The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #74 Harmen Killebrew

Powering into the list at #74 is Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew. Known as “the Killer” for his tape-measure shots, Killebrew led the league in home runs six times which is the fourth most in history. He also finished in the top-5 in home runs an incredible 12 times and slugging % and OPS+ ten times. He was named the American League MVP in 1969 and finished in the top-4 in MVP voting six times. Killebrew’s 14.2 at-bats per home run ratio is 7th best in history and he has the 12th highest home run and 15th highest walk totals of all time. Killebrew was also versatile with the glove, playing more than 450 games at three different positions and making the all-star game at all of them.

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Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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