Educating Twitter: Defining a Good Career

What makes for a great career?

This question was spawned by a relatively benign comparison posted to Twitter shortly after this year’s Hall of Fame results were announced. Essentially the poster was asking (I think) who was the better player, Carlos Beltrán or Dave Parker.

But he didn’t ask it precisely that way. Sure, I think he wants to know who we feel was the better player on the field during their respective careers. That’s how these things are usually intended. But it’s possible he wanted to know exactly what he asked, which is who had the better career, and that can be a very different thing than who played the best baseball depending on how we define career success.*

It could mean simply who played the best. Or it could mean who won the most. Or was honored the most. Or was respected or remembered the most. Or was paid the most. Or who did the most with the talent they were given. Or some combination of all of the above, plus other things I haven’t thought of yet.