ESPN Top 100 MLB Players of All-Time

Raleigh504 · 02-04-2022, 09:02 AM

Top 100-51:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...all-nos-100-51

50-26:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-all-nos-50-26

25-1:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...s-all-nos-25-1

Notable (to me):
89. Shoeless Joe Jackson
72. Justin Verlander
65. Max Scherzer
63. David Ortiz
55. Reggie Jackson
50. Bob Feller
46. Ichiro
40. Jimmie Foxx
28. Derek Jeter
26. Alex Rodriguez
21. Cy Young
17. Roger Clemens
11. Pedro Martinez
8. Barry Bonds

Top 5:
5. Ted Williams
4. Ty Cobb
3. Hank Aaron
2. Willie Mays
1. Babe Ruth

Thoughts?

btimm · 02-04-2022, 09:04 AM

Jeter at 28 is waaaaaaaay too high.

Kobe101 · 02-04-2022, 09:06 AM

Interesting list for sure.

Baseball writers are making a huge mistake leaving the 8th, 17th and 26th best players out of the HOF.

Those are some of the guys people my age would tell their kids about to try to get them to watch baseball which has dwindling fan base that keeps getting older and older.

Svabinsky78 · 02-04-2022, 09:08 AM

Surprised that Trout is as high as he is.

Raleigh504 · 02-04-2022, 09:16 AM

My initial thoughts

I think Jeter and Ortiz are ranked too high on the list and should be ranked lower than they are.

Ichiro is way too low and needs to be in the top 30.

I think Clemens and Cy Young should switch positions.

Top 5 I am good with, and to me you could easily argue rearranging 6-10 in any order and it be valid.

AwesomeBrian · 02-04-2022, 09:43 AM

Where did ESPN rank Lebron?

Jsquared123 · 02-04-2022, 09:44 AM

I love Junior but #13 is about 15-20 spots too high.

Trout also too high for now.

Hornsby criminally low. The guy had one of the top 3 offensive peaks of all-time.

Rickey prob a few notches too low.

Tris Speaker should be 15-20 notches higher.

Jeter way too high. MO way too high and I'm a huge Yankee fan.

This list is kind of a mess IMO but I guess it's a good debate starter.

AnthonyCorona · 02-04-2022, 09:47 AM

The utter disrespect of Barry Lamar Bonds

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

YouTheManNick · 02-04-2022, 09:51 AM

Baseball twitter is absolutely melting down over this.

Personally. And this is just me personally. You do you. I'm SO SICK of 'goat' discourse in both sports fandom and sports cards. So tired of it. So sick of the term 'goat' in general. Would love to go back in time and punch the person who coined it before they could say it. Or maybe find away to eternal sunshine the term from everyone's minds.

These players all / were great players in their own way.

It gets so muddled due to how the game and people in general have changed and evolved over the course of 100+ years. Lots of people think Babe Ruth shouldn't be even on the list because they don't think he could play against today's pitchers. Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't. But does it even matter? Is the fact that he changed the way the game was played and was far and away better than everyone else enough? I mean. If your argument against Ruth is that he played against inferior talent, how come no one else from that era hit 700 home runs or even came close?

These players played in different eras and time periods and approached the game differently. Of course modern players are going to be 'better' than players from 30, 40, 60, 100, 120 years ago. That's evolution. They eat better. They train better. They have 100+ years of baseball history and knowledge to draw from. Groundwork that was laid by those who came before them. Should the difference in eras diminish what the older players did?

Anyway. This is a mini rant from someone who went on a twitter rabbit hole which was an absolute mistake. I'm just gonna walk away now.

drakehendrix34 · 02-04-2022, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouTheManNick

Should the difference in eras diminish what the older players did?.

The only thing that diminishes them for me is that many in the top 20 played in segregated leagues. Only playing half the talent

Cpdjoe77 · 02-04-2022, 10:00 AM

That list has a few handfuls wrong. I don’t think Ortiz belongs on the list at all, that stood out the most to me

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FT35 · 02-04-2022, 10:08 AM

No Darin Ruf?

beaverman3001 · 02-04-2022, 10:12 AM

List is very messy, I don't understand Pedro ahead of Maddux or RJ for more modern pitchers.

Svabinsky78 · 02-04-2022, 10:12 AM

Nolan Ryan is way too low....

Scottish Punk · 02-04-2022, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouTheManNick

Baseball twitter is absolutely melting down over this.

Personally. And this is just me personally. You do you. I'm SO SICK of 'goat' discourse in both sports fandom and sports cards. So tired of it. So sick of the term 'goat' in general. Would love to go back in time and punch the person who coined it before they could say it. Or maybe find away to eternal sunshine the term from everyone's minds.

These players all / were great players in their own way.

It gets so muddled due to how the game and people in general have changed and evolved over the course of 100+ years. Lots of people think Babe Ruth shouldn't be even on the list because they don't think he could play against today's pitchers. Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't. But does it even matter? Is the fact that he changed the way the game was played and was far and away better than everyone else enough? I mean. If your argument against Ruth is that he played against inferior talent, how come no one else from that era hit 700 home runs or even came close?

These players played in different eras and time periods and approached the game differently. Of course modern players are going to be 'better' than players from 30, 40, 60, 100, 120 years ago. That's evolution. They eat better. They train better. They have 100+ years of baseball history and knowledge to draw from. Groundwork that was laid by those who came before them. Should the difference in eras diminish what the older players did?

Anyway. This is a mini rant from someone who went on a twitter rabbit hole which was an absolute mistake. I'm just gonna walk away now.

A freakin' men. I have come to despise everything "GOAT" related. It is for simple minded people who want to argue "their" guy is the best and therefore I am right.

Anywhoo..

The other thing that stands out. Bonds/Clemens/Arod voted by media as top 30 players all time. HOF voted in by media says they aren't in the top 270 players of all time. I get it is different people voting. How many HOF voters had input on this list and ranked those guys high?

cjraleigh · 02-04-2022, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Svabinsky78

Nolan Ryan is way too low....

As is fellow Texan Kershaw. 52? Really?

carlo16 · 02-04-2022, 10:35 AM

When did espn branch out into sports?

GMRide27 · 02-04-2022, 10:37 AM

Trout "all time" that high on the list and we're only in the middle of his career?

80s Kid · 02-04-2022, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobe101

Interesting list for sure.

Baseball writers are making a huge mistake leaving the 8th, 17th and 26th best players out of the HOF.

Those are some of the guys people my age would tell their kids about to try to get them to watch baseball which has dwindling fan base that keeps getting older and older.

This was my first thought. Put those guys in the hall.

ScooterD · 02-04-2022, 10:38 AM

No major gripe from me, but I am always amazed that Jimmie Foxx isn’t higher on these lists. His career numbers reached in (essentially) 13.5 seasons is remarkable. He’s in my top 15, but #40 is way too low imo

Svabinsky78 · 02-04-2022, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjraleigh

As is fellow Texan Kershaw. 52? Really?

I would put Ryan ahead of Johnson.

Ryan
5714 SO
3.19 ERA
324 wins
11x strikeout leader
7 no hitters

Johnson
4875 SO
3.29 ERA
303 wins
10x strikeout leader

Cpdjoe77 · 02-04-2022, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlo16

When did espn branch out into sports?

Lol, love this

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

gresh87 · 02-04-2022, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YouTheManNick

Baseball twitter is absolutely melting down over this.

Personally. And this is just me personally. You do you. I'm SO SICK of 'goat' discourse in both sports fandom and sports cards. So tired of it. So sick of the term 'goat' in general. Would love to go back in time and punch the person who coined it before they could say it. Or maybe find away to eternal sunshine the term from everyone's minds.

These players all / were great players in their own way.

It gets so muddled due to how the game and people in general have changed and evolved over the course of 100+ years. Lots of people think Babe Ruth shouldn't be even on the list because they don't think he could play against today's pitchers. Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't. But does it even matter? Is the fact that he changed the way the game was played and was far and away better than everyone else enough? I mean. If your argument against Ruth is that he played against inferior talent, how come no one else from that era hit 700 home runs or even came close?

These players played in different eras and time periods and approached the game differently. Of course modern players are going to be 'better' than players from 30, 40, 60, 100, 120 years ago. That's evolution. They eat better. They train better. They have 100+ years of baseball history and knowledge to draw from. Groundwork that was laid by those who came before them. Should the difference in eras diminish what the older players did?

Anyway. This is a mini rant from someone who went on a twitter rabbit hole which was an absolute mistake. I'm just gonna walk away now.

With you 100%, but you may not like who you're up against.

https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/goa...-ali-ll-cool-j

rngrdanny22 · 02-04-2022, 10:46 AM

Bryce Harper ahead of Adrian Beltre?

I got like two scrolls down the first list and said, "Yeah. No."

LCM1223 · 02-04-2022, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FT35

No Darin Ruf?

Is he becoming the new BO meme? I’m here for it

02-04-2022, 09:16 AM	#5
Raleigh504 Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: NC Posts: 2,673 ig_bljhsports	My initial thoughts I think Jeter and Ortiz are ranked too high on the list and should be ranked lower than they are. Ichiro is way too low and needs to be in the top 30. I think Clemens and Cy Young should switch positions. Top 5 I am good with, and to me you could easily argue rearranging 6-10 in any order and it be valid. __________________ https://myslabs.to/brasm_sports5 https://www.ebay.com/str/jrbuddysportsandmore

02-04-2022, 09:47 AM	#8
AnthonyCorona Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Modesto, CA Posts: 11,476 bwoodcollector	The utter disrespect of Barry Lamar Bonds Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro __________________ Julio better

02-04-2022, 09:51 AM	#9
YouTheManNick Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 2,614 trapjaw73 YTMN	Baseball twitter is absolutely melting down over this. Personally. And this is just me personally. You do you. I'm SO SICK of 'goat' discourse in both sports fandom and sports cards. So tired of it. So sick of the term 'goat' in general. Would love to go back in time and punch the person who coined it before they could say it. Or maybe find away to eternal sunshine the term from everyone's minds. These players all / were great players in their own way. It gets so muddled due to how the game and people in general have changed and evolved over the course of 100+ years. Lots of people think Babe Ruth shouldn't be even on the list because they don't think he could play against today's pitchers. Maybe he could, maybe he couldn't. But does it even matter? Is the fact that he changed the way the game was played and was far and away better than everyone else enough? I mean. If your argument against Ruth is that he played against inferior talent, how come no one else from that era hit 700 home runs or even came close? These players played in different eras and time periods and approached the game differently. Of course modern players are going to be 'better' than players from 30, 40, 60, 100, 120 years ago. That's evolution. They eat better. They train better. They have 100+ years of baseball history and knowledge to draw from. Groundwork that was laid by those who came before them. Should the difference in eras diminish what the older players did? Anyway. This is a mini rant from someone who went on a twitter rabbit hole which was an absolute mistake. I'm just gonna walk away now. __________________ They're = they are. Their = possession. There = "I went there." Two = 2. Too = "Me too." To = "He went to the card show." Your = "your cards." You're = "you're welcome."

02-04-2022, 09:02 AM	#1
Raleigh504 Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Location: NC Posts: 2,673 ig_bljhsports	ESPN Top 100 MLB Players of All-Time Top 100-51: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...all-nos-100-51 50-26: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-all-nos-50-26 25-1: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...s-all-nos-25-1 Notable (to me): 89. Shoeless Joe Jackson 72. Justin Verlander 65. Max Scherzer 63. David Ortiz 55. Reggie Jackson 50. Bob Feller 46. Ichiro 40. Jimmie Foxx 28. Derek Jeter 26. Alex Rodriguez 21. Cy Young 17. Roger Clemens 11. Pedro Martinez 8. Barry Bonds Top 5: 5. Ted Williams 4. Ty Cobb 3. Hank Aaron 2. Willie Mays 1. Babe Ruth Thoughts? __________________ https://myslabs.to/brasm_sports5 https://www.ebay.com/str/jrbuddysportsandmore

02-04-2022, 09:04 AM	#2
btimm Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Huntersville, NC Posts: 2,257 tigertimm1981	Jeter at 28 is waaaaaaaay too high.

02-04-2022, 09:06 AM	#3
Kobe101 Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 3,410	Interesting list for sure. Baseball writers are making a huge mistake leaving the 8th, 17th and 26th best players out of the HOF. Those are some of the guys people my age would tell their kids about to try to get them to watch baseball which has dwindling fan base that keeps getting older and older.

02-04-2022, 09:08 AM	#4
Svabinsky78 Member Join Date: Jan 2022 Posts: 446	Surprised that Trout is as high as he is.

02-04-2022, 09:43 AM	#6
AwesomeBrian Temporarily Suspended Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: NE O-H-I-O Posts: 6,011	Where did ESPN rank Lebron?

02-04-2022, 09:44 AM	#7
Jsquared123 Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 1,257 Sopranos6666	I love Junior but #13 is about 15-20 spots too high. Trout also too high for now. Hornsby criminally low. The guy had one of the top 3 offensive peaks of all-time. Rickey prob a few notches too low. Tris Speaker should be 15-20 notches higher. Jeter way too high. MO way too high and I'm a huge Yankee fan. This list is kind of a mess IMO but I guess it's a good debate starter.

02-04-2022, 10:00 AM	#11
Cpdjoe77 Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Posts: 2,443 Hod554	That list has a few handfuls wrong. I don’t think Ortiz belongs on the list at all, that stood out the most to me Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

02-04-2022, 10:08 AM	#12
FT35 Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 2,237	No Darin Ruf?

02-04-2022, 10:12 AM	#13
beaverman3001 Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Jax. FL Posts: 1,038 frightencards	List is very messy, I don't understand Pedro ahead of Maddux or RJ for more modern pitchers. __________________ IG: FrightenCards Randy Johnson super collector

02-04-2022, 10:35 AM	#17
carlo16 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 3,349	When did espn branch out into sports?

02-04-2022, 10:37 AM	#18
GMRide27 Member Join Date: Jun 2021 Posts: 705	Trout "all time" that high on the list and we're only in the middle of his career?

02-04-2022, 10:38 AM	#20
ScooterD Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 5,381	No major gripe from me, but I am always amazed that Jimmie Foxx isn’t higher on these lists. His career numbers reached in (essentially) 13.5 seasons is remarkable. He’s in my top 15, but #40 is way too low imo

02-04-2022, 10:46 AM	#24
rngrdanny22 Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 12,372	Bryce Harper ahead of Adrian Beltre? I got like two scrolls down the first list and said, "Yeah. No."