Twenty Players from 1958 Are Hall of Famers. How Many from 2011 Will Make It?

Some of the greatest players in the history of the game played in 1958. Some were nearing the end, some were at their peak, and some were just getting started.

The hitters included Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Hank Aaron, Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Duke Snider, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Larry Doby, Ernie Banks, Eddie Mathews, Brooks Robinson, Yogi Berra, Richie Ashburn, Nellie Fox, Orlando Cepeda, PeeWee Reese, Luis Aparicio and Bill Mazeroski. All are in the Hall of Fame.

Among the pitchers, Warren Spahn, Robin Roberts, Whitey Ford and Jim Bunning were future Hall of Famers

Williams, Musial, Aaron, Mantle, Mays, and Clemente are among the greatest hitters of all time, yet American League teams averaged only 4.17 runs a game, and National League teams only 4.40 runs a game.There was a delicate balance between offense and pitching that no longer exists.

In 1958, the World Champion New York Yankees scored 759 runs, an average of 4.90 runs a game, to lead American League teams. The transplanted Giants scored 727 runs, an average of 4.72 a game, to lead the Senior Circuit.

Ted Williams hit .328 to win the AL batting title and Mickey Mantle hit 42 home runs to lead the league. In the National League, Richie Ashburn won the batting title with a .350 average and shortstop Ernie Banks led both leagues with 47 home runs.

The philosophy of the game was different. The primary goal was to prevent the opposition from scoring instead of trying to outscore them. The emphasis was on pitching and defense.

Players with undisciplined power who struck out often, such as Dave Nicholson, were given the chance to play because it was hoped that they would eventually harness their great power. Among the all-time single season strike out leaders, only Nicholson. among the "top" 100, played before 1965.

Today, Drew Stubbs, Mark Reynolds and Adam Dunn make Nicholson seem like contact a contact hitter.

Batters considered striking out a disgrace and most tried to make contact, not going for the downs with two strikes. In 1958, American League teams averaged 755 strikeouts and National League teams averaged 774 strikeouts. In 2011, AL teams averaged 1,113 strike outs while the NL average was 1,181.

Some of the greatest players of all time are playing today and they are facing some of the greatest pitchers. Many are almost certain to be voted into the Hall of Fame, including Chipper Jones, Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Ichiro Suzuki, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Jim Thome among batters and Mariano Rivera, Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum, Johan Santana and C.C. Sabathia among pitchers.

Twenty players who played in 1958 are in the Hall of Fame. Only time will tell how many players from 2011 will make it.