GREAT BASEBALL LINEUPS, PART ONE

Powerline ^ | 16 Apr 2020 | Paul Mirengoff

[Rummyfan]

For my amusement, I’ve been trying to identify great all-time baseball lineups. I thought some readers might be interested in my findings.

I’m going to begin with five great lineups from what I call the first half of modern baseball — the period from the formation of the American League at the beginning of the last century until the 1961 expansion.

Only readers in the their mid-70s or older might remember any of these lineups, so this post may not be of broad interest. However, I want to recognize these lineups.

I did not include any lineups from the dead-ball era. It’s not easy to compare such lineups to the vastly more productive ones of the live-ball era. I might take another look at the dead-ball era later.

Let’s start with the most famous lineup from the distant past.

The 1927 New York Yankees:

Earle Combs cf Mark Koenig ss Babe Ruth rf Lou Gehrig 1B Bob Meusel lf Tony Lazzeri 2B Joe Dugan 3B Pat Collins c

“Murderers Row” produced 975 runs. The lineup contained the best hitter of all time (Ruth) and the best first baseman of all time (Gehrig). In 1927, Ruth set the record for home runs in a single season that stood until 1961 (a longer season). Combs and Lazzeri are also in the Hall of Fame.

The 1927 Yankees won the pennant by 19 games over second place Philadelphia, whose lineup included Ty Cobb, Al Simmons, and Mickey Cochrane, with a young Jimmy Foxx appearing in 61 games. New York’s record was 110-44. The Yankees swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series.

Mark Koenig batted second for the 1927 Yankees even though his on-base percentage was the lowest of the regulars, with only Joe Dugan close. Put Tony Lazerri or Bob Meusel in the second slot, and the Yankees surely would have scored yet more runs.

Manager Miller Huggins followed the conventional wisdom of the day (and for many years thereafter) by having a guy who could advance runners bat second, in preference to a guy with a high on-base percentage. With Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig batting third and fourth, advancing runners shouldn’t have been a priority in picking a number two hitter; getting on base should have been.

The 1931 Philadelphia Athletics:

Max Bishop 2B Mule Haas cf Mickey Cochrane c Al Simmons lf Jimmie Foxx 1B Bing Miller rf Jimmie Dykes 3B Dib Williams ss

At the very end of the 1920s, Connie Mack’s Athletics surpassed the Yankees. They won three straight pennants, 1929-31. They won the World Series in ’29 and ’30, but fell to the Cardinals in seven games in 1931.

Yet, the 1931 version of the Athletics was probably the best team of the three and certainly had the most productive lineup. That team went 107-45 and scored 951 runs.

Cochrane, Simmons, and Foxx are in the Hall of Fame. Wouldn’t it have been awesome to see the Yankees play the Athletics during the period 1926-1931?

The 1936 New York Yankees:

Frank Crosetti ss Red Rolfe 3B Joe DiMaggio cf Lou Gehrig 1B Bill Dickey c George Selkirk rf Jake Powell if Tony Lazzeri 2B

Some baseball historians consider the ’36 Yanks, not the ’27 version, to be the best team of the era. Their win total was less impressive (102), but they scored more runs (1,055). They defeated the New York Giants in the World Series, four games to two, scoring 48 runs in the six games.

Ruth and Combs were gone from the 1927 team, but two future Hall of Famers had been added — DiMaggio and Dickey. Both are widely considered to be among the best five ever to play their position.

The 1950 Boston Red Sox:

Dom DiMaggio cf Johnny Pesky 2B Ted Williams lf Vern Stephens ss Walt Dropo 1B Bobby Doerr 2B Al Zarilla rf Birdie Tebbetts c

This team won only 94 games and finished third, 4 games behind the Yankees. However, they scored 1,027 runs.

Okay, they scored 625 of them at Fenway Park, which probably means this lineup doesn’t belong in a top five list from the first half of baseball’s modern era. But this is my list and I love the lineup.

Williams is baseball’s second best hitter of all time, in my estimation (however, he didn’t play the full 1950 season due to an injury). Doerr is in the Hall of Fame. At least one of our readers thinks Dom DiMaggio should be, as well. He made six all-star teams, including in 1950, and would almost surely have made more, but for his service in World War II.

Pesky was a .300 hitter who drew around 100 walks per year. His on-base percentage in 1950 was .437.

Stephens was the best power hitting shortstop in baseball in the years that followed the war. He hit 30 home runs in 1950 (17 at Fenway) and tied for the league lead in RBIs with 144. Dropo was the man he tied.

Billy Goodman isn’t in the lineup above, but he played 110 games. Goodman led the league in batting average at .354.

The 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers:

Jim Gilliam 2B Pee Wee Reese ss Duke Snider cf Jackie Robinson lf Gil Hodges 1B Roy Campanella c Carl Furillo rf Billy Cox 3B

The Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1947, 1949, 1953, and 1953. In each of those seasons, they lost the World Series to the New York Yankees. They finally beat the Yankees in 1955, but lost to them again in 1956.

Many fans know about this record of futility, but may not realize how competitive these battles were. In each year except 1949, there were reversals of fortune, both in terms of number of games won and within many of the games themselves.

The 1953 Dodgers had the most productive offense of these six pennant winners. They scored 955 runs on the way to a 105-49 record.

In the World Series, they fought back from down 2 games to 0, to even the Series. They lost a wild one in Game 5, 11-7. They lost Game 6, 4-3 on a walk-off single by Billy Martin, who terrorized the Dodgers in that World Series (12 hits, two triples, two homers, 12 RBIs).

As for the Brooklyn lineup, it featured four future Hall of Famers — Reese, Snider, Robinson, and Campanella. Furillo, who typically batted seventh, the league in batting average at .344. Hodges hit .302 with 31 homers and 122 RBIs. Campanella won the MVP with a .312 average, 41 homers, and a league-leading 142 RBIs.

Next up, great lineups from the second half of the modern baseball era.

[Rummyfan]

A little baseball chat for us seam-heads who are missing the season.

He says Ted Williams is the second-best hitter of all-time. I'm curious whom he ranks as first.

[Karliner]

Pete Rose?

[JBW1949]

The lineup contained the best hitter of all time (Ruth)

[real saxophonist]

1974 Atlanta Braves. Vic Correll is the family member I often talk about here.

[JBW1949]

He said it in the 1927 Yankee lineup...

[fhayek]

I would say Babe Ruth, but it’s close.

[thefactor]

IMHO, Ruth would’ve gotten schooled if he played today. He was the best hitter of his era, but even that has an asterisk.

[real saxophonist]

Pete Rose is an asshole. Not only that, but he'a an asshole.

And, he's an asshole.

[JBW1949]

I was answering Rummyfan’s question in post #1...It was a choice made by Paul Mirengoff in his article...

“Murderers Row” produced 975 runs. The lineup contained the best hitter of all time (Ruth) and the best first baseman of all time (Gehrig).

I didn’t say I agreed, I was just answering a question...

[srmanuel]

For every day lineups in my life time I would say the Reds of the mid-70s

Bench, Perez, Morgan, Concepcion, and Rose around the infield is hard to compete with...

For teams the Oakland A’s of the early 70s, who won 3 straight WS championships...

Reggie Jackson, Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, Rollie Fingers, Sal Bando, etc...were awesome

[1Old Pro]

For every day lineups in my life time I would say the Reds of the mid-70s

I have up close photos of all of them from their game in Cooperstown in the 70's.

[certrtwngnut]

I believe he said that in his opinion Babe Ruth held that honor.

[TruthWillWin]

In the World Series, they fought back from down 2 games to 0, to even the Series. They lost a wild one in Game 5, 11-7. They lost Game 6, 4-3 on a walk-off single by Billy Martin, who terrorized the Dodgers in that World Series (12 hits, two triples, two homers, 12 RBIs).

Probably had someone in CF bleachers with binoculars stealing the catchers signs?

[KC Burke]

In the dead ball era no one equaled Ty Cobb.

[steve8714]

I don’t see any of the Cardinal teams of the 1940s, 42, 46 especially, featuring Musial, Slaughter, Marty Marion and Walker Cooper, and later Schoendienst. This guy ONLY considers AL teams.

[srmanuel]

I also loved the Cardinals of the late 60s.

I loved Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Steve Carlton, Curt Flood, Mike Shannon, etc...

[steve8714]

...and NY teams. The Giants of the early twentieth century were pretty tough.

[Migraine]

For my money the lineup of the 1976 Cincinnati Reds cannot be topped.

Half of their starting pitching was ordinary, but their bullpen was unbelievable.

But the whole lineup were .300 hitters, most with power to boot.

[fhayek]

Part of the problem (or maybe it's the fun) of this discussion is how different the game was played in different eras. Cobb played largely in the dead ball era. Ruth never had to deal with night games, the slider, relief specialists, Black pitchers or outfielders (who would have enhanced the defense). Modern players face talent drawn from around the world, not just the eastern part of the United States.

In my opinion, if you can only take the best decade of a given player, I say Mickey Mantle was the best ever, all around (1954-1963). But people will debate this.

[bagster]

Bench, Perez, Morgan, Concepcion, and Rose around the infield is hard to compete with...

I'll see that and raise you Garvey, Russell, Lopes, Cey, Yeager, Baker, Monday, with Mota pinch hitting.

Sutton, Downing, John, Hough.

Case closed.