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When anyone ever talks about the greatest players in baseball history, the seasoned reporters rattle of any combination of Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and the list goes on.And all those guys, rightfully so, should be in the conversation but I never saw any of them actually play.
That got me thinking about who are the best players at each position that I have seen put on a uniform.
Let me clear about my criteria.
I am simply naming the best.
I don’t care about steroids or performance enhancing drugs. The fact is I want to be entertained and these guys entertained me more than any others.
For reference, we are working on a timeline from about 1990 to the present.
SP Randy Johnson
Career: 303-166, 3.29 ERA, 4875 K, 5-time Cy Young Award winner
The Big Unit was the most dominant left handed pitcher of this era and possibly ever.
Johnson struck out over 4,000 batters and won more than 300 games, possibly the last to do so, won a World Series as the co-MVP and won four straight Cy Young awards.
There was no pitcher hitters feared more than Johnson between 1995 and 2005 for three different teams.
Other candidates: Pedro Martinez, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Roger Clemens
CP Mariano Rivera
Career: 75-57, 2.21 ERA, 603 SV, 12-time All Star.
Postseason: 8-1, 0.70 ERA, 42 SV, 1999 World Series MVP
Was this ever a discussion?
Rivera is the most dominant closer in the history of the game and he has done it for 17 years with one pitch.
He has made the postseason 16 times and has won five World Series championships.
Other candidates: Trevor Hoffman
C Ivan Rodriguez
Career: .294 BA, 311 HR, 1332 RBI, 13 Gold Gloves, 13-time All-Star
No catcher during this era has ever carried his team to the heights Pudge did in 2003.
What seemed like a money grab, Rodriguez signed with the Marlins and led them to their second championship in seven years.
Outside of his one year in Miami, Rodriguez was the most feared catcher behind the plate with many comparing him to, arguably the greatest catcher ever, Johnny Bench.
He won the 1999 AL MVP and 13 Gold Gloves while leading the league in caught stealing percentage nine times.
Easy call.
Other candidates: Mike Piazza, Joe Mauer, Jorge Posada
1B Albert Pujols
Career: .328 BA, 445 HR, 1329 RBI, 1.037 OPS, 3-time NL MVP
No first baseman has been as dominant and consistent as Albert Pujols over the last 11 years.
All the man does is hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs, while hitting .300 every year. Add that to his two championships, three pennants, three MVP awards and two Gold Gloves and it is hard to argue.
Other candidates: Prince Fielder, Frank Thomas, Jeff Bagwell, Mark McGwire
2B Roberto Alomar
Career: .300 BA, 210 HR, 1134 RBI, 474 SB, 10 Gold Gloves, 12-time All Star
I have never seen anybody flash the leather at second base like Roberto Alomar could.
He’s one of those guys that you could watch all day long take ground balls because he was so smooth and creative around the bag.
He was part of, in my opinion, the best double play combination ever with himself and Omar Vizquel in 1998.
Then when you realize the guy could hit, you’d say to yourself, hands down, best I’ve seen.
Other candidates: Craig Biggio, Jeff Kent, Chase Utley
3B Cal Ripken, Jr.
Career: .276 BA, 431 HR, 1695 RBI, 19-time All Star, 2-time AL MVP, 2 Gold Gloves (SS), 2632 consecutive games played
The converted shortstop may not have had the numbers some of his counterparts on this list have but what Ripken did for his team went beyond the numbers.
It seemed whenever the Orioles needed the clutch hit, Ripken was there. His ability to rise at the right moment was incredible.
The night he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive game record, he hit a home run. During his final All-Star Game in 2001, he hit a home run (okay, it was grooved but he still hit it).
Other candidates: Alex Rodriguez, Chipper Jones, Matt Williams
SS Derek Jeter
Career: .313 BA, 240 HR, 1196 RBI, 339 SB, 5 Gold Gloves, 12-time All Star
Postseason: .307 BA, 20 HR, 59 RBI, 2000 World Series MVP
As much as it pains me to say, Derek Jeter is the best shortstop I have seen.
I say it pains me because if Alex Rodriguez had not moved to third base when he got to New York, this is a different conversation.
I also cannot deny what Jeter can do in the clutch, most notably in the postseason.
Other candidates: Nomar Garciaparra, Omar Vizquel, Alex Rodriguez
LF Barry Bonds
Career: .298 BA, 762 HR, 1996 RBI, 514 SB, 2558 BB, 7-time NL MVP, 8 Gold Gloves, 14-time All Star
There was nothing this man could not do on the baseball field.
Bonds was, far and away, the best baseball player I ever saw and it was not just because of the home runs.
The 14-time All Star was the first and only player to hit 400 home runs and steal 400 bases in their career. He then created another new club by getting to 500-500.
The only thing missing was a World Series ring.
Other candidates: Rickey Henderson
CF Ken Griffey, Jr.
Career: .284 BA, 630 HR, 1836 RBI, 13-time All Star, 10 Gold Gloves, 1997 AL MVP
For the bulk of the 1990s, Junior was the star in baseball and for plenty of reasons.
He has seven straight non-strike years with at least 40 home runs, four times leading the league in the category.
Nobody that I have seen had made winning 10 Gold Gloves look so easy like Griffey did.
Furthermore, Griffey may well have become the all-time home run leader had injuries not derailed him after his arrival with Cincinnati.
Other candidates: Andruw Jones, Bernie Williams, Kenny Lofton
RF Ichiro
Career: .326 BA, 2428 hits, 95 HR, 605 RBI, 423 SB, 10 Gold Gloves, 10-time All Star, 2001 AL MVP
Few have accomplished what Ichiro has in such a short amount of time.
The international star came over in 2001 and immediately made his presence felt, hitting .350 with 56 stolen bases, both league highs.
He won the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP, helping the Mariners to a record 116 wins.
But what got everybody’s attention was Ichiro’s pinpoint accuracy and strength throwing runners out from rightfield, having tallied at least 10 assists four times.
Other candidates: Vladimir Guerrero, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield
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