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O/T Life or Death, One Game, My Starting 9
I was thinking who I would start if my life depended on one game. Some of my picks are obvious, but others are based on one game heroics we have seen or read about through the years. Tough to pick if this was truly a life or death game. I would be twisting with each pitch so all I could do would be to trust the following team:
In batting order and position. Outfield set like an all-start team. 1. Ty Cobb, lf, played like his life depended on it. Speed on the bases at once. Intimidation, and maybe takes out one of the key opponents. 2. Derek Jeter, ss, moves runners over, just wins, and anyone who would dive into the stands for one out is on my team, it could be the last out? 3. Babe Ruth, rf, gotta have THE man. Maybe he has a three home run game? Good for at least one shot in the clutch. I gotta keep him from partying the night before though! 4. Lou Gehrig, 1b, he obviously showed up every day to excel. And he did! I know I could count on him. 5. Willie Mays, cf, that over the head catch could be a life saver, not just a game saver. Power, steals, he could do it all. 6. Mike Schmidt, 3b, great defender and power. Tough pick leaving out George Brett. I couldn't go wrong either way. 7. Johnny Bench, threw out 43% of attempted steals, great power, best defensive catcher. 8. Eddie Collins, 2b, gets on base, speed, helps turn the line up over. A winner. 9. Bob Gibson, based on one game, he has to be my starter. Just the total will and desire to win. He would leave it ALL on the line like his life depended on it. RP, Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer of all time. Manager, John McGraw, he would pull no punches. He would probably fight me to start Christy Mathewson though. All that WAR stuff may say different based on career totals, but if this was just for one game, I would take these guys......and live! Lol. |
1-Cobb cf
2- Wagner ss 3- ruth - rf 4- williams- lf 5- gherig - 1b 6- chipper jones - 3b 7- bench - c 8- collins - 2b Bonds dh if we need one hitting 5th moving the rest down Pedro martinez sp Rivera cl |
1. Oscar Charleston, CF
2. Honus Wagner, SS 3. Rogers Hornsby, 2B 4. Babe Ruth, RF 5. Lou Gehrig, 1B 6. Barry Bonds, LF (pre-steroids...for the upside, defensively) 7. Josh Gibson, C 8. Mike Schmidt, 3B 9. Walter Johnson, SP DH, if applicable - Ted Williams |
One game - gotta win:
Rose 2b Brett 3b Mantle cf Gehrig 1b Reggie Jackson rf Bench c Kirk Gibson lf Ripken ss Koufax p |
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Josh Gibson, interesting. I wish I knew more about him. |
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He is in the MLB Hall of Fame. You should be able to find highlights of his career on their website...along with others. Best regards, Eric |
Kinda hard to argue with the guys on the list but if I HAVE to HAVE one guy on my team it would have to be Pete Rose. If my life depended on it, I want him on my side.
Mark |
If my life depended on it
2B - Morgan
SS - Wagner CF- Mays LF - Bonds (definitely while on steroids. Hey, my life depends on it :D) DH - Ruth (okay, I'm cheating a bit here) 1B - Gehrig RF - Clemente 3B - Schmidt C - Bench SP - Sandy Koufax (in his prime) Closer - Rivera |
1. Ty Cobb, LF
2. Derek Jeter, SS 3. Rogers Hornsby, 2B 4. Babe Ruth, RF 5. Lou Gehrig, 1B 6. Willie Mays, CF (sorry Mick) 7. Mike Schmidt, 3B 8. Yogi Berra, C 9. Christy Mathewson, SP Mariano Rivera, RP Joe Torre, Manager |
For one game:
2B Jackie Robinson -- Steals home in the WS and generally makes everyone nervous SS Wagner -- Great in every respect. RF Ruth -- enough said. CF Mantle. I love Mays and Charleston, but Mantle was so dominant in the post-season that I have to pick him 1B Gehrig. LF Bonds. Hands down. Far and away the greatest hitter I've ever seen in person, and I've seen many of them. IBB with the bases loaded? Seriously? No one ever wanted to pitch to him 3B Schmidt C Probably go with Gibson over Bench by just a touch. P Koufax. ERA in the world series he pitched in was miniscule. |
If they were in their prime...
CF Ty Cobb
2B Martin Dihigo RF Babe Ruth 1B Lou Gehrig LF Joe Jackson 3B Pete Rose C Johnny Bench SS Derek Jeter SP Walter Johnson |
Intriguing question
2b - Joe Morgan ss - Honus Wagner cf - Joe DiMaggio 1b - Lance Berkman rf - Carlos Beltran dh - Kirk Gibson c - Yadier Molina lf - Ted Williams 3b - Brooks Robinson sp - Curt Schilling rp - Dennis Eckersley |
1. Pete Rose 2B
2. Tony Gwynn RF 3. Ken Griffey Jr. CF 4. Mike Schmidt 3B 5. Frank Thomas 1B 6. Johnny Bench C 7. Bo Jackson LF 8. Ozzie Smith SS 9. Greg Maddux SP |
If it's life or death, I don't know how you could pass on Bonds for your team, especially during his peak years. I'd also go for the best player for every position regardless if what I thought of their desire. Sure Rose or Jeter are great players, but you have to leave off all-time greats that dwarf them to put them on the team and I wouldn't risk that for one game with so much on the line.
Bench-Gehrig-Hornsby-Wagner-Schmidt Bonds-Mays-Ruth Ted Williams DH Mathewson starting, Walter Johnson relief pitcher. In one all or nothing game you have to go with the two best pitchers ever. |
Only going with players I saw play, so from the mid 70's to present day.
SP-Randy Johnson C-Johnny Bench 1B-Don Mattingly 2B-Roberto Alomar 3b-George Brett SS-Alan Trammell LF-Barry Bonds CF-Ken Griffey RF-Dwight Evans If Brett is up late, with the game on the line, I like the chances of this team. |
John, since it is all about one critical game, opinions are going to vary widely. I will take a season of Bonds but one game from Carlos Beltean
I almost put Dave Henderson and Scott Rolen on my team just because of a couple of key clutch performances I saw. |
I personally saw the game where a lefty ph was needed and Griffey jr was sleeping.
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Here goes....
Cobb-lf
Clemente-rf Mays-cf Ruth-p Gehrig-1b Wagner-ss Bench-c Robinson-3b Sandberg-2b |
1. Rickey Henderson LF
2. Honus Wagner SS 3. Mickey Mantle CF 4. Babe Ruth RF 5. Edgar Martinez DH 6. Lou Gehrig 1B 7. Yogi Berra C 8. George Brett 3B 9. Martin Dihigo 2B Randy Johnson SP Satchel Paige middle relief Mariano Rivera CL Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
In one game, all that really matters is the guy on the mound. Pick any one of the following as my starter and I like my odds: Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Christy Mathewson, John Smoltz, Madison Bumgarner.
Mariano Rivera as my closer, though I doubt he'd get in the game. And PLEASE, let me play one of these teams that has Ty Cobb, a .262 career postseason hitter who never won a championship. -Ryan |
I can't believe what I'm reading:
Lance Berkman Derek Jeter Carlos Beltran Madison Bumgarner Come on guys! |
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I think if you remember the early playoff Bonds, you remember someone that tried too hard to win and got out of his game, or just didn't play well under pressure. I would not take the Pirates version in a critical game, even though he was perhaps the best player in the game then. When he was at his best, he was a machine that most people who didn't see him daily, don't give him credit for. He had the tiniest strike zone in the business, stood on top of the plate due to that body armor they let him wear and he never swung at a bad pitch. That Bonds was so zoned in(plus the umpires basically let him call strikes) that he would be perfect on any team. Most people just think steroids, but if you watched him everyday(thank you MLB package for his last five years), you saw the perfect hitter. He was basically playing t-ball and even Mario Mendoza could have been a great player if every pitch he swung at was right down the middle. |
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-Ryan |
one game I have to win
batting order with position
cobb LF hans wagner ss Gehrig 1st young Ruth P josh Gibson c Hornsby 2nd Yankee Ruth rf DiMaggio cf Schmidt 3rd best, barry |
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You are correct - if you watched him every day. Playoffs are different, especially in a one-game scenario. The guys on my list are for the most part people who I saw play under pressure. |
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This has got me thinking about star played who I wouldn't want anywhere near a 'one game-winner takes all' scenario. |
I'm not sure why, but at some point as I was reading this thread it occurred to me that it was possible to make up a team of just Yankees. I know it will have naysayers, but I think on any given day this team could beat any team made up of any players in MLB history....and I'm from Boston, so that's saying a lot.
1. Boggs 3b 2. Lazzeri 2b 3. Mantle lf 4. Ruth rf 5. DiMaggio cf 6. Gehrig 1b 7. Jeter ss 8. Berra c 9. Ford p Rivera rp |
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LF Bonds (yes leadoff..want him getting all the PA he can get)
RF Ruth 2B Hornsby 1B Gehrig CF Mays 3B Cabrera C Bench SS Wagner SP Paige |
1. Mays CF
2. Jeter SS 3. Ruth DH 4. Gehrig 1B 5. Bonds LF 6. Schmidt 3B 7. Reggie Jackson RF 8. Berra C 9. Alomar 2B P--Koufax RP-Rivera |
My 2 cents:
LF Ty Cobb RF Ichiro 1B Stan Musial CF Willie Mays 3B Brooks Robinson 2B Roberto Alomar C John Bench SS Ozzie Smith P Pedro Martinez Hard for anything to hit the ground with that outfield. And the infield? Unbelievable. If I had to have a DH, Paul Molitor or Pete Rose. My team is built to hit the ball, get on base, play great defense and have speed everywhere. Big time winners, clutch performers. |
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Beltran's post-season numbers are skewed from his insane 2004 post-season. That was an amazing post-season. He has only appeared in 1 World Series...vs. Boston in 2013. His World Series numbers for his career are: 6 Games - .294 Ave. - 0 HRs - 3 RBIs - 1 Run Also in 2013, he batted .222 in the NLDS and .286 in the NLCS. Sorry, but no. I know how everyone was crowing about Bumgarner last year, but it was not the best post-season ever by a pitcher. He won 4 games last year in the post-season, but Randy Johnson won 5 in 2001 and Christy Mathewson threw 3 complete game shutouts in a World Series back in early 1900s....that was before Wild Card and Divisional Series. Tough to top that. |
cf Mays
2b Lajoie rf Ruth lf Bonds dh Williams 3b Schmidt ss Wagner 1b Gehrig c Gibson sp Koufax rp Johnson and Pedro ph/pr Cobb mgr Stengal I agree Rivera is the best closer of all-time, but there were 20-30 starting pitchers who could have been just as good or better |
Cobb cf
Wagner SS Ruth lf Gehrig 1b Ted Williams DH Clemente rf Brett 3b Hornsby 2B Bench c Koufax p |
Who gets shot after the game? The players or the manager.
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One great postseason makes a player elite and worth starting over all of the all time greats? Laughable. Bumgarner is a really good pitcher, but let's not get carried away. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
LF: Rickey Henderson
CF: Ty Cobb 3B: George Brett DH: David Ortiz 1B: Lou Gehrig RF: Reggie Jackson C: Johnny Bench 2B: Joe Morgan SS: Ozzie Smith SP: Bob Gibson RP: Mariano Rivera Tough to leave Ruth off the list, but Reggie & Ortiz were so clutch. I think the toughest positions are C, 2B, & SS. |
My fate of the world Starting 9 in the Prime
1b- Lou Gehrig
2b- Joe Morgan 3b- Mike Schmidt ss- Honus Wagner rf- Babe Ruth CF- Willie MAys Lf- Barry Bonds c- Roy Campanella SP- Sandy Koufax RP- Mariano Rivera DH- Ted Williams Lineup 1.Honus Wagner 2.Ted Williams 3.Babe Ruth 4.Barry Bonds 5.Lou Gehrig 6.Willie Mays 7.Mike Schmidt 8.Roy Campanella 9.Joe Morgan |
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I think it's interesting how people are picking old pitchers and also throwing a reliever in there as if you're going to take out Walter Johnson, Sandy Koufax or Christy Mathewson for anyone else with your life on the line.
The other interesting part, why pick a reliever, what if the game goes extra innings, or what if your starter doesn't have it at all? I picked Johnson and Mathewson. I would never take a reliever, not even Roy Face, who went 3+ innings numerous times. That seems like an awful risky thing to do in this situation. As for the all Yankees lineup, how about an all Pirates lineup. You have the two best shortstop of all-time, so that hurts a little, but you could still put out: CF Carey SS Wagner RF Clemente 1B Stargell DH Kiner LF P.Waner 3B Traynor 2B Mazeroski C Sanguillen(or Al Lopez if you want all HOF) Bench: Vaughan, Cuyler, L.Waner, Beckley P Pud Galvin |
If this is a thread based entirely on post-season stats, then someone should just do some googling and give us 'THE ANSWER'.
If not, then I'm very happy with my roster and while some of the incredible all-star rosters I'm seeing don't impress me (I'm certain my team could whoop your team), I'll just raise my eyebrows a little and move on. |
Would there be any way to create rosters and have a tournament, using some sort of computer baseball game simulator?
16, 32, or 64 teams...single elimination. Obviously, this would mean more than just one game. Oh, and we certainly wouldn't be playing for the stakes mentioned by the OP. :eek: Sounds fun to me. Anyone else have an interest - or - know how to run the simulations? |
Batting order for my lineup
Jeter Mays Ted Williams Mantle Ruth (DH) Brett Gehrig Berra Jackie Robinson SP Koufax Relief pitcher Bob Gibson Closer Mariano Rivera. |
I am of the opinion that one could take 9 of the best players today and you would win more than you would lose against any other team put together.
Molina Cabrera Cano Tulo Beltre Stanton Trout McCutchen Kershaw |
Donnie, you might be right about that. When I was trying to pick a second-baseman, I wanted to go with Jackie Robinson, but I of course have never seen him play, and I wasn't sure what his postseason performance was. I chose my team based soley on my own gut feel about the players, with one exception: I wanted to put Scott Rolen at 3B because I remember being scared to death when Houston had to face him in the playoffs; however, I also remembered some choking. So I looked up his stats and dropped him in favor of Brooks Robinson, who I remembered making some jaw-dropping plays during the World Series. I chose Williams because of his performance in the last game of his .406 year. Not sure why I chose DiMaggio - just gut feel.
But you remind me that I forgot Cano, which amazes me, given that I collect Cano memorabilia and I don't particularly like Joe Morgan. My only problem with Cano is that he doesn't hustle, and in a life-or-death game, you need hustle - no one could accuse Morgan of laziness. Same for Jackie Robinson. Eric - computer simulation would not work. What makes this thread concept so fantastic (to me, anyway) is that so much of the choice-making is based on intangibles. Overall Post-season stats might be terrible for a player, but during the most critical moments they might be incredibly good. Curt Schilling had a terrible first game in the World Series, but he was lights-out on a bloody foot when he absolutely had to be. Great, great topic. Edited to add: another player that Phil would wrist-slap me for adding is Dave Henderson. But anyone watching playoff games in the mid-80's will remember that, despite his mediocre playoff stats, he did some stuff. His jumps at the left-field wall were sensational as well. |
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where is the game being played? indoor/outdoor, grass/astroturf, petco park/coors field? mars....? depending on location/season i will craft a sabrmetric lineup that will embarass the all-time greats! long live david eckstein!!!
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How about outdoors and in Wrigley Field.
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These things are fun and of course debatable, but I really don't see how you can leave out Mantle. The guy was always clutch, even or especially on the biggest stages. Great against the ordinary and the extraordinary. I'd also be hard-pressed to leave out Reggie, who seemed to adore and thrive in pressure. |
Correct Answer (see below)
2B - Pete Rose
1B - Lou Gehrig RF - Roberto Clemente DH - George Herman Ruth SS - Cal Ripken Jr. 3B - B. Robby LF - Ted Williams CF - Willie Mays C - Johnny Bench SB - Gibson |
I changed my mind. All of these guys were flawless in the playoffs:
of - Clyde Milan of - Harry Heilman 2b - Nap Lajoie 1b - George Sisler of - Frank Thomas dh - Don Mattingly ss - Ernie Banks 3b - Ron Santo c - Joe Torre p - Felix Hernandez |
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Um, one postseason? Madison Bumgarner has 3 rings. That's as many as Koufax. That's as many as Bob Gibson and Walter Johnson combined. Oh, and he's 25 years old. What's laughable is the willful ignorance displayed by so many that automatically think older is better. The theoretical question posed here was about who would be best in one game, LIFE OR DEATH, meaning the highest possible pressure situation. The closest comparison as far as baseball stats would be when the pressure is highest, namely, the postseason. More specifically, the World Series. So, tell me this, without cheating and looking below, which postseason stats are better: A) 4-0, 0.25 ERA, 0.528 WHIP, 31 K, 36 IP, 1 shutout. B) 7-3, 2.14 ERA, 0.883 WHIP, 77 K, 88.1 IP, 2 shutouts. C) 3-3, 2.52 ERA, 1.420 WHIP, 35 K, 50 IP, 1 shutout. D) 4-3, 0.95 ERA, 0.825 WHIP, 61 K, 57 IP, 2 shutouts. E) 7-2, 1.89 ERA, 0.889 WHIP, 92 K, 81 IP, 2 shutouts. F) 3-0, 0.87 ERA, 0.935 WHIP, 8 K, 31 IP, 1 shutout. Perhaps that will help give you some objectivity. There are still other factors that should be considered, such as the 60s being an incredibly pitcher-friendly era, and the modern game's dearth of complete games, and therefore shutouts. So would you like to know who is who? Here ya go: A) Madison Bumgarner - career World Series B) Madison Bumgarner - career postseason total C) Walter Johnson - career postseason (all World Series) D) Sandy Koufax - career postseason (all World Series) E) Bob Gibson - career postseason (all World Series) F) Babe Ruth - career postseason (all World Series) And for the record, I chose 5 pitchers and said I'd be fine with any of them. Bumgarner was one, and still is. And like I said before, I HATE HIM! I also chose Mathewson, but it's very difficult to compare pitching stats from the deadball era. -Ryan |
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Easy bub...you act like it matters. I know the World Series is the biggest stage, but there are usually five or so pitchers better than bumgarner every year....but this coming year he may be top three. I get he just had an amazing playoff run this past year, but it was in fact, this year's run that put him on your list. So those scoring at home, it's.... Ryan 1 Mike 1 ;) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
Did you just really call me Bub? Anyway, I wouldn't put Bumgarner in the top 5 last year or this year. He's a good pitcher, but not close to Kershaw. And there are several others that are also currently better than him. But he becomes someone else when it matters the most, and that's what we're talking about.
-Ryan |
At least no one picked Kershaw for their 'one game only' team. That would certainly be lunacy, given his meltdown in critical post-season games.
I agree with Ryan that the only do-able way to quantify 'one game only' performance is through post-season stats, but if you had the time (the 'Stache being the only person here who has that kind of time) I suppose you could go through a list of candidates' careers, picking out critical games only;e.g-I wouldn't count game 4 of the World Series if your team is up 3-0, but I would count critical games at the end of the season when you are in a pennant race. In the end, gut feel seems to be as good a method as any. Personally, I find the wide variety of 'gut feels' on our forum to be very interesting, especially among those of us who have followed baseball players during the same periods. It's also interesting to see all the names on people's lists that represent completely non-quantifiable players, given that they played during periods where we don't have enough stats to make such judgements. But even in those instances, 'gut feel' based on what they've read about such players, is as valid as any method for choosing. |
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Compare Brooks Robinson's postseason stats to Mike Schmidt and the player who I would want manning the hot corner becomes very, very evident.
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If my life depends on it defense goes out the window. My pitching will be good enough and offense good enough that it won't matter.
LF Ty Cobb 2B Rogers Hornsby RF Babe Ruth 1B Barry Bonds DH Ted Williams CF Willie Mays SS Honus Wagner C Josh Gibson 3B Mike Schmidt SP Walter Johnson Relief Randy Johnson Closer Mariano Rivera That team would beat any team made up of any other players 10 times out of 10. I think..... Tom C |
LF - Rickey Henderson
SS - Honus Wagner RF - Babe Ruth 1B - Lou Gehrig CF - Ken Griffey Jr. DH - Ted Williams 2B - Rogers Hornsby 3B - George Brett C - Yogi Berra SP - Walter Johnson |
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I was having some fun ;) glad you didn't take offense to it. Anyway, it might sound ridiculous, but kershaw is better than bum and I'd still take him in one game. I think he will prove it to us in the near future. That being said...bum has been great in the playoffs and I get why anyone would want him. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
I still couldn't go with Kershaw because the future is now. There is no future if Kershaw is taking the mound. :eek:
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I don't really get the idea of using the playoff stats as what I will base my life on. I mean....if small sample sizes are what I am going to base it on why not go with Mark Whiten on the day he hit four homers? Ed Delahanty the day he hit four? Len Barker the day of his perfect game?
I wouldn't base my life on the outcome of small sample sizes. My "team" has so much hitting and pitching that it will more than make up for any "lack of clutchness" or whatever those using playoff stats are trying to say. Tom C |
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This is why I choose kershaw...because overall he is a beast and has better overall numbers. But bum has been really good in the postseason, so apparently he is better than Walter Johnson and Christy Mathewson....uh, no Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk |
1B Tino Marteniz
2B Robinson Cano SS Derek Jeter 3B Wade Boggs C Yogi Berra OF Mickey Mantle OF Babe Ruth OF Bernie Williams DH Joe DiMaggio SP Roger Clemens Closer Mariano Rivera I want them Roided to the gills. |
CF Mays
LF Musial DH Williams RF Ruth C Posey 1B Clark SS Wagner 2B Molitor 3B Sandoval P Mathewson Gamers, all. (Yes, I'm a Giants fan.) |
For the all pirates
If you don't go with Lopez, I'd go with Tony Pena at Catcher or maybe even Kendall.
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Brooks OPS .785 .303 .323 .462 Schmidt OPS .690 .236 .304 .386 It's clear to me who I want manning the hot corner, George Brett. |
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Now... Brett is a fine choice at third no matter the criteria, especially in his prime. Just don't base it exclusively on what he did in 150 at bats over the course of 12 seasons. Tom C |
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Stennett went 7 for 7 :) |
Lf Ricky Henderson
2b honus Wagner Cf willie mays Rf hank aaron DH babe ruth 1b:Lou Gehrig 3b:Chipper jones (homer pick) SS: Derek jeter Catcher: Yogi Berra Pitcher: christy mathewson Closer: mariano Rivera Unless I missed it I was the only one so far to pick hank Aaron which surprises me looking at his postseason stats. All a matter of opinion but I expected to see his name more. Chipper was a Braves fan pick for me. A lot of postseason experience. Wanted to put tom glavine as my pitcher based solely off of game 6 in 95 and my favorite player of all time but can't deny what Mathewson did in multiple series. |
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Watched him playing in the Cape League
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