My rankings of the greatest baseball players ever, starting with number 1, in order.

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09/29/2002 - 10/06/2002 10/06/2002 - 10/13/2002 10/13/2002 - 10/20/2002 10/27/2002 - 11/03/2002 11/03/2002 - 11/10/2002 11/17/2002 - 11/24/2002 12/15/2002 - 12/22/2002 12/22/2002 - 12/29/2002 12/29/2002 - 01/05/2003 01/05/2003 - 01/12/2003 01/19/2003 - 01/26/2003 01/26/2003 - 02/02/2003 02/02/2003 - 02/09/2003 02/09/2003 - 02/16/2003 02/23/2003 - 03/02/2003 04/06/2003 - 04/13/2003 04/13/2003 - 04/20/2003 06/08/2003 - 06/15/2003 07/20/2003 - 07/27/2003 07/27/2003 - 08/03/2003 08/03/2003 - 08/10/2003 08/10/2003 - 08/17/2003 08/17/2003 - 08/24/2003 08/24/2003 - 08/31/2003 08/31/2003 - 09/07/2003 09/07/2003 - 09/14/2003 09/28/2003 - 10/05/2003 10/12/2003 - 10/19/2003 10/19/2003 - 10/26/2003 11/09/2003 - 11/16/2003 11/16/2003 - 11/23/2003 12/21/2003 - 12/28/2003 12/28/2003 - 01/04/2004 01/04/2004 - 01/11/2004 01/11/2004 - 01/18/2004 01/18/2004 - 01/25/2004 02/29/2004 - 03/07/2004 03/07/2004 - 03/14/2004 03/14/2004 - 03/21/2004 03/21/2004 - 03/28/2004 03/28/2004 - 04/04/2004 04/04/2004 - 04/11/2004 04/18/2004 - 04/25/2004 04/25/2004 - 05/02/2004 05/02/2004 - 05/09/2004 05/09/2004 - 05/16/2004 05/23/2004 - 05/30/2004 05/30/2004 - 06/06/2004 06/06/2004 - 06/13/2004 06/20/2004 - 06/27/2004 06/27/2004 - 07/04/2004 07/04/2004 - 07/11/2004 07/11/2004 - 07/18/2004 07/18/2004 - 07/25/2004 08/01/2004 - 08/08/2004 08/08/2004 - 08/15/2004 08/15/2004 - 08/22/2004 08/29/2004 - 09/05/2004 09/05/2004 - 09/12/2004 09/19/2004 - 09/26/2004 10/03/2004 - 10/10/2004 11/07/2004 - 11/14/2004 12/26/2004 - 01/02/2005 01/02/2005 - 01/09/2005 01/09/2005 - 01/16/2005 01/23/2005 - 01/30/2005 01/30/2005 - 02/06/2005 02/06/2005 - 02/13/2005 02/13/2005 - 02/20/2005 02/20/2005 - 02/27/2005 02/27/2005 - 03/06/2005 03/06/2005 - 03/13/2005 03/13/2005 - 03/20/2005 03/20/2005 - 03/27/2005 03/27/2005 - 04/03/2005 04/10/2005 - 04/17/2005 04/17/2005 - 04/24/2005 04/24/2005 - 05/01/2005 05/15/2005 - 05/22/2005 05/22/2005 - 05/29/2005 05/29/2005 - 06/05/2005 06/05/2005 - 06/12/2005 06/12/2005 - 06/19/2005 06/19/2005 - 06/26/2005 06/26/2005 - 07/03/2005 07/10/2005 - 07/17/2005 07/17/2005 - 07/24/2005 07/24/2005 - 07/31/2005 07/31/2005 - 08/07/2005 08/07/2005 - 08/14/2005 08/14/2005 - 08/21/2005 08/21/2005 - 08/28/2005 09/04/2005 - 09/11/2005 09/11/2005 - 09/18/2005 09/18/2005 - 09/25/2005 10/09/2005 - 10/16/2005 10/16/2005 - 10/23/2005 11/06/2005 - 11/13/2005 03/26/2006 - 04/02/2006 04/30/2006 - 05/07/2006 05/14/2006 - 05/21/2006 05/28/2006 - 06/04/2006 06/04/2006 - 06/11/2006 06/11/2006 - 06/18/2006 07/02/2006 - 07/09/2006 07/09/2006 - 07/16/2006 07/23/2006 - 07/30/2006 03/04/2007 - 03/11/2007 06/17/2007 - 06/24/2007 07/13/2008 - 07/20/2008 08/03/2008 - 08/10/2008 08/10/2008 - 08/17/2008 08/17/2008 - 08/24/2008 01/11/2009 - 01/18/2009

 

Number 3: Walter Johnson

He was "The Big Train," with the fastest fastball and the biggest curveball, and such magnificent control that batters didn't fear to stand in the box against him. Very few could hit him anyway. He was a good enough hitter that he could have been a competent major league outfielder, probably in right field with that powerful arm. But, unlike Babe Ruth, he was more valuable on the mound. Johnson pitched for 21 years with the Washington Senators, and played on a lot of terrible teams. In Johnson's rookie year, at age 19, he had a 5-9 record, in spite of a team-best 1.86 ERA, for a last-place team.

This was to be familiar territory, even as he was establishing himself as the top pitcher in the American League. Back-to-back 2nd place finishes in 1912 and 1913 were the exception, rather than the rule. Then, an aging Johnson led his team to pennants in 1924 and 1925, the first at age 36. The Senators won the World Series in 1924, and then lost in 1925 in 7 games. In 1924, after taking the loss in Games 1 and 5 as the starter, Johnson pitched 4 innings of relief to win Game 7, and provide the climax of his outstanding career.

Johnson earns 412.81 points on this rating system, easily ranking as the top pitcher of all time.

The greatest pitcher ever and one of the game's finest gentlemen, Walter Johnson.

Johnson's stats: 416-279 record, 2.17 ERA, 112 shutouts, 3506 K, 560 Win Shares.

posted by Shawn at 8:56 PM

 

Number 2: Barry Bonds.

He just completed what could reasonably be described as the best four consecutive seasons by a hitter in history, setting a single-season record for slugging percentage in 2001, then doing the same for on-base percentage in 2002, and upping his on-base again in 2004. According to Bill James' win shares system, Bonds is only the second player (the first was Ruth, of course, in 1920-21) to post consecutive years of 50 or more win shares. The totals for both are the same, 104 in the two years. He “slipped” to 30 Win Shares for 2003, but set a new personal high of 53 in 2004. Bonds has pushed his way to the front of the line among left fielders, past Stan Musial and coming up behind Ted Williams. He has now pushed himself into the #2 spot on this list.

Bonds was a good enough defender to play center field when he first came up, then moved to left field, but won Gold Gloves for his defense from that spot. Bonds combines power, speed, patience, and now his first batting title attests to his ability to be prolific. Holding the single-season home run title, with 73 (!) doesn't hurt either. Bonds got off to a slow career start, but was still valuable with speed and defense, as well as power and walks. Now, he may be the greatest offensive force ever.

You and I have been privileged to watch a legendary ball player at his peak, live and in person. Let's not let anything get in the way of that.

Bonds, through 2007, has 424.2 rating points.

Bonds' stats (through 2007): .298 average, 762 home runs, 1996 RBI, 514 SB, 2227 runs, 2558 BB, 8 Gold Gloves, 7 MVPs.

posted by Shawn at 7:09 PM

 

Number 1: Babe Ruth

Without a doubt, by any measure, the Babe is the greatest ever. No other player can be credited with changing the game as much as Ruth did. He took a game that was built around bunts, stolen bases, and the hit-and-run, and introduced the home run, the majestic, towering drive, the four-bagger. Oh, others had hit home runs, but usually just a few, and rules were often soon changed to deemphasize the offense. With the Black Sox World Series scandal as a backdrop, Ruth's changes stayed permanent. Soon a bevy of muscular sluggers were swinging for the fences.

Ruth was a "problem child," sent to an industrial school as a youth as an incorrigible behavior problem. He was a big, rough kid. Somehow, when he grew up, he kept that vulgarity that made him a favorite of the common people, especially children, but lost the violent edge. Ruth was just a kid when Jack Dunn, owner of the Baltimore Orioles (then a minor league team) found him in that Baltimore industrial school. Dunn saw a kid with a lot of ability, and made arrangements to become Ruth's guardian. Starting as a pitcher, the Babe quickly established himself as one of the best, and went to the best team in the American League, the Boston Red Sox.

Ruth helped the Red Sox win the World Series as a top pitcher, but soon was winning even more acclaim for his bat. But, his behavior was still far from that of a choir boy. Looking at him as a guy who would be an early flame-out, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees, previously a down-and-out franchise. The Red Sox didn't won a World Series again until 2004, and the Yankees have won 26.

Ruth soon hit 54 homers in a season, shattering the record of 29. Then he hit 59. Then, in 1927, he hit 60. He hit 714 in his career, a record that stood for many years. Besides that, he was a great pitcher until his teams decided he was more valuable for his bat. Ruth hit for a high average, drew tons of walks, and had good speed and played good defense in his younger days, before he started to gain too much weight in his 30s. He was an all-around great player, and the most prolific slugger ever to play the game, and the game's most popular figure ever.

By the rating system I have used, Ruth gets 433.86 points.

Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time.

Ruth's statistics: lifetime .342 average, 714 home runs, 2213 RBI. Pitching record 94-46, 2.28 ERA. 756 Win Shares.

posted by Shawn at 8:35 PM