Thread by @MattWelch

When Hank Aaron came up to the big leagues in 1954 at age 20, the stolen base was pretty dead as a weapon. A great athlete and smart ballplayer, he stole just 20 bases his first 6 seasons. Then Maury Wills came along, and he was all, "Really?" Then averaged 22 SB from 1960-68.

Hank Aaron hit 77 triples his first 10 years in the bigs (1954-63).

Since 1964, only 46 players have hit more than 77 triples in their entire careers. Not Barry Larkin, not Ryne Sandberg, not Mickey Rivers.

Kirk Gibson in 1988 won the MVP while racking up 6.5 Wins Above Replacement, 6th most in the NL. I would have given it to 1st-place WAR-haver Orel Hershiser (7.1), but it wasn't a bad pick.

Hank Aaron had more than 6.5 WAR every year from 1956-69.

I mention these statty things about Aaron, because he has somehow over the years become underrated. Like Jackie Robinson, the enormity of his accomplishment, and the triumph over racism, has dazzled us so much that we have a hard time getting that they are both inner-inner circle

My pet theory about the public perception of Aaron is that nobody under the age of 55 or so remembers what a great athlete he was. You see the 715th home run, or maybe you remember him wearing a dreadful Brewers uniform in 1975 when you were 6 or 7, and you think: He's kinda fat!

Dude had a BIG ol' butt, and possibly the strongest wrists in the history of the game. (Bobby Bonds, who is mostly forgotten now, and was never fat, was also amazing in that regard.) Baseball rewards idiosyncratic physical talents, especially hand-eye coordination.

But basically, he was a great--not good, but GREAT--baseball player for 19 consecutive years. Like, Rafael Palmeiro, who got his 3000 hits and 500 homers, was never once as great a player as Hank Aaron was every year between age 22-35.