Best Baseball Player --- Ever

If I had to pick a player to start a franchise with, it would be Bonds only because I don't trust what Ruth, Mays, etc would do in this generation. Game has changed.
 
BRule said:
Bonds had an IsoOBP 0f 142 for his career, Ruth had one of 132.....so, if you go by the numbers, Bonds had the better eye.

As far as the pitching goes, it's not even close Bonds had to go up against Randy, Clemens, Pedro, Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz, Schilling, etc and not to mention LOOGYs and closers, setup man....it's not close.
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I'm not arguing pitching being better, but certainly it was tougher to hit in significantly larger parks and with baseballs that didn't travel as far as they do today.
 
BRule said:
Of course he did and arguing different eras is usually a fruitless endeavor BUT if someone is going to say Ruth is the best ever...you HAVE to point out that the pitching and talent pool now and in Bonds era is much greater than it was then. It's not really meant to knock Ruth, just like if you say Lana Turner was attractive in her era but I'd much rather bone Kate Upton. You aren't calling Turner ugly, just pointing out the difference in the 2 eras.
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Is the pitching and talent pool much greater? Back in those days the best athletes played baseball. Now we may ge tthe best from the DR, but we don't get the best from America. As far as pitchign goes, Ruth played in an era where he didn't get to feast on as many bums as Bonds did either. Not to mention the park difference, the ball difference (balls today are much tighter woound and replaced more often)

The comparing across era thing is largely fruitless because it's comparing apples to oranges. When you compare apples to apples, Ruth has the best looking bunch of any player. no one dominated their contemporaries like Ruth and Walter Johnson did. The ONLY pitcher more dominant than Big Train was Clemens, but I don't know if you deduct points for him being a big old cheater, since like Bonds his numbers after his peak are way too crazy. If Big Train could have had a 60 WAR after turning 33 he would have annihilated anyone in baseball.
 
BravesFanInSAV said:
Maybe Trout one day?
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I was thinking about him when I typed that. What he did last year and is doing this year is really impressive. If he keeps this up for a decade then he will be right there in that discussion. But keeping up that level play for an extended period of time is just tough to do. He has the tools for it though.
 
Mike Trout reminds me of Freddy Lynn. Injuries got him.

Lynn was ROYand MVP in his first season. Funny thing is, his career pales next to Jim Rice. A rookie in '76 as well.
Lets hope injuries dont sidetrack Trouts career the way they did Lynns.
 
Yeah...I don't know how the answer to this isn't Ruth...the guy had 11 seasons where he hit 40+ homers...11!

He walked almost twice as many times as he struck out. His OPS+ was over 200. He won almost 100 games as a pitcher.

The guy was video game good.
 
I was angry about Bonds back in the day just like every other non Giants fan, but looking back at it, there's just no way I can say anyone else was better. He just flat out dominated. Other guys who were also on roids, didn't even come close. Did he get some super special roids that other players couldn't get? I doubt it. He just had the talent and the body to put together the best career of any batter in baseball. Did steroids help him? Absolutely, but no one else steroids or not even came close to what he did.
I'm glad I got to see him play, because I'll probably never see anyone like it again in my life.
 
Well, since I never saw the Babe, I have trouble saying it was him. Though the idea of a premier LHP turning into the home run king other than Hank is pretty compelling.

I just got back from Safeco where Junior was feted tonight and inducted into their HOF...it'd be pretty hard for me to think of a clean player who was better than Junior.
 
Mad Dog Murph said:
Ted Williams.....he lost his prime years to WWII, came back and still dominated. Ted Williams was the man.
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Not only did Ted lose time in WWII, he lost time in Korea. He would've had more than Babe if he'd played those five seasons. Not a great fielder from what my dad says, though. If you told me he was the greatest hitter of all time, I'd go along.
 
1. Ruth: In a class by himself. Batting average close to Cobb. Homers and Walks aren't in the same time zone. Ruth would have been one of the top pitchers of all time.

2. Williams: War years and defense keep him at 2.

3. Wagner

4. Bonds, even with the roid factor in there.

5. Cobb
 
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