All Time best players you've seen play in person

[Cedrique]

Here's a new twist on all time lists. It will vary greatly based on where you live, how old you are and whether you go to a lot of mlb games. Heres my roster (subject to change cause I'm old and forget things)

Catcher- Johnny Bench
First Base - Jim Thome
Second Base - Joe Morgan
Shortstop - Cal Ripken
Third Base - Mike Schmidt
Left Field - Barry Bonds
Center Field - Len Dykstra (this may be a placeholder til I think of someone better)
Right Field - Bobby Abreu

DH - Willie McCovey (I only saw him take one at bat as a pinch hitter late in his career, but I'm counting it)

Bench Dick Allen, Willie Stargell, Chase Utley, Pete Rose, Chipper Jones

Pitchers
Steve Carlton
Nolan Ryan
Tom Seaver
Rick Reuschel
Curt Schilling
Pedro Martinez
Roy Halladay
Don Sutton
Orel Hersheiser
Greg Maddux

Not in that order. Also, I know they are all starters. Fuck it, I'll turn a couple into relievers.

 

[broncosmitty]

C- Pudge
1st- Pujols
2nd- Lou Whitaker
Short- ARod
3rd- Miggy
Left - Bonds
Center- Ken Griffey Jr
Right- Ichiro
DH - Jim Thome



SP
Randy Johnson
Nolan Ryan
Justin Verlander
Max Scherzer
Chris Sale

Mariano Rivera
KRod
Billy Wagner
Joe Nathan
Huston Street

I’m counting Bonds. One of the first things I took the lil lady to during our epic courtship was a Giants at Reds game. Great seats, got to watch him play catch. Then get the day off.

 

[Hunter Montana]

Interesting topic. This is my first crack at it. My list may change if I remember other players that I got to see in person.

C - Ivan Rodriguez
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Craig Biggio
SS - Derek Jeter
3B - Chipper Jones
LF - Barry Bonds
CF - Ken Griffey Jr.
RF - Ichiro Suzuki
DH - Shohei Ohtani

SP
Greg Maddux
Tom Glavine
Roger Clemens
Curt Schilling
Bret Saberhagen

RP
Mariano Rivera
Billy Wagner
Robb Nen
Craig Kimbrel

 

[nynasty]

C-Fisk
1B-Mattingly
2B-Alomar
SS-Arod
3B-Brett
LF-Bonds
CF-Griffey Jr
RF-Judge
DH-Ortiz

SP
Martinez
Guidry
Clemens
Gooden
Johnson

RP
Rivera
Gossage
Sutter
Eckersley

 

[obxyankeefan]

C- Thurman Munson
1B- Rod Carew
2B- Robinson Cano
SS- Cal Ripken Jr
3B- Chipper Jones
LF- Dave Winfield
CF- Marquis Grissom
RF- Jose Canseco
DH- Reggie Jackson

SP
Jim Palmer
Ron Guidrey
Greg Maddux
Justin Verlander
C C Sabathia

RP
Mariano Rivera
Dennis Eckersley
Sparky Lyle
Goose Gossage
Dave Righetti

 

[MilkSpiller22]

C-Pudge- hes the easy answer, but this is debatable between a bunch
1B- Pujols- should be first on everyone's list
2B- Altuve- most dont like him due to the cheating scandall, but he is the clear best since 1980
3B- Nolan Arenado- i dont actually believe he is the best, i just want to recognize his greatness
SS- Alex Rodriguez
LF- Bonds
CF- Griffey- i really wanted to give it to Trout... but Griffey was just more elite at his peak
RF- Mookie Betts- yes i wanted to give this to Judge, but i just couldnt over mookie,... not yet...
DH- Ohtani

the just missed- Manny Ramirez, Judge, Miguel Cabrera,

Rotation
1. Clemens
2. Randy Johnson
3. Gregg Maddux
4. Justin Verlander
5. Pedro Martinez

closer
Mo

 

[Cedrique]

C- Pudge
1st- Pujols
2nd- Lou Whitaker
Short- ARod
3rd- Miggy
Left - Bonds
Center- Ken Griffey Jr
Right- Ichiro
DH - Jim Thome



SP
Randy Johnson
Nolan Ryan
Justin Verlander
Max Scherzer
Chris Sale

Mariano Rivera
KRod
Billy Wagner
Joe Nathan
Huston Street

I’m counting Bonds. One of the first things I took the lil lady to during our epic courtship was a Giants at Reds game. Great seats, got to watch him play catch. Then get the day off.

That counts, especially with the added courtship element. At least you got a glimpse of the superman version. I only got to see Pirates Barry.

 

[Cedrique]

C- Thurman Munson
1B- Rod Carew
2B- Robinson Cano
SS- Cal Ripken Jr
3B- Chipper Jones
LF- Dave Winfield
CF- Marquis Grissom
RF- Jose Canseco
DH- Reggie Jackson

SP
Jim Palmer
Ron Guidrey
Greg Maddux
Justin Verlander
C C Sabathia

RP
Mariano Rivera
Dennis Eckersley
Sparky Lyle
Goose Gossage
Dave Righetti

There's a lot of great players in there that I never saw in person because they I lived in an NL market and they didn't have interleague play back in the 80's and 90's. Like Reggie and Carew.

 

[broncosmitty]

That counts, especially with the added courtship element. At least you got a glimpse of the superman version. I only got to see Pirates Barry.

I think I’ve still yet to see the Pirates.

 

[obxyankeefan]

There's a lot of great players in there that I never saw in person because they I lived in an NL market and they didn't have interleague play back in the 80's and 90's. Like Reggie and Carew.

I grew up about 4 hours south of Baltimore, so most of the games I saw were Orioles vs Yankees. I did get to see the Angels in 85 or 86 and The A's twice once in 76 and again in 1989. The 1989 game was an Undefeated Ben McDonald vs Bob Welch going for his 20th win. I drove down to Atlanta a few times in the 90s, Maddux pitched both games I saw. Now it is all Tigers games in Detroit.

 

[Debbie Does]

My first live baseball game, the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 50s.

Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges. Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax. Was Don Zimmer any good as a player? I dunno.

 

[steveringo]

These lists are great! But how do you remember all the players you saw?

 

[Cedrique]

These lists are great! But how do you remember all the players you saw?

It's not easy if your memory is fading, like mine. I guess that's why I left out relief pitchers. I'm sure I saw some great ones, like Bruce Sutter or Lee Smith but as a kid I don't know if I would have paid as much attention to an opponent's relievers. If you have a box of old ticket stubs for some games you've been to like I do you can look the games up on the internet which is pretty cool. I guess in the future people won't have that option because you don't actually get a paper ticket any more.

 

[Cedrique]

My first live baseball game, the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 50s.

Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges. Jackie Robinson, Sandy Koufax. Was Don Zimmer any good as a player? I dunno.

Wow, that's an amazing list. I think Zimmer was pretty average as a player but he ended up having an amazing lifelong career in baseball.

 

[jarntt]

Interesting topic. This is my first crack at it. My list may change if I remember other players that I got to see in person.

C - Ivan Rodriguez
1B - Albert Pujols
2B - Craig Biggio
SS - Derek Jeter
3B - Chipper Jones
LF - Barry Bonds
CF - Ken Griffey Jr.
RF - Ichiro Suzuki
DH - Shohei Ohtani

SP
Greg Maddux
Tom Glavine
Roger Clemens
Curt Schilling
Bret Saberhagen

RP
Mariano Rivera
Billy Wagner
Robb Nen
Craig Kimbrel

I'm guessing those Mariano Rivera memories aren't the greatest

 

[fknhippie]

Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig

Just to name a couple.

 

[fknhippie]

Babe Ruth
Lou Gehrig

Just to name a couple.

Seriously though, I don't know how you guys remember all this.

I saw a lot of games in the 60's and 70's in SF and Oakland. So, I got to see teams from both leagues, but I'll be damned if I remember them all.

 

[obxyankeefan]

Seriously though, I don't know how you guys remember all this.

I saw a lot of games in the 60's and 70's in SF and Oakland. So, I got to see teams from both leagues, but I'll be damned if I remember them all.

I got to go to one game a year growing up.

 

[DT LUNA]

Mickey Mantle
Roger Maris
Whitey Ford
Yogi Berea
Nolan Ryan
Just came back from overseas. Went to Yankee Stadium to see a game in 1961. Sat behind 1st base dugout. Servicemen got in for 25 cents. One of my biggest thrills. M andM boys both homered that game.

 

[broncosmitty]

I got to go to one game a year growing up.

Two if I was lucky. And we were somewhere during a homestand.