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Longtime Giants center fielder Willie Mays and Dodgers designated hitter and starting pitcher\u00a0Shohei Ohtani have their strengths, and Bruce Jenkins says both deserve to go on a baseball\u00a0Mount Rushmore.<\/p>\n
AP Photo, Brandon Sloter\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Bryce Eldridge<\/a> had quite the educational at-bat during his first visit to Dodger Stadium. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the San Francisco Giants<\/a>\u2019 third game of the series Wednesday night, he had the assignment of figuring out which of Ohtani\u2019s seven-pitch assortment would be coming his way.<\/p>\n It could have been any of them. Ohtani makes his choices oblivious to the count. And with two strikes, Eldridge had no chance\u00a0\u2014 as would just about any other hitter in the game\u00a0\u2014 whiffing on a splitter that simply vanished on its way to the dirt.<\/p>\n Forever shocking, if not downright implausible: This is a pitcher who has hit 55 homers in a season. Who has led the league in RBIs, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases \u2014 often more than once, with a remarkable ability to come through in the big moments. So there\u2019s no question about the greatest player in baseball history.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n I just wonder if there\u2019s still room for Willie Mays<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is not to diminish Ohtani\u2019s greatness in any way, rather to elevate him onto baseball\u2019s Mount Rushmore. Granted, these opinions get a little tedious, especially when it\u2019s something like \u201cThe Mount Rushmore of salad dressings.\u201d Baseball, the province of grand tradition, makes for a worthy discourse.<\/p>\n San Francisco Chronicle Logo<\/p>\n Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n So I submit these four: Babe Ruth for pioneering the long ball and lifting the game into the nation\u2019s consciousness. Jackie Robinson for his life-changing social relevance. Ohtani for truly mastering the sport. And Mays as the game\u2019s greatest ballplayer.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n That\u2019s a great word, best used as a special compliment. The ballplayer is the consummate hitter, makes great plays in the field, alters games with his baserunning, and has a way about him, bearing no semblance to arrogance or bravado. He just looks the part. You spot him well before the game even starts.<\/p>\n Put it this way: In a sport defined by five specific tools, nobody measures up to Mays.<\/p>\n Hitting: Batting average is hardly the end-all stat, but it fits pretty well here. Ohtani has twice hit over .300, admirable in an era defined by rampant mediocrity. Mays did that 10 times in 12 years, including years of .345 and .347, and he averaged .301 (to Ohtani\u2019s current .280) over a 23-year career.<\/p>\n Hitting for power: Ohtani is coming off a three-year run of 44, 54 and 55 homers, and Mays never matched that. But he was relentless, hitting 660 for his career, and questions have arisen about Ohtani\u2019s longevity. The Dodgers have taken to removing him from the DH slot on the night he pitches, and he\u2019s in a very awkward-looking slump at the moment. That could change in a big hurry, but Mays has to own the edge here.<\/p>\n Baserunning: Ohtani is a huge man who runs like the wind, and in his best season, two years ago, he stole 59 bases while being caught just four times. But he blows hot and cold on the bases, for understandable reasons. Mays is probably the most exciting, influential baserunner who ever lived, truly feared for that reason alone, and he led the league in steals four years in a row.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fielding: Ohtani doesn\u2019t play in the field beyond the pitcher\u2019s mound, let alone every day, so forget about this one. He\u2019d likely be a textbook-fine outfielder if that was his calling. But Mays dominated games with his fielding, covering preposterous amounts of ground and making some of the most spectacular catches ever witnessed.<\/p>\n Throwing: We\u2019d all love to see Ohtani making deep throws to third from the warning track, or some such thing. It would be a spectacle, no doubt. But Mays\u2019 throwing was otherworldly. To hear teammates and opponents talk, nobody threw with more velocity or accuracy.<\/p>\n Intangibles: Ohtani adds a sixth tool, because he\u2019s also a historically great pitcher, for heaven\u2019s sake. (His ERA at the moment is 0.82.) But Mays adds two: His leadership\u00a0\u2014 a veritable second manager on the field as he guided teammates into proper position\u00a0\u2014 and his flair, as a showman perhaps unmatched among all the greats through history. Ohtani is unerringly quiet, polite and deferential, to his credit as a gentleman. Mays was looking to knock down the doors, with joyous belligerence. The impressions were indelible.<\/p>\n To suggest there\u2019s some sort of monotony to Ohtani\u2019s talent would be a monumental mistake. In the words of ex-Giant outfielder Michael\u00a0Conforto, who spent last season with the Dodgers, \u201cYou don\u2019t want to miss Shohei\u2019s at-bats. You want to be in the dugout. You want to see it in person. That\u2019s kind of what it is being his teammate. You want to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n Then there was Dodgers teammate Freddie Freeman, himself a hitter of wondrous talent, trying to make sense of Ohtani\u2019s batting during Game 3 of last year\u2019s World Series. As the game pulsated into extra innings, \u201cour starting pitcher,\u201d Freeman said, \u201cgot on base nine times tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It becomes apparent that there\u2019s no need to choose between Ohtani and Mays, merely to discern. Lucky are those of us who watched them both.<\/p>\n Hang with him<\/p>\n \u2022 No change in our preseason optimism about Giants manager Tony Vitello<\/a>. He\u2019s a smart guy with presence, an idea of how the game should be played, and a knack for judging people in a crisis. Seems like the players feel he\u2019s a pretty good dude, too, and he\u2019s hardly to blame for a flawed roster that only occasionally makes some noise. No problem here if he\u2019s in for the long haul.<\/p>\n \u2022 You look for a familiar face in the third-base coaching box. Whether he\u2019s a stoic old hand (Ron Washington), a borderline comedian (Tommy Lasorda) or a smart-as-hell entertainer who really knows the league (Tim Flannery), you want someone who\u2019s been around. The Giants\u2019 choice, Hector Borg, entered this season without coaching anywhere at the big-league level\u00a0\u2014 and he\u2019s not exactly having a stellar year.<\/p>\n \u2022 We heard rumblings last year that despite\u00a0Patrick Bailey<\/a>\u2019s special qualities behind the plate, the Giants weren\u2019t that sold on him defensively\u00a0\u2014 especially if he wasn\u2019t going to hit. Too many dropped throws and passed balls (25) over his first three seasons. It will be interesting to see if Cleveland, a first-place team, gives him an extended look.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u2022 Very discouraging: Talk that the\u00a0Giants might attempt to trade<\/a> second baseman Luis Arraez<\/a> if they\u2019re buried in the standings at the All-Star break. Hey, I don\u2019t care if they\u2019re 0-81. Never trade a genius hitter\u00a0\u2014 there aren\u2019t many left\u00a0\u2014\u00a0 who happens to be a spirited team leader and a surprisingly capable fielder. He\u2019ll be a gift for the fans as long as he\u2019s here.<\/p>\n<\/a>
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