Fansided

MLB best starting nine for each generation of fans

By BobMueller |
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 02: Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is congratulated on the last game of his 67-year career by hall of famer Willie Mays and San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer during the fourth inning at AT
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - OCTOBER 02: Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is congratulated on the last game of his 67-year career by hall of famer Willie Mays and San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer during the fourth inning at AT
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 02: Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is congratulated on the last game of his 67-year career by hall of famer Willie Mays and San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer during the fourth inning at AT
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 02: Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is congratulated on the last game of his 67-year career by hall of famer Willie Mays and San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer during the fourth inning at AT /

Which MLB players make up the best starting nine for every generation of fans, from the Greatest Generations to the Post-Millennials?

MLB meets the generations

The Pew Research Center recently announced the demarcation of a new generation. Going back more than a century, we have the Greatest Generation, the Silent Generation, the Baby Boomers, Generation X, the Millennials and, now, the Post-Millennials. This isn’t the official name for the new generation. It’s just a placeholder until a new name can be agreed upon.

This generation will need a more distinctive name at some point, and a few have already been suggested. Possible titles include Generation Z, the iGeneration, the @Generation, Tweennials, and Screeners (because they constantly have a screen in front of their faces). They all have their pros and cons. If we call this generation Generation Z, then the logical question is, what happened to Generation Y? The iGeneration seems a little too close to an advertisement for an Apple product. Tweennials might sound good when they’re young, but as they get older would they want to continue to be called Tweennials?

This generation will need a more distinctive name at some point, and a few have already been suggested. Possible names include Generation Z, the iGeneration, the @Generation, Tweennials, and Screeners (because they constantly have a screen in front of their faces). They all have their pros and cons. If we call this generation Generation Z, then the logical question is, what happened to Generation Y? The iGeneration seems a little too close to an advertisement for an Apple product. Tweennials might sound right when they’re young, but as they get older would they want to continue to be called Tweennials?

  • 1901-1927—The Greatest Generation
  • 1928-1945—The Silent Generation
  • 1946-1964—The Baby Boomers
  • 1965-1980—Generation X
  • 1981-1996—Millennials
  • 1997-????—Post-Millennials

This made me curious. Who are the best MLB players for each generation of fans? This is not the best players born during the years that define each age, but the best players who were active during that time, with an important twist. This twist is based on a theory by superb writer Joe Posnanski, who once wrote: “My theory, built up over many years, by the way, is that eight years old is the perfect age to fall in love with baseball.”

The evidence is evident

As evidence, Posnasnki points out that he became a baseball fan when he was eight years old and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Red Sox in the epic 1975 World Series. You may remember that one because of Carlton Fisk’s “wave the ball fair” game-winning home run off the Fenway Park foul pole in Game 6.

No MLB player will ever loom as large for me as “Pops” did that year. He accomplished the trifecta. He was co-MVP of the National League during the regular season, MVP of the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds, and MVP of the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. My eight-year-old self-thought he was the greatest player who ever lived.

The same eight-year lag time will be applied to the ensuing generations. FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement (fWAR) during the period outlined will be a starting point for determining which players make the starting nine, but not the sole determining factor. Let’s start with the Greatest Generation.

April 1927: Baseball player Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth, 1895 – 1948) taking a swipe at an enormous ball. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)
April 1927: Baseball player Babe Ruth (George Herman Ruth, 1895 – 1948) taking a swipe at an enormous ball. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images) /

MLB Greatest Generation fanbase (born 1901 to 1927)

~MLB Players active between 1909 and 1935~

 

 

MLB Biggest Snub(s): CF Tris Speaker (130.7 fWAR), 2B Eddie Collins (118.9 fWAR), SP Pete Alexander (96.5 fWAR), 2B Frankie Frisch (75.0 fWAR), CF Oscar Charleston (Negro Leagues), OF Cool Papa Bell (Negro Leagues), SS Pop Lloyd (Negro Leagues), SP Bullet Rogan (Negro Leagues)

That’s an imposing lineup that includes some of the all-time MLB greatest players who ever played. Of course, we’ve had 100 years of legends being told about players like Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Lou Gehrig, so they’ve become larger than life. Perhaps 100 years from now, fans will look back at Mike Trout with the same reverence we have for these impressive players.

Looking at the MLB position players, second base features two players, Rogers Hornsby and Eddie Collins, with more than 100 fWAR and a third with 75 (Frankie Frisch). At shortstop, five players finished between 45 and 50 fWAR during this period. I bumped Honus Wagner from fourth to the top of the pack because he’s Honus Wagner. The starting year of 1909 eliminated many of his great years.

On the mound, both Walter Johnson and pitching snub Pete Alexander were incredible, winning over 770 games between them during this period. Firpo Marberry is technically the reliever on this team, but Old Pete would be more than willing to enter the contest in relief if needed. In one of the most memorable moments of his career, Alexander entered Game 7 of the 1926 World Series and struck out Tony Lazzeri with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to preserve a 3-2 Cardinals’ lead. He then retired six of the final seven batters to close out the victory.

If this were a real-life team, it would be interesting to see how Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth got along as teammates. I’d expect there would be some fireworks between them. Cobb would resent the megastar Ruth with his unrefined approach to the game. Ruth would laugh it off and have another hot dog and a beer.

The snubs list for this generation could make up a whole other team of greats, including some of the best Negro League players to ever play the game. Joe Posnanski recently drafted a lineup of Negro League players with Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick. Rogan, Charleston, Lloyd, and Bell were all picked in the first four rounds.

BOSTON – CIRCA 1955: (UNDATED FILE PHOTO) Baseball legend Ted Williams (1918 – 2002) of the Boston Red Sox (R) signs a baseball contract as Boston Manager Joe Cronin (1906 – 1984) looks on in 1958. The 83-year-old Williams, who was the last major league player to bat .400 when he hit .406 in 1941, died July 5, 2002 at Citrus County Memorial Hospital in Florida. He died of an apparent heart attack. (Photo by Getty Images)
BOSTON – CIRCA 1955: (UNDATED FILE PHOTO) Baseball legend Ted Williams (1918 – 2002) of the Boston Red Sox (R) signs a baseball contract as Boston Manager Joe Cronin (1906 – 1984) looks on in 1958. The 83-year-old Williams, who was the last major league player to bat .400 when he hit .406 in 1941, died July 5, 2002 at Citrus County Memorial Hospital in Florida. He died of an apparent heart attack. (Photo by Getty Images) /

MLB Silent Generation fanbase (born 1928 to 1945)

~MLB Players active between 1936 and 1953~

 

 

Biggest Snub(s): 1B Johnny Mize (68.6 fWAR), SP Hal Newhouser (60.4 fWAR), SS Luke Appling (60.0 fWAR), 2B Jackie Robinson (47.7 fWAR), C Josh Gibson (Negro Leagues), 1B Buck Leonard (Negro Leagues)

Many members of this generation of MLB players missed time-fighting in World War II. Ted Williams not only fought in World War II, but he also fought in the Korean War later in his career. His career spanned two generations, so there are plenty of Baby Boomers who would also claim Williams as their own.

Similarly, Yogi Berra and Stan Musial had significant portions of their career playing in front of the Silent Generation and the Baby Boomers. Berra fell a few wins short of Bill Dickey during this period and wasn’t the equal of Joe Torre for the next period, so he’s in no-mans land when it comes to the greatest players by generation.

Musial, on the other hand, takes the first base spot easily on this team and was also good enough for the Baby Boomer generation to be a top 10 first baseman. If you consider Musial a left fielder, where he played more than 900 games, he is second to Williams during this term and also a top-10 left fielder during the Baby Boomer era. That’s why they call him “The Man.”

Joe DiMaggio is the starter in center field in front of the Greatest Generation fans. He didn’t have the WAR that Williams did, but he picked up nine World Series rings during his 13-year career. The center fielder with the second-most fWAR during this era was Joe’s brother and Williams’ teammate, Dom DiMaggio.

Bob Feller finished second to Hal Newhouser in Fangraphs WAR from 1936 to 1953 but missed three full seasons and part of a fourth while serving during World War II right at the height of his career. Newhouser continued to pitch in the big leagues and went a combined 54-18, with a 2.01 ERA in 1944 and 1945, winning back-to-back AL MVP Awards. Newhouser was a good pitcher, no question, but he was facing inferior talent those two years while Feller was serving the country. For me, this is enough to bump Feller ahead of him.

Satchel Paige is the pick for a top reliever on the Silent Generation squad, but he could pitch for any of the first three generations. Baseball-Reference has Paige beginning his career as a 20-year-old in the Negro Leagues in 1927 and pitching until he was 59 years old in the Carolina League in 1966. He even pitched three scoreless innings for the Kansas City A’s in the American League when he was 58 years old. Paige is simply timeless.

getty-images/2017/08/825300056-baseball-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony
getty-images/2017/08/825300056-baseball-hall-of-fame-induction-ceremony /

MLB Baby Boomer fanbase (born 1946 to 1964)

~MLB Players active between 1954 and 1972~

 

 

Biggest Snub(s): CF Mickey Mantle (99.3 fWAR), RF Al Kaline (87.5 fWAR), RF Roberto Clemente (80.6 fWAR), 3B Brooks Robinson (70.5 fWAR), 1B Harmon Killebrew (65.7 fWAR)

As a Generation Xer, I’ve always thought the Baby Boomers are an interesting bunch. Take a hypothetical Baby Boomer who is born in 1953, right near the middle of the period for Baby Boomer births. This person could be a screaming female fan of the Beatles as an 11-year-old in 1964 or a hippie enjoying psychedelic drugs and free love at Woodstock at 16. Or perhaps both?

In the 70s, a Baby Boomer could be a hard rock fan (Led Zeppelin) or a disco fan (Bee Gees) or a David Bowie fan. In the 80s, did the free love hippies turn into the materialistic yuppies? The 90s gave us early Baby Boomer Bill Clinton (born in 1946) as president. He was followed by early Baby Boomer George W. Bush (1946), then late Baby Boomer Barack Obama (1961) and back to early Baby Boomer Donald Trump (1946). I think we’ve seen enough Baby Boomer presidents. it’s about time a Generation Xer gets a chance.

Anyway, back to baseball. This generation of fans got to see many great African-American players in the big leagues for the first time. In the starting lineup above, you have Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Bob Gibson. Had these guys been born 30 years earlier, they would have been among the Negro League snubs of the previous generation.

One of the toughest spots on this team was first base, where Harmon Killebrew would be a worthy choice, except that Carl Yastrzemski was pushed out of left field by Frank Robinson and needed to be in the starting lineup. Robi bumps Yaz from left to first, and Yaz bumps Killebrew to the bench. Sorry, Harmon. Mickey Mantle is right there next to Killebrew because Willie Mays has to be in center field.

Right field is loaded with talent, starting with Hank Aaron and including Al Kaline and Roberto Clemente. Actually, Frank Robinson would be right behind Aaron, but I moved him over to left, where he played more than 800 games. In the infield, Pete Rose got the nod over Nellie Fox and Joe Morgan at second base. Both Rose and Morgan had careers that extended well into the next period and Morgan’s name will come up again.

If this team needed to win just one game, it would be a very tough choice between Bob Gibson and Sandy Koufax. If the game were in Dodgers Stadium in 1964, it would have to be Koufax. He had a 0.85 ERA in 127.7 innings at home that year. Then again, in 1968, Bob Gibson had a 0.81 ERA in 144.7 innings on the road.

MLB Generation X Team

~MLB Players active between 1973 and 1988~

 

Biggest Snub(s): 3B George Brett (78.4 fWAR), 2B Bobby Grich (62.8 fWAR), 1B Keith Hernandez (59.9 fWAR), 1B Darrell Evans (57.1 fWAR), 1B Rod Carew (54.7 fWAR), SP Bert Blyleven (78.0 fWAR)

One of the more difficult choices for this MLB squad was at first base, where Keith Hernandez, Darrell Evans, Eddie Murray, and Rod Carew all had between 59.9 and 54.7 fWAR between 1973 and 1988. Evans played more games at third base than at first base and Carew spent a good portion of his career at second base, so it came down to Hernandez and Murray. I went with Murray because his offensive value is higher than Hernandez and defensive metrics from the 1970s and 1980s aren’t as reliable as offensive metrics from that time.

At second base, Joe Morgan beat out Bobby Grich by just two wins. It’s the story of Grich’s life, forever underrated. George Brett couldn’t match Mike Schmidt at third base, but he’s the best snub on the bench. The outfield options for this lineup included seven players with 50 or more WAR. I went with Rickey Henderson in left, Andre Dawson in center, and Dwight Evans in right. Dave Winfield, Jim Rice, and Chet Lemon missed the cut, and Robin Yount got the nod at shortstop.

One of the biggest MLB stars of the 1970s, Reggie Jackson, is the DH. He played many more games in right field during his career, but his glove wasn’t as good as Dwight Evans, so he’s the DH. Ken Singleton is ready to step in if Jackson needs a day off or if manager Billy Martin decides to bench “Mr. October.” On a related note, if Martin is fired at some point during the season, Earl Weaver will take the reigns.

Bert Blyleven had more fWAR than Nolan Ryan from 1973 to 1988, but it was very close (78.0 to 76.5). I went with Ryan because he was nearly as valuable and had 1000 more strikeouts than any other pitcher during this time. Plus, he’s Nolan Ryan. He could toss a no-hitter in any given start.

This was the first generation of famous relief pitchers. Goose Gossage takes his place in this team’s bullpen, with Rollie Fingers, Bruce Sutter, and Lee Smith ready to fill in if needed. A little further down the list are submariners Kent Tekulve and Dan Quisenberry, for those moments when you absolutely, positively need a ground ball from a pitcher who looks like your company’s IT guy.

SAN FRANCISCO – AUGUST 07: Barry Bonds
SAN FRANCISCO – AUGUST 07: Barry Bonds /

MLB Millennial fanbase (born 1981 to 1996)

~MLB Players active between 1989 and 2004~

 

 

Biggest Snub(s): SP Greg Maddux (97.1 fWAR), Roger Clemens (92.3 fWAR)1B Rafael Palmeiro (67.4 fWAR), DH Edgar Martinez (65.3 fWAR), C Ivan Rodriguez (58.7 fWAR), 3B Robin Ventura (56.7 fWAR), 1B Jim Thome (54.3 fWAR)

The MLB players that Millenials grew up watching include an incredible trio of pitchers in Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, and Roger Clemens. Oh, and don’t forget Pedro Martinez, who was better than all of them at preventing runs. He just didn’t pitch as many innings as Johnson, Maddux, and Clemens. Future Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera and recently-announced Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman are the fresh arms in the bullpen.

Barry Bonds dominates among position players, with 63 more wins above replacement than the next-best player during this period (Jeff Bagwell). Bonds had 90 fWAR more than the next-best left fielder, Luis Gonzalez. In center field, Ken Griffey, Jr. is the clear choice, but his dominance isn’t anywhere close to Bond’s. Right field came down to Larry Walker, Sammy Sosa, Gary Sheffield, and Manny Ramirez, with Walker taking the spot.

One of the most challenging choices was at catcher, where Mike Piazza (61.1 fWAR) edged Ivan Rodriguez (58. fWAR). Both are in the Hall of Fame now. Another tough choice was at DH. Frank Thomas had 2.4 more wins above replacement than Edgar Martinez during this period, so he’s in the starting lineup, and Edgar is snubbed. Hopefully, he won’t be snubbed when it comes to Hall of Fame voting next winter.

The tough choices continued at second base, where Craig Biggio (62.9 fWAR) battled with Roberto Alomar (59.7 fWAR). I went with Biggio. Third base could have gone to Robin Ventura because he was worth a few more wins than Chipper Jones. Ventura benefited from the arbitrary endpoint of 2004. His entire career was from the 1989 to 2004 timeframe. Jones’ career lasted until 2012. I took Jones.

The tough choices continued at second base, where Craig Biggio (62.9 fWAR) battled with Roberto Alomar (59.7 fWAR). I went with Biggio. Third base could have gone to Robin Ventura because he was worth a few more wins than Chipper Jones. Ventura benefited from the arbitrary endpoint of 2004. His entire career was from the 1989 to 2004 timeframe. Jones’ career lasted until 2012. I took Jones.

The top five shortstops during this period were Alex Rodriguez, Barry Larkin, Cal Ripken, Jr., Derek Jeter, and Nomar Garciaparra. A-Rod out-WAR’d them all by about 10 wins, so he’ll start at short. Ripken’s career just didn’t match up well with this time frame. He played over 1000 games and won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and an AL MVP Award before this period began. With different starting and ending points, he would be the starter at shortstop. Blame Pew Research.

ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Mike Trout
ANAHEIM, CA – SEPTEMBER 29: Mike Trout /

MLB Post-Millennial fanbase (born 1997 to ??)

~MLB Players active between 2005 and 2017~

 

MLB Biggest Snub(s): SP Justin Verlander (56.9 fWAR), 1B Albert Pujols (59.1 fWAR), 1B Joey Votto (53.4 fWAR), 2B Robinson Cano (52.3 fWAR)

The final spots on the Post-Millennial fanbase team are still in flux because the end date for this generation hasn’t been determined. Given a few more years, Buster Posey could pass Joe Mauer at catcher, Robinson Cano may overcome Chase Utley at second base, and Craig Kimbrel or Kenley Jansen could move beyond Mariano Rivera at closer.

More from Call to the Pen

I’m fudging a little in the bullpen by having Mariano Rivera on this team and the Millennials generation team. Rivera is 0.8 fWAR behind Jonathan Papelbon for this period, but he’s a placeholder until Kimbrel and Jansen make their moves. Aroldis Chapman could also pass River in the next few years.

One thing for certain: no one will catch Mike Trout in center field. Trout is fifth overall in Fangraphs WAR among position players on this Post-Millennials team, but the other four players all have at least 3000 more plate appearances. Those players are Miguel Cabrera, Chase Utley, Adrian Beltre, and Albert Pujols. Utley is on his last legs. He’ll be a part-time player with the Dodgers this year. Pujols is a shadow of his former self. He was below replacement level last year and is projected to be right at replacement level this year. Miguel Cabrera was also below replacement level, but he’s projected to be league average this year. Only Adrian Beltre looks likely to be a definite asset in 2018.

Pujols is hurt by the 2005 starting year for this group of players. He was worth roughly 30 wins from 2001 to 2004 but doesn’t get credit for those because of the established endpoints. Another snub is Joey Votto, who is sixth overall in Fangraphs WAR and third among first baseman. He’s coming off a 7-win year so that he could zoom right past Pujols with another good season (based on these years only).

While Trout is set in center field, the two corner spots could end up being taken by players younger than Matt Holliday and Curtis Granderson. In left field, Justin Upton could move past Holliday with four or five solid seasons. In right field, Giancarlo Stanton needs a few good years to send Curtis Granderson to the bench.

Next: Fun fact rankings of American League ballparks

Five starting pitchers have 50 or more fWAR since 2005, with Clayton Kershaw being the best of them. He’s just barely ahead of Justin Verlander despite having pitched 600 fewer innings. Behind Verlander are CC Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, and Zack Greinke. Verlander and Greinke are coming off good seasons. Sabathia was league average last year. Felix had the worst season of his career.

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