Best baseball player ever? The debate begins

[Butt Rubber]

Yesterday I was watching Sportscenter with my parents and that Pedro Gomez guy made a comment about Babe Ruth being the best player of all time, regardless of whether you overlook Bonds*'s steroid use


It got me to thinking, is the Babe the best? My dad said he thinks the best player is Willie Mays, but I sorta think it comes down to Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.

you can find full career statistics for all these players at www.baseball-reference.com

Here's the candidates for the poll:

Honus Wagner (Shortstop)
-Lead league in batting 8 times
-Lead league in RBI 5 times
-Lead league in Triples 3 times
-Lead league in Stolen Bases 5 times
-Owns the record for most win-shares in a single season (59)

Ty Cobb: (Center Fielder)
-Highest career batting average ever (.366)
-Led the league in BA 12 times (9 straight times)
-Lead in home runs once
-Lead in RBIs 4 times
-Lead league in Stolen Bases 6 times (and #4 all time with 892 SBs)
-Won Triple Crown in 1909
-Hit .400 three times (1911, 1912 and 1922)
-#2 all time in triples (in his days, triples were like home runs today)


Babe Ruth (Right Fielder; Pitcher)
-Lead league in BA once
-Lead league in Home Runs 12 times
-Lead league in RBIs 6 times
-Lead league in Walks 11 times
-Owns record for most Home Runs in a season during the Dead Ball Era
-Highest career slugging average ever (.690) and OPS (1.164)
-As a pitcher lead the league in ERA and Shut-outs once

Lou Gehrig (First Basemen)
-Lead league in BA once
-Lead league in Home Runs 3 times
-Lead league in RBIs 5 times
-Won Triple Crown in 1934
-Lead league in triples once

Ted Williams (note: Ted was a below-average Left-fielder)
-Lead league in BA 6 times
-Lead league in Home Runs 4 times
-Lead league in RBIs 4 times
-Lead league in Walks 8 times
-#1 career On-Base Percentage
-Won Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947
-Last player to ever hit .400 in a season (hitting .406 in 1941)
**Lost 3 years to WW2 and 1 and a half years to the Korean war


Joe Dimaggio (Center Fielder)
-Lead league in BA 2 times
-Lead league in Home Runs 2 times
-Lead league in RBIs 2 times
-One of the best defensive center-fielders ever
-Nailed Marilyn Monroe
-Won 9 World Series titles in a 13 year career
**Lost 3 years due to WW2


Mickey Mantle (Center Fielder)
-Lead league in BA once
-Lead league in Home Runs 4 times
-Lead league in RBIs once
-Won Triple Crown in 1956
-Most home runs in the World Series (18)

Willie Mays (Center Fielder)
-Lead league in BA once
-Lead league in Home Runs 4 times
-Lead league in Stolen Bases 4 times

Hank Aaron (Right Fielder)
-Lead league in BA 2 times
-Lead league in Home Runs 4 times
-Lead league in RBIs 4 times
-#1 all time in Home Runs and RBIs (granted, he had the most at-bats of anyone on this list too)



My apologies to Barry Bonds*, Rogers Hornsby, Stan Musial, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Yogi Berra, Tris Speaker, Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose, Alex Rodriguez, Jimmie Foxx and to the many other greats whom were left off this list of baseball immortals.

 

[FroDawgg]

i gotta go with josh gibson...overlooked, but great

 

[Butt Rubber]

Honus Wagner

Ty Cobb

Babe Ruth

Lou Gehrig

 

[Butt Rubber]

Ted Williams

Joe Dimaggio

Mickey Mantle

Willie Mays

 

[Butt Rubber]

Hank Aaron

 

[PuffnScruff]

where is ozzie smith? huh? that man would do back flips at all the games. when the cards were losing, which was often when i would go see them as a kid, he was our entertainment

 

[Butt Rubber]

where is ozzie smith? huh? that man would do back flips at all the games. when the cards were losing, which was often when i would go see them as a kid, he was our entertainment

Ozzie Smith is probably the worst hitter in the entire Hall of Fame, you gotta be fucking kidding me

great defensive shortstop, but even I could out-hit him. in my world, hitting is 80% of being a ballplayer

 

[bigmack]

babe ruth

 

[AmerikazMost]

Babe Ruth hands down.

Name one other player who has a 50 home run season and a 20 win season pitching?

You can't.




Though if you wanted to ask who the best hitter/fielder (rather than player) was, then it has to be Mays.

 

[yak pac fatal]

babe ruth

 

[PuffnScruff]

Ozzie Smith is probably the worst hitter in the entire Hall of Fame, you gotta be fucking kidding me

great defensive shortstop, but even I could out-hit him. in my world, hitting is 80% of being a ballplayer

yes i am. it was a joke

 

[Get In The Van I Have Candy]

the fat penguin Ruth was the greatest player ever.

 

[FroDawgg]

^^^hahaha

 

[pietro006]

Babe Ruth..

 

[two187pac]

Babe Ruth hands down.

Name one other player who has a 50 home run season and a 20 win season pitching?

You can't.




Though if you wanted to ask who the best hitter/fielder (rather than player) was, then it has to be Mays.

you forgot how up untill very very recently he also had the amazing record for most strikeouts in a career. when your swinging for the fence everytime your bound to wind up getting there once and a while. greateast all around hitter of all time ted williams hands down. not to mention he didnt mind serving his country.

 

[Butt Rubber]

you forgot how up untill very very recently he also had the amazing record for most strikeouts in a career. when your swinging for the fence everytime your bound to wind up getting there once and a while. greateast all around hitter of all time ted williams hands down. not to mention he didnt mind serving his country.

ted williams was also slow as hell on the basepaths and a piss-poor outfielder.

take away the hitters paradise known as Fenway Park from Ted and his career BA is .328. thats a very good mark, but his Fenway batting average is .361


Babe ruth was a fine outfielder with one of the strongest outfield arms of all time. Plus he was faster along the basepaths up until the '30s when he got out of shape

not to mention the Babe lost valuable ABs during his years as a pitcher

 

[Butt Rubber]

by the way, the Babe is #78 all time on the career strikeouts list

Mickey Mantle passed his career strikeout total in the 60s

what do you mean "up until very very recently"?? 40 years counts as recent to you?

 

[AmerikazMost]

greateast all around hitter of all time ted williams hands down. not to mention he didnt mind serving his country.

Agreed, except he couldn't field for shit. This is player, not hitter, and serving your country has nothing to do with the quality player you are. though if he hadn't left, he would have well over 600 home runs.

 

[Butt Rubber]

Agreed, except he couldn't field for shit. This is player, not hitter, and serving your country has nothing to do with the quality player you are. though if he hadn't left, he would have well over 600 home runs.

and Ruth was still a better hitter than Williams