A buddy of mine and I were talking sports the other night, and as is always the case, I brought up a baseball topic.
My friend is what you would call a "casual baseball fan"–He checks out the All-Star Game, the playoffs and the World Series, and is never satisfied unless the game is 9-7 in the fourth inning and guys are hitting bombs left and right.
Understanding his lack of baseball knowledge, I never really take his opinions too seriously. But as we sat in our friendly neighborhood drinking establishment, he made a comment that still has me fuming.
"I don't really like talking baseball too much," he said. "To me, it's a sport full of juicers, with records held by juicers. I don't take it seriously at all."
Now most people, including me, will find that comment ignorant. Any true baseball fan could rattle off arguments for hours about how that couldn't be further from the truth.
That being said, the fact remains no matter how many attendance records the sport breaks, and no matter how popular the game appears in our country, the Steroid Era will hover over the game until we finally resolve the Barry Bonds/Roger Clemens situations.
There are still players from the infamous Mitchell Report still playing in the league as we speak. Jason Giambi, Andy Petitte and Paul Lo Duca among others are still in the game, but there's certainly a light at the end of the tunnel.
We are witnessing the dawn of one of the most talented generations of baseball players in the history of the sport. When you add to that players who've been around but are on the verge of achieving Hall of Fame status, it was extremely hard to limit this list to twenty guys.
And you may have 20 different guys you think could make this list, so let the debating begin.
But without further adieu, here's my list of the 20 players that will put the Steroid Era out of both the casual and die-hard baseball fan's minds, in no particular order.
1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins: If the Florida Marlins are offering this guy 70 million dollars, you know he must be something special. With his amazing combination of speed and power, Ramirez has established himself as one of the ten best players in the game. His average is down a little this season, but his 15 homers, 61 runs and 17 steals put him in the top 15 in the National League in those categories. With his defense steadily improving, the 2006 Rookie of the Year is a player we'll be watching in awe for years to come.
2. Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees: If I have a son some day, I'm going to teach him to play like Derek Jeter. He plays the game the right way, and is the ultimate leader in baseball. His average is down this year, but he passed Mickey Mantle on the Yankees' all-time hit list recently. Talk about an amazing accomplishment. He doesn't show significant signs of slowing down, but as the years roll on he'll pass 3,000 and maybe 3,500 hits before he hangs 'em up. As those things start to happen, we'll start to cherish Jeter for what he embodies–everything that's great about the game.
3. Greg Maddux, RHP, Padres: The newest member of the ultra-exclusive 350 win club, it would take four paragraphs to go through all the hardware Maddux has accumulated over his phenomenal career. So I'll stick to perhaps the most important stat of all: If he wins 14 more games, Greg Maddux will be the winningest pitcher in baseball history post World War II. Think about that for a second. He has the opportunity to be the winningest pitcher in the modern era. If he comes back for the 2009 season, it will certainly be one of the biggest stories of the year, and we will have an entire year to watch the pursuit of a seemingly unattainable record by the best pitcher of his generation. If that can't make you forget about the Steroid Era, I don't know what will.
4. Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves: As a diehard Mets fan, it's absolutely killing me to put this guy on this list. But I've got to give credit where credit is due. As Chipper's pursuit of a 400 average shows, he's still an elite player in this league. A great defensive third basemen, Chipper is about to step into some pretty exclusive company with a few more solid years. He's third all-time in home runs as a switch-hitter, only 101 away from passing Eddie Murray at 502. His .310 lifetime average is second all time among switch-hitters. If he stays healthy the rest of this season, he'll be third all-time in runs batted in. With each passing year, Chipper gets closer and closer to becoming the greatest switch-hitter in the history of the game, and helping us to appreciate the career of a guy who did it the right way.
5. Ryan Braun, LF, Brewers: One of the most exciting young players in the game, Braun certainly hasn't experienced a sophomore slump in his second pro season. With 20 homers and 55 RBI in 71 games this season, Braun is doing huge things in his first full year in the bigs. The 2007 Rookie of the Year looks like an All-Star for the next decade.
6. Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies: This guy's the total package. If he had stayed healthy last season he had a great shot to win the MVP, and he's leading the race this season at the halfway point. His 22 homers and 62 RBI's are tops among second basemen, and the all-time records for RBI (152) and homers (42) in a season by a second basemen are well within reach. If he can stay healthy, Utley will make a serious run at the title of Best Offensive Second Baseman of All Time.
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF, Red Sox: Thirty-four steals in 66 games? Ellsbury is everything you could possibly want in a centerfielder, and his great World Series performance shows you he can play on the big stage. Once the Sox get blown away by an offer for Coco Crisp, Ellsbury will be the centerfielder in Boston for a long time to come, and will be terrorizing opposing pitchers for as long he wears a big league uniform.
8. Justin Upton, RF, Diamondbacks: His .250 average this season shows he might not quite be ready to be an every day player, but there is no doubting this kid's talent. He's only 20 years old, and has shown the speed, power and arm that will make him one of the elite players in the game before too long. And by elite, I mean quite possibly the best player in the game. That's how much talent this guy's got.
9. Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals: Pujols is currently on the shelf, but no list like this would be complete without putting this guy on it. A .332 lifetime hitter, Pujols is closing in on 1,000 career RBI and 300 career homers, in only his eighth pro season. He's arguably the best all-around hitter in baseball, and if he stays healthy and has a lengthy career, he could challenge all the major offense records. And as he's approaching these hallowed records, we can be certain he's not on the sauce, piece of mind we haven't had recently.
10. Mariano Rivera, P, Yankees: The Sandman has been the best closer in the game for as long as I can remember, but that's only part of the reason why I put him on this list. Seven seasons of a sub 2.00 ERA, and a .78 so far this season, Rivera has been almost unhittable at points in 2008. His 463 career saves put him third all time. Six hundred career saves is easily within the realm of possibilities for Rivera, and we will be able to watch the greatest closer in baseball history reach once unthinkable heights.
11. Manny Ramirez, LF, Red Sox: Easily the most entertaining player in baseball, Ramirez has a very realistic chance to be one of the ten best right-handed hitters ever. The newest member of the 500 home run club, Ramirez has a legitimate shot at 600, and 650 isn't outrageous. More importantly, he's never been mentioned in the Mitchell Report. He played the majority of his career in the Steroid Era and played clean, and mashed the entire way. As he continues to reach milestone after milestone, we can all watch and appreciate Manny being Manny.
12. Alex Rodriguez, 3B, Yankees: We'll call the claims Jose Canseco made about ARod bogus for the sake of argument. This guy has the chance to be considered the best all around player in the history of the game. He's currently sitting at 532 homers and 1,544 RBI for his career, and he shows no signs of slowing down. He signed another huge contract to stay in the Bronx, and no matter what you think of him, we'll all watch in amazement as he approaches–and if he stays healthy, passes–every major offensive record the game has to offer. And you can do it with the satisfaction of knowing he's taking, and passing drug tests along the way.
13. Prince Fielder, 1B Brewers: Chicks dig the longball. And the Prince hits them a country mile. Already with one 50 home run season under his belt, he could be in store for a few more. And he's only 24 years old. He's one of the best young power hitters in baseball, and he'll only get better with experience.
14. Felix Hernandez, RHP, Mariners: Wouldn't we all love to have this kid's talent. Hernandez has the stuff to be an ace for the next 10-12 years, and he's still only 22. His 2.87 ERA this season shows he's realizing his potential, and if the Mariners can improve, he'll challenge 20 wins consistently as long as he stays healthy. If he stays clear of the injury bug, we could see King Felix challenge several pitching records before his career is over.
15. David Wright, 3B, Mets: Come on, I couldn't get through this whole list and not have a Met on here. Wright is the face of the franchise, and already has a 30/30 season and a Gold Glove under his belt. At 25, he has the opportunity to be an All-Star for the next ten years, and be a perennial 30/30 candidate. He's the second-best third basemen in the game, and he hasn't hit his prime. Hopefully he'll do that in Flushing, or I'll give up on the Mets for good.
16. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies: Throw out the slow start to this year. Tulo is the second coming of Mr. Derek Jeter. He's the heart and soul of the Rockies at 23 years old, and his leadership was a major reason for the Rockies' run to the World Series. Add to that he's the best defensive shortstop in baseball, and there's no doubt he'll be an outstanding player for years.
17. Evan Longoria, 3B, Rays: One week into his big league career, the Rays signed Longoria to a nine-year contract. The culture is changing in Tampa, and Longoria is a major reason for it. At 22, he has 11 homers and 35 RBI in his first year in the bigs, and appears to be the special player everyone thought he'd be. It will certainly be fun to watch him and the Rays grow up before our eyes.
18. Tim Lincecum, RHP, Giants: 8-1, 2.21 ERA, 1.23 WHIP. And he's only 24. Lincecum is already one of the top starters in the National League in my opinion, and he's only going to get better. He's got electric stuff, and he's won eight games already this season, pitching for a bad team. We'll watch him grow up into a perennial 17-20 game winner for the better part of his career.
19. Jay Bruce, CF, Reds: What a debut this guy's had. He's got power, he runs well, and he's always smiling. Remind you of a guy currently playing for the Reds when he was younger? I'm not crowning him the next Griffey just yet, but Bruce is certainly the real deal, and will have an outstanding career in the bigs.
20. Josh Hamilton, CF, Rangers: Besides being a good story, Hamilton is probably the most talented player in baseball. He's a legitimate Triple Crown threat this year, and he doesn't look to be slowing down in his first full big league season. If he can stay on track off the field and stay healthy on it, he could be a great player and have a very nice career. It's a feel-good story, and someone you can root for no matter who your team is.
So there you have it. Some guys are old, some are new. There's some I wish I could have gotten on, but I had to cut it off at some point. All of these guys have one thing in common, though: they are players you can root for, players you can feel happy about when they do well. Because they will do well. They will lead us out from under the shadow the Steroid Era has cast on the game, and we will all be better for it.
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3 months ago
it would be a fun story if you knew that the league is clean, but its not. your list is wet with cheaters and the mitchell report only looked at guys that were assoc. with certain guys...bad story / wishful thinking and the owners in on it and the masking.
from 3 months ago
who exactly is a cheater in the guys I mentioned? There's been rumors about ARod which I mentioned but other than that I don't think one guy on here's ever been seriously mentioned in regards to PEDs.
I'm just wondering if you know something I don't.
from 3 months ago
Name witch are the cheaters. And if you say Derek Jeter you have to be kidding.
from 3 months ago
Why is it Jose Canseco would lie about A Rod, and A Rod alone? He is baseball's goldenboy so they will turn their heads. How many of the "cheaters" that have been called out actually failed a drug test.
3 months ago
Eh shut up Mike. I think this list is solid. Hanley and Hamilton are m favorites. Hamilton is just an amazing story really. Hanley will be making headlines for the next decade, hopefully all with Florida.
from 3 months ago
Eh, shut up Reggie. Your version of history happened only 15 minutes ago.
from 3 months ago
Reggie im with you. only Jeter and A-rod are my favorite
from 3 months ago
Tag thanks, and sorry L.J, I am a young guy, so whatever happens now is history for me. A-Rod is a great player, if MLB thought he was taking roids, they can test him more.
3 months ago
"I don't really like talking baseball too much," he said. "To me, it's a sport full of juicers, with records held by juicers. I don't take it seriously at all."
Andrew, I can empathize with your buddy's disdain fueled apathy for the game as it stands today.
There will be no forgetting the steroid era. Never.
Your and Reggie's generation have time, time to forget and time to heal. Those of us who grew up during the 2nd "Golden" age of Baseball have less time to be objective and memories stretching too far back to forgive and forget. Ever hear of Tracy Stallard ?
There will be no forgive and forget from my generation. Any sucker that juiced will burn in a special hell if the rumors are true and God really did invent Baseball to get around that no work Sunday rule.
Consider this ... all of the young players that you mention in your , mighty fine BTW, article now face the daunting prospect of challenging for records that wouldn't exist in a clean game. Not one of those players will hit 75 home runs in a season therefor not one of them will break the walks in a season record either and it goes on and on , down the line.
RE: Walks record ... one of the developers of the last generation of 'roids took them himself in his own development program. He said that the first indication of improvement was his eyesight, he could see better because the 'roids strengthened the smallest muscles first.
That's another reason these musclemen hit more home runs ... 'cause they could SEE the ball better.
Baseball statistics are the Bible of the game and it doesn't take a genius to see anomalies over the numerous decades played. That's the legacy of the 'roid sinners. Young Baseball fans decades from now will start checking stats to seee how their favorite player compares to history and they will see these huge, HUGE numbers that don't fit, numbers that jump off the page as anomalies ... and they'll ask why ?
It took Roger Maris 34 years to hit ONE more home run than the Babe, it took 34 more years for McGwire to hit NINE more then FOUR more in '99, Sosa FIVE more, in '99 TWO more and THREE more in'01. Fittingly, it only took Bonds 3 years to excede both McGwire and Sammy's dubious achievements.
So the Babe and Roger both got buried SIX times in four years. It will never , ever happen that way again.
Am I pissed ? Damn right I'm pissed.
God bless youth and short memories but no ballplayers of this generation, the next or any in the future will have realistic power hitting records to surpass. The game is forever tainted.
from 3 months ago
You're absolutely right on all your points L.J. - there's records in the sport i.e. the walks record that will never be broken and the Steroid Era will never TOTALLY be forgotten. It's part of the history of the game, the same way the Black Sox are. And yes, it's forever tainted the game, there's no doubting that. There will always be people who can never get past it.
While there may never be a complete forgetting of the era, I wanted to make a list of guys I thought could help bring baseball into the next generation - guys who you could root for because they do it the right way, and guys who have the potential to or already are having great careers.
They may never break those records, but they embody everything that's great about the game. I'm not naive enough to think the Steroid Era will just fade away.
But this was a lot of fun to write, and I think these guys will lead us into a truly great period of baseball, and will put the Steroid Era maybe not out of our minds completely, but at least out of the forefront.
3 months ago
I find it very ironic that your friend's interest in baseball is conditional to a high scoring game by the fourth inning with a bunch of homers; and yet, he dubs baseball as a bunch of juicers who cannot be taken seriously.
It is baseball-shallow people like him that the owners and players sought to win over by cheating and allowing it. A true baseball fan would appreciate a well-pitched game with web gems and strategy with maybe a home run here or there.
I am willing to bet that he really, really got into the Sosa-McGwire chase of Roger Maris.
3 months ago
As a Braves fan, I salute you for including Chipper and Maddux. And as a Met fan, I KNOW this was painful for you! I have always appreciated how baseball players could look like an ordinary guy and be a world class athlete; I think Maddux has got to be the poster child for this.
I have always appreciated the way Maddux has appreciated the game; outside of his horrible Ingle's grocery store commercials and his hilarious "chicks dig the longball" Nike commercial, Greg has had a humble anonymity that I have appreciated. He plays the game well, works hard, represents his franchise, never bashes his teammates, and respects the game.
I have never seen him showboat, upstage or disrespect an opposing batter. He's not built like a house, flaunts his vices (except golf), and he wore glasses! But more than anything, I have appreciated the way he uses his brain to play the game better. As far as I know, there isn't a steroid or hormone that increases one's intelligence.
3 months ago
As a Braves fan, I salute you for including Chipper and Maddux. And as a Met fan, I KNOW this was painful for you! I have always appreciated how baseball players could look like an ordinary guy and be a world class athlete; I think Maddux has got to be the poster child for this.
I have always appreciated the way Maddux has appreciated the game; outside of his horrible Ingle's grocery store commercials and his hilarious "chicks dig the longball" Nike commercial, Greg has had a humble anonymity that I have appreciated. He plays the game well, works hard, represents his franchise, never bashes his teammates, and respects the game.
I have never seen him showboat, upstage or disrespect an opposing batter. He's not built like a house, flaunts his vices (except golf), and he wore glasses! But more than anything, I have appreciated the way he uses his brain to play the game better. As far as I know, there isn't a steroid or hormone that increases one's intelligence.
from 3 months ago
Let me tell you, Abner...
It was hard to put Maddux in here. But it almost drove me straight to the bottle putting Chipper Jones anywhere near this list. I still feel sick to my stomach.
That said, you can't deny what the guy's doing. With three more solid seasons, he could possibly be the best switch-hitter ever.
So while I tried to remain objective and give Larry his due, just know it was 100 times more painful than you could imagine typing up his paragraph.
3 months ago
This list is good, but there are players i may have added. Joe Mauer is a top player and arugably the best all around catcher in the pros. Arod is a strech just because he has had many rumors about him. Also you could add Jose Reyes, Ichiro, Papi, Johan Santana, Peavy, and Cole Hamles just to name a few great players. Good list tho andrew
from 3 months ago
You can't hold unsubstantiated rumors against people, Danny. I'll start a rumor about everyone on that list if you really want me to. Then what, take them all off the list?
from 3 months ago
i agree with u almost 100% i to believe a-rods a stretch but the others you've named i believe are 100% clean. the one thing i disagree with you about is that i believe Jorge Posada is the best catcher in the pro's.
3 months ago
Joe Mauer, Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro, Reyes, Gomez...
There are plenty of other "clean" names out there, but great list.
3 months ago
Nice article. I love this idea of looking at players that help the baseball world recover.
I would like to point out that number one on this list was left off in my opinion. Where is Ken Griffey Jr???
Over the entire steroid era and since the early 90's, Griffey has been extremely consistent and put up amazing numbers. If he did not get injured then he would of gone down as one of the greatest players of all time.
I think that he should be on this list at the #1 position. Great article.
from 3 months ago
That's because you love Griffey, lol. I do believe that Griffey deserves some type of credit though, at least top 10, simply because he was the face of baseball in 90s. He even had his own video game series (for those of you who still remember). His solid play on the field, despite numerous injuries, is still very commendable, especially after he hit his 600th HR of his career, which is a very exclusive list of names.
from 3 months ago
Griffey is absolutly clean i too wonder where he was
from 3 months ago
I agree that Griffey is a great player who did it the right way, but I decided to leave him off the list because he's reached pretty much every milestone he's going to reach, and already gotten his due as a player who "did it clean in a dirty era". I wanted to give some other guys (chipper/maddux) some credit. There's been a ton of talk about Griffey and I agree with it all - he did it the right way as far as we know which makes his numbers that much more impressive. But I just felt like he's already gotten his due - countless columnists wrote about your exact points, so I wanted to give another take on it.
And I mentioned these guys were in no particular order. Glad you liked the article though.
3 months ago
This column defies logic.
1. If these players make you forget about the steroid era, the fact that you are mentioning them in the same sentence proves that they make you think of steroids.
2. Based on the fact that Rafael Palmerio tested positive, how can you even think that anyone who played in that ERA was clean? Did you see that one coming? I didn't, unless you think Viagra made him test positive.
3. If you subscribe to the theory of "Absent of any proof, I think so and so is clean", which is fine as a nation we are supposed to think that way, how in the world is Ken Griffey, Jr. not on the list?
4. If you do not subscribe to the theory of the one mentioned in point 3. How is Pujols on the list? Have you seen this guy's numbers before and after testing? He's got nerve to complain he did not get the MVP 2 years ago.
5. Why can't this list just simply be called 20 Players I Like to Watch? Why do you feel the need to drag steroids into it? Simply put, if you think these guys are clean, why associate them with steroids in any way, shape, or form? I seriously do not think this is fair to them.
3 months ago
Great list just needs griffey!
3 months ago
Nice list overall. One thing though: in my opinion it should include players who have played throughout this era and made a great career of it. So in that I mean A-Rod, Chipper, Jeter, Pujols, Maddux, etc. But I would leave off guys like Justin Upton, Josh Hamilton, Troy Tulowitzki, and especially Jay Bruce. I mean, the guy has had a great start, but he will definitely not make me forget the steroid era. He still hasn't proven that he can dominate for a full season; I'm not saying he can't do that eventually, just that it's way too early to put this kind of tag on him. Finally, not having Ken Griffey Jr. on this list is like leaving off Babe Ruth from the great players of all-time. When all is said and done, and certain players are found to have used, he may be considered this era's greatest hitter. But again, good job on the list.
3 months ago
Very nice list, could use Griffey though!
from 3 months ago
Thanks a lot, but check out my response to the comment above about Junior. There's a method to my madness, I swear.
from 3 months ago
Ha, fair enough!
3 months ago
This list in invalid with A-Rod on it.
3 months ago
I hate when people say A-Rod is a steroid user without having any proof. He's not like a Barry bonds who had 24 HR increase from one year to another. In his first full year in the major A-Rod hit 36 HRs and as late as 2006 he hit 35 HRs. He's had a few years when he's hit 50 HRs but overall his career from start to finish has been very consistent.
from 3 months ago
I agree Michael. ARod is a great player, and the only thing that's ever been said about him are the bogus claims made by Canseco. That's why I had to put him on this list.
11 days ago
I was hoping to see either Ryan Howard or Cole Hamels on this list, being a Phillies fan and all. Howard is the best September hitter in baseball, and I don't think there's a more feared hitter at the plate in all of the major leagues. And watching Cole Hamels do his work in Game 1 of the NLDS was just beautiful to watch. Nothing more fun to watch than a dominating changeup.
11 days ago
I doubt Utley wil hit 42 or drive in 152....I would love it though
11 days ago
Nice job, Andrew. I think what caught my attention was when you started off the list with Hanley Ramirez. Florida doesn't deserve to have a player that good. In early September, when they were still in the playoff hunt there was about 12 people in the stands for their games. They'll soon realize they can't afford him and trade him to Boston?!? Or they'll sign him and put a bunch of dreck around him because they won't be able to afford anything else. Only serious omission on this list is Grady Sizemore. Great article however!
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