Greatest living former baseball players?

[Faygo Kid]

Seems to be a sports day here on the Lounge, so OK. Recently, a poll determined the top five living former baseball players, and a couple of names didn't make the list. Willie Mays (justifiably) did, but STAN MUSIAL and WARREN SPAHN did not. Horrific. Check out Stan the Man's stats, all around excellence, and superb play. Absurd. Warren Spahn is ONLY the winningest left hander in baseball history. Good grief. Here's my top five:
1. Willie Mays (did it before steroids/human growth hormone)
2. Stan Musial
3. Warren Spahn
4. Tom Seaver
5. Al Kaline (a sentimental choice, so sue me).
Go for it, Koufax, Ryan, Carlton, Berra, F. Robby fans! There is no right or wrong here.

[flamingyouth]

1. I would add Hank Aaron

[Faygo Kid]

5. Ouch! You are so right!

I will replace Seaver with Aaron. This isn't that easy, is it?

[arwalden]

2. Cal Ripken... (as wholesome as milk)

[Bertha Venation]

3. my list

1. Nolan Ryan
2. Pete Rose

can't think of any others OTTOMH.

[GainesT1958]

4. Two guys with the last name of "Robinson"...

Brooks, and Frank! (Go O-R-I-O-L-E-S!) :D

Also, Bob Gibson--still one of the greatest pitchers of all time!

B-)

[UrbScotty]

6. Two words: WILLIE MAYS!

I love the man!

[SiobhanClancy]

10. Willie gets my vote,too

Greatest living ballplayer(now that Ted is gone)

[chaumont58]

18. I saw Mays for the first time in 1960

I had just returned from overseas. I and two family members attended a game at Candlestick. It opened that year. Mays' presense on the field was ELECTRIC. After all these years, I still struggle to describe his presense. He was the best I ever saw. I saw Aaron, Mantle, Clemente, most of the great players of the 60s and 70s. No one ever brought more to the game than number 24. He was SOMETHING.

[BrotherBuzz]

23. Lucky us, I first saw Mays in 1958...

at Seals' stadium, and he was da best! He had it all; a good stick, fantastic speed, and an incredible arm. Say Hey, slice it anyway you want, Mays was simply the best, but one can only wonder what May's stats could have been if he didn't play at that miserable Candlestick park for all those years.

[Faygo Kid]

30. Also lost two years to the service

Finished with 660 home runs. Would have broken Ruth's 714, if he hadn't lost years to the armed services. That's one reason I put him number 1.

[Nailzberg]

7. Ryne Sandberg

Carlton Fisk
Nolan Ryan
Cal Ripken
Willie Mays
Ernie Banks

although anyone listed by other has a good case also. Frankly, with all the retired players out there, you could make an arguement for about a hundred different guys.

[Faygo Kid]

8. A Cubs fan? My condolences

Always a big fan of Billy Williams, too, although he doesn't make the top five.

[Nailzberg]

14. Why do I have to be a Cubs fan to like Sandberg?

I like Fisk but can't stand the Red Sox.

Sandberg's stats speak for themselves.
In 16 seasons over 2,164 games, he committed 120 errors.
He had a .989 career fielding %.

Not spectacular at the plate, but a solid hitter that any manager would want. He hit in the clutch, and found a way to get on base.

1318 runs, 2386 hits, 403 doubles, 76 Triples, 282 Homers, 1061 RBIs, .285 career BA, .344 on base%, .452 Slugging%

Incidentally, I am a Cubs fan. It was watching Ryno that made me that way.

[ProfessorGAC]

22. Another Note Stats Don't Reveal

He spent a large part of his career with Larry "No Range" Bowa playing to his right and either Bill "Bad Wheels" Buckner or Leon "No Glove" Durham playing to his left.

Until he had Dunston and Grace, anything from 10 feet left of 2nd base to the first base line was his ball. He led the league in chances by a 2nd baseman either 6 or 7 times. So, he had range as well as sure hands. (The obverse, by the way, of Bowa, who had good hands but didn't get to balls my mother could have gotten to.)

Ryno is the best 2nd baseman i've ever seen, and i've been watching baseball since 1960.
The Professor

[bif]

9. Alan Trammell and Lous Whittaker

also Bob Lemon (I think he's still around)

[Faygo Kid]

11. Tigers fan, too (God help me)

Al and Lou should go into the Hall of Fame as the greatest keystone combo ever. Bob Lemon is a great choice; don't forget Bob Feller, who just turned 86 yesterday.

[bif]

21. Al & Lou spoiled us

they sure made turning a double play look easy, didn't they?

[ProfessorGAC]

12. Drop Kaline, Add Aaron

Everything else i like.

Normally, when these discussions turn up, though, i like to separate position players from pitchers. It seems more fair that way.

The Professor

[grannylib]

13. Harmon Killebrew Never mind...sorry! Missed the "living" part sheesh.....

[Faygo Kid]

16. Killebrew died?!? I missed it.

So sorry. When and where? I loved the mid-60s Twins, with Killebrew, Allison, Oliva, Kubek (who should be in the Hall). They were my second-favorite baseball cards, next, of course, to the Tigers (Reds were third - who knows why?). So sorry to have missed the death of a great player, and Hall of Famer. The pennant, and Zoilo Versailles(sp)wins MVP in the American League (64 or 65? Getting old, I guess).

[grannylib]

19. And don't forget my personal favorite, catcher Earl Battie (sp?)

I was only 3 when I lived about 6 blocks from old Met Stadium; went to a couple games with my dad and brother.

[Faygo Kid]

28. Earl Battey

Still have his baseball card. A fine player.

[Twillig]

31. If he's dead, everybody missed it

'Cause he's not. Unless I missed it, too. Along with the entire internet...

[maveric]

35. Harmon is alive and well!

He was on a sports show earlier this season discussing Sosa and Palmeiro entering the 500 club.

[theHandpuppet]

15. Pete Rose!

Please... Al Kaline before Pete Rose? Let's have a bit of objectivity here. I'd nominate half of the players of the Big Red Machine before Kaline. (Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tony Perez, et al...)

[Faygo Kid]

17. Don't need to be objective

Kaline was my idol as a kid. Without so many injuries, his stats would have blown away any of the players you name but Rose. He was a great player (no knock on yours). I am sticking with him. So there. See you on the playground.

[pnb]

20. my 5

Hank Aaron
Nolan Ryan
Sandy Koufax (lousy start but what a finish)
Pete Rose
Frank Robinson

BTW, as soon as Rickey Henderson finally retires, he immediately comes on this list

[WindRavenX]

33. Nolan Ryan fer sure

And Koufax gets my vote.
I dunno, I just have more reverence of pitchers than any other position player...being a great, and I mean GREAT pitcher, is something that comes along maybe once a decade...I mean, basically, in the 80's it was Clemens, in the 90's it was Pedro, IMO.

[ironflange]

24. Ted Williams

Well, sort of.

:evilgrin:

[SiobhanClancy]

32. Grrrr...

It's not Ted's fault he's in the...mmm..condition that he's in. I know it's funny,but it still makes me kind of sick and sad:(

[mitchum]

25. Aaron, Rose, Mays, Koufax, Musial

[maveric]

36. Koufax had only 5 good years. He spent many years with no control.

And was just an obscure spot starter. Those 5 years, 62 - 66, were great years but he wasnt around long enough to make my list. Only 165 wins.

[Norbert]

26. 1. Say Hey

2. Henry Aaron
3. Johnny Bench
4. Sandy Koufax
5. Yaz

[Spirochete]

27. Mike Schmidt

Kirby Puckett

[Faygo Kid]

29. Yes on Schmidt, no on Puckett

Mike Schmidt was great. Kirby Puckett was excellent - but not there with Spahn, Musial, Gibson, etc.

[maveric]

34. Add Ernie Banks, Carl Yastrzemski, Bob Gibson,Bob Feller

Pete Rose (Yes one of the very best),Juan Marichal,Mays,Aaron,Musial,
Tony Gwynn, Duke Snider, Frank Robinson,Lou Brock...

[Faygo Kid]

37. No argument, but is Snider still alive?

Thought he left us. Surprised no one has pushed for Steve Carlton, as of yet.

[5thGenDemocrat]

39. Mickey Lolich

Right -- Spahn and Carlton have more Ks, but I'll die and rot in hell before I let a Greatest Living Ballplayer list go by and not give a shout out to the Fat Man. I was 12 during the 1968 World Series and not only did the Mick beat the Cardinals THREE times, but he also hit the only home run of his career (Little League, high school, Connie Mack, minor and major league) during that classic.
John
One of many Tiger fans here -- but the world's number one Mickey fan.
Oh, and like him or lump him, but doesn't Roger Clemens qualify for consideration here? I know he's only been retired for two weeks or so -- but he's a good a pitcher as there's ever been. Except, of course, for Mickey Lolich.

[MissMillie]

38. I was wondering when someone was going to get to Carl

Love him! Love him! The man we call YAZ!