Who stays iconic into the distant future?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Griffey seems certain. Pujols too. Ohtani unless he crashes and burns very quickly.

What about Jeter? Ichiro? Or does one ultimately need the long ball?

Barring a miraculous reversal, does Trout retain any of his former magic?

Is Ripken still iconic?

Does the hobby ultimately forgive Bonds and ARod and Clemens and focus on their numbers?

Does Verlander become bigger as time passes?

Does Randy Johnson ever get appreciated as one of the very few best pitchers ever?

Can Soto get there given how little people like him, even if he puts up incredible numbers by the metrics?

[jb217676]

Addison Barger!

[Eric72]

Jeter, for sure.

Copied and pasted from another thread:

Originally Posted by Eric72

As a preface to this, I am not a Yankees fan.

I'm confident Jeter will remain iconic for generations to come.

• 20 year career, entirely with the Yankees
• 5 World Series Championships
• The only Yankee with 3,000+ hits
• Career .310 hitter
• 14-time All-Star
• 5 Gold Gloves
• 5 Silver Sluggers
• Rookie of the Year
• World Series MVP
• Etc., etc.

Even if he was a curmudgeon (he's not) to everyone, the hardware alone would cement his legacy. Yes, Jeter's an iconic figure. In my opinion, he always will be.

Oh, yeah...he's also got this going for him:

7 - Mantle
5 - DiMaggio
4 - Gehrig
3 - Ruth
2 - Jeter

[jb217676]

I was only half joking about Barger. Reminds me of a young Josh Donaldson. Josh was a late bloomer, Bam-Bam Barger is blooming earlier and is going to be the Jays power hitting 3rd baseman for the next 10 years. I think I'll stash a couple of his nicer rookie cards!

[BioCRN]

Trout's biggest problem, even when healthy and producing, is he has the media personality of a wet piece of cardboard.

He's a boring interview and doesn't feel the need to saturate himself all over commercial media pimping out stuff. Even his Subway commercials were kinda boring.

Nothing wrong with any of that, but we've seen what a consistent advertising media presence can do to someone's legacy.

Aaron Judge should be more popular than he is, but he's not a huge advertising tool, either.

Pujols has room for upside if he manages to snag a managerial job somewhere. It seems he really wants to hang around the game a bit longer.

[BearBailey]

A lot of it will depend on who they put in video games, I know my boys would always ask me about “new” cards released on mlb the show. There was a brief time 1971 topps vida blue was the best pitcher on the game their minds were blown that I knew who he was and could tell them all about that season. For the past 10 years or so they always ask me about the legends players, I think it’s great as it teaches them about cards and baseball history, and then I can pull out most of the cards and show them.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

What about Jeter? Ichiro? Or does one ultimately need the long ball?

Yes to both because you don't need the long ball. Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb are as iconic as they come.

And how many New York Yankees have been better overall players than Derek Jeter?

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Griffey seems certain. Pujols too. Ohtani unless he crashes and burns very quickly.

What about Jeter? Ichiro? Or does one ultimately need the long ball?

Barring a miraculous reversal, does Trout retain any of his former magic?

Is Ripken still iconic?

Does the hobby ultimately forgive Bonds and ARod and Clemens and focus on their numbers?

Does Verlander become bigger as time passes?

Does Randy Johnson ever get appreciated as one of the very few best pitchers ever?

Can Soto get there given how little people like him, even if he puts up incredible numbers by the metrics?

Agree on Griffey and Pujols.

Ohtani will be iconic even if he crashes and burns and looks like Mike Trout for the next 10 years. He's just too unusually good.

Ripken will also remain iconic, as will Ichiro. In some ways, they may become even more iconic than they are now as the game changes and people appreciate how hard it is to have done what they did. Kind of like Ozzie Smith and Brooks Robinson.

Jeter will always be iconic as well. Yankees captain, a lotta rings. Clutch performer. I think he will stand the test of time more than Judge, unfortunately.

I don't think the hobby will ever forgive the roid boys. The hobby doesn't like asterisks, as far as I can tell.

Randy Johnson played for too many teams, IMHO, to ever be that popular. Same with Verlander.

Juan Soto will never be iconic.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by jb217676

I was only half joking about Barger. Reminds me of a young Josh Donaldson. Josh was a late bloomer, Bam-Bam Barger is blooming earlier and is going to be the Jays power hitting 3rd baseman for the next 10 years. I think I'll stash a couple of his nicer rookie cards!

Who's Josh Donaldson?

Just kidding -- couldn't help myself.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by bk400

Jeter will always be iconic as well. Yankees captain, a lotta rings. Clutch performer. I think he will stand the test of time more than Judge, unfortunately.

Why "unfortunately"? Do you like Aaron Judge that much more than you do Derek Jeter? If so, why?

[NiceDocter]

Charizard!

[WillBBC]

Originally Posted by NiceDocter

Charizard!

Only until he gets outed by Albanian Bruce.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Why "unfortunately"? Do you like Aaron Judge that much more than you do Derek Jeter? If so, why?

I think Judge carries the Yankees today with his leadership in a way that Jeter didn't have to. Probably because Jeter played with a stronger core. And I love how Judge conducts himself off the field.

And part of it also is that I was working in New York during Jeter's prime, and as a Mets fan, it was so annoying to hear about Jeter every single day and see him on the back cover of the Post on the subway every single day.

[Brent G.]

Bonds and Clemens did things that’ll never be duplicated. Yes, they were roided up like The Ultimate Warrior and were a couple of a-holes, but their achievements will get their due. We’re a hypocritical, immoral society — it’s time for amnesty for the juiceheads.

[gunboat82]

Originally Posted by Brent G.

Bonds and Clemens did things that’ll never be duplicated. Yes, they were roided up like The Ultimate Warrior and were a couple of a-holes, but their achievements will get their due. We’re a hypocritical, immoral society — it’s time for amnesty for the juiceheads.

Based on the prices of Bonds' autographs in the recent Topps releases, I'd say he has a large enough contingent of fans who will collect him simply because they've never seen anyone one impressive as a hitter.

I'm one of those fans. I have fond memories of watching Bonds, and I view him and other steroid users in the context of their era, when everyone was either juicing or looked the part but never made "the list" (e.g., Bagwell, I-Rod).

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by bk400

I think Judge carries the Yankees today with his leadership in a way that Jeter didn't have to.

But Derek Jeter was the Yankees' shortstop and thus the linchpin of the team's defence. Jeter also won five Gold Gloves. Aaron Judge is just another run-of-the-mill outfielder.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

But Derek Jeter was the Yankees' shortstop and thus the linchpin of the team's defence. Jeter also won five Gold Gloves. Aaron Judge is just another run-of-the-mill outfielder.

My favorite player growing up was Ozzie Smith. Used to go to Shea when the Cards came to town to see him play.

[Brent G.]

I mean who else other than Ohtani is bringing this type of $$$$ in the modern baseball hobby?

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by bk400

Agree on Griffey and Pujols.

Ohtani will be iconic even if he crashes and burns and looks like Mike Trout for the next 10 years. He's just too unusually good.

Ripken will also remain iconic, as will Ichiro. In some ways, they may become even more iconic than they are now as the game changes and people appreciate how hard it is to have done what they did. Kind of like Ozzie Smith and Brooks Robinson.

Jeter will always be iconic as well. Yankees captain, a lotta rings. Clutch performer. I think he will stand the test of time more than Judge, unfortunately.

I don't think the hobby will ever forgive the roid boys. The hobby doesn't like asterisks, as far as I can tell.

Randy Johnson played for too many teams, IMHO, to ever be that popular. Same with Verlander.

Juan Soto will never be iconic.

I agree with all of this. I think Ohtani has already surpassed Bo Jackson in the "Freaky multi-talented athlete" category.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Mark17

I agree with all of this. I think Ohtani has already surpassed Bo Jackson in the "Freaky multi-talented athlete" category.

He will never pass Bo for best commercial though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaSdlW1W9yU

[sthoemke]

Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Griffey seems certain. Pujols too. Ohtani unless he crashes and burns very quickly.

What about Jeter? Ichiro? Or does one ultimately need the long ball?

Barring a miraculous reversal, does Trout retain any of his former magic?

Is Ripken still iconic?

Does the hobby ultimately forgive Bonds and ARod and Clemens and focus on their numbers?

Does Verlander become bigger as time passes?

Does Randy Johnson ever get appreciated as one of the very few best pitchers ever?

Can Soto get there given how little people like him, even if he puts up incredible numbers by the metrics?

I agree with Peter on the Griffey & Pujols comments. All good points.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

He will never pass Bo for best commercial though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaSdlW1W9yU

Wayne Gretzky's unscripted comment made that commercial though.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Is Ripken still iconic?

Yes.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

Does the hobby ultimately forgive Bonds and ARod and Clemens and focus on their numbers?

No. And it's very sad in the case of Barry Bonds because he'd already compiled HOF numbers with the Pirates and the Giants before he became a steroid monster.

Originally Posted by sthoemke

Nolan Ryan, Rickey Henderson

Absolutely yes to Rickey Henderson!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Wayne Gretzky's unscripted comment made that commercial though.

Agreed. Incredibly, there were people who complained that it was racist.