The first episode of Prime 9 is “Best 9 Center Fielders”. Going in I figured they would mostly follow the Bill James list and not really do anything interesting or controversial (which is funny because James’ CF rankings are considered controversial).
Here is their list:
9 – Kirby Puckett
8 – Jim Edmonds
7 – Duke Snider
6 – Ken Griffey Jr
5 – Joe DiMaggio
4 – Tris Speaker
3 – Mickey Mantle
2 – Ty Cobb
1 – Willie Mays
Well this sure is…a list of people who played Center Field. CF is one of the most contested in his abstract but here is Bill James’ list for comparison:
9 – Billy Hamilton
8 – Kirby Puckett
7 – Ken Griffey Jr
6 – Duke Snider
5 – Joe DiMaggio
4 – Tris Speaker
3 – Mickey Mantle
2 – Ty Cobb
1 – Willie Mays
Other than the really atrocious Edmonds pick it’s a pretty non-controversial list by MLB.
Top 9 Homeruns
They started off by saying there is no Bonds and no Jeter. So right off the bat they’ve left off his record breaking shot and no “Mr November”.
Here’s their list (links open a new page with the video at MLB.com–some are more than just the highlight I had to take what is available):
9 – Chris Chambliss’ walkoff shot to win the 1976 ALCS.
8 – Aaron Boone’s walkoff shot to win the 2003 ALCS.
7 – Carlton Fisk waves it fair.
6 – Babe Ruth’s called shot.
5 – Hank Aaron breaks the home run record.
4 – Kirk Gibson hobbles around the bases in the 1988 World Series.
3 – Touch ‘Em All Joe.
2 – Something that happened in 1960 and made my 12 year old mother cry.
1 – The Shot Heard Round The World
This is a pretty solid list, I think. Bucky Dent’s homerun is overrated and Chambliss’ is somewhat underrated. The call for Thomson’s homerun is pretty much the best call ever in baseball history and I could listen to it all day.
I think the Fisk homerun is a bit overrated, but I understand it being picked here because it is very recognizable/etc. It is fun to watch him jump and all, so why not?
