Posted August 11, 200520 yr comment_3145014 From time to time we come up with teams of the greatest players of all time, or the greatest players in franchise history, or something of that nature. I decided to do something a little different. This team is comprised solely of players I either enjoyed watching or have a soft spot for. No consideration is given to how good a player is/was on the field. Catcher: Bobby Estalella Hardcore baseball fans will note that Estalella's grandfather played in the majors in the 1940s. The elder Estalella hit well but never got a steady gig, in part due to the fact that he was one shade away from the color line. The younger Estalella looked like a hot prospect before his batting average fell off a cliff. Still, Estalella hit for power, drew a ton of walks, and he was as tough as nails. He's 30 now and battling injuries, but I still hold out hope that he catches on somewhere in the majors. First Base: Mark McGwire Yes, the steroid scandals have tarnished his legacy. But I still remember the feeling of the late 90s watching games solely to watch McGwire hit home runs. I would have hated myself now for being that type of fan. McGwire did more than hit home runs. He walked nearly as often as he struck out. Second Base: Max Bishop The ultimate Moneyball player. In 1929 Bishop hit .232 and yet scored 102 runs, thanks to his 128 walks and .398 OBP. Bishop did exactly what a player for his teams needed. Get on base and let Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Mickey Cochrane clobber the baseball. Shortstop: Ozzie Smith My childhood favorite. Nothing hit between second and third base got by Ozzie, and that is almost an exaggeration. Ozzie made highlight reel plays on a daily basis, and was actually a respectable hitter for an 80s shortstop. For those who attempt to trumpet Omar Vizquel's HOF qualifications, Smith actually has a higher OPS+. Third Base: Ron Santo Beyond the wonderful radio calls, Santo is a diabetic like myself, and overcame the disease to turn in a HOF caliber career. Left Field: Rickey Henderson We may never see another player like this in our lifetimes. 1,406 career stolen bases, a .401 career OBP, and 297 home runs. And one of the greatest old players in baseball history. Henderson stole 66 bases at the age of 39. Otis Nixon is the only other player with more than 30 at that age (oddly enough, both did it the same year). If you log onto baseball-reference.com, you can view the stolen base leaders before and after age 30. None of the top ten leaders in steals before 30 shows up on the steals after 30 list except one. Rickey Henderson leads both categories. Center Field: Marlon Byrd Byrd had a bad year at the wrong time, and has never recovered. He's too good of a player to fall off the map, but he may never earn another starting job in the bigs. Right Field: Bobby Abreu Do I really need to explain this? The most underrated player since Biggio. Starting Pitcher: Pedro Martinez I am not the biggest Martinez fan, but in the late 90s and early aughts, Red Sox fans looked forward to their hitters collecting three outs so they could watch Martinez pitch again. Clemens and Maddux have been better overall, but I have never seen pure dominance like Pedro exhibited in 1999-00. Relief Pitcher: Kent Tekulve Tekulve looked like he stepped from an accountant's office to the mound. Tekulve threw sidearm, didn't strike many batters out, didn't walk many, and collected the 30th best adjusted ERA of all time. He retired second on the list of games pitched, since pushed down to sixth. Manager: Earl Weaver A little genius who took a critical approach to the game and constantly looked for ways to get the most out of his lineups. On road games, he would play a hitter at shortstop for the top at the first, and then sub in Mark Belanger. Until MLB changed the rules, he listed a starting pitcher as his DH so he could wait for that spot to come up before deciding on the hitter. Today's managers lack such innovation. Broadcaster: Bob Uecker Harry Doyle for those of you who have listened to no Brewers games but watched Major League.
August 11, 200520 yr comment_3145201 Oh, this could make a good topic. There's a lot of players that I like to watch, or have liked to watch in the past. The problem is, I wouldn't be able to fill out a team roster with them. Most of them, I either like for their pitching or hitting. When it comes time to field or hold a position, it looks bleek. Andre Dawson, Ryne Sandberg & Mark Grace for starters. I grew up on the Cubs, so they hold a soft spot for me. With today's Cubs, I'd have to throw in Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra. I like Ichiro and Johnny Damon. Good lead-off men are something to watch. Probably Jeter too. As far as big bats are concerned, I like watching Vlad, Bonds & McGwire. I grew up watching Canseco launch jacks. A-Rod can be a monster too. Big Popi is gold in the playoffs and I could watch me some Manny fielding antics all day long. That shit is comedy. Pitching? Randy Johnson, Pedro, Nolan Ryan, Gagne, Mariano Rivera, Roger Clemens & Oral Hershiser. I guess there are some good gloves up there though.
August 11, 200520 yr comment_3145486 I'll keep mine to more fairly recent players. Some of these guys don't really have a good reason besides being solid players and guys I have a soft spot for. C: Mike Piazza - Dominant slugger and was fairly adept behind the plate in his career too. 1B: J.T. Snow - I don't know why, but I've loved watching Snow since the late 90's. Not flashy, but consistently solid. 2B: Roberto Alomar - Had everything and was just a joy to watch in Toronto, Cleveland, and Baltimore. 3B: Wade Boggs - As a Sox fan, he was my perfect player. Doubles power, used the wall, walked, and rarely struck out. Could also flash the leather at times. SS: Omar Vizquel (Never saw enough of Ozzie Smith unfortunately) - Just a joy to watch in the field. Decent hitting, but was able to do anything in the field. RF: Manny Ramirez - Enjoyed him in Cleveland and love him in Boston. Can do everything at the plate. CF: Ken Griffey Jr. - Without a doubt, my favorite player. Amazing swing, and I'm glad to see him having success this season. LF: Barry Bonds - A premiere slugger, even with the Steroids stuff hanging over his head. SP: Pedro Martinez (Honorable Mention: Greg Maddux) - 1999-2000, nuff said. RP: Chad Bradford - I love his submarine style. That's really it, and the fact that he's able to induce so many ground balls.
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