Answering questions on Twitter Saturday, Curt Schilling said that Manny Ramirez and Barry Bonds were the best hitters he encountered during his time on the mound, but that some artificial enhancement might have helped with that.
From Schilling’s @gehrig38 account:
It’s safe to assume the Gonzalez he’s referring to is former teammate Luis Gonzalez, a player who certainly belongs in the suspicious category when it comes to steroid use. Gonzalez never hit more than 15 homers in a season until age 30. At 33, he busted out with 57 homers, a total he never approached in any other season.
Of course, Gonzalez seems like a pretty ridiculous choice even assuming that he was clean. Of left-handed batters with at least 3,000 plate appearances since 1990, he ranks 42nd with a 118 OPS+. Jim Thome, Ken Griffey Jr. and Todd Helton are just a few of the guys that blow him out of the water.
It’s also worth noting that cheating or no, Ramirez isn’t quite in Pujols’ league as a hitter. Their best seasons match up pretty well, but Pujols’ incredible consistency can’t be beat.
Other notes from Schilling:
Best gamer, videos, teammate = Pedroia, Toughest out (runner 3rd less than 2 outs?) Gwynn, Nomar = not what I expected,
Varitek, Tommy Greene hardest workers, Mirabelli, Kevin Jordan favorite teammates, San Diego favorite city to travel if I wasn’t pitching
