Due to his speed and power, many considered Willie Mays as the best all-around baseball player. With each passing year, the game loses more of its hallmark stars.

With Mays’ passing, the question can now be posed – who is the greatest living baseball player? Is it Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, Ken Griffey Jr., or Mike Schmidt to name a few?

In this week’s version of my Behind the Plate column - investigating past and present trends with the Phillies, Mets, and Yankees as well as the overall game – I’ll reveal the likely best living players at each position as well as some of the remaining Phillies, Mets, and Yankees still with us.

All of these choices aren’t necessarily in any order:

Pitcher- There are a number of candidates here. Within the three teams, it is Steve Carlton, Jerry Koosman or Jacob DeGrom, and Andy Pettitte or Ron Guidry (You could argue Roger Clemens here).

On the national front, there’s Clemens, Sandy Koufax, Greg Maddux, Juan Marichal (ironically ended his career with the Dodgers), Jim Palmer, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson, and Nolan Ryan. Do you put John Smoltz and Justin Verlander in the mix?

Koufax is still regarded as the greatest living pitcher, but Carlton isn’t far behind. Ryan’s longevity and production should always be respected, and Marichal’s and Palmer’s dominance is often lost in the shuffle.

Catcher – Bob Boone-Darren Daulton (tie), Mike Piazza, and Jorge Posada top the big three.

The rest are Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, Ivan Rodriguez, Buster Posey, Joe Torre, and Ted Simmons.

Bench easily is a top-10 modern-day player, and Simmons and Torre are overlooked here.

First base – Ryan Howard, Ed Kranepool (Keith Hernandez close), and Don Mattingly top the list.

This is quite a productive list of Jeff Bagwell, Miguel Cabrera, Todd Helton, Eddie Murray, Luis Pujols (703 homers), and Frank Thomas.

Al of these guys put up some impressive numbers through the years. Cabrera was a dominant as they come.

Second base – Chase Utley, Edgar Alfonso, and Willie Randolph/Robinson Cano set the pace.

The best of the rest is Rod Carew, Joe Morgan, Craig Biggio, Lou Whitaker, Roberto Alomar, and Ryne Sandberg.

Carew was the ultimate hitter in the 70s, and Biggio and Sandberg both produced some big numbers.

Shortstop – Jimmy Rollins (Larry Bowa is the sentimental choice), Jose Reyes, and Derek Jeter are the locals.

Cal Ripken Jr., Robin Yount, Ozzie Smith, and Alan Trammel all have impressive resumes.

There was some skillful leather among this bunch, and they had their share of power. Yount hit 251 homers and was a rotisserie league favorite.

Third base – Schmidt, David Wright (liked Howard Johnson), and Alex Rodriguez are the favorites.

Wade Boggs, George Brett, Chipper Jones, Paul Molitor, Bill Madlock, and Adrian Beltre are a small, elite class. You can add Edgar Martinez, but he primarily was a DH.

This was a Hall-of Fame class. Molitor (234 homers) and Beltre (477 homers) are both unsung. Don’t forget Jones’ years, and Madlock won two batting titles.

Left field – Greg Luzinski, Cleon Jones, and Roy White are the top choices.

Other notable ones through the years are Rose (played primarily here), Carl Yastrzemski, Ricky Henderson, Barry Bonds, Tim Raines, and George Foster.

This was another star-studded bunch full of speed, power, and grittiness.

Center field – Garry Maddox, Carlos Beltran, and Bernie Williams controlled the middle well.

Those who took control in the outfield were Griffey Jr., Andre Dawson, Andruw Jones, Steve Trout, Mookie Betts (now at short) Paul Blair, and Steve Finley.

Blair was one of the best with his glove, and Dawson was a consummate player. Finley’s 2,000-plus hits and steady glove can be forgotten.

Right field – Bobby Abreu, Darryl Strawberry, Manny Ramirez, and Dave Winfield can be recognized as their respective bests.

Some legendary players were here (Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente, Al Kaline, Hank Aaron, and Mel Ott), and some of the others were Reggie Jackson, Tony Gwynn, Ichiro Suzuki, and Larry Walker.

Aside from the machismo, Jackson was one of the best, and Gwynn, Suzuki, and Walker were hit machines.

Relief pitcher – Jonathan Papelbon, John Franco, and Marian Rivera are some surprisingly good company.

Those who made the bullpen their home in style were Rollie Fingers,

Lee Smith, Randy Myers, Dennis Eckersley, Jeff Reardon, Sparky Lyle, and Goose Gossage for starters. How about Kent Tekulve?

Many forget that Papelbon is the Phils’ all-time saves leader. Rivera can be in his own class. The rest all helped reshape the game.

Was It Worth It?: Will Bonds and Clemens ever be recognized as possibly the best at their positions and included in the game’s top 10-20 players? There are plenty of supporters on both sides on whether their steroid use should be ignored.

In my opinion, they could be Hall of Famers aside from the steroid years, but they shouldn’t be revered as the game’s greatest because of their usage that changed their stats.

According to a past ESPN study, Bonds was projected to have 551 homers and his actual total was 762. His WAR (Wins above replacement) mark should have been 128.7 and it was 164.4, and his OPS was projected to be 152 and it was 182.

In Clemens’ case, his projected win total was 298 and it actually was 354. His strikeout total was projected to be 4,227 and it was 4,916, and his WAR was projected at 111.3 and it was 132.7.

Looking at the numbers, you may wonder was the usage worth it.

Wild Times: There is enough chatter already about the July 30 trade deadline mainly due to the Wildcard Mania.

As of Friday in the NL, there were six teams - one being the Mets - within a game of each other behind the Atlanta, St. Louis, and San Diego.

In the AL, Kansas City, Minnesota, and Boston were within 1.5 games of each other.

It will be more difficult to make trades among those teams, and the White Sox look to unload their share of players. The A’s will also be active.

Time Passages: Each week, I’ll recount a memorable game from our past. This time around, it’s Mays’ final game in Philly.

On June 18, 1973, Mays went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts against Ken Brett in the Phillies’ 9-6 victory. Brett hit a solo homer, had a sac fly, and went the distance.

Mike Schmidt drove in three runs, one with his fourth homer of the season. Future Phillies’ skipper Jim Fregosi had two errors at short.

A year earlier, Mays hit his final homer at the Vet, a two-run shot off Steve Carlton in the eighth inning that gave the Phillies a 4-3 victory.

Mays was an overall .297 hitter against the Phils but was just 6-for-36 in the 13 games he played at Veterans Stadium in his final two seasons. In Philly, he hit .290 with 20 home runs.

So, who is the best player alive? It’s a tough call, and you can decide. Feel free to let me know.

Your comments, thoughts, and ideas are welcomed at tnsports@tnoline.com.