View Full Version : 10 most important baseball players of all-time
pryor15
07-08-2005, 04:52 AM
link (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/gammons/story?id=2099547)
in his latest on espn.com, gammons calls frank robinson one of the 10 most important men who ever played.
so who are the other nine?
a starter list off the top of my head: Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Mantle, Hank Aaron, Curt Flood, Cy Young, Gehrig, Ted Williams, Ty Cobb...etc...etc
discuss.
Jack of Arcades
07-08-2005, 04:56 AM
Charlie Comiskey.
Jack of Arcades
07-08-2005, 05:00 AM
Pete Rose, probably.
cal ripken for post strike feelgoodness. probably sammy and mcgwire too, if we are on the same page re: "important".
pryor15
07-08-2005, 05:02 AM
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probably sammy and mcgwire too.
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as a package deal? otherwise, i don't see both of them (not sure about either one on their own)
just thinking what the HR race did for rekindling baseball appreciation, but maybe they just stoked and existing fire that hadn't blown out and get too much credit. plus its only 10. i wonder how ripken is looked upon in future years, especailly as fans/media become more stat educated
pryor15
07-08-2005, 05:06 AM
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just thinking what the HR race did for rekindling baseball appreciation, but maybe they just stoked and existing fire that hadn't blown out and get too much credit
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probably the latter. ripken makes some sense, but you'd have to put him below Gherig, for obvious reasons
bugstud
07-08-2005, 06:24 AM
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just thinking what the HR race did for rekindling baseball appreciation, but maybe they just stoked and existing fire that hadn't blown out and get too much credit. plus its only 10. i wonder how ripken is looked upon in future years, especailly as fans/media become more stat educated
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his value over a typical AL SS for his time is ridiculous.
BadBoyBenny
07-08-2005, 08:27 AM
Pete Rose and Jackie Robinson would both be in there
CollinEstes
07-08-2005, 09:42 AM
Clemente I would think should be on that list.
Also IMO Johnny Bench should be as well. He changed the position of catching into what it is today.
hoopsie44
07-08-2005, 09:46 AM
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Clemente I would think should be on that list.
Also IMO Johnny Bench should be as well. He changed the position of catching into what it is today.
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I think Bench was the greatest catcher ever, but how did he change the position ?
CollinEstes
07-08-2005, 09:53 AM
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Clemente I would think should be on that list.
Also IMO Johnny Bench should be as well. He changed the position of catching into what it is today.
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I think Bench was the greatest catcher ever, but how did he change the position ?
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Bench was the greatest ever. Bench changed the way the position was played because he was the first to do some of the things that every catcher does these days. He changed the idea of blocking the pitch with your body rather than using your glove. He was the first catcher to use the idea of recieving the ball or "frameing". He changed how catchers block the plate. There are alot more things that are credited to him by most Major league catchers.
Jack of Arcades
07-08-2005, 10:15 AM
I think a better way to do it is to look at the most radical changes/big events in baseball and connect the players to it.
#1 Jackie (Color Barrier, ROTY award)
#2 Ruth (post-1919 boom, HR Era)
#3 Aaron (breaking Ruth's record, Player of the Year Award)
#4 Cy Young (Wins leader, Award)
#5 Pete Rose (hit king, gambling scandal)
#6 Curt Flood (reserve clause)
#7 Charlie Comiskey (Black Sox, Innovative first baseman) / (maybe Shoeless Joe)
#8 Bonds (Mays/Ruth/Aaron chase, single-season hr record, steroid controversy)
I dunno what else, I'm leaving out something obvious probably.
CollinEstes
07-08-2005, 10:19 AM
Clemente was like the hispanic Jackie Robinson
pryor15
07-08-2005, 11:06 AM
also consider...
Lou Gehrig (consecutive games streak, has a disease named after him)
Ty Cobb (1st guy in the hall)
Joe D (hit streak, sorta iconic)
Clemente (Latin influence)
Eck (redefined relief pitching)
Satchel Paige
John McGraw
Billy Beane (frm player and Moneyball)
Frank Robinson (defensive heroics, first black manager in AL&NL)
and of course, Johnny Damon, for his hair. /images/graemlins/grin.gif
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just thinking what the HR race did for rekindling baseball appreciation, but maybe they just stoked and existing fire that hadn't blown out and get too much credit
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probably the latter. ripken makes some sense, but you'd have to put him ABOVE Gherig, for obvious reasons
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FYP
pryor15
07-08-2005, 11:17 AM
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just thinking what the HR race did for rekindling baseball appreciation, but maybe they just stoked and existing fire that hadn't blown out and get too much credit
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probably the latter. ripken makes some sense, but you'd have to put him ABOVE Gherig, for obvious reasons
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FYP
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why? would anyone have given a [censored] about ripken's streak if there hadn't been so much legend surrounding Gehrig's?
MoreWineII
07-08-2005, 11:18 AM
Willie Mays?
sublime
07-08-2005, 11:22 AM
especailly as fans/media become more stat educated
whats next, no more fish in poker?
I agree, but was more thinking how future generations will regard him as fans are more stat obsessed, maybe not stat educated. he's a career .276 hitter with .787 ops (but 430 homers and 1695 rbi). yet post arod/tejada/nomar/jeter and other guys like michael young and carlos guillen offense and shortstop are more synonomous, so Cal's numbers aren't eyedropping when compared to today's game (but then most pre mid-90s players' numbers aren't), but compared to his day and age you're obviously correct.
so will future fans appreciate how atypical/mold breaking it was for a big guy like cal who could hit to play ss, and will his play and other acheivements that aren't as quantifiable statistically (cal and milk and baseball and geherig and post-strike wholesome goodness and changing notions about who could play SS) be as appreciated in the future. I know where I stand but I grew up a couple blocks from memorial stadium so I'm a little biased. ten years ago many said he "saved" baseball, but how does he fit in the pantheon of baseball. Is his legacy unquestionably enduring outside of baltimore, or am i just a homer?
hoopsie44
07-08-2005, 01:04 PM
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ripken makes some sense, but you'd have to put him ABOVE Gherig, for obvious reasons
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Umm...no.
andyfox
07-08-2005, 01:29 PM
Not necessarily players, but the ten most important people involved with MLB:
Henry Chadwick
Babe Ruth
John McGraw
Jackie Robinson
Branch Rickey
Ty Cobb
Judge Landis
George Steinbrenner
Marvin Miller
Casey Stengel
What about Hank Greenberg and Roberto Clemente? Top 20?
KJS
andyfox
07-08-2005, 11:38 PM
Yeah, maybe. The Yankees passed on Greenberg because, they said, they already had a pretty good first baseman. Which, of course, they did. Who knows what role religion played in the decision. After all, it took them a real long time to get a black player. Greenberg would have been a helluva attraction in New York.
Ichiro might be in the top twenty too, wouldn't you think? Lou Gehrig too.
battschr
07-09-2005, 04:46 PM
What about A-Rod and his unreal contract? Does he belong on the top 10? Top 20? I'm not really sure, just asking.
pryor15
07-09-2005, 05:03 PM
no, you just put curt flood there since he made it all possible. otherwise you have to revise it w/ whoever's the highest paid at the time.
battschr
07-09-2005, 05:26 PM
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no, you just put curt flood there since he made it all possible. otherwise you have to revise it w/ whoever's the highest paid at the time.
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Curt Flood certainly has to be top 10, I agree. But I'm not sure a contract is going to go higher than ARod's for a LONG time.
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