Baseball is a sport that has been around for centuries. It is a game that is loved by people all over the world. There are many different opinions on who is the best baseball player of all time. Some people think that it is Babe Ruth, while others believe that it is Mickey Mantle. However, there is no clear answer to this question. There are many great players who have played in the MLB, and it is hard to choose just one as the best. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the top contenders for this title and try to come up with a final answer.
Roger Clemens
Roger Clemens is a former American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in MLB (Major League Baseball), including 12 with the New York Yankees, and won seven Cy Young Awards during his career.
Clemens was born in Dayton, Ohio, and raised in the Houston area. He enrolled at San Jacinto College North to play college baseball before transferring to the University of Texas. Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1983, he began his major league career as a 20-year-old rookie. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award. With an earned run average (ERA) of 1.93, he became the first AL pitcher since Walter Johnson in 1913 to post an ERA under 2.00. The Red Sox went on to win the 1986 World Series, but Clemens struggled with his command in the postseason and did not earn a decision. In 1988, he won his second Cy Young Award and led the AL in strikeouts for the second time.
Clemens remained with the Red Sox through 1996. After winning another Cy Young Award in 1991, he signed a then-record $21.5 million contract extension with the team that ran through 2000. In 1992, he became the first pitcher since Walter Johnson to strike out 20 batters in a single game. That same year, Clemens also set an MLB record by striking out 46 batters in a four-game stretch. During his time with Boston, Clemens helped lead the team to five postseason appearances, three American League East division championships, and a World Series championship in his final season with the team in 2000. In 1997, Clemens joined the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a blockbuster trade that brought All-Star second baseman Roberto Alomar and outfielder Joe Carter to Toronto.
Clemens won back-to-back World Series titles with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993, becoming the first pitcher in major league history to do so. In 1998, he led the AL in ERA for the third time and won his fourth Cy Young Award. He became just the second pitcher in MLB history to reach 300 strikeouts in three consecutive seasons. After spending two more seasons with Toronto (1999-2000), Clemens was traded back to the Yankees in 2000. Clemens won his fifth Cy Young Award in 2001, becoming the only pitcher in MLB history to win five Cy Young Awards with two different teams.
Throughout his career, Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and ability to pitch effectively in pressure situations. He is one of only two pitchers in MLB history to record over 350 strikeouts in a single season on three occasions. He is also the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings pitched, with an average of 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched over his 24-year career. In addition to his seven Cy Young Awards, Clemens is a two-time World Series champion, a 13-time All-Star, and a three-time AL MVP. He became a Baseball Hall of Famer in 2020.
Babe Ruth
When it comes to the question, who is the best baseball player of all time? Babe Ruth is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. A dominant pitcher early in his career, Ruth transitioned to become an even more feared hitter, setting numerous league and individual records.
Ruth began his professional career as a pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles in 1914. He was soon sold to the Boston Red Sox, with whom he won two World Series titles. In 1918, Ruth set a then-record of 29 home runs in a season; he would break his own record just two years later, hitting 54 home runs in 1920. That same year, Ruth was traded to the New York Yankees, where he would establish himself as one of the most prolific hitters in baseball history.
In his first season with the Yankees, Ruth hit a then-record 60 home runs, a single-season record that would stand for 34 years. He went on to hit 714 career home runs, a record that stood until it was broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. Ruth also holds career records for slugging percentage (.690) and on-base plus slugging (1.164).
Ruth’s impact on the game of baseball was vast. His power hitting changed the way the game was played as teams began to build stadiums with shorter fences to try and contain him. Ruth also helped increase attendance and popularity of the sport, becoming one of the first true sports celebrities. His larger-than-life persona made him a target for the tabloids but also helped sell tickets and make baseball more popular than ever before.
Ruth’s legacy extends beyond his on-field accomplishments. He was one of the first five players to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, and his name still resonates with fans nearly a century after he played his last game. Ruth remains an iconic figure in the sport of baseball, and his impact on the game is still felt today.
Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle was one of the most successful baseball players of his time. He played for the New York Yankees for his entire career and was a three-time World Series champion. He also held several records, including the most home runs in a season, and was named the American League’s Most Valuable Player on three occasions.
Mantle was born in 1931 in Spavinaw, Oklahoma. He began playing baseball at a very young age, and it was apparent that he was a promising and talented player. He was signed by the Yankees in 1949 and made his Major League debut two years later.
Mantle quickly became one of the Yankees’ best players. In 1952, he won the American League’s Rookie of the Year award. He went on to lead the Yankees to World Series titles in 1956, 1958, and 1961. He was also named the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 1956 and 1957.
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Mantle retired from baseball in 1969. He died in 1995 at the age of 63.
Our Final Thoughts
So who is the best baseball player of all time? There are a lot of opinions on this question, and it’s a debate that will likely never be resolved. All the three players mentioned above are legends that will always be remembered for changing the history of sports for the better.