Who are the all time best New York Mets, by position?
By position, I mean the symbols shared by almost all baseball scorekeeping systems. Scorekeeping systems involve designating a player by the player’s position, regardless of his uniform number or actual name.
I have two rules when choosing the best all time players by position. 1) the player must be in his prime when playing for the team, and, 2) he played for the team at least five years. For example, I could put center fielder Willie Mays, who played for the Mets at the tail-end of his career, as the greatest Met center fielder. But Willie played for the Mets for only a short period, and was in his 40s and way past his prime when he was on the team.
Some symbols and abbreviations are shared by nearly all scorekeeping systems. For example, the position of each player is indicated by a number. According to Wikipedia, here are the numbers for each baseball position:
Pitcher Catcher First Baseman Second Baseman Third Baseman Shortstop Left Field Center Field Right Field
Pitcher Edward Charles “Whitey Ford”, also nicknamed “Chairman of the Board,” had an 18-year career record of 236 wins and 106 losses, which is still a record for the franchise. He played his entire career for the Yankees. According to Wikipedia, “Among pitchers with at least 300 career decisions, Ford ranks first with a winning percentage of .690, the all-time highest percentage in modern baseball history.
Ford’s career winning percentage cannot be attributed solely to being on a good team: The Yankees were 1,486-1,027 during his 16 years; without his 236-106, they had 1,250 wins and 921 losses, for a won-loss percentage of .576. Ford was thus 11.4 percentage points higher than his team’s record, independent of his record.
Ford’s 2.75 earned run average is the lowest among starting pitchers whose careers began after the advent of the Live Ball Era in 1920″.
He leads all pitchers in World Series (WS) victories with 10. His number 16 was retired by the Yankees in 1974.
Catcher Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra played virtually his 19-year career with the Yankees. To quote Wikipedia, “Berra was one of only four players to be named the Most Valuable Player of the American League three times and is one of only six managers to lead both American and National League teams to the World Series.. As a player, coach, or manager, Berra appeared in 21 World Series. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.
Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history. According to the win shares formula developed by sabremetrician Bill James, Berra is the greatest catcher of all time and the 52nd greatest non-pitching player in major-league history.”
For his career, Berra batted .285, hit 358 home runs (HRs) and accumulated 1,430 runs batted in (RBI). He was elected to the Hall of Fame (HoF) in 1972 and the Yankees retired his number eight the same year.
First baseman Lou Gerhig (“The Iron Horse”) played his entire 17-year career (1923-1939) with the Yankees. According to Wilkipedia, He holds the record for most career grand slames (23). Gehrig is chiefly remembered for his prowess as a hitter, his consecutive games-played record and its subsequent longevity, and the pathos of his farewell from baseball at age 36, when he was stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis..
:Gehrig was elected to the Hof in 1939. In 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers’ Association, and was the leading vote-getter on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999.” His number four was retired by the Yankees in 1940.
Statiscally, Gehrig’s Ave. was .340, 475 HRs, and 1,995 RBI.
Second baseman Robinson Cano is one of the three active Yankees. (2005-current) on my list. Cano, who has spent his entire major league career with the team, To date (September 19, 2011), Cano’s career stats are a .308 Ave., 144 HRs, and 621 RBI. He is a better than adequate second baseman defensively, and the best hitting Yankee second baseman in history.
A tie. Third Baseman Alex Rodriguez and Clete Boyer. For offense, Boyer isn’t in the same league as Rodriquez, and for defense, Rodriquez, although adequate, isn’t in the same league as Boyer. Rodriquez joined the Yankees in 2004. He seems to be on the downside of his career, due to injuries. Originally a shortstop, according to Wikipedia, “Rodriguez agreed to switch positions from shortstop to third base, paving the way for the trade, because the popular Derek Jeter was already entrenched at shortstop.”
Rodriguez’s offensive statistics can’t be disputed. In total, including stops with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers, “A-Rod” has a .302 Ave., 629 HRs, and 1,893 RBI. He also has 305 stolen bases.
Boyer, who played for the Yanks from 1957-1966, was known for his defense. rather than his bat. In 1961, Yankees Manager Ralph Houk “saw something special in Boyer’s defensive prowess and gave him the opportunity to play every day,” according to Wikipedia. In the 1961 Series, again based on Wikipedia information, “Boyer batted only .224 during the regular season, but more than made up for it with his defense… In the first game of that World Series, Boyer displayed his defense by making two spectacular plays-one on a Gene Freese ground ball in the second inning…and another on a Dick Gernert ground ball…”
Boyer’s lifetime offensive statistics, which include a .242 Ave., 162 HRs, and 654 RBI are unimpressive for a third basemen. However, his .965 fielding average as a third sacker is outstanding.
Shortstop Derek Jeter, the third current Yankee on the all-time great roster, Jeter is the only Yankee to reach the 3,000 hit (3,088) plateau spending his entire career in pinstripes. Jeter’s overall creditials are impressive. According to Wikipedia, he is “A twelve-time All-Star and five-time World Series champion, Jeter’s clubhouse presence, on-field leadership, hitting ability, and baserunning have made him a central figure of the franchise during the Yankees’ success of the 1990s and 2000s.” Since joining the team in 1995, Jeter has been a 12-time all star, was selected as “Yankee of the Year” and a Gold Glove winner five times.
Lifetime, Jeter also has 240 HRs, scored 1,769 runs, stole 339 bases and has a .313 batting average.
Left field. This is a tough one to pick. You’ve had the likes of HoFers Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson patroling left field in Yankee Stadium. However, I think the greatest Yankee left fielder is Bob Meusel. According to New York State of Sports, “Bob Meusel – New York Yankees (1920-1929) How could we leave out someone who batted sixth in Murderer’s Row? During his stay in New York, he won three World Series. He also hit for the cycle three times, which is still a record to this day. Also, in 1925, he led the American League in both home runs (33) and RBIs (138).”
Winfield and Henderson never won three WS with the Yankees.
Meusel’s overall stats are: Ave: .309 HRs: 156 RBI: 1,067.
Yes, the Yankees had Mantle in center. But, center fielder Joe DiMaggio are what legends are made of. According to Wikipedia, “DiMaggio was a three-time MVP winner and 13-time All-Star (the only player to be selected for the All-Star Game in every season he played). In his thirteen year career, the Yankees won ten pennants and nine world championships”.
In addition, Wikipedia points out, “He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak (May 15-July 16, 1941), a record that still stands.A 1969 poll conducted to coincide with the centennial of professional baseball voted him the sport’s greatest living player”.
Also, “DiMaggio was nicknamed the “Yankee Clipper” by Yankee’s stadium announcer Arch McDonald in 1939, when he likened DiMaggio’s speed and range in the outfield to the then-new Pan American airliner”.
Moreover, ‘Through 2011, he was one of seven major leaguers to have had at least four 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons in their first five years…”.
The “Yankee Clipper, “He might have had better power-hitting statistics had his home park not been Yankee Stadium. As “The House That Ruth Built”, its nearby right field favored the Babe’s left-handed power. For right-handed hitters, its deep left and center fields were almost impossible to get a home run: Mickey Mantle recalled that he and Whitey Ford witnessed many blasts that DiMaggio hit that would have been home runs anywhere else…”
Bill James calculated that DiMaggio lost more home runs due to his home park than any other player in history. Left-center field went as far back as 457 ft [139 m], compared to ballparks today where left-center rarely reaches 380 ft [116 m].”.
The Yankees retired Joe’s number five in 1952, a year after he retired. He was a HoF iniductee in 1955.
If Joe was the stuff of legend, then right fielder George Herman “Babe” Ruth was legend.
Wikipedia quotes, “Ruth has since become regarded as one of the greatest sports heroes in American culture He has been named the greatest baseball player in history in various surveys and rankings, and his home run hitting prowess and charismatic personality made him a larger than life figure in the “Roaring Twenties”.
In addition, “Ruth is credited with changing baseball itself. The popularity of the game exploded in the 1920s, largely due to his influence.”
Wikipedia quotes, “Ruth was a mainstay in the Yankees’ lineup that won seven pennants and four World Series titles during his tenure with the team.”
He also won three WS’, primarily as a pitcher, with his former team, the Boston Red Sox.
His legend just goes on and on.
All told, Ruth’s Ave was .342, with 714 HRs, and 2,213 RBI. His slugging percentage was an astonding .690. His on base percentage was .474.
He was also a great pitcher before being turned into a full time outfielder. His total record was 94-46 (a .671 winning percentage). The vast majority of Ruth’s wins were as a Boston Red Sox. Ruth started 148 game, and completed 107.
Sources:
Explanation of scorekeeping:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_scorekeeping
Whitey Ford’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitey_Ford
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=114299
Yogi Berra’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogi_Berra
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=110925
Lou Gerhig’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Gerhig
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=114680
Robinson Cano’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Can%C3%B3
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=429664
Alex Rodriquez’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Rodriguez
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=121347
Clete Boyer statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clete_Boyer
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=111319
Derek Jeter statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Jeter
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=116539
Bob Muesel statistics and background:
http://newyorkstateofsports.com/2010/04/27/msgs-the-lineup-our-top-five-leftfielders/
Joe DiMaggio statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_DiMaggio#Sports_legacy
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=113376
Babe Ruth’s statistics and background:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babe_Ruth
http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=121578