Quote:
Originally Posted by todeen
So, my thoughts are that 2014 and 2015 inductions were the best back to back years since 2000. What a group that was inducted! Their closest competition is 1999, which is just one year beyond our cutoff for this thread. But here are my top 5 based on the mythology in my head rather than the numbers. These are the players I am emotionally tied to.
1) Ken Griffey Jr
2) Randy Johnson
3) Derek Jeter
4) Cal Ripken Jr
5) Greg Maddux
Honorable Mention: Tony Gwynn, Rickey Henderson, Ozzie Smith, Bobby Cox
KGJ was the face of the 90s and is still the biggest card hero of my generation. Cal Ripken Jr was the Iron Man, and the way MLB played that up and his games were broadcast nationally for 2 or 3 games was awesome. I could have chosen any Braves player, but I went with Greg Maddux because their rotation was unbelievable! Randy Johnson was Wild Thing in Seattle, and then calmed down and put up outrageous numbers in Arizona. And finally, Derek Jeter was the face of the Yankees dynasty I came to hate. People can argue whether he was as good as myth makes him, but that late 90s Yankees team was the best dynasty of my lifetime.
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Yes, I found this exercise to be challenging because greatness and legacy can be defined in so many ways. If it were purely based on numbers, then Ozzie doesn't make the cut (defensive WAR notwithstanding), and neither does Jeter. But they both defined their franchises.
Mariano Rivera falls in the same bucket. I'd argue that he performed under high pressure situations than anyone on the short list, but is he a better pitcher than Randy Johnson? As a general matter, I think the post 2000 period had some awesome pitchers. (If you include 1999, you even get Tom Seaver.)
Rickey Henderson makes the list in spite of his personality and selfishness, since his career numbers are probably unbeatable.