Mangum

[chef dixon]

We will never see another player like this in our lifetime. Kid is a maestro. Pro ball careers aside, is he the best player we have ever had?

[Cooterpoot]

No

[Duckdog]

I think so

[msu15]

is he the best player we have ever had?

Nope

[ShotgunDawg]

Is Pete Rose the best MLB of all time?

[Lord McBuckethead]

No but he was damn good at playing ball.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Who is the best baseball player to ever play the game?

[chef dixon]

Better question is where does he rank

[Tbonewannabe]

He is up there with Clark and Palmeiro. If we win a National Title then probably yes.

[ShotgunDawg]

I think Mangum has a Jeter type quality of being the best player during a good era of play and his longevity has allowed him to accumulate extreme numbers.

However, like Jeter is to the Yankees, he's not close to being our best player.

[Commercecomet24]

He might not be THE best, but it don't take long to call roll.

[smootness]

Honestly, who cares where he ranks? He's undoubtedly on a pretty short list of the best players to ever play at State, and he's incredibly fun to watch.

[Commercecomet24]

Honestly, who cares where he ranks? He's undoubtedly on a pretty short list of the best players to ever play at State, and he's incredibly fun to watch.

Yep, exactly.

[tcdog70]

he is an elite fielder---he has a great arm--and He is a hitting machine that hits 500 with runners in scoring position. So I guess hitting for power is his only draw back. and he has an elite attitude.

[msu15]

However, like Jeter is to the Yankees, he's not close to being our best player.

Man great analogy! Hit the nail on the head

[Tbonewannabe]

he is an elite fielder---he has a great arm--and He is a hitting machine that hits 500 with runners in scoring position. So I guess hitting for power is his only draw back. and he has an elite attitude.

He is also pretty much the definition of a Team Leader. He has that Dak quality that elevates the team around him.

[Saltydog]

He might not be THE best, but it don't take long to call roll.

Best response in the whole thread. I completely agree.

[Bothrops]

He's in the top 5. We've had lots of great players over a long expanse of time.

Eta - He could be top 3, since he does everything exceptionally well. I'd say top 3. He's a phenom.

[parabrave]

Who is the best baseball player to ever play the game?

If he would've finished out his career Roberto Clemente, for those who did finish their careers ties Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams..

[Commercecomet24]

Who is the best baseball player to ever play the game?

So many great ones, wow! imo Willie Mays because he could do everything there is to do on a baseball field at an elite level and Mike Trout has a chance to be in the discussion before he's done. Really hard to say because there have been so many great ones

[MStateDawg]

If he would've finished out his career Roberto Clemente, for those who did finish their careers ties Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams..

Dimaggio's career stats don't hold a candle to Ted Williams. Worth noting, both missed 3 years in the prime of their career due to WW2.

Ted Williams, Willie Mays & Babe Ruth are all in the discussion. Ruth had the best offensive numbers, but his defense wasn't great.

[BrunswickDawg]

Dimaggio's career stats don't hold a candle to Ted Williams. Worth noting, both missed 3 years in the prime of their career due to WW2.

Ted Williams, Willie Mays & Babe Ruth are all in the discussion. Ruth had the best offensive numbers, but his defense wasn't great.

Ted missed 3 years for WWII, then most of 2 MORE (52' & '53') for Korea. No one beats Williams.

[MoreCowbell]

For those that say no you are crazy. It might not always be pretty but if hat he has done is absolutely incredible. Born in 88 and since I have been alive is absolutely the best all around player we have EVER had.

[MoreCowbell]

I think Mangum has a Jeter type quality of being the best player during a good era of play and his longevity has allowed him to accumulate extreme numbers.

However, like Jeter is to the Yankees, he's not close to being our best player.

Delete

[chef dixon]

Honestly, who cares where he ranks? He's undoubtedly on a pretty short list of the best players to ever play at State, and he's incredibly fun to watch.

Because it?s a message board?

[confucius say]

How are we defining best? Most talented?

[Scared_Hitless]

Tedd Williams best hitter of all time. Willie Mays best overall player. Randy Johnson best pitcher of all time.

Trout is going to make a case if his trajectory continues.

[Michael Milken]

Tedd Williams best hitter of all time. Willie Mays best overall player. Randy Johnson best pitcher of all time.

Trout is going to make a case if his trajectory continues.

I was with you until Randy Johnson....

Koufax was the best ever...

With modern analytics, Maddux and Nolan Ryan would be.

[Saltydog]

For those that say no you are crazy. It might not always be pretty but if hat he has done is absolutely incredible. Born in 88 and since I have been alive is absolutely the best all around player we have EVER had.

There's a big difference in saying he's the best since "88" and saying he's "the best ever". I would put Jake in the top 10 all time but I can't say he's "the best".

[ShotgunDawg]

So many great ones, wow! imo Willie Mays because he could do everything there is to do on a baseball field at an elite level and Mike Trout has a chance to be in the discussion before he's done. Really hard to say because there have been so many great ones

Barry Bonds hands down.

[ShotgunDawg]

Tedd Williams best hitter of all time. Willie Mays best overall player. Randy Johnson best pitcher of all time.

Trout is going to make a case if his trajectory continues.

Barry Bonds. Most dominant a player has ever been. Whether or not he cheated is another discussion.

[Scared_Hitless]

I was with you until Randy Johnson....

Koufax was the best ever...

With modern analytics, Maddux and Nolan Ryan would be.

Just Johnson at the peak of his dominance was a monster. I am sure their are arguments for plenty hell even Clemens probably deserves to be mentioned. Just my personal list, huge Maddux fan though still probably the most control and ability to keep hitter guessing of all time. Johnson just had dominant stuff.

[Commercecomet24]

Barry Bonds. Most dominant a player has ever been. Whether or not he cheated is another discussion.

Dominant offensively yes but when I think of the greatest ever, I think of a player who can dominate in all phases not just offense. Bonds was good defensively but Mays was dominant defensively and pretty dang spiffy offensively too. It's a great debate, no doubt, on best ever.

[Randolph Dupree]

Barry Bonds. Most dominant a player has ever been. Whether or not he cheated is another discussion.

I'm not going to say Bonds was the best, but I won't say he wasn't. Bonds, without the juice, was a legit 30/30 40/40 guy early in his career. He could've made the HOF easily without the juice.

[Lord McBuckethead]

Bonds ended his career with the highest WAR number in the history of the game.

[Tbonewannabe]

Bonds ended his career with the highest WAR number in the history of the game.

And the biggest Steriod head ever.

[smootness]

For those that say no you are crazy. It might not always be pretty but if hat he has done is absolutely incredible. Born in 88 and since I have been alive is absolutely the best all around player we have EVER had.

Well, we had some pretty darn good players before 88...

[msst15]

Top 5 Diamond Dawg of all time. No doubt.

[tcdog70]

Dominant offensively yes but when I think of the greatest ever, I think of a player who can dominate in all phases not just offense. Bonds was good defensively but Mays was dominant defensively and pretty dang spiffy offensively too. It's a great debate, no doubt, on best ever.

if Mays had played at Wrigley Field instead of candlestick--no one would ever catch his homer total. Candlestick was death to power hitters--it was cold and the wind always blew in. Mays had many smashes die on the warning track. no doubt he was the best total player in Baseball.

[Commercecomet24]

if Mays had played at Wrigley Field instead of candlestick--no one would ever catch his homer total. Candlestick was death to power hitters--it was cold and the wind always blew in. Mays had many smashes die on the warning track. no doubt he was the best total player in Baseball.

Say Hey! Willie was the ultimate 5 tool player. He could do everything there is to do on a baseball field at the very highest level.

[smootness]

if Mays had played at Wrigley Field instead of candlestick--no one would ever catch his homer total. Candlestick was death to power hitters--it was cold and the wind always blew in. Mays had many smashes die on the warning track. no doubt he was the best total player in Baseball.

Candlestick was big, but Mays' HR numbers actually went up after moving there. Polo Grounds was huge in center but tiny down the lines.

My guess is a normal park may have given him an extra HR or 2 a year, but nothing more than that.

[tcdog70]

Candlestick was big, but Mays' HR numbers actually went up after moving there. Polo Grounds was huge in center but tiny down the lines.

My guess is a normal park may have given him an extra HR or 2 a year, but nothing more than that.

What? You just aren't correct on this.

[tcdog70]

Candlestick was big, but Mays' HR numbers actually went up after moving there. Polo Grounds was huge in center but tiny down the lines.

My guess is a normal park may have given him an extra HR or 2 a year, but nothing more than that.

Here you go, this guys think Willie would have hit more.

Lon Simmons, a Giants broadcaster throughout Mays' 15 years in San Francisco, said Candlestick may have deprived the "Say Hey Kid" of the all-time homers title.
"If he played in the same stadiums as Hank Aaron, he would've hit more home runs than Hank Aaron," Simmons said. "I would say Candlestick took at least 50 homers away from him. And had he played in Atlanta or Milwaukee, imagine how many more he would have hit. They didn't call Atlanta the Launching Pad for nothing."
Former Giants manager Herman Franks (1965-68) said Mays would have topped 700 if not for Candlestick. "Easily," Franks said. "Nothing was insurmountable to Willie. But records weren't important to Willie. He just cared about winning."
Longtime Giants beat writer Bob Stevens said, "In any other ballpark, Willie would have hit 800 home runs. He just never played in his type of ballpark."

[Todd4State]

Babe Ruth was the most dominant and IMO the best of all time. For context- he would actually out homer entire TEAMS. Who does that? He could hit for average and struck out less than 100 times every season in the MLB. His best defensive position was really pitcher- and he was a 20 game winner there and probably a HOF pitcher had he stayed there. He actually held some World Series records- for pitching.

[State82]

He might not be THE best, but it don't take long to call roll.

Boom!