Major League Baseball: All-Time Dream Team

Sparky Anderson once said that he didn't want to embarrass any other catcher by comparing him to Johnny Bench. Harry Dalton said that when Johnny Bench threw, everybody in baseball drooled.

Johnny Bench, in my opinion, was the greatest catcher to ever play the game.

14 All-Star selections
2x World Series Champion
10x Gold Glove winner
2x NL MVP
NL Rookie Of The Year 1968
1975 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award Winner
1976 World Series MVP
1976 Babe Ruth Award Winner
1981 Hutch Award Winner
Jersey No. 5 retired by the Cincinnati Reds

Career Stats

.267 AVG, 1,091 runs, 2,048 hits , 389 HR, 1,376 RBI

The story of the Iron Horse is well-known: Wally Pip was ill one day, Gehrig filled in, and the rest is history.

Lou Gehrig was a legend, and one of the things I admire most about the man was that he knew when to take his name out of the lineup for the benefit of the team. This selfless act was a prime example of why he was so valuable to the Yankee franchise.

7x All Star Team Selection
6x World Series Champ
2 AL MVP
New York Yankees No. 4 retired

Career Stats

.340 AVG, 2,721 hits, 493 HR, 1,995 RBI

Rogers Hornsby's career got off to a slow start.

After hitting just .232 in the Texas-Oklahoma league, St. Louis tried to sell Horsnby's contract to Little Rock of the Southern League for $500.

However, Little Rock saw little potential in the soft hitting erratic fielder.

St. Louis had little choice but to amend his swing. In the end, they would be glad they did.

2x NL MVP
World Series Champion

Career Stats

.358 AVG, 1,578 runs, 2,930 hits, 301 HR, 1,318, 135 SB

Wagner was one of the true gentlemen of the game.

"He was a gentle, kind man, a storyteller, supportive of rookies, patient with the fans, cheerful in hard times, careful of the example he set for youth, a hard worker, a man who had no enemies and who never forgot his friends."

Career Stats

.329 AVG, 1,740 runs, 3,430 hits, 101 HR, 1,732, 722 SB

Schmidt will be remembered for his batting stance as well as his achievements with his bat and glove.

12x All-Star selection
World Series champion
10x Gold Glove Award winner
6x Silver Slugger Award winner
3x NL MVP
1980 World Series MVP
1983 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award
Philadelphia Phillies #20 retired

Career Stats

.267 AVG, 2,234 hits, 1,506 runs 548 HR, 1,595 RBI

Ted Williams was possibly the greatest hitter ever and he absolutely loved the game.

He once described hitting a baseball with a baseball bat as the hardest feat in professional sports. However, he made it look easy.

17× All-Star selection
2× AL MVP
Boston Red Sox No. 9 retired
MLB-record .482 career On base percentage
Last man to hit .400

The most recognized figure in baseball history, his antics are widely known.

The Red Sox, desperate for money, traded him to the New York Yankees, beginning the "Curse of The Bambino" and propelling the game into a new era.

2x All-Star selection
7x World Series champion
1923 AL MVP
First player to hit 30, 40, 50 and 60 home runs in a season
New York Yankees No. 3 retired
3rd on all-time home run list with 714
10th on all-time batting average list with .342
2nd on all-time RBI list with 2,217
1st on all-time slugging % with 0.690
2nd on all-time OBP list with .474
1st on all-time OPS with 1.164
4th on all-time runs list with 2,174
6th on all-time total bases list with 5,793
3rd on all-time bases on balls list with 2,062

Career Stats

.342 AVG, 2,174 runs, 2,873 hits, 714 HR, 1,983 RBI, 123 SB

Willie Mays really could do it all: he hit for power and average, ran the bases well, and played excellent defense.

Regarded as one of the games finest defensive players, Mays was a true role model.

21x All-Star selection
World Series champion
12x Gold Glove Award winner
2x NL MVP (1954, 1965)
1951 NL Rookie of the Year
2x MLB All-Star Game MVP (1963, 1968)
1971 Roberto Clemente Award
San Francisco Giants No. 24 retired

Pedro in his prime was one of the most sensational pitchers to ever grace the MLB.

He had an ability to come in and throw a no-hitter on any given day, was a big game performances, and had a high baseball IQ.

Pedro in his prime was one of a kind, and if I had a game I needed to win, Pedro in his prime would be the guy I called upon.

8x All-Star selection (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006)
3x Cy Young Award winner (1997, 1999, 2000)
World Series champion in 2004
Won AL Triple crown in 1999
Led AL in wins in 1999
Led NL in era in 1997
Led AL in era in 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003
Led AL in strikeouts in 1999, 2000, 2002

I don't think there has ever been a bigger performer than Mariano Rivera when it comes to closing. The coolest head in baseball in the highest pressure cooker of a media market.

Close game in the ninth, who you going to call on? Mariano without a doubt for me.
10× All-Star selection (1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009)
4× World Series champion (1996, 1998, 1999, 2000)
4× AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year (1999, 2001, 2004, 2005)
1999 World Series MVP
3× MLB saves champion (1999, 2001, 2004)
2× DHL Delivery Man of the Year (2005, 2006)
2003 AL Championship Series MVP
1999 Babe Ruth Award
Holds MLB record for postseason ERA (0.77) and postseason saves (34)
Second all-time in regular season saves (503)