April 6, 1930
As we get ready for Opening Day, here are the 20 best players, the 20 best pitchers, and the 10 best prospects in the game. Each player is listed with his team, his age, and his position.
Code:
Top Twenty Players:
1. Al Simmons NYY 27 CF
2. Lou Gehrig PIT 26 1B
3. Chuck Klein POR 25 RF
4. Mark Chappell PIT 36 3B
5. Wally Berger STL 24 LF
6. Cool Papa Bell SD 26 CF
7. Charlie Gehringer WAS 26 2B
8. Bob Fothergill WAS 32 LF
9. John Kinney PIT 35 LF
10. Dale Alexander CIN 26 1B
11. Tony Lazzeri PIT 26 SS
12. Heinie Manush OAK 28 LF
13. Jim Bottomley WAS 29 1B
14. Mike Dickey BRO 33 1B
15. Jimmie Foxx KC 22 1B
16. Arnold Burns HOL 33 LF
17. Jason Alexander WAS 32 2B
18. Francisco Zavala LA 35 CF
19. Rick Mar BAL 34 CF
20. Earl Averill STL 27 CF
Top Twenty Pitchers:
1. Satchel Paige BOS 23
2. Jim Jessup CLE 33
3. Bernardo Piniella PHI 33
4. Carl Hubbell HOL 26
5. Lefty Grove SD 30
6. Mike Crawford BAL 33
7. Jesse Hester BOS 30
8. Rob Browne BRO 31
9. Jonathon Vance SAC 32
10. Colton Blanton SF 39
11. Ed Brandt BOS 25
12. Eugene Wise CHW 33
13. Pat Caraway POR 24
14. Rafael Perez STL 33
15. Frank Shellenback HOL 31
16. Mike Chase NYG 33
17. Randall Malone OAK 34
18. Larry French BOS 22
19. Steve Poe CHC 34
20. Rudy Johnson DET 35
Top Ten Prospects:
1. Hank Greenberg MIL 19 1B
2. Jimmie Foxx KC 22 1B
3. Willie Wells WAS 21 3B
4. Dizzy Dean WAS 20 P
5. Whit Wyatt SF 22 P
6. Larry French BOS 22 P
7. Buck Leonard NYY 22 1B
8. Ben Chapman DET 21 2B
9. Joe Vosmik BRO 21 LF
10. Lefty Gomez HOL 21 P
Two players appear at positions that might seem unfamiliar to you. Lazzeri came up to the major leagues as a shortstop, if I recall correctly. Wells was a shortstop, and a good one; the Senators have moved him to third because they'll need him there more than they will at his natural position. They've got Buddy Myer, another good youngster, playing short instead of second because Charlie Gehringer isn't moving anywhere.