The Greatest Texas Rangers players by position in the last 50 years

 

I am continuing my list of the greatest players for each team in the last 50 years by position (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, C, right-handed, and left-handed starting pitchers, relief pitcher and DH). Criteria is players must have played at least (5) years on team since the 1973 season. Note players who started prior to 1973 can be included, however only what they accomplished since the 73 season will be considered. There were many factors in the selection process. Were they Hall of Famers? Were they consistent? Were they league leaders? Did they win any awards (MVPs, Cy Youngs, gold gloves) and how much post season success did they have? I will be doing 1 team a week. I am now in the American League West. Since the World Series starts tonight, I am going out of order, so today’s team is the Texas Rangers. Here is my list of greatest Rangers players by position since the 1973 season. Note the time and accomplishments are listed only with the Rangers.

·        First Base- Rafael Palmeiro (1989-1993, 199-2003)- Gold glove award winner. 2^nd in HRs for Rangers.

·        Second Base- Julio Franco (1989-1993)- Batting title.307 average with Rangers.

·        Third Base- Adrian Beltre (2011-2018)- 3X Gold Glove award winner with Rangers. 3,000 hits.

·        Shortstop- Michael Young (2000-2012)- Batting title. Gold Glove award winner.

·        Left Field- Rusty Greer (1994-2002)- 3X over 100 RBI.

·        Centerfield- Josh Hamilton (2008-2012)- MVP, ALCS MVP, Batting title.

·        Right Field- Juan Gonzalez (1989-1999)- 2X MVP, 2X HR leader.

·        Catcher- Ivan Rodriguez (1991-2002)- HOF MVP, 10X Gold Glove award winner with Rangers.

·        Designated Hitter- Nelson Cruz (2006-2013)- ALCS MVP.  

·        Right-handed starting pitcher- Fergie Jenkins (1974-1975, 1978-1981)- HOF

·        Left-handed starting pitcher- Kenny Rogers (1989-1995, 2000-2002, 2004-2005)- 4X Gold Glove award winner. Perfect game. 2^nd all time in wins for Rangers.

·        Relief pitcher- Jeff Russell (1985-1992, 1995-1996)- 2^nd All-time saves leader for Rangers.

Notes. The Rangers have had some great players in their history which led to some difficult choices. At first base, Mark Texiera was considered, but he did not reach the 5-year criteria (played 4 full seasons with the Rangers). At second base, Ian Kinsler had played longer. But, I went with Franco, who had some terrific seasons during his 5 years with the Rangers (including winning a batting title). At Shortstop, Alex Rodriguez won an MVP, but only played 3 seasons with the Rangers. Young was the obvious choice. Third base was a tough decision between Buddy Bell and Beltre. Bell was a terrific third baseman who won 6 gold gloves with the Rangers, but he his offensive numbers could not compare to Beltre. Left field was one of the most challenging positions to select. The Rangers have not had many great left fielders in their history. It was between David Murphy and Greer. Although Murphy was part of the Rangers 2 WS teams in 2010 and 2012, Greer had the better numbers. Hamilton and Gonzalez were MVPs. Rodriguez is a HOF. Right-handed starting pitcher may have been the most difficult position to select. I had to choose between Jenkins and another Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Although Ryan had some good years for the Rangers (including pitching 2 no hitters in his 40s), I had to give the nod to Jenkins, who had more terrific seasons (winning 16 or more games in 4 of his 6 seasons with the Rangers, including winning 25 in 1974). The Rangers closer with the most saves all time is John Wetteland, but he only pitched 4 seasons with them. 

Next up, I will look at the other World Series team, the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Greatest Toronto Blue Jays players by position in their history

I am continuing my list of the greatest players for each team in the last 50 years by position (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, C, right-handed, and left-handed starting pitchers, relief pitchers and DH). Criteria is players must have played at least (5) years on team since the 1973 season. Note players who started prior to 1973 can be included, however only what they accomplished since the 73 season will be considered. There were many factors in the selection process. Were they Hall of Famers? Were they consistent, league leaders? Did they win any awards (MVPs, Cy Youngs gold gloves)? And how much post season success did they have? I will be doing 1 team a week. Starting with teams in the American League East. This week’s team is the Toronto Blue Jays. Here is my list of greatest Blue Jays players in their history (since they began play in 1976) by position. Note the time and accomplishments are listed only with Blue Jays.

First Base- Carlos Delgado (1993-2004)- Holds Blue Jays all-time records for doubles, HRs, and RBI.

Second Base- Roberto Alomar (1991-1995)- HOF, ALCS MVP, 5X Gold Glove award winner (with Blue Jays).

Third Base- Kelly Gruber (1984-1992)- Gold Glove award winner.

Shortstop- Tony Fernandez (1983-1990, 1993)- 4X Gold Glove award winner.

Left Field- George Bell (1981-1990)- MVP.

Centerfield- Devon White (1991-1995) – 5X Gold Glove Award winner (with Blue Jays).

Right Field- Jose Bautista (2009-2017)- 2X HR leader.  

Catcher- Pat Borders (1988-1994) – WS MVP.

Designated Hitter- Edwin Encarnacion (2010-2016)- Team record for most HR and RBI in a month.

Right-handed starting pitcher- Roy Halladay (1998-2009)- HOF, Cy Young award winner. Finished 4X in top 5 Cy Young voting.

Left-handed starting pitcher- Jimmy Key (1984-1992)- ERA champion, 2 World Series wins.

Relief pitcher- Tom Henke (1985-1992)- Blue Jays all-time saves leader.

Notes. The Blue Jays had a lot of terrific players. Most from this list were part of the 1992, and 93 championship teams. Wanted to select Josh Donaldson at third base. He won an MVP for the Blue Jays. However, he only played 4 seasons for Toronto, so did not meet the criteria. Toughest choice was selecting the right-handed starting pitcher. Dave Stieb has the most wins in Blue Jays history. Was a terrific pitcher for a long time. However, I had to pick Halladay. Although his career was shorter, he had more great seasons than Stieb, including a Cy Young award.

Next up we will move to the American League Central Division with the Chicago White Sox.

The Greatest Tampa Bay Rays players by position in their history

Today I am continuing my list of the greatest players for each team in the last 50 years by position (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, C, right-handed, and left-handed starting pitchers, relief pitchers and DH). Criteria is players must have played at least (5) years on team since the 1973 season. Note players who started prior to 1973 can be included, however only what they accomplished since the 73 season will be considered. There were many factors in the selection process. Were they Hall of Famers? Were they consistent, league leaders? Did they win any awards (MVPs, Cy Youngs gold gloves)? And how much post season success did they have? I will be doing 1 team a week. Starting with teams in the American League East. This week’s team is the Tampa Bay Rays. Here is my list of greatest Rays players in their history by position (since they began play in 1998, no need to look at 50 years). Note the time and accomplishments are listed only with Rays.

First Base- Carlos Pena (2007-2010, 2012)- HR champion. Gold glove award winner.

Second Base- Ben Zobrist (2006-2015)- 2X all-star.

Third Base- Evan Longoria (2008-2017)- Rookie of the Year. 3X Gold glove award winner.

Shortstop- Julio Lugo (2003-2006)- Rays all-time hits leader for shortstops.

Left Field- Carl Crawford (2002-2010)- Gold glove award winner. 4x stolen base leader.

Centerfield- Kevin Kiermaier (2015-2022)- 3X Gold glove award winner.

Right Field- Matt Joyce (2009-20014)- 1X All Star.

Catcher- Toby Hall (2000-2006)- Played most games as catcher in Rays history.

Designated Hitter- Jonny Gomes (2003-2008)- Finished 3^rd in Rookie of the Year voting.

Right-handed starting pitcher- James Shields (2006-2012)- Finished 3^rd in Cy Young voting.

Left-handed starting pitcher- David Price (2008-2014)- Cy Young award winner.

Relief pitcher- Alex Colome (2013-2018)- 1X saves leader.

Notes. Since the Rays have only been in existence since 1998, this was one of the more challenging lists to put together. Shortstop a very difficult position to pick. No shortstop in Rays history meet the criteria of playing at least 5 full seasons. I took Lugo based on his time and having the most hits by any Rays SS. Gomes played the most games at DH. There were not many great relief pitchers. I took Colome since he was the only Rays reliever who led the league in saves. Finally, Longoria is the greatest TB Rays player of all time, without question.

Next up will be the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Greatest New York Yankees players by position in the last 50 years

Today I am continuing my list of the greatest players for each team in the last 50 years by position (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, C, right-handed, and left-handed starting pitchers, relief pitchers and DH). Criteria is players must have played at least (5) years on team since the 1973 season. Note players who started prior to 1973 can be included, however only what they accomplished since the 73 season will be considered. There were many factors in the selection process. Were they Hall of Famers? Were they consistent, league leaders? Did they win any awards (MVPs, Cy Youngs gold gloves)? And how much post season success did they have? I will be doing 1 team a week. Starting with teams in the American League East. This week’s team is the New York Yankees. Here is my list of greatest Yankees players in the last 50 years (by position). Note the time and accomplishments are listed only with Yankees (since 1973).

First Base- Don Mattingly (1982-1995)- MVP, Batting champion, 9X Gold glove award winner.

Second Base- Robinson Cano (2005-2013)- 2X Gold Glove award winner. Finished in top 5 MVP voting 3X.

Third Base- Alex Rodriguez (2004-2016)- 2X MVP with Yankees. 2X HR champion.

Shortstop- Derek Jeter (1995-2014)- HOF, ROY, WS MVP, 5X Gold glove award winner

Left Field- Dave Winfield (1981-1988)- HOF, 4X Gold glove award winner.

Centerfield- Bernie Williams (1991-2006)- Batting champion, ALCS MVP, 4X Gold glove award winner.  

Right Field- Paul O’Neil (1993-2001)- Batting champion, 4X WS champion with Yankees.  

Catcher- Thurman Munson (1973-1979)- MVP, 3X Gold glove award winner.

Designated Hitter- Reggie Jackson (1977-1981)- HOF, WS MVP, HR champion.

Right-handed starting pitcher- Mike Mussina (2001-2008)- HOF, 3X Gold glove award winner with Yankees.

Left-handed starting pitcher- Ron Guidry (1975-1988)- Cy Young award winner. 5X Gold glove award winner.

Relief pitcher- Mariano Rivera (1995-2013)- HOF, WS MVP, ALSC MVP, All-time saves leader.

Notes. Lots of great players with a couple of tough selections. At second base, it was between Cano and long time Yankee Willie Randolph. I took Cano, who was a better consistent hitter. He hit .309 in his 9 years as a Yankees. Although Graig Nettles was a terrific third baseman, it was no question that Alex Rodriguez was the choice with his 2 MVPs at the position. The Yankees never had any great left fielders for a long period of time. Ricky Henderson was the best in the last 50 years; however, he did not play a full 5 seasons with the team. Although Dave Winfield played more games in right field, he did play 3 full seasons as the Yankees left fielder, so he gets the nod over the other options. Right field was between O’Neil and Aaron Judge. I considered Judge based on his MVP last season, but had to give the nod to O’Neil, who was a key member of 4 championship teams. Catcher was another tough decision. I took Munson over Posada based on his MVP and terrific post season numbers (.357 lifetime average in postseason, including .373 in World Series). The last tough decision was left-handed starting pitcher between Guidry and Andy Pettitte. I took Guidry based on having one of the greatest pitching seasons ever, And, Guidry had more 20 game win seasons than Pettitte.

Next up will be the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

 

The Greatest Boston Red Sox players by position in the last 50 years

Today I am continuing my list of the greatest players for each team in the last 50 years by position (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, C, right-handed, and left-handed starting pitchers, relief pitchers and DH). Criteria is players must have played at least (5) years on team since the 1973 season. Note players who started prior to 1973 can be included, however only what they accomplished since the 73 season will be considered. There were many factors in the selection process. Were they Hall of Famers? Were they consistent, League leaders, (awards MVPs, Cy Youngs gold gloves), and how much post season success did they have? I will be doing 1 team a week. Starting with teams in the American League East. This week’s team is the Boston Red Sox. Here is my list of greatest Red Sox players in the last 50 years (by position). Note the time and accomplishments are listed only with Red Sox (since 1973).

First Base- Mo Vaugh (1991-1998)- MVP

Second Base- Dustin Pedroia (2006-2019)- MVP, Rookie of the Year, 4X Gold glove award winner.

Third Base- Wade Boggs (1982-1992)- HOF, 5X Batting champion, 2X Gold glove award winner.

Shortstop- Nomar Garciaparra (1996-2003)- Rookie of the Year, 2X Batting champion.

Left Field- Jim Rice (1974-1989)- HOF, MVP, 3X HR champion.

Centerfield- Fred Lynn (1974-1980)- MVP, Rookie of the Year, Batting champion. 4X Gold glove award winner.

Right Field- Dwight Evans (1973-1990)- HR champion, 8X Gold glove award winner.  

Catcher- Carlton Fisk (1973-1980)- HOF

Designated Hitter- David Ortiz (2003-2016)- HOF, HR champion, WS MVP, LCS MVP

Right-handed starting pitcher- Roger Clemens (1984-1996), MVP, 3X Cy Young award winner (with Boston),

Left-handed starting pitcher- Jon Lester (2007-2014), 3-0 in World Series (for Boston).

Relief pitcher- Jonathan Papelbon (2005-2011)- All-time saves leader for Red Sox

Notes. There were 2 tough position selections. Left Field was challenging. It was between Rice, HOF Carl Yastrzemski, and Manny Ramirez. I eliminated Yaz since his best seasons were prior to 1973 (3 batting titles and MVP). I took Rice based on his long 16-year career with the Red Sox. Although Manny put up terrific numbers with Boston, he only played 7 full seasons. The other difficult choice was picking the right-handed starting pitcher. It was between Clemens and Pedro Martinez. It was tough to pick against HOF Martinez, but I gave the nod to Clemens due to his winning the MVP and Cy Young in the same season. The rest of the list was straightforward. All were the best at their positions in the last 50 years.

Next up is the New York Yankees.

 

 

The greatest Baltimore Orioles players in the last 50 years by position

Welcome to my new list. This is my list of the greatest players for each team in the last 50 years by position (1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, C, right-handed, and left-handed starting pitchers, relief pitchers and DH). Criteria is players must have played at least (5) years on team since the 1973 season. Note players who started prior to 1973 can be included, however only what they accomplished since the 73 season will be considered. There were many factors in the selection process. Were they Hall of Famers? Were they consistent, League leaders, (awards MVPs, Cy Youngs gold gloves), and how much post season success did they have? I will be doing 1 team a week. I am starting with the American League East, alphabetically by city, so, the first team is the Baltimore Orioles. Here is my list of greatest Baltimore Orioles in the last 50 years (by position). Note the time and accomplishments are listed only with Orioles (and only since 1973).

First Base- Eddie Murray (1977-1997): HOF, Rookie of the Year, 3X gold glove award winner. Finished 5X in the top 5 MVP voting.

Second Base- Brian Roberts (2001-2013): 2X leader in doubles. Hit over 50 doubles 3Xs.

Third Base- Manny Machado (2012-2018): 2X Gold glove award winner.

Shortstop- Cal Ripken Jr (1981-2001): HOF, Rookie of the Year, 2X MVP, 2X gold glove award winner. All time consecutive games streak.

Left Field- BJ Surhoff (1996-2000/2003-2005): Batted .291 with Orioles.

Centerfield- Adam Jones (2008-2018): 4X Gold glove award winner.

Right Field- Nick Markakis (2006-2014): 2X gold glove winner.

Catcher- Rick Dempsey (1976-1986): World Series MVP

Designated Hitter- Ken Singleton (1975-1984)- Finished in top 3 MVP voting 2X.

Right-handed starting pitcher- Jim Palmer (1973-1984): HOF, 3X Cy Young award winner, 4X gold glove winner (since 1973).

Left-handed starting pitcher- Mike Flanagan (1975-1986/1991-92): Cy Young award winner.

Relief pitcher- Gregg Olson (1988-1993): Rookie of the Year.

Notes. The Orioles have had many great players. Most of this list was straightforward to put together. There are 3 Hall of Famers and All Stars at almost every position. Selecting the left fielder was the biggest challenge. The Orioles did have any great players at the position. Surhoff played some time at third base but had his best seasons as a left fielder with the Baltimore. The other option was Gary Roenicke and John Lowenstein. They were a great platoon, but I could only pick one player, so I went with Surhoff. The other positions were easy to select. Note 2 Hall of Famers did not make the list due to the timing. Brooks Robinson only played 4 seasons from 1973-1976 and was at the end of his career. Frank Robinson played with Baltimore prior to the 1973 season. And HOF Palmer won all 3 of his Cy Young awards since 1973.  Even though this is the first team I am listing, this lineup may be one of the strongest of any of the team’s greatest players at each position.

Next up is the Boston Red Sox.

The Top 10 greatest players at each position in the last 50 years- Left Handed Starting Pitcher

Continuing my list of the 10 greatest players at each position in the last 50 years, today I am looking at left-handed starting pitchers. Since this is based on the last 50 years, the player must have played in MLB for at least 5 years since the 1973 season. Note players who began their career prior to 73 can be considered. However only their performance and accomplishments since the 1973 season will be counted for.

Here is my list of the top 10 left-handed starting pitchers in the last 50 years.

10. Jon Lester (2006-2021)- NLCS MVP, 4-1 WS record.

9.  Ron Guidry (1975-1988)- Cy Young award. 5X Gold Glove award winner.

8.  Andy Pettitte (1995-2013)- ALCS MVP, 5X WS champion.

7. CC Sabathia (2001-2019)- Cy Young award winner, ALCS MVP.

6. Madison Bumgarner (2009-active)- NLCS MVP, WS MVP.

5. Johan Santana (2000-2012)- 2X Cy Young award winner. Gold Glove award winner.

4. Tom Glavine (1987-2008)- HOF, 2X Cy Young award winner, WS MVP

3. Clayton Kershaw (2008- active)- 3X Cy Young award winner, MVP, Gold Glove.

2. Steve Carlton (1973-1988)- HOF, 3X Cy Young award winner (since 72). Gold Glove.

1. Randy Johnson (1988-2009)- HOF, 5X Cy Young award winner, WS MVP.

Notes. This list was quite different than the right-handed starting pitchers. That list was so deep there were 4 Hall of Famers who didn’t make it. The lefties didn’t have the depth. Ranking 6 through 10 was quite challenging. Lester had to make this list. He had great post season numbers and won a championship with both the Cubs and Red Sox. Guidry had one of the great seasons of all time in 1978. He went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA. Pettitte was a key contributor for the 5-time champion Yankees. He has the most post season wins in MLB history with 19. Sabathia was a work horse throughout his career and is only the 3^rd lefthanded pitcher to have 3,000 strikeouts. Bumgarner is a terrific post season pitcher. He was a big part of the Giants 3 championships in the 2010s, while posting a 4-0 record in the World Series. Santana had a career cut short by injuries, but his dominance put him high up on the list. Besides winning 2 Cy Youngs, he finished in the top 5 voting 3 other times. Glavine is a Hall of Famer who was integral to 6 World Series teams with the Braves in the 90s and led them to the championship in 95. Kershaw is one of only 11 pitchers to win the Cy Young and MVP in the same season. Carlton won an additional Cy Young Award in 1972. He is one of only 4 pitchers to win at least 4 Cy Youngs awards. Johnson has the second most Cy Young awards in history with 5.

Next up is the 10 greatest relief pitchers in the last 50 years.