With the passing of Willie Mays, it’s a tough decision on who takes the mantle of greatest living ballplayer. When Joe DiMaggio died, Mays was pretty much a lock to take over. It may very well be Barry Bonds, which would be fitting since Mays was a second father to him. I don’t think people would go for that due to the steroid issue, however. It might also be Pete Rose, who has his own scandals weighing on him.
A friend and I are spit-balling names, and our list includes, in no particular order:
- Nolan Ryan
- Rickey Henderson
- George Brett
- Mike Schmidt
- Greg Maddux
- Ken Griffey, Jr.
- Cal Ripken
- Albert Pujols
- Mike Trout
- Miguel Cabrera
Griffey would fit the mold of the great centerfielder. Ryan pitched extremely well into his 40s. Ripken transformed the position of shortstop. Brett and Schmidt were great hitters and great defenders at the hot corner. Henderson was known for his speed, but hit for plenty of power. Pujols and Trout simply put runs on the board. Maddux may be the best pitcher I’ve ever seen. Cabrera led the Marlins to a World Series title his rookie year and went on to win a triple crown.
I’m sure you can think of others, please leave names in the comments. I think this is a much tougher choice than we faced in the late 1990s.
Update: Should have included Reggie Jackson and Derek Jeter.
Yeah, Barry Bonds. Maddux the greatest pitcher, but Clemens has a really good case, too.
Clemens goes with Bonds and Rose, it won’t be him because of the PED scandal. Maybe Randy Johnson should be in the mix, but it took Johnson awhile to find himself at the beginning of his career.
Very tough group, I’m going to have to split it, Junior for position player. I saw him play at the late, unlamented Kingdome, and hit a check swing opposite field homerun. For pitcher, Ryan. Obliterated the strikeout record and most no hitters.
Rickey Henderson being #1 all-time in runs scored counts for a lot IMO. Lifetime .401 OBP while having the most plate appearances of anyone with a .400 OBP also seems significant to me.