Fielding an All-New York Baseball Team: Which Greats Make the Cut?

Until MLB and the MLPBA pound out an agreement, everything is still talk. All of which leaves us in nostalgia mode. So as the hot and sticky weather - baseball weather - finally blankets the Big Apple, yours truly tried to piece together an All-NYC baseball club.

The players will go back as far as Babe Ruth, and will be based on the best players, not those who had the best careers. For instance, Willie Mays banged 187 homers with the New York Giants, and then moved to San Francisco, while Bernie Williams smacked 287 homers with the Yankees. But would anyone really start Williams over Willie Mays? 

Outfield

1. Babe Ruth

Many still consider Ruth the best player in baseball history, even without his sparkling, 94-46 pitching record (largely attained with Boston.) Ruth often posted more homers than the totals from entire teams. You can decide where his round face juts from Mt. Rushmore, but it must be on it. 

2. Willie Mays

Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan says Mays is the best player he ever saw. Mays made perhaps the greatest catch-and-throw in Big Apple baseball history, on a blast by Vic Wertz in Game 1 of the 1954 Fall Classic. He was voted onto 20 - yes, 20 - All-Star teams. He retired with 660 homers, 1903 RBI, a .302 BA and 12 Gold Gloves. He's Willie Mays, for goodness sake. 

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3. Mickey Mantle

No. 7 had the talent to be No. 1. But you know the rest. Yet even with his demons and dark nights and endless hangovers, Mantle launched 536 home runs, won a Triple Crown — leading both leagues in each category — and three AL MVP awards. Imagine if he followed Yogi Berra back to safety before those nights morphed into full-blown debauchery. You could place Joe DiMaggio in Mantle's place. Both were so dominant at their best it's literally a coin flip. 

Honorable mention - Duke Snider, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, Darryl Strawberry

First Base

Lou Gehrig

Is there even a discussion? Gehrig blasted 493 homers. On three occasions he had at least 173 RBI, including 185 RBI in 1931. Then there's that whole 2,000-plus game Iron Man Streak. He led the AL in games played seven times, and retired with a career .340 BA. Gehrig also first and forever debunked the mantra that you can't lose your job because of injury. Just ask a poor soul named Wally Pip. 

Honorable mention: Don Mattingly, Keith Hernandez

Second Base

Jackie Robinson

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This is not political correctness or even a salute to his cultural impact. Robinson deserves the latter but he was also simply a great baseball player. He notched a career .311 batting average, was a six-time All-Star, and was the 1949 NL MVP when he hit .342. Even if Robinson hadn't broken baseball's brick-wall color barrier, he belongs in the Hall of Fame. He's the only player who's jersey number (42) is retired for all MLB teams. 

Honorable mention - Tony Lazzeri, Willie Randolph, Joe Gordon. 

Shortstop

Derek Jeter

Duh. The only Yankee with 3,000 hits, Jeter was so reliable, durable, and clutch that he's mentioned with baseball's original titans. He's not quite with Ruth and Mays, but he belongs in the Hall of Fame, Monument Park, and Yellowstone Park. He played in a full-season's worth of playoff games (158) and swatted 20 homers, drove in 60 runs, and batted .308. He won five World Series rings, and was MVP of the 2000 Fall Classic, at the expense of the crosstown Mets, the only Subway Series played since 1957. 

Honorable mention - Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto 

Third Base

Alex Rodriguez

Sure, it makes you wince, whine or convulse. But no matter the equine potions he shot in his tan tush, or the obscure cousin on whom he blamed it, A-Rod is by far the most talented and productive third baseman to wear a Big Apple baseball uniform. You know the numbers. You know the celebrity. You know the ignominy. 

Honorable mention - David Wright, Graig Nettles, Cookie Lavagetto

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Catcher

Yogi Berra

Beyond his goofy malapropisms, Berra was a pillar on the greatest Yankees dynasty, leaving the Bronx Bombers with 10 World Series rings, most in MLB history. And Berra was hardly ornamental, winning three AL MVP awards and a laminated ticket to Cooperstown. He shares Bill Dickey's No.8 in Monument Park, and a place in our baseball hearts.

Honorable mention - Roy Campanella, Bill Dickey, Gary Carter

Starting Pitcher

Tom Seaver

Sure, he was traded in 1977, which sent the Mets plunging into obscurity. But his run, starting with a World Series title in 1969, makes Seaver the most dominant pitcher in Gotham's rich baseball history. Seaver won three NL Cy Young awards and was an All-Star in seven of his eight full seasons in Queens. Reggie Jackson said blind people came to the ballpark to hear Seaver pitch. 

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Honorable mention  - Whitey Ford, Don Newcombe, Doc Gooden, Mike Mussina

(Sandy Koufax doesn't count. He had nine career wins when the Dodgers left Brooklyn.)

Relief Pitcher

Mariano Rivera

Not only is Rivera the greatest closer in baseball history, he's the greatest relief pitcher, and perhaps the greatest overall pitcher when compared to his peers. He leads MLB all-time in games finished (952), games saved (652), and in ERA+ (205). He's a 13-time All-Star, including his last season, at age 43. Just his playoff deeds land him in Cooperstown. In 141 postseason innings, Rivera allowed 86 hits, 21 walks, posted 43 saves, and had a career 0.70 ERA. And if character matters - it should - the immortal Mo is fittingly the last player to wear No. 42. 

Honorable mention - no need.

Twitter: @JasonKeidel