The 5 Best Offensive Baseball Players I've Ever Seen

For today’s betting blog I wanted to talk about the 5 best offensive baseball players I’ve ever seen.

Now I know the purists will be going on about the likes of Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ty Cobb and Hank Aaron. But I’m going to restrict myself to players I’ve watched myself.

So here are the 5 best offensive baseball players I’ve ever seen, in no particular order:

1. Ichiro Suzuki. I remember when Ichiro came to the US everyone was worried that he was too small to draft and that not many Asians had played as position players. Well he proved them wrong, by winning the American League Most Valuable Player and the Rookie of the Year awards, becoming only the second player in MLB history (after Fred Lynn) to receive both honors in the same season. Probably the greatest ever hit-for-average batter I’ve ever seen and a lethal right fielder.

2. Barry Bonds. First with the Pirates, and then with the Giants, Bonds was a ruthless offensive force throughout the 90s and the early 2000s. He has obviously been discredited since his retirement because of his use of steroids, but when he was at his best there was no one who could live with him. By the numbers, he must go down as the greatest power hitter of all time.

3. Ken Griffey, Jr. An amazing fielder, prolific home run hitter, all round good guy. The game rather passed him by in the late 90s, but for a time his star shone more brightly than any other.

4. Alex Rodriguez. Has there ever been a more polarising figure than A-Rod? His massive contracts (first with the Rangers and then with the Yankees); his high profile girlfriends; his regular season dominance and his playoff slumps…

5. Manny Ramirez. Another polarising figure (did the modern era produce anything else?) who mesmerised with his batting skill but baffled with his behaviour. He even inspired a catchphrase – “Manny being Manny” – to explain yet another ridiculous stunt. But boy could he hit!