Curtis Granderson's 2011 Season Mirrors Mickey Mantle's 1960 Season

In 1959, Mickey Mantle had one of his worst seasons. The New York Yankees finished in third place, a distant 15 games behind the pennant-winning Chicago White Sox.

During the winter, the Yankees acquired Roger Maris, who became the 1960 American League MVP. Mantle had a solid season, but it was still disappointing for Mantle.

He batted .275/.399/.558 with a league leading 40 home runs, but he drove in only 94 runs, struck out 125 times and walked 111 times. Most players would have been pleased, but there was only one Mickey Mantle.

In 2011, MVP candidate Curtis Granderson had an outstanding season. Upon analysis, it was eerily similar to Mantle's 1960 season.

Granderson hit .262/.364/.552 with a league leading 119 RBIs. He struck out 169 times while walking 85 times.

The Yankees, the fans and Granderson were extremely satisfied with his production. If Granderson had played in 1960, the major criticism would have been that he hit only .262.

When Maris set the current single season home run record of 61, he was criticized for hitting only .269. Maris struck out only 67 times while walking 94 times. Opposing pitchers couldn't walk Maris with Mantle batting behind him. Maris didn't receive a single intentional walk that year.

In his greatest home run season of 1998, Mark McGwire, who was remorseful about using substances the establishment frowns upon, was walked intentionally 28 times. Barry Bonds, who some admire for never being remorseful, had 35 intentional passes in his best home run season, 2001.

Despite the fact that offensive production has decreased the last two seasons, it still was greater that it had been in 1960, which supports Mantle's greatness.

Because he batted only .275, Mantle was criticized. During his era, good hitters batted at least .300. Years after he retired, he confided that one of his regrets was that his career average was less than .300.

No one criticizes Granderson's .262 average or his 169 strikeouts, the latter setting a new mark for any Yankees batter.

Mantle hit 40 of the 1960 Yankees' 193 home runs (or 21 percent).

Granderson hit 41 of the Yankees' 222 home runs (or 18 percent).

Mantle's Yankee Stadium was a more difficult park for home runs than Granderson's home park: the new "Yankee Stadium." In addition, Mantle batted right-handed against lefties, forcing him to contend with Yankee Stadium's "Death Valley" in left-center field.

None of the above is a knock on Curtis Granderson, who had an outstanding season and who deserves all the accolades he has received. He is an outstanding player who should continue excel for the next few years.

But Granderson's 2011 season supports the idea that Mantle's 1960 season didn't deserve the criticism it received.

The changed game as well as modern statistics have revealed that Mantle's sub-par seasons of 1959, 1960 and even 1967 (.245/.391/.434) were better than believed at the time.

Mantle was lambasted in the media for striking out 111 times in 1952. The emphasis wasn't on his .311 batting average or on his .394 on base average. In 1952, no one knew that Mantle had led the league with a .924 OPS because the statistic wasn't created until 1984.

The majority of traditionalists believe that some of these statistics are overemphasized. They have a point, but modern baseball statistics have resulted in Mickey Mantle being appreciated more now than when he played.