We’ve talked about it in the other baseball threads, so let’s do it.
I had trouble keeping the list to 10, so I’m adding an “other” option.
Stan the Man now, A-Rod after another ~2-3 years of 2009, or 3-4 years of his 2010-esque production. Maybe add Frank Robinson to the poll?
Well, Babe Ruth – but that seems unfair somehow.
Yeah, of the ones listed it’s Stan now and A-Rod later (most likely). I’m not sure how anyone can justify a vote for Rose over Stan…
If you don’t count Ruth, my vote is for Jackie Robinson.
On this list, I’d say here is where Musial gets his due.
It’s obviously Musial so far.
A-Rod COULD surpass him but that is not a guaranteed bet. He sure didn’t look fantastic in 2011.
Er… why on earth is George Brett here? Biggio’s kind of a weird inclusion too; I know he played some other positions but he played more than two thirds of his career games at second base.
I don’t understand Brett either, but I get Biggio. To me, “multiple positions” means something along the lines of “versatility”. Brett only moved to 1st because he couldn’t hack it at 3rd any more, and 1st is one of the easiest positions to play. Biggio started at catcher, moved to second (still a demanding position), then moved around the outfield. That’s pretty versatile, especially when catchers tend to migrate to first later in their career.
If that’s the idea I see your point, but I assumed the “multi position” category was for players who just couldn’t be fairly slotted into one position, as is the case with players who had no primary position (Rose, Molitor, Musial) or whose careers were very evenly split between two positions, like A-Rod or Banks.
Jackie Robinson would qualify under the “Versatility” category too, as he could play basically anything, but he did play more than half his games at second so really he belongs there. Robinson gets forgotten a lot in these kinds of discussions but he was an awesome, awesome force; 63 WAR in a career only ten seasons long. He was a better player than most guys on any of these lists, but he didn’t get to play until he was 28.
I think Harmon Killebrew should get some props as a multi-position player too. It is hard to believe now, but his first big league game was as a defensive replacement at 2b.
Come to think of it, that explains a lot about the old Washington Senators, doesn’t it? 