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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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