Greatest Living Ballplayer

[Team Clark]

I have not seen this posted before so I thought I would take a Poll on the Greatest Living Ballplayer. The current Pete Rose thread really got me thinking about who many would consider as the Greatest Living Ballplayer.

I would have to go with Aaron.

[westofyou]

I have not seen this posted before so I thought I would take a Poll on the Greatest Living Ballplayer. The current Pete Rose thread really got me thinking about who many would consider as the Greatest Living Ballplayer.

I would have to go with Aaron.

Mays - Musial - Aaron - Koufax

[Team Clark]

Mays - Musial - Aaron - Koufax

I was really torn between Mays and Aaron. Tomorrow I could pick Mays.

[Team Clark]

I should have listed Junior. He was an All Century player after all. I'm not sure if you can edit a poll though...

[edabbs44]

I went with Mays. Could hit and play an outstanding CF.

It's a tougher question for those of us who are a bit younger, as I've never seen him play live. Just going off of film and what I have heard.

Best of my day would be ARod for a position player and Maddux (longevity) or Pedro for a pitcher.

I don't want any steroid clouds around my players.

I'm shocked that you included Clemens and not Maddux. Maddux has been more consistent than Roger.

[BRM]

Where's Tracy Jones?

I voted Mays.

[redsmetz]

I was torn, but picked Stan Musial based only on seniority. Very close finish with Mays. Perhaps Stan because he knew when to go out, but again a very close finish. Hank Aaron belongs there too and Frankie Robinson gets an honorable mention nod.

[PickOff]

I picked Bonds. I think he's a jerk and has been bad for the game, but steroids or no, he is the greatest living player, and the most feared hitter to boot.

[Team Clark]

I went with Mays. Could hit and play an outstanding CF.

It's a tougher question for those of us who are a bit younger, as I've never seen him play live. Just going off of film and what I have heard.

Best of my day would be ARod for a position player and Maddux (longevity) or Pedro for a pitcher.

I don't want any steroid clouds around my players.

I'm shocked that you included Clemens and not Maddux. Maddux has been more consistent than Roger.

I struggled with that. That's why I left "other" as an option. For example, I only put I-Rod on because I had Bench on. There are easily 5 more names I could have added to the list. 30 was a good sampling.

[Team Clark]

I was torn, but picked Stan Musial based only on seniority. Very close finish with Mays. Perhaps Stan because he knew when to go out, but again a very close finish. Hank Aaron belongs there too and Frankie Robinson gets an honorable mention nod.

Frank usually gets the shaft when it comes to these types of Polls and questions. He's the Greatest Living Underappreciated Ballplayer without question.

[RedsManRick]

I voted Willy Mays but would have an inner circle including Aaron, Bench, ARod, Clemens, Morgan, Bonds (uggh), and Schmidt. It's hard to decide between the offensive players, so I tended towards those that were not just stellar offensively, but amongst the best defensively as well. I consider peak and career value very different things, and the best players had both. It's why I can't put Koufax in that inner circle. For pitchers, outside of ERA+, it's hard to be objective.

[UKFlounder]

When I saw the title of the thread, my instinct said Aaron, so I went with him, though why I didn't think of Mays or Robbie, I dont' know.

I didn't see any of them play, but Aaron seems to me to have been a complete player, for a long time. I don't know if any one of those 3 is really wrong.

[RedsBaron]

Frank usually gets the shaft when it comes to these types of Polls and questions. He's the Greatest Living Underappreciated Ballplayer without question.

I was thinking this morning about a list of underrated athletes. Bart Starr was the first football player I thought of, while Frank Robinson headed my list of baseball players.
As for the greatest living baseball player, I have to go with Willie Mays narrowly over Hank Aaron. I take Willie over Hank because when I compare them for hitting for average, hitting for power, getting on base, really everything involved in swinging the bat, I find it to be virtually a dead heat; Willie then gets the nod because I believe he outranks Hank as a baserunner and as a fielder.

[MrCinatit]

Very tough choice. I chose other, going with a Red (of course) in Junior. Yeah, his Reds years have sucked, but during his prime, there was none better.
Mays and Aaron were close behind. A-Rod could move onto that list in a few years.
Pitching wise, Koufax, Clemmens, Gibby and Steve Carlton.

[George Anderson]

If Willie Mays was playing in todays craker jack parks with the diluted pitching, he would have in excess of 800 home runs.Factor in his amazing defense and stolen base excellence and I dont see how it could be anyone but him. He was about as perfect a ballplayer as there ever was.