GMs Rank the Best in the Game

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Sporting News asked ... and 22 of baseball's general managers and assistant general managers answered. The latest issue of Sporting News magazine -- on newsstands now -- features their answers to 19 questions that will keep you busy until spring training.

A sampling of the surveys:

Player I'd want on my team if I could swing it

The choice: ALBERT PUJOLS, 1B, Cardinals

SN turned to three Hall of Fame sluggers for an assessment of Pujols' greatness as a hitter.

RALPH KINER
"He is a Joe DiMaggio type in that he puts the ball in play. For example, compare him to the first baseman for the Phillies (Ryan Howard) -- he strikes out 200 times, and that doesn't help the ballclub any at all. In this case, he puts the ball in play, he hits the ball, and he can hit the ball to right field, to center field. He's a throwback to the old-fashioned kind of baseball player that everyone would like and should like."

AL KALINE
"He doesn't have any real weakness. He uses the whole field. He has a very good strike zone. When you combine all those things plus having the great bat speed and the strength that he has, it makes him a complete hitter. It's amazing that he hits as well as he does, not being what you would call a great speed runner."

GARY CARTER
"With his swing, there's not much movement with his body, no stride, and he's just very strong. The kind of numbers he's put up are just unbelievable -- as far as I'm concerned, Hall of Fame numbers. If he just continues at the pace he's on, he's probably going to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, of all time at his position."

-- By Ken Bradley

THE BALLOT BOX
Who the 22 GMs and assistant GMs selected
Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals: 9 1/2 votes
Joe Mauer, C, Twins: 8 1/2
Hanley Ramirez, SS, Marlins: 2
Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Rockies: 1
Justin Upton RF, Diamondbacks: 1

Best leader

The choice: DEREK JETER, SS, Yankees

SN asked three former Yankees managers: Did you have a Derek Jeter-like leader on your Yankees teams, and how much easier does that make a manager's job when you do?

BILL VIRDON (1974-75)
YES -- Thurman Munson
"He was just a strong individual, knew what was going on. He was a fine catcher and a fine hitter and a good leader, always tough and ready to go. Thurman wasn't real vocal, but if he needed to be he was. That can make things easier for a manager. It depends on how much common sense (leaders) have, picking the right times and right guys."

BUCKY DENT (1989-90)
YES -- Don Mattingly
"I played with Thurman, and he was a different kind of a captain than Mattingly was. Thurman was a fiery-type guy. Donnie was a little more quiet, kind of like Jeter. Those three guys, as far as playing the game, are all the same. There are certain things they command in a clubhouse about the way you go about your business, and it takes a lot of pressure off the manager. How are you going to say anything about the way Jeter plays? He plays hard, he plays hurt, he conducts himself in a professional manner all the time. Same thing with Mattingly; he was the same kind of guy."

BUCK SHOWALTER (1992-95)
YES -- Don Mattingly
"We brought Derek up in September (1995) and kept him with us during the playoffs. Through that time, Derek watched Mattingly, how he handled himself. You know, Donnie was not a good quote, but, I tell you what, when the doors closed and ... he did speak, everybody stopped and said, 'Hold on, Donnie's got something he wants to talk about here.' Leaders realize the weight their words carry, and they're careful about it. Just because he's not out there publicly doesn't mean he's not saying things behind the scenes that are very important to the success of that club. If it gets to your plate as a manager and you have to assume that role, you've got a problem in your clubhouse."

-- By Bob Hille

THE BALLOT BOX
Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees: 13 votes
Torii Hunter, CF, Angels: 3
Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals: 3
Chase Utley, 2B Phillies: 1 1/2
Victor Martinez, C, Red Sox: 1
Roy Halladay, SP, Phillies: 1/2

Best stuff

The choice: FELIX HERNANDEZ, SP, Mariners

Mariners closer David Aardsma enjoys watching teammate Felix Hernandez baffle hitters with a repertoire that includes a four-seam and two-seam fastball, a curve, a slider and a changeup. The only catch? "You can't copy anything he does because you have nothing like he has," Aardsma says.

Aardsma shares with SN what makes the 19-game-winning righthander so superior:

Fastball. "When he's really feeling good, you see him hitting 97 mph. He's consistently in the mid-90s. He also uses his two-seamer well, and he throws that 94. Hitters can know it's coming and still not hit it."

Location. "One thing that sets him apart from power pitchers is he throws strikes. He throws at the knees so much that even when watching his bullpen (sessions), it becomes a running joke that he can't throw a ball high even if he tries."

Maturation. "(Manager) Don Wakamatsu and (pitching coach) Rick Adair put the pressure on him last spring training, telling him that we were going nowhere without him. He stepped up. He's been in the league so long you assume he's 28, 29. But he's 23. He's going to have six years in by the time he's 25."

-- By Stan McNeal

THE BALLOT BOX
Felix Hernandez, SP, Mariners: 9 1/2 votes
Tim Lincecum, SP, Giants: 6
Zack Greinke, SP, Royals: 4
Chris Carpenter, SP, Cardinals: 1
Roy Halladay, SP, Phillies: 1
Justin Verlander, SP, Tigers: 1/2

Best swing

The choice: JOE MAUER, C, Twins

What's it like to be the hitting coach for Joe Mauer, owner of the majors' sweetest swing and best batting average (.336) over the past four seasons? No one knows better than Joe Vavra, whose first season in that role with the Twins was 2006, the year Mauer won his first of three A.L. batting titles. Vavra explains to SN how Mauer makes his job simple:

We don't talk much about mechanics because there's no need to. Mostly, we talk about plan of attack. His swing is pretty natural. Since I've been around him, he hasn't changed anything other than a little about his routine before walking up to the plate. He keeps everything simple.

As for last season's increase in home runs (from nine in 2008 to 28 in '09), first of all, he was healthy. There was a little more shortness to his swing, a more direct path to the ball. He eliminated some of the extra at the top of his approach.

He has the complete package: mind, body, hand-eye coordination. The rest is confidence. Catchingwise, he's setting a new bar offensively, but he's not satisfied. He wants to move beyond his goals. Would he say that? Probably not. He doesn't say much about goals. That's the humble, professional approach he has. In this day and age, it's an honor and kind of a privilege to be around an incredible talent who doesn't have to self-indulge himself.

-- As told to Stan McNeal

THE BALLOT BOX
Joe Mauer, C, Twins: 12 1/2 votes
Albert Pujols, 1B, Cardinals: 5 1/2
Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres: 1
Chipper Jones, 3B, Braves: 1
Manny Ramirez, LF, Dodgers: 1
Chase Utley, 2B, Phillies: 1

Best outfield arm AND best leadoff hitter

The choice: ICHIRO SUZUKI, RF, Mariners

Nine 200-hit seasons. Nine Gold Gloves. Nine All-Star selections.

If Ichiro played in pinstripes, chances are he'd have a borough named after him by now.

His .333 average in nine seasons atop Seattle's lineup ranks 28th all-time -- better than Joe DiMaggio and Stan Musial. His 262 hits in 2004 are a single-season MLB record. Only six outfielders have bagged more Gold Gloves.

For more on the 36-year-old speedster, SN turned to Mike Hargrove, Ichiro's Mariners manager in 2005, '06 and half of '07.

SN: What makes him such a great leadoff hitter?
HARGROVE: He's not a prototypical leadoff hitter. He swings at a lot of pitches, and sometimes they're not strikes. He swings at pitches he thinks he can handle. He's fast, and he puts the ball in play. That makes up for the fact that he doesn't draw a lot of walks. He still has a good on-base percentage and scores a lot of runs. In that regard, he's as good as there is.

SN: What's so special about his throwing?
HARGROVE: At one time, his arm was probably as good as anybody who ever played the game. He still has as good an arm in right field as anybody in the game; he's just not 21 years old anymore. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a perfect cannon, he had a 9, and now he has an 8-plus so there's not much difference. It's just a natural progression of age. He has above-average accuracy and is very fundamentally sound when he throws.

SN: What's his No. 1 strength as a player?
HARGROVE: He has incredible hand-eye coordination. That's what allows him to hit pitches as he's heading toward first. He usually does that on pitches down and away. Rod Carew could do that, too, not necessarily the same way.

SN: What about speed?
HARGROVE: I've seen him hit two-hoppers to the shortstop playing back and beat them out. Defenses usually come up on the corners and the shortstop shallows up to try to neutralize his speed, but that ends up opening a lot of spots on the field for him.

SN: Would he be better suited for the three-hole?
HARGROVE: He has the kind of ability to hit anywhere in the lineup. I toyed with the idea of hitting him third because he's such a productive hitter. But to move him out of the leadoff spot, you have to have someone who can do as well or better than him. I think the two most important spots are the one-hitter and the four-hitter, so Ichiro is hitting where he should -- in the leadoff spot.

SN: Could he hit for power?
HARGROVE: You watch him take batting practice and he hits them as far as you'll ever want to see a ball hit. He tries to hit everything out of the park when he's taking batting practice.

SN: How does he do that at 5-9, 160?
HARGROVE: Leverage. Hitting isn't all about strength. When he wants to pull the ball, he gets into good position where he can leverage the ball and get really good bat speed. You look at Ichiro with his shirt off and he doesn't look imposing, but look closer. He's toned, he's strong, he's very, very fit.

SN: Is he the best you've managed?
HARGROVE: If he's not, he's as good as any. You take some of the others -- Eddie Murray, Kenny Lofton, Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez -- and they all have the things that make them great. ... Ichiro knows himself really well. He's so strong mentally that I don't think he even considers the fact that there's something he doesn't do well in the game. That's a great strength to have. The game will beat you down, and he doesn't allow that to happen.

-- By Stan McNeal

THE BALLOT BOX (outfield arm)
Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners: 13 votes
Jeff Francoeur, RF, Mets: 4 1/2
Carlos Gonzalez, LF, Rockies: 1 1/2
Jose Guillen, RF, Royals: 1
Josh Hamilton, CF, Rangers: 1
Hunter Pence, RF, Astros: 1

THE BALLOT BOX (leadoff hitter)
Ichiro Suzuki, RF, Mariners: 11 votes
Derek Jeter, SS, Yankees: 4
Chone Figgins, 3B, Mariners: 3
Grady Sizemore, CF, Indians: 3
Brian Roberts, 2B, Orioles: 1

Best strategist

The choice: Tony La Russa, Cardinals

Tony La Russa studies the numbers as much as any manager, but his strategy is based on much more than the "book." Three men who've managed against him share what makes him the game's best strategist:

BUD BLACK
Padres manager
"Tony was very instrumental in the development of the bullpen and how it's used today. The media might overstate how many pitching changes he makes because we all do it now. But he was about the first to do that, and he's been doing it the longest. With the way he built his staff in Oakland, you could say he laid the initial groundwork for the modern-day bullpen."

PHIL GARNER
Former Astros, Brewers and Tigers manager
"He's consistent in whatever he does, and that includes the times when he doesn't go by the numbers. When I was with Milwaukee (in the A.L.) and he was in Oakland, we had Fernando Vina. For the years I had him, Vina (a lefthanded hitter) hit lefthanders better -- much better -- than he hit righthanders. But every situation when there was a move late, Tony still would bring in a lefthander to face Vina. Now, is bringing in a lefty to face a guy who hits a lot better against lefthanded pitchers going by the book? If you're playing the numbers, the book is supposed to be statistical numbers. The thing I would give Tony is he stayed with it. Maybe that's the beauty of Tony. By playing it the same way every time, his player knew in that situation he would be coming in. Tony was being consistent in how he used his players, and there's something to be said for that."

JIM RIGGLEMAN
Nationals manager
"He's thoroughly prepared. He has all of his information, but he's also not afraid to manage by his gut or by emotion, either his or the emotion of the player he's making a decision about. If that guy isn't the best matchup (statwise), Tony might feel he's the most driven to succeed in that situation. He is unpredictable to manage against. How many managers would hit the pitcher eighth, or how many would have Albert Pujols at the plate and use him in a hit-and-run? Tony has been very successful at both of those many times."

-- By Stan McNeal

THE BALLOT BOX
Tony La Russa, Cardinals 14 votes
Mike Scioscia, Angels 5
Bruce Bochy, Padres 1
Bobby Cox, Braves 1
Joe Maddon, Rays 1

Most overrated player

The choices: Alfonso Soriano, LF, Cubs; Jason Varitek, C, Red Sox

Who's more overrated of the top two vote-getters? SN went to three major league scouts to break the tie.

N.L. scout: "It's Soriano because Varitek isn't overrated. Varitek is strictly on a steep decline in his career because of physical reasons. Soriano's skills, well, he should not have declined as quickly as he did. Varitek has declined because of injuries; Soriano has declined for other reasons."

A.L. scout: "Varitek plays a premium position, so he's going to always have a little more value to his club because of Soriano's defensive liabilities. There's a shortage of talent at the catcher's position, which you see with the older players out there getting jobs. Soriano is offensive and a middle-of-the-order bat, but really is a defensive liability out in the field. Of those two, Soriano would be my choice."

N.L. scout: "Overrated? I wouldn't say either one of them is. Soriano has just had chronic hamstring and other injury issues, but you talk about unbelievable bat speed and tools. His defensive ability has been lacking the past few years. Varitek knows how to call a game, but he's just lost a little bat speed. He's caught a lot of games."

-- By Ryan Fagan

THE BALLOT BOX
Alfonso Soriano, LF, Cubs: 3 votes
Jason Varitek, C, Red Sox: 3
David Ortiz, DH, Red Sox: 2
Francisco Rodriguez, RP, Mets: 2
Erik Bedard, SP, free agent: 1
Milton Bradley, LF, Mariners: 1
A.J. Burnett, SP, Yankees: 1
Jacoby Ellsbury, LF, Red Sox: 1
Vladimir Guerrero, DH, Rangers: 1
Cristian Guzman, SS/2B, Nationals: 1
Matt Holliday, LF, Cardinals: 1
Manny Ramirez, LF, Dodgers: 1
Freddy Sanchez, 2B, Giants: 1
Miguel Tejada, SS, Orioles: 1
Vernon Wells, CF, Blue Jays: 1
Carlos Zambrano, SP, Cubs: 1

This story first appeared in the January 18 edition of Sporting News magazine. If you are not receiving the magazine, subscribe today, or pick up a copy, available at most Barnes & Noble, Borders and Hudson Retail outlets.

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