100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time

[Jason]

[b]Sporting News 100 greatest players of all-time[/b]
The following is the revised list of The Sporting News' 100 Greatest Baseball Players:

1. Babe Ruth; 2. Willie Mays; 3. Ty Cobb; 4. Walter Johnson; 5. Hank Aaron; 6. Barry Bonds; 7. Lou Gehrig; 8. Christy Mathewson; 9. Ted Williams; 10. Rogers Hornsby;

11. Stan Musial; 12. Joe DiMaggio; 13. Grover Cleveland Alexander; 14. Honus Wagner; 15. Roger Clemens; 16. Cy Young; 17. Jimmie Foxx; [b]18. Johnny Bench;[/b] 19. Mickey Mantle; 20. Josh Gibson;

21. Satchel Paige; 22. Roberto Clemente; 23. Warren Spahn; [b]24. Frank Robinson[/b]; 25. Lefty Grove; 26. Eddie Collins; [b]27. Pete Rose;[/b] 28. Sandy Koufax; 29. Tris Speaker; 30. Mike Schmidt;

31. Napoleon Lajoie; 32. Steve Carlton; 33. Bob Gibson; [b]34. Tom Seaver;[/b] 35. George Sisler; 36. Shoeless Joe Jackson; 37. Bob Feller; 38. Hank Greenberg; 39. Ernie Banks; 40. Yogi Berra;

41. Nolan Ryan; 42. Mel Ott; 43. Al Simmons; 44. Jackie Robinson; 45. Carl Hubbell; 46. Charley Gehringer; 47. Buck Leonard; 48. Reggie Jackson; 49. Roy Campanella; 50. Rickey Henderson;

51. Greg Maddux; 52. Whitey Ford; 53. Harry Heilmann; 54. George Brett; 55. Willie McCovey; 56. Bill Dickey; 57. Tony Gwynn; 58. Lou Brock; 59. Bill Terry; 60. Randy Johnson;

[b]61. Joe Morgan;[/b] 62. Rod Carew; 63. Paul Waner; 64. Eddie Mathews; 65. Jim Palmer; 66. Mickey Cochrane; 67. Cool Papa Bell; 68. Oscar Charleston; 69. Eddie Plank; 70. Alex Rodriguez;

71. Harmon Killebrew; 72. Pie Traynor; 73. Juan Marichal; 74. Carl Yastrzemski; 75. Lefty Gomez; 76. Robin Roberts; 77. Willie Keeler; 78. Al Kaline; 79. Cal Ripken; 80. Eddie Murray;

81. Joe Medwick; 82. Brooks Robinson; 83. Willie Stargell; 84. Mark McGwire; 85. Ed Walsh; 86. Duke Snider; 87. Sam Crawford; 88. Dizzy Dean; 89. Ozzie Smith; 90. Frank Frisch;

91. Ralph Kiner; 92. Chuck Klein; [b]93. Ken Griffey Jr.;[/b] 94. Wade Boggs; 95. Sammy Sosa; 96. Dave Winfield; 97. Derek Jeter; 98. Gaylord Perry; 99. Dennis Eckersley and 100. Paul Molitor

Thoughts?

[Guest bengalrick]

i know i'm young, but i thought i was pretty decent on baseball history... who the hell is walter johnson and cristy mathewson?

[akiliMVP]

[quote]6. Barry Bonds[/quote]

[img]http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/baseball/images/050331steroids.jpg[/img]

[akiliMVP]

[quote name='bengalrick' post='251466' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:19 PM']i know i'm young, but i thought i was pretty decent on baseball history... who the hell is walter johnson and cristy mathewson?[/quote]

[img]http://www.leaptoad.com/raindelay/matty/portrait.jpg[/img]

[quote]BIOGRAPHY

[b]Christy Mathewson[/b] was a college man, with a range of interests, who mowed down opposing hitters in his spare time. While at Bucknell University, Mathewson sang in the glee club, belonged to a literary society, played football and served as a model of clean living. On top of these achievements, Mathewson also wrote a series of children's books. In a time when baseball was known for hard-living, hard-drinking baseball players, there was Christy Mathewson to prove that there was another way for athletes to live. He was the role model after whom every parent wanted their children to shape their lives.

On the mound, Mathewson was a fierce competitor who became arguably the most dominating pitcher of all time. During his illustrious 17-year career, he led the league in wins four times, won five strikeout titles, won 30 or more games four times, pitched four shutouts and ten complete games in World Series competition, and won 373 games in his career.

In 1936, he joined Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb and Walter Johnson as the first class of baseball Hall of Famers.[/quote]

[url="http://www.christymathewson.com/bio.html"]http://www.christymathewson.com/bio.html[/url]

[Guest ThurmanMunster]

[quote name='bengalrick' post='251466' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:19 PM']i know i'm young, but i thought i was pretty decent on baseball history... who the hell is walter johnson and cristy mathewson?[/quote]

heh, how old are u?


im about to turn 21 and i know about these 2 guys, altho ive read books about almost every single HOF baseball player.

[quote name='akiliMVP' post='251467' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:20 PM'][img]http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/baseball/images/050331steroids.jpg[/img]

[/quote]

Bonds was top 10 b4 he hit the 73 HRs. He really should be # 1, no one will ever touch his combo SB/HR record, which he set even b4 the roids claims.

[Guest bengalrick]

[quote name='ThurmanMunster' post='251474' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:26 PM']heh, how old are u?
im about to turn 21 and i know about these 2 guys, altho ive read books about almost every single HOF baseball player.[/quote]

turned 25 a few days ago... i've heard of almost all the other guys... but i saw those 2 in the top 10, and i was like wtf? i am listening to lance's show, and the guy that wrote the book was talking... he said they were pitchers, and they were both ranked above cy young (along w/ roger clemons')... it struck me as weird that i'd never heard of these guys...

[Guest schotzee]

Christy Mathewson born and raised 5 miles up the road from me in good old Factoryville PA

[Guest schotzee]

He actually played for the Reds also

[Guest ThurmanMunster]

Arod should be higher than 70, Pete Rose should be the highest Red. If morgan/bench are gonna be on there Tony Perez should be on there, just like he should be in the HOF.

Mcgwire and Sosa shouldnt be on there, that is a joke. Eckersly should be higher, along with Greg Maddux. Paul Molitor should not be there either. Ozzie Smith should be higher up too, along with Ripken.


DEREK JETER LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He isnt top 100 in MLB right now, WOW! Dave Winfield shouldnt be here either.


Jackie Robinson shouldnt be top 100 either. He isnt near the best and wasnt even the best black player at the time, but gets a lot of fame from being hte one put in first.

Willie Stargell should be higher.


If you remove Mcgwire, Sosa, JETER!!!!, then its a pretty solid list, other than guys being moved up and down on it. Ty Cobb should not be # 3.


I would put Tony Perez, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz on there before Mcgwire, Sosa, and Jeter.

I got 2 names i cnat think of right now that are missing from this list, hopefully they come to me later tonight.

[Jason]

[quote name='bengalrick' post='251466' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:19 PM']i know i'm young, but i thought i was pretty decent on baseball history... who the hell is walter johnson and cristy mathewson?[/quote]

Walter "Big Train" Johnson was the strike-out king before Nolan Ryan.

He won 417 games, [b]531 complete games[/b], 3508 Ks, and a career ERA of 2.17.

Walter Perry Johnson (November 6, 1887 - December 10, 1946) was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. Born in Humboldt, Kansas, he was a farm boy who grew up to become one of the major leagues' greatest stars. He was the second of six children and his family moved to Orange County, California in 1901, where he attended Fullerton High School. After pitching in the Idaho State League, Johnson signed a contract with the Washington Nationals (later named the Senators) in July 1907.

Johnson won renown as the premier power pitcher of his era. Although a lack of precision instruments prevented accurate measurement of his fastball, Johnson is believed to have thrown as high as 99 miles per hour from a sidearm angle. This power is exceptional even today, but it was virtually unique in Johnson's day. The overpowering fastball is the primary reason for Johnson's exceptional statistics, especially his strikeout totals.

Nicknamed Big Train, as a right-handed pitcher for the Washington Nationals/Senators, he won 417 games, the second most by any pitcher in history (after Cy Young, who won 511). He and Young are the only pitchers to have won 400 games or more. In a twenty-one year career he had two seasons in which he had more than thirty wins (33 in 1912 and 36 in 1913). His record includes 110 shutouts, the most in baseball history, and he struck out 3,508 batters (the most until Nolan Ryan broke his record in 1983). He thrice won the triple crown for pitchers (1913, 1918, 1924) and twice won the American League Most Valuable Player Award (1913, 1924). On September 4, 5, and 7, 1908, he shut out the New York Yankees in three consecutive games. His earned run average of 1.14 in 1913 set a record that stood until Bob Gibson's 1.12 ERA in 1968.

That 1.14 ERA in 1913 should have been lower if not for one of Manager Clark Griffith's traditions. For the last game of the season, Griffith often treated the fans to a farce game. The farce game in 1913 saw the 43 year old Griffith playing a ball off his head while playing Right Field. He also misplayed a liner that resulted in an inside-the-park homer, and he also was one of eight pitchers to appear in the game. Griffith played Walter Johnson in Center Field until bringing him in to pitch in the 8th inning. In that appearance, Johnson lobbed pitches to two hitters that resulted in hits before he was sent back to playing Center Field. The subsequent pitcher (actually a Catcher making his only Major League pitching appearance) then allowed the two runners to score. Some record books still indicate that Johnson had a 1.09 ERA for 1913. The official scorekeeper ignored the game, but later, Johnson was charged with those two runs, raising his ERA and allowing Gibson to break the record.

Although he usually pitched for losing teams during his career, Johnson led the Nationals/Senators to two World Series, a victory in 1924 (including the final, 12-inning game) and a loss in 1925. Johnson was a better-than-average hitter for a pitcher, compiling a career batting average of .235. He also made 13 appearances in the outfield during his career.

In 1928, he began his career as a manager in the minor leagues, taking up residence at 32 Maple Terrace, Millburn, New Jersey, and managing the Newark team of the International League. He continued on to the major leagues, managing the Nationals/Senators (1929-1932), and finally the Cleveland Indians (1933-1935).

One of the first five electees to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936, Walter Johnson retired in Germantown, Maryland and was elected Montgomery County commissioner in 1938. He lost a very close election to the U.S. Congress in 1940 and died of a brain tumor in Washington, D.C. on December 10, 1946. He is interred in the Rockville Union Cemetery in Rockville, Maryland.

A high school in Bethesda, Maryland has been named for him. (See Walter Johnson High School.) The monument to him that once stood outside Griffith Stadium has been moved to the school's campus.

He was also called Sir Walter and the White Knight because of his gentlemanly gamemanship, and "Old Barney" later in his career. In 1995, the rock musician Jonathan Richman recorded a song entitled "Walter Johnson" that celebrated Johnson's kindness.

In 1999, he ranked number 4 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, the highest-ranked pitcher. Later that year, he was elected to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.

Johnson's gentle nature was legendary, and to this day he is held up as an example of good sportsmanship and his name has become synonymous with friendly competition. This attribute worked to Johnson's disadvantage in the case of fellow Hall of Famer Ty Cobb. Virtually all batters were concerned about being hit by Johnson's fastball, and many would not "dig in" at the plate because of that concern. Cobb realized that the good-hearted Johnson was privately nervous about the possibility of seriously injuring a batsman. Almost alone among his peers, Cobb would actually stand closer to the plate than usual when facing Johnson.

Johnson's rookie season was Cobb's third, and Johnson retired one year before Cobb. Cobb faced Johnson at bat more times in their overlapping careers than any other hitter-pitcher combination in major league history.

[BigDawgBengal]

Christy Mathewson had 373 wins and an era of 2.13


I am only 21 but I have seen 15 of those guys play in person.

[Guest bengalrick]

[quote name='BigDawgBengal' post='251487' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:38 PM'][b]Christy Mathewson had 373 wins and an era of 2.13[/b]
I am only 21 but I have seen 15 of those guys play in person.[/quote]

i think people are getting the idea that i am not saying they deserve to be on the list... i simply didn't know who they were, and yet i did cy young... after reading some about these guys, they definately deserve to be on the list where they are though...

[Guest Master Shake]

It's so crazy that the Mariners had THREE top 100 players together for years (plus Edgar Martinez), and never won shit, and then they set the MLB wins record AFTER they get rid of them

[Jason]

[quote name='Master Shake' post='251495' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:42 PM']It's so crazy that the Mariners had THREE top 100 players together for years (plus Edgar Martinez), and never won shit, and then they set the MLB wins record AFTER they get rid of them [/quote]

Like how UC won both of their National Championships after Oscar Robertson graduated.

[quote name='bengalrick' post='251493' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:42 PM']i think people are getting the idea that i am not saying they deserve to be on the list... i simply didn't know who they were, and yet i did cy young... after reading some about these guys, they definately deserve to be on the list where they are though...[/quote]

I didn't have that idea at all, I was just trying to give you some info on the guy.

[Guest bengalrick]

much appreciated jason

i just wanted to make myself clear...

[Guest ThurmanMunster]

[quote name='bengalrick' post='251477' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:28 PM']turned 25 a few days ago... i've heard of almost all the other guys... but i saw those 2 in the top 10, and i was like wtf? i am listening to lance's show, and the guy that wrote the book was talking... he said they were pitchers, and they were both ranked above cy young (along w/ roger clemons')... it struck me as weird that i'd never heard of these guys...[/quote]

well happy bday the other day...

Mathewson was a beast for the Giants. He was getting old and had arm problems and the New York Giants traded him to Cincinnati, where he became the manager. He did pitch 1 game tho for sentimental reasons and then ended up going off to war. The Reds wanted him to manage in 1918, but he stayed over in Europe and didnt come back for some time. He had a career 2.13 ERA and threw 435 complete games in 551 career starts with 80 career shutouts. He had a career 1.15 ERA in the World Series in 11 games, with 10 of them as complete games and 4 shutouts. He won a career high 37 games in 1908. And only 2 full seasons did he pitch and not have 20+ wins. He had 30+ wins in 4 seasons. He played for a total of 17 years (15 full) and would have done more if he didnt get Tuberculosis and end up dying.

Walter Johnson was an amazing pitcher for the Washington Senators. He is still said to have the fastest pitch in the history of baseball, even with Nolan Ryan and the others who have come along. He pitched all 21 seasons for the Senators and had a career 2.17 ERA with 531 complete games and 110 shutouts over 666 games started. He had a career 2.34 ERA in the World Series with 5 complete games and 1 shutout in 6 games. He won 36 games in 1 season and also had a season of 20 losses and 25 losses. In his 21 seasons 19 of them were full.


Thoguht u might like a little info, i knew quite a bit of this and double checked the #'s with my book.

[Guest Master Shake]

[quote name='BigDawgBengal' post='251487' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:38 PM']Christy Mathewson had 373 wins and an era of 2.13[/quote]

Take those numbers with a grain of salt, tho... before 1920 many pitchers posted ERAs that look great, but were just a result of a.) the dead ball, and b.) a bigger difference between the great players and the average players (the average players were worse then than they are now).
Mathewson's ERA is 8th all time, but there are only 2 players in the top EIGHTY on that list who began their career after World War 2 (44. Hoyt Wilhelm and 78. Perdo Martinez).
In terms of ERA+ (ERA relative to the league), Mathewson is only 20th, behind 1. Pedro, 8. Clemens, 10. R Johnson, 14. Maddux, and 18. Hudson.
And his 373 wins is impressive, but teams only had 3 or 4 man pitching rotations, and it wasn't uncommon for pitchers to win 30 games in the dead ball era. Plus, Mathewson spent his entire career with outstanding teams, which inflated his win total, sort of like a Tom Glavine or an Andy Pettitte.
He was a great pitcher but very overrated by this list obviously because they paid too much attention to his raw ERA number and win totals.
He's not nearly as good as W Johnson, Clemens, or Grove...he's on the second tier.

[dieselman44]

Anybody else confused why Griffey Jr is 93rd.

[Guest Master Shake]

[quote name='ThurmanMunster' post='251485' date='Apr 18 2006, 04:34 PM']Tom Glavine > Mcgwire[/quote]

[img]http://forum.go-bengals.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/13.gif[/img]

[DanvilleBengal]

[quote name='dieselman44' post='251514' date='Apr 18 2006, 05:09 PM']Anybody else confused why Griffey Jr is 93rd.[/quote]
I'm not. Even though he is a former shell of his All-Star form, Ken Griffey Jr. can be considered one of the best baseball players to have played the game. He has excellent range, instincts, good athleticism, loved the game, and had natural power.

Griffey could stand to be a couple of spots lower, but he's in a pretty good place at 93rd.

[dieselman44]

[quote name='DanvilleBengal' post='251646' date='Apr 18 2006, 09:21 PM']I'm not. Even though he is a former shell of his All-Star form, Ken Griffey Jr. can be considered one of the best baseball players to have played the game. He has excellent range, instincts, good athleticism, loved the game, and had natural power.

Griffey could stand to be a couple of spots lower, but he's in a pretty good place at 93rd.[/quote]


I was trying to say that i was confused why he wasnt better. Griffey is farrr better then half the guys in front of him.

[Guest #22]

My grandfather used to go to over 40 games a year at Crosley field. He has probably been to 500 Reds games in his life, and has listenend to and seen infinitely more.
He saw Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, Willie Mays (my pick for #1), the Big Red Machine, and all the rest.

He said that Johnny Bench was the best all-around player he has ever seen. He deserves higher than #18.

also, Will Clark needs to be higher

[Jason]

[quote name='#22' post='251703' date='Apr 18 2006, 11:18 PM']My grandfather used to go to over 40 games a year at Crosley field. He has probably been to 500 Reds games in his life, and has listenend to and seen infinitely more.
He saw Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, Willie Mays (my pick for #1), the Big Red Machine, and all the rest.

He said that Johnny Bench was the best all-around player he has ever seen. He deserves higher than #18.

also, Will Clark needs to be higher [/quote]

Can you imagine what Bench could have done if he hadn't had chest surgery in 1972?

[The Scales]

Griffey is at least top 20 (number 1 in my book) hell Junior was all century center fielder over Mays back in what 2000?


The guy that wrote this can lick my dog's ass.

[Guest ThurmanMunster]

griffey # 1 LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!