Ranking the MLB Lifers: Part Four

by user Timothy Moreland(Bball3345)

The following list contains all of the MLB players who have spent their entire careers with one organization and have ten or more years of major league experience. They are ranked by years with the team.

Stats are as of July 5, 2006

All of the stats come from Baseball Prospectus.

In total, there are eleven players on this list. There are also three pitchers, John Smoltz, Brad Radke, and Mariano Rivera, but this series will only deal with batters. BRAR and BRAA are batting runs above replacement and batting runs above average. BRAR is a better indicator of long-term success, while BRAA indicates a higher peak. FRAA is fielding runs above average. WARP is Wins Above Replacement Player and takes into account every aspect of the game (i.e. baserunning, hitting, fielding).

This series of articles will attempt to rank these players careers by looking at a few of the batters each week. Part One ranked Mike Lieberthal, Mike Sweeney, and Darin Erstad, while Part Two ranked Jorge Posada and Garret Anderson. Part Three positioned Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and Tim Salmon on the list. This final article in the series will place Craig Biggio, Bernie Williams, and Derek Jeter.

Craig Biggio

Biggio has shifted all over the defensive spectrum in his career. From 1988-1991, Biggio's first four seasons, he played behind the plate. Defensively, Biggio had a terrible arm, throwing out only 23% of runners. He also had 32 passed balls and 30 errors. Biggio stayed in the starting lineup because of his above average bat. In 1992, Biggio shifted to second base. Defensively, the Astros were still hurt by Biggio; however, he produced runs for the offense. In 1993, after hitting only 14 total homeruns in the previous three seasons, Biggio hit 21. He also contributed a solid .373 OBP. Unfortunately, success on the basepaths were not his strength(15 SB/17 CS). The strike-shortened 1994 season was Biggio's breakthrough year on offense. While still playing below average defense at second base, the offense was helped by 44 doubles, 39 steals in 43 attempts, and a .411 OBP in only 114 games. 1995 saw Biggio's doubles turn into homeruns. His 44 2Bs/6 HRs line of 1994 turned into 30/22 in 1995. Biggio had his career year in 1997 and arguably deserved the MVP over any of the three guys who finished in front of him(Jeff Bagwell, Mike Piazza, Larry Walker). Biggio's defense improved in '97, as he had unusually better range and turned 108 double plays. On offense, he had 22 HRs, scored 146 runs, and stole 47 bases at a high success rate with a line of .309/.415/.501. 1997 was followed with another season as a top 5 MVP finisher. Biggio holds the active record for doubles at 604. While Bagwell remains a mystery as far as the Hall of Fame, Biggio will surely find himself in the halls of Cooperstown.

Best Years(WARP over 6.0)

1997, 1995, 1998, 1994, 1996, 1993, 1999, 1992, 1991

Awards

Gold Gloves: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997

All-Star: 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998

Silver Slugger: 1989, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998

Bernie Williams

Bernie's career appears to be nearly over; however, many forget how consistently great Williams was with the bat. From 1996-2004, Bernie scored at least 100 runs eight times and drove in at least 90 seven times. As well, he topped the 20-homer mark seven times and had an OBP over .390 seven times. Williams was not a pure power hitter, nor a sixty-steal guy. This man played above average defense in centerfield, got on base over 40% of the time, picked good spots for a steal, and flat-out helped drive the Yankees offense during their dynasty in the late 90's. 1998 and 1999 were two of Bernie's best years, and not coincidentally, New York won the World Series both seasons. Williams was the 1996 ALCS MVP, another championship year for the Yankees, in which he had a ridiculous .474/.583/.947 line in five games against Baltimore. Bernie won the 1998 batting title with a .339 batting average.

Best Years(WARP over 6.0)

1999, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 1996, 1997, 1993

Awards

All-Star: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001

Gold Gloves: 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Silver Slugger: 2002

Derek Jeter

"Mr. November" will always be remembered for his postseason success. Overall, Jeter's postseason line of .307/.379/.463 looks eerily similar to his current career line of .315/.388/.461. Still, performances like his 2004 World Series with a .409/.480/.864 line, two homeruns, and a WS MVP will be first in most people's memories. 1999 was Jeter's best offensive season, by far. The Yankees' shortstop had 219 hits with 37 doubles, 9 triples, and 24 homeruns. This led to 134 runs and 102 RBIs with .349/.438/.552 production. Jeter was given more MVP consideration in the previous, less worthy, year. Juan Gonzalez and Nomar Garciaparra were the only two to finish in front of Jeter in 1998. He finished sixth in 1999. The value from Jeter's tremendous offensive output for a shortstop is weakened by his terrible play on defense.

Best Years

2005, 1999, 1998, 2004, 2000, 2001, 2002, 1997, 1996

Awards

Rookie of the Year: 1996

All-Star: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004

Silver Slugger: 2004, 2005

Final Verdict

1. Craig Biggio

2. Bernie Williams

3. Andruw Jones

4. Derek Jeter

5. Chipper Jones

6. Tim Salmon

7. Jorge Posada

8. Garret Anderson

9. Darin Erstad

10. Mike Sweeney

11. Mike Lieberthal

After writing this final article, I decided to change the ranking. Andruw Jones was pushed ahead of Jeter to the #3 spot. Looking at this list, the first five guys have legitimate arguments to make the Hall of Fame at the end of their careers.

Date

Tue 07/11/06, 1:41 pm EST