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Choosing 16 MLB's positional players since 1970

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saturdaysarebetter

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With current 26-man rosters, if you had to choose 16 positional players since 1970 as we're going with a 10-man pitching staff that's so good you don't need more than 10.

You have to have two catchers: Bench and Rodriquez. So now you're down to 14 position players to select.

1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Joe Morgan
SS: Derek Jeter (argue about it later)
3B; Mike Schmidt

There are your infield starters so now you're down to 10 position players to select.

Infield back-ups: Miguel Cabrera, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken, George Brett and Wade Boggs so now you're down to five outfielders to select.

OF: Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey, Jr., Tony Gwynn and Ichiro Suzuki

Are you putting ARod on the team? Who comes off if you do? Will one of those be your DH or do you add Big Papi? If so, who gets replaced?

Arguments for anyone that I didn't list and who gets replaced?
 
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LionJim

LionJim

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saturdaysarebetter said:
With current 26-man rosters, if you had to choose 16 positional players since 1970 as we're going with a 10-man pitching staff that's so good you don't need more than 10.

You have to have two catchers: Bench and Rodriquez. So now you're down to 14 position players to select.

1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Joe Morgan
SS: Derek Jeter (argue about it later)
3B; Mike Schmidt

There are your infield starters so now you're down to 10 position players to select.

Infield back-ups: Miguel Cabrera, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken, George Brett and Wade Boggs so now you're down to five outfielders to select.

OF: Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey, Jr., Tony Gwynn and Ichiro Suzuki

Are you putting ARod on the team? Who comes off if you do? Will one of those be your DH or do you add Big Papi? If so, who gets replaced?

Arguments for anyone that I didn't list and who gets replaced?
Click to expand...
Jeter > Ripken.
 
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WestSideLion

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saturdaysarebetter said:
With current 26-man rosters, if you had to choose 16 positional players since 1970 as we're going with a 10-man pitching staff that's so good you don't need more than 10.

You have to have two catchers: Bench and Rodriquez. So now you're down to 14 position players to select.

1B: Albert Pujols
2B: Joe Morgan
SS: Derek Jeter (argue about it later)
3B; Mike Schmidt

There are your infield starters so now you're down to 10 position players to select.

Infield back-ups: Miguel Cabrera, Rod Carew, Cal Ripken, George Brett and Wade Boggs so now you're down to five outfielders to select.

OF: Barry Bonds, Rickey Henderson, Ken Griffey, Jr., Tony Gwynn and Ichiro Suzuki

Are you putting ARod on the team? Who comes off if you do? Will one of those be your DH or do you add Big Papi? If so, who gets replaced?

Arguments for anyone that I didn't list and who gets replaced?
Click to expand...
You have one too many 3Bs on that roster, IMO. I’d drop Brett and keep Boggs. Folks forget that Boggs had the second highest WAR in the 1980s behind only Rickey.

I’d drop one of Gwynn or Ichiro and add Mike Trout. Ichiro and Gwynn are the same player, but Ichiro was a better fielder and stacked up 50+ WAR in the 2000s. Gwynn never cracked the top ten in a decade.

Choosing pitchers should be fun! You have to include Clemens, Maddux and Kershaw based on their dominant decades of WAR. Randy Johnson and and Pedro would be high on the list. Then there’s Steve Carlton who was just filthy in the 70s and Mr Met, Tom Seaver.
 
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LB99

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WestSideLion said:
You have one too many 3Bs on that roster, IMO. I’d drop Brett and keep Boggs. Folks forget that Boggs had the second highest WAR in the 1980s behind only Rickey.

I’d drop one of Gwynn or Ichiro and add Mike Trout. Ichiro and Gwynn are the same player, but Ichiro was a better fielder and stacked up 50+ WAR in the 2000s. Gwynn never cracked the top ten in a decade.

Choosing pitchers should be fun! You have to include Clemens, Maddux and Kershaw based on their dominant decades of WAR. Randy Johnson and and Pedro would be high on the list. Then there’s Steve Carlton who was just filthy in the 70s and Mr Met, Tom Seaver.
Click to expand...
This is a tough one. There have been so many good players in this time frame. Jim Palmer? Nolan Ryan? Halladay? Rivera as closer.
 
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saturdaysarebetter

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WestSideLion said:
You have one too many 3Bs on that roster, IMO. I’d drop Brett and keep Boggs. Folks forget that Boggs had the second highest WAR in the 1980s behind only Rickey.

I’d drop one of Gwynn or Ichiro and add Mike Trout. Ichiro and Gwynn are the same player, but Ichiro was a better fielder and stacked up 50+ WAR in the 2000s. Gwynn never cracked the top ten in a decade.

Choosing pitchers should be fun! You have to include Clemens, Maddux and Kershaw based on their dominant decades of WAR. Randy Johnson and and Pedro would be high on the list. Then there’s Steve Carlton who was just filthy in the 70s and Mr Met, Tom Seaver.
Click to expand...
But if I use a DH, I could have Brett, Schmidt or Boggs be DH.
 
MtNittany

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Who was the best pinch hitter of all time? My Dad still marvels at Ted Williams as the best hitter ever, but also at Manny Mota b/c what he was asked to do and his success ratio.
 
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LionJim

LionJim

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LionJim said:
Jeter > Ripken.
Click to expand...
In researching the Luzinski Iron Glove angle I was surprised to see that Jeter is considered to be highly overrated as a fielder. There are lot of BS Gold Glove winners out there, which I already knew, didn’t know that Jeter seems to be one of them.
 
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LB99

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LionJim said:
In researching the Luzinski Iron Glove angle I was surprised to see that Jeter is considered to be highly overrated as a fielder. There are lot of BS Gold Glove winners out there, which I already knew, didn’t know that Jeter seems to be one of them.
Click to expand...
 
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LionJim

LionJim

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LB99 said:
Click to expand...

That could have been me. Every time I’d arrive at my advisor’s office I’d say to myself, “Now, Jim, don’t be afraid of sounding like an idiot.” And then I’d knock.
 
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Bison13

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OF: Bonds, Griffey Jr, Ichiro. Subs are Henderson and Trout
3B: Schmidt
SS: ARod
2B: Morgan
1B: Pujols
IF Subs are Ripken SS/3B and Carew 1B/2B
DH: Edgar Martinez
C: Bench, Carter

If no DH I may take Adrian Beltre (higher WAR than all 3B except Schmidt and Matthews) or possibly Gwynn, just because you know he will make it a tough AB.
 
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LionJim

LionJim

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Bison13 said:
OF: Bonds, Griffey Jr, Ichiro. Subs are Henderson and Trout
3B: Schmidt
SS: ARod
2B: Morgan
1B: Pujols
IF Subs are Ripken SS/3B and Carew 1B/2B
DH: Edgar Martinez
C: Bench, Carter

If no DH I may take Adrian Beltre (higher WAR than all 3B except Schmidt and Matthews) or possibly Gwynn, just because you know he will make it a tough AB.
Click to expand...
Solid.
 
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LB99

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Bison13 said:
OF: Bonds, Griffey Jr, Ichiro. Subs are Henderson and Trout
3B: Schmidt
SS: ARod
2B: Morgan
1B: Pujols
IF Subs are Ripken SS/3B and Carew 1B/2B
DH: Edgar Martinez
C: Bench, Carter

If no DH I may take Adrian Beltre (higher WAR than all 3B except Schmidt and Matthews) or possibly Gwynn, just because you know he will make it a tough AB.
Click to expand...
People underestimate Beltre. His career numbers are fantastic.
 
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LB99

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Bison13 said:
OF: Bonds, Griffey Jr, Ichiro. Subs are Henderson and Trout
3B: Schmidt
SS: ARod
2B: Morgan
1B: Pujols
IF Subs are Ripken SS/3B and Carew 1B/2B
DH: Edgar Martinez
C: Bench, Carter

If no DH I may take Adrian Beltre (higher WAR than all 3B except Schmidt and Matthews) or possibly Gwynn, just because you know he will make it a tough AB.
Click to expand...
Now, give me your complete pitching staff. 😬
 
Mufasa94

Mufasa94

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I’ll also question the number of 3Bs originally listed (I’d keep Brett over Boggs) and not having a full 2nd set of backup OFs with only 5 listed.

While being one of my most disliked players growing up, Reggie Jackson was a star on 5 WS champions (injured and missed one with the A’s) and put the Yankees on top when he joined them (the straw that stirred the drink).

Robbie Alomar had at least his one spitting on the umpire negative incident (getting old and may have forgotten others), but had big numbers for a 2B and was the two time Blue Jays WS champ 2B. I’d pick him before Carew.

If there was a DH only guy, I’d have to go with Ortiz. His postseason heroics bringing WS titles to the BoSox franchise put him overtop of E. Martinez.
 
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Bison13

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LB99 said:
Now, give me your complete pitching staff. 😬
Click to expand...
I actually only gave 14 position players so i could add Beltre and Gwynn and go with 10 P or I could add just one and go with 11 or 12 P. I'll give 12 and make my final roster based on 14 position and 12 pitchers.

Since it's 70's and later I will go with:

Maddux, Clemens, Carlton, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Seaver as a 6th starter/Long man.

Hoffman, Rivera, Wagner as closers. Three different styles there.

Goose, Eck, Fingers as a middle/set up guys since they all regularly pitched more than an inning at a time.
 
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