Tim Kurkjian Doesn't Hesitate Naming Most 'Important Baseball Player Ever'

"Jackie Robinson, let's be clear, is the most important player in baseball history. I think Babe Ruth is second, but it's not a close second. Because what Jackie Robinson did changed the game and it helped change the country," Kurkjian explained.

"Hank Aaron told me, he said, 'if it weren't for Jackie Robinson, I don't think I would have ever played in the major leagues,'" Kurkjian recalled. "And it doesn't mean that because Jackie Robinson opened it, it's that Hank Aaron watched this happen and said, 'Well, maybe I can do that someday.' ... He never thought that until Jackie Robinson came along and broke the color barrier."

For all of the lasting impact Robinson has left across culture broadly, Kurkjian says it can be easy to forget just how special of a player he was on the diamond.

"Let's not forget what a really good player he was. He wasn't just a trailblazer, OK? He was a great second baseman. He was a great first baseman in his first year," he pointed out. "And I'm not sure there's ever been a greater athlete to play in the major leagues than Jackie Robinson."

Today, and everyday we celebrate the legend of Jackie Robinson. And he's deserved of every flower he's ever been given.