ATHLETES & BASEBALL: WHO TOPS THE LIST?

When I think of athleticism I think of speed, dexterity, finesse, strength, movement, power, balance, precision, and how these features work together to make a person successful in his sport.  It has often been said, mostly by MLB players themselves that baseball players can succeed in multiple sports because of the depth of their athleticism.

According to ESPN.com “Orioles center fielder Adam Jones, a great athlete, said, "I've told players from other sports, 'We [baseball players] could play your sport better than you could play our sport.” In other words, players of other sports can’t hack it in baseball, no matter their athletic ability.  In my eyes, the best NBA player of all time is Michael Jordan.  No one has ever moved like Mike, hustled like Mike, floated in the air like Mike or scored like Mike.  Sure we have LeBron and Kobe, but they are no Michael Jordan.  To see him beat Patrick Ewing in the Garden back in the early nineties was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever witnessed.

No one can hold a candle to Michael Jordan, and I am not even a big NBA fan, let alone a Bulls fan.  But he couldn’t play baseball, even when he tried to for the Chicago White Sox as he neared the end of his NBA career.

There have been a number of two sport athletes over the years, most of which eventually chose one sport over the other.  Bo Jackson played left field for the Kansas City Royals and running back for Los Angeles Raiders in the late 1980s before a hip injury ended his football career and cut short his baseball career.  He was the only athlete to be named an All-Star for two American sports.  He was and still is an incredible athlete who is sharing his knowledge with newbies at White Sox camp this spring.  He even warned Seattle Seahawk Super Bowl winning quarterback, Russell Wilson to “keep his talents on the football field, and not expand to the baseball  diamond.”

Wilson has been drafted by the Texas Rangers and has been working out with them this spring.  Wilson would join the likes of Jackson and Deion Sanders who has been encouraging Wilson not to give up his dream of playing football and baseball. 

So why am I saying all of this when it comes to taking the crown of best athlete? Because being a top athlete in any sport means you have depth in multiple areas.  In baseball it means you have power and precision and speed.  And that means you top the charts in hitting and base stealing and defensive magnitude.  There are a number of players that come to mind who fit this profile.

Guys like Chris Davis, Robinson Cano, Miguel Cabrera and Torii Hunter certainly come to mind.  But no one is more vivid in my mind than Mike Trout, my pick for the number one athlete in MLB right now.  He seems to have it all.

“Via Baseball Prospectus’ True Average stat, which expresses runs created per plate appearance on a batting average scale after adjusting for park and league scoring conditions, he’s been an even more effective hitter than last year (2012). Like Cabrera (.377), he’s on pace for a season that would rank among the top 25 since 1950, which is as far back as BP’s stats go,” according to Sports Illustrated Strike Zone at the end of last season.  And he is bringing on the heat again this spring, batting .400 with four home runs.  He can run, he can cover center field well and he gets on base.  He is my choice for best athlete.  But I will also say that guys like infielders Manny Machado and Dustin Pedoria, outfielder Bryce Harper, pitcher Max Scherzer and catcher Carlos Santana also should get consideration.

What about the Yankees’ best athlete?  I am hugely behind Brett Gardner for that award but I wouldn’t rule out Alfonso Soriano and Jacoby Ellsbury who definitely place well on the charts in slugging and speed as well.  The one thing that sets Gardner apart of from the pack is his powerful combination of commitment, persona and poise.  He exemplifies what it is to be a Yankee athlete and I appreciate having him on our team.

Baseball is exciting to watch today because of all of the competition and athleticism in the game.  It is exciting to watch young and old play well.  Guys like Derek Jeter this season and even Mariano Rivera last season, who had the athleticism and rigor to come back from debilitating injuries and climb to the top of their game make it even more special to watch.  I look forward to watching records being broken, web gems in the field and monster homeruns topping the highlights of every game.  It’s the great American pastime and it’s baseball at its finest.

--Suzie Pinstripe, BYB Opinion Columnist
Twitter: @suzieprof



 
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