Three Hall-of-Famers and five contemporary greats meet-up in continuing Round One action. Rogers Hornsby, George Sisler, and Duke Snider see how the all-time greats stack up against Jack Clark, speedsters Omar Moreno and Marquis Grissom, Brady Anderson, and Carlos Gonzalez.
The Players
![rogers-hornsby-Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/rogers-hornsby-card-730x1024.png)
Rogers Hornsby has a legitimate chance in this tournament and I expect him to at least make the finals. Two triple crowns and seven batting titles combined with excellent power and the second-highest career batting average at .358 makes him the obvious choice as the greatest right-handed batter in major league history.
![George Sisler -Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/George-Sisler-card-730x1024.png)
Sportsman Park in St. Louis in the 1920s must have been quite a place. While Hornsby was racking up .400+ seasons for the Cardinals, George Sisler was doing the same for the Browns. A lifetime .340 average makes him a tough competitor.
![Duke-Snider -Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Duke-Snider-Card-730x1024.png)
New York baseball in the 1950s had three major league teams: the Yankees, Giants, and Brooklyn Dodgers and they all had hall-of-fame center fielders: Willie, Mickey, and The Duke – Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Duke Snider. Snider had solid power numbers and a .295 lifetime average over an eighteen-year career.
![Jack-Clark -Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Jack-Clark-Card-730x1024.png)
Jack Clark is exactly the kind of hitter whose performance I wanted to see in this tournament. “Jack The Ripper” had a lot of walks to off-set his batting average and good power numbers during the pitching-rich 1980s.
![Omar-Moreno-Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Omar-Moreno-Card-730x1024.png)
Omar Moreno made the tournament on the strength of his 487 career stolen bases. We’ll see how important speed is.
![Marquis-Grissom-Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Marquis-Grissom-Card-730x1024.png)
Like Moreno, Marquis Grissom is in based on his 429 stolen bases. He also 227 career home runs to go along with his four Gold Gloves.
![Brady-Anderson-Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Brady-Anderson-Card-730x1024.png)
Brady Anderson was a solid player and great leadoff man for the Baltimore Orioles. In 1996, he had a career year with 50 home runs and a 1.034 on-base plus slugging.
![Carlos-Gonzalez-Greatest Player Playoff card](https://baseballsgreatestplayerplayoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Carlos-Gonzalez-Card-730x1024.png)
Speaking of OPS, Carlos Gonzalez, who is still playing, made the tournament by placing among the lifetime leaders in that category.
The Results
Player | Wins | Losses | Pct. | GB |
Rogers Hornsby | 108 | 46 | .701 | *WON* |
Duke Snider | 91 | 63 | .591 | 17.0 |
George Sisler | 87 | 67 | .565 | 21.0 |
Jack Clark | 80 | 74 | .519 | 28.0 |
Carlos Gonzalez | 78 | 76 | .506 | 30.0 |
Brady Anderson | 64 | 90 | .416 | 44.0 |
Omar Moreno | 60 | 94 | .390 | 48.0 |
Marquis Grissom | 48 | 106 | .312 | 60.0 |
He’s one of my favorite players and Rogers Hornsby took this one in the face of some decent competition. He placed first on the strength of a +236 run differential and an OPS of .696 vs the league’s .569. George Sisler hit .253 to Hornsby’s .243 while the rest of the league combined for .194.
There were 5 no-hitters, including a perfect game by a Tom Seaver.
Hornsby and Sisler are joined by Duke Snider, Jack Clark, and Carlos Gonzalez who finished in fifth place but had a winning percentage over .500. They head to Round 3 while the others will head to Round 2 for a second chance.