Re: If you could go back into time to 1980 as a baseball GM.
Tony Gwynn. Neither was an impact player defensively (Ripken's sure hands plus poor range equals average, despite what his fans would like to think) and only one was an impact player at the plate. Ripken's mystique comes from the games streak, which has limited value in terms of production/winning/losing. Gwynn's mystique comes from the potential to hit .400, which has massive value in terms of winning.
Ripken was simply an average to slightly-above average hitter...a relatively consistent .280 / 20 / 80 guy. Nice for the era, but not worth throwing a party over.
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