So these matchups of the decade got me thinking about a team of players who didnt quite place on any of the teams but it doesnt make them any less great. It just means that they played at the same time as the best to ever play or their careers over lapped decades and didnt have enough time in one or the other to classify. I call them the misfits. 2B- Jackie Robinson- Started his career in 1947, Robinsons didnt quite have the push to beat out Nellie Fox in the 50s. however, he was the best all around player on Dem Bums of Brooklyn. There was nothing Robinson couldnt do. He could run, hit, throw, play multiple positions 1B-3B and was a terrific base-runner. No player played with more pressure on him then Jackie. LF- Tim Raines- So what happens when you win a batting title and lead your league in steals for a decade and are the 2nd best base stealer of all time? You get stuck on this team bc you played at the same time as Rickey Henderson who happens to be the best at the same things you are. Raines was great. He won a batting titles in 1986 and led the NL in steals in the 80s. Unfortunately, Henderson was the best player of the decade in the 80s and played the same position. RF- Frank Robinson- Unfortunately he played in the same Era as Clemente, Kaline and Aaron. But that doesnt make his feats any less impressive. Still the only player to win MVPs in both leagues and his 584 career HRs rank him in the top 10 of all time. He came up just short of two teams bc his defense wasnt quite Clemente. His Offense wasnt quite Aaron. 1B- Eddie Murray- Another Oriole! Yep. Murray is one of the top 5 switch hitters of all time. He is also on a short list of players with 3000 hits and 500 hrs. So why didnt Murray make a team? Well the all around play of Don Mattingly in the 80s offense and defense, and he wasnt even close to Frank Thomas dominance of the 90s. CF- Kirby Puckett- This was a personal decision. I loved Kirby Puckett! No player did more with less then Kirby. Game 6 of the 1991 WS the Kirby Puckett Show. He was a .318 Hitter who led the league in hits 4 times between 1987 and 1992. Unfortunately his career started in 1984 and by then Dale Murphy had secured his spot on the 80s team and there was no way hed beat of Griffey Jr. on the 90s team. 3B- Brooks Robinson- Seriously? Another Oriole? Yes Brooks was the best defensive 3B ever. 16 Gold Gloves and was nick named the vacuum. Unfortunately for Brooks, Santo was a better offensive 3B in the 60s. He didnt stand a chance against Schmidt in the 70s. But Brooks has something Schmidt and Santo dont. He was a WS MVP. C-Roy Campanella- He actually won 3 MVPs the same as Berra. Campy was the best catcher in the NL it was no wonder his Dodgers and Berras Yankees kept meeting in the WS. At the peak of his game there may not have been a better catcher. But unfortunately his career was cut short by circumstances beyond his control before he started and tragically was ended shot by a car accident that left him paralyzed. In the 50s Only Berra was better. Campy is argued as a top 5 or 6 catcher of all time due to his peak numbers. SS- Ozzie Smith- He couldnt hit like Ripken or Larkin but he could defend better than anyone who ever played SS. Ozzie is one of the top 10 SS of all time dues to his fielding. He was a liability at the plate. But due to his hard work he became a .270 hitter with over 2200 career hits. But if you want defense/ The wizard is your guy. P- Pedro Martinez- From 1997 to 2002 Pedro had the 5 greatest seasons any pitcher in MLB history has ever had. His fastball, curveball and change-up were the best of their kind in all of baseball. No pitcher and you can mix and match seasons if you want had 5 better seasons than Pedros run for 1997-2002. He actually set the record for ERA-PLUS in MLB history in 1999 and 2000 posting the best two ERA plus numbers in back to back seasons. Based on his over all numbers in total those are considered the two best seasons any pitcher ever had in baseball history. P-Tom Glavine- I chose Glavine for many reasons. Had he not been in ATL he would have been 27 of the 30 teams ACE. Arizona, Boston and ATL excluded. Glavine was the 4rth best pitcher of his Era but unfortunately for Glavine, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez are 3 of the top 7 or 8 pitchers of all time. I took him over Clemens for personal reasons and over Ryan bc his numbers were better. Glavine had the NLs best change and was so good at mixing speeds and painting corners he rode those gifts to 300 wins. He won 20 games 5 times in his career. Durable he led the league in starts 6 times. and he finished 100 games over .500 for his career 305-203. He also posted a 3.54 ERA and is one of the top 5 leftys to ever pitch. Did you know he was drafted by the LA Kings? I think the mis-fits could do some damage.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 01:23:31 +0000
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