at some point earlier this year, baseball reference began sharing immaculate grid stats. for those, like me, who have tried to keep up with the grid each day, this development was a way to confirm (or dispel) beliefs about how often certain players are used. with my desire to complete each grid with only players who appeared in the 1978 topps set (which is not always possible), i was curious to see who showed up among my most used.
i should note that back when baseball reference made previous grids available, i did go back and complete them. it's amazing how much time one has to do this sort of thing while prepping for a colonoscopy. at any rate, i have finished all of the grids, and as of march 28, that meant 726 grids. i chose to stop and document where i was at that point because that matches the number of cards in the 1978 topps set.
my stats through that date show 727 grids completed
even though there have only been 726 grids published. this is due to a glitch wherein one grid shows both a score of 0/9 and 8/9. not sure what happened there. at any rate, i am not perfect, but there is so much repetition that i have been able to use some players over and over once i learned their eligibility for certain categories. need a rookie of the year who hit .300 in a season and/or also pitched with an era below 3.00 in a season? pat zachry is your guy.
in the 726 grids recorded at this point, i've used 764 different players which speaks to the repetition that i mentioned above. without further ado, here are my top 20 players:
no surprise to me that steve garvey is number 1. and, i'm not surprised to see any of the others here. it pleases me that there are six players who were featured as dodgers in the 1978 topps set featured among my top 20. i would guess that the players next in line include the likes of al oliver, steve carlton, mike schmidt, dale murphy, dave winfield, dave kingman, and perhaps even lee lacy.
let's take a look at how these players make sense to have been used so often on the grid.
steve garvey
garvey was a mvp and gold glove winner, had more than 200 hits in a season, had seasons with a .300 or higher average, played every position other than centerfield, pitcher, and catcher, hit more than 30 home runs in a season and drove in over 100 runs in a season. he had more than 2,000 hits in his career, and he was a first round draft pick and an all-star (for two different teams).
don sutton
sutton is a hall of famer who won more than 300 games and struck out more than 3,000 hitters. he had 20 wins or more in a season, 200 strikeouts or more in a season, and an era of less than 3.00 in a season. he was an all-star for the dodgers, and pitched for five different teams which helps his eligibility tremendously.
gaylord perry
perry won two cy young awards - one in each league. like sutton he is a hall of famer who won more than 300 games and struck out more than 3,000 hitters. he threw a no-hitter, had 20 wins or more in a season, 200 strikeouts or more in a season, and an era of less than 3.00 in a season. and, he did some of those for multiple teams. one thing that really helps is that he pitched for the mariners.
dave parker
now that parker is a hall of famer, i am using him more and more. he played for the brewers which means i have one more option for that combination and can go a bit more obscure than the obvious choices of robin yount or paul molitor or even rollie fingers (although i typically still use sutton if he isn't used somewhere else). parker was also a mvp who had seasons with numbers better than a .300 average, 30 home runs, 100 rbi, 100 runs scored, and 200 hits. he was an all-star and won both gold gloves and silver slugger awards. he also has more than 300 home runs and 2,000 hits, and played part of one game at second base. his tenure with six different teams, including the blue jays, is a big help, too.
jim rice
rice was a mvp, played for just one team, hit more than 40 home runs in a season and over 300 for his career. he also hit .300 or better in a season, had more than 200 hits in a season, scored more than 100 runs in a season, was an all-star and won silver slugger and gold glove awards while playing every outfield position. add the 2,000 hit plateau, being a first round pick and the hall of fame to the list, too.
don baylor
i am always happy when i can use baylor on a grid. he usually gives me a low rarity score for whatever category i plug him into, and he is eligible for a lot of them. he was a mvp and had at least one season with more than 100 runs scored, 100 rbi, 30 home runs, and 50 stolen bases. he had more than 300 home runs and 2,000 hits in his career, and won a silver slugger with two different teams, while playing for six different franchises.
derrel thomas
if you are looking for the grid equivalent of a utility player, it's derrel thomas. he was a first round pick (first overall!) and played for seven different teams. he also played every position but pitcher during his career (i was in attendance at one of the six games in which he played catcher). he falls just short of some other categories (30 stolen bases in a season and 100 runs in a season are two that he is agonizingly close) which would have made him even more highly used than he is.
reggie smith
smith had some big years for the red sox and cardinals before joining the dodgers. put it all together (including his time with the giants) and you have someone eligible in a variety of categories including 2,000 hits, 300 home runs, 30 home runs in a season, 100 runs in a season, 100 rbi in a season, gold glove, and all-star. he also has eligibility at second base and third base in addition to his more familiar first base and all three outfield positions.
bert blyleven
one of blyleven's biggest grid benefits is the fact that he was born in the netherlands. he is also a hall of famer who struck out more than 3,000 batters and won more than 300 games. he hits on all of the typical seasonal pitching categories - 20 wins or greater, 3.00 era or less, 200 strikeouts or more - and he also threw a no-hitter. he was an all-star and is a hall of famer which, when combined with the fact that he bounced around a bit and pitched for five different teams, is a big help, too.
bobby bonds
speaking of bouncing around, bonds checks that box and then some. his time with eight different teams has me a bit surprised that he isn't higher on this list. he's gone 30/30 in a season, and has seasons with more than 100 runs, 100 rbi, 200 hits, and a .300 average. he also has some gold gloves, all-star berths, played all three outfield positions, and hit more than 300 home runs for his career.
dusty baker
baker was one of the first silver slugger winners when the award was initiated in 1980, so he is my go to when that category shows up in line with another one that he qualifies for. he qualifies for quite a few, too, including all-star and gold glove winning seasons to go with 30 home runs, .300 average, and 100 runs scored. he also played all three outfield positions plus first base, and spent time with four different clubs.
reggie jackson
mr. october was a first round pick who went on to a hall of fame career. he was an all-star, silver slugger winner, and mvp with at least one season where he posted at least one of the following: .300 average, 40 home runs, 100 runs scored, or 100 rbi. for his career, he hit more than 500 home runs and had more than 2,000 hits. he also played for four different teams and saw time at each outfield position, too.
andre dawson
dawson is one of three people in the 1978 set who played for the marlins. he played for a total of four teams, was an all-star, won rookie of the year, mvp, gold glove, and silver slugger awards, and amassed more than 300 home runs and 2,000 hits for his career. he hits a number of the yearly offensive categories as well (including 30 steals), and is a hall of famer who played all three outfield positions.
eddie murray
like dawson, murray won the rookie of the year award, gold gloves, silver sluggers, and was an all-star. he also qualifies for the 500 home run and 3,000 hit clubs which is great when some of his five teams (like the guardians franchise) show up opposite those categories. he didn't win an mvp or steal 30 bases, but he connects with most of the other seasonal offensive categories. he is a hall of famer who played at least one game at third base and left field in addition to his normal position of first base.
tommy john
john is sort of the poor man's don sutton here. he isn't in the hall of fame, didn't win 300 games, and didn't strike out 3,000 batters, but he does qualify for 200 wins and 2,000 strikeouts in addition to the other typical seasonal pitching categories. he pitched for six different teams which makes him a frequent target for me.
rod carew
rookie of the year, mvp, hall of famer, all-star, 3,000 hits, .300 career average, panamanian-born. these are the key categories for carew, along with the seasonal categories related to 200 hits, 100 runs, 100 rbi, and 30 stolen bases. you probably know he played first and second base, but he is also eligible at shortstop, third base, and left field!
rick rhoden
it makes me happy to see rhoden on this list. i use him (and terry forster) as often as i can for hitting pitcher categories. in rhoden's case, that means silver slugger and season(s) with a batting average over .300. he was also a first round pick, pitched for four teams, was an all-star, and had an era below 3.00 in at least one season.
paul molitor
molitor is a hall of famer who was an all-star and silver slugger winner, had a number of seasons in which he surpassed 30 stolen bases, 200 hits, 100 runs, 100 rbi, and/or .300 batting average. for his career, he has a batting average over .300 to go along with 3,000 hits. he spent time at every position except pitcher or catcher, and the fact that he had some of his best offensive seasons late in his career for the blue jays and twins is icing on the cake.
charlie hough
hough is one of the other 1978 topps subjects to suit up for the marlins (bob mcclure is the third). he also pitched for the rangers and white sox (in addition to the dodgers, of course). he was an all-star with the rangers, struck out more than 200 batters in a season and 2,000 for his career, and posted over 200 wins.
willie mccovey
mccovey was a rookie of the year and a mvp who is enshrined in cooperstown. he played for three different teams, hit over 500 home runs for his career, and had seasons with an average greater than .300, more than 100 runs scored, 40 home runs and/or 100 rbi. he also played the two corner outfield positions in addition to first base.
whew. that is a lot to consider!
a few days after i screenshotted my progress, the grid categories provided for a free for all. i went with a 1-9 lineup that you might expect.
