Having attended my fair share of professional baseball games at various parks around the country, I have seen plenty of studs. And as far as the greatest MLB players I’ve watched live – here are my top 10:
LF Rickey Henderson – he played 25 seasons in the big leagues and is considered the best leadoff hitter and baserunner in the history of the game. He collected 3,055 hits and swiped 1,406 bases, nearly 500 more than his closest competitor, Lou Brock. He also holds records for unintentional walks, lead-off homeruns and runs scored. “Man of Steal” was a 10x All Star and a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
2B Joe Morgan – an important cog in the wheels of the Big Red Machine. The diminutive 2nd baseman entered the league in 1963 with the Houston 45s, eventually helped Cincinnati win World Series titles in 1975-76 and won the NL MVP those years, to boot. As a 10x All Star, 5x Gold Glove winner, Morgan was elected to the HOF in 1990.
3B Wade Boggs – a 12x All Star. He won five-straight batting titles (1983-1988), collected 3,010 hits and his .338 batting avg. is the highest among living players. “The Chicken Man” entered the HOF in 2005.
CF Kirby Puckett – the heart and soul of the world champion Minnesota Twins in the late 1980s and early ‘90s. Sadly, his career was cut short after getting hit by a pitch in the eye during batting practice. A 6x Golden Glover and Silver Slugger, Puckett was named to the All-Star team 10x and batted a robust .317 for his career. He entered the HOF in 2001, his first year of eligibility.
RF Dave Winfield – After a stellar, two-sport career at the University of Minnesota, he was drafted in three professional sports – baseball, basketball and even football, although he had not donned the pads since his freshman year of high school. This 12x All Star won seven Gold Gloves and six Silver Slugger awards, collected 3,110 career hits, possessed a cannon for an arm and was a first-ballot inductee into the HOF.
1B Don Mattingly – no one filled out the traditional pinstripes of the NY Yankees any better than #23. The six-time All-Star was named AL MVP in 1985, collected a record nine Golden Gloves while holding down first base and three Silver Slugger awards during a career that was cut short due to his aching back.
C Johnny Bench – as a diehard Reds fan, Bench gets the nod over Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez behind the dish. With 10 Golden Gloves, this two-time NL MVP won two World Series rings, was named to the All-Star team 14 times, and entered the HOF in 1989.
SS Ozzie Smith “Wizard of Oz” – this high-flying acrobat made some of the most amazingly athletic plays from the hole at shortstop, was a 15-time All Star, who collected 13 Golden Gloves, and was inducted into the HOF in 2002.
DH Tony Gwynn – known as Mr. Padre, he played 20 seasons in sunny San Diego and was named an All Star 15 of those years. Considered the best “pure hitter” of his generation, his batting avg. eclipsed .300 for 19-straight seasons, he collected eight NL batting titles (tied 1st) on the way to swatting 3,141 hits and batting .338 for his career. He was voted into the HOF in 2007.
P Greg “Mad Dog” Maddux – by far my favorite hurler and perhaps favorite all-time player. He was the most cerebral pitcher, ever, and managed to confound hitters for 23 seasons. He was the first to win four consecutive Cy Young awards (while sporting a minuscule 1.98 ERA). Other records he holds are 18 Golden Gloves and most assists by a pitcher (546). Maddux had 355 wins, and struck out 3,771 batters in his lengthy career, while being named to eight All-Star Games. A first-ballot inductee, Mad Dog entered the HOF in 2014.
There they are. Mind you, this list is limited to those I watched play live, at the stadium. There are some obvious players missing, but I refuse to honor those who cheated, via PEDs, or who were caught gambling on the sport.
The Razorbacks dropped two-consecutive SEC weekend series, the most recent to Texas A&M in Fayettenam – the first home series defeat in almost three years. But hang in there, cuz there’s plenty more hardball left to play and DVH’s team is loaded for bear, once again.
GoHogs!