Adam Jones with the catch of the year

[valpo04]

I love the Seattle announcer's call (third call in this clip)... "That is one of the greatest catches you will EVER see...THIS YEAR!"

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=15451861&topic_id=11493214&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_15451861

   

[78crusader]

Valpo 04--

I agree, awesome catch!

Best catch of all time: Gary Matthews of Texas on July 1, 2006 against Houston.  If I knew anything about computers, I could post the link. 

By the way, I think the Orioles should bring back the Happy Oriole logo!  Paul

[valpo04]

Valpo 04--

I agree, awesome catch!

Best catch of all time: Gary Matthews of Texas on July 1, 2006 against Houston.  If I knew anything about computers, I could post the link. 

By the way, I think the Orioles should bring back the Happy Oriole logo!  Paul

This one?


http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13118995&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_13118995

That was amazing too!


...and yes, I wish the O's would bring back the cartoon bird!

[78crusader]

Yep, that's the one!

What do you think?  Best of all time?  I think what makes it the best is that he had to jump up and then twist at the same time to make the grab.  Not to mention he's running with his back to the ball.  I think this is right, that Joe Torre called it the best play he had ever seen.  I will admit, though, the Adam Jones' catch is pretty special.

Go Orioles!

Paul

[valpo04]

Currently having a debate with a friend... He claims that Dwayne Wise's catch to preserve Mark Buehrle's perfect game is the best, because of the situation.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5699255&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_5699255

I say that it was a great catch, considering the situation but Matthews' catch was better and the situation shouldn't matter in the determination.

What do you think?

[covufan]

All three are great catches!  Wise's was special because of the perfect game situation, and the fact that he came into the game that inning.  He was also going near full speed when he started his jump, and still needed to bobble catch the ball.  Matthews' was amazing because of how far back and up he had to go to steal the home run.  Jones had an eye on the ball the whole way, but still needed to look away a few times.  Amazing that he was able to complete the over the shoulder catch knowing that the wall was coming up fast!

[dcvalpo]

Those are all pretty sweet, but they don't compare to Mays' catch of Vic Wertz's blast in '54.  The magnitude of that play both in its time and its place in baseball history are huge.

[valpofan56]

My favorite catch is when Torii Hunter robbed Barry Bonds in the 2002 All Star Game.  Great moment on a national stage.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=9109823

[StlVUFan]

Currently having a debate with a friend... He claims that Dwayne Wise's catch to preserve Mark Buehrle's perfect game is the best, because of the situation.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5699255&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_5699255

I say that it was a great catch, considering the situation but Matthews' catch was better and the situation shouldn't matter in the determination.

What do you think?

This reminds me of how the Christian Laettner buzzer beater is generally ranked much higher than The Shot in the history of NCAA buzzer beaters.  If you want to factor in the pressure, you might have a case because that was in an Elite 8 matchup (and it was in OT) while The Shot was in the opening round, but if you decide that the game context is irrelevant it's a gross injustice because Laettner's was an incredibly simple play that benefited from Kentucky's lazy-ass defense.  The Shot required two passes, a complicated scheme, and took place without a timeout to reinforce it.

Of course, given the simplicity of the Duke-UK shot and the lackadaisical defense, it's not an open-and-shut case even in context.

Still, it all depends on how you want to judge it.