The First Five, Who Are You Going To Take

[cgjackson222]

Ruth (greatest ever), then Wagner (best shortstop).

The fact that Cobb never won a championship may be partially due to the fact that his teammates never liked him and he was not great for team morale. And he didn't live up to expectations in postseason play.

All of the other guys won at least one championship.

Its a tossup between Johnson and Mathewson. As fast as Johnson pitched, I feel like players these days can hit the fastball. Not sure they could hit all of Mathewson's pitches.

[brunswickreeves]

From an investment perspective, I'd take Ruth given he'd produce the absolute best ROI.

He transcended baseball and drew unprecedented crowds everywhere he went. He'd also draw other great players to my team, which would further strengthen my dynasty, produce post season play, and championships (all maximizing $).

[EddieP]

Ruth. You get two players for the price of one. If it weren’t for WWI, Ruth would have been a HOF pitcher. Tris Speaker said, “ Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a week he might have lasted a long time and become a great star."

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by EddieP

Ruth. You get two players for the price of one. If it weren’t for WWI, Ruth would have been a HOF pitcher. Tris Speaker said, “ Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a week he might have lasted a long time and become a great star."

I think it all worked out just fine.

Great question but I would go with Ruth first but the others are all

1A , B, C, and D

Cannot go wrong with any

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by EddieP

Ruth. You get two players for the price of one. If it weren’t for WWI, Ruth would have been a HOF pitcher. Tris Speaker said, “ Ruth made a grave mistake when he gave up pitching. Working once a week he might have lasted a long time and become a great star."

I would have to pick Ruth. Curious what you mean when you say if it weren't for WWI, Ruth would have been a HoF pitcher. How did WWI cause him to move from pitcher to the outfield full time?

[EddieP]

Originally Posted by jayshum

I would have to pick Ruth. Curious what you mean when you say if it weren't for WWI, Ruth would have been a HoF pitcher. How did WWI cause him to move from pitcher to the outfield full time?

During WWI Ballplayers were drafted in the Arm Services unless they were employed by an essential business for the War effort. Ruth was hired by a Steel Mill which was essential for the war and thus, he was exempted from the draft. However, that was not the case with many of the Red Sox’s other players and the 1918 Red Sox mainly fielded a Minor League Team. Ruth pestered the Front Office to let him play the field on days when he was not pitching. So partly as a way to invigorate the line-up and partly as a stunt to boost attendance, Ruth played first base when he was not pitching. The next year (1919), he was more of a regular player than a pitcher ( partly because of the larger attendance when he played) and in 1920 , he was traded to the Yanks.

[Rhotchkiss]

Ruth

[Seven]

The Sultan of Swat!

It's incredible to look at The Babe's numbers. The man could've realistically hit 900 Home Runs if he played the field his entire career.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

As fast as Johnson pitched, I feel like players these days can hit the fastball. Not sure they could hit all of Mathewson's pitches.

Oh, I'm sure the players of Johnson's time could hit the fastball, too, they just couldn't hit HIS. Big difference there.

[robertsmithnocure]

1. Ruth
2. Johnson
3. Wagner
4. Cobb
5. Mathewson

[Beercan collector]

Ruth
It’s about championshipS
.. Not 1 .. Not 2 .. Not 3 .. Not 4 .. Not 5 .. Not 6 .. 😊

[MR RAREBACK]

Ty cobb

[cgjackson222]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

Oh, I'm sure the players of Johnson's time could hit the fastball, too, they just couldn't hit HIS. Big difference there.

I'm just recognizing that there aren't that many guys that can make a living off one pitch these days. Maybe Johnson could, maybe he couldn't.

[jcmtiger]

Cobb all the way, never pick a pitcher.

[darwinbulldog]

Definitely Ruth.

[Metsfan0507]

Are we taking the player and dropping them into 2023 competition at 18 years old? Or are we guaranteeing that their career turns out exactly the same (ruth hits 714hrs, cobb gets his 4000+ hits, etc). My thinking is that the pitchers won't stand out against today's competition, but if we guarantee their same stats then all those complete games and wins are extremely valuable so I'd take Johnson. If we're dropping them against modern competition with no guarantees, then I'd take cobb or wagner as I think their ability to hit to all fields and good baserunning would stand up best against today's pitchers.

[NiceDocter]

Just have to take the guy who was undefeated in his World Series pitching record with an ERA of 0.87 and 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. That would be Babe Ruth. I rest my case.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by cgjackson222

I'm just recognizing that there aren't that many guys that can make a living off one pitch these days. Maybe Johnson could, maybe he couldn't.

And I'm just recognizing that there was only one who could do it in the old days, or ever, for that matter.

[Hankphenom]

This is a timeless argument: who is more valuable, the great everyday player or the great pitcher who wins consistently every four or five games? I think Ruth's star power and drawing ability, along with his hitting, makes him the pick. But here's the case for Johnson: let's say you're the Washington manager while he's on your staff. He starts 666 games, finishes 532 of them, wins 417 of them, and shuts the other team out in 110. So when you send Walter out to the mound, you know he's going to finish 5 out of 6 games, win 2 out of 3 of them, and in 1 out of 6 the other team isn't even going to score a run! For 21 seasons he's going to do that for you. You'd have to give it some serious thought before letting THAT guy go to another team. Of course, having a shot at any of those players would be a franchise's dream come true.

[butchie_t]

I’m taking the train, The Big Train. Barney is the conductor of the team.

[ValKehl]

Keep in mind that Johnson's peak strike-out years were during the dead-ball era when batters were swinging to make contact, rather than swinging for the fences, which made batters harder to strike out. But, even in the 1920's after the advent of the lively ball and when Johnson was in the downside of his career, he led the A.L. in strike outs three times (1921, 1923 & 1924) and MLB once (1921). I daresay that if Johnson were pitching in the 21st century, IMO, he would accumulate 6,000 or more strike outs because there are so few contact hitters in today's game.