Subreddit for Major League Baseball. From discussions, news, and highlights from all thirty MLB teams.
Question
Who would you choose?
Sort by:
Best
Open comment sort options
Best
Top
New
Controversial
Old
Q&A
Mays
Willie Mays is the only player in MLB history to have a +.300-batting average, at least 3,000 hits, 300 stolen bases and 300 homeruns. Add in 12 Gold Gloves, and I think Willie Mays was the best player in MLB history.
Yep
Mays was the best player I have ever seen ( not close), but Ty Cobb was the best player of all time!!
You’re right on Mays, absolutely wrong on Cobb. He hit mostly singles, and the athletes, if such a creature existed, were an absolute joke. These were people with off season jobs, i. e. barbers, cops, salesmen. The “ pitchers” threw the ball at an average speed of about 65 mph, if that ( the radar gun was not invented) and Cobb never faced a three seam, four seam fastball, or a curve or a slider or a cutter even a regular fastball for that matter. Randy Johnson could probably strike him out if he was given six strikes. You’re believing the urban myth of the Cobb era. Ruth was the outlier, he was so far ahead of his contemporaries, that it’s understandable that he enters into the modern day discussion of GOAT. No one references Cobb anymore, the way no one references the Stagecoach!!!
Cobb hit a tremendous amount of doubles and singles. He was no "punch and judy" hitter.
Cobb faced the acknowledged best pitcher of all time in Walter Johnson, plus a number of great hof pitchers, Lefty Grove, Rube Marquard, Smokey Joe Wood, and many others!!
In Cobb's era, there were only three sports, that an athlete in the U S, could make a living in. Boxing, golf, and baseball. In baseball there were only 8 teams in each league. The best athletes in the country, were playing baseball professionally!!
As far as Ruth being the " outlier", Cobb received more votes than Ruth, when the " original five", were inducted into the Hof, in 1936. In " The Glory of their Times, by Lawrence Ritter, Ritter interviewed more than 100 players, that played with and against both Ruth and Cobb. Around 80%, said that Cobb was the better player. That is a matter of record!!
As far as the pitchers throwing an average of 65 mph, that is the most ignorant statement I have ever read, on a baseball history topic!! The top pitchers threw over 90 mph!!
Same, Mays is the best 5 tool player ever
Mays is a good pick. Weird how players of that time don’t get shit on for amphetamines and sign stealing but modern players get shit on for roids
It's because the advantage gained from roids is exponentially larger than the advantage gained from Amphetamines. When guys were taking Amphetamines we didn't have like half the league hitting 40 homers.
This suggestion echoes an incredible lack of knowledge about both of those substances and the effects they have on the human body.
The Say Hey Kid
Griffey was good but not the best ever
He’s not talking about Griffey.
Yeah. The Kid.
The Say Hey Kid is Willie Mays. The Kid is Griffey.
Lol bro no
Jesus, just delete your reply. How could u not know who the say hey kid was?? smh
Pretty sure he's just fucking with us
Griffey
Bonds is the best I've seen, too hard to compare eras of guys I haven't seen. But it's hard to argue anyone else for me. Best non PED guy I think would have to be Junior that I've seen
He was incredible before he started taking PED’s. I never liked him as a person but he is definitely the best of all time.
Yeah he definitely was. The PED comment was for anyone who disqualify him for the juice. I have a hard time arguing against him. I really don't like comparing eras, but he stacks up in all of them
That’s true, if he was playing today without any PED’s he would still be the best. Dude was ridiculous.
He wasn’t the best ever though before his late career run - also there is no known “before PED’s” time. He may have always been using and just started using more. Who knows?
In 1992, he was NL MVP for the Pirates. In 1993, he was NL MVP for the Giants. Insane.
Junior wasn't a non-PED guy. He was a 'not implicated by a media that has cherry picked which players they are going to throw under the bus even they were all using' guy.
Well that's enough for me. If that's what we're doing there's only yes and maybe. The PED comment was for anyone who would disqualify Bonds from the conversation
Perhaps, but damn he was awesome to watch!
Jose Canseco ratted on literally everybody in his book and even he said he didn't think Griffey took PED's. I really don't think he did.
If he was ever injured (which he was), he used steroids.
That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Steroids don't make you get fat. Griffey got fatter and fatter every time he got injured.
Great picks
Without a doubt the best batter I’ve ever seen step into the box. You simply couldn’t pitch to the guy.
Comment deleted by user
"Best non PED guy I've seen"
It's him and Pujols. I'm only 32. I think looking at Willie Mays career and what he was capable of I probably take him, but based on what I've seen it's Barry as best regardless, and then Pujols and Jr after
Bambino
Ted Williams
The flair fits lol
I think people ask this question and ignore the correct answer because saying Babe Ruth over and over would get boring. (His stats were even better against black players, look it up (yes they have his barnstorming stats)).
For Bonds to have Ruth’s level of dominance in his day as Ruth had in his, he would’ve needed to hit 150+ homeruns a year.
My fav stat is Ruth hit more homeruns than every TEAM in the league on six different occasions. Ruth set and broke his own homerun record 4x.
It’s goofy and it’s not close. This is when Everyone has to pretend they were around then to critique the level of play because the numbers themselves are too overwhelming.
I’m sorry. It’s boring. It’s tyrannical. It’s forever unchanging, but it’s the truth: Baby Ruthy is the greatest player of all-time and it isn’t particularly close.
Not to mention the fences were generally further in Ruth's day (looking based on 1927 demensions). Comiskey Park was 365 to the corners and 455 to center; Fenway was 358 to RF (similar otherwise); League Park (Cleveland) was 385 to LF, 420 to CF, and 290 to RF (but with a 45' tall fence); when the Indians moved to Municipal Stadium in 1932, that went 470 to CF, 435 to the gaps, and 320 to the corners; Tiger Stadium was 341 to LF, 467 to CF, and 371 to RF.
Even if every Ruth home run was pulled down the RF line, he'd still have to hit it further than he would today, and obviously it wasn't all like that. Gaps, CF, etc., makes it all more impressive
and he could pitch too!
This is a great post. Well done.
My only qualifier is players I've seen, I don't like comparing eras especially ones I haven't seen. But you're absolutely correct in terms of one player dominating the game he's it by far.
Do I think he would dominate today's pitching the same way he did then? No. Do I know that for sure? No.
Are you wrong to say Babe Ruth? Hell no, I just say Barry because he is by far the best that I have seen
The baseball writers that elected the " original five", in 1936 ( hof), would disagree. Cobb got the most votes, followed by a tie between Ruth and Honus Wagner. In "The Glory of their Times", by Lawrence Ritter, Ritter interviewed over a hundred players that played with and against both Cobb and Ruth. Around 80%, said that Cobb was the better player, and most didn't like him personally!!
Ruth Could hit AND pitch
Ohtani before Ohtani
Protohtani
before segregation ended
Babe fucking Ruth!
Hank Aaron
I wouldn’t pick Aaron for the greatest of all time, but certainly the most unheralded, the most underrated and unappreciated…and the most consistent! He hit like 40 plus homers every year, and all we ever hear from that era is Mays and Mantle. I loved Hammerin Hank, he’s in my top 5!
Willie Mays
Barry Lamar Bonds
Barry Bonds
Nolan Ryan for me. Dude was pure electricity, plus he beat up Robin Ventura
Happy I watched that on live Tv.
HSE
Terrible pick, he threw really hard, but NEVER won a Cy Young award, had almost as many losses as wins, and was never a starter on a championship team. He’s more of an urban legend than anything else.
He's not even a top 5 pitcher ever. Probably not top 10
I think most K's all time and lowest all time hits/9 is a fair combination for consideration.
And then you're ignoring the crazy high BB/9. He also has a career 90 ERA- and 88 WAR, which is great but not GOAT worthy
Fair points, forgot about the BB/9. While era (60s-90s) and longevity play a role in my thinking, I would agree that BB/9 is particularly inexcusable regardless of what era he played in.
Babe Ruth
The difference between what he was doing home runs vs everyone else in his own time is truly incredible and game changing. Even ignoring Bonds roiding, put in historical context Ruth’s achievements are greater as the difference between him and the next slugger of his time is far greater than that of Bonds and his contemporaries.
And of course - Bonds roided that’s why he hit the ball that far, when he never had consistently done so before.
Ruth will forever be cemented in public perception as the name associated with Baseball. It’s hard to change that. In modern times only Michael Jordan with basketball has really achieved the same kind of name = sport recognition on a wide spread scale with the masses.
Bonds was an excellent player worthy of the HOF, pre steroids, but we had seen dozens of players perform at that level. When he became an avid steroid user, he was super human!!
Tiger Woods , Muhammad Ali
Tiger Woods for sure. Look at all the women he was juggling at once.
I don’t think it’s quite to the level of Ruth and Jordan where they’re the “one” guy. Don’t get me wrong they’re both probably the most famous figure in their sports but it’s not as cut and dry fame wise. Loads of people will think of Mike Tyson before Ali and older folks Nicklaus before Woods (as well as insist he’s better).
Ken Griffey Jr!
He’s not even the greatest player from Donora, Pennsylvania.
Correct, that would be Stan the Man, Musial!!
This is always the right answer, injuries robbed him of hitting 750+ HRs. He already had an incredible season but has he stayed healthy this wouldn’t be a discussion
How is saying a guy with 77 career WAR always the right answer?
Staying healthy is part of the requirement. Nobody forced Griffey to run into a wall.
Otherwise it gets stupid real fast: if Mantle didn't have bum knees he'd have blah blah blah. If Ruth had taken better care of himself, he'd have 825 homeruns, blah blah blah.
If Ted Williams didn't have military service. Can make scenario excuses for most anybody.
If deGrom were magic and could pitch 300 innings he'd get 450 strikeouts per year and be the best ever, blah blah blah. Durability is part of being great.
Well it’s not a “ blah, blah, blah” argument. With the exception of DeGrom, those guys still put up big-time numbers! Nobody and I mean nobody would ever submit DeGrom as an entry to the greatest of all time.
Longevity is not a testament to greatness. Those players ( no matter the sport ), who had long sustained careers were mostly average to serviceable. Using your absurd barometer, everyone would be in the HOF. I guess stamina is commendable, but’s it’s the numbers that one puts up, that is the only significant quotient in determining GOAT. Stamina????….you’re obviously confused, we’re not talking about college wrestling!!!!
Babe Ruth
Roberto Clemente or Willie Mays would get my vote.
Mays
I can get behind this choice.
Rickey Henderson
It’s hard to say because all of the positions but I would say Nolan Ryan because his stats are just unbeatable I could be wrong on the debate though
Ruth, Williams, Cobb. Pick one.
Hank Aaron?
Willie Mays but if Mickey Mantles had stayed healthy he would’ve given Willie a run for his money
I’d go Ted Williams. If he hadn’t gone to serve who knows what kind of stats he would have had.
Not a great fielder, hardly stole any bases, didn't have the personality of Ruth.
Great hitter obviously.
Barry Bonds
It's Andy Stankiewicz and it's not even close.
Boy Phil sure loved stanky before jeter
Willie Mays, easy.
Nobody saying Pete Rose?