Choose your all-time HOF team

[UKCardGuy]

Inspired by Clint's thread https://net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=338118 I thought we could choose an entire HOF team...not just 1 player.

For a bit of fun...

Suppose you could build a team of 11 players (9 players on the field, 1 relief pitcher and 1 DH) and a manager, but you can only choose from members of the HOF. Who's on your team?

You can choose a player from any time and any league so long as they're in Cooperstown.

https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-fam...-fame-explorer

Name your team and let us know why. Here's mine:

Manager: Joe Torre
Pitcher: Sandy Koufax
Catcher: Johnny Bench
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Rod Carew
3B: George Brett
SS: Honus Wagner
RF: Hank Aaron
LF: Ted Williams
CF: Willie Mays
DH: Babe Ruth
Relief Pitcher: Bob Gibson

Rationale:
This team has a lot of hits and a lot of runs in it and some amazing fielding capability. I chose Ruth as a DH because as great as he was, let's face it, he wasn't known for incredible defensive work. That leaves room for Aaron in Right Field.

An infield of Gehrig, Carew, Wagner, Brett and Bench has speed and skill plus they'll create hits and stolen bases.

The choice of manager was harder than I thought. Who could get the best out of a blend of a mix of players from across the ages? I would like to have chosen Billy Martin as the manager but he's not in Cooperstown like I think he should be.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I'll take the easy way out and defer to Mr. Cobb. There was no stronger student, observer or practicioner of the game and he lived into the final era which I would consider using to make my own picks. He was also typically honest and outspoken when opining on anything, so each one of his choices would, to me, be of great importance. More so than even someone such as Connie Mack.

[cgjackson222]

Starting Pitcher: Lefty Grove
Catcher: Josh Gibson
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Nap Lajoie
3B: Mike Schmidt
SS: Honus Wagner
LF: Oscar Charleston
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Babe Ruth
DH: Ted Williams
Relief Pitcher: Mariano Rivera

For me, the hardest choices are Starting Pitcher and 2nd Baseman.

There are so many great starting pitchers. I chose Lefty Grove because he led the League in ERA a record 9x, led the League in strikeouts his first 7 years and just knew how to win games. His .680 Winning percentage is the highest of any Hall of Famer and it translated into the Playoffs where he pitched very well, winning 2 World Series. Grove faced Ruth 11 times in exhibition games as a Minor Leaguer and struck him out 9 times. Maybe that's why Grove was sold for more than Ruth.

I think Hornsby was a better hitter than Lajoie, but I think Hornsby would not be a great player to have on your team because he was not well liked.

I think Bench was the best catcher in MLB history, but Gibson was probably better.

[G1911]

Manager: It won’t matter, they’re winning
SP: Lefty Grove
C: Yogi Berra
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Eddie Collins
3B: Mike Schmidt
SS: Honus Wagner
LF: Ted Williams
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Babe Ruth

I think the best at each position, with C being the toughest pick and the least clear. I am slightly bothered by the lack of any 19th century player that seems statistically unlikely to not be present on a list of 9 from all of MLB history.

[rats60]

RF Roberto Clemente
CF Willie Mays
LF Babe Ruth
SS Honus Wagner
3B George Brett
2B Rogers Hornsby
1B Lou Gehrig
C Johnny Bench
P Sandy Koufax
RP Mariano Rivera
DH Ted Williams
M Joe McCarthy

[Musashi]

Manager: Walter Alston
Starting Pitcher: Are we getting the player at his peak, or are we considering his whole career? If it's peak, I take Sandy Koufax. Considering the whole career, Walter Johnson
Relief Pitcher: Goose Gossage. Man once posted a single season WAR over 8 as a reliever.
Catcher: Johnny Bench
First Base: Lou Gehrig
Second: Eddie Collins
Third: Mike Schmidt
Short: Honus Wagner
Left: Rickey Henderson - Otherwise this team doesn't have a leadoff hitter. Now they've got the best one
Center: Ty Cobb - My mind says Mays, but my heart wants to bat Cobb second and watch him execute the hit and run with Rickey on first.
Right: Babe Ruth - he's not Aaron defensively, but he did lead the league in OF assists at least once so he's not a liability out there, plus, he's an extra arm in the bullpen. Can also hit.
DH: Ted Williams

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by G1911

Manager: It won’t matter, they’re winning
SP: Lefty Grove
C: Yogi Berra
1B: Lou Gehrig
2B: Eddie Collins
3B: Mike Schmidt
SS: Honus Wagner
LF: Ted Williams
CF: Willie Mays
RF: Babe Ruth

I think the best at each position, with C being the toughest pick and the least clear. I am slightly bothered by the lack of any 19th century player that seems statistically unlikely to not be present on a list of 9 from all of MLB history.

If we did this for FB or BKB there wouldn't be anyone from the first few decades either.

[oldjudge]

Manager: John McGraw
First Base: Gehrig
2nd Base: Collins
SS: Wagner
3B: Schmidt
LF: Aaron
CF: DiMaggio
RF: Ruth
DH: Williams
SP: Young
RP: Rivera

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

If we did this for FB or BKB there wouldn't be anyone from the first few decades either.

Which seems unlikely to be fair for an all-time team. At the very peak of talent with a small roster we will have a significant random chance factor, but it seems we always ignore certain periods.

I can’t speak to basketball, but for football I’d put some of the very old guys on the all-time team. Hutson for one.

[Tabe]

Originally Posted by G1911

I am slightly bothered by the lack of any 19th century player that seems statistically unlikely to not be present on a list of 9 from all of MLB history.

They played 8 seasons (1893-1900) in the 19th Century with the pitcher's mound at 60ft. We're in the middle of the 123rd season since then with a massive increase in the number of people actually playing in the majors. It would be shocking if somebody from the 19th Century actually deserved to make the list.

[G1911]

Originally Posted by Tabe

They played 8 seasons (1893-1900) in the 19th Century with the pitcher's mound at 60ft. We're in the middle of the 123rd season since then with a massive increase in the number of people actually playing in the majors. It would be shocking if somebody from the 19th Century actually deserved to make the list.

An all-time team with a built in recency basis, picking the players best for todays game rather than a pound-for-pound style ranking of dominance in context, is not an All-Time Team at all.

An increase in the quantity of players has no effect whatsoever on an all-time team. The absolute greats do not lose their jobs in a smaller league; the worse players do.

As an All-Time Team, your 1893 cutoff used to dismiss the improbability is not relevant.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Tabe

They played 8 seasons (1893-1900) in the 19th Century with the pitcher's mound at 60ft. We're in the middle of the 123rd season since then with a massive increase in the number of people actually playing in the majors. It would be shocking if somebody from the 19th Century actually deserved to make the list.

Honus Wagner played in the 19th century. He is on most teams. Cy Young and Nap Lajoie are on lists and they played in the 19th century too.

[ty_cobb]

SP - Catfish Hunter
RP - Mariano Rivera

C - Johnny Bench
1B- Lou Gehrig
2B- Jackie Robinson
SS -Honus Wagner
3B- Brooks Robsinson

LF - Ted Williams
CF - Ty Cobb
RF - Hank Aaron
DH- Reggie Jackson

bench (honorable mentions)
Roberto Clemente
Joe Jackson

[Bill77]

I went with a World Series Heavy team. All of my picks have 2 or more World Series rings.

Manager: Joe McCarthy (7)
Pitcher: Babe Ruth (7)
Catcher: Yogi Berra (10)
1B: Lou Gehrig (7)
2B: Eddie Collins (6)
3B: Eddie Mathews (2)
SS: Derek Jeter (5)
RF: Stan Musial (3)
LF: Rickey Henderson (2)
CF: Joe DiMaggio (9)
DH: David Ortiz (3)
Relief Pitcher: Mariano Rivera (5)