Assembling the All-Time MLB Team

A few months ago I posted an article on the all-time NBA team which has gotten many views and no one has argued with my roster either so I'll assume I got it right! Now that Opening Day has come and gone for the 2011 MLB season, I thought it would be appropriate to compile the all-time MLB team. Now, much like the basketball team, players must be retired at least five years to be eligible for selection and I will choose a 25 man roster. The only exception to the retirement rule will be relievers because that is relatively new to the game of baseball. The team will consist of five starting pitchers, three relievers and 17 position players. The team listed for each player is the one they went into the Hall of Fame with. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts about who they would select and please leave a comment with your opinions. Here is my all-time team:

Catcher: Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds (1967-1983)

Bench was one of the key pieces to Cincinnati's Big Red Machine that captured a World Series title. He is one of the best hitting catchers of all time and won Rookie of the Year Award in 1968 and two MVPs in '70 and '72. Bench was also a great behind the dish, winning 10 Gold Gloves. Bench played in four World Series, batting .279 and hitting five home runs. He also led the league in runs batted in three times and home runs twice. A 14-time All-Star, Bench was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989.

Batting Average: .267     Home Runs: 389     RBI: 1,376     Hits: 2,048     Steals: 68

First Baseman: Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees (1923-1939)
The "Iron Horse" played along Babe Ruth and is the first of many Yankees to make the team. Gehrig held the record for most games played in a row for a long time before Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it in the mid-90's and he should remain second on that list for a long time. Gehrig played at the same time fellow greats, Jimmie Foxx and Hank Greenberg, were playing but he was the best of the three. Gehrig batted .340 for his career and was just seven home runs shy of 500. An RBI machine, he led the league five times in that category and was tops in home runs three times. He was a two-time MVP and played in seven World Series, winning six of them. Gehrig was inducted into the Hall of Fame by a special election in 1939.

Batting Average: .340     Home Runs: 493     RBI: 1,995     Hits: 2,721     Steals: 102

Second Baseman: Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds (1963-1984)

Also a member of the Cincinnati Reds during their heyday, Morgan is widely considered the best second baseman of all time. A diminuitive 5 foot 7 inches didn't stop Morgan who collected two MVP awards and racked up 10 All-Star game appearances. He also won a Silver Slugger award and five Gold Gloves. Morgan played for five different teams but his best years came with the Reds. He was a thief on the base paths and also drew plenty of walks, leading the league four times. Morgan was a part of two World Series titles and appeared in two more. Although he did not perform up to par in the postseason individually, no one can discount his rings.

Batting Average: .271     Home Runs: 268     RBI: 1,133     Hits: 2,517     Steals: 689

Third Baseman: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies (1972-1989)

The first member of the 500 home run club to make the team, Schmidt provided the pop for Philly for two decades and shined with the glove in the hot corner. Schmidt racked up many awards and accolades in his career, including three MVPs, 10 Gold Gloves and six Silver Sluggers. He led the league in home runs eight times and RBIs four times. He appeared in two World Series, winning one of them over the Kansas City Royals in 1980. In that series he was phenomenal, batting .381, hitting two home runs and collecting eight hits. He was named the World Series MVP that year. A 12-time All Star, Schmidt was inducted into Cooperstown in 1995.

Batting Average: .267     Home Runs: 548     RBI: 1,595     Hits: 2,234     Steals: 174

Shortstop: Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh Pirates (1897-1917)

An oldtime player, Wagner never hit for power but, boy, could he hit. He is the first member of the 3,000 hit club on the team with 3,420 hits in his 21 seasons. Wagner is probably the first great player in the game of baseball and he also has the most expensive baseball card in history to his name. He was a stocky 5 foot 11, 200 pounds yet he ran well, stealing 723 bases. In 1909 he led the Pirates to a World Series victory, batting .333 with six RBIs and six stolen bases in the seven game series. "The Flying Dutchman," as he was called, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1936 as part of the original class.

Batting Average: .328     Home Runs: 101     RBI: 1,733     Hits: 3,420     Steals: 723

Leftfield: Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals (1941-1963)

Stan "The Man" Musial dominated in St. Louis for 22 seasons and edged out Ted Williams in the closest race for a position yet. Musial was an outstanding hitter with over 3,500 hits and came up just short of 500 home runs and 2,000 RBIs and the craziest thing is that he missed 1945 because he entered the US Navy. That could have been another MVP and World Series year for him and he definitely would have reached those two other milestones. The Cardinals won three World Series in his first four seasons and Musial has countless awards to his name including 20 All Star appearances and 3 MVPs.

Batting Average: .331     Home Runs: 475     RBI: 1.951     Hits: 3.630     Steals: 78

Centerfield: Willie Mays, New York/San Francisco Giants (1951-1973)

Mays is the definition of a five-tool player and for that reason, along with his eye-popping stats, give him the slight edge over other centerfield greats such as Cobb, Dimaggio and Mantle. He patrolled centerfield for 22 seasons and 21 of those came with the Giants. He played center in New York at the same time Mickey Mantle played for the Yankees and Duke Snider played for the Dodgers. Neither of them shined as bright as the Say Hey Kid. He is a member of the 3,000 hit club and the 600 home run club. He won Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, 12 Gold Gloves and was a 20-time All Star. He also won a World Series.

Batting Average: .302     Home Runs: 660     RBI: 1,903     Hits: 3,283     Steals: 338

Rightfield: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees (1914-1945)

When it comes down to just numbers, Hank Aaron may have the Babe beat but what Aaron doesn't have is the seven World Series rings that Ruth have or the legend the Babe owns. He is the Sultan of Swat, the Great Bambino. He is Babe Ruth--the most well known player ever in the game of baseball. He ranks third all time on the home run list behind Barry Bonds* and Aaron and was a lifetime .342 hitter. He has an MVP to his name and led the league in home runs 12 times. He also led the league in RBIs six times and was named to two All-Star teams.

Batting Average: .342     Home Runs: 714     RBI: 2,213     Hits: 2,873     Steals: 123

Pitching Ace: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators (1907-1927)

The game of baseball has changed since the eras of Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson and Cy Young and for that reason there may be a few of them left off the roster. It's unlikely they could pitch as successfully against today's hitters. However, the Big Train was said to have a fastball that could compete with today's pitchers when it comes to speed. He piled up 417 wins in his career, something that is unthinkable today. He struck out over 3500 hitters and led Washington to a World Series title in 1924. He was then inducted into the original class of the Hall of Fame in 1936. 

Win-Loss: 417-279     Strikeouts: 3,509     ERA: 2.17     Innings Pitched: 5914.1

Rest of the Pitching Rotation
Nolan Ryan, Texas Rangers (1966-1993)
Win-Loss: 324-292     Strikeouts: 5,714     ERA: 3.19     Innings Pitched: 5,386

Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (1988-2009)
Win-Loss: 303-166     Strikeouts: 4,875     ERA: 3.29     Innings Pitched: 4,135.1

Tom Seaver, New York Mets (1967-1986)
Win-Loss: 311-205     Strikeouts: 3,640     ERA: 2.86     Innings Pitched: 4,783

Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals (1959-1975)
Win-Loss: 271-174     Strikeouts: 3,117     ERA: 2.91     Innings Pitched: 3,884.1

Rest of Position Players
Catcher: Yogi Berra, New York Yankees (1946-1965)
Batting Average: .285     Home Runs: 358     RBI: 1,430     Hits: 2,150     Steals: 30

First Baseman: Jimmie Foxx, Boston Red Sox (1925-1945)
Batting Average: .325     Home Runs: 534     RBI: 1.922     Hits: 2,646     Steals: 87

Second Baseman: Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals (1915-1937)
Batting Average: .358     Home Runs: 301     RBI: 1,584     Hits: 2,930     Steals: 195

Shortstop: Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs (1953-1971)
Batting Average: .274     Home Runs: 512     RBI: 1,636     Hits: 2,583     Steals: 50

Third Baseman: Eddie Mathews, Milwaukee Braves (1952-1968)
Batting Average: .271    Home Runs: 512     RBI: 1,453     Hits: 2,315     Steals: 68

Outfield: Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox (1939-1960)
Batting Average: .344     Home Runs: 521     RBI: 1,839     Hits: 2,654     Steals: 24

Outfield: Hank Aaron, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves (1954-1976)
Batting Average: .305     Home Runs: 755     RBI: 2,295     Hits: 3,771     Steals: 240

Outfield: Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers (1905-1928)
Batting Average: .366     Home Runs: 117     RBI: 1,938     Hits: 4,189     Steals: 897

Outfield: Joe DiMaggio, New York Yankees (1936-1951)
Batting Average: .325     Home Runs: 361     RBI: 1,537     Hits: 2,214     Steals: 30

Relievers
Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, Dennis Eckersley

As you can see, there are some significant snubs from the team. Mickey Mantle sticks out the most in my mind. Yet, that's the way it goes when there are only 25 players on the team. I would love to hear readers' own takes on this because there are so many great players that would make great combinations. There are also plenty of players in the game now that could easily work their way onto a roster like this. Let the debating begin...