Does Ken Griffey Jr make your top ten?

[TheEdge07]

Does Jr make your top ten of all time.

Hes my starting CF over Mays and Mantle.

[Robert Goren]

Does Jr make your top ten of all time.

Hes my starting CF over Mays and Mantle.No way he is not even #3, Joltin Joe is in there too.

[TheEdge07]

No way he is not even #3, Joltin Joe is in there too.

Your nuts

[Johnny V]

Griffey is definitely in my top ten center fielders. Although these things are subjective in many ways IMO these are my top 10 hitting center fielders.
Di Maggio
Mantle
Cobb
Mays
Speaker
Griffey
Snider
Averil
W. Berger
L Doby
Puckett
Not necessarily in that exact order maybe but close enough. You can try and split hairs and separate some and it is fun to argue their relative merits but I don't think it is going to matter that much because these players out up some big numbers. I listed 11 because I just hate to leave out Kirby Puckett.

[ElKabong]

Does Jr make your top ten of all time.

Hes my starting CF over Mays and Mantle.

I can think of almost a dozen CF's in my lifetime I'd rather have than Junior

Richie Ashburn, anyone? 500 PO's multiple times in his career.

Junior only reached 400 PO's once

Once

And only once

Overrated by a mile

[speed]

Does Jr make your top ten of all time.

Hes my starting CF over Mays and Mantle.
For this comment and only this comment you deserve to be placed on IGNORE. :lol:

[TheEdge07]

Wait im talking top ten player of all time...

1.Bonds
2.Mays
3.Ruth
4.Mantle
5.Cobb
6.Joe D
7.Jr
8.Clemens
9.Lou Gehrig
10.Roberto Clemente

[TheEdge07]

For this comment and only this comment you deserve to be placed on IGNORE. :lol:

Ever watch Jr??Seriously?

All Century team!

Career highlights and awards

13× All-Star (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game) (1990 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1991 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1992 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1993 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1994 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1995 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1996 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1997 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1998 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 1999 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 2000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 2004 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game), 2007 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game))
10× Gold Glove Award (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Glove_Award) (1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
7× Silver Slugger Award (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Slugger_Award) (1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
1997 AL MVP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_Most_Valuable_Player_Award)
1992 MLB All-Star Game MVP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_All-Star_Game_Most_Valuable_Player_Award)
2005 NL Comeback Player of the Year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_Comeback_Player_of_the_Year_ Award)
3× Home Run Derby (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Run_Derby) winner (1994, 1998, 1999)
4× AL home run champion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_home_run_champions) (1994, 1997, 1998, 1999)
AL RBI champion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_RBI_champions) (1997)
Major League Baseball All-Century Team (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball_All-Century_Team)

[Johnny V]

Edge:
All time hitters vice all time center fielders I guess I would have to leave Griffey off my list.
Ruth
Williams
Gehrig
Bonds
Foxx
Greenberg
Hornsby
McGuire
DiMaggio
Mantle
Musial
I have 11 because it is hard for me to separate DiMaggio and Mantle IMO. I know, how could I leave Cobb and Mays off? How could you leave Williams and Musial off? It is tough to leave any of those guys off (including Griffey) because they were all great hitters. I noticed you have a pitcher in there, Clemens. I think a separate list for pitchers would be better than to try and mix them together. It is tough enough just picking hitters.

[speed]

Wait im talking top ten player of all time...

1.Bonds
2.Mays
3.Ruth
4.Mantle
5.Cobb
6.Joe D
7.Jr
8.Clemens
9.Lou Gehrig
10.Roberto Clemente
You said JR was ur starting CF ahead of Mays and Mantle but on ur list he's behind them.
Best of Luck

[wiffleball whizz]

Jr and Rickey Henderson top 10 easy maybe even top 5....that's my opinion

[cj's dad]

Does Jr make your top ten of all time.

Hes my starting CF over Mays and Mantle.

Are you serious? He is probably not even in the top 20

[wiffleball whizz]

You said JR was ur starting CF ahead of Mays and Mantle but on ur list he's behind them.
Best of Luck

Clemens 8 lololOlolololololo

I can see bonds being high up

I have no problem with the original poster having high regards for jr,...im 32 and I think he is the most talented player I've seen.....I never saw mays play but both at there best it's hard to argue anybody could be better then jr.....

And who as kids OR had kids that begged them to buy them this card....arguably one of the hottest cards ever to come out since 1989

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000YHQRXS

Had to be my favorite card.....along with Orel hershiser juggling balls and billy Ripken f*** face on that bat knob

[JustRalph]

I don't see him in the top ten, maybe not the top twenty for one reason. He was injured too much. He was stealing his money in Cincinnati

I have to admit he had a sweet swing though..........perfect stroke

[Stillriledup]

If you believe Jr was clean, and a lot of his major competition were taking an 'edge', you can make the case that he was one of the best players, while clean, and the other guys still couldnt keep up with him.

[TheEdge07]

You said JR was ur starting CF ahead of Mays and Mantle but on ur list he's behind them.
Best of Luck

Wasnt in any particular order my bad...

Bonds imo is the greatest baseball player that will ever play the game..

And if you think steroids was the sole reason for putting up xbox numbers then your wrong..

If lets say 40% of players were juicing then where are all the xbox stats..??

[Johnny V]

It may be easier to just pick the all time team than try and pick apart the relative merits of our so called top ten. It becomes more apparent, at least to me that way. My all time all star team is as follows by the best hitters ever at that position. Only retired players.
AL POS. NL
Gehrig 1B McGuire
Gehringer 2B Hornsby
Cronin SS H. Wagner
Brett 3B C. Jones
Cochrane C Piazza
Williams LF Bonds
DiMaggio CF Mays
Ruth RF Musial
This kind of solves the problem for me of separating some of the greats. For example R. Henderson. He is one of the best ever but are you going to start him in LF over Ted Williams? Ruth and Williams are the best hitters ever for me and I think the the best player is Ruth because not only was he such a great hitter but was a very accomplished pitcher as well plus what he did for the game as a whole. JMO but those are two wrecking ball line ups.

[Robert Goren]

Your nutsYou need to watch a little film of Joe D. not only hitting, but also playing CF. There was never a more graceful player. Joe D has a record that will never be broken and a lot of rings. Jr has a lot of money.

[Marshall Bennett]

Lots of greats to choose from. Can't imagine leaving Ted Williams or Dimaggio off list. Ruth is a given as well as Lou Gehrig on most list. Barry Bonds* can hardly be left off with the records** he holds. Doubt I could squeeze Griffey Jr. in the top ten, but I'd find a spot in top 20. Mantle, Maris, and Mays were all good hitters and fielders. Always liked watching Yaz in left field at Fenway.
Tough to narrow down a list, there were so many good ones.

* denotes steroid abuser
** accomplished with steroid help

[TheEdge07]

You need to watch a little film of Joe D. not only hitting, but also playing CF. There was never a more graceful player. Joe D has a record that will never be broken and a lot of rings. Jr has a lot of money.

Players are better now..

[speed]

Players are better now..
Oy Vey :lol:

[elysiantraveller]

When its all said in Miguel Cabrera will be on most of our lists...

I'm surprised actually know one would have already reached for him.

[TheEdge07]

When its all said in Miguel Cabrera will be on most of our lists...

I'm surprised actually know one would have already reached for him.

Which list all time great or HGH list?

[TheEdge07]

Oy Vey :lol:

There not?:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[RaceBookJoe]

Players are better now..

Not sure better is the word, but they are for the most part faster, bigger and stronger. Actually see this more in football, but does apply to most sports.

[RaceBookJoe]

Griffey a very good ballplayer with probably one of the most beautiful and fluid swings I have seen. Not sure he makes my top 3 though.

[Stillriledup]

Oy Vey :lol:

They're not? I don't remember seeing someone look like Mike Trout (for example) in the 1970s and 1980s.

[Stillriledup]

Not sure better is the word, but they are for the most part faster, bigger and stronger. Actually see this more in football, but does apply to most sports.

But if they're bigger faster and stronger, doesnt that make them better?

[RaceBookJoe]

But if they're bigger faster and stronger, doesnt that make them better?

Only if they can see the ball coming at them :)

[Robert Fischer]

Baseball is a little different.

The best baseball players from the 30's and 40's would be allstars today and some may be superstars.

The best football players from the 30's and 40's would have to get a real job today, as they wouldn't be in the NFL for the most part.

[elysiantraveller]

Baseball is a little different.

The best baseball players from the 30's and 40's would be allstars today and some may be superstars.

The best football players from the 30's and 40's would have to get a real job today, as they wouldn't be in the NFL for the most part.

I agree for the most part. The bigger,faster, stonger stuff is definitely more noticeable in Football. I don't think you even need to go back as far as you did. I don't think great players even from the 70's would make most rosters.

[Marshall Bennett]

Hard to compare past and present even with baseball. Balls are spun tighter and travel further now, bats are made better as well as fielder's gloves. The pitcher's mound was lowered 45 years ago as pitchers evolved faster than hitters. Player's weren't traded very often, free agency didn't exist. Staying with one club for 10 or 15 years had to be an advantage, but then again players worked much harder. No closers to speak of or set up pitchers. Relievers were basically 2nd string pitchers. The ballparks were different.
I'd say baseball's changed quite a lot.

[Stillriledup]

Baseball is a little different.

The best baseball players from the 30's and 40's would be allstars today and some may be superstars.

The best football players from the 30's and 40's would have to get a real job today, as they wouldn't be in the NFL for the most part.

Human beings were much smaller in that generation, other than Dustin Pedroia and a few others, there arent too many small superstars...the game is filled with huge human beings with tremendous skill, great bat speed, can throw 95, can run like the wind and hit the ball for power. A player like Pedroia is very good and is a borderline superstar and at least a borderline HOF player, but isnt he as good as it can get for small human beings?

[Stillriledup]

Hard to compare past and present even with baseball. Balls are spun tighter and travel further now, bats are made better as well as fielder's gloves. The pitcher's mound was lowered 45 years ago as pitchers evolved faster than hitters. Player's weren't traded very often, free agency didn't exist. Staying with one club for 10 or 15 years had to be an advantage, but then again players worked much harder. No closers to speak of or set up pitchers. Relievers were basically 2nd string pitchers. The ballparks were different.
I'd say baseball's changed quite a lot.

The talent pool is much much larger.....when Ruth and Gehrig played, they just played against the best white guys from the USA. Now, you have players from all over the world, you have many non white players too, so its harder to be great nowadays, just much more competition.

[Robert Fischer]

Human beings were much smaller in that generation, other than Dustin Pedroia and a few others, there arent too many small superstars...the game is filled with huge human beings with tremendous skill, great bat speed, can throw 95, can run like the wind and hit the ball for power. A player like Pedroia is very good and is a borderline superstar and at least a borderline HOF player, but isnt he as good as it can get for small human beings?
Dustin Pedroia 5 6 165

You act like players in the 1930s were all jockeys

Joe Dimaggio 6'2 190
Gehrig 6'0 200
Cobb 6'1 175
Heilmann 6'1 195
Foxx 6'0 195


Even if these guys magically stayed on the same diets/workouts and didn't gain 20+ lbs they would be stars.

A good comparison would be Ichiro (even though he doesn't know how to draw walks, and he doesn't hit for power). Ichiro is a player who is 90%technical skill and 10% ability.
PLENTY of room for skill in baseball hitting.

[buzzy]

Put in perspective how great Ruth was, I agree athletes today are physically way ahead of the past. IMO pitching and hitting a baseball (consistently) are arguably the hardest in sports. The babe did both.., not only hit over 700 home runs but had I believe a 360 lifetime BA..and didn't he hold a record for shutout innings that held for a couple of decades?

[Robert Fischer]

Put in perspective how great Ruth was, I agree athletes today are physically way ahead of the past. IMO pitching and hitting a baseball (consistently) are arguably the hardest in sports. The babe did both.., not only hit over 700 home runs but had I believe a 360 lifetime BA..and didn't he hold a record for shutout innings that held for a couple of decades?

Ruth had the consecutive scoreless world-series innings record of 29 and 2/3s innings (from 1918), which was broken in 1961 by Whitey Ford.

When Ruth came into the league he was pretty well put together at around 6'3 200ish.


http://www.fotoshack.us/fotos/20111ruth%20pitch.jpghttp://90feetofperfection.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/babe-ruth-boston.jpg

Of course he was a monster in his time, and there are plenty of guys bigger in today's game.

Baseball is just kind of a unique game IMO.

Size Speed and Strength help a great deal, but a good percentage of the players are just not that skilled. The masters of the game, particularly the hitters, would do well in any era.

[Valuist]

Dustin Pedroia 5 6 165


A good comparison would be Ichiro (even though he doesn't know how to draw walks, and he doesn't hit for power). Ichiro is a player who is 90%technical skill and 10% ability.
PLENTY of room for skill in baseball hitting.

Throwing arm and speed are part of the ability factor, and Ichiro is not lacking in either of those features.

[Johnny V]

Another thing to maybe take into consideration is that there were only 8 teams in each league for decades. The top athletes went into baseball. Football and basketball were really nothing so baseball was the only major team sport. They had many more minor league and semi pro teams and plenty of competition. There was only room for the best in the major leagues. There are so many other team sports with popularity today siphoning off the potential baseball athlete. With that in mind and the expansion of the many teams in baseball there are many hitters and pitchers in the game today who just would not have made it to the major leagues back in those days.
I think the superstars of today would have been superstars of that era and vice versa. But the the average player with those small fielding gloves, no batting gloves, and even just the field conditions of the day were every bit as good IMO and maybe even better in skill level than some of the players we have today in some cases.

[ElKabong]

When its all said in Miguel Cabrera will be on most of our lists...

I'm surprised actually know one would have already reached for him.

Horrible defensive player, a liability in the field

[cj's dad]

Does Jr make your top ten of all time.

Hes my starting CF over Mays and Mantle.

Is this post written tongue in cheek. KG couldn't shine the shoes of Mantle/Mays/DiMaggio/TY Cobb/Tris Speaker/Duke Snyder.

Yes, he is probably in the top 10, but to rate him ahead of the players I listed is IMO absurd.

[ManU918]

I just got around to reading this thread.... Some of these lists are comical. How could anyone seriously put Griffey as a top 10 player.... Shit i would have a problem putting him in my top 50. Did I seriously see a list with Griffey and Clemens in the top 10?

Off the top of my head my top 10 in no order would be:
Ruth
Cobb
Mays
Williams
Foxx
Gehrig
Johnson
Wagner
Mathewson
Hornsby

[TheEdge07]

Folks players are better today..hitters are facing picthers who are specialists..i know scouts who said griffey easily is a top ten players if all time...mays..mantle..arent anywhere the ball player bonds was..
when mays dimaggio mantle played they were less latin players..
Ill take nine players from the 80s90s and today and i have the better team..between my letf fielder bonds and cf griffey i have over 1300 hrs and gold gloves up the wazoo...
Take ruth mantle mays dimaggio gehrig..
Ill take pujols in his prime..take bench ill take ivan rodriguez..take banks ill take arod take robinson ..ill take schmidt or brett...
Players are better faster stronger and better hitters today.

[Valuist]

I agree for the most part. The bigger,faster, stonger stuff is definitely more noticeable in Football. I don't think you even need to go back as far as you did. I don't think great players even from the 70's would make most rosters.

I would agree on the eras before the league was integrated. I watched in the 70s, and there were plenty of fast players back then, at least at the skill positions. Probably the biggest difference is the improvement of speed at a number of defensive positions.

Having said that, players nowadays aren't as fundamentally sound. I've said before that high school football players, overall, are probably smarter than D-1 football players. Why? Most HS players are fans of the game, and only a small percentage of them will play at the D-1 level. Yet, many guys are given D-1 scholarships because of a 40 yard time, or a bench press or squat number. Its more about potential than results. By the time the athletic freaks get into the pros, they eventually learn the game. But the number of stupid mistakes I see in college football is mind blowing. A guy is going for a clear TD and some idiot does a pointless block in the back 30 yards away.