All-Time Gold Glove Team
Rawlings is hosting an on-line vote for the All-Time Gold Glove Team. (Cast your ballot HERE. )
Since all baseball fans are eagerly anticipating a good argument, let’s let one loose here.:
* Who do you think deserves recognition as the best of the best at each position?
* Who do you think is the best of the best across all positions?
PITCHER:
Bob Gibson
Jim Kaat
Greg Maddux
CATCHER:
Johnny Bench
Bob Boone
Bill Freehan
Ivan Rodriguez
Jim Sundberg
FIRST BASE:
Keith Hernandez
Don Mattingly
Wes Parker
Vic Power
J.T. Snow
Bill White
SECOND BASE:
Roberto Alomar
Bill Mazeroski
Joe Morgan
Bobby Richardson
Ryne Sandberg
Frank White
THIRD BASE:
Buddy Bell
Ken Boyer
Eric Chavez
Brooks Robinson
Scott Rolen
Mike Schmidt
SHORTSTOP:
Luis Aparicio
Mark Belanger
Dave Concepion
Derek Jeter
Ozzie Smith
Omar Vizquel
OUTFIELD:
Paul Blair
Roberto Clemente
Andre Dawson
Jim Edmonds
Dwight Evans
Curt Flood
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Torii Hunter
Andruw Jones
Al Kaline
Garry Maddox
Willie Mays
Kirby Puckett
Ichiro Suzuki
Larry Walker
Devon White
Dave Winfield
Carl Yastrzemski
Since all baseball fans are eagerly anticipating a good argument, let’s let one loose here.:
* Who do you think deserves recognition as the best of the best at each position?
* Who do you think is the best of the best across all positions?
PITCHER:
Bob Gibson
Jim Kaat
Greg Maddux
CATCHER:
Johnny Bench
Bob Boone
Bill Freehan
Ivan Rodriguez
Jim Sundberg
FIRST BASE:
Keith Hernandez
Don Mattingly
Wes Parker
Vic Power
J.T. Snow
Bill White
SECOND BASE:
Roberto Alomar
Bill Mazeroski
Joe Morgan
Bobby Richardson
Ryne Sandberg
Frank White
THIRD BASE:
Buddy Bell
Ken Boyer
Eric Chavez
Brooks Robinson
Scott Rolen
Mike Schmidt
SHORTSTOP:
Luis Aparicio
Mark Belanger
Dave Concepion
Derek Jeter
Ozzie Smith
Omar Vizquel
OUTFIELD:
Paul Blair
Roberto Clemente
Andre Dawson
Jim Edmonds
Dwight Evans
Curt Flood
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Torii Hunter
Andruw Jones
Al Kaline
Garry Maddox
Willie Mays
Kirby Puckett
Ichiro Suzuki
Larry Walker
Devon White
Dave Winfield
Carl Yastrzemski
posted by Al Sturgeon | 11:17 AM
9 Comments:
I'm not a serious enough baseball fan to really participate in this discussion. I mean, I've never even heard of some of the people on your list.
My contribution will be that the best defensive 3rd baseman I ever saw was Graig Nettles. It would be hard for me to leave Matt Williams off that list, too.
The presence(s) of Derek Jeter and Devon White on this list gags me.
And with all due respect to The Oz, it's hard to think of a better shortstop than Omar Vizquel.
I'm not serious enough a fan either. So am I silly to ask: Eric Chavez? Is he really that good?
I can't complain too much about your list. I don't really know that stats that well. Glad you included Rhyno at 2B.
How 'bout Dave Parker? Out of the thousands of plays I have seen over the years, I still vividly remember one from an All-Star Game (probably late 70's or early 80's). Parker fielded a ball in deep right field and threw a rocket to Gary Carter waiting at home.
I had a set of baseball cards when I was about 12 years old. The men on those cards are about the only baseball players I know. Some of them are probably dead now. Actually some of them where dead even then come to think of it - i.e. Ty Cobb.
The cards are now worthless. Mainly because I drew glasses, stitches, black eyes, and mustaches on their faces. All except for Rollie Fingers. His mustache was already pretty funny!
Now, here's my vote for All-Time team based on a very uninformed process:
Pitcher: Nolan Ryan. I am writing him in. Why? Because of the way he headlocked Robin Ventura in 1993 and lunched him in the face 6 times. That'll teach that young buck to rush the mound.
Catcher: Johnny Bench. No runs, no drips, no errors. Anyone remember that?
1st Base: Keith Hernandez. He was on Seinfeld!
2nd Base: Ryne Sandberg. About the only one I recognize.
3rd Base: Brooks Robinson. I think I had one of his cards.
Shortstop: Ozzie Smith. Maybe Derek Jeter. But Ozzie is just a cooler name.
Outfield: Willie Mays. He's the most famous of the lot.
So, my logic is mostly based on nostalgia. But isn't a large part of baseball nostalgia?
Further, I question the legitimacy of any list of great defensive shortstops that includes neither Mark Grudzielanek nor Jose Offerman.
And Steve Sax should totally be on the 2B list.
Several thoughts:
* First of all, to Juvenal and Mikey, you two of all people should know that seriousness is not a prerequisite for participation on the houseflies. I mean, I've been found talking literature with both of you. :-)
* And a point of clarification: this was not MY list, but simply copied from the Rawlings ballot. Their list came from supposed "baseball purists and historians." Whatever that means.
* And Soren, weird, but I thought about the same Dave Parker play when I was looking through the list of outfielders! Must have been a formative moment in both of our lives! I think that Parker was too slow to be a "real" defensive guy, but his arm was amazing.
* Chris has the spirit, so let me enter the fray:
PITCHER: Bob Gibson (mostly cuz I'm a Cardinals fan, but...) - his glare was defense before the ball was even pitched... Jim "Kitty" Kaat was a great fielder cuz they hit the ball back at him so often, so that doesn't count... Maddux probably deserves it, but he was both a Brave and a Cub, so I'm not allowed to vote for him... (double whammy)
CATCHER: Johnny Bench (Chris explained it well)
1ST: I'm with Hernandez, too - mostly cuz he cheated by leaving the bag early, but he was so good at it that it worked...
2ND: Bobby Richardson - he's a member of the Church of Christ, which is a good reason to be defensive...
3RD: Brooks Robinson, because of his reputation AND because I now have an autographed baseball from him - although both Rolen & Schmidt are hard to pass over...
SS: Wizard of Oz - my all-time favorite player (even if Terry is right)
OF: I think we get to pick three: (1) Wilie Mays, because of one catch I've seen a million times; (2) Roberto Clemente, because he died helping poor people; (3) toss-up between Torii Hunter and Jimmy Edmonds - for a lot more circus catches than anyone...
Who in the wide, wide world of sports are Bill Freehan, Vic Power, Bill White, Bobby Richardson, and Paul Blair?
I think the list of 2nd basemen is indicative of just how dull a defensive position 2nd base is. It's not far behind 1st as the easiest position to field.
At SS, I think it's Ozzie and Omar, a big gap, then everybody else. I'm inclined to say that if Jeter played for anybody but the Yankees, he wouldn't be on the list. OTOH, I'm a bit stunned that neither DiMaggio nor Mantle made the OF list.
Why are there only 3 pitchers? What happened to the likes of Kenny Rodgers, Tom Glavine, Orel Hershiser? All were/are terrific fielding pitchers (probably better fielders than some of the people on the 2B list). And those are just off the top of my head; I'm sure there are many others whose names could run the list to a full 6 (or more).
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