Best ballplayers of the modern era? (1960-present)?
Question:Who are the best (all-around/defense and hitting) baseball players (by position). ALSO- can't decide on best shortstop(Derek Jeter or Cal Ripken)? Is Vladimir Guerro on the list?, who is the best second baseman???, PLEASE KEEP LIST TO (1960-present), and BY POSITION.
Answers:
1B Eddie Murray. Only three men have ever hit 500 home runs and collected 3,000 hits. (Four if you count Rafael Palmeiro; I don't because of the steroids.) The other two are Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. And Murray did this while playing most of his career in pitchers' parks, mainly Baltimore Memorial Stadium. And he was a terrific fielder, too. Had he played in New York or L.A. most of his career, instead of just briefly in each case, he'd be a titanic figure in baseball. Mark McGwire is ineligible for the same reason Palmeiro, also a first baseman, is.
2B Joe Morgan. Ignore his often whacked-out broadcasting. This man brought all the skills: Getting on base, power, speed, slick fielding. And he was only 5-foot-8 and playing in hitter-unfriendly parks (the Astrodome and Riverfront Stadium for most of his career).
SS Cal Ripken. In spite of being a sick, twisted, demented Yankee fan, in all honesty I can't put Derek Jeter here yet. In five years, I may change my mind. Don't even think of putting Alex Rodriguez here -- yet.
3B Mike Schmidt. A tough call between him and Brooks Robinson, but he sustained excellence for a long, long time. When the Phils had their centennial in 1983, he was voted the best player in team history. And he had about 150 homers, a couple of Gold Gloves, an MVP season and a Pennant in front of him.
LF Dave Winfield. Another victim of pitcher-friendly dimensions with San Diego and Yankee Stadium not being good for righthanders. Yet he had 465 homers and 3,100 hits. Didn't steal a lot of bases but a smart baserunner. An amazing glove with a super, super arm. Barry Bonds is ineligible.
CF Ken Griffey Jr. I can't select Mays or Mickey Mantle because of the 1960 cutoff date. Ironic: Everyone was saying Junior was going to be the next Mays, but with his injuries, he's become the next Mantle.
RF Reggie Jackson. A little bias, as he's my favorite player of all time because of when and where I began watching baseball. The cutoff date makes it hard to go with several legends, like Aaron, Frank Robinson, Roberto Clemente and Al Kaline.
C Johnny Bench. A great hitter (in a pitcher's park) who revolutionized the way the position was fielded, he kept the Reds in title contention throughout the 1970s when they never had an intimidating pitching staff like the Orioles, A's, Dodgers and Yankees always seemed to.
P Steve Carlton. How soon we forget: 329 wins, 4,100 strikeouts, four Cy Youngs, and the best slider the game has ever seen. To borrow an old phrase, there were seasons when the Phils would've finished in Clearwater without him, and when they were good, there was little doubt he was the best in the business. This guy once won 27 games for a last-place team. (Yes, it was the era of four-man rotations, but it was still amazing.) Why not Roger Clemens? Because you never know when the Rocket is going to blast off, doing something stupid to cost you the game.
How long will A-Rod stay hot and do well in the clutch?
catcher - irod1b- pujos
2b- ryne sandberg
ss-ripkin
3b-arod
of- bonds, hank arron, mantle
dh- ortiz
"Hit By Pitch" Is a big problem that risks injuries in baseball, what should be done to stop this?
1B - McGwire2B - Biggio
SS - ARod, or if I can't have him, Ripken
3B - Schmidt
LF - Bonds
CF - Mays
RF - Aaron
C - Rodriguez or Bench
DH - Edgar Martinez
RHP - Clemens
RHP - Seaver
RHP - Pedro (when healthy)
LHP - Carlton
LHP - Johnson
RP - Hoffman
RP - Rivera
RP - Gossage
RP - Lyle
closer - Eck
Don't like it, pick your own. There's room to debate on everyone except Schmidt and Clemens.
Should Mariano Rivera live the Yankees?
this is too hard to answer. If you wanna ask a question,you should narrow your subject down... For example, who is the best SS played in last five years? something like that
How many baseball games in a season? When is the all star break?
1960 or later….C - Johnny Bench
1B - Eddie Murray
2B - Ryne Sandberg
SS - Cal Ripken Jr
3B - George Brett
RF - Ted Williams
CF - Micky Mantle / Willie Mays (The old argument of Mantle/Mays…)
LF - Tony Gwynn
Pitchers: Roger Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan
c- Johnny Bench
1b- Willie McCovey
2b- Joe Morgan
3b- Mike Schmidt
ss- Cal Ripkin
lf- Barry Bonds
cf- Willie Mays
rf- Hank Aaron
p- Sandy Koufax
There's plenty of guys still playing like Pujols, Arod, Jeter, etc. who could make this list but at this point there's no way I can put them above the guys I listed. Pete Rose also deserves a place but you can't really put him above Hank Aaron at RF.
Koufax didn't play for many years but during his last several seasons the numbers are unbelievable. 4 no hitters, a perfect game, and look at how many complete games and shutouts he had.
Obviously there's room to argue but if you don't like my picks, look at the numbers, they don't lie.
(btw Ryne Sandberg on this list makes me laugh)
How can you break in a baseball glove?
I don't need to tell you where they play because they were the best,or a solid argument can be made for them.Ozzie Smith---Brooks Robinson--Albert Pujols--Ty Cobb--Bob Gibson--too many pitchers,really,---too many great outfielders also---Mike Schmidt revered Brooks as the best 3B,though.Ryno yes.Too broad a question.Makes brain hurt.Back To Back To Back Homeruns for the Red Sox!!?
Best player in that time is Willie Mays. Mantle would be, but he was too brittle. Both were OFs and had all the skills.Which city has the most knowledgeable fans in baseball?
Who answered Roger Clemens for best position player? C'mon now. Sure, he can pitch great. What does that have to do with fielding? Nothing at all. So, when you compare Clemens and Maddux, I'd give the nod to Maddux just because he is the complete pitcher. Not argueing strike outs here. Two different style pitchers.Clemens ever won a Gold Glove? NEVER!
Greg Maddux has 16. 15 of which were consecutive. Anyone who says there is a better player at the pitchers position than Maddux is in dire need of serious medication and probably thinks that Paris Hilton would make a great mother.
Do you think the chicago cubs will ever start being a threat in the MLB?
cf Willie Maysrf Roberto Clemente
lf Billy Williams
1b Rod Carew
2b Ryne Sandberg
ss Luis Aparicio
3b Brooks Robinson
C Carlton Fisk
P Steve Carlton L/H Nolan Ryan R/H
Closer Dennis Eckersley
DH Frank Thomas
Is Roger Clemens just a Band-Aid for the Yankee pitching staff or could he be their seasons' savior?
Best starting line up compiled of players in the modern era:1) Pete Rose - 2nd Base (before anybody throws a fit, Rose played 2nd base and did it well enough to start an All-Star game at the position)
2) Brooks Robinson - 3rd Base
3) Willie Mays - Center Field
4) Mickey Mantle - Right Field
5) Albert Pujols - 1st Base
6) Reggie Jackson - Left Field
7) Ernie Banks - Short Stop
8) Pudge Rodriguez - Catcher
9) Roger Clemens - Pitcher
(DH's don't count as real ball players)
Back-ups
Outfielders:
Roberto Clemente
Rickey Henderson
Roger Maris
Infielders:
Mike Schmidt (3rd base)
Johnny Bench (catcher)
Don Mattingly (1st base)
Alex Rodriguez (short stop)
Ryne Sandberg (2nd base)
Pitchers:
Sandy Koufax
Nolan Ryan
Jim Palmer
Roy Oswalt
Relief Pitchers:
Hoyt Wilhelm
Dennis Eckersley
Bruce Sutter
Rollie Fingers
Jonathan Papelbon
Favorite Sports team in Baseball?
It's tough to pick guys who haven't played that long, but Pujols is so good that he's gotta make it. Therefore, my picks are:C - IRod (I'm old enough to remember Bench, and I never thought I'd see better - but I was wrong!)
IB - Pujols
2B - Morgan
3B - Schmidt
SS - ARod (his offense - and I'm talking about his SS years - is just too overwhelming to overlook, and he was more than adequate on defense. Jeter or Ripken 2nd, pick 'em)
LF - Bonds
CF - Mays
RF - Aaron (hate to leave off Clemente, but gotta pick one)
DH - Edgar Martinez
LHP - Koufax (Carlton if you want longevity)
RHP - Bob Gibson (Clemens is great, but a lot of people may forget how great Gibson was - he edges Roger in my book)
RP - Rivera
If you want defense, Jim Kaat won 16 straight gold gloves
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