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Old 02-22-2021, 02:46 PM   #20
3fbrown
Major Leagues
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 414
George Burns, CLE

This is the Giants OF George Burns, not the other one. Because the career Clevelander (in Replay League) played before 1948, we only have raw hitting stats to go with here.

Our man Burns started off as a decent dead ball left fielder, nothing special. For five years he was a solid player, making three appearances in the top five LF in MLB, but never threatening the top guys like Ty Cobb and Max Carey.

Then in 1918 the ball became live, and so did Burns. In his first five years his highest batting average was .287. After 1918, his lowest batting average was .314, and he twice hit above .390! He had decent power, and stole a lot of bases at a high rate - his 731 SB is currently 5th all-time. He also had great patience, averaging about 100 walks and regularly having OBPs above .440. His career .420 OBP is 9th all-time, but with four of the eight guys ahead of him still active, he could actually rise up in the standings in the next few years as easily as fall.

For the eight years 1918-1925, Burns was clearly the best LF in baseball, and probably the 2nd best OF overall, about 20 miles behind one Mr. Ruth. He won the 1922 AL MVP, when he hit .391 with 110 walks, 56 extra base hits, and 56 steals.

I don't have any fielding information or reliable WAR totals for Burns. But my personal rankings have him comfortably in the top seven LF of all time. But due to lacking more information, he could rank anywhere from #3-7. Regardless, he was a dominant hitter in his day, and an easy HOF decision.
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