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Tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET MSG Network will it's second edition of "The Lineup: New York's All-Time Best Baseball Players," a new original series and interactive fantasy game that will determine the best baseball players in the history of New York.
Each 30-minute episode of "The Lineup" will present a number of nominees for consideration at each position, from the Yankees, Mets, New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, with one episode dedicated to the best New York manager of all-time. MSG's Fran Healy will host a panel, consisting of Hall of Fame Mets catcher Gary Carter, former Yankee bullpen ace Sparky Lyle, New York Magazine contributing editor and baseball aficionado Will Leitch, and executive vice president of the Elias Sports Bureau Steve Hirdt. The panel will whittle down a larger list of players from each position and determine the top five from each spot on the diamond. By the end of each episode, they will crown the top player at each position and name him to the official "Lineup" card.
Our own Dr. Roto has been asked to provide his picks for each position as an online panelist and will be providing his TOP 5 finalists and final lineup choice for each position right here on Around the Horn Baseball prior to each episode. Make sure to check the site before the airing of each new position to see how Dr. Roto's picks stack up against the MSG panel.
Tonights episode will be First Basemen
Without further ado...here are Dr. Roto's choices for the 5 best New York First Basemen along with his final lineup selection:
* Before I begin, I would like to state that I chose not to consider Eddie Murray on this list as he only played for the Mets for 2 years late in his career.
#5: Most great managers will tell you that championships are won in the clubhouse - not necessarily by the stars, but by the guys who come in every day and do their jobs to the best of their abilities. No one fits this description better than the #5 best New York First Baseman, Tino Martinez. Martinez helped lead the New York Yankees to World Series championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000. His best season statistically came in 1997, when he was second in the American League in home runs and RBIs and finished second in AL Most Valuable Player voting. In his 16-year Major League career, Martinez hit .271 with 339 home runs and 1,271 RBIs. During his seven years with the Yankees, he hit 192 home runs and drove in 739 runs. While he may never make the MLB Hall of Fame, he is worthy of being in the discussion.
#4: Better known by some New Yorkers as an actor in the show Seinfeld, Keith Hernandez batted over .300 seven times in his career, and led the National League in runs scored (1979 & 1980), doubles (1979), on-base percentage (1980) and walks (1986). In 1987, Davey Johnson named Hernandez the first team captain in franchise history. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1997, and was voted Mets' all-time first baseman by fans in celebration of the team's 40th anniversary in 2002.
#3: The Man who managed the Amazing Mets to a World Series victory in 1969 was also one of the greatest first basemen in NY history. To many, Gil Hodges was the greatest first baseman of the 1950's. His 370 career home runs were a National League (NL) record for right-handed hitters, and briefly ranked tenth in major league history. He held the NL record for career grand slams from 1957 to 1974. A sterling defensive player, he won the first three Gold Glove Awards and led the NL in double plays four times and in putouts, assists and fielding percentage three times each. He ranked second in NL history with 1,281 assists and 1,614 double plays when his career ended.
#2: Better known to New Yorkers as "Donnie Baseball," Don Mattingly is Dr. Roto's #2 pick for best New York First Baseman. He is one of the most popular Yankees in the team's history. Although Mattingly never played on a World Series championship team or even appeared in a World Series (just missing out by one season at the end of his career), his popularity is nevertheless comparable to that of other Yankee greats. Mattingly won the Gold Glove Award 9 times, was a 6 time All-Star selection, and was a three time winner of the Silver Slugger Award. He was the New York Yankees team captain from 1991-1995, and had his #23 retired in 1997.
#1: It is hard to imagine someone being a more beloved Yankee than Don Mattingly, but Dr. Roto's #1 New York First Baseman was so good, that they even made a movie about his life, called Pride of the Yankees. Known as the Iron Horse for his durability, Lou Gehrig stands alone atop this very special list. Gehrig played in 2130 consecutive games, a streak that stood until 1995 when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke it. Gehrig was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939. In 1969 he was voted the greatest first baseman of all time by the Baseball Writers' Association, and was the leading vote-getter on the Major League Baseball All-Century Team, chosen by fans in 1999. Gehrig accumulated 1,995 RBI in 17 seasons, with a career batting average of .340. He won the American League's Most Valuable Player award in 1927 and 1936. He was also a Triple Crown winner in 1934. The Yankees retired Gehrig's uniform number "4", making him the first player in Major League Baseball history to be awarded that honor. At his retirement presentation, Gehrig uttered the famous line, "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." And we are indeed lucky to have him in our memories!
Lou Gehrig is Dr. Roto's greatest New York First Baseman-welcome to the lineup Lou!
Managers
Pitchers
Center Fielders
Right Fielders
Left Fielders
Short Stops
Third Basemen
Second Basemen
Catchers
Feel free to play along and see how you do. You can make your own selections over @ http://www.msg.com/lineup/.
If you haven't voted in our poll on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at the game of MLB so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll question is, "Do you think that MLB should have a salary cap or something similar?" - Please vote.
Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.
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