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

[pclpads]

No mention of Banks???

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by pclpads

No mention of Banks???

.271 hitter. No.

[Mdmtx]

Is Ted Williams head still alive?

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by Mdmtx

Is Ted Williams head still alive?

Only his head

[glynparson]

I know I know.

[tedzan]

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




Cooperstown 2012


TED Z
.

[Tao_Moko]

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.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by tedzan

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




Cooperstown 2012


TED Z
.

1947 Bond Bread rookie card


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
.

[Mountaineer1999]

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.

[BearBailey]

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.

[darwinbulldog]

Say-hey!

[nebboy]

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

[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.

[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!

[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.

[Iron Horse]

Hitters: Mays & Aaron
Pitchers: Koufax & Ryan

[yanksfan09]

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.

[Tabe]

Bonds
Mays
Aaron
ARod
Griffey jr

[sporteq]

[Danny Smith]

I'll second this.

Originally Posted by Iron Horse

Hitters: Mays & Aaron
Pitchers: Koufax & Ryan

[brian1961]

Hank Aaron and Sandy Koufax. ---Brian Powell

[Rickyy]

Willie Mays,

Hank Aaron - close 2nd

Ricky Y

[sox1903wschamp]

Originally Posted by pclpads

No mention of Banks???

.271 hitter. No.

By this logic, Bench is out, .267

[EvilKing00]

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