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

In 1969, Joe DiMaggio was voted Baseball's Greatest Living Player. In honor of Joe DiMaggio's 100th birthday (Nov 25, 2014), I lay out a case for Baseball's Greatest Living Player being Derek Jeter.

http://jasoncards.wordpress.com/2014...living-player/

Personally, despite my analysis, I would still vote for Hank Aaron. Nonetheless, my analysis was more in the spirit of who would actually win. Take a look if you're a Joe D. fan, a Jeter fan, or just a fan of really long, half-baked analyses of baseball stats. And then chime in. Who do you regard as baseball's greatest living player?

Derek Jeter is special but Hank Aaron is in a league by himself. If you discount the Bonds embarrassment, Aaron owns 2/3 of the career triple crown. Even if you subtract his homeruns he still has 3000 hits. If he had been a Yankee we wouldn't even consider this question.

Today I learned I share my birthday with Joe Dimaggio.

I would rank these as the greatest living players:

1.) Willie Mays
2.) Hank Aaron
3.) Johnny Bench
4.) Ken Griffey, Jr.
5.) Mike Schmidt
6.) Frank Robinson

Bonds would have been second if he hadn't cheated.

Tough to say but this is my humble guess

(1) Aaron
(2) Mays
(3) Griffey Jr.
(4) Maddux

greatest
 

hank aaron.
unequivocally.

all the best,
barry

We are 100% on the same page on this. Sadly (?), an entire wall of my bedroom is dedicated to Hank Aaron baseball cards, bobbleheads, paintings, magazines, etc. My own top five votes would go to Aaron, Mays, Rose, Jackson, and Henderson. At the same time, just as Joe D. beat out Williams/Musial/Mays/Aaron in 1969, I suspect writers would choose Jeter over Aaron today.

Mays.
then Aaron.

Derek Jeter? Please. And I like Derek Jeter a lot.

On the pitching side one could make a case for Seaver.

Aaron or Mays. Either answer works for me.

Greatest living pitcher I'd go with Koufax or Pedro or Big Unit.

Bonds Clemens etc.; sorry no cheaters allowed.

Mays then Aaron and would have to think some more to rank the next 5 or 10. In the mix would be Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, . . . .

Mays without a doubt. Can you be considered the best alive if you were never an MVP? (Jeter)

I was just about to say... What about pitchers? Sandy Koufax.. The real Mr. October!

Nolan Ryan... Who is going to catch his numbers?

How about Cal Ripkin? Remember the streak?

Mays, no question.

At no time was Joe DiMaggio the greatest living player.

My vote for now is Hank Aaron.

No mention of Banks??? :confused:

.271 hitter. No.

Is Ted Williams head still alive?

Aaron, Mays, Bonds, Koufax, Maddux, Robinson, Bench, .... There are many greats still living. Would probably be hard for me to squeeze Jeter into the top 20.

Willie Mays,
I agree Joe D was never the best living player. Jeter has never been the best current short stop let alone best living player.

Frank Robinson, Mike Schmidt, Hank Aaron, and Pete Rose all get honorable mentions.

Say-hey!

Nolan Ryan would make my top 5 list. Just wanted to get his name in the tread.

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.

Aaron

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

Aaron or Mays

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.

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.

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.

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.

By this logic, Bench is out, .267

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

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

Mays then Aaron. Jeter not in top 10.

Hitters: Mays & Aaron
Pitchers: Koufax & Ryan

Greatest Living Baseball Player
 

I'll go with Hank Aaron.

I'd say mays and Aaron for hitters .... Probably Koufax and Pedro Martinez for pitchers (Maddux, unit , Seaver )right there also...

I wouldn't put jeter in top 10, and I'm a huge Yankees fan and jeter was probably the favorite player I watched.

I don't think jeter would have been a thought for anyone just a few years ago , especially before he had 3000 hits.

Bonds
Mays
Aaron
ARod
Griffey jr

1 Mays
2 Aaron
3 Joe Morgan
4 Schmidt
5 Bench

Bonds would be #2 if you can get past the steroids.

Agreed. And Clemens would be my #1 pitcher, edging out Seaver.

Mays
Koufax
Aaron
Berra
Schmidt
Mariano

Willie Mays,

Hank Aaron - close 2nd

Ricky Y

Joe Morgan, awesome pick of an under appreciated player. He and Frank Robinson always get overlooked.

Frank Robinson is the most underrated great living player, for sure, but for my money, it's only Aaron here.

Only his head :rolleyes:

It is Barry Bonds.
 

I know I know.

Which living BB player has been in 14 World Series, and has 10 World Series Championship rings ?

And, he played a major role in his team's success for 19 years. There isn't any better measurement of a player than this.

In my book its......YOGI BERRA

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...Tx52Bx53Bx.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...nYogiBerra.jpg
Cooperstown 2012


TED Z
.

1.Aaron - .305/755HR/3771Hits
2.Mays - .302/660HR/3283Hits/12 Straight Gold Gloves
3.Rose - .303/4,256Hits/Head of Big Red Mavhine
4.Ripken - 2,632 consec games/431HR/3184Hits/Title/MVP
5.F. Robinson - .294/584HR/2943Hits/Triple Crown
6.Berra- 3x MVP/10x World Champ

*Musial would have been #3 last year
**RIP Tony Gwynn '14. .338 batting average deserves consideration if alive.

I don't see Koufax in the top five pitchers. Gibson, Seaver, Ryan, Maddux, Johnson and Martinez are still kicking. Even a case could be made for Palmer, Carlton and Glavine.

Got to be mays as best living player

I wouldn't have jeter on this or almost another list, I understand the love affair with him being on the Yankees and playing with such a great team that won a lot. This would be my list of guys better than jeter who are still alive & im sure im leaving guys off too.


1. Mays
2 . Griffey
3. Aaron
4. F. Robinson
5 . Schmidt
6. Brett
7. Bench
8 - Rose
9 - Berra
10 - Ripkin
11. gwynn
12. ichrio
13. pujols
14. banks
15. Eddie Murray
16. McGriff
17. Ricky Henderson
18 - Chipper jones
19. David Ortiz
20. bagwell
21. Vlad gurrero
22. Miguel Cabrera
23. albert bell (roids?)

then you have pitchers

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

then you have the roid guys

bonds
arod
maybe piazza
Sheffield
Clemens
etc - etc

Wow, I will say this about Yogi Berra...had he made my list of 25 candidates, which he didn't because his career batting stats aren't gaudy enough, his ten rings would have given him a higher overall score than anyone I ranked.

I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone else put Dick Schofield on a list of steroid guys before. At the same time, those 13 HRs in 1986 look a bit suspect vs the rest of his career. ;-)

just comparing him to jeter -

berra - .285, 358 hr - 3 MVP

Jeter - .310. 260 hr - 0 MVP

I gotta go with Willie Mays.

Hitters

1. Hank Aaron
2. Willie Mays
3. Frank Robinson
4. Reggie Jackson
5. Yogi Berra

Pitchers

1. Sandy Koufax
2. Greg Maddux
3. Tom Seaver
4. Randy Johnson
5. Nolan Ryan

Considering all facets of the game and giving consideration for how much that player exceeded the ability of other players at the plate and at his position in the field:

1) Mays
2) Bench
3) Aaron

Hey guys
 

1947 Bond Bread rookie card
http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...BreadBerra.jpg

Yogi was a tremendous clutch hitter....so, for you guys who dig Stats....
here are some meaningful Stats that really count:

Year = RBI's
--------------
1948.....98
1949.....91
1950....124
1951.....88
1952.....98
1953....108
1954....125
1955....108
1956....105
1957.....82
1958.....90

Furthermore, Yogi's invaluable performance behind homeplate is not fully recognized by Statistical means.

Finally, consider this old axiom......the key factor behind most Championship teams is a Star Catcher.



TED Z
.

I agree statistics don't tell the full Yogi Berra story, but better than Mays and Aaron? No way.

Huh? The reference was to Gary Sheffield.

Yes, I was just making a joke based on the original spelling in the post, which I think was Schfield.

Ted I don't know about Berra over Bench. From an rbi perspective they are very close though you porbably have to move Berras numbers up because during the years you cite he played in a season that was 8 games shorter than Bench did. In Bench's defense his '71 season was significantly harmed by his lung surgery during the off-season. Additionally, in my opinion Bench's defensive ability was greater than Berra's. While Berra's caught stealing pct. is higher than Bench's, Bench played in an era where the national league was obsessed with base stealing and played in many parks with astroturf which I think have to be considered faster overall tracks for the runner.

Either way a good pair to compare (though I think Bench has to be considered the better overall player).

Bench
yr rbi
1968 82
69 90
70 148
71 61
72 125
73 104
74 129
75 130
76 74
77 109
78 73
79 80

100.42 avg rbi/yr 12 yrs


Berra

1948 98
49 91
50 124
51 88
52 98
53 108
54 125
55 108
56 105
57 82
58 90

101.55 avg rbi/yr 11 yrs

Greatest Living Player
 

At "peak value" Joe DiMaggio sure was the greatest living player. Anyone who bats .350+ and consistently strikes out LESS than his 30+ home run totals has my vote. The finest bat control for a power hitter in baseball history INCLUDING Ted Williams.

reggie jackson

Aaron or Mays.

Koufax, Pedro maybe Johnson for pitcher.

Jeter top 25

Berra probably top 10

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

Darwin you are an evolutionary thinker!

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. :rolleyes:

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.

Hi Robert
 

Berra's and Bench's numbers regarding Hits, Runs, RBI's and HR's compare very closely. Berra having the edge over Bench in career BA (.285 vs. .267, respectively).

However, I am old enough to have seen Yogi play from 1947 - 1965. I was an avid Yankees fan as a kid. Besides Yogi's outstanding play (Batting and as a Catcher),
there are certain intangibles in his style of playing the game that you had to see to really appreciate.

For example, I think Don Larsen would not have achieved his perfect World Series no-hitter, if Yogi wasn't his battery mate that day in October 1956.

I could continue with many other examples (such as Yogi's Grand Slam in the 1956 World Series), but I leave it here.


TED Z
.

What the hell are you smoking?

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.

My vote goes to the Say Hey Kid with Hammerin Hank a close second

Great vs.best?

Greatest I kinda have to go with Berra, perhaps Ryan. Griffey Jr. also comes to mind.

How about greatest living athlete = Bo Jackson, hands down.

I have always put Yogi ahead of Bench in my mind. Part of that is the fact that I think that Yogi made Stengel a great manager. He has been a tremendous ambassador for the game as well. Johnny Bench, while a terrific player, is a phony and a jerk.

I remember watching Bo okay when I was a child. He was held with the same regard as Superman. I can't help but wonder what might have been.

Deon would also be on the list for greatest athlete.

Pete Rose...

Why not stir the pot.... Barry "Frigging" Bonds. :p

If you just look at their career stats, with even the most rudimentary sabermetric analysis Barry comes out a bit ahead of his godfather, but if you make a very modest adjustment for either the steroids or the Korean War (and not for the amphetamines) then Mays comes out ahead.

Bo Jackson
 

One powerful dude.

Summer of 1987, on the spur of the moment we decided to go to a night game at Yankee Stadium (KC was the visiting team).

The only tickets available at the Ticket booth were for upper deck RF seats. So, that is were we sat.

In the 7th inning, Bo Jax came to bat. We were approx. 400 feet from homeplate, and we heard a crack of the bat that was unreal.
Then we realized that the ball was coming straight at us.

None of us dared to try and catch it. But, were hoping to get it when it hit the vacant sets near us. Well the ball did hit the nearby seats
with such intensity that it rebounded back into the outfield.

And, need I remind you that Bo was a righthanded batter.


TED Z
.

Bo Jackson, Josh Gibson, and Babe Ruth -- identified by Buck O'Neill as being the only three hitters he had seen who produced a particular sound of bat on ball.