Tag Archives: best sluggers of the 2000s

H2H 145: Carlos Delgado vs. Mark Teixeira – Who was Better?

First base in the 21st century MLB has traditionally been a premium power position manned by some of the game’s biggest sluggers (both literally and statistically), e.g. Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Howard, etc.  In addition to these aforementioned MVP winners, Carlos Delgado and Mark Teixeira also stand out from the past two decades as consistently excellent, yet perhaps sometimes underrated big boppers at the first base position – in their respective primes, each was a near-lock to hit 30+ home runs and drive in 100+ runs per year.  Moreover, both played the majority of their careers in the AL and finished up their playing days in the bright spotlight of New York – with similar career profiles, it is an interesting profile in comparison to make:

Who was better – Carlos Delgado or Mark Teixeira?

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H2H 116: Vladimir Guerrero vs. Manny Ramirez – Who was Better?

Disclaimer: I am well aware that Manny Ramirez tested positive numerous times for steroids during his MLB career and this is the primary reason why he is currently not in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  With all of this background in mind, this head-to-head between Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez is meant to compare them based solely on their career numbers and achievements without judgment on Ramirez’s steroid use during his career.

The end of the 2011 MLB season marked the last time that baseball fans would see two of the greatest Dominican-born players ever suit up for a major league game – for nearly two decades apiece, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez were two of the game’s best sluggers.  Moreover, they were among the unique characters in the game, from Guerrero’s penchant for swinging at anything to Ramirez’s personality of “Manny being Manny”.  Even though Ramirez’s legacy has been tarnished by a number of positive steroid tests, he and Guerrero still sit at or near the top of most career hitting categories among their countrymen, thus making this an apt comparison:

Who was better – Vladimir Guerrero or Manny Ramirez?

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