Who's the best manager? The worst umpire? The best-dressed player? Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame? We wondered what the players think, so we went right to the source. Sports Illustrated approached every major league player; 550 agreed to participate, though not every player answered every question. Figures used are percentages of the total number of respondents for each question.
1. Who's the greatest living player?
Barry Bonds
38.9%
Alex Rodriguez
12.8%
Willie Mays
12.1%
Nolan Ryan
7.1%
Hank Aaron
6.7%
Pete Rose
3.6%
Roger Clemens
1.9%
Stan Musial
1.7%
Babe Ruth
1.5%
Roberto Alomar
0.8%
Inside the Numbers
• Bonds and A-Rod were the only active players to receive more than 10 votes. • Bonds's AL vote total (34.5%) more than doubled Rodriguez's (16.7%).
2. Who has the best outfield arm?
Vladimir Guerrero, Expos
56.8%
Jose Guillen, Reds
13.4%
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
13.4%
Raul Mondesi, Yankees
6.0%
Larry Walker, Rockies
2.6%
Jim Edmonds, Cardinals
1.3%
Torii Hunter, Twins
0.9%
Bobby Higginson, Tigers
0.6%
Andruw Jones, Braves
0.4%
Shawn Green, Dodgers
0.4%
Gary Sheffield, Braves
0.4%
Inside the Numbers
• Guerrero received 58.7% of the votes cast in the NL and 54.7% of the votes cast in the AL. • Guillen drew 43.6% of his votes from the NL Central.
3. Who's the best defensive player?
Andruw Jones, Braves
29.8%
Omar Vizquel, Indians
23.0%
Torii Hunter, Twins
13.4%
Alex Rodriguez, Rangers
6.1%
Scott Rolen, Cardinals
6.1%
Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners
2.1%
Rey Ordonez, Devil Rays
1.3%
Roberto Alomar, Mets
1.3%
J.T. Snow, Giants
1.2%
Mike Bordick, Blue Jays
1.2%
Inside the Numbers
• Half of all shortstops voted for Vizquel. • Jones had 54.5% of the vote in the NL East.
4. Whom would you most like to play with?
Alex Rodriguez, Rangers
16.6%
Barry Bonds, Giants
7.0%
Roger Clemens, Yankees
6.5%
Sammy Sosa, Cubs
3.5%
Jeff Bagwell, Astros
3.1%
Greg Maddux, Braves
3.1%
Derek Jeter, Yankees
2.8%
Scott Rolen, Cardinals
2.8%
Jason Giambi, Yankees
2.6%
Inside the Numbers
• Rodriguez, who received less than half as many votes as Bonds for greatest living player, turned the tables here. • Bonds earned only 2.6% of the vote among catchers and 3.6% from pitchers. • Pitchers accounted for 80.6% of Clemens's votes.
5. Who gets the most from the least talent?
David Eckstein, Angels
62.2%
Craig Counsell, Diamondbacks
6.7%
Jamie Moyer, Mariners
4.8%
Joe McEwing, Mets
2.7%
Kevin Millar, Red Sox
1.7%
Juan Pierre, Marlins
1.2%
Albert Pujols, Cardinals
1.0%
Brad Ausmus, Astros
1.0%
Eric Byrnes, Athletics
0.7%
Greg Maddux, Braves
0.7%
Mike Sweeney, Royals
0.7%
Inside the Numbers
• Only five players got more than five votes. • Moyer earned 72.7% of his votes from pitchers.
6. Who gets the least from the most talent?
Ruben Rivera, Giants
29.3%
Raul Mondesi, Yankees
6.9%
Frank Thomas, White Sox
3.1%
Mo Vaughn, Mets
3.1%
Adrian Beltre, Dodgers
2.8%
Kyle Farnsworth, Cubs
2.8%
Ken Griffey, Reds
2.4%
Aramis Ramirez, Pirates
2.1%
Esteban Loaiza, White Sox
2.1%
Juan Gonzalez, Rangers
2.1%
Jose Guillen, Reds
2.1%
Inside the Numbers
• Rivera was the top choice in both the AL (32.1%) and the NL (27.0%).
7. What should be done with the designated hitter?
Keep it as is
47.8%
Abolish it
34.8%
Use it in both leagues
12.5%
Don't know
5.0%
Inside the Numbers
• Pitchers (46.4%) want the DH abolished much more than hitters (23.0%).
• NL players favor ditching the DH (41.9%) much more than AL players (27.0%).
• Among players with one year of experience or less, 56.5% voted to keep the DH.
8. Who's the best-dressed player?
Alex Rodriguez, Rangers
9.9%
Gary Sheffield, Braves
4.5%
Ellis Burks, Indians
3.5%
Reggie Sanders, Pirates
3.5%
Mike Cameron, Mariners
3.3%
Derek Jeter, Yankees
3.1%
Michael Tucker, Royals
3.1%
Carlos Delgado, Blue Jays
2.4%
Jose Vidro, Expos
2.1%
Preston Wilson, Rockies
2.1%
Inside the Numbers
• Votes were cast for 125 players, 28 of whom voted for themselves. • A-Rod led the NL with 7.5% of the vote.
9. What's your favorite nonbaseball activity?
Golf
25.7%
Hunting
12.5%
Fishing
11.0%
Time with family
5.1%
Movies
4.7%
Inside the Numbers
• Golf (30.7%) and hunting (14.9%) are most popular with pitchers, while catchers (18.8%) prefer fishing.
• Golf (11.7%) and movies (10.8%) were tops among non-U.S.-born players.
10. Which is your favorite ballpark?
Safeco Field (Mariners)
17.6%
Pac Bell Park (Giants)
10.2%
Wrigley Field (Cubs)
8.5%
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
8.0%
Yankee Stadium
6.7%
Bank One Ballpark (Diamondbacks)
6.3%
Busch Stadium (Cardinals)
5.8%
Fenway Park (Red Sox)
4.8%
Coors Field (Rockies)
4.6%
Dodger Stadium
4.5%
Inside the Numbers
• Safeco Field was an even more popular favorite among pitchers (23.3%). • Of the votes cast for Camden Yards, 42% came from NL players. • Wrigley was the favorite among players with 10 or more years' experience (16.1%).
Which is your least favorite?
Olympic Stadium (Expos)
22.3%
Veterans Stadium (Phillies)
10.3%
Metrodome (Twins)
8.9%
Tropicana Field (Devil Rays)
7.2%
Fenway Park (Red Sox)
6.0%
U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox)
5.8%
Shea Stadium (Mets)
5.4%
Network Associates Coliseum (A's)
4.9%
Comerica Park (Tigers)
4.7%
Wrigley Field (Cubs)
4.5%
11. Which city has the best fans?
St. Louis
46.4%
Boston
13.1%
New York
11.4%
Chicago
8.2%
Seattle
6.7%
San Francisco
2.8%
Anaheim
1.7%
Atlanta
1.3%
Cleveland
1.3%
Arizona
1.1%
Baltimore
1.1%
Inside the Numbers
• Nearly two thirds (65.2%) of players with 10 years' experience favored St. Louis, and 26.4% of AL players voted for St. Louis.
Which has the worst?
New York
15.6%
Montreal
15.5%
Philadelphia
14.6%
Chicago
13.2%
Tampa Bay
6.0%
Boston
5.6%
Oakland
5.1%
Detroit
4.9%
Florida
4.3%
San Francisco
3.5%
Inside the Numbers
• Chicago finished first among AL players in the worst-city voting (19.0%) but second among NL players in the best-city voting (12.8%).
12. Which ballpark has the best-quality playing field?
Dodger Stadium
23.2%
Edison Field (Angels)
11.2%
Safeco Field (Mariners)
9.5%
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
5.7%
Kauffman Stadium (Royals)
5.1%
Bank One Ballpark (D-Backs)
5.0%
Inside the Numbers
• Only five of the 525 votes for best field (1%) were for parks with artificial turf; 35.5% of the votes for worst field were for parks with artificial surfaces.
Which has the worst?
Wrigley Field (Cubs)
17.5%
Fenway Park (Red Sox)
17.1%
Olympic Stadium (Expos)
13.0%
Shea Stadium (Mets)
9.7%
Metrodome (Twins)
9.3%
Veterans Stadium (Phillies)
6.6%
Inside the Numbers
• Fenway was least favorite among outfielders (23.2%), while Olympic Stadium was voted the worst by pitchers (17.9%). • Wrigley Field (6.6%) was voted fourth worst by AL players. • Of the votes cast for Shea Stadium as worst field, 37.0% were from infielders, the highest such percentage.
13. Which is the best road city?
Chicago
34.6%
New York
16.5%
Seattle
7.4%
San Diego
6.7%
Phoenix
4.3%
Miami
3.9%
Boston
3.2%
San Francisco
3.0%
Los Angeles
2.6%
St. Louis
2.6%
Inside the Numbers
• New York was the favorite (31.6%) among players with less than one year of experience.
Which is the worst?
Detroit
31.8%
Milwaukee
24.1%
Philadelphia
6.2%
Cincinnati
5.6%
Pittsburgh
5.6%
Montreal
4.8%
Minneapolis
2.5%
Tampa
2.3%
Oakland
2.1%
Inside the Numbers
• Detroit (53.5%) and Milwaukee (37.2%) were runaway winners (or in this case, losers) among players in their respective leagues. Detroit even finished second among NL players (12.4%).
14. Which ballpark has the best visiting locker room?
Tropicana Field (Devil Rays)
36.7%
Miller Park (Brewers)
15.5%
Coors Field (Rockies)
10.6%
Minute Maid Park (Astros)
7.8%
Safeco Field (Mariners)
7.4%
Ballpark in Arlington (Rangers)
4.0%
Pro Player Stadium (Marlins)
2.1%
PNC Park (Pirates)
1.7%
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
1.3%
Busch Stadium (Cardinals)
1.1%
Turner Field (Braves)
1.1%
Inside the Numbers
• Tropicana Field's visitors' clubhouse features four hanging TVs, three couches, three recliners and the big leagues' most extensive candy collection (16 jars and eight boxes on a table in the center of the room), but it's the attentive six-member staff that earned it the top ranking; it received 63.2% of the AL vote and even finished fourth with NL players (12.0%).
Which has the worst?
Fenway Park (Red Sox)
30.5%
Wrigley Field (Cubs)
24.8%
Dodger Stadium
8.1%
Jacobs Field (Indians)
6.3%
Olympic Stadium (Expos)
5.8%
Metrodome (Twins)
5.0%
Shea Stadium (Mets)
4.4%
Pac Bell Park (Giants)
4.3%
Veterans Stadium (Phillies)
1.9%
Qualcomm Stadium (Padres)
1.2%
Inside the Numbers
• Fenway's cramped quarters (smallest in the league) were voted second-worst by NL players (14.6%).
15. Should Pete Rose be in the Hall of Fame?
Yes, unconditionally
74.2%
Only if he admits he bet on baseball
11.1%
Not under any circumstances
9.4%
Don't know
5.3%
Inside the Numbers
• U.S.-born players are harder on Rose (10.8% voted to bar him under any circumstances) than foreign-born players (4.4%). • Among players with 10 years' experience, 13.4% favored an absolute ban.
16. Who's the best general manager?
Billy Beane, A's
34.1%
John Schuerholz, Braves
8.6%
Walt Jocketty, Cardinals
7.8%
Brian Sabean, Giants
7.6%
Brian Cashman, Yankees
6.8%
Pat Gillick, Mariners
4.9%
Inside the Numbers
• Beane led both the AL (42.5%) and the NL (25.0%) by a wide margin and received 52.4% of the AL West vote.
Who's the worst?
Steve Phillips, Mets
17.4%
Chuck LaMar, Devil Rays
14.2%
Jim Bowden, Reds
13.8%
John Hart, Rangers
6.0%
Kenny Williams, White Sox
5.7%
Dave Dombrowski, Tigers
5.3%
Inside the Numbers
• Phillips, who was fired late in the survey process, received 26.7% of his worst-G.M. votes from the NL Central
17. Who's the best hitting coach?
Rudy Jaramillo, Rangers
9.5%
Jeff Pentland, Royals
6.9%
Rick Down, Yankees
5.9%
Mickey Hatcher, Angels
5.6%
Mike Barnett, Blue Jays
4.6%
Lee Elia, Devil Rays
3.6%
Inside the Numbers
• Hatcher got 41% of his votes from pitchers.
Who's the best pitching coach?
Leo Mazzone, Braves
21.0%
Mel Stottlemyre, Yankees
7.1%
Dave Duncan, Cardinals
6.3%
Bryan Price, Mariners
5.4%
Bud Black, Angels
4.8%
Rick Peterson, A's
4.8%
Inside the Numbers
• Mazzone led both the NL (25.9%) and the AL (15.5%), though he fared better with catchers (23.5%) than pitchers (16.0%). • Stottlemyre got 44.0% of his votes from the NL.
18. Who's the best manager?
Dusty Baker, Cubs
23.6%
Joe Torre, Yankees
18.7%
Bobby Cox, Braves
13.1%
Mike Scioscia, Angels
6.2%
Tony La Russa, Cardinals
5.8%
Lou Piniella, Devil Rays
5.6%
Inside the Numbers
• Baker earned 35.8% of his best-manager votes from the NL Central; he was also No. 2 in the AL voting (18.0%).• Cox finished second in the best-manager voting among players with 10 years' experience (20.2%).
Who's the worst?
Larry Bowa, Phillies
16.1%
Bob Boone, Reds
9.4%
Jerry Manuel, White Sox
7.1%
Tony La Russa, Cardinals
6.3%
Lloyd McClendon, Pirates
6.3%
Buck Showalter, Rangers
6.3%
Bob Brenly, Diamondbacks
4.7%
Alan Trammell, Tigers
3.9%
Inside the Numbers
• Bowa led both the NL (17.9%) and the AL (13.5%) in the worst-manager voting; the highest percentage of his votes came from the AL East (36.4% ).
19. Who's the best umpire?
Tim McClelland
22.0%
Jim Joyce
9.2%
Ed Rapuano
8.9%
John Hirschbeck
8.0%
Ted Barrett
4.8%
Mark Hirschbeck
4.5%
Inside the Numbers
• McClelland, who led both the AL (27.2%) and the NL (17.0%) in the best-umpire voting, fared better with hitters (26.4%) than with pitchers (16.7%).
Who's the worst?
C.B. Bucknor
20.7%
Bruce Froemming
16.1%
Joe Brinkman
8.0%
Joe West
7.0%
Phil Cuzzi
4.7%
Angel Hernandez
4.7%
Inside the Numbers
• Froemming, a 33-year veteran, led the worst-umpire voting among players with fewer than two years' service (27.5%).
20. The current drug-testing policy ...
Is adequate as is
40.7%
Should be more stringent
36.5%
Don't know
15.2%
Should be abolished
7.6%
Inside the Numbers
• Pitchers (41.4 %) favor more stringent testing more than hitters (31.5%). • Among players with one year of experience or less, 54.5% want more stringent testing. • Among players who earn $10 million or more a year, 50.0% think the system is adequate as is.
