The #2 HoM inductee of 2007.

Even though it's first and foremost a football school, is the best professional athlete to come out of Long Beach Poly HS one who played major league baseball?

Lumping LF and RF together: I've got Gwynn rated very similarly to Paul Waner. Heilman has a peak adantage over Gwynn with a similar career. Al Kaline is another reasonable comp - maybe a slight adavantage to Kaline. Behind Stargell as a hitter but probably makes up for it on defense. Definitely behind Yastrzemski, all around. Sam Crawford was better at staying in the lineup over a long career. But these are comparisons with easily-elected HoMers. I'd take Gwynn ahead of Billy Williams, Al Simmons, Winfield, and maybe even Clemente.

No Tony Gwynn stories? One I heard listening to Twins games is that a young Jacque Jones was introduced to MLB player Tony Gwynn through his mother. The connection - Jacque's mother worked at KFC in San Diego and Tony liked to frequent that KFC. Jacque's mother mentioned to Tony (while he was ordering) that her son was a ballplayer and he was going to make the major leagues someday. Tony met with Jacque not long after.

All-time placement: I concur with behind Sam Crawford and ahead of Clemente. I also have Raines ahead of Gwynn.

Tony liked to frequent that KFC
And many others, it appeared.
It would be churlish to complain about career length when the guy still could rake at 41 years old. But at his career's end, his weight issues had to have been taking a toll somehow.

I have Gwynn right next to Fred Clarke, just under Reggie Jackson, Jesse Burkett, and Joe Jackson, and ahead of Clemente and Slaughter. Waner, Crawford, Raines, Yaz, Kaline, and Sheffield seem one cut above to me, while Heilmann, Billy Williams, Flick, and Simmons are clearly below.

I believe that Gwynn was drafted by both the Padres and the Clippers.

He was one of the first hitters that I remember making extensive use of video to aid his swing.

I rate Clemente ahead of Gwynn. Otherwise my list is pretty close to Dan R's.

Gwynn an easy #2 in 2007. Nowhere near Cal Ripken, but ahead of McGwire and the backlog.

This doesn't have much to do directly with Gwynn. The book "Dollar Sign on the Muscle" is an interesting review of scouting as it was practised in the early 80s, with a focus on the 1981 draft. Gwynn is mentioned only peripherally at the end of the book as likely the best player to emerge from that draft (as it turned out he was).

It would be great to have a 2007-08 version of that book to find out how widespread the changes since the early 80s are.

Approximate rank RF MLB only

1. Ruth

(big gap)

2. Aaron

(medium gap)

3. Fr. Robinson
4. Ott

(medium gap, but the following are veeery close)

5. Reggie
6. Kaline
7. Gwynn
8. Crawford
9. Waner
10. Clemente
11. Heilmann

(smaller gap, but a gap)

12. Cravath
13. Winfield
14. Slaughter
15. Sam Thompson

(small hall in/out line, though not that much of a gap really)

16. King Kelly
17. Klein
18. Oliva
19. Flick
20. Parker
21. Reggie Smith
22. Dwight Evans
23. Keeler

(big hall in/out line)

Gwynn is in really really good company.

I wish Gwynn and Raines were coming on during the same year. I think there's a reasonable argument Raines > Gwynn.

Uh huh, I have Raines as better by about 10%.