Greatest All-Time All-Stars Sets

[robw1959]

Which MLB set composes the greatest all-star team ever assembled? Assuming any player in a particular set is at their peak level of career performance, which set would you choose? Mine would be the 1933 Goudey set:

1B Gehrig
2B Hornsby
SS Vaughn
3B Traynor
C Dickey
RF Ruth
CF Speaker
LF Ott
LP Grove
RP Dean

[jason.1969]

Originally Posted by robw1959

Which MLB set composes the greatest all-star team ever assembled? Assuming any player in a particular set is at their peak level of career performance, which set would you choose? Mine would be the 1933 Goudey set:

1B Gehrig
2B Hornsby
SS Vaughn
3B Traynor
C Dickey
RF Ruth
CF Speaker
LF Ott
LP Grove
RP Dean

I’ll offer 1956 Topps into the conversation. If the Mick at first feels like a stretch, there is Gil Hodges. Definitely some other positions where one might make a swap: Berra for Campy, for instance.

1B Mickey Mantle
2B Jackie Robinson
SS Ernie Banks
3B Eddie Mathews
C Roy Campanella
RF Hank Aaron
CF Willie Mays
LF Ted Williams
LP Sandy Koufax
RP Bob Feller

[Rhotchkiss]

T206 has

1B Frank Chance/Hal Chase
2B Nap Lajoie
SS Honus Wagner
3rd Homerun Baker
OF Ty Cobb
OF Tris Speaker
OF Sam Crawford
C Roger Bresnahan

Pitchers:
Walter Johnson
Cy Young
Christy Mathewson
Eddie Plank

[Peter_Spaeth]

1968 Topps
c Bench
1b Mantle
2b Morgan
ss cheat with Banks otherwise Aparicio?
3b Brooks (Mathews may have still had a card?)
Of Mays, Aaron, F Robinson/Clemente
Rp Gibson, Seaver, Ryan
Lp Carlton

[molenick]

Mathews was card #58 (as a Tiger). I like this team because Mantle was actually at first at the time. But I guess you lose Banks if you look at it that way.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by molenick

Mathews was card #58 (as a Tiger). I like this team because Mantle was actually at first at the time. But I guess you lose Banks if you look at it that way.

Aparicio the only arguably weak link then. Really strong otherwise.

[Touch'EmAll]

The 1976 Topps All Time All Stars subset - collected as a kid, does this count ?

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

1976 Topps

1b Gehrig
2b Hornsby
SS Wagner
3b Traynor
OF Ruth
OF Cobb
OF Williams
C Cochrane
RHP Johnson
LHP Grove

[mrreality68]

1914 Cracker Jacks

1B Frank Chance
2B Nap Lajoie or Eddie Collins
SS Honus Wagner
3rd Zack Wheat
OF Ty Cobb
OF Tris Speaker
OF Joe Jackson
C Roger Bresnahan

Pitchers:
Walter Johnson
Christy Mathewson
Eddie Plank

[brianp-beme]

How about the 1916 M101-4 set lineup? Pretty darn strong with the exception of Catcher and Left Handed Pitcher:

1B George Sisler
2B Eddie Collins
SS Honus Wagner
3B Frank Baker
C Ray Schalk
RF Babe Ruth
CF Ty Cobb
LF Joe Jackson
LHP Eppa Rixey
RHP Walter Johnson


Brian

[molenick]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

How about the 1916 M101-5 set lineup? Pretty darn strong with the exception of Catcher and Left Handed Pitcher:

1B George Sisler
2B Eddie Collins
SS Honus Wagner
3B Frank Baker
C Bobby Wallace
RF Babe Ruth
CF Ty Cobb
LF Joe Jackson
LHP Eppa Rixey
RHP Walter Johnson


Brian

I like this one too, except Wallace never played catcher. Schalk, maybe?

Edited to add: Didn't remember that Bresnahan was still playing, so I suggest him at C.

[judsonhamlin]

Not too shabby:

C Hartnett
1b Sisler
2b Collins
ss Hornsby
3b Baker
Of Ruth
Of Cobb
Of Speaker
RHP Johnson
LHP Rixey

Frisch, Heilmann, Alexander & Wood also in the mix

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by molenick

I like this one too, except Wallace never played catcher. Schalk, maybe?

Edited to add: Didn't remember that Bresnahan was still playing, so I suggest him at C.

Nice catch(er). I actually had Bresnahan as my catcher, but then inexplicably decided to give Wallace a shot at the position, perhaps because I thought he had a face that would look good behind a catcher's mask.

Brian

[Peter_Spaeth]

1991 Topps and Traded
c Ivan Rodriguez
1b F Thomas
2b Biggio or Alomar
ss Ozzie
3b Boggs
of Griffey, Bonds, Rickey
rp Clemens, Maddux, Ryan
lp R Johnson

[oldjudge]

Brian—Cobb was not in the M101-5 set but he was in the M101-4. My M101-4 team is:

C-Schalk
1B-Sisler
2B-Collins
SS-Wagner
3B-Lajoie (he played a little third)
OF-Jackson
OF-Cobb
OF-Ruth
P1-Johnson
P2-Alexander

Manager-McGraw

I’d feel comfortable going to battle with this team against any of the others mentioned. The Collins McCarthy type sets of 1917 might even be slightly better, losing Lajoie but gaining Hornsby. With that group I would play Hornsby at second and Collins at third.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Brian—Cobb was not in the M101-5 set but he was in the M101-4. My M101-4 team is:

Another nice catch...I am adjusting post by making my set to be M101-4, and also changing out Schalk for Bresnahan, because Bresnahan is not in the M101-4 set.

Brian

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Brian—Cobb was not in the M101-5 set but he was in the M101-4. My M101-4 team is:

C-Schalk
1B-Sisler
2B-Collins
SS-Wagner
3B-Lajoie (he played a little third)
OF-Jackson
OF-Cobb
OF-Ruth
P1-Johnson
P2-Alexander

Manager-McGraw

I’d feel comfortable going to battle with this team against any of the others mentioned. The Collins McCarthy type sets of 1917 might even be slightly better, losing Lajoie but gaining Hornsby. With that group I would play Hornsby at second and Collins at third.

Good point here about Lajoie playing third base. I hadn't considered that angle, but it only strengthens my '33 Goudey selections because I can substitute Jimmy Foxx for Bill Dickey at catcher. So my lineup now looks like this:

1B Gehrig
2B Hornsby
SS Vaughn
3B Traynor
C Foxx
RF Ruth
CF Speaker
LF Ott
LP Grove
RP Dean

[robw1959]

Originally Posted by brianp-beme

How about the 1916 M101-4 set lineup? Pretty darn strong with the exception of Catcher and Left Handed Pitcher:

1B George Sisler
2B Eddie Collins
SS Honus Wagner
3B Frank Baker
C Ray Schalk
RF Babe Ruth
CF Ty Cobb
LF Joe Jackson
LHP Eppa Rixey
RHP Walter Johnson


Brian

Terrific pick, Brian. You've got, arguably, at least four of the greatest to ever play that position in this lineup.