I agree but I included Mays in case people didn't want Bonds

I wouldn't mind "settling" for Willie. *

Bonds' numbers need to be set up aside for the reasons

you state. Whether he deserves to be in the HOF is an argument separate from the WAR number question.

Would you set aside all or just post-steroid numbers?

If you don't count any of Bonds' numbers after the 1998 season (assuming he started steroids before the 1999 season), his WAR per plate appearance would still finish seventh overall, ahead of Gehrig, and just barely a hair behind Mays and Williams. Obviously we don't know how Bonds' last few years would have gone, but he's still up there.

How would you set your lineup?

C Bench
1B Gehrig
2B Hornsby
3B Schmidt
SS Wagner
LF Williams
CF Trout
RF Ruth
DH Mays

I'd fudge a bit and put Mays in CF, move Trout to LF and have Williams DH.

Order
1 Hornsby
2 Trout
3 Ruth
4 Mays
5 Williams
6 Schmidt
7 Gehrig
8 Bench
9 Wagner

Hornsby or Mays leading off? Mays a better baserunner?

1 Mays
2 Hornsby
3 Williams
4 Ruth
5 Gerhig
6 Trout
7 Schmidt
8 Bench
9 Wagner

Probably not going to steal bases with that lineup!

I tried to split up the three lefties Ruth, Williams, and Gehrig.

Williams lost his age 24, 25, 26 seasons to WWII and 33 and 34 to Korea. 4.5 seasons of his prime. He might have finished 2nd in WAR per PA.

Yes but it wouldn't hurt to lead with some speed.

If for no other reason than to reduce double play chances. I agree that mixing righty lefty is probably best, I was trying to mix power and average more.

Love it. Huge Schmidt fan. Hitting him in front of Gerhig is

a bit too much imo. I could see hitting him 7th.

Consider Bond’s WAR sans steroids. It would be a lot less.

I was trying to break up the lefties

Alternatively

1 LF Williams
2 CF Trout
3 RF Ruth
4 2B Hornsby
5 1B Gehrig
6 DH Mays
7 3B Schmidt
8 C Bench
9 SS Wagner

I dont think you need to be that cute

Ruth and Gehrig hit very well against lefties in their career.

Whats interesting to me is that while I understand creating a lineup based on who had the best WAR per position, I much rather have Ty Cobb or Rickey as my leadoff hitter if you are trying to create a perfect lineup.

Cobb is close just behind Trout and Mays

I'm not sure baserunning has much value in a lineup with so many thumpers.

Bench and Schmidt might be the weakest runners and I don't think they'll gum up the base-paths.

Overall, I think you are correct that all of the lefties Ruth, Gehrig and Bons/Williams weren't hurt too much by lefties but only Bonds really ever saw the lefty relief specialist so splitting them up doesn't diminish the lineup much if at all. Leaving them in also doesn't hurt much even if the lefty specialist has a greater effect than a lefty starter.