Greatest Living Baseball Player

[metirish]

Mays was thought of by many as not only the greatest living baseball player, but one of the All-Time Greats

So, who now is the greatest living baseball player ?

[kcmets]

I took 'other' because Jeter wasn't listed for some reason.

[metirish]

I took 'other' because Jeter wasn't listed for some reason.

Haha, I was wondering who the "other " might be

[Edgy MD]

I could make a case for most of those guys.

Not Rose, though.

I went for Trout, after applying steroidish penalties to others, but it's TELLING that you did not include Shohei Ohtani or Ichiro Suzuki on an otherwise comprehensive list.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

I took 'other' because Jeter wasn't listed for some reason.

And that reason would be that he's vastly overrated. :)

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Oh Rickey you're so fine
Of living ballplayers you're the all time
Hey Rickey
Hey Rickey

[smg58]

I just realized that none of the legendary players from before my time that I grew up reading about are still with us, except for Mr. Koufax. I think the baton is his for the time being.

[MFS62]

Greg Maddux.
He didn't have the Nolan Ryan fastball.
He didn't have the Koufax curve.
He looked easy to hit.
He wasn't.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

I'm torn between Griffey and Rickey. Different kinds of ballplayers but both great in their own way.

Roberto Alomar, lol.

[Bob Alpacadaca]

This is a good exercise.

As I scanned this list, I'd think "This guys were great, but.." and they would all have some flaw. And I wonder if that's because we've seen all these players and we know so much more about them that we did from the guys from the earlier times. The heroes from the 1950s and 1960s had flaws, too, but I didn't see them.

I picked Griffey, but he certainly had those years with the Reds with the nagging injuries. Albert Pujols' final stats are incredible, but I think about those years with the Angels where he was mortal.

It's tough for me to pick an active player because those books are still open.

[Chad ochoseis]

I think we all started thinking about that once the word got out.
.
Not sure yet who I'd vote for, but if we're including active players, Ohtani belongs on the list.

One thing is for sure - none of these guys were anywhere near as good as Willie Mays.

[kcmets]

I took 'other' because Jeter wasn't listed for some reason.

And that reason would be that he's vastly overrated.

Gee, thanks....

[Benjamin Grimm]

I voted for Rickey, but there was no obvious choice.

[DocTee]

Rickey (by a lot). Then Cal, who would likely be a far better ambassador for the game in that role.

[Gwreck]

I had no problem picking Barry Bonds here and didn’t see it as a tough choice.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Nobody will take up this mantle. (No pun intended). It's not just Willie's stats. It's his persona, his aura. Nobody will replace the totality of what Willie Mays was and represented.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I voted for Rickey, but there was no obvious choice.

Agreed. Note that Rickey, like Mays, also played for the Mets and wore #24.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I would argue Rickey had the most unique skill set of anyone above and was better at the things he was good at than any of others are at what they did best. His downsides was that his demeanor wasn't press- or fan-friendly, he occasionally looked indifferent, played on too many teams, and he wasn't a star defensively

[Edgy MD]

Not shown is Johnny Bench.

Bench was as good as any catcher ever at just about all parts of his game. But only if he had done it as long as, say, Carlton Fisk, would his career have surpassed Henderson's.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I just realized that none of the legendary players from before my time that I grew up reading about are still with us, except for Mr. Koufax.

Koufax is the only living member of the WS champion 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers.

[G-Fafif]

I’m the Pujols vote based on Albert being the guy who came to mind first last night when I wondered about this myself, though I proceeded to think, “oh yeah, Bonds..and Schmidt.” Bench is a really good candidate, too. And Henderson does feel more like a “ballplayer” than just about anybody. Pujols appeals to me because he’s pretty much the last player (along with Miguel Cabrera) I viewed through a lingering childlike lens as larger than life, even in his Angel denouement. His brief revival on his way out moved me for how it connected him to his initial decade of dominance. Like any reasonable Mets fan, I hate the Cardinals, but I rooted for him in 2022 to do a little Citi Field hitting. I don’t believe I will raise that kind of sentiment for any of the active stars of today…though I believe Ohtani deserves consideration in this exercise.

All of this said, I agree the designation of Greatest Living Player doesn’t quite fit anybody who isn’t a Willie Mays — and there aren’t any of those around anymore.

[MFS62]

Not shown is Johnny Bench.

Bench was as good as any catcher ever at just about all parts of his game. But only if he had done it as long as, say, Carlton Fisk, would his career have surpassed Henderson's.

Juan Marichal wasn't shown, either - He is a Hall of Famer, too.

Later

[Chad ochoseis]

I went with Bonds, as the question was not "Who is the greatest living player, cheaters not included?"

[metirish]

Not shown is Johnny Bench.

Bench was as good as any catcher ever at just about all parts of his game. But only if he had done it as long as, say, Carlton Fisk, would his career have surpassed Henderson's.

Juan Marichal wasn't shown, either - He is a Hall of Famer, too.

Later

That's what other is for ,tried my best to think of as many as I could

[Edgy MD]

Not shown is Johnny Bench.

Bench was as good as any catcher ever at just about all parts of his game. But only if he had done it as long as, say, Carlton Fisk, would his career have surpassed Henderson's.

Juan Marichal wasn't shown, either - He is a Hall of Famer, too.

Later

As is Harold Baines and Jack Morris. I didn't mean to suggest, by invoking Johnny Bench, that all Hall-of-Famers should be candidates for this title.