The Best baseball players

I asked a question on Facebook about what I should write in my blog. One person said to rank the best baseball players in history at each position. So that is what Im going to do.

A couple things come in mind when trying to figure out a ranking system for the best baseball players in history. For me, I am going to rank them based on personal preference. Statistics aren’t going to be the most important thing for me. I am going to look at popularity, how well known they are to non-baseball fans, and just their general impact on the game of baseball, in my opinion. For this post, I am going to stick with non-active players, which means most will be Hall of Famers. On another day I will rank active players at each position. I am going to list my number one and a few honorable mention players. Lets get started.

Catcher- When thinking about the top catchers, a few come to mind. Mike Piazza, Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, and Roy Campanella are a few. Many baseball experts put Johnny Bench at the top. Yogi Berra is well-known for his quirkyness and unforgettable quotes. Mike Piazza is a recent retiree who dominated his generation behind the plate. My personal favorite is Mr. Roy Campanella. Many in the baseball world don’t know much about him. One of the top Italian-American baseball players of all time, he was the starting catcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and 50s. He was the man behind the plate when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.  He was the field general of the Dodgers in their heyday. Battles with the New York Giants and Yankees during the 1950s made him such a popular player. He also went through some of the discrimination that Jackie Robinson went through, though not as extreme. This was due to him being an Italian-born player.  Honorable Mention- Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Mike Piazza, Gary Carter.

1^st Base- There have been many great first basemen in baseball history, but without a doubt, the greatest is Lou Gehrig. The Iron Horse, as they called him, was one of the most popular and well-liked Yankees, and players, of all time.  He is probably most well-known for his consecutive games streak and the speech he made to announce his retirement. “Today, I consider myself, the luckiest man, on the face of the Earth.” These are some of the most famous words and have been echoed hundreds of times in highlights and history films. He is the namesake of Lou Gehrig’s disease, the reason he had to retire. His consecutive games streak was once thought to be unbreakable, until a guy named Cal Ripken, Jr. came along. That does not diminish his legacy at all. Honorable Mention- Willie McCovey, Harmon Killebrew, Cap Anson, Jimmie Foxx.

2^nd Base- There is a long list of candidates for second base. Personally, I have a soft spot for Mr. Frank White, being from Kansas City. But I do not think he is the best, even though I do believe he was snubbed from the Hall of Fame. The best second baseman, in my mind, is the one and only Rogers Hornsby. Spending his Hall of Fame career in the National League, Hornsby  is the statistical leader in many categories among Hall of Fame second basemen. He played for 22 years, mostly spent in St. Louis with the Browns and the Cardinals. Honorable Mention- Joe Morgan, Rod Carew, Nap Lajoie, Jackie Robinson, Bill Mazeroski.

3^rd Base- The list of Hall of Fame third basemen is a very small one. There have only been a handful of high caliber third basemen. The best, in my mind, would have to be George Brett. The man whom the nation always associates with the Kansas City Royals, he had a long and prosperous career in the Midwest. He is the only player in Royals history with 3,000 hits and is the face of the franchise. Not very many people can garner that kind of accolade. Honorable Mention- Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson.

Shortstop- One of the hardest categories to choose from, there have been many, many brilliant shortstops in baseball history, not only with the bat, but with the glove as well. Its very difficult to choose who the best is, but in this case, it is someone who was one of the pioneers of the game. Honus Wagner, the lifetime Pittsburgh Pirate, played the game in its early years, with his first game being in 1898 and his last coming in 1917. From the very beginning, he dominated the sport at his position. He took the Pirates to the World Series numerous times and played well in nearly every one. He is absolutely the greatest shortstop ever, despite being relatively unknown to baseball fans today. Honorable Mention- Cal Ripken, Jr., Lou Boudreau, Pee Wee Reese, Ernie Banks, Luke Appling, Robin Yount, Ozzie Smith.

With so many outstanding players, I am going to list the top outfielders at each position and then do a fourth outfielder.

Left Field- To me, the name that stands out when thinking about Left Field, is Stan Musial. He dominated the statistical leaderboards during his time. He was an outstanding player from the beginning of his career to the end. One thing that most people don’t know is that he actually left the game at the height of his career to serve in the army during World War II. He came back and started right where he left off, hitting the ball unlike any other player. He, like George Brett, is the face of the franchise, in this case, the St Louis Cardinals. Honorable Mention- Ted Williams, Lou Brock, Carl Yastrzemski, Rickey Henderson, Ralph Kiner.

Center Field- Probably the most difficult position to choose from, but there is one player who was one step above everybody else. That man was the legendary Willie Mays. One of the all time greats, he was a true five-tool player. Hitting over 600 home runs was only a part of his production. He is also known for his highlight reel catch at Polo Grounds in New York. Widely considered one of the greatest defensive plays in baseball history, he  made an improbable over the shoulder catch in straight away center field, over 400 feet away from home plate, and turned and made an amazing throw back into the infield. He was the franchise player in the difficult transition from New York to San Francisco. Honorable Mention- Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Tris Speaker, Kirby Puckett, Larry Doby.

Right Fielder- This is another tough position but is probably the one most influenced by my personal preference. My choice is Roberto Clemente. He was not only one of the greatest humanitarians in the sport, he played a fantastic defensive right fielder. He had arguably the greatest outfield arm in the history of the game. He could throw runners out from the deepest part of right field. Unfortunately, he died in his prime and was not allowed to finish his career how he should have. He ended his career with exactly 3,000 hits. Honorable Mention- Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, Tony Gwynn, Reggie Jackson, Enos Slaughter.

Fourth Outfielder- Ty Cobb is my choice for the fourth outfielder. He and Honus Wagner had a very heated rivalry in the early 1900s as they would battle each other in the postseason. He held the record for the most hits in a career until Pete Rose broke it in the 1970s. This Detroit Tiger was also known for what people called, dirty play. He would slide into second base spikes up, aiming to cleat the fielders. He was a speed demon and a beast at the plate.

Pitcher- Another tough category, it is the one with the most options to choose from. I am going to choose Walter Johnson as the greatest starting pitcher to ever play. A Kansas native, The Big Train was one of the hardest throwing pitchers to ever play. He played for Washington, and holds many pitching records, including 110 career shutouts and 531 career complete games. Those numbers are absolutely ludicrous when relating it to today’s game, where you rarely see 20 complete games in the entire league for one season. He truly was the most dominating pitcher of his time, and in history. Honorable Mention: Nolan Ryan, Cy Young, Satchel Paige, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax.

Well that is my list. I hope I didn’t offend anybody by leaving them off the list or snubbing anybody. Healthy debate is always welcome, and I hope people accept my list for what it is!