I learned, just this morning, that Duke Snider actually had more home runs and more RBIs than any other player in the decade of the 1950s.

There were several other stars among his contemporaries with better career numbers, of course, but none of them played every year from 1950 to 1959. Snider came up to the majors (to the Brooklyn Dodgers) early in the 1947 season, just a couple of weeks after Jackie Robinson's debut. He became a good friend to Jackie during that difficult year, which may be as important a contribution to baseball history, and to American history, as anything he accomplished on the field.

Mickey Mantle didn't reach the majors until 1951, and was not a full-time player right away; Willie Mays was also a rookie in '51, but missed the next two years as a draftee into the US Army during the Korean War. Also, those two younger players, among many others, enjoyed longer careers extending well into the '60s. But, from 1950 to 1959 inclusive, no one had better power-hitting numbers than The Duke of Flatbush.