The GOAT Team: Christopher Mills

So I drew slot #3 for my GOAT (Greatest of All-Time) Team. And boy am I glad I did. I get to mock some of the teams before me. Like Matt’s all-time Orioles team. What? That was his all-time MLB team? My bad.

And let’s not forget Nathan’s stubborn refusal to include anyone that played before 1940 (Walter Johnson excepted). Apparently “all-time” has its limits. But this is a guy who allotted a spot on his roster for comic relief, so I digress.

My team also has a few outside-the-box inclusions (see: Genius), so without further ado, let’s get to the TRUE greatest team of all-time. Enjoy!

1. Eddie Collins – 2B

A career .333 hitter and the first man to notch 80 steals in a single season, Collins is the perfect leadoff hitter. He’s also a workhorse in the field, still holding the major league records for games, assists and total chances at 2B. His defense wasn’t great, but defensive numbers from the early 20^th century should be taken with a grain of salt. If Collins had the gloves today’s fielders use and the finely groomed diamonds they play on, he’d more than hold his own. He also owns a fine collection of jewelry – 4 WS rings – so he knows how to win.

2. Lou Gehrig – 1B

The greatest player of all time, hands down. A 2-time AL MVP, Gehrig was as well-rounded of a hitter as you’ll find in the game’s history. A career slash line of .340/.447/.632/1.080, 493 HRs, 163 triples and 534 doubles. He walked 1,508 times and only struck out 790. Drove in a ridiculous 1,995 and still holds the AL record for RBI in a season with 185. He also had the career record for grand slams until he was surpassed by ARod several years ago. Throw in the fact that his career was tragically cut short at 35 by ALS, and to me there is no debating his place in history. People don’t like to play the what-if game, but I will. Had Gehrig not gotten sick and played out his career, he probably would have had more than 700 HRs. With what likely would have still been a .320+ career average, he would EASILY have been the greatest hitter ever. Period. So why is he hitting second, you ask? Because he’s an on-base machine, this lineup is ridiculously deep, and quite frankly…because I can. Owner of 6 WS rings (see a trend here? This is a team of winners).

3. Ted Williams – LF

Another what-if candidate. Ted Williams, as it stands, has legitimate claim to being the greatest hitter of all time. If you add back in the prime years he lost to military service, he – like Gehrig – would easily have amassed 700 HRs. The only thing Gehrig had that Williams didn’t was speed. Outside of SBs and triples, the two juggernauts stand toe to toe in almost every category. Having these two offensive titans stepping to the plate in the first inning of every game is enough to make any pitcher queasy. Sadly Teddy Ballgame never earned himself any jewelry, as he played his entire career with the cursed Red Sox.

4. Babe Ruth – RF

Relegated to the bench by my esteemed colleague Mr. Baggette (“Cuckoo! Cuckoo!”), Ruth is a must-have in any all-time lineup. The man single-handedly revolutionized the game of baseball and was putting up present day numbers back when ballparks were the size of Texas. Like Gehrig, Ruth possessed an uncanny combination of power, speed and discipline, boasting a career slash line of .342/.474/.690/1.164, the last two of which are major league records. And let’s not forget he still holds the AL record for career homers at 714. The man was an absolute beast – his sheer presence in this lineup makes it infinitely better. Owner of a phenomenal 7 WS rings.

5. Willie Mays – CF

What’s to say that hasn’t already been stated by my colleagues? The Say Hey Kid was a force at the plate and with the glove. Whichever ballpark this team ends up in, I will feel very secure with him manning CF and cleaning up after the beasts batting ahead of him. Willie appeared in 4 WS, taking home a ring in 1954.

6. Jimmie Foxx – DH

A 3-time AL MVP, Foxx lead the AL in homeruns 4 times, slugging % five times and total bases 3 times. He can stand toe-to-toe with anyone in this lineup – the only reason he’s hitting 6^th is his higher penchant for strikeouts. Foxx will also serve as the backup catcher to Bench, freeing up a bench spot for other needs. Ol’ Double X is the owner of 2 WS rings.

7. Johnny Bench – C

The engine behind the Big Red Machine, he led the Reds to 4 WS and 6 NLCS’s in the 70s, taking home 2 rings. Bench was a force with the bat and behind the dish, earning 14 all-star nods, 10 gold gloves and 2 NL MVPs in his Hall of Fame career. He was also the Rookie of the Year in 1968 and the WS MVP in 1976. There really was no other option for this position for me, and Bench will likely be one of the few that appears on all four rosters.

8. Mike Schmidt – 3B

The list of accolades for Schmidt is long and impressive and makes it very easy to see why he’s the choice here. 12 all-star appearances, 10 gold gloves, 6 silver sluggers, 8 time NL homerun champ, 3 time NL MVP and the WS MVP in 1980. He is also one of the few to hit an ML-record 4 homers in one game. “The man” in Philly throughout his 18-year career, Schmidt led the team to 6 division titles and 2 WS, winning it all in 1980.

9. Honus Wagner – SS

I love Cal Ripken as much as anyone but there was no passing up the Flying Dutchman for this pick. Wagner was one of a kind – a tough as nails competitor with a tireless work ethic who took failure personally. Though described as being bow-legged, Wagner was a speedster, tallying 723 stolen bases in his 21 year career. Although caught stealing numbers were not kept back then, it does not appear Wagner was caught often. He also amassed over 600 doubles and more than 200 triples. An 8 time NL batting champion and 5 time RBI champion, Wagner was a force at the dish and on the basepaths and is the perfect guy to turn this lineup over. He took the Pirates to the very first World Series in 1903 and got himself a ring when Pittsburgh won the championship in 1909.

Pitchers

The starting rotation. The place where my colleagues really dropped the ball. I understand dead ball pitchers are not looked at fondly through the lens of today’s game, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t among the best. There are some understandable arguments – such as how such pitchers would fare in today’s game, with smaller ballparks and bigger and more advanced hitters. But there are easy counters for that, when you consider that today’s game features far superior defenses and many more free-swinging hitters that would balance the numbers out. I have no doubts that the best of these pitchers would fare just fine in today’s game.

1. Christy Mathewson

Had Mathewson not played in the days before the Cy Young Award, he probably would have racked up many of them. With a career record of 373-188, Mathewson had an ERA under 2 five times and his career ERA of 2.13 is tied for 8^th all-time. Pete Alexander and Walter Johnson are the only pitchers who started their careers in 1900 or later with more complete games than Matty’s 436. ERA+, which adjusts a player’s ERA to his ballpark and the league average, ranks Mathewson 14^th all-time among starting pitchers with more than 10 seasons pitched. So why is Mathewson my ace? His leadership and his career 1.6 BB/9. Mathewson was known for having immaculate control which is just what I want at the top of my rotation. Matty led the Giants to 4 WS in his career, taking home a ring in 1905.

2. Ed Walsh

1.82. Walsh’s ML ERA record which has stood since his retirement in 1917. If you’re into advanced metrics, Walsh is also the career leader in FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching), which is a formula attempts to assess a pitcher’s value relative to his peers when it comes to the things he can control – walks, strikeouts, hit batsmen and preventing homeruns. Walsh had an ERA under 2 six times and prior to his final season, he never had an ERA above 2.82 in 13 seasons. Like Mathewson, Walsh is a master of control, with a career BB/9 of 1.9. Walsh’s 145 ERA+ ranks him 6^th among starting pitchers with more than 10 seasons. Walsh won a WS ring with the White Sox in his only appearance in 1906.

3. Sandy Koufax

I needed a lefty in here and in his prime, Koufax was the most dominant lefty of all-time. From 1962 to his retirement following the 1966 season (due to arthritis in his pitching elbow), Koufax had an ERA of 1.92 and won the pitching Triple Crown 3 times. He won 3 Cy Young awards and led the Dodgers to 3 WS, winning 2. He also won rings with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959. Koufax had a very impressive 6.8 H/9 for his career and logged more than 300 innings 3 times in his last 5 years. Given the nickname “The Left Arm of God”, Koufax’s 4 career no-hitters – including a perfect game – seal the deal.

4. Walter Johnson

Still regarded by many as the hardest thrower of all-time, Johnson was a strikeout titan in a time of contact hitters. Johnson surpassed Cy Young for the career strikeout record in 1921, eventually reaching 3,509 for his career. He held the record for 61 years before Steve Carlton briefly passed him and then, a season later, Nolan Ryan took the title for good. Johnson was also a workhorse, finishing 3^rd all-time in innings pitched behind Cy Young and Pud Galvin. His career shutout record of 110 is 20 more than the next highest total and will never…ever be touched. Johnson led the Senators to back-to-back WS appearances in 1924 and 1925, winning in 1924.

5. Greg Maddux

Maddux was a no-brainer for me here. A man who put up “dead ball” numbers in the modern era – and in an era of steroid use and shrinking ballparks, no less – Maddux’s pitching IQ was off the charts and he was known to have the ability to vary the speed of his fastball to adjust to the timing of hitters. Maddux took home 4 consecutive Cy Young awards in his career and finished Top 5 in voting 8 times. His career BB/9 of 1.8 is impressive and keeps up the trend of a staff that does not allow many free baserunners. One of the few members of the 300 win/3,000 strikeout club, Maddux also holds the ML record – for any position – with 18 Gold Gloves. He went to 3 WS with the Braves, winning his only ring in 1995.

Long A – Jim Palmer

Palmer has a long and illustrious career, winning 268 games and 3 WS rings over 3 decades – the only player ever to do so. Palmer won 3 Cy Young awards and finished in the Top 5 in voting 8 times. He was also strong with the glove, winning 4 Gold Glove awards. The most impressive stat though is the fact that Palmer never allowed a grand slam in his 19 year career. He was a smart pitcher who knew how best to minimize the damage before him.

Long B – Clayton Kershaw

A modern day player, Kershaw only has 7 seasons of work so far, but they closely rival another Dodger pitcher already on this roster. After 3 mediocre-to-decent years to start his career, Kershaw has put up ridiculous numbers his past four seasons, going 68-26 with a 2.32 ERA and 911 strikeouts. He has won 2 of the past three NL Cy Young awards and is easily on his way to a 3rd this season. His career WHIP is currently 6^th all-time among starting pitchers with 7+ years pitched, and his ERA+ is 3^rd only to Pedro Martinez and Mariano Rivera in the history of the game. 

RH Specialist – Addie Joss

Addie Joss only had a 9 year career, but what a career it was. The all-time leader in career WHIP at 0.96, he never posted an ERA higher than the 2.77 he put up in his rookie year. Joss was a control specialist, posting a BB/9 of 1.4 for his career and his career HR/9 of 0.1 is amazing even for the dead ball era. No doubt that would climb in current ballparks, but not by much given his control and dominance on the mound.

LH Specialist – Aroldis Chapman

Another modern day player, this may surprise some people, but it shouldn’t. Is he one of the greatest relievers of all time? It’s too early to tell, but he has a 5-season sample size to draw on and if I need someone to get one lefty out, he’s the guy. Lefties have 254 career plate appearances against Chapman – guess how many hits they have. If you said 6, you probably cheated – but you’d be right. SIX HITS (and 26 walks) in 254 plate appearances. Lefties are hitting .113 and slugging just .144 against Chapman for his career. And if I need a little something extra from him, he has an OAV of .164 against righties and a career K/9 of 15.2.

Setup A – Pedro Martinez

Pedro started his career as a reliever, then converted to a starter and never looked back, but he fits the bill here. Petey put up some ridiculous numbers in his career at a time when baseballs were flying around at an alarming rate. The Steroid Era and a slew of new, smaller ballparks didn’t seem to faze him as he dominated the competition. His career WHIP is Top 10 all-time and his ERA+ of 154 is the highest EVER for a starting pitcher (only Mariano Rivera’s is higher). He won 3 Cy Young awards and finished Top 5 in the voting 7 times. His career winning % of .687 is 6^th all-time and second only to Whitey Ford among pitchers with 15+ seasons. Long story short – Pedro was pure dominance in a period dominated by hitters.

Closer – Mariano Rivera

What can you say about Mo? The most dominant closer of all-time and one of only two men with more than 600 saves. Rivera retired with career records in games finished, saves and ERA+, along with a slew of other records that will never be broken. And Rivera earned 5 WS rings, including a WS MVP award in 1999. Not too shabby.

Bench

Pete Rose

Jackie Robinson

Cal Ripken

Hank Aaron

Stan Musial

I’ll keep this short and sweet. Rose and Robinson are prolific hitters who can play all over the diamond. Versatility is important on a bench and these two can eat up multiple positions with above average defense. I was tempted to go with Ozzie Smith to backup Wagner, but I realized that the drop off from Smith to Ripken in defense is minimal compared to the increase in offense from Smith to Ripken.  Ripken is an adequate defensive replacement if needed, who can also do damage at the plate. Aaron and Musial are my reserve OFs and it’s pretty obvious why. Two of the greatest hitters of all time, both could also handle a glove and make this bench very deep should one of my starters get hurt or require a day off.

My condolences to Bob Uecker, but there just wasn't enough room on my team. He is always welcome to do some stand-up in the clubhouse before games though.

--Christopher Mills, @cjmills82