Forgotten MLB players who were great. | The Boneyard

Forgotten MLB players who were great.

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The Mets announcers just mentioned Dave Winfield for his fielding and it made me think that he was a player that was great when I watched them but no one speaks of anymore.

Who else? Mike Schmidt. Reggie Jackson. Tony Gwynn. Rod Carew. If you asked any 14-15 year old baseball fan, they wouldn’t name any of them. Ozzie Smith. Don Mattingly?
 
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Edgar Martinez, Gary Sheffield, Rafael Palmeiro, Pudge, Roy Halladay, Roy Campanella.
 

huskeynut

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Fred "Crime Dog" McGriff, Gary "The Kid" Carter, Bobby Richardson, Clete and Ken Boyer, Gregg Nettles.
 

Purple Stein

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+1 on Edgar Martinez and Fred McGriff.

From that same era, how about Jeff Kent? People forget how dominant Roger Clemens was, too.

Blue Jays have Clemens' kid in single A and the kids of Biggio, Bichette, and Guerrero in AA. Would love to see them all on the infield together in New Hampshire.
 

Husky25

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The Mets announcers just mentioned Dave Winfield for his fielding and it made me think that he was a player that was great when I watched them but no one speaks of anymore.

Who else? Mike Schmidt. Reggie Jackson. Tony Gwynn. Rod Carew. If you asked any 14-15 year old baseball fan, they wouldn’t name any of them. Ozzie Smith. Don Mattingly?

Totally depends on context. Six of those seven players are Hall-of-Famers. The one player who is not is constantly in discussion of borderline snubs.
 
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Totally depends on context. Six of those seven players are Hall-of-Famers. The one player who is not is constantly in discussion of borderline snubs.

What % of kids under 15 who would consider themselves rabid baseball fans know who Tony Gwynn is? 20% Reggie Jackson? I remember racing to the store to get his candy bar with my friends. I didn't even like the Yankees.
 

Husky25

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What % of kids under 15 who would consider themselves rabid baseball fans know who Tony Gwynn is? 20% Reggie Jackson? I remember racing to the store to get his candy bar with my friends. I didn't even like the Yankees.
I would actually start with the % of kids under 15 who consider themselves rabid baseball fans? Then I would follow that up with how many of those 15 year olds you actually know. Anecdotally, I don't know many of either, but my oldest is 5. Incidentally, I would think that a "rabid" 15 year old baseball fan would recognize the name Tony Gwynn or Reggie Jackson (retired 31 years ago) just as much as I would have recognized the names of Jim Bunning, Nellie Fox, or Early Wynn at that age. So like I said, it require context.

I'll also add that it's a different time. My oldest is 5 and he is not into watching baseball (let alone into the history) as much as playing. We went to the Yard Goats on Sunday. The game held his interest for about 3 innings. Then it was a never ending loop of, "how much longer until we can go the the bouncy slide?" I held him off for another 2 innings, IIRC. Also, I was speaking with his head coach who also runs the town tee-ball clinic league and he mentioned that they may not have the Tee-ball level, let alone the clinic next year due to dwindling numbers.

Finally, those guys you listed were either recently retired or on the "Amen Corner" of their career when I was a kid. Dave Winfield, for instance, was last relevant in 1993, a full 10 years before a 15 year old would have been born. It's sort of an apples/oranges because I have an above average WAR in terms of trivial baseball (dare I say general sports) knowledge, but in looking at the 1967 All-Star rosters (i.e. 10 years before my birth), I certainly recognize a number of names. On the other hand, who are Max Alvis, Paul Casanova, Andy Etchebarren, Gene Alley, Denny Lemaster?
 
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I would actually start with the % of kids under 15 who consider themselves rabid baseball fans? Then I would follow that up with how many of those 15 year olds you actually know. Anecdotally, I don't know many of either, but my oldest is 5. Incidentally, I would think that a "rabid" 15 year old baseball fan would recognize the name Tony Gwynn or Reggie Jackson (retired 31 years ago) just as much as I would have recognized the names of Jim Bunning, Nellie Fox, or Early Wynn at that age. So like I said, it require context.

I'll also add that it's a different time. My oldest is 5 and he is not into watching baseball (let alone into the history) as much as playing. We went to the Yard Goats on Sunday. The game held his interest for about 3 innings. Then it was a never ending loop of, "how much longer until we can go the the bouncy slide?" I held him off for another 2 innings, IIRC. Also, I was speaking with his head coach who also runs the town tee-ball clinic league and he mentioned that they may not have the Tee-ball level, let alone the clinic next year due to dwindling numbers.

Finally, those guys you listed were either recently retired or on the "Amen Corner" of their career when I was a kid. Dave Winfield, for instance, was last relevant in 1993, a full 10 years before a 15 year old would have been born. It's sort of an apples/oranges because I have an above average WAR in terms of trivial baseball (dare I say general sports) knowledge, but in looking at the 1967 All-Star rosters (i.e. 10 years before my birth), I certainly recognize a number of names. On the other hand, who are Max Alvis, Paul Casanova, Andy Etchebarren, Gene Alley, Denny Lemaster?

Why are you talking about a 5 year old at a minor league game?
 

Husky25

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Why are you talking about a 5 year old at a minor league game?

Context.

Incidentally, therein lies the reason you believe Dave Winfield and Reggie Jackson are "forgotten."
 
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Manny Sanguillen, Bert Campenaris, Norm Cash, Vida Blue, Sal Bando, Brian Downing, Garry Maddox, Thurman Munson, Reggie Smith, Tony Oliva, Claudell Washington, Alou brothers, Ceasar Cedeno.......on and on
 
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Context.

Incidentally, therein lies the reason you believe Dave Winfield and Reggie Jackson are "forgotten."

You haven't made a single coherent point.
 

Husky25

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You haven't made a single coherent point.

Took you a week to come back with that?

Mau should have let sleeping dogs lie.
 
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Took you a week to come back with that?

Mau should have let sleeping dogs lie.

Based on the activity in this forum, one response per week is about right.
 

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