Loved it. I'm too young to have gotten a chance to watch most of these guys and this article makes me wish there was some kind of MLB.TV archive extending back into the 70s/80s.

I third the endorsement of Davis. Eric Davis in the late 80's was an amazing player.

Yes, Davis was stunning. The only baseball player I've ever seen who seemed any faster was Deion Sanders, and the only guy as slim as Davis who generated that kind of buggy-whip power was George Foster.

The young Cesar Cedeno was comparable to Davis in terms of just drop-your-jaw all-around talent. And one thing Cedeno had that Davis didn't was a cannon arm.

C-Bob Tillman
1B-Dave Stapleton
2B-Dude Griffin
SS-Jackie Gutierrez
3B-Scott Cooper
LF-Bob Zupcic
CF-Lenny Green
RF-Gary Geiger (who else)

Now there's an all-excitement team for you.

MLB Network, when it comes, should have pieces like this. Apprecitions of players, by writers or just fans, a long with clips and interviews.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to watch a ton of Eric Davis, being a American League fan. And Bo Jackson overshadowed him in the AL, which is no knock on Eric Davis. Bo overshadowed everyone.

Seriously, the most exciting rightfielder was Clemente. In a walk.

Yes, Davis was stunning. The only baseball player I've ever seen who seemed any faster was Deion Sanders, and the only guy as slim as Davis who generated that kind of buggy-whip power was George Foster.

ahem *cough* Oglivie! *cough*

As many have noted, when shortstops dive for balls, it's often because they got a late break. When Smith dove for balls it was because Tommy Herr or Terry Pendelton did.

I hope you were smiling when you finished writing that Craig. That's a great line.

It's Empire Earth, isn't it?

Jim Edmonds is one of the most exciting players I've ever seen play.

How is it even possible to start with your hands there and get the bat through the hitting zone on a major league fastball? There must have been kids out there trying to copy his stance and swing - that's what kids do, after all - but most of them probably gave it up out of frustration.

1986: 27 HR, 80-11 as a basestealer. 1987: 37 HR, 50-6 as a basestealer.

Oh I definitely imitated Davis's stance. Of course, the most fun was Julio Franco's. My best friend, who switch-hit, loved Will Clark and would do his lean-back, front foot ahead stance, always with that scowl on his face.

Seriously, the most exciting rightfielder was Clemente. In a walk.

Well Clemente died when I was a year old, and I think Craig's a little younger than me.

My favorite right fielder, to the extent he is such, is Sheffield. It isn't really a "waggle" -- that work seems too slow. It is a "twitch", the bat just vibrating, giving a hit of the powerful wrists.

It cues in to what I think what I love most about some players, which is the odd or extreme batting stance.

Rickey Henderson drew a lot of walks because of his eye, but also because he had the most extreme crouch you ever saw -- he looked at time like he was bent over double, giving you a postage-stamp strike zone. But at his peak, he could explode out of that stance and hammer the ball over the fence.

I loved the Killer B's -- Bagwell, who had a wider stance than Larry Craig -- it looked like some extreme kung fu position; and Biggio, with that huge foot stomp. Yeah, he was leaning into some balls, but other times he really had no chance to get out of the way.

Then there was Joe Morgan at the plate. The way that back arm flapped, it looked like he had some sort of nervous condition. I don't recall any other player like that.

Eric Davis is an excellent choice; in his prime, he was incredible. I remember a weekend series at the Vet in 1987 or so where he seemingly singlehandedly destroyed the Phillies.

If you broke it down into specific components of the game, rather than all-around play, I'd go with:

Hitting -- Frank Thomas. Power, average and an incredible batting eye.
Running -- Rickey Henderson. Had there been no Rickey, Tim Raines would be a lock for Cooperstown.
Fielding -- Ozzie Smith, although for a year or two Rey Ordonez did some incredible things in the field.
Pitching -- Greg Maddux, master of the pitching arts. Exciting subtlety, you might say.

Jim Edmonds is one of the most exciting players I've ever seen play.

I'll second that. I've tried to copy that uppercut swing more than a few times on the softball field.

Not to start another steroid firestorm, but Barry Bonds is the most exciting everyday player I've ever seen play. It's tough to pick between him and Pedro Martinez.

For a while I tried to copy Bobby Bonds's stance: holding the bat right at the belt buckle and waggling it there.

I found it helped to get the bat quickly into the zone, but for zilch power. So then I went the other extreme, and became a right-handed Carl Yastrzemski, hefting the bat way, way up high over my back shoulder.

Alas, that didn't work for me either.

I know this is just going to seem like a homer post, but watching Justin Upton reminds me of the feeling I used to get watching Davis. Upton is just as fast, although probably will never be that kind of base stealer. It's stunning to watch on a baseball diamond really. A stand up triple to left center? No problem. And he made one running catch that just took my breath away, starting out from straight away rf,he ran all the way to the 414 mark in RCF in Chase Field. Thats PAST the pool. No Right Fielder makes a catch over there. Nobody. I think I am going to get a lot of enjoyment watching that young man play baseball.

Cesar Cedeno takes it for me. Bobby Bonds was a lot of fun too. Sosa's 98 was a freakin' blast -- yeah, yeah, whatever, it was a hell of a ride.

I never really got a chance to see that much of Henderson but he sure was exciting when I did see him.

Brooks at 3B.

Hmmm..."exciting pitcher?" Pedro I suppose. Though Tiant or Wilhelm/Niekro may have been the most entertaining.

... Sheffield. It isn't really a "waggle" -- that word seems too slow.

For a while, Sheffield and Renteria were teammates, and I saw them on TV in the same game. (Must have been the Marlins.) Superficially, they were doing something like the same thing - but the impression was totally different. Renteria was just kind of waving the bat end back and forth. I guess that's a "waggle." With Sheffield, all of sudden the bat end is pointing right at the pitcher. And then snap! it's back upright. It's a very crisp motion, and it just radiates a sense of menace. And you know he's got strong wrists.

When I first read the headline, I thought it said "The Most Exciting Baseball Play I've Ever Seen." And the first one I thought of was Eric Davis going full-blast into the ivy-covered wall at Wrigely Field to make a game-ending catch. He hit the wall so hard he ended up lying flat on his back in the outfield grass, not even on the warning track, but he held onto the ball.

Yeah that was play I mentioned in my article.

Things of beauty to watch: George Brett's swing, Tim Raines on the basepaths, Jesse Barfield's arm, Devon White gliding in the outfield.

I tried to copy the stance of my childhood hero, Yaz, too, but it didn't work.

For me right field has to be Jesse Barfield. His arm was a sign to behold. I always hoped fly balls would go to him when a runner was on third with under 2 outs as you often would get to see a double play. Great fun.

I loved watching Rusty Greer hit for a few years (I still have vivid recollections of him lacing doubles into the gaps), but that's probably colored a bit by my Ranger fandom.

Barry Bonds is probably the hitter I've enjoyed watching the most, the way pitchers would seem to cower in fear and try to recede into the background.

Eric Davis was totally the bomb (in the parlance of five years ago). Remember that time he turned a double play on a groundball up the middle? I think that was him ...

... and I'm a bit biased, but I think the most exciting RF of my lifetime is Vlad. You just don't ever know what you're gonna see when he comes up to the bat. I mean, Ichiro! does his thing, but he seems to have a purpose. Vlad's only purpose is to hurt the baseball, and I mean hurt it right now.

I would say Manny Ramirez is the most entertaining baseball player. You never know what he is going to do. He is a true joy to watch. Vlad is also fun to watch. Nothing is unhittable for him.

I enjoyed Lou Brock, Vida Blue, Dwight Gooden, Joaquin Andujar and Jose Canseco. Also Keith Hernandez.

Pitching -- Greg Maddux, master of the pitching arts. Exciting subtlety, you might say.

Pitching, Greg Maddux. But throwing, Nolan Ryan.

Ryan wasn't teh best pitchar E VAR -- as everybody on this site knows already -- but he was a remarkable talent.

I hope you were smiling when you finished writing that Craig. That's a great line.

Thanks, SoS. The line just sort of popped in my head as I was trying to think about why I liked watching Ozzie so much. And yes, I did smile a bit.

Someone mentioned Barry Bonds. Steroids notwithstanding, I totally appreciate his body of work, but it has been years and years since I found him even remotely exciting or aesthetically pleasing to watch. And really, Henderson aside, the same can be said for most of the high OBP guys. The patience it is effective. The patience, it is smart. The patience it is, well, a bit boring.

Someone wondered on a thread a while back who would be in the Hall of Fame if no stats were kept. I reckon Sheffield would definitely be in, seen as some kind of inner circle guy - as has been said in this thread, he looks ridiculously intimidating at the plate. If no stats were kept and you told me he hit .400, I'd totally believe you. He may get in anyway of course. As far as starters go Pedro was incredibly exciting at his peak, yes, because he was so devastating but also so fragile. Now he's just fragile. Also Santana, because he makes so many hitters look so foolish with his changeup. A lot of guys rack up strikeouts but Santana really makes people look bad.

Someone wondered on a thread a while back who would be in the Hall of Fame if no stats were kept. I reckon Sheffield would definitely be in, seen as some kind of inner circle guy - as has been said in this thread, he looks ridiculously intimidating at the plate. If no stats were kept and you told me he hit .400, I'd totally believe you.

Damn straight.

And Willie McCovey would not be in the HOF, or anywhere close. Good lord was he awkward, and of course over the last half of his career, comically slow afoot.

Someone mentioned Barry Bonds. Steroids notwithstanding, I totally appreciate his body of work, but it has been years and years since I found him even remotely exciting or aesthetically pleasing to watch. And really, Henderson aside, the same can be said for most of the high OBP guys. The patience it is effective. The patience, it is smart. The patience it is, well, a bit boring.

I understand what you're saying here, and obviously those intentional walks were particularly boring. But in Barry's best years, 2001-2004, literally every time he did get pitched to, you thought he was going to hit it out. And do so spectacularly; these weren't ones that just cleared the fence.

Re: McCovey. But why intentionally walk him 40+ times a year if he didn't scare the bejeebers out of you?

I understand what you're saying here, and obviously those intentional walks were particularly boring. But in Barry's best years, 2001-2004, literally every time he did get pitched to, you thought he was going to hit it out. And do so spectacularly; these weren't ones that just cleared the fence.

Bonds's were the most mesmerizing of any at-bats. Like every other Giants' fan of the last couple of decades, I (often quite literally) organized my evening's activities (such as walking the dog, running to the store etc.) around when Bonds would likely be coming up.

It was to witness an artist at work.

Re: McCovey. But why intentionally walk him 40+ times a year if he didn't scare the bejeebers out of you?

Because his opponents were properly aware of his results, via statistics. But had stats not been kept, just watching him bat a couple of times wouldn't induce fear so much as laughter.

How often did you watch McCovey play?

Watching Jose Reyes run is a joy to behold. When he laces one in the gap, I think triple.

I got to see Dick Allen in his youth -- he was a sight to see. The ball just flew off his bat. I'm sure he only ever hit a couple of dead CF homers in Connie Mack Stadium -- 447', IIRC, but it seemed like he was good for one a week. It might have been the deadball 60s but that man mashed. Mashed some taters, you might say.
Eric Davis was the best looking/most exciting ballplayer that I saw break in. I kept telling my wife that he was as good as in the HOF.
Currently I find myself wanting to watch Chase Utley. His swing is so compact -- I can't think of anyone who swung the bat quite like he does.

Only including players I regularly watched, I'll say Raul Mondesi.
Vin Scully isn't one for excessive hyperbole, so I was shocked when he recalled his first time seeing Mondesi at Dodgertown: "I thought he was going to be the best player ever."

Those I've seen, or saw, more than a handful of times. Based on memories of anticipation:

1B - McGwire
2B - Jackie (most exciting player ever)
SS - Ozzie
3B - Brett (runner up to Robinson)
LF - Canseco
CF - Mantle (just below Brett)
RF - Ichiro
C - Pudge (with the Rangers, at his defensive peak)
SP1 - Gibson
SP2 - Gator ('78 only)
SP3 - Pedro
SP4 - Randy Johnson
SP5 - Ryan
RP1 - That Phineas Freak Brother looking guy who pitched for the Angels a couple of years ago, the tall one with the spastic motion
RP2 - Sutter (with the Cubs)
DH - Sheffield
Manager - Well, duh.

Hmmm..."exciting pitcher?" Pedro I suppose. Though Tiant or Wilhelm/Niekro may have been the most entertaining.

I wish I could have seen Mark Fidrych and his antics as they were occuring in '76.

Seriously, the most exciting rightfielder was Clemente. In a walk.

As a young player (late 50s/early 60s vintage), absolutely. He had a bout with malaria in 1965 and nagging back and knee injuries thereafter which kind of slowed him down after that, but as a young player he played with abandon and flair.

-- MWE

RP1 - That Phineas Freak Brother looking guy who pitched for the Angels a couple of years ago, the tall one with the spastic motion

I think you're talking about Brendan Donnelly. Or was it Ben Weber? Now I'm having trouble remembering.

But how about Mitch Williams instead? The one who said "I pitch as if my hair's on fire." I don't know if Al Hrabosky counts as "exciting" or "annoying" but you knew he was in the game.

I always enjoyed watching Edgar Martinez bat. Prettiest RH swing I ever saw. And he had certain swings when you knew exactly where it was going - we called them "Edgar swings." Two flavors - the HR into the LF corner, and the 2B into RCF. For opponents, Frank Thomas...man I got sick of watching that guy smoke Mariner pitching. I remember being at the Kingdome at some game and *begging* Bob Wells to walk Thomas. Sadly, he refused, and the ball went far.

I road tripped watching baseball the summer of 1998, so I saw all teams at least once, most twice. Two players stood out as clearly being superior - when they batted, they were obviously better than the pitcher, regardless of who was pitching. They were Barry Bonds and Tony Gwynn. Pedro and Randy Johnson were similar as pitchers - all batters were automatically overmatched when they batted. Of course, BARRY BONDS was kind of the king of dominance - as stated above, if the pitcher kept in the park, you felt lucky. McGwire was similar in 1998 - every ballpark had holes in those plastic signs between the lower and upper decks in LF where McGwire had driven balls during BP. Even his batting practice was fearsome, everyone would stop and watch. He was the Jim Rice of BP.

Brooks at 3B

Hubie was pretty exciting.

1B: Will Clark.

Craig, I heart you. If you ever decide to break things up between your wife and Reilly, I'll be happy to step in.

Larry Walker had such an easy swing, but when he connected it always seemed like a no-doubter. There are a lot of reasons to feel fortunate to be a Cardinals fan over the last decade or so. Watching Will Clark and Larry Walker end their careers has to be up there for me.

Eric Davis, the hero of my youth.

Thanks, great read.

Brooks at 3B.

Brooks was great. The plays he made that most impressed me were the bunts and dribblers that he would charge in on, grab and hurl to first in one motion.

But I loved Nettles even more. The way he could go horizontal to the ground and snatch line drives out of the air was incredible.

The third in the trio was Clete Boyer. I swear, he could throw from his knees better than most players could throw standing up.

I was going to remark about the ozzie smith comment, I thought it was a work of art and it gave me a smile.

I think of Ichiro as the guy I like watching play the most right now, I am a Bonds fan, but I feel cheated watching his bats, he crowds the plate, gets the call and often times the pitcher didn't even bother pitching to him. If he would have have removed the armor or at least call the strike zone then I think his at bats would have been more fun to watch....still when he swung everybody holds their breath for the result.

For catchers I have to go with Santiago, I loved watching his defense throwing from the ground and he was the first catcher I remember seeing pick off a runner (remember I grew up with Ted Simmons as my catcher--favorite player of all time, but no arm)

first base was Jack Clark in his near MVP year, I don't think I've ever seen a ball fly off a bat faster than Clarks.

Eric Davis and Jack Clark were fighting for the homerun title and (mind you by memory) I believe that Jack was one behind Davis in a three game series and he hit two homeruns that were Robbed by Davis, the second was until Edmonds came along, the best robbery I've ever seen of a homerun, but it was fun to watch Eric steal homeruns from his primary competitor.

I thought Darryl Strawberry was pretty sweet when I was a kid. I just liked the leg kick.

RP1 - That Phineas Freak Brother looking guy who pitched for the Angels a couple of years ago, the tall one with the spastic motion

I think you're talking about Brendan Donnelly. Or was it Ben Weber? Now I'm having trouble remembering.

I just googled their images, and it's Weber I was thinking of. He's the one in the middle.

For catchers I have to go with Santiago, I loved watching his defense throwing from the ground and he was the first catcher I remember seeing pick off a runner (remember I grew up with Ted Simmons as my catcher--favorite player of all time, but no arm)

The Benito Santiago/Tony Pena school of throwing-off-their-a$$ catchers was a hell of a lot of fun, and Pudge Rodriguez featured a seriously lethal arm, but no catcher that I've seen has ever shown anything approaching the Apollo-program-booster-rocket-powered, laser-beam-accurate, take-your-breath-away throwing arm of the young Johnny Bench.

I thought Darryl Strawberry was pretty sweet when I was a kid. I just liked the leg kick.

Darryl was poetry in motion... the only thing that pretty that I've seen since was Tiger Woods' golf swing (and maybe Junior's swing before the injuries got to him). There was something so effortless and long... not to sound too girly, but it was almost like watching a professional dancer. They talk about extending the line and that's what Darryl's swing was like. His release was smooth and somewhere behind his back.

Darryl almost singlehandedly killed my dreams for the '88 Pirates. Pirates went into NYC last week in July down by 2 games. They got shut out in the first two games (3-Finger and El Sid), so they were four out. Then they manage to scrap out a run in the top of the first in third game of the series. I still can remember my hope surging... thinking that they were going to break out in that game and kill the monster, get it back to 3 back and then roll on. Bottom of the first, Dykstra gets on. Walk gets the next two guys, but then Strawberry goes yard. I remember being so deflated, in retrospect which is crazy because it was just the first inning and the Pirates were only down by a run. You just felt that no one could beat those guys. The Pirates got shut out the rest of the game, finishing getting swept... they got it back down to 3.5 in the end of August, but they were never really in it after that series. Checking the retrosheet, it's funny how I remember Darryl killing us in that series, but those were the only runs he drove in. And I remembered the home run being late, instead of early, but it's funny how the mind plays tricks on us.

Even though I know I thought Darryl's swing was nice to watch, I don't really have any firm memories of him from his good years. The only thing I remember him doing is hitting a grand slam with the Giants during KNBR's grand slam inning. During the fifth inning of each game back then, the Giants would give out the name of a Team KNBR member and if a Giant hit a grand slam that inning, the person won a Volvo I think. Darryl did it. Hit it off Pedro too, July 14, 1994.

Uh, the name you're all missing is Lonnie Smith.

I'll second the motion of the very young defensive Johnny Bench. They had those pictures of him holding, what, eight balls in one hand, and when he threw to a base it never seemed like he was just trying to keep the runner honest.

Andy Van Slyke coming in on a Texas Leaguer was as pretty a thing as you could see in baseball, sure to pull you from your seat.

Eric Davis is a fine choice. By 1990, he was probably a step below his peak, but what impressed then was just how hard he played. Didn't he bruise his liver trying to make a catch? Who else does that?

Davis lacerated a kidney in the '90 Series.

My team - keep in mind my memories don't become very strong until about 1991...

C: A.J. Pierzynski
1B: Will Clark
2B: Roberto Alomar
3B: Adrian Beltre (he's just so... odd; I've never seen any other batter appeal to the first base umpire on a check-swing before a call has been made yet he manages to do it multiple times each game!)
SS: Cristian Guzman (April-July 2001)
LF: Mark Quinn
CF: Kirby Puckett
RF: Ichiro!
DH: Paul Molitor
SP: Johan Santana
SP: Greg Maddux
SP: Francisco Liriano
SP: El Duque
RP: Mitch Williams
RP: Ben Weber
RP: Pat Neshek
RP: Ambiorex Burgos

As far as starters go Pedro was incredibly exciting at his peak, yes, because he was so devastating but also so fragile. Now he's just fragile.

Pedro has been more durable than he is usually given credit for. Given full seasons in 1994 and 1995, he probably tops 200 IP. Then he hit or exceeded 180 innings 9 out of the 10 seasons from 1996-2005 with 7 seasons over 200 IP and another at 199.1 IP. That's pretty durable all things considered. He's fragile now because he's in the latter stages of his career. Pedro isn't as durable as Maddux, Glavine, RJ or Clemens but that's because those four guys are freaks.

Orlando Hernandez is pretty fun to watch when he is on his game.

For me.
C-Ramon Hernandez. Entirely for his two-out bunt single that won one of the most agonizing games of my life, the 2003 ALDS game one.
1B-Mark McGwire. The pigeon-toed thing and the height he got on those home runs. He always looked more locked-in than any other player, with that laser focus, even when he was striking out half the time.
2B-Roberto Alomar. Smartest defensive player I ever saw.
3B-Julio Franco. He could play third in his day, right? Man he had a fun stance.
SS-Cal. May not seem exciting, but I loved watching him over the course of years and seeing what the hell batting stance he was gonna pull out of his ass.
OF-Bo.
OF-Rickey!
OF-Sammy
P-Dave Stewart. Now that was an intimidating mound presence.
P-Pedro
p-Kerry Wood
p-Rod Beck
p-The Eck. loved the stache, the easy motion, the fire.

P-Dave Stewart. Now that was an intimidating mound presence.

Your memories don't go back far enough. I'm pretty sure that Stewart was intentionally trying to look like Bob Gibson, but at best he was the copy, not the original. Weren't we just talking about Gibson around here in the last couple of days?

our memories don't go back far enough. I'm pretty sure that Stewart was intentionally trying to look like Bob Gibson, but at best he was the copy, not the original. Weren't we just talking about Gibson around here in the last couple of days?

Well, maybe, but I doubt the hitters he faced thought, "Hmm, he's trying to look like Bob Gibson." They probably thought, "####, I'm facing Dave Stewart." Especially if they were on the Red Sox, Blue Jays, or Giants in the postseason.

C-Ramon Hernandez. Entirely for his two-out bunt single that won one of the most agonizing games of my life, the 2003 ALDS game one.

Conversely one of the most glorious games of my life.


Guys on my list would McGwire, who hit an absolute shot against Toronto at a game I was at in Oakland in what must've been '95 or '96 when I was a kid.

Definitely Thomas, who, when younger, seemed like the most intimidating player on earth to me, and when he came to Oakland at the tail end of his career, continued to make the exact same impression on me. With every at bat of his you can just envision the ball leaving the yard.

Early Griffey was amazing. When people talk about Mays and Clemente and, now I guess early Eric Davis, in my mind I approximate that with early Griffey.

Pedro in his prime was just untouchable.

Roided up Bonds. I was at a game in like 02 or 03 and he pulled a (roided up) Gagne 101 MPH fastball foul into McCovey Cove, and then homered on the next 99 MPH fastball. It was unreal. I mean literally it was unreal, but still amazing to witness.

This last one's gonna seem funny, but when he's actually been on the field, Rich Harden has been one of the most exciting pitchers I've ever watched. Filthiest stuff outside of Pedro I've ever witnessed. Of course he can't stay on a baseball diamond for more than 10 innings a season so oh well.

Another funny one for me is Pedro Feliz. He's one of my favorite players to watch. At the plate he puts a lot of balls in play and he's the one defender that's ever made me go "Jesus Christ his glove might actually make up for his bat."

I'd give Jeter a nod too. He may be overrated, but he's produced some pretty exciting moments, including that stupid ####### flip in 2001. A little early to be saying this, but Tim Lincecum too. I was at a game this season when he struck out like 12 guys or whatever it was against Arizona. Dude's nasty.

Conversely one of the most glorious games of my life.

Oh, I was rooting for the A's too, but the bloody game just wouldn't end...I remember driving around in my car with it on the radio and finally thinking, "Jesus, I've got to pull over, I'm gonna run out of gas..."

Oh, I was rooting for the A's too, but the bloody game just wouldn't end...I remember driving around in my car with it on the radio and finally thinking, "Jesus, I've got to pull over, I'm gonna run out of gas..."

See I was at the game. I was sitting in Mt. Davis, and you couldn't really tell what happened, but when the rest of the stadium went nuts everyone around us kinda got the idea and went nuts too. It was fantastic.

I'm surprised there hasn't been any mention of Griffey or Arod. Two of my favorite players. When I was 11 I went to see a Seattle-Bosox game at Fenway. I was behind the scout section trying to get a close look at Griffey, who had just stolen 2nd. After the next pitch Arod just kills a ball. About 75ft away I saw the ball travel from moment it hit impact until it hit off the wall. Not the Green Monster, but that Triangle area of the Green Monster. 420ft away, and off the very top. That kind of stuck with me since they were and still are my 2 favorite players, and also it was my first game I ever went to. Overall I've only been to 2 Arod games and about 10 Griffey games. Not once has Griffey hit a HR when I've attended. These guys are extremely exciting to watch and project. I used to project Griffey's career starting around 1998, saying... if he needs 30 HR in 15 more years he's get this, and stuff like that. I had The Baseball Encyclopedia that always stayed in the car so i would just look at stats in the car.

In their own peculiar ways, Doug Jones and Mark Eichhorn were great fun to watch in their primes.

c: Young I-Rod
1b: Will Clark (saw him drive in 9 runs or something at Candlestick when I was 15, thrilled to see him in Baltimore).
2b: Alomar (before the spitting... know he was great after, but Toronto got his best.)
3b: Brooks (never saw him play; had relatives swear "Brooksie woulda had that.")
ss: Cal, but a shout-out to Barry Larkin.
lf: Bonds.
cf: Eric the Red (those first two months of '87 were amazing.)
rf: Ichiro!
rb: Bo Jackson (when he went right through Rick Dempsey on his way to the end zone, shoo-wie.)
dh: Pappy.

sp: Unit.
sp: Rocket.
sp: Pedro.
sp: Ryan.
sp: Maddux.

rp: Dibble (that guy threw 103 and... was nuts).
rp: Gagne.
rp: Eck.

Great topic ...

C - Ivan R.
1B - Keith Hernandez
2B - Robby Alomar
3B - Caminiti. My God, that arm.
SS - Ozzie
LF - Vince Coleman
CF - Fred Lynn (Davis would be my second pick, then Chet Lemon, then Edmonds, then Gorman Thomas. Always loved CFers)
RF - Reggie
CL - Quis
SP - Gooden, John Tudor

Otis Nixon became a Brave just as I scooted into baseball awareness. The catch where he literally climbed up the mammoth outfield wall at the Launching Pad to rob a homer will never be eclipsed in my mind.

He was so spritely, and yet he looked 117 years old; basically he was the prototype for those obnoxious Six Flags commercials.

Wow, I checked BBRef, and you are right.

Most Similar by Age
29. Sandy Valdespino (967)
30. Sandy Valdespino (955)
31. John Cangelosi (960)
32. John Cangelosi (955)
33. John Cangelosi (943)
34. Jo-Jo White (929)
35. Jo-Jo White (925)
36. Davy Jones (932)
37. Davy Jones (935)
38. Burt Shotton (926)
39. Jimmy Austin (850)
40. Jimmy Austin (851)
117. Mr. Six (1000)

The extent and length of his success was far less than most players mentioned here, but in 2000, I was in complete awe of Rick Ankiel. I don't think I've ever before or since seen such a dominating curveball. It seemed he almost always used it to get an out since he still had command issues with his fastball, so hitters knew what was coming and still completely embarrassed themselves trying to make contact with that thing.

I remember somebody mentioning in a thread on BTF once that, when you made a list of pitcher who had had games with 10+ strikeouts and no walks, the list of those who had done it once was all over the map - great pitchers, mediocre pitchers, everything in between; the list of those who had done it twice was almost exclusively very good to great pitchers; and the list of those who had done it three times was the absolute cream of the crop.

Ankiel did it three times - as a 20 year old rookie, in a span of 20 starts.

And now he's gone and converted to outfield and slugged .535 in his first extended test as a major league hitter while displaying one of the best outfield arms in the majors. For the complete package, you'd be hard pressed to find more than a few players more exciting than Rick Ankiel in recent memory.

I tried to copy the stance of my childhood hero, Yaz, too, but it didn't work.

Everybody in my neighborhood tried to copy Yaz' stance. And all succeeded...in looking ridiculous.

I wish I could have seen Mark Fidrych and his antics as they were occuring in '76.

Fidrych was easily the most entertaining pitcher post-WWII. I would put Tiant 2nd and Al Hrabosky third.

You guys need to get your noses out of the ballpark and into a spreadsheet.

yes, ichiro!

way overvalued as a ballplayer. great to watch.

i used to periodically watch deion sanders just on the hope that he'd hit the ball into the gap in the outfield.

lonnie smith was fun to watch on defense, as bill james has chronicled many times.

and nolan ryan, when the heater was on.

I tried to copy the stance of my childhood hero, Yaz, too, but it didn't work.

Everybody in my neighborhood tried to copy Yaz' stance. And all succeeded...in looking ridiculous.

I used to love the old Rocky Colavito move of pointing your bat at the pitcher and freezing it there, as if you were measuring his head for a line drive. Sort of like a much more focused, two handed version of what Jim Thome does now. It might have had a slightly more unsettling effect on the pitcher if I'd weighed more than 165 pounds.

There must have been kids out there trying to copy his stance and swing - that's what kids do, after all - but most of them probably gave it up out of frustration.

I could imitate anybody's stance and hit batting practice. Except for Davis. If I tried that, I'd screw up my swing so much I couldn't even hit slow pitch softball.

My two most exciting Davis plays:

1983, minor league game vs Louisville. Davis on third, catcher tosses back to the pitcher. Not a Mackey Sasser, but a little non-chalant. Davis steals home. I knew nothing about him before that game, after it I'd never forget him.

1986? Tags from second and moves to third on a popup to 1B. Not a lumbering oaf 1B, but the best defensive one at least in the last half century, Keith Hernandez.

You guys need to get your noses out of the ballpark and into a spreadsheet.

Word. I wish writers would understand that most of the stats geeks that they revile are actually the biggest, most obsessive, most passionate baseball fans in the world, people whose fandom probably vastly outstrips the writers themselves. Numbers are just one of the easier ways to talk about the game we all love!

As for exciting players, Pedro always scared the crap out of me, so he makes the list. I love watching El Duque too. Curtis Granderson was a lot of fun last year, both offensively and defensively, as far as one year excitement goes.

With hitters, I have a hard time separating "excitement" from "quality." For example, I love watching guys with truly epic power: guys who don't just hit homeruns, but hit the ball hard all the time, like Pujols, Sheffield, and A-Rod. I'm not sure if A-Rod and Pujols are exciting, since they hit so methodically, but whenever they're up, you know that they could hit a light-tower shot.

I hope that Tim Lincecum has a long career. I feel that he is a very exciting player. I do my best to not miss when his starts are on national TV and really get a huge kick out of his delivery and how much the ball moves after he lets it go.

Fun thread.

I have to echo the Eric Davis calls... not the best ballplayer I've ever seen, but the most fun to watch. Baseball's always had strong guys and fast guys, but Davis was strong and fast and graceful. His movements were so fluid and effortless looking, but you could still see the speed and power beneath. He just seemed like he was at a higher gear than everybody else on the field.

Honorable mentions...

Young Ivan Rodriguez. I loved watching him show off his arm on snap throws to first, and his bat was astonishingly quick. He had amazing plate coverage and rarely struck out. Especially impressive compared to how most catchers in the game looked and played at the time.

Nolan Ryan. Yeah yeah, overrated, but when he took the mound, you always hoped for another no hitter, and it always seemed possible. Anything could happen in a Nolan Ryan start. People don't talk much about his curve today, but it was outstanding, very similar to Blyleven's in it's movement. Had the best pure stuff of any starter I can remember, and never really lost it until the very end.

A-Rod. Sometimes he looks mechanical, but when he really connects, it's impressive to watch. Just explosive power, but it never looks like he's swinging as hard as he can.

It's interesting to read the various opinions of everyone and their own definitions of excitement. Personally, I always found the guys that did something unique physically to be exciting. Bagwell's goofy stance and swing seemed to be far more exciting for me to watch than someone like A-Rod, who's just effortless in almost everything he does. I can appreciate and fear A-Rod, but don't find him exciting, as it doesn't look like he's playing hard.

That's not a slam against A-Rod, but ruthless efficiency is rarely exciting. I'd hang around IBM and watch their employees go in and out of the building if it was.

What about most exciting interviewees?

Guys who jump to mind immediately:
C: ?
1B: ?
2B: Kent
3B: ?
SS: Can we choose Ozzie G. here for his managerial work?
LF: Rickey
CF: ?
RF: Sheffield
SP: Lima Time
CL: ?

I’m going to clip a paragraph from an article I wrote earlier this winter about A-Rod to express how I feel about watching the guy. This is when I thought he was history, incidentally:

OK ,quiet down for just a second, cease and desist with the anger and indignation. Because I love telling this story, never get tired of it.

It was an unbearably hot afternoon at Yankee Stadium. We’re playing Texas, Juan Dominguez on the mound. Alex Rodriguez is at the plate, in the midst of a phenomenal 2005 season, carrying the team.

We’d seen Jaret Wright come and go, booing him off the mound as he held his right shoulder in unbearable pain, tobacco spilling out of his mouth, agape in agony.

We’d seen Carl Pavano vanish, day to day becoming month to month, month to month becoming here to eternity.

We’d seen Kevin Brown implode. That’s that.

We’d been watching our season hang by a delicate strand, our maddeningly talented clean-up hitter preventing an irreparable rip.

And here he is. There’s an electrified current slicing through the beautiful blue sky, and we anticipate something special.

Dominguez winds and fires, Alex locks and loads.

The ball explodes off his bat, obliterated.

We stand, watch the flight, preparing to unleash a spectacular roar, tell whoever happens to be sitting next to us that yes, told you so, just had that feeling.

And than, nothing…

Silence.

We’re looking for the ball. And Alex is rounding the bases, head down.

Did it land upper deck? Was it swallowed by the atmosphere, rip through the O-Zone?
A pin could drop, for one beautiful moment. Soundless shock.

Awe transcends translation. Ever hear 57,000 people simultaneously gasp?

Both Pujols and Edmonds have been mentioned, but not the other member of the now-defunct "MV3" - Rolen. Certainly if you like watching fielders, there are few if any better playing now. Every aspect of his defense is exceptional, but particularly his arm, which is just off the charts ridiculous - I can't count the number of times I've seen him throw fastball strikes to Pujols while on his knees or still moving towards the third base line. I am really going to miss him.

I'm really surprised Roberto Clemente has not been mentioned. Everything he did was with a flair unlike anyone I have ever seen. Although not really known for his power he hit one of the longest homers in Wrigley history, might of hit the scoreboard if about 20 feet to the right.

The Expos of the late 1970s had the most exciting outfield I remember. Warren Cromartie, Andre Dawson and the incredible Ellis Valentine, owner of the greatest throwing arm in baseball.

The Reds team for the late 1980s was pretty special, and not just because of Eric Davis. They also had Barry Larkin and Kal Daniels, who for two years was as good as Davis. (Davis in 1987: .293/399/593; Daniels in 1987: 334/429/617. Davis in 1988; 273/363/489; Daniels in 1988: .291/397/463). Daniels hurt his knee (again) in 1989 and he didn't play much after that.


Others who pinned the excitement meter for me.

Cesar Cedeno in the early years was phenomenal. He could do everything except stay out of trouble.
Vida Blue in 1971. We didn't see anything like that again until Gooden in 1984
Luis Tiant with the Red Sox from 72 to 75.
Ozzie Smith when he first came over to St. Louis.
Bo Jackson because you never knew what he'd do next.
and if you were alive in 1976 Mark Fidrych was the greatest thing going.


My son will tell you his most exciting players are Big Papi and Jacoby Ellsbury. For one month last year, I gotta admit, Ellsbury was up there. (so too was Joba, even thought I'm not a Yankees fan).

As Voros points out, Clemente was before my time. He died six and half months before I was born (can anyone tell me why they made a 1973 card? Did they go to print that early, or was it a tribute? And if it was a tribute, you'd think it would be a special card rather than the pedestrian, bad-photo card that it was). Anyway:

Neyer asks in his column today why I didn't include Bo Jackson. Short answer: At least in baseball he wasn't BO JACKSON until, what 88? 89? By then I was in West Virgina watching the Braves, Cubs, and Reds, so I never got to see him play that much. Yes, the SportsCenter highlights, and yes, the All Star game feats were impressive, but I didn't get to see him nearly as much in context of a game or nearly as often as the other guys (I fell for Henderson in the early 80s when I still saw a lot of AL ball).

Kal Daniels, who for two years was as good as Davis.

As a hitter, yes, but Kal didn't do anything else particularly well. Davis was a legend for being so dominant at so many different areas of the game.

Bo Jackson was the most exciting athlete I ever saw play. If only he'd been able to develop his skills more and stay healthy. Stupid freakin football.

Also: Rickey! THe 1989 playoffs against Toronto was baseball nirvana if you like watching a player like Rickey! at his best.

I thought immediately of Raines and Strawberry, and among pitchers Gooden and Dibble. Ozzie Smith was a very exciting fielder.

It's odd that my "exciting" associations go immediately to National League baseball of the 1980s. Either that was a particularly exciting era, or I was just more excitable then.

I did see Clemente play, once, when I was ten years old, and he didn't do anything amazing that day :)

Stupid freakin football steroids.

There. Fixed.

It's kinda blasé to say what with the hype machine and everything, but no single player has enthralled me as much as Ichiro. When he's batting, anything can happen and even grounders to second are exciting. On the bases, he'll steal a bag and at times maybe even try jumping over a tag. In the field, he tracks down long flies, scales walls, slides (but never dives), and has a rifle arm (long range and accurate). Ichiro has the fans' entertainment in mind -- that's why he eschews the walk -- and it shows.

Bo Jackson was just an astounding ballplayer. I had never seen someone become a major-league ballplayer simply based on raw talent before, and I doubt I'll ever see it again.

When he first started playing, he had very few instincts on how to play the game. For instance, when he got on base, he had no idea how to read a pitcher, get a lead, or to slide properly - he would steal bases simply because he was so damn fast. He'd do everything wrong and still beat the catcher.

The scary thing was that he was developing the skills to play the game. I look at his OPS+'s -

66-94-108-124-142.

He was learning how to hit, and rapidly becoming one of the better hitters in the game.

Another player that was really fun to watch when he was young was Harold Baines. He settled into being merely a good DH, but before his knees went out, he was a very good right fielder with a strong arm.

Vida Blue in 1971. We didn't see anything like that again until Gooden in 1984

The only real difference between Blue in 71 and Ron Guidry in 78 was that Guidry, unlike Blue, improved in the second half, kept going through the postseason, and wound up with better numbers in every category except K's and IP's.

When Bret Saberhagen was healthy, he was as fun to watch as anyone. He had that confidence of command, like Maddux.

As for Eric Davis, he put on the best batting practice session I've ever seen. It was either '86 or '87 in St. Louis. Vicious, tape measure line drives. One after the other.

Also in that game, Willie McGee hit a fly ball down the left field line. The third base ump ran down the line to check whether it would be fair or foul. The second base ump also ran out to left, I assume in case of a trapped ball play. The home plate ump moved up to third because there was a runner on second, and the first base ump moved up to second in case the runner on second tagged up. During all this movement, Willie had retired to the dugout, assuming the ball would be caught. When it wasn't, he grabbed his helmet and ran to first.

At least I remember it that way. I'd google "Willie McGee" and "adventurous baserunning," but it would probably generate a couple hundred thousand hits.

I wish that I had seen Mantle and Mays at their peaks, rather than the hobbled/old late 60s version that I did. I am pretty sure that Mantle of 55-57 had the same skill set as Barry Bonds 91-93 but that he was stronger. It was said that he was faster too (and his low GIDP totals suggest that might be true). I would have liked to have seen it with my own eyes.

Another player that was really fun to watch when he was young was Harold Baines. He settled into being merely a good DH, but before his knees went out, he was a very good right fielder with a strong arm.

Good call JRE. It's a shame that Baines is kind of remembered mostly as a DH, because he was such a well-rounded ballplayer who performed with a kind of gracefulness I find enjoyable. It's the same reason I've loved watching El Duque pitch, even when he I hoping he'd get lit up as a Yankee.

Ok, are exciting and entertaining analgous? Lists are based on firsthand viewing:

Exciting:

C: Pudge (once picked off a runner on second)
1B: McGwire
2B: Alomar (SS range)
3B: Brett (As a Yankees fan growing up in the 70s/80s, you just did not want to see him come up)
SS: Ozzie
LF: Bo (The Bunyan-esque tales are true, kiddies... he really did all that stuff)
CF: Junior
RF: Reggie (At-bats were events)
SP: Doc Gooden, circa 1984-85 (no pitcher in my lifetime, including prime Pedro, had the same auru)
RP: 1996 Mo Rivera

Entertaining
C: Pudge
1B: McGwire
2B: Alomar
3B: For one year, Rolen was a supernatural defender.
SS: Ozzie
LF: TIE: Rickey/Darryl Strawberry. Darryl: (you can watch that swing all day. Once hit a pop-fly that squeaked into the first row of the upper deck at Yankee Stadium. The rightfielder called for the ball the entire time it was in the air and then watched it plunk into the seats. Now that's backspin). Rickey: C'mon, we don't really need to qualify this, do we?
CF: Fred Lynn or Jim Edmonds.
RF: Iron Scheff (the most vicious swing I've ever seen. Earlier posts mention Jack Clark. These are surely the two hardest righthandeded swings in my lifetime)
SP: Pedro, followed closesly by El Duque (what can I say? I like artists with flair)
RP: Hmm... well, Mitch Williams certainly was entertaining... but if we're talking entertainment for good reasons, then it's Goose Gossage (Simply the most intimidating presence I've seen on the mound--well, certainly as a 7 year old)

I wish that I had seen Mantle and Mays at their peaks, rather than the hobbled/old late 60s version that I did. I am pretty sure that Mantle of 55-57 had the same skill set as Barry Bonds 91-93 but that he was stronger. It was said that he was faster too (and his low GIDP totals suggest that might be true). I would have liked to have seen it with my own eyes.

Mantle (or maybe Koufax) has always been my #1 "Wish I Had Seen Him" player.

RF: Iron Scheff (the most vicious swing I've ever seen. Earlier posts mention Jack Clark. These are surely the two hardest righthandeded swings in my lifetime)

On occasion, OCF trots out a statistic of his meant as a statistical way of helping determine who swings the hardest - IsoP on contact, measured as SLG - AVG on balls in play. Clark's 1987 is the highest, I think, at .464.