MLB History

I posted the All-time teams for each Major League Baseball franchise in 2006 on my Sporting News blog.  Enough time has passed that there will be some changes. 

Since we’re dealing with over a century and thousands of players, I will assume the DH role for both leagues.  I will limit the teams to 25 players.  I’ll carry 13 batters and 12 pitchers for each team. 

With baseball season around the corner, what better time to take this journey?

Here's a suggestion.

To make room for players who truly belong in the Hall of Fame, like Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, and Andre Dawson, let's toss out the members who, unaccountably, inexplicably, mysteriously, achieved "immortality."

How's that for a neat piece of revisionist history?

No need for comparisons between players from different eras.

No need to adjust earned runs averages or batting averages.

No need to employ a laundry list of sabermetrics to quantify a player's worthiness.

Just employ a little common sense.

Please.

This list was made after extensive research into the stats I believed to be the most important when it came to pitchers. I took a list of close to 200 candidates and looked at their career totals in Wins, ERA, WHIP, Saves, and Strikeouts. I then ranked each player in each of those categories. After that I looked at what they averaged in those stats per year. This ensures that we are looking at quality along with quantity. Next I weighted each stat accordingly, because lets face it, a save isn't as important as a win.

It's the middle of March, and spring training games are getting more competitive. Pitchers are pitching more innings, and players are starting to get back into the swing of playing Major League Baseball everyday.

The San Diego Padres enter their 4oth season, in almost exactly the same shape from which they began as an expansion franchise in 1969, looking up from the bottom of the division. This is an attempt to take an overall look at trades the Friars have engaged in during these 40 seasons, and examine the outcome of these transactions, for all teams and players involved.

Some of baseballs biggest names have come and gone for the Pads, who seem to have a knack for both profiting from trades, and basically shooting themselves in the foot on others.

I just returned from visiting the Hoard Museum in Fort Atkinson, Wis., where today was the last day that the Roberto Clemente exhibit would be there, and I didn't want to miss it.  I called my friend Nick up and we drove over.

When we arrived we were met by a nice older couple who ran the place.  They gave us a bit of information and showed us the way to a small hall where a video from the PBS series American Experience would be shown about Clemente's life. 

Two or three weeks ago, I wrote an article that ranked every Center Fielder in the history of MLB, offensively. A letter grade was given to each player, and they were also put in order from 1-236.

I will do the same thing in this article, defensively—every Center Fielder in the history of MLB that played in at least 800 games.

At a later date, I will rank them overall, combining offensive and defense.

Professional sports fans know that they will suffer through their share of last-second heartaches, missed opportunities, and close calls that could have gone either way.

Minnesota Twins fans are no exception.

Some of the franchise's setbacks have occurred on the diamond. Some have taken place in the offseason. On at least one occasion, the worst moment of all unfolded far removed from the roar of the crowd.

10. Sept. 28, 1982

It's the middle of March, and spring training games are getting more competitive. Pitchers are pitching more innings, and players are starting to get back into the swing of playing Major League Baseball everyday.

The transition from spring training to the regular season is beginning to take place.

With that in mind, there have been numerous predictions, division breakdowns, rankings, and lists about who will win, lose, win awards, an so on.

I usually try to stay away from these kinds of articles but, after reading several "Greatest Team Ever" or "Best Team Ever" articles, I decided to write my own. Now, I know this I have only been around for 19 years on God's good green Earth so I do have a bit of bias towards today's players. But, all biases will be put aside and I will judge players based on career and other information.