The 5 Best Players in Baseball History

You're the GM. You have a chance to sign the five greatest players in baseball history to long term contracts, let's say a healthy six year deal. Who do you select? What an insane proposition!

I'm going to deliver you the list of the five greatest baseball players who most dominated the game for at least six consecutive years. As I wandered through baseball history, some of my choices surprised me, starting with my number 5:

5th Greatest Baseball Player of All Time. Pedro Martinez 1997-2003. Say what? I have selected just one pitcher for this list and I really didn't think it was going to Pedro until I compared his performance to the biggest names from yesteryear. His adjusted ERA from 1997-2003 was a staggering 213. Over that stretch, his won-loss record was 118-36, .766 win pct., with 11.3 K/9 vs. 2.0 BB/9, WHIP 0,94. By comparison, the Big Train, Walter Johnson, had a peak with a 197 adjusted ERA and .685 win pct. Sandy Koufax had a 156 adjusted ERA with 9.4 K/9 vs. 2.3 BB/9. From age 25 through 31, as a member of the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox, Pedro Martinez dominated during a very high scoring era in baseball history. I'll take his peak over all the Hall of Fame greats: Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, Christy Mathewson, and Sandy Koufax.

4th Greatest Baseball Player of All Time: Rogers Hornsby,1920-25. Hornsby from age 24 to 29 decorticated National League pitching as a member of the wild and exciting St. Louis Cardinal Gashouse Gang. He beats out other more all-around greats who had much of their overall value in their defense, such as Willie Mays, Honus Wagner and Tris Speaker. Why? Because Hornsby, a second baseman by trade, could just flat out rake. Over that stretch, he averaged.397 BA .467 OBP .666 SLG 1.133 OPS 201 adjusted OPS with per 162 game rates of 48 2B, 17 3B, 29 HR, 133 RBI and 137 runs scored. Mays, Wagner and Speaker all had adjusted OPS numbers lower than Hornsby during their peaks.

3rd Greatest Baseball Player of All Time:
Ted Williams,1941 to 1942 and 1946 to 1949

Cue the boo birds in Boston who will want to rate Teddy Ballgame higher. Unfortunately, he lost three seasons at age 24-26 to service in World War II. However, for six seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Williams was an astonishingly great left-handed batsman with great plate discipline who hit for both average and power. His defense as an outfielder was average, but his offensive value lofts him into the number three slot. He averaged .359 BA .505 OBP .657 SLG 1.161 OPS 208 adjusted OPS with per 162 game rates of 41 2B 6 3B, 38 HR, 142 RBI and 149 runs scored.

2nd Greatest Baseball Player of All Time: Barry Bonds, 1996 to 2004
Now cue the boo birds all across the land and add extra capacity to your servers for the venom that will come pouring out in comments in response to this choice. Barry Bonds is the most hated baseball player in history right now because of the near certainty that he used human growth hormone to enhance his ability to perform and to recover from injuries. Do I delete him from the list for this? I do not. He was allowed to perform on a baseball field. No authorities at that time told him to cease and desist from playing. Thus, his official record within the lines, like it or not, is part of baseball history. And, for the years 1996 to 2004, when #25 for the San Francisco Giants stepped into the box, opposing pitchers had such fear that they intentionally walked him an average of 51 times per 162 games. With his incredible bat speed and keen eye, he barely surpassed Ted Williams in the adjusted OPS category, 210 to 208. In 2001, he broke Babe Ruth's single season home run record by slamming 73 dingers despite playing in a pitcher's park. Additionally, he broke Hank Aaron's career HR mark, finishing with 762 HR. Over his peak, he averaged .317 BA .491 OBP .697 SLG 1.188 OPS, 32 2B 4 3B, 51 HR , 108RBI, and 119 runs scored.

The Greatest Baseball Player of All Time: Babe Ruth, 1919-1927
I gave the Babe and nine year peak and he still far outpaced Bonds and Williams with a 220 adjusted OPS. He completed dominated the American League in his last year with the Red Sox and his first eight with the New York Yankees. It is possible that Oscar Charleston and Josh Gibson of the pre-integration Negro Leagues could have compared to Ruth had they been given the chance to perform in major league baseball. However, given the existing data, Ruth is clearly the best baseball player who ever played in the major leagues. His peak marks: .357 BA, .494 OBP, .740 SLG 1.234 OPS , and per 162 game rates of 38 2B, 10 3B, 52 HR, 151 RBI and 155 runs scored. The Bambino has no peers. He is without a doubt, the greatest ballplayer in baseball history.

Source:

http://www.baseball-reference.com