WAR 1951-1968: Mays, Mantle, Aaron.

Willie Mays

Position: Centerfielder

Bats: Right  •  Throws: Right

5-10, 170lb (178cm, 77kg)

Born: May 6, 1931 in Westfield, AL us

Died: June 18, 2024 (Aged 93-043d) in Palo Alto, CA

https://stathead.com/tiny/diW3G

For single seasons, from 1951 to 1968, Playing in the AL or NL, in the regular season, requiring Offensive WAR (oWAR) >= 0 and Adjusted OPS+ >= 0 and Defensive WAR (dWAR) >= -9 and Wins Above Replacement (WAR) >= 9.4, sorted by descending Wins Above Replacement (WAR).

Rk	Player	WAR ▼	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	Season	Age	Team	Lg	G	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB
1	Carl Yastrzemski	12.5	9.9	1.7	193	1967	27	BOS	AL	161	112	189	31	4	44	121	10	8	91	69	.326	.418	.622	1.040	360
2	Mickey Mantle	11.3	11.3	-0.1	221	1957	25	NYY	AL	144	121	173	28	6	34	94	16	3	146	75	.365	.512	.665	1.177	315
3	Willie Mays	11.2	9.5	1.6	185	1965	34	SFG	NL	157	118	177	21	3	52	112	9	4	76	71	.317	.398	.645	1.043	360
4	Mickey Mantle	11.2	10.6	0.5	210	1956	24	NYY	AL	150	132	188	22	5	52	130	10	1	112	99	.353	.464	.705	1.169	376
5	Willie Mays	11.0	9.0	2.0	172	1964	33	SFG	NL	157	121	171	21	9	47	111	19	5	82	72	.296	.383	.607	.990	351
6	Willie Mays	10.6	9.1	1.4	175	1963	32	SFG	NL	157	115	187	32	7	38	103	8	3	66	83	.314	.380	.582	.962	347
7	Willie Mays	10.5	8.3	2.1	165	1962	31	SFG	NL	162	130	189	36	5	49	141	18	2	78	85	.304	.384	.615	.999	382
8	Carl Yastrzemski	10.5	7.6	2.0	171	1968	28	BOS	AL	157	90	162	32	2	23	74	13	6	119	90	.301	.426	.495	.922	267
9	Willie Mays	10.5	8.4	2.0	175	1954	23	NYG	NL	151	119	195	33	13	41	110	8	5	66	57	.345	.411	.667	1.078	377
10	Mickey Mantle	10.4	10.6	-0.1	206	1961	29	NYY	AL	153	131	163	16	6	54	128	12	1	126	112	.317	.448	.687	1.135	353
11	Willie Mays	10.2	8.8	1.5	165	1958	27	SFG	NL	152	121	208	33	11	29	96	31	6	78	56	.347	.419	.583	1.002	350
12	Ernie Banks	10.2	7.8	3.5	156	1959	28	CHC	NL	155	97	179	25	6	45	143	2	4	64	72	.304	.374	.596	.970	351
13	Al Rosen	10.2	9.1	1.1	180	1953	29	CLE	AL	155	115	201	27	5	43	145	8	7	85	48	.336	.422	.613	1.034	367
14	Ron Santo	9.8	7.5	2.7	153	1967	27	CHC	NL	161	107	176	23	4	31	98	1	5	96	103	.300	.395	.512	.906	300
15	Ted Williams	9.7	9.5	-0.4	233	1957	38	BOS	AL	132	96	163	28	1	38	87	0	1	119	43	.388	.526	.731	1.257	307
16	Jackie Robinson	9.7	8.1	2.4	154	1951	32	BRO	NL	153	106	185	33	7	19	88	25	8	79	27	.338	.429	.527	.957	289
17	Mickey Mantle	9.5	8.4	1.1	180	1955	23	NYY	AL	147	121	158	25	11	37	99	8	1	113	97	.306	.431	.611	1.042	316
18	Willie Mays	9.5	8.0	1.4	160	1960	29	SFG	NL	153	107	190	29	12	29	103	25	10	61	70	.319	.381	.555	.936	330
19	Henry Aaron	9.4	7.1	2.0	163	1961	27	MLN	NL	155	115	197	39	10	34	120	21	9	56	64	.327	.381	.594	.974	358

Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results.
Generated 1/9/2025.

Multiple times with rank:

Mays: 7 (3,5,6,7,9,11,18)
Mantle: 4 (2,4,10, 17)
Yastrzemski: 2 (1, 8)

Those three account for 13 of the 19 seasons.

Why make the minimum 9.4? To include Hank Aaron's top WAR in a season, which is also the only season in which Aaron led the league: 1961.

Aaron's top ten seasons in WAR:

Season	Age	Team	Lg	WAR ▼	G	PA
1961	27	MLN	NL	9.4	155	671
1963	29	MLN	NL	9.1	161	714
1959	25	MLN	NL	8.6	154	693
1962	28	MLN	NL	8.5	156	667
1967	33	ATL	NL	8.5	155	669
1969	35	ATL	NL	8.0	147	639
1960	26	MLN	NL	8.0	153	664
1957	23	MLN	NL	8.0	151	675
1965	31	MLN	NL	7.9	150	639
1966	32	ATL	NL	7.9	158	688

https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1961-batting-leaders.shtml

WAR Position Players

1.	Aaron • MLN	9.4
2.	Mays • SFG	8.7
3.	Boyer • STL	8.0
4.	Robinson • CIN	7.7
5.	Pinson • CIN	7.5
6.	Mathews • MLN	7.3
7.	Clemente • PIT	6.4
8.	Cepeda • SFG	5.7
9.	Banks • CHC	4.6
10.	Bolling • MLN	4.2

Williams has the only season that did not lead the league in WAR.

There were three triple crown (leading in HR, RBI, BA) seasons in those years, two are among the 19 on this list:

4. Mantle 1956

1. Yastrzemski 1967.

The third was Frank Robinson in 1966: WAR 7.7, his career high.

Top ten in WAR in those three triple crown (leading in HR, RBI, BA) seasons:

1956:

WAR Position Players

1.	Mantle • NYY	11.2
2.	Kaline • DET	6.5
3.	Berra • NYY	6.2
4.	Miñoso • CHW	6.2
5.	Williams • BOS	6.1
6.	Maxwell • DET	5.9
7.	McDougald • NYY	5.1
8.	Doby • CHW	4.9
9.	Piersall • BOS	4.8
10.	Kuenn • DET	4.6

1966:

WAR Position Players

1.	Robinson • BAL	7.7
2.	Agee • CHW	6.4
3.	Oliva • MIN	6.4
4.	McAuliffe • DET	6.0
5.	Killebrew • MIN	5.9
6.	Kaline • DET	5.6
7.	Fregosi • CAL	5.6
8.	Yastrzemski • BOS	5.5
9.	Tresh • NYY	5.4
10.	Robinson • BAL	4.6

1: Frank Robinson  10: Brooks Robinson

1967:

WAR Position Players

1.	Yastrzemski • BOS	12.5
2.	Robinson • BAL	7.7
3.	Kaline • DET	7.5
4.	Blair • BAL	6.8
5.	Killebrew • MIN	6.5
6.	Freehan • DET	6.1
7.	Robinson • BAL	5.4
8.	Fregosi • CAL	5.4
9.	McAuliffe • DET	5.1
10.	Agee • CHW	4.6

Kaline is on all three lists. Ranks: 2,6,3.

On the list, highest oWAR:

Rk	Player	WAR	oWAR ▼	dWAR	OPS+	Season	Age	Team	Lg	G
1	Mickey Mantle	11.3	11.3	-0.1	221	1957	25	NYY	AL	144
2	Mickey Mantle	11.2	10.6	0.5	210	1956	24	NYY	AL	150
3	Mickey Mantle	10.4	10.6	-0.1	206	1961	29	NYY	AL	153
4	Carl Yastrzemski	12.5	9.9	1.7	193	1967	27	BOS	AL	161
5	Willie Mays	11.2	9.5	1.6	185	1965	34	SFG	NL	157
6	Ted Williams	9.7	9.5	-0.4	233	1957	38	BOS	AL	132
7	Al Rosen	10.2	9.1	1.1	180	1953	29	CLE	AL	155
8	Willie Mays	10.6	9.1	1.4	175	1963	32	SFG	NL	157
9	Willie Mays	11.0	9.0	2.0	172	1964	33	SFG	NL	157
10	Willie Mays	10.2	8.8	1.5	165	1958	27	SFG	NL	152

On the list, highest dWAR:

Rk	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR ▼	OPS+	Season	Age	Team	Lg	G
1	Ernie Banks	10.2	7.8	3.5	156	1959	28	CHC	NL	155
2	Ron Santo	9.8	7.5	2.7	153	1967	27	CHC	NL	161
3	Jackie Robinson	9.7	8.1	2.4	154	1951	32	BRO	NL	153
4	Willie Mays	10.5	8.3	2.1	165	1962	31	SFG	NL	162
5	Willie Mays	10.5	8.4	2.0	175	1954	23	NYG	NL	151
6	Carl Yastrzemski	10.5	7.6	2.0	171	1968	28	BOS	AL	157
7	Henry Aaron	9.4	7.1	2.0	163	1961	27	MLN	NL	155
8	Willie Mays	11.0	9.0	2.0	172	1964	33	SFG	NL	157
9	Carl Yastrzemski	12.5	9.9	1.7	193	1967	27	BOS	AL	161
10	Willie Mays	11.2	9.5	1.6	185	1965	34	SFG	NL	157

In 1954 Mays also led in both oWAR and dWAR.

Among these 19 seasons, all three that led in dWAR are above.

Youngest:

Rk	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	Season	Age ▲	Team	Lg	G
1	Willie Mays	10.5	8.4	2.0	175	1954	23	NYG	NL	151
2	Mickey Mantle	9.5	8.4	1.1	180	1955	23	NYY	AL	147
3	Mickey Mantle	11.2	10.6	0.5	210	1956	24	NYY	AL	150
4	Mickey Mantle	11.3	11.3	-0.1	221	1957	25	NYY	AL	144

Oldest:

Rk	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+	Season	Age ▼	Team	Lg	G
1	Ted Williams	9.7	9.5	-0.4	233	1957	38	BOS	AL	132
2	Willie Mays	11.2	9.5	1.6	185	1965	34	SFG	NL	157
3	Willie Mays	11.0	9.0	2.0	172	1964	33	SFG	NL	157
4	Willie Mays	10.6	9.1	1.4	175	1963	32	SFG	NL	157
5	Jackie Robinson	9.7	8.1	2.4	154	1951	32	BRO	NL	153
6	Willie Mays	10.5	8.3	2.1	165	1962	31	SFG	NL	162

Highest OPS+:

Rk	Player	WAR	oWAR	dWAR	OPS+ ▼	Season	Age	Team	Lg	G
1	Ted Williams	9.7	9.5	-0.4	233	1957	38	BOS	AL	132
2	Mickey Mantle	11.3	11.3	-0.1	221	1957	25	NYY	AL	144
3	Mickey Mantle	11.2	10.6	0.5	210	1956	24	NYY	AL	150
4	Mickey Mantle	10.4	10.6	-0.1	206	1961	29	NYY	AL	153
5	Carl Yastrzemski	12.5	9.9	1.7	193	1967	27	BOS	AL	161
6	Willie Mays	11.2	9.5	1.6	185	1965	34	SFG	NL	157
7	Al Rosen	10.2	9.1	1.1	180	1953	29	CLE	AL	155
8	Mickey Mantle	9.5	8.4	1.1	180	1955	23	NYY	AL	147
9	Willie Mays	10.5	8.4	2.0	175	1954	23	NYG	NL	151
10	Willie Mays	10.6	9.1	1.4	175	1963	32	SFG	NL	157

Wins Above Replacement player (WAR): leading league 1903-2024: Ruth, Hornsby, Bonds 11 times. Sunday, December 22, 2024

Position players: no pitchers. WAR is a total, not an average...

Aaron is highlighted as the most surprising to have led only once...

WAR 1903-2024: both Offense and Defense >= 3 in same season. 60% SS; Cal Ripken #1. Monday, December 23, 2024

Willie Mays led league in WAR ten times. TEN. Sorting WAR, OPS+, HR. Friday, December 13, 2024

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