Until next time, so long everybody ...
Lee [ Cowboy ]
Guest Writer Wednesday
Baseball Numbers 21 - 30 by 'Ol DJ
#21 Roberto Clemente – Outfielder, Pittsburgh Pirates. Although his ridiculous defense in rightfield and cannon arm are what most fans remember and what brought Bob an astounding 12 Gold Gloves, Clemente could also swing the hammer. The Pirate hit .317 and amassed 3,000 hits in his 18 year career. A career that saw Clemente slip on 2 World Series rings, 15 All-Star Game appearances, 4 NL Batting Titles, the 1966 NL MVP and the 1971 World Series MVP Award.
Honorable Mention: Warren Spahn, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Curt Flood.
#22 Jim Palmer – Pitcher, Baltimore Orioles. “Cakes” was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1990, a 3-Time Cy Young Award winner, 3-Time World Series Champion, 6-Time All-Star and he hurled a no-hitter in 1969. 268 Wins, 2.86 ERA, and 2000+ strikeouts.
Honrable Mention: Will Clark, Jack Clark.
#23 Ryne Sandberg – Secondbaseman, Chicago Cubs. An extremely close race at #23 goes to “Ryno” just barely over “Donnie Baseball”. Sandberg holds the all-time MLB for fielding percentage at 2nd Base (.989), and was rewarded for his fielding prowess with 9 Gold Gloves. Ryne played in 10 All-Star Games, won 7 Silver Slugger Awards and took home the 1984 NL MVP.
Honorable Mention: Don Mattingly, Kirk Gibson, Luis Tiant, Robin Ventura
#24 Willie Mays – Outfielder, San Francisco Giants. Considered by some to be the games best all-around player “The Say Hey Kid” barely holds off MLB’s all-time stolen base leader in Rickey Henderson and “The Kid” himself, Ken Griffey, Jr. to win #24. Mays hit .302 (3283 Hits) with 660 Home Runs and 1903 RBI. He won only one World Series, but the catch he made in that Fall Classic is still iconic. Willie played in 24 All-Star Games, won 12 Gold Gloves, 2 MVP Awards ( 1954, 1965), and voted in to the Hall on the first ballot, garnering a miraculous 94.7% of the vote.
Honorable Mention: Ken Griffey, Jr., Rickey Henderson, Early Wynn, Dwight Evans.
#25 Barry Bonds – Outfielder, San Francisco Giants. #25 is for ‘roiders as the all-time homer king beats out fellow juice heads Mark McGwire and Rafael Palmeiro. I honestly almost took Jim Thome here because he was never involved in the steroid scandal of the era, but Barry’s 762 bombs are just too impressive considering he didn’t start dipping into ‘roids until halfway through his career. Too bad he didn’t start juicing right out of the gate, and too bad he wasn’t drafted by the Rockies. Bonds could have hit 1500 home runs if he had been on the juice in Colorado. Bonds won the National League MVP 7 times! Oh, and he stole over 500 bases and won 8 Gold Gloves. But he couldn’t throw out a one-legged Sid Bream……
Honorable Mention: Jim Thome, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire, Andruw Jones, Jose Cruz.
#26 Wade Boggs – Thirdbaseman, Boston Red Sox. 5 Batting Titles, .328 career average, 3,000+ hits. First ballot H.O.F. Loved the ladies.
Honorable Mention: Billy Williams, Boog Powell.
#27 Vladimir Guerrero – Outfielder, Montreal Expos. The 2004 AL MVP played in 9 All-Star Games, won 8 Silver Sluggers, and is a 2-Time 30/30 Club member. Vlad has a career batting average of .318, 2,590 Hits, 449 Homeruns, and 1,496 RBI.
Honorable Mention: Juan Marichal, Carlton Fisk, Catfish Hunter)
#28 Sparky Lyle – Pitcher, Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees. Sparky barely takes #28 over Blyleven and Justice thanks to his 1977 AL Cy Young Award. Lyle notched 238 career saves, played in 3 All-Star games and brought home 2 World series rings.
Honorable Mention: Bert Blyleven, David Justice, Tommy Herr.
#29 Rod Carew – 2b/1b, California Angeles. Another close one but Carew’s .328 lifetime average takes the spot. Rod is also a member of the 3,000 hit club, an 18-Time All-Star, was awarded the 1977 AL MVP and the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year.
Honorable Mention: John Smoltz, Satchel Paige, Dan Quisenberry, Fred McGriff.
#30 Nolan Ryan – Pitcher, California Angeles. A no-doubter as “The Ryan Express” and his 5,714 strikeouts blow away the competition. An 8-Time All-Star, Ryan hurled his way to 324 career wins and a remarkable 7 No-Hitters.
Honorable Mention: Orlando Cepeda, Tim Raines, Maury Wills, Magglio Ordonez.
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