Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
January 12, 2009
Randolph on Henderson

Peter Abraham quotes Willie Randolph on Rickey Henderson:

"Rickey and I have been friends for a long time, and I am ecstatic for him. I've been fortunate and blessed to have played with a great number of phenomenal baseball players but pound-for-pound, Rickey Henderson is the best player I've ever played beside. No one was able to impact the course of a game in as many ways as Rickey. This is a great day for him, and I can't wait to hear his acceptance speech."

Willie was also a great leadoff hitter. He knew how to work the count and his .373 career OBA was just what you wanted from the position. He pales in comparison to Henderson however, as Willie had no power, and while he was a successful base stealer, never really ran that often.


Posted by David Pinto at 04:09 PM | All-Time Greats | TrackBack (0)
Comments

I once went to a Yankees-Orioles game in 1985 in the Bronx. Dennis Martinez was pitching for the O's. It seemed that every time Rickey got on, Dennis spent more time throwing to first than to the plate. He definitely rattled Dennis and hurt his concentration. I wonder how many other games he affected in that way, even if it doesn't show up in the box score.

Posted by: soccer dad at January 13, 2009 10:04 AM
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