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167
MLB Greats in there Prime - Who would you go back in time to watch?

If you had the chance to travel back in time and watch any MLB player in there prime, who would it be and why?

Featured by: hartley51592 at 2/27/09 10:50PM
| Closed on 04/06/09 at 05:00PM
FanIQ Pts? No | MLB | Opinion List
Team Breakout:
Rank275 FansAvg (1st)
1.Babe Ruth3.1 (121)
2.Jackie Robinson1.3 (22)
3.Hank Aaron1.2 (14)
4.Lou Gehrig1.1 (19)
5.Mickey Mantle1.1 (10)
Also receiving votes:Ted Williams1.0 (20)
Willie Mays0.9 (13)
Ty Cobb0.8 (15)
Joe Dimaggio0.8 (5)
Roberto Clemente0.6 (9)
Cy Young0.5 (3)
Nolan Ryan0.5 (7)
Bob Gibson0.3 (3)
Stan Musial0.3 (5)
Other0.3 (8)
Ernie Banks0.3 (3)
Honus Wagner0.2 (2)
Other0.1 (2)
Roger Maris0.1
Walter Johnson0.1
Rogers Hornsby0.1
Christy Mathewson0.1 (1)
Dizzy Dean0.1 (2)
Jimmie Foxx0.1
Tom Seaver0.1 (1)
Other0.1
Other0.1
Grover Alexander0.1 (1)
Other0.0 (1)
Tris Speaker0.0 (1)
Nap Lajoie0.0
Eddie Collins0.0

 &nbp;
TOP COMMENT * * * * * * * * * * * *
#2 | 1551 days ago

 (Edited by kramer)
Yes I'm a homer, but Clemente was one of (if not THE) best right fielders in the history of the game.
1. Roberto Clemente  2. Babe Ruth  3. Hank Aaron  4. Cy Young  5. Joe Dimaggio  
9

  
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#2 | 1551 days ago

 (Edited by kramer)
Yes I'm a homer, but Clemente was one of (if not THE) best right fielders in the history of the game.
1. Roberto Clemente  2. Babe Ruth  3. Hank Aaron  4. Cy Young  5. Joe Dimaggio  
9

#3 | 1551 days ago

 (Edited by fred77008)
I'm a homer as well.  Grew up watching the Big Red Machine.  Rose, Seaver, Bench, Concepcion, etc.  Rose and Bench should be on the list.  They were a privilege to watch.  Bench was arguably the greatest catcher ever, and no one in history ever played the game harder than Pete.

Saw Nolan Ryan a few times.  A fierce competitor. 

Saw Tony Gwynn strike out once.

I know they are tainted now, but seeing Clemens pitch was awesome.  Barry Bonds was a spectacle, too.
1. Ty Cobb  2. Jackie Robinson  3. Babe Ruth  4. Lou Gehrig  5. Willie Mays  
4

#4 | 1551 days ago

 (Edited by Eamon_60)
I actually saw many of the players on the list ( Aaron, Clemete Mantle e.g.). Would have like to have seen Shoeless Joe but he wasn't on list.  
1. Babe Ruth  2. Lou Gehrig  3. Honus Wagner  4. Other  5. Eddie Collins  
5

#5 | 1551 days ago
Hebetude (+)

Ruth because he's Ruth, Robinson because the amount of talent and control he must have had to do what he did is mind boggling, Would like to see Walter Johnson pitch against Smokey Joe Wood just to see who really threw harder and how they compare to today's pithcers, Mays to see him play defense, My other is Bob Feller in 1948, it's the only way I'd get to see Cleveland win a world series.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Jackie Robinson  3. Walter Johnson  4. Willie Mays  5. Other  
5

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#9 | 1551 days ago

 Ty Cobb is my number 1 because I'd love to see him go into the stands and beat a heckler down
1. Ty Cobb  2. Mickey Mantle  3. Roberto Clemente  4. Roger Maris  5. Hank Aaron  
6

#10 | 1551 days ago
SuperStar123 (+)

Eamon_60 wrote:
I actually saw many of the players on the list ( Aaron, Clemete Mantle e.g.). Would have like to have seen Shoeless Joe but he wasn't on list.  
 I agree 100 %! I have seen most of the ones the young people haven't seen, but would love to see Shoeless Joe, who should be in HOF!!!
4

#11 | 1551 days ago
SuperStar123 (+)

I think this is one of the best polls I have ever seen on here. Congratulations!!!!    While I am old enough to have seen a lot of the players, I would have loved to see "The Iron Horse" and Shoeless Joe Jackson, who should be in the Hall of Fame! Thanks for the great poll!  

Jim  
3

#12 | 1551 days ago

(1) Lou Gehrig - In my opinion, Gehrig was in the top 2 or 3 greatest players to ever play the game.  I did a report on him in junior high and immediately became a huge fan.  To this day, he holds records that may never be broken in baseball.

(2) Stan Musial - Being from St. Louis, there are two hitters who everyone talke about when they talk about Cardinal baseball.  I'm in the midst of seeing Albert Pujols in his prime and I would've loved to have seen Musial in his too compare the two players.

(3) Jackie Robinson - Breaking the color barrier in the NL was one of the most important things to happen in this country.  For me, being around in that time would've been something I could compare to being around when Barack Obama became the first African American president.

(4) Bob Gibson - The most dominant Cardinal to ever take the hill.  I would've loved to see his no nonsense, dont back down, I control this game attitude that came when Gibson took to the mound.

(5) Ty Cobb - Arguably one of baseball's all time great hitters, Cobb is regarded as the best player of the dead ball era, which to me speaks volumes in just how dominant he was at the plate.  To this day he holds the record for career batting average.

1. Lou Gehrig  2. Stan Musial  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Bob Gibson  5. Ty Cobb  
6

#13 | 1551 days ago
(+)

I put Ted Williams first because my neighbor (who saw him as a young man), said that Ted was the Manny Ramirez of his time. That he was ornery and the Red Sox fans heckled him. My neighbor told the story of one day he was at the game and Ted Williams was in left field relaxing and LEANING against the Green Monster while the game was going on. Hometown fans were yelling how he was lazy and overrated. A line drive was hit towards left-field line and Ted took off like a shot, make a great catch and then acted like he was going to through the ball to the fans, but didn't. My neighbor said he gained a new respect for Ted that day and never again criticized his attitude or his demeanor towards fans.

I put Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, cuz I would have LOVED to have seen these train wrecks. It must have been like watching David Wells or Albert Belle!
1. Ty Cobb  2. Cy Young  3. Babe Ruth  4. Honus Wagner  5. Walter Johnson  
1

#14 | 1550 days ago

 I also have seen many of these players, so my number 1 would be Babe Ruth, I would love to see him play and then after the game we could go and grab a few beers and talk baseball.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Lou Gehrig  3. Ty Cobb  4. Cy Young  5. Dizzy Dean  
3

#15 | 1550 days ago

 I've always wanted to see Mays in his prime.  All I really remember are his final days as a Giant and his embarassing days with the Mets.

Cobb and Ruth are obvious.

But I'd really like to see Clemente.  People speak so highly of him but his offensive numbers aren't really impressive compared to the other greats of the game.  Would like to see for myself why people think so highly of the guy.
1. Willie Mays  2. Ty Cobb  3. Babe Ruth  4. Roberto Clemente  5. Jackie Robinson  
1

#16 | 1550 days ago

 1) Babe Ruth - do I need to explain?

2) Jackie Robinson - one of the most electrifying players ever to play the game

3) Walter Johnson - to see if he really was as dominant as the stories say he was

4) Ty Cobb - another electrifying player...like Pete Rose with his hair on fire

5) Ted Williams - arguably the greatest pure hitter ever to play the game...think of the records he could have set if he hadn't served in TWO wars!
1. Babe Ruth  2. Jackie Robinson  3. Walter Johnson  4. Ty Cobb  5. Ted Williams  
2

#17 | 1549 days ago

 I've also seen many on the list, but The Babe has to be #1.
Even if it was to see how many Hot Dogs he could eat!!!! 

P.S.-Great Poll!! 
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Ty Cobb  4. Stan Musial  5. Jimmie Foxx  
1

#18 | 1549 days ago

 Scott wrote:

(1) Lou Gehrig - In my opinion, Gehrig was in the top 2 or 3 greatest players to ever play the game.  I did a report on him in junior high and immediately became a huge fan.  To this day, he holds records that may never be broken in baseball.

(2) Stan Musial - Being from St. Louis, there are two hitters who everyone talke about when they talk about Cardinal baseball.  I'm in the midst of seeing Albert Pujols in his prime and I would've loved to have seen Musial in his too compare the two players.

(3) Jackie Robinson - Breaking the color barrier in the NL was one of the most important things to happen in this country.  For me, being around in that time would've been something I could compare to being around when Barack Obama became the first African American president.

(4) Bob Gibson - The most dominant Cardinal to ever take the hill.  I would've loved to see his no nonsense, dont back down, I control this game attitude that came when Gibson took to the mound.

(5) Ty Cobb - Arguably one of baseball's all time great hitters, Cobb is regarded as the best player of the dead ball era, which to me speaks volumes in just how dominant he was at the plate.  To this day he holds the record for career batting average.

Scott, I can't believe you don't have "The Babe" on your list.
I was fortunate enough to see Bob Gibson and he was sooooo
intimidating to most hitters and even stared down a few fans!!  
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Ty Cobb  4. Stan Musial  5. Jimmie Foxx  
2

#19 | 1549 days ago

 ML31 wrote:
I've always wanted to see Mays in his prime.  All I really remember are his final days as a Giant and his embarassing days with the Mets.

Cobb and Ruth are obvious.

But I'd really like to see Clemente.  People speak so highly of him but his offensive numbers aren't really impressive compared to the other greats of the game.  Would like to see for myself why people think so highly of the guy.
So all you care about is offense...that makes a lot of sense.  Go educate yourself on Clemente a little bit and you might have a little more respect for the guy.
1. Roberto Clemente  2. Babe Ruth  3. Hank Aaron  4. Cy Young  5. Joe Dimaggio  
1

#20 | 1549 days ago

 Also, to ML31, don't forget that his career wasn't over when he was killed, he was still playing.  He may have only played a couple more years since he was 39, but he hadn't yet retired.  He had 3,000 career hits, an arm that runners were fools to test from right field because they were almost guaranteed to be thrown out...oh yeah, and he was killed trying to help earthquakes victims in Nicaragua, tells you the kind of person he was outside of the clubhouse.  Don't ever say something like "why people think so highly of the guy" when you base your argument SOLELY on a player's offense.  You of all people should know there's more to the game than just batting.
1. Roberto Clemente  2. Babe Ruth  3. Hank Aaron  4. Cy Young  5. Joe Dimaggio  
1

#21 | 1549 days ago
jacobmrley (+)

This is a fabulous question.  I could easily add Satchel Paige, Clemente, Mantle, Musial and DiMaggio to round out the top 10.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Willie Mays  3. Ted Williams  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Mickey Mantle  
3

#22 | 1549 days ago

 There are so many that it's hard to narrow to five, so, I just picked the three greatest hitters and the two most dominant pitchers.
1. Babe Ruth
2. Ted Williams
3. Lou Gehrig
4. Nolan Ryan
5. Other is Sandy Koufax
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Lou Gehrig  4. Nolan Ryan  5. Other  
3

#23 | 1549 days ago

 Fabulous poll. No matter who I put I was thinking that I may have had personal reasons . Because there were so many truly greats.. Willie the say hey kid. Because he played with the love for the game, He was also a peraonal hero while growing up.
Bob Gibson because he was truly one of the best. Overcame so much when a child. Biggest threat on the mound. And if I remember right when pitchers hit. Was a threat for a #9 hitter.
Jackie Robinson set the bar for hustle and also the bar for talent.  Also would have loved to have watche Jackie steal home.
 Nolan Ryan because of the intimidation. The form and explosion of speed.
Other because there are so many deserving players. 
No matter who gets mentioned all the answers are correct. What fun..
1. Willie Mays  2. Bob Gibson  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Nolan Ryan  5. Other  
1

#24 | 1549 days ago

 satchel paige one game in the negro leagues (his prime not bering able to play in mlb in his prime) called in all outfielders into the infield and all 7 players surrounded pitchers mound and he struck out the side on 9 pitches
1. Babe Ruth  2. Other  3. Joe Dimaggio  4. Lou Gehrig  5. Other  
1

#25 | 1549 days ago

 My other is Sandy Koufax
1. Lou Gehrig  2. Mickey Mantle  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Other  5. Ty Cobb  
1

#26 | 1549 days ago
BDV4U (+)

Being a Cardinal fan, I figure I would get to see Cobb in the 1934 Series, Ruth in the 1926 & 1928 Series, Robinson/Aaron/Clemente/Mays throughout Gibson's career, and so on. I'm old enough to have lived through Ryan & Seaver. So, having roots with a great organization, I would be able to see most of those greats at one time!
1. Dizzy Dean  2. Rogers Hornsby  3. Stan Musial  4. Grover Alexander  5. Bob Gibson  
1

#27 | 1549 days ago

 Cobb, Ruth, and Gehrig for sure. There were only 5 spaces, but i could have filled up 25+ with palyers from 1901-1949. I could also go to see Negro League games, with Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and yes, Jackie Robinson...in both leagues.
1. Ty Cobb  2. Babe Ruth  3. Lou Gehrig  4. Walter Johnson  5. Cy Young  
2

#28 | 1549 days ago

 kramer wrote:
So all you care about is offense...that makes a lot of sense.  Go educate yourself on Clemente a little bit and you might have a little more respect for the guy.
No no no.  I KNOW there is more than just offense.  The thing is, offense is the only skill that is quantified by statistics.  Defensive numbers don't really show a whole lot.  I have heard stories about his arm and how well he played the field.  As I said, this is something I would like to see for myself.  Al Kaline was another player like that.  His offensive numbers were not that impressive to me.  But people rave about his defense.

Plus, I am well aware of how old he was when he died.  I was not just looking at his career totals but individual seasons. 

When I said "speak highly of the guy" I was not talking about his virtue or his character, but his baseball skills.

Relax.
1. Willie Mays  2. Ty Cobb  3. Babe Ruth  4. Roberto Clemente  5. Jackie Robinson  
2

#29 | 1549 days ago

Alright, to start with im not totally proficient on older players, but im a huge baseball fan. 1. Babe Ruth- Has to be the Bambino! Greatest player to play so far. Better athletes now, but no one is like the Babe.  2. Cy Young- I love to watch records made and broken. But no one will EVER beat his all-time wins total. 3. Mickey Mantle- The best switch hitter to ever wear a baseball uniform. The best center fielders of their time played then.i could watch them as well. 4. Jackie Robinson. Breaking the color barrier is without a doubt the best thing to happen to baseball. And especially the way he handled himself. What a great man! 5. Roger Maris- I said earlier how much i liked records being broken and he broke the greatest record in sports. 

1. Babe Ruth  2. Cy Young  3. Mickey Mantle  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Roger Maris  

#30 | 1549 days ago

 He's a fat dead Yankee, but I'd still pay to see The Babe play. As for other fat dead Yankees, Mantle, Munson. nope!
1. Babe Ruth  2. Jimmie Foxx  3. Walter Johnson  4. Stan Musial  5. Cy Young  
1

#31 | 1548 days ago

 I DID pay to see Nolan Ryan in his late years with Texas...worth every penny..
Teddy Ballgame, because he was the Manny of hos generation...did nothing but hit..but wow he hit
1. Ted Williams  2. Hank Aaron  3. Babe Ruth  4. Mickey Mantle  5. Lou Gehrig  
1

#32 | 1548 days ago

 DOHHHH, Nolan Ryan.
1. Hank Aaron  2. Nolan Ryan  3. Ted Williams  4. Willie Mays  5. Jackie Robinson  
2

#33 | 1548 days ago

 1. (other) Satchel Paige - without a doubt!  It's said he trimmed the corners like no other pitcher ever could - and the corners he trimmed were on packs of cigarettes!!
I'd love to see that!
2.  Ty Cobb - just to see such a passionate player that he was willing to do whatever it took to win (these days, you're surprised if you see a spoiled player run out a ground ball...)
3.  The Splendid Splinter - A hitting GOD; one of the most incredible hitters to ever play the game - his averages speak for themselves
4.  Stan "The Man" - perhaps overshadowed on this list; Another great "do it all" player, solid in every facet
5.  Walter Johnson - one of the most durable arms ever, and one of the first HOFs; I'll admit I don't know as much as I should about him, but I've never heard anything bad about the guy (a little research on the guy shows 417 Wins, lifetime ERA of 2.17, 110 ShO, 531 CGs, and 3508Ks - for a little extra: he batted .433 in 1925 as a pitcher (97 ABs))
1. Other  2. Ty Cobb  3. Ted Williams  4. Stan Musial  5. Walter Johnson  
1

#34 | 1548 days ago

damn good list, too many choices.I would like to see them all.

1. Lou Gehrig  2. Roberto Clemente  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Babe Ruth  5. Joe Dimaggio  
2

#35 | 1548 days ago

 (Edited by snbslugger)
Ted Williams - He's the greatest pure hitter of all time.  There hasn't been another like him since.  Tony Gwynn comes close.

Babe Ruth - Ruth was the first worldwide face of baseball.  When the Japanese soldiers in WWII used "To hell with Babe Ruth!" as a war cry, you know you've transcended just being a normal player.  Ruth was the blueprint for fast living in the Roaring 20's and brought baseball to the forefront in America.  What a time to be alive that must have been.

Bob Gibson - For all the stuff Scott already said.  Gibson was powerful, intimidating, and dangerous.  Very few pitchers imposed their will on opposing batters like Gibson.  I would have loved to see some of those Cards/Dodgers matchups in the mid-to-late 60's. 

My "Other" is Josh Gibson - If nothing else just to see him crush one over the third deck at Yankee Stadium.  It is an absolute travesty he never took a MLB at-bat.

Willie Mays - Mays might be the first real "five-tool" player to play Major League Baseball.  I would have liked to have seen him in his prime years with the Giants and later on slugging it out with McCovey.
1. Ted Williams  2. Ted Williams  3. Babe Ruth  4. Babe Ruth  5. Bob Gibson  
3

#36 | 1548 days ago
spyder6665 (+)

my other is CATFISH HUNTER i think he should have been here he was great and very personable
1. Babe Ruth  2. Mickey Mantle  3. Joe Dimaggio  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Other  
1

#37 | 1547 days ago

It was so hard picking just 5!!!  I was fortunate enough to see Nolan Ryan play...worth every penny to see him!!

The rest in the list, I don't think there is one on there that I wouldn't love to have seen play.

1. Ty Cobb  2. Joe Dimaggio  3. Roberto Clemente  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Willie Mays  
1

#38 | 1547 days ago

 (Edited by randtor101)
Too hard to pick ONLY 5!!!!
I made my choices that I didn't see play
Roberson, Mays, Ruth,Clemente, and Mantle.............{Even though I hate the Yankess}
And also Sandy Koufax................Sigh!    Too many to choose!!!

I would also love to see Dwight Gooden again in his prime throwing that NASTY curveball, making batters look stupd!
1

#39 | 1546 days ago

 Lots of greats that would be great to see perform in their prime.  I was lucky to see Koufax, Gibson, Williams, Mays, Aaron and so many others play live or live on TV.  I only listed those I did not get a chance to see play for a full game at the park.   I did see Mays play, but his overall dominance was worth the price of admission, like watching Jordan, Magic or Bird play basketball, Sweetness play football, Orr or Gretzky play hockey, etc.
1. Ty Cobb  2. Babe Ruth  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Joe Dimaggio  5. Willie Mays  
1

#40 | 1544 days ago

 My other was Brooks Robinson. Even though I saw him play many times,  nobody played 3rd bade like BROOKSIE!
1. Babe Ruth  2. Other  3. Ted Williams  4. Lou Gehrig  5. Ty Cobb  
2

Poor Quality (4) This comment was voted poor quality by FanIQ (Show anyway)
#42 | 1544 days ago

 Scott wrote:

(1) Lou Gehrig - In my opinion, Gehrig was in the top 2 or 3 greatest players to ever play the game.  I did a report on him in junior high and immediately became a huge fan.  To this day, he holds records that may never be broken in baseball.

(2) Stan Musial - Being from St. Louis, there are two hitters who everyone talke about when they talk about Cardinal baseball.  I'm in the midst of seeing Albert Pujols in his prime and I would've loved to have seen Musial in his too compare the two players.

(3) Jackie Robinson - Breaking the color barrier in the NL was one of the most important things to happen in this country.  For me, being around in that time would've been something I could compare to being around when Barack Obama became the first African American president.

(4) Bob Gibson - The most dominant Cardinal to ever take the hill.  I would've loved to see his no nonsense, dont back down, I control this game attitude that came when Gibson took to the mound.

(5) Ty Cobb - Arguably one of baseball's all time great hitters, Cobb is regarded as the best player of the dead ball era, which to me speaks volumes in just how dominant he was at the plate.  To this day he holds the record for career batting average.

Stan The Man was my childhood hero in the fifties. He was an incredible player and one of the most respected men ever. He played the game the way it should be played... with passion. Yet, he was humble in speaking and never hot-dogged. I got to meet him the year before he retired at my first major league game in 1962 (Cards at Houston Colt 45's). Got a FREE autograph.

Bob Gibson was also one of my favorites. He was so intimidating. If there were pitchers like him today (and it was allowed), you would not see so many HR. You didn't dig in against Gibby.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Lou Gehrig  4. Nolan Ryan  5. Other  
1

#43 | 1544 days ago

 (Edited by gossberg)

1. the big bambino...... well, who wouldn't want to see the biggest name ever in baseball
2. Ted williams.  phenominal athlete, left baseball to fly fighter planes, then comes back just as good as ever

3. Ty Cobb...... the dude sharpened his metal cleates.  don't mess with the cobb.  he probably could have beat up chuck norris

4.  willy mays..... who wouldn't???  over the head basket catch??? nough said

5..... nolan ryan...... didn't he throw 107 mph???  oh yeah, he also did america a favor and beat up robin ventura

 

1. Babe Ruth  2. Babe Ruth  3. Ted Williams  4. Ted Williams  5. Ty Cobb  
1

#44 | 1544 days ago
(+)

bayareabeast21 wrote:
 You could always watch Tim Lincecum now. His stuff is even nastier.
LITTLE BOY  STOP PLAYING WITH LITTLE TIMMY
1. Ty Cobb  2. Cy Young  3. Babe Ruth  4. Honus Wagner  5. Walter Johnson  

#45 | 1543 days ago

 kramer wrote:
Yes I'm a homer, but Clemente was one of (if not THE) best right fielders in the history of the game.
Clemente was a great player:) 

I would  of liked to see Harmon Killabrew on that list:)
1. Babe Ruth  2. Honus Wagner  3. Mickey Mantle  4. Ted Williams  5. Ty Cobb  
1

#46 | 1543 days ago

 My Nuber 1 would have been Thurman Munson...he was awesome!!! The others were great too!!
1. Lou Gehrig  2. Cy Young  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Mickey Mantle  5. Babe Ruth  
1

#47 | 1543 days ago

 (Edited by bayareabeast21)
 I cant even see who wrote this, this fool got scared and went into the witness protection plan already or what
1. Willie Mays  2. Babe Ruth  3. Hank Aaron  4. Cy Young  5. Dizzy Dean  
1

#48 | 1543 days ago

  I cant even see who wrote this, this fool got scared and went into the witness protection plan already or what
1. Willie Mays  2. Babe Ruth  3. Hank Aaron  4. Cy Young  5. Dizzy Dean  
1

#49 | 1543 days ago

Being an ol' Angel fan I had the pleasure of seeing Nolan Ryan in my yard. And Ernie Banks Mr Cub. Couldn't have met ( eventhough briefly) a nicer man. I woukd've loved to have been at a game to watch Ozzie Smith play as well. So many great players in the not so far past.

1. Babe Ruth  2. Roberto Clemente  3. Ted Williams  4. Ernie Banks  5. Nolan Ryan  
1

#50 | 1542 days ago

 I just love the line in the movie Field of Dreams where Shoeless Joe explains to Ray Kinsella that everybody wanted to play on the field...even Ty Cobb, " None of could stand the son-of-a-bitch when we were alive, so we told him to stick it!

So I would have LOVED to see TY...
1

#51 | 1541 days ago

 jacobmrley wrote:
This is a fabulous question.  I could easily add Satchel Paige, Clemente, Mantle, Musial and DiMaggio to round out the top 10.
I saw many of the guys who played from the late 60's on, so I concentrated on guys I didn't see and especially players there is little or no film of in their prime, Cobb wouldn't want me to watch him so he's not on my list, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson may have been the best ever at their positions but good film of them in their prime's is virtually impossible to find, Ruth made the game huge, The "Splendid Splinter" was a nearly perfect hitter and Clemente is reason the term 5-tool player was coined.
1. Other  2. Other  3. Babe Ruth  4. Roberto Clemente  5. Ted Williams  
2

#52 | 1541 days ago
jacobmrley (+)

elevenbravo138again wrote:
I saw many of the guys who played from the late 60's on, so I concentrated on guys I didn't see and especially players there is little or no film of in their prime, Cobb wouldn't want me to watch him so he's not on my list, Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson may have been the best ever at their positions but good film of them in their prime's is virtually impossible to find, Ruth made the game huge, The "Splendid Splinter" was a nearly perfect hitter and Clemente is reason the term 5-tool player was coined.
Josh Gibson.  Good call.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Willie Mays  3. Ted Williams  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Mickey Mantle  
2

#53 | 1540 days ago

 i would have liked to see Sandy Koufax on that list i think he was the best pitcher of all time in his prime. he would be on my list
1. Ty Cobb  2. Honus Wagner  3. Babe Ruth  4. Nolan Ryan  5. Other  
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#54 | 1539 days ago

 I ACTUAALY SEEN THEM ALL PLAY THEY PLAYED THE GAME WITH INTEREGITY UNLIKE THE MAJORITY OF THE PLAYERS NOW DAYS
1. Mickey Mantle  2. Stan Musial  3. Hank Aaron  4. Ted Williams  5. Roberto Clemente  
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#56 | 1538 days ago

 I would say that willei mayes was the greates playera of all times
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#57 | 1538 days ago

 I've actually seen a couple on the list. I feel old. 
1. Babe Ruth  2. Willie Mays  3. Mickey Mantle  4. Hank Aaron  5. Cy Young  
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#58 | 1538 days ago

 1. Lou Gehrig - my grandfather died due to complications from ALS and as my Grandfather was the one man i looked up to the most, and was a similar embodiment of all that is right in the world to Lou.  This is the one player/person i would ever want to meet.
2. Ty Cobb - just want to see how big of a jerk he really was.
3. Bob Gibson - would have liked to see him pitch in the world series
4. Walter Johnson - really want to know how he could get up to pitch everyday if needed. that is just amazing....
5. Ted Williams - my fav player was tony gwynn.... he is his idol... why not mine.
1. Lou Gehrig  2. Ty Cobb  3. Bob Gibson  4. Walter Johnson  5. Ted Williams  
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#59 | 1538 days ago

 (Edited by kainapereira)
this is a great poll.... i think there needs to be one which is top 5 athelets....
1. Lou Gehrig  2. Ty Cobb  3. Bob Gibson  4. Walter Johnson  5. Ted Williams  

#60 | 1537 days ago

 Ted Williams had the smoothest swing ever. He definitely goes on the list.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Cy Young  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Nolan Ryan  

#61 | 1532 days ago

 The only one I actually saw play on that list is Nolan Ryan. That being said, Teddy Ballgame shoots to the top of my list.
1. Ted Williams  2. Cy Young  3. Mickey Mantle  4. Joe Dimaggio  5. Lou Gehrig  

#62 | 1526 days ago

  I saw Willie Mays strike out three times against the Phillies in his final season as a Met ... not exactly the time to appreciate his greatness.  I would love to have seen him run down shots to the gap or fly around the bases.  Watching Ted Williams take BP would have been exciting enough and to see Bob Gibson fire high and tight falling off the mound ... nice.
1. Ted Williams  2. Jackie Robinson  3. Willie Mays  4. Rogers Hornsby  5. Bob Gibson  

#63 | 1515 days ago

 Lots of great choices. I have seen many of them from the 70s and later. One that definitely should have been on the list is Sandy Koufax and also Don Drysdale.
1. Ted Williams  2. Babe Ruth  3. Jackie Robinson  4. Stan Musial  5. Willie Mays  
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#64 | 1514 days ago

 Willie Mays was one of the true 5 tool players - hit, hit for average, hit for power, run and field. Imagine the money he would make in today's game. Mays had more talent in his left nut than Alex Rodriguez can even dream about.
1. Willie Mays  2. Lou Gehrig  3. Mickey Mantle  4. Ted Williams  5. Roberto Clemente  

#65 | 1514 days ago

 kevin23864 wrote:
Lots of great choices. I have seen many of them from the 70s and later. One that definitely should have been on the list is Sandy Koufax and also Don Drysdale.
Double D was above-average. Not really a Hall of Famer. Koufax certainly should be here on the list.
1. Willie Mays  2. Lou Gehrig  3. Mickey Mantle  4. Ted Williams  5. Roberto Clemente  

#66 | 1494 days ago

 I find it amusing that people who weren't even born at the time can so easily critique players from the past. They are using someone else's opinion instead of their own. Or they are basing it strictly on a particular stat.
Sometimes stats are deceiving. For example, Don Drysdale only had a 209-166 win-loss record. However, he played for an enemic offensive team. The Dodgers best chance of scoring a run was Maury Wills beating out an infield single, stealing second, advancing to third on a groundout, and scoring on a sac fly.
Looking deeper into his stats, Drysdale had impressive career marks of 2.95 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 3/1 SO/BB ratio. But the most compelling evidence of his prowess was his peers' opinion. When you heard Mays, Aaron, Musial, Clemente, etc. saying Drysdale was the pitcher they most dreaded facing, you knew what a fierce competitor and great pitcher he was.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Lou Gehrig  4. Nolan Ryan  5. Other  
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#67 | 1494 days ago
jacobmrley (+)

Ahhh, but you forget that he was also the #2 pitcher on the staff and faced, theoretically, the second best pitchers of other staffs and not the best (that was Koufax's job).  While I disagree with the notion that DD was not very good - people compare him to Milt Pappas (because of similar win-loss records) which is ludicrous - but I draw the line at "Great."  Anyone can throw numbers around to make their argument, but in the end, you are what you are.  DD was 43 games above .500 - pretty good, but not great.  All the peripheral stats in the world won't make him great and pitching stats in the 1960's are much different than they are today.  Did he have great moments?  great stretches?  great seasons?  yes.  but the numbers add up to something less than great.  He was a gamer, he was fierce, but he is more Jack Morris than Sandy Koufax.  (and hitters dreaded facing Mitch Williams, that doesn't speak only to his greatness.  In DD's case, it speaks to his habit of buzzing batters before they did anything, not after...)
1. Babe Ruth  2. Willie Mays  3. Ted Williams  4. Jackie Robinson  5. Mickey Mantle  
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#68 | 1494 days ago

 While I agree to a certain extent ( I don't rank Drysdale among the greatest of all time ), you can't say that because he was the #2 behind Koufax, that he wasn't better than most team's aces. Every #1 in the league would have been #2 if they were on the same staff with Koufax. Sandy was in a class by himself.
But, my point was that you have to actually watch a player on a regular basis to get a true perspective of his ability. You can't just take some biased fan or sports writer's opinion, or see a few video clips and think you know how good the player was. I watched Drysdale his entire career and I can compare him to pitchers of later eras.
The definition of "great" varies from person to person. And, yes, the stats of the sixties was different from today's. But, you can't compare players' stats from different eras no matter how hard you try. And during his era, Drysdale was among the top 20% of his peers.
Because of their 300 wins, most people would rate Roger Clemens, Tom Glavine, and Greg Maddux as great. But, they played for great teams. How impressive would their records be had they played for Kansas City, Pittsburgh, etc. They may have been only 43 games above .500 too. Would you still consider them great? My answer to that is yes, because I watched them pitch.
1. Babe Ruth  2. Ted Williams  3. Lou Gehrig  4. Nolan Ryan  5. Other  
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