Last night my roommates and I had a small discussion on the greatest baseball players of all time. And I decided it would be a good post topic for my initial post in my new location. This is purely opinion with some bland statistics to back up what I think. Feel free to rip it all apart. My one disclaimer is that this is just about position players. No pitchers here. Maybe I'll save that for next time.
#5 Barry Bonds
As much as I hate putting him on this list because of his ridiculous attitude and "I'm bigger than the game" mentality, the statistics do not lie. With the best single season slugging pct. in 2001, and the 2nd best career slugging mark, the power numbers are impressive...even in the juiced-ball era. Being a member of the 500-500 (steals/HR) is maybe his most impressive stat along with the fact that from 1990-2004 he only had one season (and it was injury riddled) with an OBP under .400. His stats are just ridiculous the last few years with decimal numbers so high I can barely comprehend them. He won two gold gloves in Pittsburgh playing LF and is the owner of 4 MVP awards. He is quite possibly the greatest player I have ever gotten to see or will ever get to see play live.
#4 Hank Aaron
The home run record is great. It's the golden standard of baseball. The record of all records. But honestly, how many everyday, non-zealous baseball fans would be able to tell you the actual number? Not as many as would know "714". The fact of the matter is that the man was the model for consistency and ability. Had he not played the same era as Willie, Mickey, and the Duke and had played half his career somewhere other than Milwaukee (which had one of the longest left field lines/gap in the game) this man might have been widely considered the greatest player of his era and worthy successor of Babe Ruth. 2 gold gloves, lifetime .305 BA, .928 OPS, nearly 4,000 hits (widely forgotten statistic), All-time RBI leader, and being one of the greatest ambassadors the game has ever seen.
#3 Babe Ruth
Now, most people would have him #1 or #2, but I am a doubter. The premier slugger of all-time with a career OBP well over .500 should be considered for those slots, but there are reasons why I have my doubts. The shortest rightfield fence in the game (293 feet for a few season, moved back to 305) had a great impact on his HR totals. He hit 69% of his home runs while at Yankees Stadium. That is not an anomaly to me. If you do the math, that's 221 home runs away...and if you multiply it out....440 home runs total. That isnt all that impressive a number anymore is it. Ok, back to the positives. I think one of the most impressive stats is that he did all the damage he did in only 8,399 at-bats. Nine seasons over .700 slugging, 9 seasons over 130 rbi's, and, to top it off, the man hit 136 triples in his career. Those little Matt Stairs legs could really move. His .342 batting average ranks 3rd all time behind Ty Cobb and Shoeless Joe Jackson.
#2 Willie Mays
This man is perhaps the greatest centerfielder of all time. That, of course, is an opinion and can never really be statistically proved, but what can be shown is that he was one of the best hitters of his era. 660 HR, over 3,000 hits, 300 SBs. Great numbers. 1954 might be remembered as the year of the "Shot heard 'round the world" from Bobby Thompson, but in reality, it was perhaps the greatest season ever by a player in the modern era. Playing in one of the largest stadiums in the game at the time, Mays hit .345 with 45 HR, 13 3Bs, scored 119 runs (a large number in those years), and batted in 110. He had a fielding percentage of 1.000 with 29 outfield assists. TWENTY-NINE!!!! Wow. The "Say Hey" kid stole the show in New York at a time when the Yankees and Dodgers were the most popular teams.
#1 Ty Cobb
The Georgia Peach was the best pure hitter of his time and the best pure bastard of his time as well. The best all-time batting average, 2nd most hits of all-time, 2nd most triples all-time, 2nd most Runs scored all-time, 4th most SB all-time, 4th most doubles all-time, 6th most RBI all-time, a career OBP of over .500, and the home run leader of the dead ball era. Need I say more? Ok, I will. 1911 was perhaps the greatest offensive season in the history of baseball.
Here is a link to see it. Absolutely unbelievable. No one will ever touch a season like that again. There's a prediction...take it to the bank. And if they had gold glove awards at the time, the guy would've earned a few. He had more range than any Outfielder of the time and is said to have had a "unbelievable" arm. Since he played in the deadball era and the stat comparison isn't quite fair a lot of people undervalue his accomplishments, but in my mind he is EASILY the greatest player to ever set foot on a field of dirt and grass.
In Other News....
a) Phil Mickelson won the Masters. I couldn't help but root for Ernie, just because I love the guy's demeanor, but it was really great to see Phil win. But what was greater was the way in which he won. Irons off the tees, positioning his LAYUPS perfectly, staying below the hole, missing to the proper sides, etc etc. He played like a champion, he thought like a champion, he made a back nine charge like a champion, and now he is a champion.
b) Dusty, what are you doin'? I have yet to see the lineup stay the same in consecutive games. As a former player and baseball fanatic, I know the strains of continuity and what happens when it isn't there. PLAY THE SAME FREAKING LINEUP ONCE!!! It's cold. It's windy. It's bitter out there. Give your players some consistency and some flow, especially in the nasty Chicago spring. Come on.
c) I hate Embryology.
d) Matt Clement pitches today. We need help. No WAY will he do anything in this weather. That slider will be slippin' a bit in the cold, dry, windy weather. Please god let the offense wake up.
Connemara's Rising is solely a division of David Brunner's Intellectual gifts.
© 2004 David Brunner
