The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #65 Cal Ripken Jr.

Streaking in at #65 is “Iron Man” Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken holds the all-time record for most consecutive games played at an unbelievable 2,632 which are 502 more than any other player and over 2,000 games ahead of any active player. When Ripken retired in 2001, he was the all-time leader in doubles among shortstops and 2nd all-time in home runs, RBIs, and hits. His 19 all-star game selections are four more than any other shortstop. Ripken is the only shortstop in history with 75 Offensive WAR and 35 defensive WAR and he is one of only two shortstops in MLB history to lead the league in WAR three times. Ripken joins Willie Mays and Mike Trout as the only two players in history to win two regular-season MVPs and two all-star game MVPs.

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Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

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