MLB - Players Who Played "Forever" But You Don't Think of as Being Great | Page 2 | Syracusefan.com

MLB - Players Who Played "Forever" But You Don't Think of as Being Great

Capt. Tuttle said:
How would Paul O'Neill fair? I always viewed him as a boarderline guy. (Not a Yankee or REds fan, he was just a good player.)
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I don't see it.

2 Top Ten Finishes (bWAR for Position Players)
1 Top Ten Finish (Offensive bWAR)
3 Top Ten Finishes (Batting Average)
3 Top Ten Finishes (OBP)
1 Top Ten Finish (SLG)
1 Top Ten Finish (OPS)
1 Top Ten Finish (OPS+)
2 Top Ten Finishes (Hits)
3 Top Ten Finishes (Doubles)
1 Top Ten Finish (HR)

Got 2.2% of the vote in his only year on the ballot. The strike robbed him of an incredible season but I don't think it would have been enough.
 
pfister1 said:
In case the title isn't clear, I was thinking about players who had very LONG careers but aren't really among the all time greats. Guys that just seemed to hang around forever. I'll start...

Ron Reed RHP - Not only did Ron have a 19 year major league career, but he played for 4 different teams, played in both leagues. Was a pitcher, yet hit .300 or better in 4 of those seasons, never hit a home run in those 19 seasons, but did have a triple.
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Here's people who pop to mind for me:
  • Cal Ripkin. Hugely overrated to me.
  • The Entire 1970s Dodgers infield (Garvey, Lopes, Russell & Cey)
  • Andy Pettite
  • Ron Darling
  • Nomar
  • Willie Randolph (Cano was better)
 
IthacaMatt said:
Here's people who pop to mind for me:
  • Cal Ripkin. Hugely overrated to me.
  • The Entire 1970s Dodgers infield (Garvey, Lopes, Russell & Cey)
  • Andy Pettite
  • Ron Darling
  • Nomar
  • Willie Randolph (Cano was better)
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Careful with the Ripken talk. He’s my guy. :) He changed the group think that said big guys can’t play SS. He rarely needed to make amazing plays because he positioned himself so well the the plays became easy. At one time he held the record for most chances in a season by a SS. That means he got to more balls in one season than any SS, ever.

Here's a breakdown:
Cal Ripken Jr.'s ranking among shortstops by key metrics
  • WAR (Wins Above Replacement): Cal Ripken Jr. is a top-tier shortstop in terms of career WAR. He ranks third all-time at the position with a career WAR of 95.9.
  • WAR7 (WAR over 7-year peak): He also boasts a strong peak performance, ranking third in WAR7 with 56.3.
  • JAWS (Jaffe's Adjusted WAR Score):Ripken also ranks highly in JAWS, a metric designed to assess Hall of Fame worthiness, which considers both career and peak WAR. He's consistently listed near the top, behind only Honus Wagner and Alex Rodriguez (though Rodriguez's numbers are often viewed with an asterisk due to PED use).
  • Offensive Production (OPS+, etc.):Ripken was a strong offensive shortstop, especially for his era. He had a career OPS+ of 115, which is considered good for the position. For context, among shortstops with at least 5,000 plate appearances, Honus Wagner leads with a 151 OPS+. In terms of traditional stats, he was a prolific hitter, with 3,184 hits and 431 home runs, making him a standout power hitter for the position.
  • Defensive WAR (dWAR): Ripken was also a very good defensive shortstop, ranking third all-time in career dWAR. This is particularly impressive considering his longevity and the physical demands of the position.
  • OBPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):Ripken's career OBPS was .788. This number needs context to be evaluated against other shortstops, as the league average and offensive environment varied across different eras.
Historical context
  • Honus Wagner: Wagner is widely considered the greatest shortstop of all time and dominates many of the statistical categories, especially WAR and OPS+.
  • Alex Rodriguez: While his stats are exceptional, his association with PEDs makes direct comparisons difficult.
  • Peak vs. Career: While Ripken's career WAR is exceptional, it's worth noting that some shortstops had higher peak WAR numbers over shorter careers.
In summary
Cal Ripken Jr. stands out as one of the greatest shortstops in MLB history, ranking near the top in several advanced metrics like WAR, WAR7, and JAWS. His unique combination of offensive power, defensive skill, and incredible durability (highlighted by his Iron Man streak) make him a truly exceptional player at the position. While his offensive numbers may not be as eye-popping as some sluggers at other positions, they are excellent for a shortstop, and his defensive contributions were significant.
Also: Top Ten Shortstops of All-Time
He was a great defender as well.
A quick overview of Ripken on defense: Cal holds American League season records for most assists by a shortstop (583); highest fielding percentage by a shortstop (.996); fewest errors by a shortstop (3); most consecutive errorless games by a shortstop (95)... shall I continue? How about holding three of the top 11 fielding percentages by shortstops in major league history? This was from:

In Ripken's Defense | Sports | The Harvard Crimson

Spring on the sports page, home of the sarcastic baseball argument: can the Dodgers put Darryl Strawberry on the DL,
www.thecrimson.com www.thecrimson.com
 
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In terms of lefties being around forever, it should be noted that 45 year old Rich Hill is making his 2025 debut tonight starting for the Royals.

45 years old.
90-74, 17 WAR.
A decent career. Sort of the poor man's Jamie Moyer.

And per baseball reference just above $75 million in career earnings.
 
OrangeTarheel said:
I came here to mention him. Last I knew he was the only major leaguer to play in four different decades
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I seem to remember that factoid that Kaat was the only "full timer" that did that. It has now been matched by at least Jamie Moyer and Jesse Orosco.

Minnie Minoso did 5 decades, but 2 of those decades were a couple game gimmicks.
 
jncuse said:
I seem to remember that factoid that Kaat was the only "full timer" that did that. It has now been matched by at least Jamie Moyer and Jesse Orosco.

Minnie Minoso did 5 decades, but 2 of those decades were a couple game gimmicks.
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Here's some more -
www.google.com

These MLB careers spanned 4 decades

Stretching an MLB career across four decades is not unprecedented, but it is still a rare feat. It's something that requires incredible durability and longevity, plenty of fortitude, a heavy helping of good fortune, and a dash of timing. After all, beginning your career at the very end of a
www.google.com www.google.com
 
cuseattle said:
Here's some more -
www.google.com

These MLB careers spanned 4 decades

Stretching an MLB career across four decades is not unprecedented, but it is still a rare feat. It's something that requires incredible durability and longevity, plenty of fortitude, a heavy helping of good fortune, and a dash of timing. After all, beginning your career at the very end of a
www.google.com www.google.com
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I was off by 30. Interesting list, can’t believe there are a couple catchers on there
 
cuseattle said:
Here's some more -
www.google.com

These MLB careers spanned 4 decades

Stretching an MLB career across four decades is not unprecedented, but it is still a rare feat. It's something that requires incredible durability and longevity, plenty of fortitude, a heavy helping of good fortune, and a dash of timing. After all, beginning your career at the very end of a
www.google.com www.google.com
Expand...

I guess I was way off on Kaat being the first.
 

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