if willie stargell were to play with the pirates in 2026 how do you think he would hold up against other players like ohtani and guerrero jr
if willie stargell were to play with the pirates in 2026 how do you think he would hold up against other players like ohtani and guerrero jr
29 comments
I would assume he’d be to old.
The current Pirates couldn’t afford him.
Considering he’s been dead for a while, he might only bat sixth in that lineup.
Too old
No, he’s dead
Yes. Why wouldn’t he?
He’s playing in the Field of Dreams League.
Early 70’s pops you bet. 1000 ops
Dave Parker might be better in today’s game.
Willie probably could have hit 60 more home runs if he played in three rivers his whole career. He had unprecedented power. In 61 years 18 home runs were hit over the right field roof in Forbes Field, Stargell hit 7 of those 18. Furthermore, 8 home runs have been hit out of Dodger Stadium. Stargell is the only player with 2.
In this era of home run or strike out he would have excelled. He did both of those things exceptionally well.
Of course – many big, slow sluggers excel in the majors today, so Stargell would likely do well in today’s game.
In his time he wasn’t quite the superstar that Vlad and Othani are. But he seemed to be super clutch, an early David Ortiz maybe. And a great leader in the dugout. I’d say possible all-star but not starter. This assumes he could skill up for today’s pitching, too.
No…he would be great!
These hypotheticals require a second step of thinking. If you drop your Stargell/Mays/DiMaggio right from their times into 2026, most likely they would flop. The pitching is way too good. The average starter from today would have been a triple crown winner in their eras and more or less every bullpen arm now throws mid-90s with movement. However, if the old greats had been able to develop from young boys in the same time and systems as the players today, then it stands to reason that they’d be some version of themselves but in today’s game.
He still has the longest HR at Dodger Stadium
nah, he wasn’t any good
Dodgers just signed him
Basically Juan Soto as far as offensive production. Little less OBP, little more AVG and SLG when looking at prime years, and both below average combining baserunning and fielding.
He would be a great player, but probably on the tier below Judge and Ohtani. No disrespect in that.
Yes?
I think stargell would be fine. Especially with all of the tools of today helping him
Sociologically he might’ve been more likely to go basketball or football?
He wouldn’t be a pirate after his rookie contract. He’d be a dodger or a yankee.
No. He’s pretty old now.
He struck out a lot – for that era. Today his k rate is normal. He maintained a high batting average during an era of low offence and his power was consistent. He could DH today and be another Ortiz. He also played a lot in the post season when only 4 teams played post season baseball. And he was productive into his late 30s. Perfect for 2020s MLB
Yes. The 1979 Pirates World Series team beat the Big Red Machine to reach the World Series. A hypothetical 79′ Pirates vs 2025 Dodgers would be a toss up.
The Big Red Machine had an All-Star at every position.
Depends on one thing: does he still have unrestricted access to amphetamines?
Yes
Without a doubt I believe Willie could be just add good today.
Better than Vlad Jr., but also better than Paul Goldschmidt, though worse than Bryce Harper, so still a Hall of Famer.
Bear in mind that Stargell had a near 11% walk rate for his career in an era where pitchers pitched to contact, so they weren’t walking people in the effort to trim the corners for strikeouts. Stargell would mash today.