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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 6, 2020 22:58:36 GMT -5
I'm sure our membership with a common interest, baseball, can come up with several opinion questions that would offer a break from the events in the world.
I'll start, cut n paste:
Favorite players to watch who didn't spend a major part of their careers as Red Sox. So Pedro wouldn't be eligible but Eck would be. Not necessarily great players, just enjoyable to watch or hear in interviews. Pretty loose format, no need to limit the category to one player.
Catchers:
First Base:
Second Base:
Shortstop:
Third Base:
Outfielders:
DH and other:
Starting pitchers:
Relief pitchers:
Managers:
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 6, 2020 23:05:09 GMT -5
Catchers: Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Bob Euker
First Base: Harmon Killebrew, Jim Thome, Stan Musial
Second Base: Nellie Fox, Rod Carew
Shortstop: Ernie Banks, Cal Ripkin Jr.
Third Base: Mike Schmidt, Brooks Robinson
Outfielders: Bo Jackson, Ricky Henderson, Jimmy Piersal, Mike Trout, Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle
DH and other: Edgar Martinez
Starting pitchers: Mark the Bird Fydrich, Bartolo Colon, Nolan Ryan, Warren Spahn, Bob Gibson.
Relief pitchers: Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley, Al Hrbowski
Managers: Sparky Anderson, Leo Durocher, Earl Weaver and even Billy Martin.
For reference the only players I actually "paid to see" where I went to a game specifically to watch one player to the best of my recollection were Nolan Ryan, Ricky Henderson and minor leaguer Jack Cust.
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Post by chrisfromnc on Apr 7, 2020 6:02:17 GMT -5
Just a couple players that immediately come to mind got one reason or another. I like most of your picks especially Bo Jackson.
SS: Ozzie Smith, because something special might happen on a ground ball.
SP: Jim Abbott because it’s awesome that a guy with a physical disability had a solid career.
3B: Mike Schmidt. A lot of fans are too young to remember peak Mike Schmidt was a force on the field and in the box.
OF: Hank Aaron, Everybody loves the long ball. Vlad Guerrero because of the cannon arm. Griifey Jr.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 7, 2020 10:51:57 GMT -5
I lived in SoCal when Jim Abbott pitched. Amazing guy. Vlad Guerrero was also a treat in the batter's box, never saw a pitch he didn't think he could hit.
I'm of the opinion that Mike Schmidt is the greatest all around third baseman in history. Eddie Mathews was a better hitter but only average in the field.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 8, 2020 1:04:14 GMT -5
Forgot all about Adrian Beltre, another of my favorites.
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mobaz
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Post by mobaz on Apr 8, 2020 7:16:26 GMT -5
Notable players I loved along the way:
1B: Mark McGwire
SS: Cal Ripken
OF: Rickey Henderson, Barry Bonds (pre-roids mostly); Kirby Puckett was always fun
P: Nolan Ryan, Jim Abbott.
Greg Maddux because he was so unique;
Jamie Moyer and Bartolo for lasting long beyond purported expiration dates.
My mom took me out of school to go see Jim Abbott and Nolan Ryan pitch at Fenway (separate games, obv).
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Post by chrisfromnc on Apr 8, 2020 9:42:26 GMT -5
Good call on Maddux.
Going the complete opposite direction, it would have been fun to watch peak Bob Gibson. I got to see Pedro and Clemens, so there is that. MLB network showed Clemens' 20K game a week or so ago. That was a fun watch.
I'm asking for more participation in this thread. Lets all be friends and talk baseball. The coronavirus thread is more caustic than it needs to be.
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Apr 8, 2020 11:17:18 GMT -5
Nice topic.
Some that come to mind for me.
3B - George Brett
OF - Loved the 80's Cards combo of Vince Coleman and Willie McGee
LF - Pre-Roids Bonds
P - Maddux, young Fernando Valenzuela, "Bird" Fidrych (shooting star type)
CL - Al "Mad Hungarian" Hrabowsky
1B - John Kruk
too name of few, It is funny to think of how many ballplayers you watched after 45 years of being a fan. I was a huge Tom Seaver fan as a kid, but I can' really say I remember watching him pitch.
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manfred
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Post by manfred on Apr 8, 2020 19:01:11 GMT -5
Nice topic. Some that come to mind for me. 3B - George Brett OF - Loved the 80's Cards combo of Vince Coleman and Willie McGee LF - Pre-Roids Bonds P - Maddux, young Fernando Valenzuela, "Bird" Fidrych (shooting star type) CL - Al "Mad Hungarian" Hrabowsky 1B - John Kruk too name of few, It is funny to think of how many ballplayers you watched after 45 years of being a fan. I was a huge Tom Seaver fan as a kid, but I can' really say I remember watching him pitch. These are good ones. And it is funny you say that about Seaver, because and Ted Simmons were my favorites, but I have no memories of them playing either. I have a lot, but one I’d say is Tony Pena at catcher. I know, technically he was a Sox, but in his day. Have to say Rickey. Goose. Heck, lotsa relivers.... Hrbosky, and the like. |
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Post by manfred on Apr 8, 2020 20:18:10 GMT -5
If I’m on guys I didn’t see but were around when I was a little kid... JR Richard. I bet he’d have blown my mind.
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mobaz
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Post by mobaz on Apr 9, 2020 12:19:19 GMT -5
I was just a smidge young to be aware of Doc Gooden's young career; that would have been fun. I love seeing pitchers in the zone like that. That's partly why Pedro is my favorite player ever; 1999 and 2000 are just so incredibly dominant (especially given rest of league performance and height of Roids) and I got to witness it a bunch in person.
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Post by cheers on Apr 12, 2020 9:24:18 GMT -5
If I’m on guys I didn’t see but were around when I was a little kid... JR Richard. I bet he’d have blown my mind. JR Richard was the absolute king of 1979 Statis-Pro baseball (I'm guessing more than a few of you guys over 45 remember having that). I was clearly paying attention to baseball by the time he had his stroke, but don't think I can remember actually watching him pitch either. That sucks. So dominant. |
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Apr 12, 2020 10:04:18 GMT -5
If I’m on guys I didn’t see but were around when I was a little kid... JR Richard. I bet he’d have blown my mind. JR Richard was the absolute king of 1979 Statis-Pro baseball (I'm guessing more than a few of you guys over 45 remember having that). I was clearly paying attention to baseball by the time he had his stroke, but don't think I can remember actually watching him pitch either. That sucks. So dominant. For me it was Strat-o-Matic and I would start every game with early 60's Dick Radatz on the mound. Ichiwowa... |
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Post by manfred on Apr 12, 2020 10:49:50 GMT -5
JR Richard was the absolute king of 1979 Statis-Pro baseball (I'm guessing more than a few of you guys over 45 remember having that). I was clearly paying attention to baseball by the time he had his stroke, but don't think I can remember actually watching him pitch either. That sucks. So dominant. For me it was Strat-o-Matic and I would start every game with early 60's Dick Radatz on the mound. Ichiwowa... I loved Strat-o-Matic. I used to love taking players and simulating whole seasons to see how close they’d come to their real statistics. It was amazingly accurate. Do they still make that? |
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Post by cheers on Apr 12, 2020 19:21:18 GMT -5
For me it was Strat-o-Matic and I would start every game with early 60's Dick Radatz on the mound. Ichiwowa... I loved Strat-o-Matic. I used to love taking players and simulating whole seasons to see how close they’d come to their real statistics. It was amazingly accurate. Do they still make that? It appears that THEY DO!! www.strat-o-matic.com/product/baseball-current-edition-game-5/I liked it less than the Statis-Pro, but since that apparently became defunct after 1992, strat-o-matic reigns supreme.  Pretty sad state of affairs that the most exciting baseball things of the day are nostalgia for things that I haven't even seen since the late 80s... Good thing that I have a garden (with much higher density than normal) to tend to, or I'd have a board game scattered all about a spare bedroom. |
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Post by cheers on Apr 13, 2020 0:32:36 GMT -5
Back on topic (sorry for the digression) - When I was a kid I spent hours and hours trying to throw like Dan Quisenberry. He was also kinda funny, if I remember correctly.
Just took a look at his stats. Pretty forgotten, given how GOOD he was for a while.
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Post by James Dunne on Apr 13, 2020 23:14:27 GMT -5
Vlad Guerrero was also a treat in the batter's box, never saw a pitch he didn't think he could hit. There have been a lot of players who thought that. The difference with Vlad was that he wasn't wrong. There have been other players with plate coverage as good (Tony Gwynn for sure), but I can't think of anyone else who so often crushed pitches that most people would have no business swinging at. |
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Post by manfred on Apr 14, 2020 0:23:50 GMT -5
I loved the days when lineups had one monster, and the guy I think back on was mid-1980s Jack Clark. The Cards had this punch’n’judy lineup (with insane speed), but he was a terror (when he was healthy). I just loved the days when there was that guy you dreaded in the middle.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Apr 14, 2020 11:40:53 GMT -5
Vlad Guerrero was also a treat in the batter's box, never saw a pitch he didn't think he could hit. There have been a lot of players who thought that. The difference with Vlad was that he wasn't wrong. There have been other players with plate coverage as good (Tony Gwynn for sure), but I can't think of anyone else who so often crushed pitches that most people would have no business swinging at. Maaaaaybe Nomar in his prime, but even that feels like a weak comp. |
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Post by James Dunne on Apr 14, 2020 15:02:02 GMT -5
For plate coverage I would buy it. But where Nomar might flare a single on a collarbone-high fastball, Vlad might unload and hit it 400 feet.
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