Yeah that is a great example of that. If you just glance at Rickey Henderson's .820 lifetime OPS you think he was good but if you followed him during his prime you know what an offensive force he was. He had 2 seasons with a 9.9 WAR, among many other accomplishments
And you can’t accurately factor what he did for the hitters who came up with him on base. When putting together an all time 26, he is AT WORST on the short list for inclusion, but if you work into the starting lineup, I can’t argue too adamantly against that opinion. He is absolutely an inner-circle HOFer.
Why are you putting together a top 26? Isn't 25 the number people usually go with?
Ok, I was thinking of those ESPN/SI 25-50-100 best players of all time lists. You're actually building an all time roster.
Conceptually, yes. Actually, no.
Arguably the best player in baseball the entire 1980s
Off the top of my head I don't even know if there would be an argument. He came up in 1979 and hit the ground running, so to speak.
Schmidt the closest but I'll take Rickey for sure
I am not sure he belongs in top 10 overall, but I agree he was an absolute stud.
Rickey did a lot in the 90s
And Schmidt did a lot in the 80's. He actually won the MVP the first 2 seasons of the 80's
Ok, maybe Schmidt was the best in the 80's . I'll have to look at it. My first thought was that he didn't go far enough into the 80's but really it was just '88 where he dropped off and 89 where he played a few games then retired. But make no mistake, he was pretty fucking awesome in the 70's too.
