Here are the top-ranked Hall of Famers (per JAWS) at each position:
C Johnny Bench
1B Lou Gehrig
2B Rogers Hornsby
3B Mike Schmidt
SS Honus Wagner
LF Ted Williams
CF Willie Mays
RF Babe Ruth
SP Walter Johnson
RP Dennis Eckersley
Probably the greatest team of all-time. Barry Bonds outranks Teddy Ballgame and would replace him if/when Bonds gets elected. Likewise, a lot of Eckersley's value was accumulated during his days as a starting pitcher, so Mariano Rivera (who won't be eligible for induction until the end of the decade) is technically the best "true" reliever.
I think their should be a difference between "closer" and "relief pitcher," considering how the pitching roles have changed.
ReplyDeleteThe relief corp isnt needed with Walter Johnson. Just the closer for if/when Johnson burns out towards the end, but judging by his number of complete games, that probably isnt happening.
DeleteTechnically, Josh Gibson is in the HOF so shouldn't he be the catcher? I know we really can't prove that he was better then Bench, but there sure is a lot of evidence, anecdotal as well as statistically, that he was.
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