Survey Says: The Best Players in Baseball's Last 20 Years

D.A. by Senior Analyst Written on September 09, 2009

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SEATTLE - MAY 22:  Ken Griffey Jr. of the Seattle Mariners bats during the game against the San Francisco Giants on May 22, 2009 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners defeated the Giants 2-1 in twelve innings. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

ESPN is celebrating its 20th year in bringing the fans baseball. It decided to do a SportsNation poll on who was the best player at each position in the past 20 years.

I saw the results and they seemed pretty asinine. So I decided to take a survey of Bleacher Creatures and bloggers across the interweb. I asked them the same exact question (with same answer choices) as ESPN did.

Some of ESPN's positions seem a bit off, but that's how they framed the question and answer.

I asked one fan from each team, so there's 30 participants. The player with the most votes is the winner. Eleven people indicated they would not choose persons connected to PEDs. There were only two unanimous selections.

Thanks to all the Bleacher Creatures that helped contribute to this survey. And without further adieu...

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez

ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 01:  Designated hitter Ivan Rodriguez #7 of the Texas Rangers hits a single against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 1, 2009 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas.  (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Pudge is probably the greatest defensive catcher of all-time. He was a 14-time All-star, 13-time Gold Glove winner, seven-time Silver Slugger, and MVP once. He's also a career .299 hitter with over 300 home runs.

Voting:
Ivan Rodriguez—12
Mike Piazza—10
Joe Mauer—5
Sandy Alomar, Jr.—2
Jorge Posada—1

First Base: Albert Pujols

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 19:  Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

The Machine was a unanimous selection. He is a two-time MVP, Rookie of the Year, one-time Gold Glover, four-time Silver Slugger, and eight-time All-Star. He is the active leader in batting average, slugging, and on-base percentage.

Voting:
Albert Pujols—30

Second Base: Roberto Alomar

3 Apr 2000:  Roberto Alomar #12 of the Cleveland Indians at bat during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at the Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. The Indians defeated the Orioles 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger  /Allsport

Many consider Roberto Alomar to be the greatest overall second baseman, ever. Alomar was a ten-time Gold Glover, twelve-time All-Star, and four-time Silver Slugger. He was a career .300 batter that could also steal.

Voting:
Roberto Alomar—10
Craig Biggio—9
Ryne Sandberg—5
Jeff Kent—5
Chase Utley—1

Third Base: Chipper Jones

NEW YORK - MAY 12:  Chipper Jones #10 of the Atlanta Braves plays the field against the New York Mets on May 12, 2009 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Mets defeated the Braves 4-3 in ten innings.  (Pho

Larry Wayne Jones is a six-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger, and once MVP. His impressive career numbers include being an above .300 avg/.400 OBP hitter with 400+ home runs.

Voting:
Chipper Jones—16
Alex Rodriguez—11
Wade Boggs—3

Shortstop: Cal Ripken, Jr.

5 Oct 2001:  Cal Ripken #8 of the Baltimore Orioles returns the bench after a foul pop fly out as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-0 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. <<<DIGITAL IMAGE>> Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensin

The iron man was a 19-time All-Star, two-time MVP, eight-time Silver Slugger, and two-time Gold Glover. He also had over 3,000 hits and 400 home runs.

Voting:
Cal Ripken, Jr.—12
Derek Jeter—11
Barry Larkin—4
Nomar Garciaparra—2
Ozzie Smith—1

Left Field: Ricky Henderson

4 Apr 1998:  Rickey Henderson #24 of the Oakland Athletics looks on during a game against the New York Yankees at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California. The Athletics defeated the Yankees 5-3. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule Jr.  /Allsport

Rickey Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time. No player in the history of basebll has scored more runs or stolen more bases. He had a career .400 OBP and nearly hit 300 home runs. He was a ten-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger.

Voting:
Rickey Henderson—9
Barry Bonds—8
Albert Belle—7
Manny Ramirez—5
Carlos Lee—1

Center Field: Ken Griffey, Jr.

SEATTLE - AUGUST 16:  Ken Griffey Jr. #24 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the MLB game against the New York Yankees on August 16, 2009 at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners defeated the Yankees 10-3. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Image

The Kid is without a doubt one of the greatest players in history and would be the home run king had it not been for injuries. Griffey was a 13-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger, ten-time Gold Glover, and once MVP. He has 600+ home runs and 1,800+ RBI.

Voting:
Ken Griffey, Jr.—29
Ichiro Suzuki—1

*Note: I don't know why ESPN put Ichiro in center field.

Right Field: Tony Gwynn

7 Oct 2001:  Right fielder Tony Gwynn #19 of the San Diego Padres acknowledges the crowd during the Major League Baseball game against the Colorado Rockies at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.  The Rockies defeated the Padres 14-5.  Mandatory Cre

Tony Gwynn never batted below .300 in a full season he played. Gwynn was a 16-time All-Star, eight-time Silver Slugger, and four-time Gold Glover. He batted over .330 in his career and has over 3,000 hits.

Voting:
Tony Gwynn—15
Vladimir Guerrero—9
Larry Walker—4
Andre Dawson—1
Dave Winfield—1

Designated Hitter: Frank Thomas

CHICAGO - MAY 2:  Designated hitter Frank Thomas #35 of the Chicago White Sox hits a solo home run in the fourth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 2, 2004 at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox defeated the Blue Jays 3-2.  (P

The Big Hurt was a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and two-time MVP. He was a .300+ avg/.400+ OBP hitter that hit over 500 home runs.

Voting:
Frank Thomas—11
Edgar Martinez—6
Paul Molitor—6
Jim Thome—4
David Ortiz—2
Harold Baines—1

Left Handed Pitcher: Randy Johnson

SAN FRANCISCO - SEPTEMBER 5:  Pitcher Randy Johnson #51 the Arizona Diamondbacks delivers against the San Francisco Giants during the game at SBC Park on September 5, 2004 in San Francisco, California. The Giants won 4-1.  (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Ima

The Big Unit was the other unanimous selection. Johnson was a ten-time All-Star and five-time Cy Young winner. He has logged over 4,800 strikeouts and 300 wins.

Voting:
Randy Johnson—30

Right Handed Pitcher: Greg Maddux

CHICAGO - OCTOBER 3:  Greg Maddux #31 of the Atlanta Braves throws against the Chicago Cubs during game three of the National League Division Series on October 3, 2003 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.  The Cubs defeated the Braves 3-1.  (Photo by Br

Greg Maddux was an eight-time All-Star, four-time Cy Young winner, and 18-time Gold Glover. He is also part of the 300+ wins and 3,000+ strikeouts club.

Voting:
Greg Maddux—13
Nolan Ryan—9
Pedro Martinez—5
Roger Clemens—2
Roy Halladay—1

Closer: Mariano Rivera

NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 07:  Mariano Rivera #42 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the game on September 7, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City.  (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Mariano Rivera is arguably the greatest closer ever. He was a ten-time All-Star. He also just passed the 500 saves milestone and is about to record his 1,000th strikeout.

Voting:
Mariano Rivera—28
Trevor Hoffman—1
Dennis Eckersley—1

Manager: Bobby Cox

7 APR 1994:  ATLANTA BRAVES MANAGER BOBBY COX IN THE DUGOUT DURING THE BRAVES VERSUS SAN DIEGO PADRES GAME AT JACK MURPHY STADIUM IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.  MANDATORY CREDIT:  STEPHEN DUNN/ALLSPORT

Bobby Cox was a four-time Manager of the Year. He lead the Braves to five National League pennants, including one World Series victory. Not to mention 14 consecutive division crowns.

Voting:
Bobby Cox—9
Joe Torre—8
Tony LaRussa—7
Sparky Anderson—2
Tommy Lasorda—2
Jim Leyland—1
Lou Piniella—1

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written on September 09, 2009 Rankings/List

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