Day Three:Red Sox/Brewers

Please see I’m Just Sayin… (2/26/13) for what is going on with our posts for the next month or so.

Red Sox

Ted Williams, Roger Clemens, Tris Speaker, Carl Yastrzemski

Ted Williams - Ted Williams is hands-down the greatest Red Sox of all time and arguably the greatest hitter who ever lived. Despite missing playing time for tours of duty in both World War II and the Korean War, Williams was a career .344 hitter with 1839 RBI and another 1798 runs. “Teddy Ballgame” was an All-Star in 17 of 18 seasons as a Boston Red Sox, winning two MVP awards and two Triple Crowns.  He did not hit below .300 until 1959, his penultimate season in the major leagues, and ended his final season with a .316 average. He is also the last person to hit above .400 for the season (.406) in 1941. Stats that year – BA:.406, HR: 37, RBI:120, OBP:.533. He could have sat out the last day of the 1941 season and ended with a .400 batting average but chose to play in the double header that day and went 6-8. I read his book My Turn At Bat and would recommend that book to anyone.

Roger Clemens - Roger Clemens is now Hall of Fame eligible, and rightfully so. Despite alleged PED usage, Clemens’ numbers with the Red Sox prior to the early nineties—when those allegations get particularly muddled—are impressive. During that period, Clemens won two Cy Young awards and went to a World Series. Those Cy Young awards were for back-to-back 20-win seasons, including 1986 when he had a 2.48 ERA—one of four times he led the league in ERA during his time with the Red Sox. Perhaps the most impressive part about Clemens’ career with Boston was that he tied Cy Young for 192 wins—the most in franchise history. This may draw some controversy but I am choosing not to hang him with the PED noose yet. After all he was acquitted of charges that he did them. He is one of the greatest pitchers of all time and since his career began in Boston and thrived there I am putting him on this list, and yes right behind Ted. He has impressive career numbers and without the PED issue would certainly be a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee.  

Tris Speaker - Despite playing in the dead-ball era, Tris Speaker had a dominant offensive career with Boston. Speaker was a career .337 hitter who accumulated 3514 hits and 792 doubles, with only 395 strikeouts in his entire 22-year career.  In fact, Speaker hit the 50-strikeout mark in only one season, and in 1914 struck out just 25 times while playing a career-high number of games.

It is not something that Williams or Yastrzemski can boast, but Speaker won three World Series with Boston, including one in 1912, when he won the MVP award. In addition to his offense, Speaker led the league in putouts five times during his career with Boston. In an old Commodore 64 computer game I had as a kid, Tris Speaker was clutch. I had never heard of him before that game but his stats are amazing. He deserves to be on this list.

Carl Yastrzemski - Carl Yastrzemski was a more rounded player than Williams, but his hitting was only a strong second-best in comparison. Still, Williams is a pretty good person to come second to. Particularly when you manage more than 1800 runs and RBI over a career, the way Yaz did.  Until Miguel Cabrera won it in 2012, Yaz—a .285 hitter—had been the last player to hit for the Triple Crown. Unlike Williams, however, Yaz thrived defensively.  In 23 seasons, Yastrzemski played five of the seven non-specialty positions and won seven Gold Gloves.

Honorable Mention:

Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Pedro Martinez

(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1432100)

Brewers

Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Cecil Cooper, Gorman Thomas

When it comes to picking the greatest Brewers of all time I have a hard time thinking of any team other than the 1982 team that faced the Cardinals in the World Series. I know they have had some success lately with the likes of Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, but the greatest Brewers have to come from that ’82 team. A friend of mine had a baseball board game…that’s right…board game back in the ‘80’s. We played that game all the time and he was always the Brewers and I was the Cardinals replaying the 1982 Series match-up. The four I have chosen to make-up my list were the ones that came through for him in that game just like they did in real life. Who needs video games when you have games like that board game?

Robin Yount - Statistics with Milwaukee: 251 HR, 1406 RBI, 271 SB, 3142 H, .285 BA

Yount accomplished more than anyone else may ever come close to—leading the Brewers in career RBI, TB (4730), HR, R (1632), and hits. Not only that, but Yount was and still remains the only player in major league history to win an MVP at two different defensive positions.

Paul Molitor - Statistics with Milwaukee: 160 HR, 790 RBI, 2281 H, 412 SB, .303 BA

During his 15 illustrious seasons with Milwaukee, Molitor managed to accrue an unprecedented 412 stolen bases, enough to nearly double Robin Yount's mark of 271. Additionally, Molitor's exceptional hitting abilities allowed him to place in the top-five in Brewers history in BA, SLG (.444), and OBP (.367). There's no disputing his major-league success as a Brewer.  A seven-time All-Star selection, four-time Silver Slugger and the 1993 World Series MVP, Molitor is undoubtedly Milwaukee's most successful home-grown talent of all time.

Cecil Cooper - Statistics with Milwaukee: 944 RBI, 201 HR, 345 2B, 1815 H, .470 SLG

After six seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Cecil Cooper made his way to the Brew City in 1977, where he, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor started what would eventually become known as "the greatest season in Brewers history," a.k.a 1982.

Gorman Thomas - Statistics with Milwaukee: 605 RBI, .461 SLG, 1635 TB, 208 HR, 815 H

Thomas became known as Milwaukee's most feared hitter when it comes to the long-ball.  In fact, Thomas bopped at least 32 home runs in four different seasons and hit a career-high 45 in 1979. Also, Stormin Gorman was an excellent outfielder and a graduate of James Island High School so of course he deserves this ranking.

(http://bleacherreport.com/articles/627663)

Honorable Mention:

Rollie Fingers, Geoff Jenkins, Braun and Fielder.