best baseball player ever

[bradley]

Babe Ruth pretty much invented the home run, while being one of the best pitchers of his time. And he would have likely been among the greats today. It's not even a contest.

 

[glenn1]

OP ought to make it Top 5 ever list, that would be a much more interesting discussion if for no other reason that who people would decide not to include. Barry Bonds over Stan Musial? Roger Clemens or Hank Aaron?

 

[TuSpockShakur]

Ted loses out for the same reason Cobb does. Completely different era, pitching sucked and batting averages were higher. To get best ever you have to compare each player to his contemporaries, not to guys who played 100 years earlier in what was essentially a completely different game.

The quality of baseball back then was far better than it is today. Baseball was THE sport and every kid dreamed of being a professional player. Football, basketball and the other sports were back page news if they even made the news.

The league was not watered down like it is today. Until 1960 there were only 16 teams instead of today's 30. Before the 1969 season the game heavily favored pitchers. The mound was 5 inches higher and the strike zone was larger.

 

[zinfamous]

Willie Mays or Babe Ruth or Barry Bonds.

then maybe Doc Ellis.

*Ted Williams (would probably have been the best ever if he didn't miss some 4 seasons during his prime. His numbers, even without those years, are staggering.) As it stands, he's probably a top five-er.

 

[zinfamous]

barry bonds gets DQ'd in my book because who knows how much of his performance was due to steroids

You need a new book.

 

[zinfamous]

What I might have said, I've never been a baseball fan to be honest.



I could say Pete Rose and run for cover

If I was serious, I'd go with Ted.

I think everyone likes Rose. Considering the scoundrels that came after his shenanigans, Pete looks like a saint and his banning just seems more and more petty every season.

That being said, He violated a very old and very clear rule with a very clear punishment, which exists because of one of the darkest moments in all of sports history. Still, he never bet in a game in which he was involved.

The juicers, for the most part, were doing their thing in an era where the rules weren't yet so clear a guy like McGuire never technically violated a rule as he was using an accepted substance at the time.

It's a fucking circus, really.

 

[master_shake_]

a-rod 29 million a year.

with career earnings of 356 million over 20 seasons

and he won a whopping 1 world series championship.