Best MLB Players by Position

In my last post, I looked at best player per city/franchise. In this post, I’ll do so by position.

As I did last time, I’ll base this mostly on WAR. There’ll be a few exceptions, especially when it comes to the steroid era.

Finally, the player will have had to play the majority of his career at that position.

Alright? Let’s go!

Catcher – Johnny Bench

Hard to believe, but our first catcher comes in at #84. I guess I always assumed that that position is difficult enough that he’d be a lot higher (though I always did see Bench as #1).

Bench is a pretty solid pick here, with 2 MVPs, 2 league crowns for HRs, and 3 for RBIs. Seeing 4 World Series with the Big Red Machine (he was a Reds lifer), he was WS MVP in 1976. Oh, and let’s not forget those 10 Gold Gloves.

After Bench comes Gary Carter at #103, Ivan Rodriguez at #112, Carlton Fisk at #119, and Yogi Berra and Mike Piazza at #197.

1st Base – Lou Gehrig

First base is usually a pretty productive position. Sure enough, Gehrig comes in in the top 20, at #18. This one was a pretty easy guess as well.

Gehrig was MVP twice, led the league in RBIs 5 times, runs 4 times, and homers 3 times. He also finished just short of 500 HRs and 2000 RBIs. In 7 World Series, he batted 361 with 10 HRs and 35 RBIs. Oh, and then there was that streak, right?

Coming in a surprising 2nd is Cap Anson at #39, followed  closely by Jimmie Foxx at #41. Also in the top 75 are Roger Connor (55), Jeff Bagwell (65) and Dan Brouthers (70).

2nd Base – Rogers Hornsby

I’ve always been a huge fan of Hornsby, so this was a pretty easy pick too. He comes in at a very respectable #12.

What was  so good about Rajah? Well how about 11 league WAR titles, 7 batting titles (including 2 over 400), 2 MVPs, and 2 Triple Crowns?  He also had not quite 3000 hits and finished with the 3rd best career batting average ever.

What’s interesting is that Eddie Collins come right after him at #13. Nap Lajoie (24),  Joe Morgan (31) and Charlie Gehringer (53) round out the top 75. 

SS – Honus Wagner

Shortstop is another primo position for WAR. Not too suprisingly, we’ve got our top SS in the top 10 overall – Honus Wagner, right at #10. Pretty much guessed this one as well. Being a huge Pirates fan probably helped here.

Wagner was perhaps the original 5-tool player – hit for average, hit for power, run, field, and throw. He led the league 11 times in WAR, 8 in batting titles, and 5 in stolen bases. He was also an inaugural member at Cooperstown. 

Next is A-Rod, at # 16 (I would definitely bump him down some, though, for PEDs). The real old-timer George Davis comes in at #54. Finally, there are a number of shortstops in the 70s – Arky Vaughn (72), Robin Yount (73), Luke Appling (75), Ozzie Smith (76), and Bobby Wallace (77).

3rd Base – Mike Schmidt

As an old Oriole fan, I wanted so much for this to be Brooks Robinson (71) or Cal Ripken Jr. (35). That guy from just up I-95, though, comes in at #24. To be totally honest, this was a pretty easy pick as well.

Schmidt led the NL in homers no less than 8 times (finishing with 548), RBIs 4, and WAR 4 times. He was also a 3-time MVP and a 10-time Gold Glover. He also led the the Phils to their 1st World Series ever in 1980, winning the WS MVP to boot.

Adrian Beltre (40), Wade Boggs (43), and Jim Thome (90) are the only other 3rd basemen in the top 100. Little surprised at Beltre ranking so high.

OF – Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Willie Mays

Yup, these are numbers 1 (Ruth), 5 (Mays), and 6 (Cobb). No real surprises except for maybe Mays. I would have thought Aaron (7), Williams (14), and maybe Musial (11) might have had a chance.  Tris Speaker, at #9 actually beat out two of those guys. Rickey Henderson (19), Mel Ott (20), Mickey Mantle (21), and Frank Robinson (23) round out the other OFs in the top 25.

Who’s not there is Barry Bonds, who came in at #4, but might have had a little too much help getting there.

SP – Walter Johnson, Cy Young, Grover Alexander, Lefty Grove

For starting pitchers, we’ve got numbers 2 and 3 (Johnson and Young), 15 (Alexander), and 26 (Grove). Those are my picks at least.

I’m actually leaving a few out this time – Roger Clemens (8, but a cheater), Kid Nichols (17, but just too long ago), and Tom Seaver (22). Faves of mine who didn’t make it were Christy Matthewson (27), Bob Gibson (47), Warren Spahn (32), and Sandy Koufax (337!).

Ditto

Closer – Mariano Rivera

This one was hard, as closers just don’t get any respect WAR-wise. Rivera, for example, comes in #233, tied with Johnny Damon (!?!?). 

The only others in the top 1000 are Lee Smith (933), Trevor Hoffman (979), and Billy Wagner (996). So, no Rollie Fingers, Dennis Eckersely, Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, Hoyt Wilhelm … Guys like Amos Strunk, Jouett Meekin, Reb Russell, and Denard Span all outrank them.

As for Rivera, he set MLB records for saves, games finished, and ERA+. He was also an All Star for 13 years, and lead the AL in saves for 4. He was the first and only player voted in to Cooperstown unanimously.

It’s in the postseason, though, where Mo really shone. I’m talking 32 different playoff series, an 8-1 record, 0.70 ERA, and 42 saves.

MLB – Best Player by Team

I think about this a lot (you know, like if I’m trying to fall asleep), but never actually committed it to paper.

Coupla notes:

• This is going to be mostly based on WAR, though with a few exceptions here and there (marked with a *). 
• In general, when it comes to teams who have changed their cities, I’ll go for continuity if they keep the team name. Otherwise, it’s based on the city. 
• Finally, I’m ordering them from most to least obvious.

Yankees – Babe Ruth

Well, no surprise here. Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, et al. are all great, but it’s really hard to beat the Babe.

Ah, what might have been

Detroit – Ty Cobb

Not a very nice person, but there really isn’t anybody else even close in the Motor City.

Braves – Hank Aaron

I’m including Milwaukee and Boston here, but it’s still no contest. Interestingly, Aaron’s nearest rivals are pitchers – Warren Spahn and Kid Nichols.

He actually played most of his career in Milwaukee

Red Sox – Ted Williams

Another run-away. Hats off to Yaz, Clemens, etc., but the Splendid Splinter has always ruled Fenway.

Uncle Sam did get his best years though

Washington – Walter Johnson

The Big Train doesn’t get the recognition he deserves because he played for lowly DC. That said, he’s probably the best pitcher ever to play the game.

A lot of people don’t realize he managed with Cleveland (in addition to Washington)

Philadelphia – Mike Schmidt

Schmidt gets a little competition from pitchers – Steve Carlton, Robin Roberts, Grover Cleveland Alexander – but really not that much at all.

Hey, where’s the ‘stache?

Giants – Willie Mays

It’s a franchise with a long and storied tradition, but the Say Hey Kid reigns supreme. Bonds, Ott, and Matthewson are his nearest rivals.

Of his 23 years, only 8 were in NY

Kansas City – George Brett 

This is pretty much a one-man show. The closest competitors – the rather obscure Amos Otis and Kevin Appier – have half the lifetime WAR that Brett has. 

With singer Lourde

San Diego – Tony Gwynn

Once again, not a lot of competition here. Dave Winfield comes in at half of Gwynn. Of course, if he’d spent his whole career in San Diego, it would have been close (though Gwynn would’ve still won out).

Too bad they made you wear that terrible uniform

Angels – Mike Trout

Trout’s our first active player on this list. That said, he really is head and shoulders above the rest of the Angels, even though they’ve been around for not quite 65 years now. I’m sure Nolan Ryan would reign supreme here (and in Texas and Houston too) if he’d only stayed in one place.

I wish they could have given you (or kept) some better teammates

Baltimore – Cal Ripken Jr.

There sure have been some bright stars shining in Baltimore over the years – Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Eddie Murray – but it’s hard to compete with someone who shone practically every day for 21 years.

It was a family tradition

Mets – Tom Seaver

Though Tom Terrific did play elsewhere (CIN, BOS, CWS), his great successes were all with the Mets. Plus, nobody else – Strawberry, Gooden, David Wright – really came close.

I always loved that knee-on-the-ground motion

Pittsburgh – Honus Wagner

As a diehard Roberto Clemente fan, this one was pretty hard for me. Though he played a long time ago, Wagner is undoubtedly the Bucs’ best player (and probably the best shortstop of all time anywhere).

Brewers – Robin Yount

Though he wasn’t a particularly flashy player, Yount is way on top when it comes to the numbers. Playing 20 years for the same team certainly helped. Interestingly, Paul Molitor would’ve been on top here except for those years with Minnesota and Toronto.

Seattle – Ken Griffey Jr.

Surprisingly close, this one. Would you believe Griffey and Edgar Martinez are only two points apart? Griffey’s the leader, though, and also has a much higher profile (even though he did play elsewhere). Surprisingly, Ichiro was more than 10 points behind Martinez. Now, if he hadn’t been 27 as an MLB rookie …

Another great father/son duo

Cincinnati – Pete Rose

This one was super close, with Rose, Johnny Bench, and Barry Larkin all scoring in the 70s in lifetime WAR. I was leaning toward Bench, but Rose’s recent reinstatement made me go with Charlie Hustle (who also had the highest WAR among the three and was pretty unbeatable career-wise).

Most people remember the Phillies, but not the Expos

St. Louis – Stan Musial

I thought this one would be a lot closer. Personally, I was leaning toward Rogers Hornsby, but also knew Bob Gibson would be up there too. Stan the Man, however, with his 22 years with the club, ran away with it pretty easily.

Cubs – Ernie Banks *

There have been some stars on the northside over the years – Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Ryne Sandberg, Fergie Jenkins – but only one player is Mr. Cub. That said, Banks is actually behind Santo, Sandberg, and Cap Anson in lifetime WAR. I’m still going with him though.

From one great Chicagoan to another

Dodgers – Sandy Koufax *

I knew Koufax’s shortened career would hurt him, but I didn’t realize he’d place behind Clayton Kershaw, Don Drysdale, and Don Sutton. Even so, four straight Cy Young Awards right before he retired (at age 30) tell me he was one of the best pitchers even to play the game.

Hard to believe it all started in Brooklyn

Colorado – Todd Helton

Well, I was guessing it was going to be either Helton or Larry Walker. Now, if Walker had played his whole career at Coors, it would have been a little different. Because of his many years in Montreal, though, Walker’s way behind compared to career-Rockie Helton.

I’m sure his heart belongs in Knoxville though

Houston – Jeff Bagwell

I was guessing Bagwell here, but was wondering if Craig Biggio would make it a contest. Looks like it’s pretty much all Bags.

Another what-coulda-been

Minnesota – Harmon Killebrew *

The Twins have had a lot of stars over the years – Joe Mauer, Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kirby Puckett, Bert Blyleven, Paul Molitor, Dave Winfield, Killebrew – but none have ever reached super-star status. Though Carew actually rates a couple of points above Killebrew, Carew also was also a big-time star with the Angels. So, given that, I’m going to go with Killer.

Yup, the Twins are actually just the old Senators

White Sox – Luke Appling

If you know anything about baseball history, you know the White Sox are really bad, with very few stars. You might also know that Luke Appling played a super-steady shortstop for them for 20 years. And, sure enough, he’s the one who came out on top. Frank Thomas, Eddie Collins, and several pitchers (Ted Lyons, Ed Walsh, and Red Faber) did give him a run, but Old Aches and Pains (what a nickname!) is going to have take the crown.

Though the White Sox were his only team as a player, he coached with 5 others

Cleveland – Nap Lajoie

I was thinking for sure this would be Bob Feller. I forgot, though, that the Indians go all the way back to 1901, as well as that Nap Lajoie was a huge star way back then. Another old-timer, Tris Speaker, comes closest to him.

Athletics – Rickie Henderson *

It’s a storied franchise, but most of that story has been in the past. I’m talking about some recent history (Reggie Jackson, Mark McGwire, Catfish Hunter), but also some ancient history (Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, Eddie Collins, Lefty Grove) as well. Rickey Henderson, though he played for a number of other teams (eight, to be exact), is also one of the best players to ever play the game. That said, would you believe Eddie Plank actually has a point or two on him?

Texas – Ivan Rodriguez

I can think of a couple possibilities here (Rafael Palmeiro, Adrian Beltre, Juan Gonzalez), but my mind keeps going back to Pudge. Interestingly, not quite half of his overall WAR comes from defense. 

Hard to believe he played for 5 other clubs

Tampa Bay – Evan Longoria

Now we’re getting into the toughies. These teams (and Texas too, for that matter) are just too new to really have anyone with historically great numbers. For the Rays, though, Longoria is pretty much a run-away winner. Of course, he’s also one of the few Rays who actually stayed with the team for awhile as well.

He retired just recently

Miami – Giancarlo Stanton

Same deal. In fact, these guys seem to be even quicker at giving away their stars. That said, Stanton is the best of the bunch, even with all his years in NY. Now, if they had somehow been able to hold on to Miggie Cabrera …

One of the original players to be named later

Toronto – Dave Stieb

This one was a real surprise for me. I thought for sure it would be a batter – Carlos Delgado, Tony Fernandez, Jose Bautista … Stieb, though, has almost 20 points on everyone else. Pitching for them for 15 years certainly helped. Did you realize, though, that he led the league in pitching WAR for three years running?

Arizona – Randy Johnson

Well, I think we all know Johnson was an incredible pitcher. Like Nolan Ryan, though, Johnson sure did jump around a lot. In fact, over 22 years in the bigs, he played for no less than six teams. And he also notched two more years with Seattle than he did with Arizona. That said, his eight years with the D-Backs were some of his best, with him leading the league in pitching WAR for half of those years.

Not actually Randy, but arguably one of the greatest Halloween costumes of all time

Funnily Named Popes

Sadly, Pope Francis has passed away. With that, though, comes a new pope, the 267^th in line.

And with a new pope comes a new name. Will he be a Francis II, another John Paul, a Benedict, or perhaps something totally different? [This just in – it’s a Leo!]

I’m guessing, though, that the name the new pope takes will not be among the following. Yup, when you’ve got 267 of them, there are bound to be some duds out there.

So, here they are …  the 20 oddest papal monikers over the centuries, from least so to most so.

20.  Urban

I think I’ve heard this name maybe twice before – football coach Urban Meyer and baseball player Urban Shocker. Typically, though, “Urban” goes before things, like “Outfitters,” “Cowboy,” “Dictionary,” and “Jungle.” Just not that popular as a name.

Pope-wise, there have actually been no fewer than 8 Urbans, with the first coming in 222 and the last in 1623. Urbans are behind the first crusade, the feast of Corpus Christi, and the trial of Galileo. Interestingly, two Urbans were very set against tobacco, banning it inside and near churches. Finally, one Urban became a saint, with two being blessed.

Urban VII, pope for 12 days

19.  St. Symmachus

Only one Symmachus, not too surprisingly. The roots of the name are “together” and “power.” So, maybe this was something like an early version of “United we stand, divided we fall.”

Symmachus was elected in 498, though not without controversy. In particular, another guy,  one Laurentius, was also elected pope on the very same day. Though Theodoric, king of Ostrogothic Italy, ruled in favor of Symmachus, Laurentius eventually took over Rome and was de facto pope until his death a few years later. Symmachus would himself die a few years after Laurentius, in 514. The whole thing is very confusing.

18.  St. Eutychian

Hmm, isn’t that the tube that connects the ear and throat?

Nope, that’s the Eustachian tube

This guy (there was only one) was pope from 275 to 283. Very little is known about him unfortunately. He may have buried 300-some martyrs and be the first pope to bless grapes and beans (?!?!), though these may very well be pious legends as well.

17.  St. Hippolytus

“Hippo” is an inherently funny word, though it actually simply means “horse” in Greek. Interestingly, “lytus” means “rain,” so I guess this guy’s name comes out as “horse rain”?!?!

Hippolytus is another one-off, as well as another controversial one. In fact, he had three other possible pontiffs to contend with.

As with other early popes, who he was and what he did is all a bit vague. We do know that he was a Roman citizen of Greek descent, and reigned roughly from 217 to 235.

16.  Celestine

Sorry, these guys have nothing whatsoever to do with this: 

There are actually five Celestines, with the first coming in 422 and the last in 1294. Celestine I was notable for being pope during the very important Council of Ephesus. Other than that, Celestines seem to have had particularly short reigns, with one abdicating a day after being elected and another dying 16 days after his coronation. On a final note, Celestine V was the last pope to abdicate (in 1294) before Benedict did so just 14 years ago. Two Celestines have been made saints.

 

15. Conon

Probably not known as Conon the Barbarian.

In fact, we don’t know much about this guy at all. It seems he was a Roman citizen of Greek origin and was from Thracia. He was a compromise candidate, and ruled for less than a year, during the years 686 and 687.

 

14. St. Sisinnius

Undoubtedly our most sibilant pontiff.

Sisinnius was another short-lived pope, lasting for 20 days in 708 before succumbing to gout. He was a Syrian. And, yes, that’s about all we know about him.

He does, nevertheless, have his own holy medal

13. St. Telesphorus

What is this, a combination of telephone and phosphorous? How do you even pronounce it?

St T (I’m not typing in that again) is our earliest pope, being number eight in line. A Greek who was born in Italy, he reigned from 126 to 137. Sounds like he was a former hermit. He was also the first pope to be martyred since Peter.

St T (at least according to Google Images)

12. Boniface

“Bony face”?  “Bonny face”?  “Benefice”?!?!

Actually, it’s closest to that last one: “BAHN -i-fuhs”

Would you believe we’ve got nine of these guys? They reigned between the years 42 and 1404. Bonifaces were behind the ideas of AD (anno domini) and the papal jubilee. On the less illustrious hand, one was kidnapped and beaten by the French, and another was rumored to have killed a rival. Bonifaces account for two saints (and probably not including that last guy).

The purported murderer

11. St. Hormisdas

Only one Hormisdas, I’m afraid.

That rather interesting name just so happens to be Persian. Hormidz was a Persian martyr, who may have been related to his namesake pontiff. Or not. Things get pretty obscure way back when.

Our guy ruled from 514 to 523. He’s known for defeating the Acacian schism and reuniting Constantinople and Rome.

Perhaps most interestingly, Hormisdas fathered a son (before he became a deacon, that is) who in turn became a pope, one St. Silverius.

10. Formosus

Would you believe his name means “beautiful”?

Which is a little ironic when you consider that he was the guy whose corpse was exhumed and put on trial. Yup, it’s called the Cadaver Synod.

What did he do to deserve such brutal treatment? Well, Wikipedia says that he “sided with Arnulf of Carinthia against Lambert of Spoleto.” Seems the next pope, Stephen VI, was on the side of Lambert. Hey, the papacy could be very political back in the day.

9.  Lando

Another one-off. In fact, Lando was the last pope to take a name never used before until Pope John Paul I in 1978.

Poor Lando served less than a year, broken up between 913 and 914. Not a lot happened in those few months. In fact, pontifically, the 900s were called the Saeculum obscurum (literally, the “dark age”).

That period is also called the Pornocracy, or the Rule of the Harlots. Seems the popes were particularly immoral during this time, as well as being under the control of a couple of scheming families. Will Durant called it “the nadir of the papacy.”

For some reason, this guy keeps popping up

8.  Innocent

No shortage of innocence here. Would you believe there’s no less than 13 of these guys?

The first came in 401, and the last in 1721. Innocent highlights include a sacking of Rome, councils, crusades, the Inquisition, and fighting the Ottomans and Jesuits.

Innocents include one saint and two blesseds.

Innocent X, by Velazquez (left) and Francis Bacon (right)

7. Sylvester

Suffering succotash!

Looks like we’ve got four of these guys, reigning from 313 to 1111. Sylvester I called the first ecumenical council, the First Coucil of Nicaea (Nicean Creed anybody?). On the other hand, two Sylvesters were forced to leave their thrones.

Sylvester I, the only saint

6. St. Zephyrinus

Zounds!

A “zephyr” is a gentle breeze. So, I guess, this guy must have been something of a breath of fresh air.

Zephyrinus reigned almost 20 years, from 119 to 217. Sounds like he kept busy fighting heresies, including those from Marcion, Praxeas, Valentine the Montanists, and the “two Theodotuses.”

5. Eugene

Well, there’s O’Neill, and Levy, and that guy from the Walking Dead. And four popes as well!

Those four reigned between the years 75 and 1447. They were involved in crusades, anti-slavery actions, and some other stuff. Eugenes account for one saint and one blessed.

Numero quattro

4. St. Hyginus

Well, cleanliness is next to godliness.

Remember Telesphorus? Well, this guy came right after him.

Like his predecessor, Hyginus was also a martyr. A Greek, Hyginus reigned from 136 to 140. His main accomplishment in his short reign appears to be organizing the church hierarchy. He was the ninth pope.

Honestly, who knows what these guys looked like from way back when?

3. St. Simplicius

And simplicity is next to …

Simplicius was a Roman who reigned for 15 years, from 468 to 483. He combated the Eutychian heresy (see above), ended the practice of consecrating bishops only in December, and was on the throne when the last Roman emperor was deposed.

2. St. Zosimus

Zounds again!  Or should I say zoicks!

Zosimus ruled for little over a year, during 417 and 418. He was a Greek, with possibly some Jewish blood. His short time in office was taken up mostly with Pelagianism (with a little Priscillanism on the side). Various decrees touched on the wearing of the maniple by deacons, the dedication of Easter candles in country parishes, and forbidding clerics to visit taverns. Wikipedia says he had a “fractious temper.”

 

1. St. Hilarius

Well, it’s nice to see a supreme pontiff with a sense of humor.

Other than that fine quality, it sounds like Hilarius was involved in a number of theological disputes, as well as several construction projects.

He reigned from 461 to 468, and was succeeded by Simplicius. He was a Sardinian.

I dunno – looks kinda angry to me