Dream Team

C Josh Gibson

Bio: Josh was called the “Black Babe Ruth.” Josh hit 800 home runs in seventeen years of playing. The 800 home runs included seventy-five in 1931. Josh was considered one of the most dangerous hitters to step up to the plate. Josh hit a home run that was 570’ long. Josh was the league’s leading hitter four times and had a lifetime batting average of .347. 17 year career in the Negro Leagues.

(http://www.east-buc.k12.ia.us/99_00/BH/jg/jg_bio.htm)

1b Albert Pujols

Bio: hit 480 homeruns in 13 years as a current player in MLB. Overall .323 avg hitter. Hit 130 RBI in 2001.

2b Eddie Collins

One of the few “Black Sox” players that was not a part of the 1919 World Series Scandal. Stole 81 bases in 1910. Hit .333 in 25 years in the league.

3b Chipper Jones

Lifetime batting average .303, Home runs: 468, Hits: 2,726, and 1,632 RBI

SS Cal Ripken Jr.  

Numbers: .276 Batting Average, 3184 Hits, 431 Home Runs, 1695 RBI.

Ripken played in 2,632 straight games for the Baltimore Orioles, shattering Lou Gehrig's "unbreakable" mark of 2,130. Ripken methodically put together a remarkable career, notching 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, 19 straight All-Star appearances, and two Most Valuable Player Awards.

His solid, steady play earned him hero status throughout America. His "2131" game was ranked as No. 1 of all time MLB Moments by the fans on MLB.com. Simply put, Ripken is the reason why fans came back to MLB after the strike in 1994. You can argue that Ripken had almost an impact in the game of baseball as Babe Ruth or Jackie Robinson.

OF Ty Cobb:

Wasn’t a homerun hitter. Most homeruns he had in a season was 12 in 1921 and 1925. Factor was playing in the dead ball era. 897 stolen bases in career. Includes 96 stolen bases in 1915. Led the league in hits several times throughout career. .420 average in 1911 is almost unheard of. (http://baseballsgreatesthitters.com/ERA_1_-_Pre-Ruth.html)

OF Hank Aaron

Bio: 2279 career RBI. Led the league in batting average in 1956 and 1959 with .328 and .355 respectively. 755 career homeruns. Most career homeruns ever except for Barry Bonds. Personally, I think Hank Aaron is still the king because Bonds used steroids.

OF Willie Mays

Rare combination of speed and power. 660 career homeruns. 338 stolen bases. Only 5’10” and 170 Ib.

DH Ted Williams

Bio: Hit 159 RBI and 44 HR in 1949. Also, one of the most patient hitters in the game. Led the league in walks multiple times, including 162 in 1949. Rarely struck out. Career batting average of .344.  

SP Satchel Paige. Joe DiMaggio called Satchel Paige "the best and fastest pitcher I've ever faced". His pitching was amazing and his showboating was legendary. (http://www.satchelpaige.com/bio2.html)

SP Babe Ruth

As a hitter, Ruth compiled a .342 AVG, 2873 H, 714 HR’s, & 2217 RBI’s. He led the league twelve times in home runs in his 22-year career. He also led the league in SLG %13 times, OPS 13 times, RS eight times, and RBI six times.

CP Mariano Rivera

Said to have the nastiest pitch in the league. Made a living off of one pitch for his entire career. Hitters would know that a cutter was coming and they still wouldn’t be able to hit it. 619 career saves and 2.12 ERA.