Favorite baseball player of all time and why???

Answer 1

cal ripken - longevity
ozzie smith - great defensive SS.. with swagger
ricky henderson - stolen base king and greatest lead off hitter
will clark - favorite GIANTS player growing up
nolan ryan - self-explanitory

Answer 2

Roberto Clemente even though i never saw him play live the highlights and what he did in his career was phenominal. He ended his career with 3,000 hits, a .317 average, and was an amazing fielder with an amazing arm. He had 12 gold gloves and 1 MVP. He also was a great citizen, and he isn't like some of those baseball players today who are just complete jerks and won't talk to the media or press. The whole reason he died was because he was flying back to Nicaragua to bring supplies because of an earthquake that struck the country.

Clemente was not only a great baseball player but a great person that is why he is my favorite baseball player of all time.

Answer 3

Vince Coleman. I loved baseball as a kid and I am a huge Red Sox fan, but since 1982 the Cardinals have been my "national league" team. Wow, I really loved the way the national league played the game compared to the american league. There were so many more choices to make as a manager and Whitey Herzog seemed to be so creative (bringing in the lefty specialist for one batter, putting him in right field for one batter, then bringing him back to the mound for another batter.....awesome).

So as a slow white kid from New Hampshire, Vince Coleman came out of nowhere and stole over 100 bases his rookie year and was just awesome. It seemed like every time he got on base he would steal a base or two. I loved seeing him on the rare Saturday game and checking out the paper to see if he stole another base last night.

Good old Vince Coleman....anyone know where he is now?

Answer 4

The mans name is Tris Speaker. AKA the Grey Eagle or Spoke, he let the Boston Red Stockings into two World Series along with over 22 years having a .345 Batting Average. He was amazing.

Answer 5

Walter Johnson. The "Big Train" labored hard and effectively for one of the worst teams in history, the Washington Senators, but lasted long enough to lead them to their only World Series victory in 1924. He later managed the Senators to their third and final pennant in 1933. Bob Feller, who was in a position to see both men, rated Johnson's fastball as faster than Nolan Ryan's.

Aside from holding the career strikeout record for decades (and I am sure he would have eaten the major leaguers of the '70s and '80s for breakfast, as Ryan, Carlton, Seaver et. al. did), he also threw 110 shutouts, no mean feat even in the dead-ball era, and the major league record. Although the stat was invented years later, his earned-run average was frequently under 2.00. He could also beat you with his bat, and I don't mean over the head like Juan Marichal.

The closest modern equivalent would be Tom Seaver, another power pitcher with very respectable totals of complete games and shutouts. Seaver, of course, surpassed Johnson's strikeout total, but as can be seen in statistics, major-leaguers struck out more in the '70s and '80s in particular. And, of course, he was the Rookie of the Year when the Mets had a really bad year (1967). I'm a big fan of Seaver, too.

Answer 6

Barry Bonds:

Sportswriters snubbed him in favor of Ken Griffey Jr., as the Player of the 1990s, but that had more to do with image than talent. Barry Lamar Bonds was the best player of the decade, and entering the new century he was still the best player in the game. His combination of power and speed have been matched only by his godfather, Willie Mays.

Answer 7

Lou Gehrig, he set the record Ripken later broke, and if his career had not been cut short by tragic illness, he would have probably set an unbeatable record. He continued to play and participate as slong as he was able, and was an inspiration to all who saw him. He was grateful for all he had, and never took anything for granted. He was a good man who never turned his back on a child, and was one of the greatest players of all time. He could have been THE greatest, but was still gracious when disease cut him down, and never became bitter. He was a great man as well as a great player.

Answer 8

Ken Griffey Jr. by far. I grew up watching him, i too am 19 so i grew up watching him hit a ton of homers in the old Kingdome. Its really sweet now since i'm a reds fan and he is playing and playing well in cincinnati this year. He never gives up, fights through the injuries, and most of all, DOESN'T USE STEROIDS! He just tied Mike Schmidt last night on the homerun list, maybe he can pass him today. Griffey is awesome, i mean the man had 2 of his own video games, who else can say that.

Answer 9

Nolan Ryan... I became a fan in 1979 when he was still with the Angels. I followed his career closely from that point forward, eventually moving from California in 1993 to watch his final season, moving back to Cali. at the end of the season... He was and will always remain my favorite player.

Answer 10

Reed Johnson, currently of the Toronto Blue Jays. He isn't the flashiest, or best player on the team, but every time that he goes out there he gives it his all. He's batting amazingly this season and is always a strong defensive asset. You will see what I mean if you see one game where he starts.

Answer 11

Mickey Mantle for me. He was just a regular guy that could outrun and outslug anyone. Yet he was humble, did you ever see him standing at the plate admiring his titanic blast's? No because he had class. He almost hit two balls out of Yankee Stadium, hit one 565 ft. in Griffith Stadium and 643 ft in Tiger Stadium in 1960. He had lots of courage playing in pain a lot of his career or he would have put up even better numbers.