Who would you say are the three best baseball players of all time?

steve red wrote:

Manny Rivera

Dion Sanders

Mark McGuire

wtf is manny rivera?

I wonder when the first outstanding players from California showed up in MLB. There were the Dimaggios and Ted Williams, but who came before that, in the days when the furthest west team was in St. Louis ...which was until about 1953, I believe.

I actually don't think the very early players like Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner merit consideration for the top three (or even top six). In a deadball era, they weren't required to show much power, and with crappy gloves and uncertain field surfaces, I'd question how brilliant their fielding was. And of course they had no Black or Hispanic opponents.

Some legends die hard. "Tinker to Evers to Chance" is a nice poem, but Chance is the only one of the three who should even be in the Hall of Fame (and mainly for his managing). The other two were barely mediocre.

The Second World War messes up career stats a bit, and if not for years spent away, people like Warren Spahn, Bob Feller, and Hank Greenberg would be getting more consideration and Ted Williams would be a lock for the top three ...which he might be anyway.

It's possible that the best choices were all people who played in fairly recent past ... Barry Bonds, A-Rod, Griffey Jr., and Pedro Martinez. If not for steroids, the first two might be easy picks.

Have we finally put the Nolan Ryan nonsense to bed? Yeah, he struck out a lot guys. He also walked batallions full of guys, and isn't he second on the all-time list for losses behind just Cy Young, who had hundreds more starts?

Ty Cobb

Ricky Henderson

Roberto Clemente

Willie Mays Hayes

Rick Vaughn

Roy Hobbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g545LhuEnI

Nolan Ryan was the best pitcher in the history of baseball in terms of striking people out and in terms of it being difficult to get hits off of him.

Unfortunately he was among the worst (and the worst high volume pitcher) in history in allowing walks, in wild pitches, in allowing steals (at a high percentage success rate) and in fielding his position.

People focus on the first category, where Ryan was undoubtedly spectacular, but never seem to fully reckon with the second category and how much it undoes his success. For instance, Ryan allowed the fewest hits/9IP among starting pitcher. However, when you add in the walks, he is only 254th in history in WHIP (walks+hits/IP). You add it all up, you have a pitcher who was extraordinarily entertaining, and was good, but was not anywhere close to the best pitchers in the history of the game.

Also, there have been major league players from California about as long as there has been major league baseball. Many of them from the San Francisco area. One of the early stars from California was Hal Chase, a slick fielding first baseman who debuted in 1905 and played for 15 years. He was good enough to be considered a marginal candidate for the Hall of Fame, but was tainted by the Black Sox scandal and pretty widely believed to have bet on baseball and thrown some games.

I think each poster should write how old they are.

I’m guessing most saying Williams, Mays, and Ruth are over 50 yrs old

How about Hank Aaron?!

round and round wrote:

I think each poster should write how old they are.

I’m guessing most saying Williams, Mays, and Ruth are over 50 yrs old

Baseball Almanac ranked Ruth, Mays and Williams as the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 8 best baseball players of all time. So, maybe the old-timers just have a better grasp of baseball history than the young whippersnappers.

round and round wrote:

I think each poster should write how old they are.

I’m guessing most saying Williams, Mays, and Ruth are over 50 yrs old

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You're wrong whippersnapper. Anyone who doesn't say Williams, Mays and Ruth are under 50 years old.

round and round wrote:

I think each poster should write how old they are.

I’m guessing most saying Williams, Mays, and Ruth are over 50 yrs old

Yes I'm older than 50. Ruth hit the ball just as far as Stanton or Judge and had a great batting average. He was a freak who used a bat that today's steroid players can't swing. I don't buy the well he didn't play with black and latino players argument. There aren't that many blacks in the game anymore. And today's best athletes play other sports. Oh and Ruth pitched too. He belongs on the list.

Mays on the other hand as much as I loved him might not be any better than Griffey Jr and Mantle not any better than Trout.

Williams as someone pointed out lost a few of his best years to the military.

The greatest hitter of all time was Barry Bonds on drugs.'

coach wrote:

round and round wrote:

I think each poster should write how old they are.

I’m guessing most saying Williams, Mays, and Ruth are over 50 yrs old

Yes I'm older than 50. Ruth hit the ball just as far as Stanton or Judge and had a great batting average. He was a freak who used a bat that today's steroid players can't swing. I don't buy the well he didn't play with black and latino players argument. There aren't that many blacks in the game anymore. And today's best athletes play other sports. Oh and Ruth pitched too. He belongs on the list.

Mays on the other hand as much as I loved him might not be any better than Griffey Jr and Mantle not any better than Trout.

Williams as someone pointed out lost a few of his best years to the military.

*Under 40 years old here...

Griffey vs. Mays:

-Seasons played: 22 each

-HR's: 660 (M); 630 (G)

-Stolen Bases: 338 (M); 184 (G)

-Batting Avg: .302(M); .284 (G)

-Gold Gloves: 12 (M); 10 (G)

-MVP: 2 (M); 1 (G)

-Rookie of the year: Mays (no Griffey)

Based on these stats, Mays beats out Griffey Jr, as good as he is. I can't see any justification for Griffey being mentioned in the top 3.

Another issue with comparing players from different eras is that there are more teams and players in the league now which many feel feel has diluted the overall quality of pitching.

Obvi wrote:

1) Cleon Jones

2) Tommie Agee

3) Don Clendenon

narrowly edging out Mookie Wilson, Lenny Dykstra and Tim Teuffel?

Satchel Paige- played until age 59!

Lefty Grove

Lou Gehrig

Yes!

52 yrs

1. Pud Galvin pitched over 600 innings in a season...twice

2. Rogers Hornsby. 358 career avg(second all time). Hit 370 or better 7 straight years including over 400 three times

3. Hughie Jennings - hit by pitch 287 all time leader

Dogsitter wrote:

52 yrs

1. Pud Galvin pitched over 600 innings in a season...twice

2. Rogers Hornsby. 358 career avg(second all time). Hit 370 or better 7 straight years including over 400 three times

3. Hughie Jennings - hit by pitch 287 all time leader

Jennings narrowly edges out Craig Biggio for that HBP distinction - 287 versus 285.

Hughie and Biggio are in the HOF.