110 Greatest Baseball Players

104.  RHP Mike Jackson, Seattle Mariners

Jackson broke into the Majors with Philadelphia in 1986 and made his mark in 1987 as a setup man and part-time closer.  After the two seasons in Philadelphia, Jackson spent five seasons with the Mariners, three seasons in San Francisco and Cleveland and a season apiece in Cincinnati, Houston, Minnesota, and the White Sox before retiring.  In his career he had 62 wins, 67 losses, 142 saves and 1,006 strikeouts.  The true testimony to his greatness is his longevity, though.  He pitched 17 seasons in the Majors, and over that span he pitched in 1,005 games and recorded 1,188 innings pitched, maintaining a 3.42 ERA throughout his career.

Honorable Mention:

3B Aramis Ramirez, Chicago Cubs

In 1997, Ramirez emerged as a top prospect in Pittsburgh and was named the Carolina League MVP.  In 1998, Ramirez was again named a top prospect, reached the Major Leagues at the age of 19, and was suspended for five games for participating in a brawl.  He participated in the Futures Game on the World Team in 1999.  He won a Player-of-the-Week Award in 2001.  He was suspended for seven games for charging the mound in 2002.  He was traded to the Cubs in 2003.  He won a Player-of-the-Week Award in 2005 and played in the All-Star Game.  He played in the All-Star Game in 2008.  He won a Player-of-the-Week Award in 2010.  He's hit three home runs in a game three times.  Ramirez isn't yet ranked highly enough to crack this list, but LeRoy thinks he's coming along nicely.  He seems to have found a home in the Cozy Confines, he figures to have something like seven years left in the Majors, Wrigley Field is small and the ball flies in the warmer months, global warming is yielding more home runs, and Ramirez has already hit 315 home runs.

OF Reggie Sanders, Cincinnati Reds

Sanders first came to note in 1990 when he was named the Midwestern League MVP.  He emerged as a top prospect with Cincinnati in 1991.  In 1992, he was again named a top prospect and was named to the Topps All-Rookie Team at the end of the season.  In 1994, Sanders gained notoriety when he charged the mound after being hit by a pitch that broke up a perfect game by then-Montreal Expos RHP Pedro Martinez; Sanders was suspended five games for the incident.  In 1995, Sanders hit three home runs in a game, won a Player-of-the-Week Award, participated in the Home Run Derby, and played in the All-Star Game.  Sanders went to San Diego in 1999 where he won a Player-of-the-Week Award.  Sanders played for Atlanta in 2000.  He moved onto Arizona in 2001 where he won a World Series.  He played for San Francisco in 2002.  He then moved onto Pittsburgh in 2003 where he won a Player-of-the-Week Award.  He then spent two years apiece in St. Louis and Kansas City before retiring.  Sanders finished his career with 305 home runs.  He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2012.  LeRoy doesn't know about Cooperstown, but he didn't make the cut on our list.

LF Greg Luzinski, Philadelphia Phillies

Luzinski first came to note when he was drafted in the first round by the Phillies in 1968.  In 1970, he was named the Eastern League MVP and broke into the Majors at the age of 19.  He won a Player-of-the-Month Award in 1973.  He played in the All-Star Game in 1975.  He played in the All-Star Game in 1976.  In 1977, he won two Player-of-the-Week Awards, a Player-of-the-Month Award and played in the All-Star Game.  He won a World Series with the Phillies in 1980.  He finished his career by playing four seasons with the White Sox before retiring.  Luzinski finished his career with 307 home runs and 1,128 runs batted in.  He was snubbed by the BBWAA for entrance into the Hall of Fame and he didn't make LeRoy's list either.