Once and For All, The 25 Best Baseball Players Ever In One Roster
Submitted by slipkid71 on Mon, 11/04/2002 - 05:11
Tags:
- Starting 9
- C - Yogi Berra
- 1B - Lou Gehrig
- 2B - Rogers Hornsby
- 3B - Mike Schmidt
- SS - Cal Ripken, Jr.
- LF - Ted Williams
- CF - Willie Mays
- RF - Babe Ruth
- SP - Walter Johnson
- Sitting on the Bench
- C - Johnny Bench
- 1B - Mark McGwire
- 2B - Jackie Robinson
- 3B - George Brett
- SS - Alex Rodriguez
- LF - Barry Bonds
- CF - Joe DiMaggio
- RF - Hank Aaron
- Bullpen
- SP - Cy Young
- SP - Christy Matthewson
- SP - Randy Johnson
- SP - Sandy Koufax
- SP - Greg Maddux
- SP - Nolan Ryan
- SP - Roger Clemens
- RP - Dennis Eckersley
Author Comments:
Rules:
Since there are 25 players in a MLB roster, my list consists of a starting 9, a bench, and a bullpen. No DH, no middle relievers.
Any comments? Feel free to discuss and debate.
McGwire struck out a lot. And he was so-so in the field.
also: how come Brooks Robinson didn't make the 3B cut?
great idea & execution, though. I need to clone this.
Actually, most of these guys struck out a lot, but what the hell.
McGwire wasn't a slouch by any means. He did win a Golden Glove. He wasn't Keith Hernandez, whom I consider the finest defensive 1Bman, but he could hold his own.
Brooks should make the list, considering he still doesn't have a peer at 3B defensively, but Schmidt also had his share of Golden Gloves, as did Brett. Plus, when you compare Schmidt and Brett's offensive numbers, Brooks pales by comparison. No slight to Robinson, of course.
no brooks and not a mention of the great roberto,what were you smoking?
There is very little to quibble about with this list. Of course that will not deter me.
I might be willing to make an argument for Jimmie Foxx over either of your Ist baseman. 2nd base should have a spot for Joe Morgan. He is very annoying on the ESPN game of the week but he was one heckuva of a 2nd baseman.
But my major disagreement is the pitching staff.
Nolan Ryan was an above average pitcher who is considered great for his longetivity and individual records that had little to do with his teams success. There are 30 pitchers who should be on this list before Ryan. Here are few starters that should be on this list.
Lefty Grove, it is arguable that he was the greatest pitcher of all time. He was definitely the best lefthander to ever play.
Bob Gibson was arguably the greatest big money pitcher in the history of baseball. He also may have been the meanest. There has to be a place for him on this roster.
And Finally while it is nice to see Maddux, Johnson and Clemens here to recognize the modern day pitchers, you have left off the best pitcher in the game today and the best pitcher I have ever seen, Pedro Martinez. I am a devout Red Sox fan and I have been since 1966. I have seen Clemens at his best and I have seen Pedro at his best and there is no doubt in my mind Pedro is the better pitcher no matter what measuring stick you care to use.
Relief pitcher is a tough choice because the role has changed so much over the years. Eck defined the one inning closer role favored by MLB these days but I don't think you can say he was anywhere near the pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, Rich Gossage or my choice for the best of all time Rollie Fingers.
Great list and and its all good because baseball is being discussed on Listology.
Thanks for the feedback. The intent of my list was to bring together a team of both past legends and legends already in the making. I think Foxx makes a great first baseman, but when you compare his number to Gehrig, or McGwire, he comes in 3rd, though that should be no slight. I also like Morgan (even his ESPN commentary), but I gave the nod to Robinson because of his all-around play, plus the fact that you cannot discuss Jackie without mentioning his place in both baseball and American history.
I had a tough time with the pitching staff. Yeah, I had my doubts about Ryan, with his not-so-stellar record, but longevity, plus the fact that he owns the all-time K record, was enough to put him on my list. I left Grove out because I was more convince Koufax was the better lefty, despite his career having been cut short. As for Gibson, no question he was the meanest, most competitve pitcher ever, but Clemens got the nod for his toughness and 5 Cy Young Awards.
The closer was the one I had the toughest time with. I was really leaning towards Fingers, but for a long time I couldn't recall anyone who was as lights-out as Eck. Of course there were closers in the past, but Eck is the epitome of the modern-day closer, and that got him an inclusion on my list.
More baseball lists...I'm already suffering withdrawl until March!!!