Who are some of your favorite Major League Baseball shortstops, all-time?

[eddiew]

I saw Willie Mays

So did I. Many many times as a Bay Area resident, though I always hated the Giants.
I stand by my comments on Roberto Clemente. Mays had more power than Roberto...but that's
about it. Clemente was a better fielder, better arm, better base runner, better hitter. Period!

We'll just have to disagree BTW I hated the Giants Bobby Thompson and all Born in Bklyn and was a Dodger fan until O'Mally moved them Pete was a boyhood friend

 

[eddiew]

he other player to play in 24 All Star Games, Willie Mays was the best player of all time. With versatility on both sides of the ball, the Say Hey Kid won 12 Gold Gloves, was a 4-time home-run leader and stolen base leader, NL Rookie of the Year, two time NL MVP, and he once jacked four homers in one game. Combing Ruth’s big bat ability and charisma with Musial’s consistency, Mays is also known for his defensive play, with “The Catch” still regarded as one of the most amazing plays in New York history. He jacked more than 50 homers a couple of times, and he had eight consecutive 100 RBI seasons. The Say Hey Kid truly was the greatest player of all time.

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Where I lived the Dodgers had their top minor league team so we saw all the future Dodger stars before they were called up. And we moved to the North Bay everyone said I had to be a Giant's fan.
And of course I hated them for a very long time.

 

[rightwinger]

I saw Willie Mays

So did I. Many many times as a Bay Area resident, though I always hated the Giants.
I stand by my comments on Roberto Clemente. Mays had more power than Roberto...but that's
about it. Clemente was a better fielder, better arm, better base runner, better hitter. Period!

Sluggers drive Cadillac’s

Clemente was a slap hitter

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

he other player to play in 24 All Star Games, Willie Mays was the best player of all time. With versatility on both sides of the ball, the Say Hey Kid won 12 Gold Gloves, was a 4-time home-run leader and stolen base leader, NL Rookie of the Year, two time NL MVP, and he once jacked four homers in one game. Combing Ruth’s big bat ability and charisma with Musial’s consistency, Mays is also known for his defensive play, with “The Catch” still regarded as one of the most amazing plays in New York history. He jacked more than 50 homers a couple of times, and he had eight consecutive 100 RBI seasons. The Say Hey Kid truly was the greatest player of all time.

Is this your opinion or did you just cut and paste?
Willie Mays had a lifetime b.a. of .302. That's impressive but Stan Musial hit .331 for his lifetime.
As consistent as Musial? Not really.

Was Mays the best player ever? Not in the opinion of many.

Additionally everyone in the San Francisco press knew what a difficult and pouty person Mays could be.
He hated San Francisco and lots of San Francisco disliked him.
And then there's this: Willie Mays was a total jerk to Hank Aaron - HardballTalk | NBC Sports

 

[eddiew]

he other player to play in 24 All Star Games, Willie Mays was the best player of all time. With versatility on both sides of the ball, the Say Hey Kid won 12 Gold Gloves, was a 4-time home-run leader and stolen base leader, NL Rookie of the Year, two time NL MVP, and he once jacked four homers in one game. Combing Ruth’s big bat ability and charisma with Musial’s consistency, Mays is also known for his defensive play, with “The Catch” still regarded as one of the most amazing plays in New York history. He jacked more than 50 homers a couple of times, and he had eight consecutive 100 RBI seasons. The Say Hey Kid truly was the greatest player of all time.

Is this your opinion or did you just cut and paste?
Willie Mays had a lifetime b.a. of .302. That's impressive but Stan Musial hit .331 for his lifetime.
As consistent as Musial? Not really.

Was Mays the best player ever? Not in the opinion of many.

Additionally everyone in the San Francisco press knew what a difficult and pouty person Mays could be.
He hated San Francisco and lots of San Francisco disliked him.
And then there's this: Willie Mays was a total jerk to Hank Aaron - HardballTalk | NBC Sports

yes it was a cut and paste ,,just trying to reinforce my opinion

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Sluggers drive Cadillac’s

Clemente was a slap hitter

He actually hit line drives for extra bases and had a better lifetime b.a. than Mays.
Why do you have to troll everything you involve yourself in?

 

[eddiew]

Where I lived the Dodgers had their top minor league team so we saw all the future Dodger stars before they were called up. And we moved to the North Bay everyone said I had to be a Giant's fan.
And of course I hated them for a very long time.

Sandy Koufax was a frat brother at U of Cincy

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

yes it was a cut and paste ,,just trying to reinforce my opinion

OK...it did seem kind of overboard in my view but whatever.

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Sandy Koufax was a frat brother at U of Cincy

Now there is someone I can say was the best I ever saw.

 

[two_iron]

I grew up a Reds fan - Dave Concepcion. 150 lbs of all-glove, no stick. A real underdog.

 

[eddiew]

I grew up a Reds fan - Dave Concepcion. 150 lbs of all-glove, no stick. A real underdog.

Remember him and John Bench Big Ted Foster in the OF ??

 

[LA RAM FAN]

VERY understandable. I still think Bill Buckner got FAR too bad a rap for that play. He was a very good hitter throughout his career and NORMALLY very good defensively

Bill Buckner led the league in hitting in 1980 and led the major leagues in doubles the next season.
I'm prejudiced because I went to the same high school as Buckner and was in the same class as his younger
brother, Jim. But one play should not define his career.
His error opened the door for the Mets, but the Red Sox as a whole failed to close it.
The collapse was a team effort.

Damn you lucky dog

 

[LA RAM FAN]

AROD was the all around GOAT. It’s not even a debate

He WAS a great player, no doubt about that. But those stories of his steroidal use will always be there.

The roids hurts his legacy in most circles, but before he bulked up he was an amazing 5 tool player. Barry Bonds was on his level, but I give it to AROD because it’s much harder to play shortstop than left field.

I still have that issue with many roid heads. It made some good ball which can't be denied. Took a lot for me to finally give in about Barry Bonds actions. Still hate him for it.

And I think A-Rod SHOULD be in the Hall of Fame when he's eligible. The allegations of his steroid use seemed kind of sketchy to me. And he didn't really LOOK like someone taking steroids. Barry "Big Head" Bonds, on the other hand, gained at LEAST 60-70 lbs. of bulk and muscle, and his head really DID get bigger. His hat size actually increased, which is HIGHLY abnormal. There's no question in my mind he used steroids.

A shot of Barry before and after being juiced

Wonder why mcguire and Sosa’s head did not expand,they did it just as much as bonds.

 

[okfine]

Sluggers drive Cadillac’s

Clemente was a slap hitter

He actually hit line drives for extra bases and had a better lifetime b.a. than Mays.
Why do you have to troll everything you involve yourself in?

Everything upsets you. Why?

 

[LA RAM FAN]

Sluggers drive Cadillac’s

Clemente was a slap hitter

He actually hit line drives for extra bases and had a better lifetime b.a. than Mays.
Why do you have to troll everything you involve yourself in?

Everything upsets you. Why?

He made the unwise decision of trying to have a discussion with usmb biggest resident troll wrongwinger apparently unaware that wrongwinger would kill himself first before ever admitting to being wrong always lying all the time when he can’t counter facts,why people always take his bait I will never understand,there is an ignore button he would be wise to use on him

 

[okfine]

Sluggers drive Cadillac’s

Clemente was a slap hitter

He actually hit line drives for extra bases and had a better lifetime b.a. than Mays.
Why do you have to troll everything you involve yourself in?

Everything upsets you. Why?

He made the unwise decision of trying to have a discussion with usmb biggest resident troll wrongwinger apparently unaware that wrongwinger would kill himself first before ever admitting to being wrong always lying all the time when he can’t counter facts,why people always take his bait I will never understand,there is an ignore button he would be wise to use on him

Are you his spokesperson? Lets let blairboy comment.

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Everything upsets you. Why?

Everything does not upset me. People who lie and make stupid uneducated comments bother me, like Roberto Clemente was a "slap hitter", which is a ridiculous derogatory comment, if anyone cares to view Roberto's Hall of Fame career record (Hall of Fame being a pretty good indicator he was not some mediocre "slap hitter"). Roberto Clemente - Wikipedia

Some people through whatever personality flaw (probably a lack of attention) are contrarian nay sayers
that delight in saying obviously stupid things just to provoke a reaction from irritated others.

I don't understand that compulsion...the urge to piss people off. It comes from people who evidently
can't say anything that causes people to aspire and lift them up so he takes the low road because that;s
the only place he can inhabit.

 

[okfine]

Everything upsets you. Why?

Everything does not upset me. People who lie and make stupid uneducated comments bother me, like Roberto Clemente was a "slap hitter", which is ridiculous derogatory comment, if anyone cares to view Roberto's Hall of Fame career record (Hall of Fame being a pretty good indicator he was not some mediocre "slap hitter"). Roberto Clemente - Wikipedia

Some people through whatever personality flaw (probably a lack of attention) are contrarian nay sayers
that delight in saying obviously stupid things just to provoke a reaction from irritated others.

I don't understand that compulsion...the urge to piss people off. It comes from people who evidently
can't say anything that causes people to aspire and lift them up so he takes the low road because that;s
the only place he can inhabit.

Definition of a slap hitter may not be far off from what he said>

"When we talk about slap hitters, we generally mean smaller (in height) and/or slighter (in build) players who prefer to use their speed to get on base. What this usually means is sacrificing power by using less torque and a line-drive swing to put the ball on the ground and spray line drives. The hope is that the player posts a higher BA and OBP while making an impact on the bases by stealing and taking the extra base to offset the presumed lack of power. Let’s look at some examples."

Player Development Case Study: Slap Hitters

Most statistical research is done by looking at large populations and immense data sets to find trends and patterns, but case studies can also be very useful when one wants to look at a particular…

blogs.fangraphs.com

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Definition of a slap hitter may not be far off from what he said>

"When we talk about slap hitters, we generally mean smaller (in height) and/or slighter (in build) players who prefer to use their speed to get on base. What this usually means is sacrificing power by using less torque and a line-drive swing to put the ball on the ground and spray line drives. The hope is that the player posts a higher BA and OBP while making an impact on the bases by stealing and taking the extra base to offset the presumed lack of power.

Roberto Clemente

His greatness was not just limited to the baseball diamond as he dedicated his life to helping those less fortunate.

baseballhall.org

Clemente averaged 15 home runs per year and led the league in triples (1969). Of his 3000 career hits nearly one third were for extra bases.
No one would ever mistake him for Babe Ruth but calling him a "slap hitter" is pretty absurd and meant as a slur which is petty and foolish.