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  • 05/28/2012, 07:31PM ET

Pick a state and make an all time team of MLB players born there

Outlaw... (330-270-74) vs Marlins Fan (150-66-33)
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Excluding California. Looking at all time California teams, California is pretty unbeatable compared to other states.

My state is Alabama


Follow my format, players must have played significant time at the position you use them at(at least a couple seasons worth of games)

Just teams in first argument


C- Bruce Benedict
1B- Willie McCovey
2B- Frank Bolling
3B- Joe Sewell
SS- Ozzie Smith
LF- Billy Williams
CF- Willie Mays
RF- Hank Aaron

BN- Heinie Manush
BN- Rudy York


SP- Don Sutton
SP- Early Wynn
SP- Matt Cain
SP- Jake Peavy
SP- Satchel Paige

CL- Clay Carroll


Florida. The Sunshine State. The land of my birth. The home of my beloved Marlins... and a bunch of geriatric, bingo playing retirees. Ya win some, ya lose some, I guess. Anyhoo, here's my team:

C- Charles Johnson
1B- Mat Gamel
2B- Howie Kendrick
OF- Billy Beane
OF- Dominic Brown
OF- Elijah Dukes
OF- Matt LaPorta
OF- Lastings Milledge
SP- Andrew Miller

Just kidding; that's the Florida-born, all-hype, no-talent team.

Here's the real squad:



C- Mike Napoli
1B- Fred McGriff
2B- Rickie Weeks
3B- Chipper Jones
SS- Ian Desmond
LF- Tim (Rock) Raines
CF- Andrew McCutcheon
RF- Andre Dawson

BN- Gary Sheffield
BN- Dante Bichette


SP- Dwight Gooden
SP- Steve Carlton
SP- Zack Grienke
SP- Gio Gonzalez
SP- Tim Wakefield

CL- Tom (Flash) Gordon



I had a lot of fun researching this one, so even if/when I lose this TD it was well worth it.


Not bad at all.

I'll give you catcher and third base for position players

McGriff was a great player, but McCovey is one of the best 1Bs of all time. He had a ton of home runs hitting at Candlestick, a big park in a city where the ball doesn't carry. His .515 slugging percentage and 147 OPS+ are elite for McCovey's era.

Weeks and Bolling are pretty much a wash, both decent, but neither are/will be HOFers.


For shortstop, you have a guy that's only played a few years. I have one of the best defensive players in baseball history and a HOFer.

I think I have a huge advantage in the OF.

I have who many consider to be the true home run kind in right, arguably the best all around player in center, and a HOFer in left. Your outfield doesn't compete at all.

In all, there are 7 players in the HOF out of my position players(counting bench) compared to just 1 on yours, and only 2(Chipper and McGriff) that will eventually get the call. Offensively, my team blows yours out of the water.

Pitching next.


I'm not even gonna lie to you. Your outfield drop kicks the sh8t out of mine.

Andre Dawson was a great player but he pales in comparison to the man many people believe to be MLB's "true" home run king, Hank Aaron.

Left field I could make an argument for, although it wouldn't be overly convincing. Raines and Williams were two completely different players and it's hard to compare them straight up, even though they played the same position, primarily.

Centerfield... I mean, McCutchen is nice and all but we're talking about Willie ****-ing Mays. Mays is perhaps my all time favorite player and deservedly so, because he was pretty much as good as it gets, in my book.

Huge advantage in the outfield for your squad.

I also have to give the advantage to your infield, as a whole. Like you said, I probably take both catcher and third base with Johnson over Benedict and Jones over Sewell, respectively, but you have McCovey over McGriff at first and Smith over Desmond at short, which are bigger gaps than the ones created by my 3B and C, in my opinion.

Overall your position players are clearly better; can't argue that.

Let's hope the pitching works out in my favor.

:/


You admitted my position players are definitely better, and position players make up most of the team.

As for pitching,

Don Sutton goes over Gooden IMO. Gooden had a great few years, but he lacked longevity and I doubt his nostrils work anymore. I'd rather have a guy that's gonna give you 20 good seasons, strike out a lot of guys, win 300 games and be inducted into the HOF.

Carlton>Wynn

Our next two starting pitchers are both active. Greinke has had a couple good seasons, but Jake Peavy was one of the best pitchers in the game just a few seasons ago. Greinke is a head case, Peavy has had injury problems the last couple of seasons, but he's bouncing back. Peavy>Greinke.

Cain and Gonzalez are pretty even IMO.

Paige's MLB numbers might not look that good, but he didn't get to the Majors until he was 42(somewhere around there), but there's no denying he was one of the best Negro League pitchers of all time, which is why he's a HOFer. Wakefield had a solid career, but he'll never sniff the HOF.

You have the edge at closer.

Overall, I think my team is vastly superior.


Haha, good one about Doc's nostrils not functioning anymore!

Anyway, you're right - I did concede the position players, so let's get on down to the nitty gritty - the pitching.

Sutton vs. Gooden. In my opinion it's a win-win; can't go wrong with either of these guys. But I agree that if I had to take one, I'd take Sutton.

Carlton vs. Wynn. You conceded; I won't dispute that.

Grienke and Peavy are more or less a wash, in my opinion. both really talented guys but neither one of them has been able to consistently dominate. I think when these two retire we'll think about what could have been instead of what was.

Cain vs. Gonzalez are a wash, I aree.

Paige vs. Wakefield isn't really close at all. Paige was a beast and like you said he would've owned MLB if he were able to play sooner. Wake is a good knuckler and he's going to go down as a beloved member of the Red Sox fraternity but he's no Satchel Paige, not even close.

Closers go to me; I agree.

I'd say that you take 2 of the SP spots, I took 2, and we tied the other 2.

You won the position players and we tied the pitchers. That's a fairly clear cut win for you, in my book.

Thanks for the fun TD!

May 28, 2012  08:48 PM ET

Very cool idea i don't know since you have one of my favs in your lineup with the Oz.

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May 28, 2012  09:12 PM ET

California is pretty unbeatable compared to other states.



Yep.

Good to finally have you on board, Outlaw.

Comment #5 has been removed
May 28, 2012  09:18 PM ET

Awful lot of Giants on my team.

May 28, 2012  09:29 PM ET
QUOTE(#6):

Awful lot of Giants on my team.

You had me at hello...

May 28, 2012  09:41 PM ET
QUOTE(#3):

Awesome topic and good team by left. Looking forward to right's counter.

Since you said it twice, I'll have to concur, great format and solid selections.

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Comment #10 has been removed
May 28, 2012  11:59 PM ET

I wanted to take Georgia, but after a few players, it gets weak. Cobb, Robinson, Mize/Terry and Frank Thomas are solid, but not much after that. Kevin Brown, Tim Hudson and Kenny Rogers would be the top 3 in the rotation.

Comment #12 has been removed
May 29, 2012  12:00 AM ET
QUOTE(#11):

I wanted to take Georgia, but after a few players, it gets weak. Cobb, Robinson, Mize/Terry and Frank Thomas are solid, but not much after that. Kevin Brown, Tim Hudson and Kenny Rogers would be the top 3 in the rotation.

Though a team of current players and Georgia would be pretty solid.

Comment #14 has been removed
May 29, 2012  12:01 AM ET
QUOTE(#12):

That's a pretty good core, IMO.

It is, but with Alabama, at least there's decent players where there isn't HOFers, not the same with Georgia

May 29, 2012  12:01 AM ET
QUOTE(#14):

I think I'm gonna take this and go with my actual home state of Florida. My team's not gonna be as good but I want to argue this; it seems fun.

You have Chipper, that's always a plus.

Comment #17 has been removed
May 29, 2012  12:06 AM ET
QUOTE(#10):

New Mexico:Cody Ross, LFMichael Dunn, RPWait, that's all I got. Still feel like my team stacks up against Outlaw's team pretty well, though. I mean Cody Ross and Willie Mays are pretty much a wash... ;)

Cody Ross hit more home runs off Roy Halladay.

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