who would have been the greatest baseball player ever?

Question

i think it would have been ken griffy jr. had it not been for his constant injury's and stayed healthy he would have broken almost every major leauge record

Answer 1

Bo Jackson..

Answer 2

Injuries are part of the game. Years ago there used to be acclaim for Pete Reiser of the Brooklyn Dodgers as an all time great might have been but his career was cut short by injuries running into outfield walls during spectacular plays. Thus I can't make an excuse for Junior or Mickey either. Mickey truly might have been incredible. Apparently in that one magic season in 61 Roger got him to come home at night to that apartment they shared with Bob Cerv and he responded by clubbing 54 home runs and that was cut short by that infection he got from getting that shot from the quack doctor to the stars causeing him to miss games at the end of the season. For missing full seasons due to serving his country it is different. It seems all but certain Ted Williams would have pushed the Babe's record at the very least had he had those 5 seasons back. Prior to WW2 he had hit .406 so maybe he would have even produced another year batting over .400 had he not been forced to go to war.

Answer 3

This will not be a popular answer but if the steroid issues weren't over Barry Bonds' (enlarged) head I think he would be considered the best player ever. No player has ever changed the way managers manage the game when he is in it. Buck Showalter, when he managed the D-Backs and his team up by two intentionally walked Bonds with the bases loaded because he wouldn't let Bonds beat him. He was a tremendous fielder, a threat on the bases, hit for average and power. I know the fans can't stand him but he's the best player I think I may ever see. Or at least for a long, long time.

Answer 4

I would have to disagree with you. Even when he was in his prime, Willie Mays (the person who Griffey was most often compared to, ironically) was still better than Griffey. True, Mays did not quite put up the stats of Griffey. BUT, Mays had to play half his games at the Polo Grounds, which was basically a nightmare for hitters. He also had to patrol that massive center field area. If Mays would have played at a more hitter-friendly ballpark, even the Kingdome, he would probably have surpassed Griffey's numbers. Mays was also better defensively- you never see many highlight reel catches of Mays (other than his most famous catch) because Mays was always in the right position to make the play and therefore, he rarely needed to dive or leap to make the catch. Griffey in his prime, in my opinion, was the second best all-around baseball player ever, but Mays was better.

Answer 5

Ted without losing five seasons to military service and another half to an elbow injury -- yow, the mind boggles. Might have ended up with his career average over .350, the home run record, 3200 hits, well over 2000 RBI, and put the walks record so out of reach that Bonds would still be chasing it.

And there'd be a lot less debate of whom was the greatest hitter of all time.

Answer 6

Easy question, IMHO. It would have to be Ted Williams. Ted missed a good 5 seasons out of his career due to military service in WW2 and the Korean War. He was a pilot, and flew as John Glenns wingman in Korea. He hit 521 home runs, and probably would have hit almost 700 if not for missing those 'prime years' of his career. AS it is, he hit 521 HR and had a lifetime average of .344. Plus, he played in the era when the slider came about, and they put a big shift on him every time up, ala Barry Bonds. Guys like Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx played before the advent of the slider. So, to me, it's Williams by a landslide. Go look up his numbers at baseball-almanac.com and you'll see what I mean. Plus, look at his walk to strikeout ratios. He walked 2021 times, and only whiffed 709 times in his career, in 7706 at bats. Phenomenal. And, of course, he's the last major leaguer to hit over .400 in a year in 1941. Ted Williams, the greatest 'pure hitter' to ever play the game.

Answer 7

Mickey Mantle, without his alchohol and injury problems. He was a fast as anyone in the league around the bases, hit like a mule, played a great glove in centerfield, and had a great sense of the game. This guy may not have been THE best fielder, or hitter, or baserunner in baseball history, but i would say all around best player in history, and if he stayed healthy throughout his career, and didn't booze it up so much, he would have been unparalelled by ANYONE.

Answer 8

Ted Williams if he hadn't missed those years because of the war.

Ken Griffey Jr. if he had never played in Seattle (before Safeco Field)

Lou Gehrig if he never died of Lou Gehrig's disease.

Koufax if he hadn't messed up his arm.

Mantle if he wasn't an alcoholic.

Josh Gibson if he was allowed to play in the MLB. The same goes for Satchel Paige (during his peak), and Oscar Charleston.

The list could go on forever, but my personal opinion is that Ted Williams would've been the best if not for both wars he missed time for.

Answer 9

Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth - position players - honorable mention Ted Williams

Cy Young - Pitcher - nobody will ever get near 500+ wins

Answer 10

Honus Wagner