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

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Number 19: Alex Rodriguez



This is a high position for a current player. Well, he started playing in the big leagues at age 18, and hit .358 as an everyday player at age 20. He already has over 600 home runs. And he played a pretty mean shortstop, too. Then in 2004, he became a great third baseman.



The only question left is just how good he can be, where he will fit in on the list of great players. He's reached the top twenty but has obviously slowed and will miss the first part of 2013. 647 homers and three MVP awards play into the legend. At this point being a top ten player looks like a longshot. He probably can't pass Honus Wagner as the top shortstop, though when rated as a third baseman he could be on top. Most of his value has come as a shortstop, so I still rate him there.



Rodriguez has earned 238.36 ratings points through 2012.



A-Rod's stats (through 2012): .300 average, 647 homers, 1950 RBI, 1898 runs, 2901 hits, .560 slugging.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 1:26 PM

 

Number 18: Randy Johnson

The "Big Unit" has followed a career path not unlike Sandy Koufax, but without the abrupt end. Johnson first appeared with Montreal in 1988 at age 24, after struggling to develop control in the minor leagues. He started 4 games that September, winning 3. The next year he got off to a poor start and was traded to Seattle, where he recovered. He established himself as a solid pitcher with the Mariners, striking out and walking lots of batters, but working regularly. In 1993, he turned a corner with his control, and became a dominating pitcher. He won 19 in 1993 and 18 in 1995. He missed most of 1996 with an injury, but returned to win 20 in 1997. After a 9-10 start in 1998, the Mariners traded him to Houston, with the Astros looking for a postseason ace. They made the playoffs as the Big Unit went 10-1 down the stretch, but lost in the first round despite Johnson pitching well twice, losing both times. Now Johnson was getting a rep as a poor big-game pitcher; after winning twice in the 1995 ALDS, he then lost 7 postseason games in a row.

Meanwhile, Johnson moved to Arizona in 1999 as a free agent. He became the ace of the Diamondbacks' staff, and was the key to the 2001 champions. After losing in the NLDS to reach that 7th straight, he won 2 games in the NLCS, then three in the World Series: Games 2 and 6 in starts, then Game 7 in relief, one of the all-time great clutch pitching performances. His first four years with Arizona netted him four Cy Young Awards, an amazing stretch that established him as one of the all-time greats.

Johnson earned 240.9 ratings points.

Johnson's stats: 303-166, 3.29 ERA, 4875 K, 5 Cy Young Awards.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 9:29 AM

 

Number 17: Jimmie Foxx.

"Double X" was a muscular Maryland farm boy, signed by the Philadelphia Athletics in 1925 at age 17, and put on the major league team immediately. Connie Mack tried him at catcher, but his defense was wanting. Besides, Mickey Cochrane was there. Foxx did a lot of pinch-hitting, played some outfield, caught some. In 1928, he tried third base, but again his defense was almost as damaging as his bat was promising. At age 20 that year, he batted .328 with 13 homers and 79 RBI in 400 at bats. In 1929, Foxx got the first base job full time, and made it his own, as the Athletics won three straight pennants and two World Series.

In 1932, the team slipped to second, although Foxx had his best season and threatened Ruth's record of 60 homers in a season, finishing with 58 and nearly winning the Triple Crown. He did win the Triple Crown in 1933, but the team around him was aging, and Mack started selling off some of the stars to raise the money that became harder to come by with the onset of the Depression. In 1935, they finished last, despite another fine year by Foxx, who even caught 26 games that year. After the season, Foxx was sold to the Red Sox, and continued his prodigious hitting in Fenway Park. The struggling Sox resurged, finishing 2nd in 1938 as Foxx nearly won another Triple Crown.

Foxx started fading with age as the 1940s approached, and in 1942 the Sox sent him to the Cubs. He was out of the game in 1943, but played again in 1944 and 45 with the War on and player supplies short. He faded fairly quickly, as slow strong players often do. But when he was in his prime, only one other first baseman was ever better, and he played in the same era.

Foxx earned 244.95 rating points.

Foxx's stats: .325 average, 534 home runs, 1921 RBI, 2646 hits, 1452 walks.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 1:50 PM

 

Number 16: Hank Aaron

He holds the all-time records for career home runs and RBI, as well as a handful of others. So why does it sometimes seem like Aaron doesn't get his due? Perhaps it is because he was so consistent, never hitting over 47 homers in a season. Perhaps because he played at about the same time as Willie Mays, whose flashier play often overshadowed him. Perhaps because his team, which should have dominated the 1957-63 era, only managed one World Championship in that time. At any rate, despite only one MVP award (1957, the World Championship year) Aaron put together a career that any ballplayer would envy. Battling racism, the pressure of chasing Ruth's records, and the ravages of time, Aaron built a legacy that cannot be denied, and did it with such a gentlemanly manner that he earned the respect of millions. He did it as a complete player, combining power, speed, and defense into a terrific package.

Aaron earned 267.79 rating points.

Aaron's stats: .305 average, 755 HR, 2297 RBI, 2174 runs, 3771 hits, .364 World Series average, 240 SB, 3 Gold Gloves, 643 Win Shares.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 1:34 PM

 

Number 15: Roger Clemens

The Rocket appeared on the major league scene in Boston in 1984. He had some sore arm troubles at first, a leftover from heavy work in his college days with Texas. But by 1986, he overpowered the AL on the way to a 24-4 record, and led the Sox to the 7th game of the World Series while winning the Cy Young and the MVP. He continued as one of the dominant pitchers of the league, winning Cy Youngs in 1987 and 1991. He started to struggle again in the mid-90s, winning but 40 games in 4 years 1993-96, and moved on to Toronto. He won 20 games twice with the Blue Jays, and the Cy Young both years north of the border, then signed with the Yankees. Red Sox fans were aghast. The Blue Jays in the same division were bad enough, but their erstwhile ace in pinstripes?

An aging Clemens was not dominant in New York, but pitched well and won his sixth Cy with a 20-3 season in 2001. Clemens continued to pitch at a high level even into his thirties and forties, more effective than almost any pitcher of any age, the mark of a truly great pitcher. He declared his retirement with the end of the 2003 season, but the Houston Astros persuaded him otherwise, and he won a 7th Cy in 2004 and nearly another in 2005. He wrapped up his career with a final season with the Yankees in 2007.

Clemens earns 268.68 rating points.

Clemens' stats: 354-184, 3.12 ERA, 4672 K, 46 shutouts, 3-0 in World Series.

posted by Shawn Weaver at 8:53 PM