1. Babe Ruth. Most people don't know that he played almost as many games in left field and 50 or 60 games in center-field, plus some games at 1b. I seem to remember that he pitched pretty well too.
2. Henry Aaron. Good fielder, He had SOME power. Many people, including me, think that he is the true career home run champ.
3.Frank Robinson. This man was a force. Who? Yeah I know. Completely over looked today. Hit for power, hit for average. Good fielder.
4. Mel Ott. A sensation as a teenager and then got even better. The second man to hit over 500 homers. Made things happen on the field. Sadly, not much remembered these days.
5. Tony Gwynne. Man! What a hitter. Not much power, but line drives to all fields. Lifetime .338 wow! I'd say that is terrific. Good fielder. Plus a really nice guy.
6. Maybe Reggie Jax. Lots of power, but all those strikeouts. Had a very good throwing arm.
Babe Ruth - No player has ever dominated the game as much and for as long as Ruth did. His offensive value is unmatched.
Hank Aaron - a great hitter for a very, very long time, and a good fielder and baserunner.
Frank Robinson - Very much like Hank Aaron with a little less staying power.
Mel Ott - Also a great hitter for a long time - I used to rate him ahead of Robinson but I'm pushing Robinson ahead a bit due to timelining.
Al Kaline - No. 5 is a difficult choice, because there are several players with reasonably strong cases. However, I went with Kaline because I believe he was a better hitter than Clemente (better at getting on base and hit for a little more power) and he was good enough in the field to play almost 500 games in center. He was also a much better fielder than Reggie Jackson.
Clemente, Jackson, and Gwynn would be the next three. Waner, Crawford, Heilmann, Sheffield, Winfield, Evans, Sosa, Keeler, Bonds, Suzuki, Walker - all of these guys come after the top 8.
Retired:
1. Babe Ruth: .342 batting avg, 714 hr, .690 slg %, and a record 1.164 ops. I think thats alright.
2. Hank Aaron: he's 2nd all time in hrs, thats hard to do.
3. Mell Ott: He played for the greatest team ever... Giants!!!! He's legendary 6 time hr champ and 511 in his career with a .304 avg.
4. Vladimir Guerrero: He had a great career in left and right field. He had a good arm and he wasnt too slow for how strong he was. He was one of the first 5 tool players.
5. Reggie Jackson: One of the most feared hotters ever! He was an smazing hitter and a pretty good fielder too.
Active:
1. Hunter Pence: Without him the giants wouldnt have gotten their second championship in three seasons. Hes in a slump but he's starting to get back to his 2012 self.
2. Jose bautista: GREAT hitter and a good fielder plus alright on the basepaths. He has the ability to beat bonds record for both career homers and single season homers.
3. Jeff francouer: Best arm in the game and a good glove and a good hitter.
4. Michael Cuddyer: he's one of the strongest hitters in the game and he doesnt suck too bad in the field.
5. Josh Reddick: He has the second best beard thats ever been in the bay area behind brian wilson. But he also is a great fielder and a good hitter. Hes able to bat just about anywhere in the lineup and play anywhere in the outfield.
I'll confine discussion to those who I have actually seen play:
Henry Aaron-Five tool player that could do it all
Roberto Clemente- Best arm out there ever
Frank Robinson-Only man to be MVP in both legues
Tony Gwynn- And he even gave the Padres a home team discount.
Dave Winfield- A free agent bargain for the Yankees. He signed a ten year deal and was good for about nine.
1.Hank Aaron
2. Babe Ruth
3.Frank Robinson
4.Reggie Jackson
5. Roberto Clemente
all in Hall of Fame
Babe Ruth,Roberto Clemente,Frank Robinson,Mel Ott,and Reggie Jackson
Tim Tebow - because he's Tebow
Tim Tebow - because he's Tebow
Tim Tebow - because he's Tebow
Tim Tebow - because he's Tebow
Tim Tebow - because he's Tebow
Who are the top 5, give a sentence or two after each guy.
