Reply #66: Bonilla played 3B (poorly), yes. [View All]

And he hit 3 more home runs than Clark.

Bonilla also played 137 more games than Clark -- almost a season. Even accounting for those 137 fewer games, Clark hit more doubles, walked more, and struck out less. Clark scored more runs and drove more in.

I am a BIG proponent of position adjustments (which is why I rank Honus Wagner as the second greatest player ever). That said, I don't really see Bonilla as a 3B -- more as a DH who spent too long in the NL. Remember, Dave fucking Kingman played 154 games at third, and the bat boy fielded better than he did.

Bill James ranks Clark as the 14th-best 1B ever. He ranks Bonilla at #41 as a 3B (James includes a player's entire career achievement when considering positional rankings). Now, James ranks Clark one spot above Dick Allen -- I disagree with this, Allen should go into the Hall before anyone considers Clark. That said... he also considers Buddy Bell, Eddie Yost, Tim Wallach, and Toby Harrah to be better 3Bmen than Bonilla. I agree with him on those players.

And I don't hear anyone clamoring for Bell, Yost, Wallach, and Harrah to be added to the Hall (although they were ALL better players than Lloyd Waner).