Mays
Cobb
Speaker
Mantle
Flood
Averill
Doby
Lofton
Griffey
J. DiMaggio
Billy Hamilton
Richie Ashburn
Willie Mays
Ken Griffey Jr.
Joe Dimaggio
Mickey Mantle
Ty Cobb
Duke Snider
Tris Speaker
Larry Doby
Could you please replace Doby with Joe Dimaggio. Thanx
Ty Cobb
Willie Mays
Mickey Mantle
Tris Speaker
Billy Hamilton
Joe DiMaggio
Duke Snider
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Larry Doby
Richie Ashburn
Ashburn is an admittedly sentimental choice – I could just as easily have chosen Averill, Edmonds, Murphy, Wynn or Puckett.
Far be it for me to tilt at more windmills, but you guys who are enamored with Hack Wilson and his teammate- and era-dependent 191 RBI do know that he played in 100 games or more in all of 9 seasons?
Ty Cobb
Joe Dimaggio
Larry Doby
Ken Griffey Jr.
Billy Hamilton
Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Duke Snider
Tris Speaker
Hack Wilson
RickJay, please change my vote from Edmonds to Ashburn. Thanks!
So my ballot now looks like:
Mays
Mantle
Speaker
Cobb
DiMaggio
Snider
Griffey
Hamilton
Doby
Ashburn
Much appreciated.
Yeah, IMO, Hack Wilson is a one-hit wonder of the HOF. Great season, mediocre career.
I noted the changes requested.
My own ballot:
Willie Mays
Mickey Mantle
Ty Cobb
Tris Speaker
Joe DiMaggio
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Billy Hamilton
Richie Ashburn
Larry Doby
Jim Edmonds
It’s interesting to compare Larry Doby with Earl Averill. Although Doby got a late start due to the colour of his skin, their careers were not much different in length, with Averill having about a hundred more games. Superficially, Averill’s numbers look better, but adjusted for context Doby’s were probably a hair better.
I think Doby ranks above Averill; it’s harder to rank him ahead of some other guys, like Snider and Puckett and Lynn and Jimmy Wynn, whose numbers are also good, but on the whole they’ll all pretty close so I’m going with the pioneer who likely lost some playing time due to his race.
As much as people talk about Ken Griffey being a “what could have been” guy, he had a much longer career than most of the players mentioned in the OP list, and is very accomplished.
Willie Mays, IMHO, is the greatest center fielder of all time. He, Cobb, Mantle, DiMaggio and Speaker are a really, really clear top 5.
My vote:
Ty Cobb
Joe DiMaggio
Jim Edmonds
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Fred Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Kirby Puckett
Duke Snider
Tris Speaker
Hack Wilson
Ty Cobb
Tris Speaker
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Joe DiMaggio
Willie Mays
Duke Snider
Mickey Mantle
Kirby Puckett
Larry Doby
Jim Edmonds
Forgive the hijack, but I’ll repeat a question I’ve asked on other threads: Kirby Puckett was a very good ballplayer, and his election to the Hall of Fame doesn’t outrage me. BUT…
DO you think his numbers alone would have gotten him in on the first ballot if he hadn’t been perceived (wrongly, VERY wrongly) as a saintly figure?
Matty Alou
Ty Cobb
Joe DiMaggio
Larry Doby
Kenny Lofton
Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Willie McGee
Duke Snider
Tris Speaker
Richie Ashburn
Willie Mays
Mickey Mantle
Ty Cobb
Duke Snider
Tris Speaker
Joe DiMaggio
Ken Griffey, Jr.
[deliberate line break]
Richie Ashburn
Larry Doby
Fred Lynn
I think my top seven are a really, really top 7. if you have those 7 on your list, you’ll need to explain yourself to me.
Sorry–that should be “if you DON’T have those 7 on your list…”
Take Sigmagirl, for a recent example: you’re gonna put Matty F. Alou in the HoF and omit Junior? In which universe is that appropriate? Let’s discuss.
Sorry, but I simply don’t think Snider’s as good as he superficially appears. His numbers are flashy at first glance, but he wasn’t a great defensive center fielder, had a short career by the standards of great players, and his numbers are a bit boosted by context.
I don’t see why Billy Hamilton wasn’t a better choice, so there’s my explanation. Snider just missed my list. There’s no dishonor in being 11th, this is a tough standard.
Yes. There’s some irony, prr, in your not voting for a turn-of-the-century guy who uncharacteristically (for someone not extremely famous) seems to have garnered substantial support in this thread. What don’t you like about Hamilton?
I’m very unimpressed by stolen bases, especially 19th century stolen bases–who the hell knows even what they were?–and without that stat, is Hamilton much of anything? Educate me.
Joe DiMaggio
Mickey Mantle
Willie Mays
Ty Cobb
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Tris Speaker
Duke Snider
Billy Hamilton
Richie Ashburn
Larry Doby (I wanted to vote for Doby and no one else is enough better that missed where I feel bad about giving him my 10 spot.)
First, Hamilton was a base-runner of extraordinary skill. Yes, many of those stolen bases wouldn’t count as such under today’s rules, but what they did mean – often taking an extra base as the result of an error, passed ball, or general fielder miscue – was much, much more valuable in an era where the error rate was astronomically high and slugging percentages historically very low. Advancing an extra base had more value during that time than perhaps any other period in baseball history, given the poor fielding and low offense, and Hamilton was unparalleled in that regard.
Second, Hamilton was extremely adept at getting on base to begin with. I assume I don’t need to go on at length about how valuable that is.
Third, he was an excellent defensive player – which, again, is a skill that’s even more at a premium at a time with such poor general defensive play.
Finally, to the extent that being a pioneer should count for anything, he was apparently the first player to start sliding into bases. Seems to have served major league baseball well.