MLB fans love to go way back in time and remember some of the players they enjoyed watching during their childhoods.
That is a key time in their lives, because it’s when they probably fell in love with baseball.
At that time, we all grew up watching the best of the best, but also researching about players from the past and watching videos and stats.
The most hardcore fans had their own opinion about who is the greatest at every position since they were teenagers.
A recent exercise by the IBWAA (Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, an organization that promotes baseball content creators) represented a golden opportunity for fans to showcase their baseball knowledge and put together their all-time lineups.
Of course, this is an entirely subjective exercise, but it’s a great way to have fun and keep ourselves engaged to the game we all love.
Tell us your all time lineup??
C.
1B.
2B.
SS.
3B.
LF.
RF.
CF.
SP.
RP/closerPut in lineup form no DH for this excercise.
— IBWAA (@IBWAA) January 12, 2023
We saw everything, from teams put together by old-school fans:
C Jonny Bench
1b Willie Stargell
2b Joe Morgan
3b mike Schmidt
Ss Ozzie Smith
LF Ted Williams
CF Ty Cobb
RF Babe Ruth
Sp Sandy Koufax
Rp Rollie Fingers
Mgr. Casey Stengal— Rick Klimchock (@KlimchockRick) January 12, 2023
To squads with a more modern approach, including players who recently retired or even active ones:
Bench 4th/C
Gehrig 7th/1B
Alomar/8th 2B
Jeter 9th/SS
Arenado 6th/3B
Williams 3rd/LF
Mays 2nd/CF
Cobb 1st/RF
Ruth (DH – sorry gotta have one) 5th
Lefty/righty balance throughoutSP Clemens pen Rivera super-sub Pete Rose
Toughest omissions: Aaron Mantle and Josh Gibson
— JP Plunkett (@JPPlunkett) January 12, 2023
Both are extremely valid because that’s part of the fun: debating and having a different opinion.
Not surprisingly, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Rogers Hornsby, Mike Trout, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Pedro Martinez and Shohei Ohtani were some of the most frequently mentioned players.
Despite failing a drug test and being suspended by MLB, even Alex Rodriguez snuck in there among the players mentioned.
Two of the most popular players of the last 25 years also made many teams: Albert Pujols and Ken Griffey Jr.
What is your all-time MLB lineup?
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