The Ultimate 25-man Roster

The Ultimate 25-man roster - with every position staffed (with back-up), a five-man rotation, 2 closers and a bullpen.
Here's the catch, every letter from A to Z is represented, except for X (for obvious reasons).
Click here for the alphabetical list. Read on for my write-up.

BATTING ORDER

1 ROGERS HORNSBY playing second base. Career: .358 BA, .424 OBP. Hornsby's OBP and ability to make contact make him the obvious choice for lead-off in this lineup. Also brings some speed (135 steals).

2 WILLIE MAYS playing center field. Career: .302 BA, 660 HR, 2062 runs. Mays is the prototypical two-hole hitter: contact, power, speed (338 steals). And his glove is a nice bonus.

3 TED WILLIAMS in left field. Career: .344 BA, .482 OBP, .634 SLG. In this lineup, The Splendid Splinter would drive in 170 runs a year in this lineup. And based on who hits behind him, he could score even more than that.

4 LOU GEHRIG at first base. Career: .340 BA, .632 SLG, 493 HR, 1995 RBI. At least we shouldn't need a back-up first baseman. If Gehrig had been able to play for only one more month, he would have surpassed 500 homers and 2000 RBI.

5 HANK AARON in right field. Career: .305 BA, 755 HR, 2297 RBI, 2174 runs. Hammerin' Hank would undoubtedly be the best five-hole hitter ever.

6 MIKE SCHMIDT at third base. 1980: .286 BA, 48 HR, 121 RBI, .624 SLG. Great bat, especially for the six-hole. But Schmidt also had a great glove. And stole 174 bases in his career.

7 DAVID ORTIZ at DH. 2005: .300 BA, 47 HR, 148 RBI, 1.001 OPS. Sure, Big Papi made this list partly because his last name starts with "O", but he is also one of the most clutch hitters around.

8 JOHNNY BENCH catching. 1970: NL MVP. .293 BA, 45 HR, 148 RBI. The best all-around backstop in MLB history. Great bat, but even better behind the plate.

9 ALEX RODRIGUEZ at shortstop (that's right - shortstop). Career: .306 BA, 1998 hits, 449 HR, 1294 RBI, 235 steals. Great bat, good wrap-around speed from the 9-hole, and a good glove (when he's NOT at 3B). Not bad for a #9 hitter, eh? Also, I feel good about the fact that there are a few great hitters on the bench in case A-Rod is scheduled to bat in a "clutch" spot.

BENCH

JOE DIMAGGIO OF Career: .325 BA, 361 HR, 1537 RBI. In this role, Joltin' Joe would be the best platoon player and pinch-hitter in history.

MIKE PIAZZA C Career: .310 BA, 410 HR, 1265 RBI. Pretty strong for a back-up catcher.

GRAIG NETTLES IF,OF Career: 390 HR. His versatility is key. 3B, SS, 1B, and OF eligibility. And a great glove.

OMAR VIZQUEL IF Career: .275 BA, 356 steals. Great glove, decent bat. Great pinch-runner. Plays 1B, 2B, 3B.

DON ZIMMER 3B Great "baseball mind". Would be a great benefit in the clubhouse and on the bench.

ROTATION

1 SANDY KOUFAX - Left-hander. Career: 165-87, 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 4 no-hitters. The fireballing lefty would make a great "ace".

2 WALTER JOHNSON - Right-hander. Career: 417-279, 2.17 ERA, 1.06 WHIP. A great #2 man. Opposing hitters wouldn't stand a chance after facing Koufax in the previous game.

3 STEVE CARLTON - Left-hander. Career: 329-244, 3.22 ERA, 4136 K's. Another hard-throwing lefty.

4 CY YOUNG - Right-hander. Career: 511-316, 2.63 ERA, 1.13 WHIP. The all-time wins leader as the #4 man?! Brutal!

5 LUIS TIANT - Right-hander. Career: 229-172, 3.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, .236 OPP AVG. "El Tiante" would settle in to the #5 role nicely after being the "ace" at every stop of his MLB career.

CLOSERS

(I have two, a righty and a lefty. Why? Because I can)

1 DENNIS ECKERSLEY - Right-hander. Career: 197-171, 390 saves, 3.50 ERA. Dominant as a closer. And could move into the rotation if needed.

2 SPARKY LYLE - Left-hander. Career: 238 saves, 2.88 ERA, 1.28 WHIP. Never overpowering but always effective.

BULLPEN

DAN QUISENBERRY - Right-hander. Career: 244 saves, 2.76 ERA, 1.18 WHIP. Gotta have a sub-mariner!

JOHN FRANCO - Left-hander. Career: 424 saves, 2.89 ERA. Could throw in 90 games in a season if needed. Good set-up man to get to the closers.

JASON ISRINGHAUSEN - Right-hander. Career: 242 saves, 3.57. Would be used as a 6th and 7th inning guy in this bullpen. Could be used multiple innings if needed.

UGUETH URBINA - Right-hander. Career: 239 saves, 3.45 ERA. Used as a spot starter if needed, and in the mop-up role.

So there you have it - the Ultimate 25-man Roster from A to Z (minus X). Let the debating begin.