove in 120 or more runs in seven straight seasons from 1936-1942, including 167 in '37.  After a few years of serving his country overseas, Joe then provided the means for 158 Yankees to cross home in his swan song season of 1948.
 
But when all is said and done, the most memorable aspect of Dimaggio's game was his firm command behind the plate; his uncanny ability to decide when a pitch was worth hitting and when it should be fouled away. 

Joe went down swinging a grand total of 369 times in 13 big league seasons—that's an average of just over 28 whiffs per season.  In 1941, the year of his hitting streak, he struck out a total of 13 times.  He did this while taking 30 balls yard, driving in 125, scoring 122 runs himself, and walking 76 times.  

Like wooah Scoob! 

Dimaggio never struck out 40 times in a season—ever.  When you consider that some of the league's best sluggers today average close to 200 K's per year, DiMaggio's 369 career misses and 361 dingers seems earth shattering.

Joe DiMaggio is the epitomy of an all around player and team leader.  In addition to being one of the most well known athletes in history, he's clearly

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