I was explaining to my son why Manny Ramirez was suspended and how he was a cheater [Ed. Note--and how his cheating just started in LA and did not occur in Boston] when he asked me if Manny was a good hitter.
Hef: Probably the best right handed hitter in the game right now after Albert Pujols.
HeJew: Is he the best right handed hitter of all time?
Hef: No, but he’s up there. He had a high average, he hit for power and got on base at a high rate.
HeJew: Who’s the best left handed hitter?
Hef: Ted Williams.
HeJew: Who’s the best right now?
Hef: Uh…um…I don’t know.
And I didn’t know. No name immediately came to mind. Ten years ago this wasn’t a problem; there were tons of lefties who were dominant: Griffey, Bonds, Thome, Palmeiro. And they all came easily to mind. Now?
I guess the best leftie in baseball is Chase Utley. He’s good for about 30 HRs a year, a .300 BA, and an OBP of about .380. These are good numbers but they don’t really scream dominance do they? I mean is Chase Utley feared in the same way that past lefties were?
Fetch suggested Joe Mauer and I don’t mean to take anything away from him because he’s a great catcher with a great bat but I’m not afraid of Joe Mauer.
Joey Votto’s off to a great start and he could become the kind of dominant leftie from years past but right now he’s still too young.
And what about Ryan Howard, Adam Dunn and David Ortiz? Big Papi could have made this whole point moot if his numbers didn’t suddenly fall off a cliff at the end of last year. For a three year stretch he was feared (partly due to his late inning heroics) but these days no one is afraid of facing him. Ryan Howard and Adam Dunn are big home run hitters who strike out a ton. Howard has the higher BA but Dunn has the much better OBP. Do either of these guys strike fear in the heart of opposing fan bases?
Not that this is a great concern for baseball. It doesn’t really matter that one side of the plate is becoming less dominant. It just struck me as odd that there were no longer a need for lefty specialists in the bullpen anymore.
Lou Merloni told me that Papi and Manny were on the roids and that Red Sox management told them how to do it.
/just sayin
I fail to see how this is relevant. Try to stay on topic.
if grady hit for a better average and with more power, he’d be a candidate.
lolz.
/fixed so you don’t teach your kid false things
is it wrong to miss barry bonds?
Hell no. He was amazing to watch. Sure there were roids, but that just made me want to learn more about science.
Spencer..with Barry Bonds..he was so brilliant to watch before the Roids that the during the Roids era he was enhanced like HDTV…It isn’t like Papi who was terrible then enhanced and is now terrible again and no one will ever miss ever again
I didn’t want to write a dissertation, my point is how is it fair to call anyone tainted by steroids (allegedly Papi) a great hitter in the same breath as a Ted Williams, who by all accounts, was not chemically enhanced. My apologies for getting off topic, I guess.
ted williams wasn’t facing chemically enhanced pitchers.
this judgement of specific elements of totally different eras confuses me. it’s always a relatively even playing field each year. it’s not like bonds was travelling back in time to face walter johnson or anything while taking cattle roids.
Ted Williams is the greatest baseball player ever. That’s just science.
Fair enough Spencer, I see your point and it is valid, I tend to disagree. And yes I do realize that steroids weren’t always technically illegal, but I do believe that using performance enhancing drugs that are considered illegal by US law, violates the spirit of the game regardless of what position you play. I don’t think Williams should be downgraded in comparison to some of these modern players because Walter Johnson wasn’t on roids.
/Walter Johnson was injected with more cattle roids than A-Rod was with Joe Torre’s man glaze.
//I ended up writing a dissertation anyways
when you start getting paid to play, it’s no longer a game, it’s a competition. there’s no “spirit of the game” anymore in professional sports otherwise there’d be a sense of human decency and not the cold, heartless sports world we live in now.
This tread needs more Frank Thomas.
i agree…any discussion regarding PED’s should include frank thomas.
Hef, I only suggested Mauer because I didn’t read carefully enough and thought you were going for best overall. My mistake.
Also, Mauer could be the best “pure hitter” although I know by hitter you are going for offensive performance. Which is Utley.
It wasn’t an insult Fetch. Mauer’s a good player. It just went to my point that no one immediately comes to mind.
I know he is a switch hitter, but what about Tex? Josh Hamilton is also pretty scary.
the only thing mauer is the best at is pure butt-fisting.
Spence, you forgot hitting into DP’s.
/Still waiting for that big HR year as promised.
I know it wasn’t an insult Hef, I just don’t agree with it myself.
But if we are doing best overall, Mauer is the best lefty. Maybe best overall?
By the way, what is it with the Mariners? Between USSM and Lookout Landing their fans are the biggest dbags on Earth
Agreed.
Adrian Gonzalez?
the only thing mauer is the best at is pure butt-fisting
Spence, you forgot getting DP’d.
/Fixed for relevancy
if josh hamilton is in the running for best left handed hitter, the terrorists have already won.
hate saying this, but Nick Markakis is becoming a pretty lethal threat. hits for avg, has a great OBP, and has pop.
+1 sparty
taking the bait, here is my All Leftie Lineup
C. Joe Mauer
1B A. Gonzalez. If the dude had ANY type of protection around him, he would have a better AVG. Close second was Howard just because he can hit one at any moment.
2B. C. Utley. No Contest amongst 2B
SS. Jose Reyes. There isn’t a leftie SS, so Reyes counts because he is a switch hitter.
3B. Aubrey Huff. In here only because he has played 3rd Before
OF1. Josh Hamilton
OF2. Carl Crawford
OF3. Nick Markakis
DH. Joey Votto
Honorable Mentions:
Justin Morneau
Prince Fielder
Jay Bruce
Carlos Pena
Grady Sizemore
They are from Seattle. Isn’t that the home base for the biggest D-Bags on earth?
If you are counting Reyes as a leftie even though he is a switch hitter, where is Beltran? And, may Tatis have mercy on my soul, Larry Wayne Jones Jr.? And Douchceria? I don’t think Switch Hitters can count as Lefites for this argument.
I agree Roman, but I was already half way through the list before I remembered that lefties can’t play SS.
Be happy you have 1 Met in there.
Stephen Drew bats lefty.
i never thought id imagine a scenario where grady would be on the bench, but i actually agree with pkiguy…at least with the lineup he has.
grady’s still the best in the business tho.
He also likes men
Marcus Thames would be the best left-handed hitter in baseball, but he chooses to hit righty to try and level the playing field.
/Paris’d