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Maryland is the best state!

srock

By srock
in Orioles Talk

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srock Veteran All-Star

srock

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If by best, we mean the most top notch star baseball players have been born here.

Sports on Earth

1. Maryland

50-plus WAR players: 9

MVP and Cy Young Awards: 7

No state responsible for at least 200 big leaguers produced 50-WAR players at a greater clip than Maryland. Despite producing only 303 total players, nine -- or one in every 33.7 players -- have gone on to reach that plateau. Seven of those nine have a plaque in Cooperstown, including Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Cal Ripken Jr. and Al Kaline. Though Maryland has helped produce some of the game's biggest stars, its hold on this top spot could be in jeopardy in the coming years, as only one active hitter from the state, Mark Teixeira, has a career WAR above even 3.0. Pitching-wise, Gavin Floyd is the only active Marylander with a double-digit career WAR.

Note, Marylander Harold Baines has 38.5 WAR, from St. Michaels.

Homerun Baker from Trappe has 62.8.

Jimmie Foxx 96.4 from Sudlersville.

That's a whole bunch of WAR per-ca-pita for the Eastern Shore.

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Palmoripken Hangout Grand Counsel

Palmoripken

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Brady Anderson was born in Silver Spring, and put up a respectable 34.8 WAR career. I'm pretty sure he didn't grow up in Maryland, though.

I think it was California. That is something though. Of course, we know Ruth and Ripken but I had forgotten about guys like Baines, Baker, Foxx, being from Maryland. Lefty Grove is sometimes named the best lett handed pitcher of all time and he was from Maryland too.

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Number5 Hangout Grand Counsel

Number5

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Brady Anderson was born in Silver Spring, and put up a respectable 34.8 WAR career. I'm pretty sure he didn't grow up in Maryland, though.

The article listed 5 of the 7 Maryland-born HOF players, and the OP mentioned a sixth, Home Run Baker, but I was wondering who the seventh HOF player born in Maryland was. Checked it out and it turns out it was a guy I never heard of - Vic Willis, a pitcher who won 249 games from 1898 thru 1910. He led the National League with 410 innings pitched for the Boston Braves in 1902.

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brooks1083 Major Leaguer

brooks1083

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Wow, I just looked at this list of people who made the show from Alabama. I had no idea we had so many people to make it. Most people know Aaron, Mays, Paige, The Wizard of Oz, and McCovey. Looking at the list, a couple of things jumped out at me, I had no idea that Matt Cain was born about 20 miles from me or that Delmon Young was born here. I would say more specifically than Alabama, it looks like Birmingham has to be high in MLB players per capita.

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brooks1083 Major Leaguer

brooks1083

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Wow, I just looked at this list of people who made the show from Alabama. I had no idea we had so many people to make it. Most people know Aaron, Mays, Paige, The Wizard of Oz, and McCovey. Looking at the list, a couple of things jumped out at me, I had no idea that Matt Cain was born about 20 miles from me or that Delmon Young was born here. I would say more specifically than Alabama, it looks like Birmingham has to be high in MLB players per capita.

On an interesting side note, Gabe Gross (if any of you remember him) played high school ball where Cain was born but was born in Baltimore.

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OsEatAlEast Hangout Grand Counsel

OsEatAlEast

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We did a study on this at the old Baseball Almanac boards. I would probably vote Pennsylvania #1. Maryland is probably 5th or 6th but shines compared to state size/population.

Which Calvert was it that lost/sold a good portion of Maryland to Pennsylvania? Was it Cecil? Wonder if he was financing Broadway plays? (Being facetious with the last question)

Edit:It was under Charles Calvert that the land dispute between the Calverts and Penns was decided.

If you would like to read up on it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penn%E2%80%93Calvert_Boundary_Dispute

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OFFNY Hangout Grand Counsel

OFFNY

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Wow, I just looked at this list of people who made the show from Alabama. I had no idea we had so many people to make it. Most people know Aaron, Mays, Paige, The Wizard of Oz, and McCovey. Looking at the list, a couple of things jumped out at me, I had no idea that Matt Cain was born about 20 miles from me or that Delmon Young was born here. I would say more specifically than Alabama, it looks like Birmingham has to be high in MLB players per capita.

The May brothers (Lee and Carlos) are alos from Alabama.

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Number5 Hangout Grand Counsel

Number5

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In the very early days of baseball (1870s and prior) a wildly disproportionate share of MLB players came from Boston, NYC, Philly, and to some extent Baltimore. That rapidly changed as the game grew and spread and the country migrated west.

Well, it is a young man's game. And you know Horace Greeley's advice to young men.

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