All-Time Top Ten: Puerto Rico
By Efraín Ruiz Pantin
Nearly 45 years since Roberto Clemente played his last game and cruel fate stole him away from us, his legacy remains fresh and vibrant. In fact, so strong that when you rate major leaguers from Puerto Rico, by many benchmarks, The Great One is still the best, or close to it, with the most hits, batting titles, Gold Gloves and All-Star selections. And mind you, la isla de Borinquen, devastated this week by Hurricane María, has produced its share of stellar players over the years, including three other Hall of Famers besides Clemente.
So, who would you rank after Clemente? Orlando Cepeda, Roberto Alomar and Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez, also enshrined in Cooperstown, are easy answers. But in what order? And do any of the more recent stars sneak in between them? By combining WAR with the Hall of Fame Monitor, Bill James’ metric that recognizes good seasons, career numbers, awards and post-season play, we give you an all-time Top 10 for Puerto Rico that starts with No. 21.
1. Roberto Clemente
.317/.359/.475 — 94.5 WAR — 231 HOF Monitor
If anything, Clemente may be underrated because he doesn’t get enough credit for hitting at his best during the second Deadball Era, usually defined from 1964 to 1972. From 1960 to 1972, only two players generated a better WAR than The Great One: Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. And from 1960 to 1969, a decade dominated by overpowering aces such as Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson and Juan Marichal, Clemente won four batting titles while leading the majors with a .328 average. In every aspect of the game, Clemente was beautiful to watch. The first Latino to 3,000 hits and to be voted World Series MVP, he earned 15 All-Star selections and 12 Gold Gloves. Unrivaled in right field, he totaled 266 assists, tied for 17th all-time among outfielders. The next Puerto Rican on the list? Carlos Beltrán, with 143.
2. Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodríguez
.296/.334/.464 — 68.4 WAR — 226 HOF Monitor
While Beltrán, Roberto Alomar y Edgar Martínez put up impressive numbers, Pudge gets to stand next to Clemente. Besides being in the conversation for best catcher ever, he’s one of only 52 players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum on the first ballot. Durable and brilliant, he set two catching records, winning 13 Gold Gloves and playing a record 2,427 games behind the plate. Plus, he retired with 2,844 hits and 572 doubles. That’s Clementesque.
3. Roberto Alomar
.300/.371/.443 — 66.8 WAR — 194 HOF Monitor
Great-hitting second sackers are born thrice a century. How many hit .300/.370/.440 over the course of their careers? Three to be exact. Nap Lajoie, who retired in 1916; Charlie Gehringer, who last played in 1942; and Alomar, who played from 1988 to 2004. Throw in 12 All-Star selections, a record 10 Gold Gloves, two World Series championships along with 1,508 runs and 474 bases stolen at an 81 percent clip, and no wonder that we have a Hall of Famer.
4. Edgar Martínez
.312/.418/.515 — 68.3 WAR — 132 HOF Monitor
Until David Ortiz, players who spent the majority of their career as full-time designated hitters didn’t get much respect. But before Big Papi, there was Edgar. Only six players with at least 8,000 plate appearances hit .312/.418/.515 — Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, Babe Ruth and Edgar Martínez — a two-time batting champ and one of the best right-handed hitters of any era. Panamanian Mariano Rivera, arguably the best reliever in history, says the toughest batter he faced was Martínez. Edgar ate up Mariano’s cutter: 11-for-19 with three doubles, two home runs, three walks and four strikeouts. Who’s your Daddy?
5. Carlos Beltrán
.279/.351/.487 — 69.8 WAR — 126 HOF Monitor
Other than being the 1999 A.L. Rookie of the Year and playing 162 games in 2002, Beltrán has never led a league in any significant category. But he’s an all-around star who has played at a consistently high level for 20 seasons, one of five switch-hitters to hit 400 home runs. He’s also one of five players in history with 500 doubles, 400 home runs and 300 steals, a list that includes Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds and Álex Rodríguez. His splits against righties and lefties are nearly identical to his overall line. Though stats are incomplete prior to 1951, his 86.4 stolen base percentage is considered third all-time. In short, Beltrán can win games in so many different ways. More importantly, through his good acts and baseball academy, he may be the player from Puerto Rico who has most emulated Clemente on and off the field.
6. Bernie Williams
.297/.381/.477 — 49.5 WAR — 134 HOF Monitor
We say that the Yankees’ Core Four was actually a Core Five. Williams was as important as anyone in the dynasty that ran from 1995 to 2001, winning won four World Series alongside Mariano, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada — who was left off the roster for the first one in 1996. Williams was simply one of the best Yankees centerfielders in history. Over those seven seasons, which included one batting title, Williams averaged .319 — second to Jeter’s .320 — while leading the team with a 36.9 WAR, .405 OBP, .537 slugging, 553 walks, 735 runs, 711 RBI and 175 home runs (tied with Tino Martínez). How did the Yankees indicate that he was a big-time star? In the old Yankee Stadium, Williams had two front corner lockers, one for him and one for his guitars.
7. Orlando Cepeda
.297/.350/.499 — 50.3 WAR — 126 HOF Monitor
If Cha Cha’s knees hadn’t betrayed him, he could have set benchmarks beyond the reach of every Puerto Rican that has followed him. The unanimous choice for the 1958 N.L. Rookie of the Year and the 1967 N.L. MVP, Cepeda was the first Latino to win home run and RBI titles. He retired with one World Series ring, 11 All-Star selections, 379 home runs and 1,365 RBI. Not surprisingly, 43 years later he still ranks fourth among boricuas in home runs and RBI. The fun part about Cepeda? He still loves his jazz and knows his music.
8. Yadier Molina
.284/.336/.403 — 35.3 WAR — 140 HOF Monitor
You can’t always quantify defense, but you know it when you see it. Molina has won eight Gold Gloves and earned eight All-Star selections while keeping the Cardinals’ pitchers among the ERA leaders year after year. After 14 seasons, Molina is No. 1 among St. Louis’ catchers with 1,727 hits and 333 doubles through Sept. 19. He’s an even bigger threat in pressure situations, hitting .304 with RISP and .286 in the postseason, where he’s helped the Cardinals win two World Series. Since his debut in 2004, he’s whiffed only 658 times, the lowest number for players with at least 1,500 games in that period.
9. Juan González
.295/.343/.561 — 38.5 WAR — 123 HOF Monitor
The late Puerto Rican broadcaster Héctor Rafael Vázquez described sluggers with the following phrase: bateador con potencia… distancia… y frecuencia. Power, distance and frequency. At his peak, Igor flexed his muscles and terrified pitchers. In fact, Pudge says that he always wanted to hit like his childhood buddy González. A two-time A.L. MVP, González averaged 37 home runs and 117 RBI playing the outfield for the Rangers from 1991 to 1999. Despite frequent injuries, he hit .295 and 434 home runs over 14 seasons. Even if González didn’t fulfill everyone’s expectations, he had a good run.
10. Carlos Delgado
.280/.383/.546 — 44.3 WAR — 110 HOF Monitor
While 10th on the list, we say that Delgado is one sweet first baseman and one of the best boricua hitters ever. Not only is he the all-time leader with 473 home runs, he’s second with 1,512 RBI. Second with a .383 OBP. Second with a .929 OPS. And second with 1,109 walks. Delgado — proud and dignified, willing to speak his mind and take unpopular stances — was consistent on and off the field, hitting 30 home runs for 10 straight seasons and generating a .900 OPS nine consecutive years. While his HOF Monitor isn’t very high, it’s a shame that he lasted on the ballot only one season, getting 21 votes in 2015.
Featured Image: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Sport
Inset Images: Topps