Best Player in Baseball History?

[big daddy russ]

Alright, here's my last try at this poll...

Who's the best EVERYDAY player in baseball history? Here's a list of players. Please back your choices up with facts.

[sinton66]

You seem to have left off a few such as Pete Rose, Kirby Puckett, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle. Some still hold records.

[Cameron Crazy]

Mickey is a big time player!

[sinton66]

An argument could be made for Rose for sure. He has the record for career hits. You can't argue his success at the plate.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by sinton66
You seem to have left off a few such as Pete Rose, Kirby Puckett, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle. Some still hold records.
Maris had one phenomenal season, two great seasons, two pretty good seasons (20+ HR, 75 RBI-type) seasons, and about six or seven average or below-average seasons. Hit somewhere around .265 for his career. He never made it to the Hall of Fame. Personally, I didn't feel like he stacked up against guys like Ruth and Mays.

Puckett was great, but Bonds was a better player during the same era. Bonds came into the league two years after Puckett as the Pirates' Golden Boy and has been dominant ever since. An interesting stat I once heard is that since 1990, Bonds has never played a full season with fewer than 25 HR and 100 RBI.

Rose was an all-time great because of the hits and the hustle, but he couldn't hit for power to save his life. I think of him on a notch above Tony Gwynn. Not quite as good a hitter, but his intangibles put him over the top (think Derek Jeter). If I remember correctly, he never hit 20 HR in a season (could be wrong, though???) and his lifetime average hovered around .300. Excellent, no doubt, but when stacking him up against a guy like Williams (who hit .344 over his career, is in the 500 HR club, and was closing in on 2K RBI), it's hard to put him on these guys' levels. The hustle that he brought to the field is hard to push to the side, but when we're talking about the upper-echelon of players, I just don't see him in that group.

Now DiMaggio and Mantle were tough to leave off. Those guys have solid cases up and down, I just didn't feel they were in the same league as guys like Ruth, but my opinion isn't gospel.

On that note, everything I wrote up there was just my opnion. If you feel one of these guys deserves the title of GOAT, mark "Other" and tell me whom and why.

[ASUFrisbeeStud]

A-Rod will be.

I think you can argue for Cal Ripken Jr.

[sinton66]

Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver. A lot of very good players left off the list.

[Bull Butter]

Best hitter---Ted Williams

Best All-Around player---Willie Mays

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by sinton66
Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, Sandy Koufax, Whitey Ford, Johnny Bench, Yogi Berra, Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver. A lot of very good players left off the list.
Ryan, Koufax, Ford and Seaver weren't everyday players, but the rest are all good calls. IMO, Clemente may be the most underrated player of all time and one of the best defensive RF of all time. Feel free to write any one in for best ever.

[TMer25]

Had to go with Mays. Did everything on the field well.

[Gehrig]

Lou Gehrig, of course.

[Sweetwater Red]

Ty Cobb? :thinking:

[Old Tiger]

Babe...did it all.

[Stownhorse]

Pete Rose

[Eagles52]

I don't think that anyone can compete with Babe Ruth. He was a dominant pitcher and the most dominant hitter compared to the rest of his era in the history of the game. Now if you're just talking about position players only, then I'd have to say Willy Mays.

Pete Rose as the greatest player ever?!?! I realize he has the most hits ever, but that doesn't make him the best player or even the best hitter. There are metrics which tell you a lot more about a hitter than the total number of hits he acquires. Check his OPS, and start an argument from there if you can.

[Eagles52]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Maris had one phenomenal season, two great seasons, two pretty good seasons (20+ HR, 75 RBI-type) seasons, and about six or seven average or below-average seasons. Hit somewhere around .265 for his career. He never made it to the Hall of Fame. Personally, I didn't feel like he stacked up against guys like Ruth and Mays.

Puckett was great, but Bonds was a better player during the same era. Bonds came into the league two years after Puckett as the Pirates' Golden Boy and has been dominant ever since. An interesting stat I once heard is that since 1990, Bonds has never played a full season with fewer than 25 HR and 100 RBI.

Rose was an all-time great because of the hits and the hustle, but he couldn't hit for power to save his life. I think of him on a notch above Tony Gwynn. Not quite as good a hitter, but his intangibles put him over the top (think Derek Jeter). If I remember correctly, he never hit 20 HR in a season (could be wrong, though???) and his lifetime average hovered around .300. Excellent, no doubt, but when stacking him up against a guy like Williams (who hit .344 over his career, is in the 500 HR club, and was closing in on 2K RBI), it's hard to put him on these guys' levels. The hustle that he brought to the field is hard to push to the side, but when we're talking about the upper-echelon of players, I just don't see him in that group.

Now DiMaggio and Mantle were tough to leave off. Those guys have solid cases up and down, I just didn't feel they were in the same league as guys like Ruth, but my opinion isn't gospel.

On that note, everything I wrote up there was just my opnion. If you feel one of these guys deserves the title of GOAT, mark "Other" and tell me whom and why.


Good Points on everything, but (I realize this is blasphemy) DiMaggio just can't stack up with Mantle historically if you value the measurement of numbers and statistics.
Mantle could have been the best ever but he had such demons, so he never reached his fullest potential.
Ted Williams is easily the best hitter of all time (the only guy you can even make a sound argument for would be Babe Ruth). When looking Teddy Ballgame's numbers, keep in mind he missed a couple of years in his absolute prime for service in the Korean War. Projections would have him easily finishing with well over 600 homeruns. But guys like Willy Mays played defense and ran bases better than Williams could ever dream of.

Just a few points, take for what you'd like