Whoa... so many options don't know what to do lol.
Toronto Blue Jays select:
Ken Griffey Jr.
Perhaps the biggest star of the 1990s, was destined to greatness as the son of a major league player. He was the first pick in the 1987 draft, arrived in the majors for good at age 19 on April 3, 1989 and hit 633 career home runs, fifth on the all-time list at the time of his retirement. He's credited with saving a flagging franchise in Seattle before taking his talents back to his hometown of Cincinnati. Griffey hit 56 home runs each in 1997 and 1998, and won 10 consecutive Gold Gloves. He seemed destined to break all the home run records, but injuries marked much of his stint with the Reds. He finished with a .284 career average.
Well, the fast run of picks made my choice easy since Pujols, Morgan and Mathews were my top three hitters I was going to pick. Therefore, the Brooklyn Superbas select SP Bob Feller
Feller had a 266-162 record with a 3.25 ERA and 2,581 strikeouts.
What made these accomplishments even more impressive is that he lost almost 4 full years to military service. And we're talking PRIME YEARS here people. In his 1941 season he had 25 wins and 260 K's. In his first full season back in 1946, he had 26 wins and 348 K's. So even taking conservative estimates of his lost production, he was a 300 Win, 3,000 K quality picther if there ever was one. And this was at a time when only one pitcher in history had 3,000 K's.
6 X 20 game winner
7 X league leading strikeout totals
6X top 10 MVP voting
5X league leading IP
4X league leading shutouts
1 ERA title
8X All Star
Best known for his slow moving screwball, Hubbell is arguably the best pitcher of the 1930's. A 9-time All-Star, 2-time MVP, and Hall of Famer, Hubbell finished his career with a 253-154 record, a 2.98 ERA, and 1,677 strikeouts. Plus, he's a lefty (which never hurts.)
Best known for his slow moving screwball, Hubbell is arguably the best pitcher of the 1930's. A 9-time All-Star, 2-time MVP, and Hall of Famer, Hubbell finished his career with a 253-154 record, a 2.98 ERA, and 1,677 strikeouts. Plus, he's a lefty (which never hurts.)
The Yankees are on the clock.
I was highly considering taking Hubbell with one of my last two picks.
Hubbell is another of those perennially underrated types. To my knowledge he is one of only two pitchers ever to win at least two MVP awards, a feat that even guys with tremendously brief but heightened peaks such as Sandy Koufax, and another hurler whose name I will not mention in the interest of fairness and adherence to our rules, failed to achieve. But you rarely hear him mentioned with the all-time greats unless on an expanded list despite the fact that his body of work is as impressive as anyone's. Strikeouts were also extremely depressed during the offence-happy 1930s and his career 130 ERA+ matches up well against almost any other historical starting pitcher.
253 wins after the age of 25, a relatively late start for an all-time great, and a .622 career winning percentage are also strong elements in Hubbell's favour.
Hubbell is another of those perennially underrated types. To my knowledge he is one of only two pitchers ever to win at least two MVP awards, a feat that even guys with tremendously brief but heightened peaks such as Sandy Koufax, and another hurler whose name I will not mention in the interest of fairness and adherence to our rules, failed to achieve. But you rarely hear him mentioned with the all-time greats unless on an expanded list despite the fact that his body of work is as impressive as anyone's. Strikeouts were also extremely depressed during the offence-happy 1930s and his career 130 ERA+ matches up well against almost any other historical starting pitcher.
253 wins after the age of 25, a relatively late start for an all-time great, and a .622 career winning percentage are also strong elements in Hubbell's favour.
Truth be told, I didn't fully understand how good Hubbell was until I researched him for this pick.
Hubbell is another of those perennially underrated types. To my knowledge he is one of only two pitchers ever to win at least two MVP awards, a feat that even guys with tremendously brief but heightened peaks such as Sandy Koufax, and another hurler whose name I will not mention in the interest of fairness and adherence to our rules, failed to achieve.
Once the Cy Young Award was introduced you saw more of a movement towards that more and more being the pitcher's MVP so to speak. Some writers are very much against pitchers winning MVP awards.
Once the Cy Young Award was introduced you saw more of a movement towards that more and more being the pitcher's MVP so to speak. Some writers are very much against pitchers winning MVP awards.
True enough. And it's something that I've never personally understood: the hitter's have their own MVP by that definition in the Hank Aaron Award.
The MVP should be a culmination of players from different positions and chosen on the basis of its own definition: the player judged to have been the most valuable to their team. That distinction should apply to a player whether they are a centre-fielder or a starting pitcher or, in the few times it has happened in history, a relief pitcher.
Quite frankly, Pedro losing out on the MVP by a hair in 1999 to Pudge despite having received more first place votes still ranks as one of the most egregiously misplaced award selections in my lifetime. It was arguably, along with Pedro's season the next year, the best season by a pitcher in modern history.
True enough. And it's something that I've never personally understood
My guess is that as teams eventually moved over time to larger rotations and consequently less innings/games for SPs, writers wrestled with the notion of an MVP of the league being active in 20% of his teams games throughout the year.
18 x All Star
13 x World Series Champion
3 x MVP
7 x top-5 MVP finishes
358 career HRs
In my opinion, the second most underrated player in baseball history (behind Rickey Henderson.) People remember Yogi as the weird old man who shows up to Yankees games and speaks in riddles, not as one of the greatest catchers in the history of the sport.
I've added a clock in red to the first page. I'll try to update it when possible. If there is a strong chance you will not be around, please send a list to the person picking directly after you to work off of.
18 x All Star
13 x World Series Champion
3 x MVP
7 x top-5 MVP finishes
358 career HRs
I was between him, Hubbell, and Eddie Collins for my last pick. Love him. From St. Louis. Grew up down the street from an undrafted (who probably won't be drafted, but still).
Since Hubbell was picked on this page (good pick by the way, I was torn between Feller and Hubbell), the interesting thing about his All Star game performance where he struck out Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons, Cronin in order is that those guys (apart from Ruth) weren't really known for stiking out. In fact, all 5 of them combined for only 255 strikouts that entire season (with Gehrig and Cronin only strikingout about 30 times each). So Hubbell's feat was even more impressive in that context. Its even more interesting that Hubbell only struck out an average of just over 100 batter a season over his career.
The guy was just pure power and an excellent playoff performer. While his teams were never good enough to reach the world series in his prime, when he was picked up by the Yankees he showed he was just as good in the playoffs with a .909 OPS despite clearly being past his prime. While initially the tribe were looking for an outfielder, the tribe had no choice but to go with the first baseman because he's the best hitter left.
Mize lead all position players in WAR twice, in 1939 and 1940
Mize lead all of baseball in WAR in 1940
3 time OPS leader (38-40)
4 time home run leader
3 time runs created leader
Mize lost 3 prime years to world war 2. Mize is often overlooked because of the dominance of Dimaggio and Williams as direct contemporaries, but he compares very well with them.
Last edited by Fish on The Sand: 01-26-2013 at 08:01 PM.
don't know what to do lol.
