Ted Williams

Ted Williams was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960; his career was interrupted by military service during World War II and the Korean War. Nicknamed "Teddy Ballgame", "The Kid", "The Splendid Splinter", and "The Thumper", Williams is regarded as one of the greatest hitters in baseball history and to date is the last player to hit over .400 in a season. During his 19 years with Boston he had the American League's highest slugging average eight times, won the batting crown six times, led in runs batted in and in home runs four times and runs scored six times and captured the triple crown twice (a feat equaled only by Rogers Hornsby). He had 2,654 hits, and in perhaps the greatest tribute to his batting prowess, he led the league in walks eight times, finishing with a total of 2,019, second only to Babe Ruth at the time. Williams was a nineteen-time All-Star, a two-time recipient of the American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award and a six-time AL batting champion. He finished his playing career with a .344 batting average, 521 home runs, and a .482 on-base percentage, the highest of all time. His career batting average is the highest of any MLB player whose career was played primarily in the live-ball era, and ranks tied for 7th all-time (with Billy Hamilton). Naturally he is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.