Best player in the world?

[UberA13c]

So, who do you guys believe the best player in the game is? Not just this season, but who consistently seems to be the best. Give reasons also.

Although there are some really great players, I believe there are two options for this; A-Rod or, Pujols. Often debate it with friends, and family and everyone seems to split it.

Hitting is the most important part of the game, but take in to thought defense and base running also.

Pujols is the best hitter in the game. He walks much, much more than he strikes out. He hits for great average and good-great power. Pujols plays a good first base, and is a smart baserunner albeit not obviously the fastest.

Rodriguez usually hits for good average, around .300-310 and hits many HR's and drives in many runs. His strike out total is higher than Pujols, quite a bit higher. His walks also aren't as high. A-Rod plays a much more significant defensive position, pretty well. He is also a very good baserunner, still with surprising speed.

Who is the better player to you? Try to not bias, even though that is impossible.

With that being said, I believe .... Alex Rodriguez is still the best player in baseball. Even though this year is definitely not indicating that.

While Pujols is a better hitter, I believe Alex's skillset makes him overall a better player.

[DXZeke]

Re: Best player in the world?

Due to A-Rod getting caught in the Steroid crap you need to remove this guy from the list. No one will ever know for sure if he could have done this without the steroids he had been taking.

I think in terms of hitting, it's Big Al.

[Brandon13]

Re: Best player in the world?

Pujols and I don't think there's another position player that even deserves to be mentioned.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Best player in the world?

Pujols and I don't think there's another position player that even deserves to be mentioned.

This.

No way you can't pick Pujols, IMO.

[SHO]

Re: Best player in the world?

El Cinco is GOD.

[DTX3]

Re: Best player in the world?

A-Fraud? Are you kidding me?

Big Albert







(insert second player here).

[Darkleaf]

Re: Best player in the world?

AP by a mile.

[UberA13c]

Re: Best player in the world?

What do you guys think Pujols will stand at the end of his career? Top 10 player ever? What about A-Rod, assuming he puts up good numbers the rest of his career and doesn't all the sudden fall off. I can 100% see the write off of steriod use, but people make mistakes.
I believe the next 9 years of his career, makes or breaks it for me. If he all the sudden falls off then it would be hard to give him credit for putting up such incredible numbers. If he puts up big numbers the rest of the way out and wins, then I gotta believe that all that wasn't just PED's. Watching in the steriod era, where tons of players seemed to use, whether we know it helped a lot or not which we don't know for every single player..... I believe Griffey Jr. is the greatest player I have ever seen play. Great slugger, matched with his defensive ability. I don't think I have seen anyone close, besides Alex and Albert.

[Brandon13]

Re: Best player in the world?

What do you guys think Pujols will stand at the end of his career? Top 10 player ever? What about A-Rod, assuming he puts up good numbers the rest of his career and doesn't all the sudden fall off. I can 100% see the write off of steriod use, but people make mistakes.
I believe the next 9 years of his career, makes or breaks it for me. If he all the sudden falls off then it would be hard to give him credit for putting up such incredible numbers. If he puts up big numbers the rest of the way out and wins, then I gotta believe that all that wasn't just PED's. Watching in the steriod era, where tons of players seemed to use, whether we know it helped a lot or not which we don't know for every single player..... I believe Griffey Jr. is the greatest player I have ever seen play. Great slugger, matched with his defensive ability. I don't think I have seen anyone close, besides Alex and Albert.

If Pujols continues to put up the numbers he's been putting up he will be a top ten player of all time. Arod would have been right there as well but he's disqualified himself from ever being mentioned in the same breath as Mantle, Mays, Ruth, etc. by most people.

[DXZeke]

Re: Best player in the world?

I believe Griffey Jr. is the greatest player I have ever seen play. Great slugger, matched with his defensive ability. I don't think I have seen anyone close, besides Alex and Albert.

Griffy was VERY good until he kept getting injured. Then he got into his late 30s and tailed off like nearly all players do.

The problem with ARod is that no on really knows how long he took PEDs for. And he will more than likely tail off at the end of his career. Getting caught has ruined his reputation with purists. Fans might not care, which is obvious with Manny Ramirez being 6th in All Star Voting.

[Ewing]

Re: Best player in the world?

Pujols and I don't think there's another position player that even deserves to be mentioned.

This. Pujols is leaps and bounds ahead of everyone right now.

[Porschebenz2001]

Re: Best player in the world?

Pujols.

But when he gets caught, I think it's between Mauer and Longoria.

[UberA13c]

Re: Best player in the world?

Griffy was VERY good until he kept getting injured. Then he got into his late 30s and tailed off like nearly all players do.

The problem with ARod is that no on really knows how long he took PEDs for. And he will more than likely tail off at the end of his career. Getting caught has ruined his reputation with purists. Fans might not care, which is obvious with Manny Ramirez being 6th in All Star Voting.

Griffey did get injured so much, a few times do to his leaping and running full out for plays on defense. Leaves you to wonder what if? He would have posted insane stats.

I like what you said about A-Rod and Manny. Getting caught is obviously a huge mark on your ability. Your right, how long did these players actually use for? No one really knows. I think it's gonna be easier for A-Rod to prove himself than Manny. He has more years to play. I believe if A-Rod posts good numbers the rest of the way out, does not have a dramatic fall off. I believe I can justify to myself that I can call him an all-time great. I think I can be safe to say that, if your using now more than likely your getting caught. I think you also have to look at it on more of a player by player basis. It seems to me that some use of steroids by certain players, seems to have a bigger benefit than others. You never know how much it actually helps a player, you just assume it does. It's still wrong it is still cheating. It's still baseball's fault. They knew it was happening, and did not stop it. It did revive baseball though.....

Also if all of you guys in here believe that truly baseball was clean before the Canseco era, I would say your wrong. If you don't believe that some of those greats back then weren't using, I believe your lying to yourself. I gotta believe that there were some really good players using also. It definitely would not be hard to believe, am I correct? Not wanting to falsely accuse a player at all, because we don't know. For instance though, Hank Aaron at the age of 37 his home runs began to rise ...... and two other players on his team at the age of 40 hit 41 HR, and 43 HR. Who knows, maybe they just became better hitters ...... You never know....

[DXZeke]

Re: Best player in the world?

My father played Double A baseball in the 70s for a couple years and then coached college level leagues for a couple years until he went full steam into the plastics industry.

They were poping pills back then. It was the 70s and 80s with all the street drugs that steroids became HUGE in pro sports. He saw guys trying them in the 70s before people really knew how to use them.

As he pointed out to me, then those drugs weren't as powerful as they are today. Technology has brought medicine (for better or worse) mainly years ahead. Nearly every guy in sports wants to be bigger and faster than the next guy.


Baseball.
Steroids don't make you hit for average. They do help you hit homeruns. So you take a guy like Bonds who is an insanely good average hitter and now give him the HR boost. What he was hitting during that 4yr run was insane. It was impressive. Granted now it's apparent it was drug fueled.

MLB had limited banned substances before 2004. I wish that the media and MLB would drop it. Most fans want too it would be nice if the media and "purists" would as well.


There's NOTHING Pure about or in "professional sports." Never was.

[jmar88]

Re: Best player in the world?

It really is not a competition about who the best player is. Pujols got to homerun 300 faster than anybody in the history of the game (after their first at-bat), beating A-Roid by about 550 days. Plus, he is only the 3rd player in MLB history to post a +300. avg, 30+ homers, 100+ RBIs and 99+ runs scored. To me, Pujols is not just the best hitter in the game today, but the greatest player in MLB history.