Sure, he had bad off the field habits, but he also played crippled for most of his career (ever see old film of him (from the latter part of his career) rounding the bases on a home run? Painful to watch. Had he been healthy, and lived a healthier lifestyle, I think we'd be looking at this guy as the greatest whoever played the game.

Lasmo said what I would have, only better. I did, and still love "The Mick".I grew up in the Boston area in the 50's and because of Mickey, I became a lifelong Yankee fan. I admired his talent, but even more so his courage. He had it right to the end. Ted Williams said Mantle was the most modest man he ever met. Imagine in todays game..a modest superstar?. There will never be another like #7.

My childhood hero. In spite of being a Brooklyn Dodgers fan I loved Mickey Mantle. No one except perhaps the Babe ever drew more fans. What a player.

could've been the best all-time without the injuries and should've been better without the booze.  For those reasons, can't give him a 5 rating - but what a combination of speed & power.

My childhood hero, Mantle could have been the greatest player of all time if he had taken any care of himself.

I didn't realize what a train-wreck he was when I was a kid, and I'm glad of it.

Sometimes it seems we were better off when we didn't know everything about an athlete's problems.

We could use more heroes. Even if we have to invent them, or help them along a little.

To paraphrase the quote, if this is what staying up late drinking whisky and chasing women get you, maybe more ballplayers should try it.

Make no mistake about it. Mantle had the best balance of speed and great power. His dash down 1st base was measured at 2.9 secs. Thats' quite something for a man who could pluverize the ball to 565 feet!! Definitely if it wasn't for a freak accident in '51 World Series he could have been up there with Aaron, Bonds, The Babe and Mays in homers.

If he wasn't such a worthless drunk he might have hit 100 more homeruns. . .being hung over constantly has to make it tougher to reach a hanging curve. . .

Mantle was the flawed hero -- the man who could have been the greatest baseball player ever if not for bad knees and a dark corner in his mind that told him he would would die young, as did his father and brother. So, he wasn't the best, but he came close....

All contemporary players of his time and even anti-yankee fans agree a fully healthy Mantle was head and shoulders above anyone period.I don't care if you strike out 500 times a year,if you had the ability to hit over 100 home runs.If someone ever did something like that they would be called the greatest homerun hitter ever(pretty close statistically to Sam Sosa's numbers and look how he is portrayed).Mantle could do it all,better than Robinson,Mays,Williams,Dimaggio and Aaron. He lived life for he thought he might not see tomorrow and that mentality affected his game but just ponder the history of baseball if he had taken care of himself.Baseball was lucky to get the Mantle we did get.

struck out way more than he should have. Had the tools to be the best ever.

Mickey Mantle on any given day was the most talented baseball player that God ever put on this earth. Yes, he broke down physically at an early age and never fulfilled the potential he had BUT when all was right and the legs let him play NO ONE BUT NO ONE hit it farther or higher or harder than the Mick. And ask any of his teammates...he did everything for them and supported them fully and they believe like me that Mickey was the MOST VALUABLE BASEBALL TEAMMATE OF ALL TIME. Had he stayed healthy and perhaps played in a normal baseball park where center field was not 466 ft Mickey might have hit 1000 Home Runs and they would have gone farther than any other shots ever hit by anyone!!! I saw Mickey and he was so fast no one believed what they saw...instead they just roared every time he came to the plate and on every pitch. I boast of a record for Mickey that I never heard mentioned. I will peersonally BET THAT MICKEY MANTLE PLAYED BEFORE MORE LIVE FANS THAN ANY OTHER BASEBALL PLAYER WHO EVER LIVED ANY ERA!!! I saw him draw 94,000 people constantly in Cleveland Municipal stadium and heard it rock with noise like none other you have ever heard at a sporting event. Plus we used to go 1 to 11/2 hours early just to see Mickey take batting practice and SO DID THOUSANDS OF OTHER FANS!!! Mickey was the most electric player ever and he ignited fans like no other player in history. And Mickey was a wonderful person who unselfishly berated himself to kids to get them not to follow his lead but to do the right things and I will always love Mickey Mantle ahead of all baseball players for ALL-TIME!!!

Blessed with superlative ability, Mantle decided his boozing was more important than his team. Give me Berra anyday over Mantle.

Anybody in the best 1000 players ranks as great! Mantle surely was in the upper echelon of outfielders. Does that mean the greatest? God no!!! He is probably in the top 25, How can you put him ahead of Ruth, Mays, Aaron, Clemente, Williams, Dimaggio, Cool Pappa Bell, Oscar Charelston, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffy Jr., Cobb, Speaker, Frank Robinson, and maybe Sosa, Ott, Larry Walker, Hank Greenberg, (of which Mantle, I think, rates a little higher than), But opinions are like you know what. Mantle was great, but he rates among the top 25 outfielders and would be proud to be there. He is not in the top 10 baseball players of all time!

No doubt he was the greatest switch-hitter in MLB history! Period.

While not on the same level with Ruth, Gehrig, or Williams statistically speaking, Mickey Mantle was both the fastest runner in the history of the game and hit the farthest homeruns. The tiny ball parks that are played in today would probably have yeilded 70 to 80 homeruns a year to Mantle. It's a shame that he didn't appreciate his own gifts enough to take better care of himself. Possibly the most exciting words in all of baseball were: Now batting....MICKEY MANTLE.....

Mantle's rating depends heavily on what we are rating, and this has never really been discussed. If we are talking about a player in his prime, Mantle is clearly a Five and very possibly the greatest player in history. His offensive production for that period is really only equaled by Ruth, Williams, and Hornsby in their primes. However, Mantle was a very good to excellent Center Fielder, Ruth was, in his prime, a good unspectacular outfielder, Willims, in his best offensive years, was innattentive in the field and Hornsby was, by reputation, a bad Second Baseman. This is all leaving out Wagner and maybe that is the only thing to do as he never got to hit the lively ball. If we are looking at his career, we have a different story. It doesn't matter much if it was his fault. Some kid who died at twelve in a car accident MIGHT have been the greatest player of all time and we will never know. Mantle might have been the greatest ever but injuries and his bad attitude toward training and rehab left him with the career he had. I would rank him behind Mays, Cobb and Speaker as CF, just ahead of DiMaggio. That puts the Mick well down the list of all-time great players, although still on it.

best mixture of power and speed ever. He could have easily hit 70 without roids or a juiced up ball.

Just like Jerry Lucas's knees betrayed him and prevented him from being the greatest player of all time in the NBA,Mickey's knees were the only thing that prevented him from being the greatest major league baseball player of all time !

A four-time American League home run and slugging champion, Mantle earned three MVP awards and was a 20-time All-Star. Mickey didn't disappoint in the post-season - far from it. He holds World Series career records for homers, runs, runs batted in, and total bases.

Fan favorite but in reality he blew.

Fan favorite. He had skills but not a top 5 player

A couple of salient points on Mantle. Yankee Stadium's left-center field fence was 454 feet, and about half his at-bats there were right-handed. Breaking in with NY, with the stigma of being called the next Joe D put added pressure in the beginning of his career. Injuries certainly stunted his accomplishments but so did his lifestyle which was not oriented to post-injury or post-surgery recovery. Mantle once said when I batted, I wasn't just trying to hit a home run every at-bat. I was trying to hit the longest home run anyone had ever hit, every time I picked up a bat. He tried to pull everything, which accounts for a high strikeout total, was pitched around often, which accounts for his high walks count. He came the closest of any player who ever lived to hitting the ball out of Yankee Stadium (about 18) which nobody has ever done. (Sidenote: While acting as hitting coach for the Yankees, after Mick retired, during spring training, Yogi Berra was also an ass't coach, Mantle missed a game and there were 3 streakers during the game. Berra ran up to Mick the next day and said, Mick, ya shoulda seen 'em, three of 'em, jumped out of a car by 3rd base, ran across the field, jumped over the fence by 1st base and drove off. Mickey said, well, Yogi, were they guys or girls? Yogi answers, I dunno, they had bags on their heads. )

Great player.

He is a great player and i really enjoy the restaraunt dedicated to him in New York the food was pricy although.

Mickey Mantle was a star from the start, parlaying a talent for the game and boyish good looks into iconic status. In spite of serious of devastating injuries, Mantle accumulated a long list of impressive accomplishments, finishing his 18 year career with 536 homeruns and a .298 batting average. The swith hitting Commerce Comet won three MVP awards and a Triple Crown (1956). He contributed to 12 pennants and seven World Series records, including most home runs (18). Mickey Mantle was inducted to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

Where to start? Mantle was and is the prototype switch-hitter, with 40-homer power, outstanding ability to draw walks, and plus speed (even after his knee injury in his second season). Defensively, he wasn't quite DiMaggio-level, but had superb range. With his ability to get on base and also hit for power, he must be considered one of the top 4 center fielders ever, though not as good as Cobb or Mays.

Fllowing the footsteps of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio, Mantle created his own niche in the long line of Yankee legends. Breaking into '51 DiMaggio final season, the swich hitter outfielder led the club to 12 AL pennants and seven World Series championships in his first 14 years. Along the way, he earned three AL MVP awards, including his Triple Crown season of '56 and belted 536 homeruns, second most in Yankee history and eight on the all-time homerun list. Mickey's career numbers are 2401 games played, 8102 at-bats, 1677 runs, 2415 hits, 344 doubles, 72 triples, 536 homeruns, 1509 rbi's, 1733 walks, 1710 strikeouts, and a .298 batting average.

Injuries more than booze cut down his career. He wrecked his knee when he caught his spikes in the chickenwire outfield fence in Cleveland and after that could barely hobble about with a terrible limp. Until then, he was about as good as they come, right up there with Mays, a great hitter, blazingly fast base runner, and above average fielder. I think he had more raw talent than any player I have ever seen.

Mickey was great, Mickey was talented, Mickey was loveable. But this is what I like to call the New York effect. Had Mantle played in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati or St. Louis, he'd be considered a great player, but he sure as heck wouldn't be No. 3 on this list. Nor should he be.

I saw a photo of Mantle in the 50's with his shirt off.. he seriously could have competed in the Mr. Universe.. he was just ripped.. too bad he liked the booze.

One of the greats but not top 5

he was a legend and he was strong when he was up at bat because i saw him on tv when he hit a baseball almost over the facade

Talent-wise, a 5, but somewhat dimmed his career with booze.

He might be the leading contender in the greatest player ever category if he stayed healthy and took care of himself.

i hate the yankees like i hate stomach cancer, but you have got to love the mick.

not as a good as a hitter compared to cobb:life time avg: .367

The sheer excitement of watching Mickey Mantle hitting was one of the greatest thrills of my life. You can't explain it to kids today--he was awesome! And the power he had from both sides was amazing. An engaging man and a towering figure for all time.

FORGET ABOUT I'VE DONE ALL THE RESEARCH IN THE WORLD AND HAVE TALKED TO ALOT OF HEAVY PEOPLE. HAD MICKEY NOT DRANK SO MUCH AND TAKEN CARE OF HIMSELF AND NOT GOT IJURED SO MUCH HE DEFINATELY WOULD HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER OF ALL-TIMES. ALOT OF PEOPLE HAVE OPINIONS BUT GIVE ME SOME FACTS, IT IS A FACT THE MANTLE HAD MORE SPEED THAN ANYBODY INCLUDING MAYS[ HOME TO FIRST 3 SECOUNDS FLAT LEFTY AND 3.1 SECOUNDS RIGHTY WHEN HE FIRST CAME UP]. FACT THAT HE HAD MORE POWER THAN ANYBODY[ HE HIT THE LONGEST HOMERUNS IN THE HISTORY OF THE GAME, LONGEST HOMERUN EVER IN GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS-643FT IN DETROIT! AS IT IS HE'S ONE OF THE GREATEST OUTFIELDERS THAT EVER WAS, IF HE WOULD HAVE HAD GOOD LEGS THAN WHAT? HE ALSO RETIRED WITH A HIGHER BASE STEALING PERCENTAGE THAN MAYS, EVEN WITH BAD LEGS! HE ALSO RETIRED WITH A HIGHER FIELDING PERCENTAGE THAN MAYS, THE MAYS FANS WILL TELL YOU THAT MAYS TOOK MORE CHANCES, HE ALSO HAD THE GOOD LEGS MAYS RIGHT? CONSIDER THAT MANTLE MANY TIMES WAS SWITCHED TO RIGHT OR LEFTFIELD WITCH THROWS YOU OFF IF YOU'RE USE TO PLAYING CENTER BECCAUSE OF THE ANGLE THE BALL IS COMING AT YOU! TALK TO ME. FORGET IT I HAD THE PRIVLEGE TO ASK RED BARBER WHO WAS BETTER MANTLE OR MAYS TO SEE WHAT HE THAUGHT AND HE SAID 'WELL MANTLE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE GREATEST BUT HE GOT HURT', THERE IT IS. MICKEYS' CARREAR CAN BE SUMMED UP BY 1961 THAT YEAR HE DEFINATELY WOULD HAVE WON THE HOMERUN CROWN HAD HE NOT GOT HURT HE MISSED TWO WEEKS AND HE AVERAGED A HOMER MORE PER AT BATS THAN MARIS, ALSO CONSIDER HOW THAT HE LED THE LEAUGE IN WALKS! TALK TO ME. MANTLE WAS THE GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYER OF ALL-TIMES AND STILL IS AFTER THAT, WILLIE MAYS. AS A MATTER OF FACT HE WAS AND IS THE ONLY PLAYER IN HISTORY BETTER THAN MAYS! I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU. THE REASON MAYS WAS THE VOTED PLAYERS OF THE 60S IS CAUSE MANTLE GOT HURT IN 63 AND WAS NEVER THE SAME AGAIN, BUT MICKEY WAS PLAYER OF THE 50S. MAYS WAS GREAT, MANTLE WAS JUST BEYOUND THAT, LOOK WAHT HE DID IJURIES AND ALL, 1 TRIPLE CROWN, 3 MVPS AND THEY TALK ABOUT BONDS, IN THIS ERA OTHE THE HYPED UP BALL. A YOUNG MANTLE WOULD HIT ONE TO CALIFORNIA TODAY. LET'S GET SOME FACTS AND NOT OPINIONS. OPINIONS ARE LIKE ASSES EVERYBODY HAS ONE, MANTLE COULD ALSO HIT FOR AVERAGE AND LETS NOT LEAVE OUT HE WAS ALSO A GREAT BUNTER, THERE JUST WAS NOTHING HE COULDN'T DO WELL. LET'S GET SOME FACTS! SINCERELY, TEDDY.

Mickey Mantle: Was to baseball what Bobby Orr was to hockey. Could he ever, slam a baseball ... WOW !!! He is my all-time favorite player in baseball. Who can mention the Yankees without referencing Mickey??? A real icon to Yankee fans alike !!!

maybe not the greatest of alltime but he is in my book. I can only wonder-What If???

The Mick ,my hero . Grew up in Long Island and watching Mickey at the stadium in the Bronx was simply a pleasure .I will never never forget his talent and his ability to just be one of the guys .Mickey was just The Mick and I will never forget him .Thank you Mickey wish you were here ..

This guy was a switch hitter! he hit 50+hrs twice, as a switch hitter! amazing! in fact, hes the only person ever to win a triple crown with 50+hrs. his fielding, while not as excellent as willie mays's, was far from mediocre, exceptional. his arm was fabulous, not as good as mays, but still very impressive. but what was most impressive about the mick was his speed. this guy could outrun rickey henderson or tim raines in their primes, in a run from home to first, thats how fast he was. he had a horrid knee injury his rookie year. had he not had that, and had he taken care of himself, he could very well be the single season and career hr kings, as well as the walks king, and runs scored king. this guy was great, he possibly had more raw talent than anyone else who ever played the game

Mickey was my favorite player when I was growing up. He was the ultimate 5-tool player when he was young, but he let his career deteriorate, and because of that, no matter how sentimental, I can't give him 5 stars. No one had more power from both sides of the plate. He could hit for average, field his position and run like the wind. And, under pressure - 18 home runs in the World Series. But, he let alcohol get the best of him, and his career went downhill. But, in the mid-to-late 50s, he was the best in the game - better than Mays, better than Aaron, better than Williams. He was a 5-star player who just refused to remain that way.

The best the game has seen.

He won the triple crown in '56 and led the Yankees to so many world series victories. 536 career HRs. He was fast as anything until he busted his knee.

Behind Willie Mays, he's probably the second-most complete player in history. DiMaggio's refusal to look bad doing anything cost Mantle his knee one afternoon. With better health and less whiskey there's no telling how much he could have done. It's kinda scary.

Imagine if he had two good knees!!

Knowing how much he accomplished, its staggering to think that he was actually something of an underachiever -- if only his knees had held up, and his nightlife more under control...