Mickey Mantle is one of the most well known and talked about greats of the 1950s, a lot in part to his life of the field. When up at the plate, he swung from both sides to end his 18-year Yankee career with a .298 average, 536 homeruns, 2,415 hits, 1,509 RBI, a .557 slugging percentage and 1,733 walks. The Mick was 20-time All Star, helped earn seven World Series Rings, was AL MVP three times, won a Golden Glove and the 1956 Triple Crown. As if that wasn't enough, he also owns the record for the most homeruns, RBI, runs, walks, extra-base his and total bases in the World Series, as well as the most walk-off homeruns of all time. He made his way into Cooperstown in 1974.
Giants great Willie Mays finished his 22-year career batting .302 with 660 homeruns, 1,903 RBI, 3,283 hits, 5,232 doubles and a .557 slugging percentage. He once hit four home runs in one game. The remarkable 24-time All Star, 1954 World Series champ, 12-time Gold Glove winner, two-time NL MVP, 1951 Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star MVP was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
"Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks spent his entire career in the windy city from 1953-1971. He ended his time there with a .274 average, 512 homeruns, 2,583 hits and a .986 fielding percentage. He was named an All Star 14 times, won a Gold Glove in 1960 and was named league MVP twice. In 1977 he was made a Hall of Famer.
Maybe not known as well as the others, Earl Wynn boasted numbers fierce enough to make my list. He broke into the majors when he was just 19-years-old and played from 1939-1963. Wynn finished with a 3.54 ERA, with a .551 winning percentage and 2,334 career strikeouts. His best years came in the 1950's, as he was an All Star every year from 1955-1960 and was a 1959 Cy Young winner. Cooperstown welcomed him into the Hall in 1972.
Native New Yorker Whitey Ford reigned as "Chairman of the Board" for his hometown Yankees for 16 years. In that time, he had a 2.75 ERA, .690 winning percentage, 1,956 strikeouts. Not to mention, Ford made the All-Star roster ten times, helped win six World Series rings, and had his best year in 1961 when he won the AL Cy Young award and World Series MVP. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1974.
Warren Spahn was a fearsome southpaw during his time, spending 21 years on the mound mainly for the then Boston Braves. His career line reads a 3.09 ERA with a 363-245 record and 2,583 strikeouts. He was a 17-time All Star and won a World Series championship and Cy Young in 1957. In 1973 he made the ballot and went on to be a member of the Hall.
Last but not least on the list is Duke Snider. The Brooklyn Dodger great played 18 season with a career average of .295. He also had 2,116 hits, 407 of them round-trippers, as well as 1,333 RBI and a .540 slugging percentage. Being a eight-time All Star and a big part of two World Series championship teams helped him earn his spot in the Hall of Fame in 1980.
