10 GREATEST PITCHERS IN BASEBALL HISTORY

This is the definitive list.  Does it include any relievers?  It includes everyone—there just weren’t any relievers/closers that made it.  Sorry Mariano and Eck!  This list is just too strong.  How do you compare Cy Young with Pedro Martinez.  It’s tough; I probably gave a very slight edge to more current players.  Post season heroics also factors.  No, I didn’t disqualify anyone over steroid use.

 Here they are, in reverse order:          

10)     Whitey Ford—236 wins against only106 losses, combined with impressive 2.75 career ERA put Ford high on any list.  He’s in my top 10 because he was the anchor pitcher on the best team in history (Yankees in ‘50’s and early ‘60’s) and had 10 World Series wins (record total).  Enough said…he probably should be higher on list.

9)        Pedro Martinez—Career numbers don’t paint a complete picture of Martinez in my mind (219 wins-100 losses, 2.93 ERA, cumulative 6-4 post-season record).  While it doesn’t add up to huge figures, Pedro truly seemed to be the best of everyone when in peak form—and I mean everyone.  During his absolute prime, I doubt you’d have any argument if you gave him the edge over Clemens, Maddox, Randy Johnson, and Glavine.  That says a lot.  Martinez gets a slight nod over Koufax on this list, though it’s close.  Koufax was also mighty dominant.  His peak period (’63-’66) was just too short.

8)        Lefty Grove—300 wins and 141 losses.  3.06 ERA.  World Series record of 4-2 with 1.75 ERA.  Baseball stat man Bill James used to list Lefty Grove at the top of all his lists.  That says a lot.

7)        Grover Alexander—373-208 record is phenomenal.  2.56 career ERA.  Hard to compare players from 1911 to current day.  Alexander has to rank high.

6)        Randy Johnson—Big Unit had 303 wins against 166 losses, with 3.29 ERA and amazing 4875 strikeouts (second in history to Nolan Ryan).

5)        Cy Young—Record 511 wins will never be sniffed by anyone in history.  Also posted career 2.63 ERA and post-season record of 2-1 with 1.85 ERA.  Should Cy Young be first?  Maybe.

4)        Greg Maddux—355-227 with 3.16 ERA.  11 post-season wins.  Had to be the steadiest of them all.

3)        Walter Johnson—2.17 career ERA (are you kidding?!?) to go with 417 wins against 279 losses.

2)        Christy Mathewson—Nudges Johnson in career ERA (2.13) to go with career record of 373-188.  Consider that winning percentage! 

1)        Roger Clemens—354 career wins and 184 losses.  Career 3.12 ERA.  12 post-season wins.  I never liked Clemens, but he was too great for too long to disregard him here.  You’d probably give the nod to Cy Young statistically, but let’s be honest, who would you rather have pitch to you?

Honorable mention notes to Koufax, Spahn, and Bob Gibson.  Correct me if you feel I’m wrong with these selections.  Talk to you soon.

THE 10 MOST ELECTRIFYING BASEBALL PLAYERS IN MAJOR LEAGUE HISTORY

This list contains baseball players that took your breath away with dazzling speed, awesome power, or a combination of both.  Here they are, the top 10—in reverse order!

10.  Jim Thorpe--Thorpe is, hands down, the greatest multi-sport athlete of all time. In 1912, Thorpe won Olympic gold in both the pentathlon and decathlon (both of which show ridiculous versatility). He won eight of the 15 individual events. His point total stood for more than two decades before it was bested.  He played professional football for 13 years, Major League Baseball for seven years and professional basketball for at least two years.  

Why is he so low on this list?  Because this list centers on being electrifying on the baseball field.  While his athleticism set him apart, his baseball skills were not to the level of others on this list.

9.  Willie Mays—I had the opportunity to watch Mays in the late ‘60’s, and even then (well past his prime), you knew he was a special athlete.  At that time, there was a host of great ballplayers you knew would be counted among the best in history (Aaron, Mantle, Clemente, Frank Robinson).  Somehow Mays seemed to be the best of them all.  Mantle had declined dramatically—it was almost depressing, and Aaron lacked the fizzle of Mays.  As an outfielder, I believe Mays was the best in history.  He won 12 total Gold Gove Awards.  He had a natural flair, making easy “basket” catches and countless highlight film caliber plays.  Unfortunately, sports television coverage was not the same at that time and younger people don’t appreciate Mays. 
 
I may be wrong about ranking Mantle ahead of Mays on this particular chart.  Mantle seemed a little more powerful and possibly faster (close call) during his younger years, but Mays just seemed more active and electrifying.  I’m giving the slight edge to Mantle based upon his post season play, an area Mays did poorly, with the exception of the 1954 Vic Wertz catch.  

8.  Dave Winfield--Winfield played with speed and power.  As an outfielder, he won the Gold Glove seven times. Winfield, who played for the University of Minnesota, was the Gophers' best hitter and pitcher, not bad since Minnesota made it to the semis of the 1973 College World Series. 

But there's more to Winfield. He was also good enough to play pro basketball, being drafted by both the Atlanta Hawks and the Utah Stars after starring as a power forward on Minnesota's Big Ten championship team. And he was such an amazing athlete that even though he never played a single down in college, the Vikings selected him in the 1973 draft. No other athlete has ever been drafted in all three pro sports.


7.   Frank Howard—I was reading an article in the local sports page about the longest homeruns in history.  Among the discussions of Mantle and others, the author mentioned a legendary homerun hit by Frank Howard, that was erroneously ruled foul, that went clean out of the old Yankee Stadium—in left field no less (substantially longer than right field).  Since a fair ball had never been hit out of the old Yankee Stadium, not even in the shorter right field, it didn’t seem possible.  Well it really happened.  I was there with my dad at that ’69 game and marveled at Howard’s raw power as the ball carried well over the foul pole and the left field fence, just leveling out to horizontal as it cleared the stadium’s outside wall.  Frank Howard was a big, passive guy, who didn’t make a fuss when the umpire made his delayed ruling of the ball being foul.  The umpire was probably stunned.  Yankees outfielder Bobby Murcer acknowledged to the press the ball was clearly fair.  Long story short, in my mind, Frank Howard hit the furthest ball in history, and routinely hit mammoth shots. 
 
At a listed 6’7” or 6’8’ with a weight of 255 to 275, Howard was an imposing figure.  He wasn’t much of an outfielder and seemed slow and plodding.  As an athlete, he was good enough to make All American Teams at Ohio State University in both basketball and baseball.  He was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors, but chose baseball, initially playing for the Dodgers, where he was Rookie of the Year.  Over his career he would hit 382 home runs, during a time when offense was diminished.  He probably should be in the Hall of Fame over a couple dozen over-rated singles hitters.

6.  Rickey Henderson—How can you not love Rickey!  No joke—Rickey once received a million dollar bonus from the Oakland A’s and had the check framed.  Months later, when the A’s tried to clear up the million dollar discrepancy in their books, they discovered Rickey had the check hanging on his wall and had never cashed it.  Rickey confirms this story during an interview that can be found on YouTube.  Classic Rickey.

As a player, Rickey was the epitome of electrifying.  He always played with flair and seemed to take matters right to the brink of disaster as a base runner.  When all was said and done though, he produced.  In fact, he retired as the all time record holder in runs scored (2295), his most cherished record.  As a base stealer, he took the art form to a whole new level that will never be matched.  He finished his career with 1406 steals, miles ahead of second place (Lou Brock at 938).  It’s doubtful any future player will make it halfway to Rickey’s totals in steals.   In the ‘80’s, he would drive pitchers crazy.  Amazingly enough, he continued to be a productive, high success rate base stealer right up to his retirement (2003) , a real tribute to his longevity and conditioning. 
 
Rickey was also a highly touted running back in high school at Oakland Tech.  I believe he would have been a successful Barry Sanders type of football player had he gone that route, taking into account his cockiness and explosive running.

5.  Mark McGwire—I believe McGwire has gotten a raw deal from sports writers.  Yes, we know he took performance enhancing drugs, but my strong belief is that we will learn in years to come that most other hitters, as well as the pitchers McGwire faced, used performance enhancing drugs at different points in their careers as well.  The money and stakes are just too high.  I’m not condoning anything, it’s just reality. 
 
Anyway, anyone who carefully watched McGwire during his glory period knows what a hitting monster he was.  Don’t tell me Tony Gwynn was actually a better hitter because of his high average.  That is totally ridiculous.  McGwire brought absolute fear to opposing pitchers and crushed the ball like nobody had since Mantle and Howard—maybe even further.  To appreciate the awesome power McGwire demonstrated during 1998, for example, you need to compare the average distance of McGwire’s homers to Barry Bonds in 2002.  McGwire hit several balls over 500 feet that season.  Watch the home run derbies.  McGwire didn’t need to win to take your breath away.  When he connected, he was a different animal.  All other power hitters bowed down to McGwire’s superior strength.  It wasn’t even close.  For his career, McGwire averaged a home run once every 10.61 at bats, the lowest home run per at bats ratio in baseball history. 

4.   Mickey Mantle—The “Commerce Comet” was widely considered to be the fastest in the game during his peak years.  He’s given credit for having the fastest recorded time running to first base, though one has to question the accuracy of the timing.  In film footage of his lefty drag bunts, one could see his amazing speed.  As a switch hitter, we know he had incredible power from both sides.  With the possible exception of Mark McGwire, Mantle probably had the most tape measure shot home runs of anyone.  He ended his career with 18 World Series home runs and several other World Series records.

3.   Bo Jackson—In eight major-league seasons, Bo hit .250 with 141 HRs and 415 RBI.  He also returned after surgery, and playing with a prosthetic hip, hit 29 homers in his final two seasons. In four part-time NFL seasons with the Raiders, he played only 38 games, but ran for 2,782 yards, an average of 5.4 yards per carry.
Bo's best baseball season came in 1989, when he hit .256 with 32 homers, 105 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He was named MVP of the All-Star game in 1989, and five months later, after he rushed for 950 yards in just 11 games for the Raiders, was named to the Pro Bowl team.  Most of us remember his dominant Monday Night Football game when he single handedly destroyed Brian Bosworth and the Seattle Seahawks.  His yardage for that game remains a Monday Night Football record. 
 
Along with being the only true all-star in two major sports, at least that I can think of, he kind of stands out because of what a freak he was.  Seriously, not only was he the fastest player in baseball, he may have been the fastest human being in history.  I’m not exaggerating.  When you saw him live, you knew he was special.  His 4.12 hand timed 40 yard dash at the NFL combine is the fastest NFL time in history—by a substantial amount. Naysayers may claim it was just a bad reading and he never would have done as well with electronic timing (which the NFL started in later years), but he also reportedly recorded a 4.17.    Bo Jackson was not lacking in power either.  If they ever had cage fighting in baseball, nobody would step into the cage with Bo Jackson.  Alright—that’s stupid!

2.   Jackie Robinson—Robinson was the first UCLA athlete ever to letter in four sports. As a Bruin, Robinson was an All-American running back, a point guard who twice led the Pac-10 in scoring, and the 1940 NCAA champion in the long jump, flying 25' 6 1/2".

He was a well rounded baseball player who could hit for some power, hit for average, steal bases with the best of them, and stretch doubles into triples. His baseball career was not especially long or we might have seen more great accomplishments.  He certainly electrified the game with his speed and athleticism, not to mention his strength of character.

1.  Babe Ruth—I’ll remind everyone that Babe Ruth revolutionized the game of baseball and was probably the most significant sports figure in history, with all due respect to Mr. Ali.  Starting out his career as a truly dominant pitcher, he gradually developed into the greatest hitter the world would ever see—by far!   
Statistically, you really can’t compare anyone to Ruth, and he started crushing the ball over fences back in the dead ball era.

In 1920, his first year with the Yankees, Ruth hit 54 home runs and batted .376. His .847 slugging average was a Major League record until 2001 (Barry Bonds’ biggest year). Aside from the Yankees, only one other team hit more home runs than Ruth did as an individual that season.  Long home runs were described as “Ruthian”, as the Babe reportedly hit many balls over 500 feet.  I’m not sure whether he was strong or fast, but he captivated our nation like no other athlete.

Well that’s the top 10.  What about Neon Deion, Gehrig, Eric Davis, and others?  Each of these guys received consideration.  Let me know who I forgot  Talk to you soon.

THE SINGLE MOST UNDERRATED AND OVERRATED BASEBALL PLAYERS IN HISTORY

Albert Belle is the most underrated, under appreciated Major League Baseball Player in the history of the game.  In contrast, Tony Gwynn, beloved Padres fixture, is the most overrated.  Belle is a close call, but Gwynn wins by a landslide.  The average reader (and sports writer for that matter) might think I accidentally switched the two names; trust me, I didn’t.  These selections are based on pure statistical review, leaving out the media’s misrepresentations and deceptions.

Let’s start with Albert Belle, who played for multiple teams from 1989 to 2000.  He finished his career with 381 home runs and 1239 RBI’s, despite limited plate appearances in ’89 and ’90 and strike shortened seasons in ’94 and ’95.  From ’91 to ’99 he was baseball’s most dangerous hitter.  He should have won 3 MVP awards during the time frame.  Finishing second to Mo Vaughn in the ’95 season MVP balloting was one of the biggest sports writer rape jobs in baseball history, as Belle became the first (and only) player in history to compile 50 or more home runs and doubles in the same season.  Remember, that was a strike shortened season.  His awesome performance crescendoed toward the end of the season as he led the Cleveland Indians to the World Series.  He narrowly missed a second 50/50 season in ’98.  For his career, Belle ended with a .564 slugging average, 13^th all time, ahead of Hall of Fame slugging legends like Mays, Aaron, and Mantle.  Oh, and might I add, over a hundred points ahead of first year Hall of Fame inductee Tony Gwynn (career slugging average .459).  Arrogant and vindictive sports writers unfairly labeled Belle to be a one dimensional player, when in fact he had better than average outfielder range, a powerful arm (a strong pitcher in college), and solid base running skills.  The suggestion that Belle has been overlooked for Hall of Fame voting due to a short career may appear to have merit on the surface, but understand that voters inducted players with short careers like Sandy Koufax and Hack Wilson.

Tony Gwynn has been hailed to be one of baseball’s all time greatest, purest hitters.  Playing his entire career in San Diego, Gwynn compiled a lifetime .338 career batting average (15^th all time) and 3141 hits (18^th).  He’s also known to be a good guy, approachable for the public and media alike.  So what’s my problem with Gwynn?  He just wasn’t a particularly valuable baseball player.  While I liked him as a human being and baseball personality, he was merely a cut above average in terms of true offensive production.  Did you know that Gwynn only had over 75 RBI’s twice during his 20 year career?  He also only scored more than 100 runs twice.

There are two parts to the gross misunderstanding of these two players, Belle and Gwynn.  The first part has to deal with baseball’s over-reliance on batting average as a meaningful reflection of a player’s value.  This misconception has developed from baseball’s infancy and initial lack of statistical bearing (and calculators).  Batting average, in and of itself, should only be a secondary statistic.  Yes, if a player bats .300, with 100 RBI’s and 30 HR’s, they are, indeed, a good player.  However, if the player hits .318 with 57 RBI’s, 61 runs, and 7 homeruns, over the course of an entire season, they are average ballplayers--unless they play shortstop, second base, or catcher.  Thus, Tony Gwynn was an outfielder with slightly better than average production.  Gwynn was best in the ‘90’s, just like Albert Belle.  Belle generated well over 50 more runs per season for his teams than Tony Gwynn did for the Padres.  Gwynn has been enshrined in the Hall of Fame.  Belle will never be inducted.

The second part of the problem relates to unfair sports writers, who are responsible for ignoring a truly dominant player like Belle and worshiping an average player like Gwynn.  While many writers don’t fully understand the statistical summary provided here (they will in years to come), most just show favoritism to accommodating players.  I understand Belle reportedly drank excessively early in his career and was subject to temper tantrums.  I don’t care.  I believe he should receive the credit he is due.  Let me know what you think.

BASEBALL’S 10 GREATEST HITTERS

We’ll leave the pitchers for another day.  You may think this list favors the power hitters (it does!), but it is this writer’s strong belief that run production is the most important single variable to a player’s overall value to a team.  Yes—base running and glove work were considered in this list, but with the realization that direct production of runs through batting is most important.  For example, the difference in runs given up between a very good outfielder like Mickey Mantle (at least in the ‘50’s) and a great outfielder like Willie Mays would not amount to much over the course of a season compared to their offensive run production.  That is the primary reason I give a slight edge to Mantle in this list (post season play is another reason).  Anyway, the Mantle vs. Mays argument has been going on for decades, and I will elaborate further in a future blog.

HERE THEY ARE!  THE 10 GREATEST OFFENSIVE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS

1.  Babe Ruth    No surprise here.  His career slugging average (.690) and on base plus slugging (1.164) are easily the best in history.  Babe Ruth obliterated season and career power records and his 1920 season revolutionized the game.  His home run production in that season created an excitement the sports world had never experienced.  The fact that Babe Ruth was a dominant pitcher early in his career wasn’t considered for the purposes of his number one ranking on this list, but certainly contributed to his icon status.
2.  Barry Bonds   I may take some heat for this selection—I want to hear what you have to say!  In my mind, Barry could easily have gone as low as 4 or 5 on this list.  All players in the top 5 were magnificent and had impressive statistics over a long period of time.  I’m giving Bonds the number 2 spot based upon his level of absolute brilliance from 2001 to 2004, combined with the balanced quality of his game (hitting, fielding, and running) over such a long career.  In my opinion, his .609 on base percentage in 2004 is the single most absurd statistic in baseball history, at least at the professional level.  He truly stood out as a man among boys.  I doubt anyone will ever come close to that number.  Ted and the Babe couldn’t even do it. 
For those of you who believe he shouldn’t be eligible because of performance enhancing drugs, I can’t really argue with you.  I don’t know whether he did or didn’t.  Looking at the other great sluggers of the era (Sosa, McGuire, Palmeiro, Sheffield, Bagwell, Thome, Ramirez, Rodriguez, etc), it seems quite possible we may ultimately find out virtually all the great sluggers “supplemented” a little.  Bonds was truly dominant like no person since Ruth.
3.  Lou Gehrig     A virtual tie with Ted Williams.  I’m giving the nod to Gehrig based upon a superior post-season history. 
4.  Ted Williams    Red Sox fans can point to his career best on-base percentage (.482) and argue he should be number one.  Sorry about the raw deal for Ted.  I acknowledge the years he lost to the war and recognize this hero didn’t have the supporting cast appreciated by Ruth and Gehrig.  However, think of the minimal consideration Karl Malone gets when compared to Michael Jordan and Jordan’s supporting cast (Malone’s stats are superior to Jordan’s in many ways).  Jordan’s titles set him above the rest.  The lack of championships also sets Williams back.  I realize Bonds didn’t win a World Series either.  Life is not always fair.
5.  Jimmy Foxx   History seems to have forgotten Foxx, but this monster’s statistics are too big.  He was awesome and would be great today as well.
6.  Albert Pulhols    I’m struggling hard with this selection and could see myself leaving Albert off the list altogether in future revisions if his production drops substantially in years to come.  At this point in time (2012), his career OPS (1.025) ranks high and he appears headed toward the top of all time lists in home runs, RBI’s, runs, and doubles before his career is finished if he can remain healthy.  
7.  Mickey Mantle    Great career was stifled by chronic knee problems.  Despite Mantle’s statistical collapse in the mid ‘60’s, he still ended up with a career on base percentage of .421, far ahead of Mays and Aaron.  Mantle was definitely the most dangerous hitter of the three during their peak years.  He also gets a huge nod over the other two based upon his post-season play, ending his career with a record 18 World Series home runs.  Mantle possessed dazzling speed and was a solid center fielder.  Mays fans will argue Willie stole more bases and didn’t strike out as much as Mickey.  I will point out that Mantle had a higher stolen base success rate and hit into far fewer double plays.   The argument goes on.
8.  Rogers Hornsby     As a second baseman, Hornsby hit for average (.358) and power (301 home runs, slugging average of .577).  His career totals would have been more impressive if he had more at bats.  You could still argue he should be higher on this list.
9.  Willie Mays    Electrifying player with power and speed.  Phenomenal center fielder with a powerful arm and flair.  
10.  Alex Rodriguez    As a Yankee fan, I’m angry with Rodriquez right now.  He seems to be underperforming and his career batting average, on base average, and slugging average are plummeting.  Nevertheless, I have to remember he will probably own several key career statistics (HR’s, RBI’s, etc.) before he is through, and he played much of his career as a gold glove caliber shortstop.  A good base runner too.  Pretty amazing.  The steroid argument is valid and will be another day’s topic of discussion.

 
Like my list?  No?!?!   Forgive my arrogance in pretending I know it all.  That’s what makes it fun.  I can understand your frustration in the omission of genuine superstars like Aaron, Greenberg, Cobb, and DiMaggio (and others).  Tell me why they should rank higher than my choices. 
My next baseball blog will likely be “the most over-rated baseball player in history”.  Prepare yourself San Diego Padres fans.