Ranking the MLB Lifers: Part Three
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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
| NAME | TEAM | YEARS | BRAR | BRAA | FRAA | WARP |
| Craig Biggio | Houston Astros | 18 | 728 | 386 | -131 | 121.9 |
| Bernie Williams | New York Yankees | 15 | 656 | 403 | -60 | 99.9 |
| Tim Salmon | Los Angeles Angels | 13 | 539 | 343 | 40 | 81.7 |
| Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | 12 | 657 | 454 | -179 | 79.5 |
| Mike Lieberthal | Philadelphia Phillies | 12 | 176 | 41 | 6 | 44.9 |
| Garret Anderson | Los Angeles Angels | 12 | 317 | 96 | 24 | 59.9 |
| Mike Sweeney | Kansas City Royals | 11 | 310 | 171 | -8 | 41.1 |
| Derek Jeter | New York Yankees | 11 | 540 | 332 | -132 | 85.9 |
| Jorge Posada | New York Yankees | 11 | 330 | 192 | 24 | 66.8 |
| Andruw Jones | Atlanta Braves | 10 | 357 | 166 | 138 | 82.6 |
| Darin Erstad | Los Angeles Angels | 10 | 221 | 45 | 106 | 51.4 |
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. This installment will position Chipper Jones, Andruw Jones, and Tim Salmon on the list.
Chipper Jones
"Met Killer" is what Larry "Chipper" Jones is most remembered for. Obviously, this came from his tremendous success when Atlanta matched up with New York. Chipper won the 1999 MVP almost solely on his hot streak against the Mets during the stretch run of the season. Offensively, 1999 was Chipper's best year. He hit a career-best 45 home runs with 116 runs scored and 110 runs batted in. This also came with the added bonus of 25 stolen bases in 28 attempts. For the season, Chipper's line was .319/.441/.633. As mentioned, this was Chipper's best year with the bat; however, thanks to horrific defense at third base, it was not his best year overall. This honor belongs to 2002, in which he came in eleventh in the MVP voting. His offensive stats of .327/.435/.536 with 26 home runs, 90 runs, and 100 RBIs were solid. It was his only season with an above average defensive performance that made it so valuable. Chipper's bat surpasses anyone on the above list, but his defense ranks far below any of the others. After topping the 140 game mark from 1995-2003, he has dropped to 137 and then 109 the last two years.
Best Years(WARP over 6.0)
2002, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2000, 1996, 2003
Awards
MVP: 1999
All-Star: 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001
Silver Slugger: 1999, 2000
Andruw Jones
Last year's runner-up at MVP, Andruw Jones runs circles around the rest of the player's, defensively. From 1997-2003, Andruw covered the Atlanta outfield with unprecedented range. In 1998, Jones had a ridiculous 20 outfield assists. Runners have been less willing to run on him since. Still, he has accumulated double-digit assists five times since then. Although his range has slipped in recent years, he remains an above average defender. 2005 was Jones' best season at bat, with a .263/.347/.575 line and a league-leading 51 home runs. He also led the league in RBI's with 128. Andruw, at 29-years-old, should have more big years ahead of him.
Best Years(WARP over 6.0)
2000, 2002, 1999, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2001, 2004
Awards
All-Star: 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005
Gold Gloves: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
Silver Slugger: 2005
Tim Salmon
Salmon's 1995 season, overall, was better than any of Chipper's or Andruw's years. In 143 games, the Silver Slugger hit 34 home runs, scored 111 runs, and drove in 105 with a .330/.429/.594 line. Throw in his tremendous defense in leftfield, and this 26-year-old was a serious MVP candidate. He may or may no have been the most worthy candidate, but he had a superior season to the actual winner, Mo Vaughn. Salmon was still putting up solid offensive numbers in 2003, before his left knee and right rotator cuff problems led to a terrible 2004 season. After missing 2005, Salmon has returned relatively strong with the bat in 2006 at the age of 37.
Best Years
1995, 1993, 2000, 1997, 1996, 1994, 1998, 2002
Awards
Rookie of the Year: 1993
All-Star: 2002, 2003, 2005
Silver Slugger: 1995
Final Verdict
4. Andruw Jones
5. Chipper Jones
6. Tim Salmon
7. Jorge Posada
8. Garret Anderson
9. Darin Erstad
10. Mike Sweeney
11. Mike Lieberthal
Deciding between these three was a near-impossible task. Ultimately, it came down to Chipper's poor defense and recent health concerns putting him behind Andruw's Gold Glove defense and younger age. Salmon had the best overall year, but he also has the weakest seasons.
In Part Four, I will take a look at Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, and Craig Biggio to decide where they rank in the top three.
Date
Sun 07/09/06, 11:17 am EST
