Who was the Greatest Magician with the Lumber?

[clydepepper]

Was it Suzuki? Gwynn? Carew? Boggs?

Just for argument's sake, let keep the discussion down to these four.



...and batting practice doesn't count, Chicken Man.

[BearBailey]

Gwynn, he was the most consistent for the longest period of time. Boggs was pretty close as well just seemed to tail off more at the end of his career.

[bnorth]

Wade Boggs easily in my opinion. Wade had his best for years from age 27 to 30 like most athletes. Tony Gwynn had his best 4 years from 34 to 37 similar to Barry Bonds.

[Bagwell-1994]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Wade Boggs easily in my opinion. Wade had his best for years from age 27 to 30 like most athletes. Tony Gwynn had his best 4 years from 34 to 37 similar to Barry Bonds.

I'm not so sure about that assertion. Here's an article showing Gwynn was very outspoken against steroids and amphetamine use in MLB in the mid 90's before anyone was talking about it: http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olne...post/_/id/6803

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[clydepepper]

Boggs had more appreciators than fans, while Gwynn may have had more fans than appreciators...the quality of one's character weighs heavy through time.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

Was it Suzuki? Gwynn? Carew? Boggs?

Just for argument's sake, let keep the discussion down to these four.



...and batting practice doesn't count, Chicken Man.

Game time or batting practice, it's still the same guy. The big difference is Wade isn't just better than the others he blows them away in batting practice.

[Peter_Spaeth]

LOL I hated Boggs when he played for the Red Sox. I used to say, he's the worst .350 hitter I've ever seen, and he was.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

LOL I hated Boggs when he played for the Red Sox. I used to say, he's the worst .350 hitter I've ever seen, and he was.

I hated the Red Sox after he left.

I will openly and honestly admit I am very biased on this subject as Mr Boggs is by far my all time favorite player.

[Bigdaddy]

I have to say Rodney Carew. It was like the bat was just an extension of his arm.

But they were all great.

[VintageVinnie]

It's Boggs all day, imo. I watched a lot of Boggs growing up. I never saw him break a bat, he popped up ONCE in the '85 season (I'm not kidding), and to see him swing and miss was a rarity. Think about this...Boggs had 240 hits in 1985. 240!!! And he did this with absolutely no speed. So these are not infield hits. He is line driving EVERYTHING that year. Batting titles in 83, 85, 86, 87,and 88. 200 hits and 100 walks 4 straight years, .328 lifetime. Simply the best.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

I have to say Rodney Carew. It was like the bat was just an extension of his arm.

But they were all great.

Agree. Carew was a magician in that he could not only bunt, but bunt with intentional backspin. The other 3 guys were good hitters but Carew was the magician.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I hated the Red Sox after he left.

I will openly and honestly admit I am very biased on this subject as Mr Boggs is by far my all time favorite player.

There is no question he could hit. And he was a very very good third baseman. But I just didn't care for him, and I am sure that exaggerated in my mind every time he didn't come through in the clutch, which of course happens frequently to all players.

[VintageVinnie]

I hear ya, Peter. I should back up a bit and mention that I am by no means saying Boggs was the best baseball player. But in terms of being a "magician with the lumber", Boggs stands alone. Gwynn is the only other guy I would put in the same sentence with Boggs. For all the Gwynn fans out there, I do not under estimate HIS greatness. Another quick stat, this time for Gwynn....in 1995, in 535 at bats, he struck out...wait for it...15 times!!!! Incredible.