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Who is the GREATEST baseball player of all-time, and WHY?

Let's be serious about this and say who is the greatest and why.

We all have opinions, let's express them now.

I will not debate with anyone who posts, I just want to read the responses and compare them.

This is a great subject.

Comments

  • My vote goes for Lou Gherig:

    Quiet leadership

    Great all around player

    Thoughtful toward fans

    Great till the very end


    There have been others - but he was the first that popped into my mind.
  • #7
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    #3
  • kuhlmannkuhlmann Posts: 3,326 ✭✭
    Hate to say it. But Barry Bonds Only person to win more than 3 mvp's. will break home run record and holds single season hr's record. stolen over 500 bases. etc..................
  • aro13aro13 Posts: 1,961 ✭✭✭
    I do not really see how this question is even an issue. The question should read, who is the GREATEST baseball player of all-time AFTER Babe Ruth, and WHY?

    Ruth was an excellent pitcher (probably a Hall of Famer if he had pitched his career) and no worse than a Top 5 hitter of all-time, although I personally would put him first. He was a good baserunner and a decent fielder.

    The combination of excellent pitcher and awesome hitter cannot be matched in history. It would be like Barry Bonds moving to pitcher next year and posting 7 or 8 15 to 20 win seasons.
  • Babe Ruth. Hands down.

    As much as he may look like an old slug; his H.R.'s, on base percentage, slugging percentage, and World Series exploits put him ahead of the pack from players who just put up big stats.
  • DirtyHarryDirtyHarry Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭
    Babe Ruth...basis offensive AND pitching accomplishments. Nobody has ever done both. Also, in his earlier years, some of his offensive stats are so far ahead of the rest of the players in his era that it is almost comical. Regards.
    Proud of my 16x20 autographed and framed collection - all signed in person. Not big on modern - I'm stuck in the past!
  • 1921 American League Home Run Leaders

    Ruth-NYY 54
    Sisler-SLB 19
    Walker-PHA 17
    Felsch-CHW 14
    Jackson-CHW 12
    Smith-CLE 12
    Meusel-NYY 11
    Pipp-NYY 11
    Veach-DET 11
    Ward-NYY 11

    Ruth, 54 Homers. 2nd Best was Sisler with 19 Home Runs

    You want Babe Ruth Hall of Fame like pitching statistics and I will give you them too.

    Nuff said
  • stevekstevek Posts: 28,991 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Not even debatable - greatest is clearly Babe Ruth. Second place is not debatable either - clearly Ty Cobb. Third place starts getting tougher but I go with Ted Williams, Bonds fourth, Mays fifth.
  • kuhlmannkuhlmann Posts: 3,326 ✭✭
    WOW i am a Bonds Hater!!!! But Put the stats up guys ruth aaron mantle gerhig williams etc.. after bonds hangs it up doesnt compare.
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    It looks like Ruth won this one, not hard,but why say Bonds when he isn't even the best hitter of the group?
    He doesn't even have a lifetime .300 average, never hit .400 and never won the triple crown? Again
    basing it on MVP's is dumb, those are opinions, you can't ignore hard facts plus compare Teddy Ballgame
    to Bonds based on equal number of at bats and Bonds isn't even in the same league as Williams

    greatest hitter of all time: Williams
    greatest player of all time: Ruth (pitching stats are amazing!)
    greatest whiner of all time: Bonds

    Class Dismissed

    JS
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    This should end all debate, once again:

    Stats through 7706 AB's, that includes Williams career stats and Bonds stats roughly half way through the
    year 2001:

    Williams had 2654 hits while Bonds had 2247
    Williams had 1798 runs while Bonds had 1665
    Williams had 525 doubles while Bonds had 470
    Williams had 73 triples while Bonds had 69
    Williams had 521 homers while Bonds had 551
    Williams had 1839 RBI's while Bonds had 1498
    Williams had 2021 walks while Bonds had 1675
    Williams hit lifetime .344 Bonds .288 (now is .298)

    Awards:

    Williams had two triple crowns Bonds not even close
    Williams had 2 MVP's while Bonds had 6 (8 now)
    Williams had 6 batting titles Bonds 1
    Williams led in total bases 6 times Bonds once
    Williams had the HR title 4 times Bonds once
    Williams had most walks per season 8 times Barry 5 (7 now)

    Bonds isn't even close to this guy...facts don't lie!

    JS

  • kuhlmannkuhlmann Posts: 3,326 ✭✭
    Damn never looked at those stats !! you left out sb's though. but im happy now!!image i hate bonds!
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    I don't consider stolen bases a hitting stat but we all know Barry has many more than Williams, but everyone
    talks about walks..Williams even dominates in that. I didn't even mention 5 years in his prime to war...oops
    I just did. Ill admit Bonds is great, power and speed seldom seen but the numbers don't lie! Williams hit .400
    TWICE!!! Guys can't even come close to that now a days!

    JS
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    This isn't even a conversation. The Babe, hands down. Not only did he crush HR's at an incredible pace, but like was mentioned earlier, no one was even close. Also as was mentioned before, he was a great pitcher too. 78 wins in a 4 year span, a career ERA of 2.28 (1.75 in 1916).

    Don't forget Williams lost 3 years (in his prime, no less) to the war.

    And how's this for consistency:


    Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG TB SH SF IBB HBP GDP
    +--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
    1942 23 BOS AL 150 522 141 186 34 5 36 137 3 2 145 51 .356 .499 .648 338 0 4 12
    1946 27 BOS AL 150 514 142 176 37 8 38 123 0 0 156 44 .342 .497 .667 343 0 2 12

    Nearly identical SLG, hits, doubles, HR...the years basically mirror each other, and this is after he spent 3 years away from the game. Amazing.

    With those years he'd have easily surpassed 3000 hits, one or two more triple crowns and/or MVPs.

    Put into historical context, I wouldn't even put Barry in the top 5 all time.


  • << <i>Put into historical context, I wouldn't even put Barry in the top 5 all time. >>



    I feel the same way since IMO "the best" is more than just statistics.

    While statistics won't back-up my candidate, Roberto Clemente is way up on my list. Roberto Clemente
  • Who is the GREATEST baseball player of all-time, and WHY

    Joe (Kevin) - you did a great job analyzing the greatest hitter(s) of all time. However that is not what was asked, the question is Who is the greatest baseball player of all time. I think hands down Ruth #1 and Teddy Ballgame #2 for hitters. But if you are going to ask who is the best baseball player of all time, you have to include walks, SB, Fielding anf throwing.

    My #1 is Willie Mays - the guy can hit, steal bases and no one was a better fielder or thrower - plus he won a world series and Ted did not.
    My #2 is Babe Ruth - greatest offensive hitter plus pitching
    My #3 is Bonds - he does it all but no rings and questonable throwing arm
    My #4 is Ted Williams - best pure hitter ever!
    My #5 is Pete Rose - my boyhood idol so I have to mention him
  • {My #5 is Pete Rose - my boyhood idol so I have to mention him}

    Makes perfect sense. Noclass picks someone with noclass.
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    I think the people that are putting Bonds in the top 5 or even #1 are guilty of the 'I've seen it happen, he must be the best' syndrome. It's the same infatuation with the ESPN sportscentury countdown, where they named Michael Jordan the #1 athlete ever...I think too many people get caught up in the now and can't put it into context, and how much better these players from the past were.

    As far as Rose having 'no class', what he did on the field will never be matched....as I've said in another thread, the Hall has it's share of people who were far from saints.
  • At least I'm not endorsing some tree hugging communist flip-flopping wusses like you. Who are you going to endorse for Defense Security, Barbara Striesand???
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    Mays is certainly worth consideration but Williams hitting stats are so much better. Sure Mays was a great
    outfielders but what is that really saying? Outfield isn't where all the great defensive players go! The infield
    is much more respected. Plus the highest Mays ever hit was .347, Williams hit .400, plus two
    triple crowns to Mays none. No doubt Ted would of matched if not surpassed Mays home run totals minus the war,
    sure Mays was quicker around the base paths but look at this:

    Mays had almost 3000 more at bats than Williams yet:

    Williams had 525 doubles while Mays had 523!!!
    Williams had 1839 rbi's while Mays had 1903 (only 64 more)
    Williams had 2021 walks while Mays had just 1464
    Williams hit lifetime .344 while Mays hit just .302 liftime and only hit better than Williams career mark in a season
    once!

    I don't have time to carve off 3000 at bats worth of stats off Mays numbers but if we did he too would
    pale in comparison to Williams. Is Mays fielding stats enough to surpass Williams hitting stats, a .400
    seasons and two triple crowns? I don't think so.

    JS
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭


    << <i>At least I'm not endorsing some tree hugging communist flip-flopping wusses like you. Who are you going to endorse for Defense Security, Barbara Striesand??? >>



    Huh? Are you really going to start a political debate on this thread? I think his post should be deleted.
  • DirtyHarryDirtyHarry Posts: 1,917 ✭✭✭
    I recently had the unfortunate experience of walking into the room while my daughter was watching "Yentel" (sp?). It tossed me back to the time when my wife and I actually sat in a movie theater and watched it, and barfed up our popcorn on each other. Barbara wrote, produced, directed, starred...and close-ups of her unsightly mug were on the screen for a straight two hours. Arrgghhh! In retrospect, I'm surprised she didn't toss in a scene with herself hitting a home run. image
    Proud of my 16x20 autographed and framed collection - all signed in person. Not big on modern - I'm stuck in the past!
  • Huh? Are you really going to start a political debate on this thread? I think his post should be deleted.

    I think his large sig line with the picture of Kerry and Edwards should also be deleted and his personal attack on me should also be deleted - but they won't
  • No one ever dominated the game the way Ruth did. Not even close.

    Talk to me about Bonds when he hits twice as many homeruns in one year as the guy who came in second.

    Talk to me about Bonds when he hits more homeruns in one year than the total of any other team.

    Talk to me about Bonds when he can pitch.

    I don't care if Bonds hits 800 homeruns, Ruth is the best ever.

    To mention Rose in a conversation regarding the games top 20 players is ridiculous.

    Collecting PSA and BGS 500 HR & 3000 Hit Club Baseball
    HOF Quarterbacks Football
  • AxtellAxtell Posts: 10,037 ✭✭
    Rose top 20 all time? Probably not...but deserving of the Hall of Fame...yes.

    As far as the comments regarding Ruth, you are dead on. He absolutely dominated the game...how far above everyone else was (to me) one of his most incredible stats (that, along with his pitching.)

    For people to mention Bonds while mentioning Ruth have no grasp of the history of this game or just how good Ruth was.

  • WinPitcherWinPitcher Posts: 27,726 ✭✭✭
    eddie gaedel obavg 1000



    seriously babe ruth imo


    At least I'm not endorsing some tree hugging communist flip-flopping wusses like you. Who are you going to endorse for Defense Security, Barbara Striesand???

    id nominate hanoi jane fonda
    Good for you.
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