Baseball's Greatest Living Player...who is it?

[darwinbulldog]

Also I would agree that Joltin Joe never deserved that title. After Ruth died the torch passed to Old Cy and then to Mays -- though it certainly looked like Mantle for a few years there. So anyway, it's Mays. And if it isn't Mays (which it is) then it's Trout. Jeter doesn't sniff the top 10.

[Baseball Rarities]

Everyday Players:

1. Mays
2. Aaron
3. F. Robinson
4. Schmidt
5. Brett/Bench


Pitchers:

1. Koufax
2. Seaver
3. Maddux
4. R. Johnson
5. Martinez

[vintagetoppsguy]

Aaron or Mays

[KCRfan1]

Aaron, followed very closely by Mays. At no time will Jeter ever be considered the greatest living player, even if he lives to be 90 years old.

[Jobu]

For hitters, and probably overall, I say Mays over Aaron by a nose.

For pitchers I say Maddux and Randy Johnson need to be in the conversation. Many of you will get mad at this, but I don't think Koufax is in the conversation for best living player. He was absolutely incredible for 5 years and decent for the rest of his career. 5 years does not make one the best living player and we can't count what would have happened if not for the shoulder issues at the end.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Jobu

For hitters, and probably overall, I say Mays over Aaron by a nose.

For pitchers I say Maddux and Randy Johnson need to be in the conversation. Many of you will get mad at this, but I don't think Koufax is in the conversation for best living player. He was absolutely incredible for 5 years and decent for the rest of his career. 5 years does not make one the best living player and we can't count what would have happened if not for the shoulder issues at the end.

I would agree re Koufax. I would take at least Seaver, Gibson, Maddux and Johnson over him, if I can't take Clemens.

[rats60]

Mays and Koufax. I can't consider someone who was never the best player in the game to be the best living player (looking at you Aaron).

[bbcard1]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I would agree re Koufax. I would take at least Seaver, Gibson, Maddux and Johnson over him, if I can't take Clemens.

While we all concur he hung on too long, Steve Carlton would round that rotation out nicely.

[SteveMitchell]

Mays over Aaron by a nose (or more) and I have long shared the writer's opinion of Sandy Koufax. Koufax was phenomenal for the last 5 of his 12 seasons. However, in his first 7 years, he broke below 3.50 ERA only once: 1955 when he was 3.02 in 4 decisions. After 1961 he was brilliant; the brilliance was just too brief to rank as Greatest Living. For that title, I guess I'd go with Maddux among pitchers. (Randy might have gotten the nod had he given more than half-hearted efforts in his final games at Seattle (9-10 won-lost record on 4.33 ERA before posting a spiffy 10-1 mark and 1.28 ERA at Houston) in 1998.

Originally Posted by Jobu

For hitters, and probably overall, I say Mays over Aaron by a nose.

For pitchers I say Maddux and Randy Johnson need to be in the conversation. Many of you will get mad at this, but I don't think Koufax is in the conversation for best living player. He was absolutely incredible for 5 years and decent for the rest of his career. 5 years does not make one the best living player and we can't count what would have happened if not for the shoulder issues at the end.

[jbl79]

Mays a slight edge over Aaron. As hitters...they could be equal. Mays missed most of '52 and all of '53 to the Korean War...otherwise would have had greater career numbers. The deciding factor for me is that Mays has 12 gold gloves and Aaron with 3.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by jbl79

Mays a slight edge over Aaron. As hitters...they could be equal. Mays missed most of '52 and all of '53 to the Korean War...otherwise would have had greater career numbers. The deciding factor for me is that Mays has 12 gold gloves and Aaron with 3.

And Mays had a flair for the dramatic and a style that Aaron, a more reserved man, did not.

[oldphil]

Mays then Aaron. Jeter not in top 10.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

Also I would agree that Joltin Joe never deserved that title. After Ruth died the torch passed to Old Cy and then to Mays -- though it certainly looked like Mantle for a few years there. So anyway, it's Mays. And if it isn't Mays (which it is) then it's Trout. Jeter doesn't sniff the top 10.

One could argue the torch passed to Cobb, who lived until 1960 or so. And before Mays and Mantle retired, one could argue Williams or Musial over DiMaggio.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

One could argue the torch passed to Cobb, who lived until 1960 or so. And before Mays and Mantle retired, one could argue Williams or Musial over DiMaggio.

I think maybe I am interpreting the question differently (from everyone else?). I was thinking Babe Ruth was the best ever; therefore, at any point during his life, whether anyone realized it or not, he was the greatest living player. And on the other point I just happen to think Young was better than Cobb and Mays.

So here's how I see it:

1841-1852: Jim Creighton
1852-1857: Cap Anson
1857-1861: Tim Keefe
1861-1867: John Clarkson
1867-1887: Cy Young
1887-1895: Walter Johnson
1895-1948: Babe Ruth
1948-1955: Cy Young
1955-present: Willie Mays

[iwantitiwinit]

Darwin you are an evolutionary thinker!

[perezfan]

Lots of Batting stats being thrown around. But also taking fielding and base-running into account, I'd put Griffey Jr. right up there with Aaron and Mays.

Playing for small market teams hurt him, and this forum (myself included) favors vintage and tends to glorify the past a bit more.

[71buc]

Originally Posted by perezfan

Lots of Batting stats being thrown around. But also taking fielding and base-running into account, I'd put Griffey Jr. right up there with Aaron and Mays.

Playing for small market teams hurt him, and this forum (myself included) favors vintage and tends to glorify the past a bit more.

I saw Aaron late in his career. However, I have to admit that Junior was the most exciting if not the best I ever saw play in person. Although he was a bit of a prim donna I feel privileged to have witnessed his career from beginning to end. He was absolutely the most complete player of his generation.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Even pre steroids I would rate Bonds right up there with and possibly ahead of Griffey. Not quite the home run power but everything else, and he was a better overall hitter in part because of his phenomenal ability to draw walks.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I think maybe I am interpreting the question differently (from everyone else?). I was thinking Babe Ruth was the best ever; therefore, at any point during his life, whether anyone realized it or not, he was the greatest living player. And on the other point I just happen to think Young was better than Cobb and Mays.

So here's how I see it:

1841-1852: Jim Creighton
1852-1857: Cap Anson
1857-1861: Tim Keefe
1861-1867: John Clarkson
1867-1887: Cy Young
1887-1895: Walter Johnson
1895-1948: Babe Ruth
1948-1955: Cy Young
1955-present: Willie Mays

Huh? These dates make no sense at all. You're using someone's birthdate to define when they became the greatest living player? I think almost everyone else would understand the question to be about who, based on past performance, was the greatest living player.

[Shoeless Moe]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I think maybe I am interpreting the question differently (from everyone else?). I was thinking Babe Ruth was the best ever; therefore, at any point during his life, whether anyone realized it or not, he was the greatest living player. And on the other point I just happen to think Young was better than Cobb and Mays.

So here's how I see it:

1841-1852: Jim Creighton
1852-1857: Cap Anson
1857-1861: Tim Keefe
1861-1867: John Clarkson
1867-1887: Cy Young
1887-1895: Walter Johnson
1895-1948: Babe Ruth
1948-1955: Cy Young
1955-present: Willie Mays

What the hell are you smoking?

[glchen]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I think maybe I am interpreting the question differently (from everyone else?). I was thinking Babe Ruth was the best ever; therefore, at any point during his life, whether anyone realized it or not, he was the greatest living player. And on the other point I just happen to think Young was better than Cobb and Mays.

So here's how I see it:

1841-1852: Jim Creighton
1852-1857: Cap Anson
1857-1861: Tim Keefe
1861-1867: John Clarkson
1867-1887: Cy Young
1887-1895: Walter Johnson
1895-1948: Babe Ruth
1948-1955: Cy Young
1955-present: Willie Mays

I think this list is interesting, but as others have said, you probably should start it when they first started playing professional baseball rather than when they were born. Even better start when they were known as the best player in the game, so for Ruth around 1919-1921 or so.

I think my list would be:

(1) Mays
(2) Rose
(3) Aaron

For pitchers, although Koufax was absolutely dominant for around 4 years or so, I think that sample size is too small to call him the greatest living pitcher. There are too many great pitchers like Pedro and Randy Johnson. You can even say that Clayton Kershaw has been absolutely dominant for 4 years now and he still has a lot left in the tank.