Want to know what makes a player one of the 100 greatest of all time? Check out the statistical write-ups of the players who made the cut, featuring records, accomplishments, and one-of-a-kind performances. These write-ups are listed alphabetically, but you can see where they rank in the top-100 by visiting the up-to-date list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All-Time.
The 100 Greatest by the Numbers
Hank Aaron RF 1954-1976
Hammerin’ Hank’s career embodies the intersection of longevity and production. His career statistical output is almost too voluminous to believe. He is baseball’s all-time leader with 2,297 RBIs. Only four other players have even reached 2,000. He’s the all-time leader in extra-base hits with 1,477. Only six other players have even reached 1,200. He’s the all-time leader in total bases with an astounding 6,856 which are 722 more than anyone else. Aaron’s 755 home runs stood as the all-time record for 33 years and they’re still the the second-most in history. His 3,771 hits are the third-most in history, behind only Pete Rose and Ty Cobb. His 2,174 runs are tied with Babe Ruth for fourth-most in history. He’s also in the top-five in career runs created and intentional walks, and the top-20 in slugging percentage and doubles. Given Aaron’s place at the top or near the top of so many categories, there’s a seemingly limitless combination of numbers that nobody else has achieved. He’s the only player with 3,000 hits and 750 home runs. He’s the only player with 2,250 RBIs and 2,150 runs. He’s the only player with 1,400 extra-base hits and a .300 batting average. He’s the only player with 700 home runs, 600 doubles, and 90 triples. He’s the only player with 2,100 RBIs, 2,100 runs, and 240 stolen bases. We could spend the next hour listing different unique combinations that Aaron produced, but the one that stands out the most is simply his career stat line. It is unrealistic to think we’ll ever see another player reach 750 home runs, 3,700 hits, 2,100 RBIs, 2,200 runs, and 6,800 total bases. Nobody else has ever come close and it’s likely nobody will. While his career totals are otherworldly, his resume is heavy on elite seasons as well. Aaron won the 1957 NL MVP, had eight top-5 MVP finishes and his 13 top-10 MVP finishes trail only Stan Musial for the most all-time. His 19 seasons receiving MVP votes are the most in history. He led the league in totals bases nine times, extra-base hits five times, home runs, RBIs, doubles, and slugging percentage four times, and his 13 consecutive seasons of at least 100 runs ties Lou Gehrig and Alex Rodriguez for the most all-time. Aaron holds the record with 20 20-home run seasons and shares the record with 15 30-home runs seasons (Alex Rodriguez). Aaron led the Braves to two World Series appearances and hit three home runs to go with a 1.200 OPS in the 1957 World Series, leading the Braves over the Yankees in a 7-game thriller.
Grover Cleveland Alexander SP 1911-1930
Ol’ Pete was one of Major League Baseball’s original OGs as he threw straight fire for the 10-year stretch from 1911-1920. Over that decade, Pete would lead the league in innings seven times, wins, WAR for pitchers, strikeouts, complete games, and shutouts six times, and ERA five times. During this remarkable run, Pete put together three consecutive 30-win seasons and four consecutive 350-inning seasons. No pitcher in the modern era has duplicated either accomplishment. Pete’s 373 career wins are tied for the third-most all-time. He’s fourth all-time in WAR among pitchers and second in shutouts. Pete is also one of only five pitchers in the modern era with at least 3,500 innings and a .642 winning percentage, and one of only six pitchers in the modern era with at least 3,500 innings and a 135 ERA+.
Jeff Bagwell 1B 1991-2005
Bagwell’s career is marked not by robust career numbers—although they are impressive—but by his ridiculous per-162 game totals. Bagwell joins Ted Williams as the only two players since 1940 with 162 game averages of at least 114 runs, 114 RBIs, and a .400 on-base percentage. He’s the only player in history to play 2,150 games or less and reach 1,500 runs and 1,500 RBIs. Bagwell is the first player since 1931— and only the third player along with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig—with back-to-back 140-run seasons. He’s the only player since 1936 to reach 152 runs in a single season. He’s the only player since 1949 with at least 143 runs and 143 walks in the same season, joining Babe Ruth and Ted Williams as the only players ever to do it. He’s one of only four players since 1950 with 1,500 runs, a 149 ops+ and a .405 on-base %, and he’s the only first baseman since the dead-ball era with 1,500 career runs and a 149 ops+. Bagwell won the NL MVP in 1994 when became just the third player since 1927 along with Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire with a single-season slugging percentage of at least .750.
Ernie Banks SS 1953-1971
Banks obliterated conventional wisdom by proving it was possible for a shortstop to be an offensive force. By the time he finished his career in 1971, his 512 career home runs were more than double the total of any other shortstop in history, paving the way for future power-hitting shortstops like Cal Ripken Jr., and Alex Rodriguez. Banks became the first shortstop in the modern era to lead the National League in home runs and lead the league in home runs twice. He was named NL MVP in 1958 and 1959 becoming the first shortstop to win multiple MVPs.
Adrian Beltre 3B 1998-2018
While somehow managing to play two decades in relative anonymity, Beltre’s credentials are no less worthy of a spot in the top 100. Beltre’s standing among third basemen as both an offensive and defensive contributor is second to none. Among third basemen who played at least half their career at the hot corner, he is the all-time leader in hits, RBIs, games played, and plate appearances. He’s second in doubles, third in home runs and WAR, and fourth in runs. His 1,151 career extra-base hits are the most all-time for a third baseman and the 14th most in Major League Baseball history regardless of position. He’s second all-time in dWAR among third basemen, and he has the 13th highest dWAR total in history regardless of position. He’s the only player in the top-15 in both extra-base hits and dWAR. Beltre is also the only player with 3,000 hits, 450 home runs, and 27 dWAR, and he’s the only third baseman with 3,100 hits, 600 doubles, and 400 home runs.
Johnny Bench C 1967-1983
Known as Little General, Bench led Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine to two World Series titles in four appearances in the 1970s. Bench excelled in all facets of the game, ranking third all-time in offensive WAR among catchers and 6th all-time in dWAR among catchers. He’s the only catcher with three seasons driving in at least 125 runs, and the only catcher to lead the league in RBIs three times. His 45 home runs and 148 RBIs in 1970 are the most by a catcher, and his 355 total bases in 1970 are tied with Mike Piazza for the highest single-season total by a catcher. Bench is the only catcher to lead the league in home runs, and he did it twice. He was named the World Series MVP in 1976, joining Mike Schmidt and Frank Robinson as the only players with two regular-season MVPs and a World Series MVP. During his World Series MVP run, Bench hit a robust .533 with 17 total bases in Cincinnati’s four-game sweep of the Yankees.
Yogi Berra C 1946-1965
No player in MLB history had more playoff success than Berra. He won a surreal 10 World Series titles with Yankees and played in 14 World Series overall. Both are the most ever. He is the all-time World Series leader in hits, doubles, and plate appearances. He’s second all-time in RBIs, runs, total bases, and third all-time in home runs and walks. While Yogi is synonymous with the World Series, his regular-season accomplishments are nothing to scoff at. Berra won three American League MVPs which are tied for the most in AL history and tied for the second-most in MLB history. His 1,430 RBIs are the record by a catcher and he ranks third among catchers in runs and fourth in home runs. His 18 all-star selections are four more than any other catcher. Yogi joins Joe DiMaggio as the only two players–regardless of position–with at least 1,430 career RBIs, 350 home runs, and fewer than 420 strikeouts.
Wade Boggs 3B 1982-1999
Boggs was one of the most feared hitters in baseball in the 1980s, leading the league in times on base for eight consecutive seasons and intentional walks for six consecutive seasons. His .328 career batting average is the 2nd highest of anyone debuting since 1941, and his .415 career on-base % is the 7th best of anyone debuting since 1951. He joins Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, and Stan Musial as the only players in Major League Baseball history with 3,000 hits, a .415 on-base %, and 575 doubles. Boggs joins Ty Cobb, Rogers Hornsby, Ted Williams, and Stan Musial as the only players to lead the league in on-base percentage six times and batting average five times. Cementing his status as one of the most difficult outs the league has ever seen, Boggs is one of only four players to have more than 1,400 walks with fewer than 750 strikeouts.
Barry Bonds LF 1986-2007
Babe Ruth was a larger-than-life figure who assaulted the record books on a nightly basis, but imagine if Ruth put up his numbers in a global, fully integrated league with twice as many players to compete against. Well, that’s Bonds. There are many statistics to support Bonds’ claim to the top spot so let’s start with some of the heavy hitters. First off, Bonds is the all-time home run king with an unbelievable 762 round-trippers. He’s also the all-time walk king with an absurd 2,558 free passes which are 368 more than any other player. Bonds was so feared by opposing managers that he was intentionally walked 688 times–a total that is 375 more than any other player. He holds the single-season record for on-base percentage with a ludicrous .609 mark (min. 500 plate appearances) in 2004. He also owns the 2nd highest single-season on-base percent total (.582 in 2002). In fact, Bonds’ 2nd best single-season on-base percentage is still 29 points ahead of any other season in history. Bonds owns the single-season slugging percentage record with a comical .863 mark. He also owns three of the top five single-season slugging percentage marks of all time. Bonds owns the three highest single-season OPS+ marks of all time, topping out with an absurd 268 in 2002. He owns the three highest single-season walk totals, including a Bondsian 232 in 2004 which is 62 more than any other player has achieved. The difference between Bonds’ all-time single-season walks record and the non-Bonds player with the next most walks in a single-season—Babe Ruth—is the difference between Ruth and the 316th player on the single-season walks list. Bonds is also #1 all-time in War for Position players and runs created, 3rd in OPS+ and runs, 4th in OPS and total bases, 5th in slugging percentage, and 6th in RBIs and on-base percentage. He’s the only player in history with at least 350 home runs and 400 stolen bases and he did it with 762 home runs and 514 stolen bases! He won seven MVPs which is four more than any other player. He finished in the top-2 nine times which is the most all-time. He’s the only player in history with at least 1,140 extra-base hits and 400 stolen bases and he did it with 1,440 extra-base hits and 514 stolen bases. He’s the only player with 500 career stolen bases and a .440 on-base percentage. He’s the only player with 500 stolen bases and a .600 slugging percentage. He’s the only player with 500 stolen bases and a 1.000 OPS. He hit at least 33 home runs in 13 consecutive seasons which is the all-time record. He has five seasons of 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases which is tied for the most all-time (with his dad). He has 10 seasons of at least 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases which is tied for the most all-time (with his dad). He led the league in WAR for Position players 11 times and finished in the top-5 15 times; both are tied for the most in history. He led the league in walks 12 times which is the most in history. He led the league in runs created nine times which is tied for the most in history. He led the league in intentional walks 12 times which is the most ever. He joins Babe Ruth as the only two players to hit at least .340 with 45 home runs in three consecutive seasons. There have only been eight seasons that have produced 45 home runs and a .500 on-base percentage and Bonds has four of them. Oh, and he did it four years in a row! Bonds walked 181 more times than he struck out in 2004 and 151 more times than he struck out in 2002. Nobody has ever even come close to those margins. Despite never playing with a Hall of Famer, Bonds led seven teams to the playoffs and produced one of the great World Series performances of all-time when his Giants lost a 7-game thriller to the Angels in 2002. In 30 at-bats, Bonds had a make-believe 1.994 OPS, an unfathomable 1.294 slugging percentage, and a ludicrous .700 on-base percentage.
George Brett 3B 1973-1993
Brett spent all 21 seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Royals. He won the AL MVP in 1980 and had a strong case in 1976 and 1985, finishing runner up both seasons. He led the league in OPS+, hits, triples, slugging percentage, and runs created three times and he won three batting crowns. He joins Stan Musial as the only two players in history with at least 650 doubles, 130 triples, and 300 home runs, and he also joins Musial as the only two players with 3,100 career hits and 300 home runs with fewer than 950 strikeouts. He’s the only player since 1942 to hit at least .390 in a single season (min. 500 plate appearances). He’s 10th all-time in intentional walks, 6th in sacrifice flies, and 7th in doubles. As impressive as Brett’s regular-season career was, he was even more impressive in the playoffs. He won the ALCS MVP in 1985 while leading the Royals to a World Series title. Among players with at least 180 postseason plate appearances, Brett is second all-time in career postseason slugging percentage (Nelson Cruz), batting average (Steve Garvey), and OPS (Albert Pujols).
Miguel Cabrera 1B 2003-active
Miggy brought the total package of patience, power, and an elite hit tool to the batter’s box during his Hall of Fame career. No piece of evidence supports that more than his claim as the only player in MLB history with 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, and over a .305 batting average. He’s also the only player with 500 home runs, 600 doubles, and over a .305 batting average. During his stellar peak that extended from 2004-2016, he won back-to-back AL MVPs, finished in the top-5 in MVP voting seven times, and the top-10 nine times. He holds the record for most seasons with 175 hits and 100 RBIs (12). His 10 consecutive seasons with at least 320 total bases is the second-longest streak of all-time behind only Willie Mays. He’s the only player since 1949 to lead the league in batting average four times and home runs twice. In 2012, he became the first player in 45 years to win the Triple Crown. Miggy is in the top-15 all-time in doubles, total bases, extra-base hits, intentional walks, and RBIs, and the top-25 in hits, home runs, and runs created. Not to be outdone in the postseason, he helped lead the Marlins to the World Series title in 2003 while also setting the record for most postseason home runs, hits, RBIs, and runs by the age of 20. He also led the Tigers to four consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history and a World Series appearance in 2012.
Rod Carew 2B/1B 1967-1985
Carew led the league in batting average seven times which is the 4th most in history behind only Honus Wagner, Ty Cobb, and Tony Gwynn. Carew joins Rogers Hornsby and Stan Musial as the only three players ever to lead the league in runs, hits, triples, batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, and OPS+ in the same season. He is the only player to have at least 235 hits, 125 runs, 35 doubles, 15 triples, 20 stolen bases, 65 walks, an OPS+ of 175, and a batting average of .388 in a single season. He was the 1977 American League MVP and finished in the top-10 six times. Carew has the 3rd highest career batting average since 1960, trailing only Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs.
Steve Carlton SP 1965-1988
Carlton’s four Cy Young awards are the third most in history, and for the first 40 years the award existed no pitcher won more of them. He is the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history with at least 325 wins, 5,000 innings, and 4,000 strikeouts. No pitcher since 1930 has more seasons of at least 23 wins (Lefty Grove, Robin Roberts, and Bob Feller also have four) and no pitcher since 1950 has more 230-inning seasons (Seaver also has 15). Carlton’s 16-consecutive seasons of at least 10 complete games are the most since 1948. He’s 4th on the all-time strikeout list, 9th in innings, and 11th in wins. Carlton helped the Cardinals reach two World Series including a World Series title in 1967. He also led the Phillies to two World Series appearances and the 1980 World Series title in which he pitched a masterpiece in game six to close out the series.
Gary Carter C 1974-1992
Carter was an 11-time All-Star who starred for the Montreal Expos and New York Mets over a 19-year career. Nicknamed “The Kid,” Carter helped lead the ’86 Mets to 108 wins—tied for the 3rd highest total since 1969—and a World Series Championship. Carter is 2nd All-Time in WAR among catchers behind only the great Johnny Bench. No catcher in MLB history has finished in the top-10 in WAR more than Carter (8). Among catchers, Carter is in the top ten all-time in runs, hits, home runs, and RBIs. He finished in the top-6 of the MVP voting four different times including a 2nd place finish for Montreal in 1980 and a 3rd place finish for the Mets in 1986.
While Carter is unquestionably one of the greatest offensive catchers in MLB history, he was an even better defensive catcher. He led the NL in games played among catchers six times, putouts among catchers eight times, assists among catchers five times, double plays turned as a catcher five times, and thrown out baserunners three times. It is that last fact that summons the old adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
Yep, that’s Gary Carter with 23 dapper fellas born in the 1800s. Carter threw out 810 stolen base attempts during his career which is by far the highest total for a catcher since the dead-ball era. Few catchers in the history of the game have matched Carter’s offensive/defensive mix, durability, and longevity.
Roger Clemens SP 1984-2007
Even among the elite pitchers in baseball history, Clemens stands out. His 24-year career is littered with one-of-a-kind accomplishments and an eye-popping run of peak longevity. Clemens’s seven Cy Young Awards are the most all-time, two more than any other pitcher. He finished in the top-3 10 times which is the most ever. He won the 1986 AL MVP, making him the only pitcher in history with more than three Cy Youngs and an MVP. Clemens’ Cy Young Awards were won over a span of 19 seasons which is, by far, the longest stretch in history. He was the 7th youngest pitcher to win the award in 1986 at the age of 24, and was the oldest pitcher to win it in 2004 at the game of 42. He won the 1986 All-Star MVP, making him the only pitcher to win the Cy Young Award, MVP, and All-Star MVP, and he did it all in the same season. What makes Clemens’ career so remarkable is his resume stacks up not just against the elite pitchers of the last 50 years, but against the OGs from more than 100 years ago. Since Major League Baseball formed in 1903, his seven seasons of at least a 160 ERA+ and 200 innings are tied for the 2nd most all-time and his eight seasons of at least a 150 ERA+ and 200 innings are tied for the most all-time. His 10 seasons of at least a 140 ERA+ and 200 innings are tied for the most and his 13 seasons of at least a 130 ERA+ and 200 innings are also tied for the most all-time. His 14 seasons of at least 120 ERA+ and 200 innings are the most in history and his 19 seasons of greater than a 100 ERA+ and 170 innings are tied for the most in history. Clemens’s six seasons of at least 20 wins and fewer than 10 losses are tied for the most in history and his five seasons of at least 20 wins and fewer than eight losses are the most all-time. He pitched 12 seasons with at least 30 starts and no more than 10 losses which are the most in history. He pitched three seasons with at least an .800 winning percentage and 30 starts which are also the most all-time. He’s the only pitcher with at least 600 career starts and at least a .658 winning percentage and the only pitcher with at least 4,000 strikeouts and a .658 winning percentage. Clemens had three seasons of at least a 210 ERA+ and 210 innings which are tied for the most since 1919. His 143 career ERA+ is the highest since 1929 (min. of 3,000 innings). Clemens led the league in ERA+ eight times which is the most since 1929 and the 2nd most by a pitcher. He led the league in field independent pitching nine times which is tied for the most all-time and shutouts six times which is the most since 1913. Clemens took six teams and three different franchises to the World Series and led the Yankees to back-to-back World Series championships in 1999 and 2000 in which he pitched a combined 15.2 innings with a .57 ERA and .51 WHIP.
Roberto Clemente RF 1955-1972
Clemente was a 4-time batting champion in the National League and finished in the top-5 in batting average an astonishing 10 times. He won the National League MVP in 1966 and finished in the top-10 eight times. Clemente reached 3,000 career hits in the final at-bat of the 1972 season which would sadly end up being the last at-bat of his career as he died in a plane crash while on a humanitarian trip in the offseason. While Clemente’s superior bat-to-ball skills produced 13 seasons with a batting average over .300, it was also his defense that puts him on the shortlist of greatest right-fielders in history. His 12.2 defensive WAR is the most all-time for a right fielder. He’s second all-time among right-fielders in assists and putouts and is the all-time leader in total zone runs as a right fielder. Clemente helped lead the Pirates to two World Series Championships including in 1971 when he was named World Series MVP, making him one of only four players to reach 3,000 hits and win a World Series MVP.
Ty Cobb CF 1905-1928
Cobb is a bygone of the Deadball Era where hitters stubbornly emphasized contact over power even after Babe Ruth started demonstrating the virtue of power in 1918. Cobb himself railed against the home run reportedly remarking that anyone could hit a home run if they tried. While Cobb and his contemporaries were complicit in putting the dead in deadball, there is no doubt that he was the king, ruler, and emperor of pre-1920s baseball. Nobody in baseball history dominated an era as Cobb did. He led the league in OPS+ 12 times, batting average 11 times, and hits eight times. All are the most or tied for the most in history. He led the league in OPS+ nine consecutive seasons which is the most all-time. He led the league in slugging percentage eight times, on-base percentage seven times, and stolen bases six times; all are among the top-5 in history. Cobb’s .366 career batting average is #1 all-time (min. 4,000 plate appearances), eight points ahead of anyone else. Cobb is #1 all-time in non-home run extra-base hits. He’s also #2 in runs, hits, triples, and offensive WAR. He’s in the top ten in on-base percentage, RBIs, doubles, total bases, and runs created. There are too many one-of-a-kind accomplishments on Cobb’s resume to name them all but some stand out above the rest. He’s the only player with 2,200 runs, 1,900 RBIs, and 800 stolen bases. He’s the only player with 4,000 hits and fewer than 700 strikeouts. He’s the only player with 4,000 hits and 2,000 runs. Cobb had seven seasons with a .370 batting average and at least 50 stolen bases. No other player has more than two. Cobb had 217 more career stolen bases than strikeouts. To put that in perspective, Max Carey is the only other player in history with more stolen bases than strikeouts and his margin is 43. Cobb stole home 54 times. No other player did it even 34 times. He’s the only player to hit over .408 in a season twice, and he’s the only player to achieve an on-base percentage of at least .450 in seven consecutive seasons.
Joe DiMaggio CF 1936-1951
With just 7,642 career plate appearances due to three years serving in WWII, Joltin’ Joe had one of the shorter careers among the top-100, but he made the most of them. In just 13 seasons, he won three AL MVPs, finished second in MVP voting twice, and garnered 10 top-10 finishes, while also leading the Yankees to nine World Series titles. DiMaggio spent his entire career at or near the top of statistical leaderboards. He finished in the top-5 in home runs and slugging % 10 times, RBIs, runs created, and total bases nine times, and OPS+, extra-base hits, and triples eight times. He owns the only season in MLB history with 215 hits, 45 home runs, and 150 runs and the only season with 45 home runs, 150 runs, and fewer than 40 strikeouts. Oh, by the way, he was only 22 years old when he did it. Joe’s the only player in history with more than 700 career walks, fewer than 400 strikeouts, and a .579 slugging %. He joins Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, and Lou Gehrig as the only players with 350 home runs, a .325 batting average, and a .579 slugging %. His six consecutive 125 RBI-seasons are third behind only Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth for most all-time. DiMaggio’s .579 career slugging percentage is the 10th highest in baseball history.
Dennis Eckersley RP 1975-1998
While Eck was an accomplished starting pitcher for the first half of his career—he was a 20-game winner for Boston in 1978, led the AL in ERA+ in 1979, and was selected to two All-Star games—he was a “light’s out, don’t let the door hit you on the way out” closer for the second half. He would redefine what an elite season looked like for a closer when he made the move to the bullpen for Oakland in 1987. After a successful first season as a full-time closer, Eck would catch fire in 1988, leading the American League in saves and finishing 2nd in the Cy Young voting. Eck’s two most dominant seasons and the two most dominant back-to-back seasons by a closer in Major League Baseball history came in 1989 and 1990 when he posted microscopic WHIPs of .607 and .614. His 1990 ERA of .61 is almost hard to believe and translates to an out-of-this-world ERA+ of 603. Eck’s late-inning dominance helped lead Oakland to the 1990 World Series title and three consecutive World Series appearances. Eck would put a stamp on his Hall of Fame career by winning the Cy Young and AL MVP in 1992, becoming only the 4th reliever in history to do so. Eck is the only pitcher in baseball history with at least 390 saves and 190 wins, and no player has more 45-save seasons.
Bob Feller SP 1936-1956
Like many of the elite players of the 1940s, Bullet Bob’s career was interrupted by service in WWII. Feller missed three-and-a-half seasons just as he was establishing himself as the best pitcher in baseball. It’s not hard to imagine Feller leading the league in wins for what would’ve been an unbreakable record of nine consecutive seasons had he been stateside for his entire career. In fact, he’d likely hold the records for most consecutive seasons leading the league in strikeouts and innings as well. Despite his lengthy absence from the majors, Feller put together one of the most impressive pitching careers MLB baseball has ever seen. He was the best pitcher in the American League the three years before he left for the war and arguably in his first two full seasons after returning from the war. Feller is one of only 10 pitchers to throw at least 3,800 innings with an ERA+ of at least 122. He also led the league in strikeouts seven times, wins six times and innings pitched and games started five times each.
Whitey Ford SP 1950-1967
Ford’s .690 winning percentage is the second-highest in the modern era among pitchers with at least 1,500 career innings. He’s the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history to have at least a .690 winning percentage while throwing at least 3,000 innings, and he’s the only pitcher in history with at least 230 career wins with fewer than 110 losses. Ford won the 1961 Cy Young when he pitched one of only four seasons in MLB history with at least 25 wins with fewer than five losses. While Ford was a stellar regular season pitcher it was his work in the World Series that defined his legacy. Ford is the only pitcher in history with six World Series rings and a World Series MVP. He holds the record for most career wins in the World Series with 10, three more than any other pitcher. He also holds the World Series records for games started, innings, and strikeouts. His 33 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series are the most in history for a starting pitcher, and he’s the only pitcher in history to throw at least 14 innings without allowing a run in two different World Series.
Jimmie Foxx 1B 1925-1945
Babe Ruth deservedly gets credit for being the king of the 20th century, but Foxx wasn’t far off. A quick glance at his placement on the all-time statistical leaderboard reveals a hitter worthy of his nickname: The Beast. Foxx is 4th all-time in slugging %, 5th in OPS, and 10th in on-base percentage and RBIs. With those ranks, it’s obvious we’re dealing with a serious player here. A deeper look brings Foxx’s explosive bat even more into focus. Foxx and Ruth are the only two players in history with 500 home runs, 1,900 RBIs, and a .325 batting average. In 1932, Foxx produced the only season with at least 151 runs, 169 RBIs, 58 home runs, and 213 hits. In 1938, he produced the only season with at least 50 home runs, 175 RBIs, and a .462 on-base percentage. Foxx is the only player to have two seasons with at least 48 home runs, 163 RBIs, and 204 hits. His 12 consecutive seasons of at least 30 home runs and 105 RBIs and his three seasons of at least 48 home runs and 163 RBIs are both the most all-time. His 11 seasons of 115 RBIs are tied for most with Lou Gehrig and his 4 seasons with at least 156 RBIs are also second to Gehrig. Foxx’s three seasons with at least 163 RBIs are second behind Gehrig, and his two seasons with at least 169 RBIs are the second-most behind, who else, Lou Gehrig. Foxx’s bat was equally destructive in the postseason as he led the Philadelphia A’s to three consecutive World Series appearances including back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930 in which he hit .341 with a .683 slugging percentage across 44 plate appearances.
Lou Gehrig 1B 1923-1939
It would be easy to lose sight of the Iron Horse’s significance given he played in the shadow of Babe Ruth, but the difference between the two is much smaller than the historical narrative indicates. Gehrig was eight years younger than Ruth. Ruth’s numbers were astronomical, no doubt, but it took some time for major league pitchers to adjust to hitters looking to hit home runs. By the time Gehrig reached his peak, pitchers had more tools to combat the changing game. We can only wonder what Gehrig’s numbers would’ve looked like had he arrived at the same time as Ruth and been able to feast on overmatched pitching. Although that’s fun speculation, the numbers Gehrig did put up are still almost too silly to believe. He had 13 consecutive seasons of 100 RBIs and 100 runs which is the all-time record. He had 11 seasons of at least 120 RBIs which is tied with Ruth for the all-time record. He had nine seasons of at least 140 RBIs which is the all-time record and two more than any other player. He had seven seasons of at least 150 RBIs and four seasons of at least 160 RBIs; both are the all-time records. There have only been seven seasons in history that yielded 170 RBIs and Gehrig has three of them. Unsurprisingly, that is also the all-time record. He drove in 185 RBIs in 1931 which is the second-highest single-season total of all time. Gehrig had nine seasons of at least 135 runs which are tied with Ruth for the all-time record. He had 12 consecutive seasons with at least 125 runs which is a ludicrous streak on its own but even more so considering the second-longest streak in history is four! Gehrig’s eight seasons of at least 135 runs and 135 RBIs are the most all-time. Babe Ruth is the only other player with more than two. Gehrig produced five seasons of at least 400 total bases which is the most in history and two more than any other player. He had seven seasons of at least 200 hits and 150 RBIs. Nobody else has more than three. He had four seasons of at least 200 hits and 165 RBIs. Nobody else has more than one. There have only been two seasons ever with at least 218 hits and 173 RBIs. Gehrig has both. Gehrig had seven seasons of at least 200 hits and a 1.100 OPS. Nobody else has more than four. His three seasons with at least 200 hits and an OPS+ of 200 is tied for the most ever. He had nine seasons with at least 80 extra-base hits and fewer than 80 strikeouts which is the most all-time, and he had seven seasons with at least 85 extra-base hits and fewer than 70 strikeouts which is also the most all-time. There have only been four seasons in history where a player had more home runs than strikeouts with at least 49 home runs. Gehrig has two of them. His 117 extra-base hits in 1927 are the second-highest single-season total of all-time. Gehrig is third all-time in slugging percentage, 4th in OPS+, and 5th in on-base percentage. He won two MVPs, finished runner-up twice, and had 8 top-5 finishes. Although Gehrig had one of the greatest regular-season careers in history, his production actually improved in the postseason. Among players with at least 150 postseason plate appearances, Gehrig’s .483 on-base percentage and .361 batting average are #1 in baseball history, and he’s tied for first with an otherworldly OPS of 1.214. He led the Yankees to six World Series titles in seven appearances. Of course, Gehrig’s career was tragically cut short while he was still firmly entrenched in his prime by the disease that would become synonymous with his name. Gehrig almost certainly would’ve blown past 2,000 runs, 2,000 RBIs, 3,000 hits, 600 home runs, and 600 doubles which would’ve put him in a club that would have made even the Babe envious.
Bob Gibson SP 1959-1975
Gibson’s legendary performance in the 1964 World Series helped propel the Cardinals over the Yankees in a 7-game thriller, but it was his performance in the 1967 World Series that would solidify him as one of the best big-game pitchers baseball has ever seen. Gibson won all three of his starts yielding just three earned runs over 27 innings. His complete game, 10 strikeout performance in Game 7 propelled the Cardinals to victory. Gibson’s brilliance over nine World Series starts places him right at the top of the list of greatest postseason pitchers in history. He’s the only pitcher to throw 30 strikeouts in a single World Series, and he did it twice. He also holds the 5th highest single World Series strikeout mark for good measure. He holds the record for career K/9 innings in the World Series (min. 30 innings) and his eight complete games in the World Series are the most since 1940. He’s the only pitcher since the dead-ball era to average at least nine innings per start in the World Series (min. five starts). Gibson’s heroics weren’t just limited to the postseason. His 1968 Cy Young-winning regular season is arguably the greatest season by a pitcher since the dead-ball era. His 1.12 ERA in ’68 is the lowest single-season ERA by a starting pitcher since the dead-ball era (min. 150 innings). His .853 WHIP in ’68 is the lowest single-season WHIP by a starting pitcher since the dead-ball era (min. 275 innings). It remains the only season in baseball history that yielded 300 innings, a 1.12 ERA, and a .853 WHIP. After winning another Cy Young in 1970, Gibson joined Sandy Koufax as the only two pitchers in history with at least two Cy Youngs, two World Series MVPs, and a regular-season MVP.
Tom Glavine SP 1987-2008
Glavine won two NL Cy Young awards while also finishing second twice and third twice. He led the league in wins five times which is the most by any pitcher since 1957. He’s one of only four pitchers since 1926 with at least 300 career wins and fewer than 205 career losses. Glavine finished in the top-10 in innings 12 times, wins and shutouts 11 times, and winning % 10 times. Glavine’s regular-season success carried over into the postseason where he is second all-time in postseason innings and third all-time in wins while also winning the World Series MVP for the Braves in 1995.
Hank Greenberg 1B 1930-1947
Like his fellow masher Johnny Mize, Greenberg missed a huge chunk of his peak serving in WWII. For Greenberg, the cost was even more substantial as he would miss 4.5 seasons, limiting his career to just 1,394 career games, or the equivalent of 8.5 full seasons. All Greenberg did during his short time in the league was put together one of the most extraordinary hitting stretches in MLB history. Greenberg led the league in HRs, RBIs, and extra-base hits four times, total bases and walks twice, and slugging %, OPS, and runs one time each. He’s 6th all-time in slugging %. His 184 RBIs in 1937 are the 3rd highest single-season total in history and his 63 doubles in 1934 are the fourth most in history. He won the American League MVP in 1935 and 1940 and finished third in 1937 and 1938. Greenberg is one of only five players with three seasons of at least 150 RBIs. He’s the only player with a 50 home run season and a 60 double season. He’s also the only player with a 180 RBI season and a season of at least 58 home runs. It’s wild to think what Greenberg’s career would’ve looked like with the 2,200 at-bats he lost to the war.
Ken Griffey Jr. CF 1989-2010
At 19 years old in the spring of 1989, Griffey was arguably baseball’s most hyped phenom ever. By the summer, he was a superstar. In just 455 at-bats, Griffey produced the first and only 60-RBI, 60-run, 15-home run, and 15 stolen base-season by a teenager. In 1993, he produced the first and only 45-home run, 100-RBI, 100-run, and 17 SB-season by a 23-year-old. Griffey would be robbed of full seasons in 1994 and 1995 by a player strike and injuries but his per-game averages remained elite setting up a 1996 season that would be the start of a stretch unparalleled in baseball history. From 1996 to 1998, Griffey became the first and only player with three consecutive seasons of 120 runs, 49 home runs, and 140 RBIs. From 1996 to 1999, he became the only player in history with four consecutive seasons of 120 runs, 48 home runs, and 134 RBIs. There have only been nine seasons with 48 home runs, 134 RBIs, 120 runs, and 15 stolen bases, and Griffey has four of them. By the age of 30, Griffey was well on his way to breaking Hank Aaron’s all-time home run record. Unfortunately, Griffey’s 30s would be plagued by injuries as he only managed to reach 600 plate appearances just once in his final 10 seasons. As disappointing as it was for fans to see injuries prevent Griffey from making a run at Aaron’s record, his career production is still among the most impressive in history. He’s 7th all-time in home runs and 8th all-time in extra-base hits and intentional walks.
Lefty Grove SP 1925-1941
There is no question that Grove is on the shortlist of greatest pitchers of all time. Depending on what we emphasize, he might be the greatest. No pitcher led the league more in major statistical pitching categories. He led the league in ERA and adjusted ERA+ nine times, WAR for pitchers eight times, and winning percentage five times—all the most in history. Grove won the 1931 AL MVP during this stretch with one of the great seasons ever recorded by a pitcher, going 31-4 and leading the league with a 217 ERA+. Grove’s 1931 season is the only one in history with at least 31 wins and fewer than 5 losses. Although the Cy Young Award didn’t exist during Grove’s career, there’s every reason to believe that he would’ve won six consecutive Cy Youngs from 1928-1933 which would be two more than the current record for consecutive Cy Youngs. During this stretch, he became the only pitcher with six consecutive seasons of at least 20 wins and no more than 10 losses. Grove compiled four seasons with at least 24 wins and fewer than nine losses which is the most all-time. No other player has more than two. There have only been four seasons with at least 28 wins and fewer than six losses, Grove has two of them. He’s the only pitcher with four consecutive seasons of at least 24 wins and no more than 10 losses. He’s the only pitcher with 300 wins and fewer than 150 losses, and he has the highest winning percentage among pitchers with at least 240 career wins. He owns the highest ERA+ of all-time among pitchers with at least 3,000 career innings. Grove led the Athletics to three consecutive World Series appearances including back-to-back titles in 1929 and 1930. In 51 1/3 World Series innings, he posted a 1.75 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.
Vladimir Guerrero RF 1996-2011
Vlad “The Impaler” Guerrero was every bit as feared as his 15th-century counterpart, terrorizing pitchers with his combination of power, speed, and plate discipline. Vlad’s impact is reflected by the uniqueness of his accomplishments. He’s the only player to debut since 1960 with at least a .318 career batting average and a .553 career slugging percentage. He’s the only player to debut since 1960 with a career batting average of at least .318 and a career OPS+ of 140. He’s the only player since 1950 with at least 400 career home runs and fewer than 1,000 strikeouts. He’s the only player since 1950 with at least 400 career home runs and a .318 batting average. He’s the only player since 1950 with at least 970 career extra-base hits, an OPS+ of 140, and fewer than 1,000 strikeouts. He’s the only player in history with a career .318 batting average, 400 home runs, and 180 stolen bases and he’s also the only player in history with at least 200 hits, a .330 batting average, 40 stolen bases, and 39 home runs in a single season. Vlad is 7th all-time in intentional walks. He led the league 5 times which is tied for the 4th most. He was named the 2004 NL MVP and finished third in 2005 and 2007.
Tony Gwynn RF 1982-2001
Gwynn is arguably the most skilled batsman in baseball history, using his keen eye and amazing contact skills to reach 3,000 hits in just 2,284 games which is the 3rd quickest to 3,000 and the quickest in more than 100 years. Gwynn led the league in batting average eight times and hits seven times, both ranking second behind Ty Cobb. He also led the league in at-bats/K a remarkable 10 times. His .338 career batting average is the highest since 1960 and the 18th best mark in history. Gwynn is one of only four players to hit at least .350 in four consecutive seasons and the only to do so since 1930. He’s one of only three players with at least 3,100 career hits, 300 stolen bases, and fewer than 450 strikeouts and the only player to do it since 1930. Gwynn hit over .300 in an incredible 19-straight seasons, and hit .394 in 1994 which is the best single-season mark since 1941.
Roy Halladay SP 1998-2013
Halladay was the premier pitcher in baseball from 2002-2011, racking up three 20-win seasons and two 19-win seasons on his way to two AL Cy Young awards, two second-place finishes, and seven top-5 finishes. Halladay led the league in WAR for Pitchers four times and finished in the top-4 eight times. Combining durability with precision, Halladay led the league in innings 4 times which is 7th all-time, and strikeout-to-walk ratio 5 times which is 6th all-time. He also led the league in complete games 7 times which is the second-most in history and shutouts 4 times which is the 6th most in history. Halladay is one of only 4 pitchers in the live-ball era with at least a .659 winning % and 2,000 career strikeouts.
Rickey Henderson LF 1979-2003
Rickey (or “Rickey being Rickey” as he was affectionately called) had such a unique career that simply trying to describe it is an exercise in fun. Rickey’s 1,406 career stolen bases are the most in MLB history and a whopping 468 ahead of Lou Brock for second place. There are only 47 players who even reached 468 stolen bases as a career total. The gap between Rickey and 2nd place is bigger than the gap between 2nd place and 45th place. Rickey’s 2,295 career runs are the most all-time. His 2,190 non-intentional walks are also the most all-time. He’s the only player in history with 3,000 hits and 2,000 walks. He’s the only player with 3,000 hits, 2,000 runs, and a .400 on-base percentage. Just to put into perspective how remarkable Rickey’s career was, if we cut his career hit, run, walk, stolen base, and home run totals in half, there is only one player in major league baseball history to reach those collective marks (Tim Raines). Rickey is the only player with 100 walks, 100 stolen bases, and 100 runs in a single season and he did it three times. He joins Stan Musial as the only two players with 3,000 hits, 295 home runs, and a .400 OBP. He led the league in stolen bases a record 12 times including in 1998 when he reached an astonishing 66. Rickey was the table-setter for eight playoff teams and two World Series champions while also being named the 1989 ALCS MVP.
Trevor Hoffman RP 1993-2010
Trevor Hoffman is the greatest closer in National League history and the second greatest closer of all time. If it weren’t for Mariano Rivera, Hoffman would be the gold standard by which all closers are measured. His 601 career saves are second all-time and a remarkable 123 saves ahead of Lee Smith for 3rd place. For perspective, the gap between Hoffman and Smith is greater than the gap between Smith and the 11th spot. Hoffman led the National League in saves twice and finished runner-up five times. Even more impressive is the fact that Hoffman finished in the top 10 in saves in the National League 15 times. Hoffman twice finished runner-up in Cy Young voting including in 1998 when he lost out to Tom Glavine in one of the closest results in Cy Young voting history. In fact, Hoffman actually got more first-place votes than Glavine. History repeated itself as Hoffman again just missed out in 2006 nearly equaling Brandon Webb’s first-place vote total. Hoffman’s Adjusted ERA+ of 141 is the 15th best mark by a pitcher in Major League Baseball history.
Rogers Hornsby 2B 1915-1937
While Babe Ruth was putting on a nightly fireworks display in the American League in the roarin’ 20s, The Rajah was lighting up the scoreboard in the National League. Although Hornsby’s numbers aren’t quite at the Babe’s level, Hornsby’s frequency atop the league leaderboard is unprecedented. No player led the league in offensive WAR and OPS+ more often. He also led the league in Baseball Reference’s adjusted runs, adjusted batting wins, and offensive win percentage more than any other player in history. Hornsby’s .358 career batting average is the second-highest of all-time (min. 4,000 plate appearances) and his 175 OPS+ is the 5th highest in history. Hornsby led the league in on-base percentage and slugging percentage nine times, runs created eight times, and batting average and total bases seven times. He is one of only five players with at least a .434 on-base percentage and a .577 slugging percentage, and the company he shares that with—Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Ted Williams, and Lou Gehrig—speaks for itself. In 1922, Rajah produced the only season in history with a .400 batting average and 450 total bases. Hornsby won the 1925 and 1929 NL MVPs and should’ve won in 1924 when he produced the only season ever with at least a .424 batting average and a .507 on-base percentage (min. of 100 at-bats). He also became the only player since Major League Baseball formed in 1903 to lead the league in runs, doubles, home runs, RBIs, hits, on-base percentage, batting average, slugging percentage, OPS+, and total bases in the same season. Hornsby won the Triple Crown in 1922 and 1925 joining Ted Williams as the only two-time triple crown winners.
Carl Hubbell SP 1928-1943
When it came to baserunners, nobody was stingier than King Carl. He led the league in WHIP six times which is the most in MLB history (Cy Young predated MLB). Hubbell’s four consecutive seasons leading the league in WHIP are tied for the most all-time, and he’s the only player to lead the league in WHIP six times over an eight-year span. Hubbell won the National League MVP in 1933 and 1936, becoming one of only three pitchers to win two MVP awards. Hubbell led the league in K/BB ratio five times and wins and ERA three times each. He was at his best in the 1933 World Series when he pitched a shutout in game 1 and came back to throw an 11-inning shutout in game 4, becoming only the second pitcher to throw at least 20 innings in a single World Series without allowing a run.
Reggie Jackson RF 1967-1987
When Jackson wasn’t being programmed to kill the Queen of England or lighting up the scoreboard in RBI Baseball, he was launching rockets into the darkness of the night, typically in the month of October. Jackson wore three different uniforms over his 21-year career and he mashed in all of them. He’s the only player in MLB history to lead the league in home runs for three different franchises. He won the 1973 AL MVP with Oakland and finished in the top-5 of the MVP voting five times. He led the league in OPS+ four times and finished in the top-10 11 times. He led the league in home runs four times, finished in the top-10 13 times, and the top-five 11 times. While Jackson’s regular-season exploits made him the premier slugger in the American League in the 1970s, it’s what he did in the World Series that earned him the moniker Mr. October. Jackson’s heroics were never on display more than when he hit three home runs on three pitches in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, clinching the championship for the Yankees and earning him the World Series MVP. Jackson also won the 1973 World Series MVP becoming the only player to win a World Series MVP with two different teams and the only hitter to win two World Series MVPs. Jackson led five teams to World Series titles in six appearances. He shares the record for most home runs in a single World Series game, most home runs in a single World Series, and his 10 career World Series home runs are the most since 1956.
Ferguson Jenkins SP 1965-1983
Jenkins used his pinpoint control and tireless arm to become one of only six pitchers in MLB history (and only the second in the last 100 years) to throw 4,500 career innings with a WHIP less than 1.15 and a BB/9 of 2 or less. Fergie led the league in wins twice and finished in the top-3 seven times. He led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio and BB/9 five times, complete games four times, and finished in the top-10 in WHIP an astounding 13 times. He won the 1971 NL Cy Young Award and nearly won it four more times finishing 2nd in 1967 and 1974 and 3rd in 1970 and 1972. Jenkins is the only player to have at least 24 wins and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of at least 7.0 in the same season. He’s the only player in the last 100 years with at least 265 career complete games and a WHIP under 1.15. He’s the only player in the last 100 years with a season of at least 30 complete games and a BB/9 of 1.0 or less. He’s one of only three players in the last 100 years to lead the American League and the National League in wins. He’s the only player in the last 80 years with a season of 25 wins and a BB/9 of 1.2 or less, and he’s one of only four players in the last 100 years to win at least 115 games in both leagues.
Derek Jeter SS 1995-2014
Jeter earned the nickname “Mr. November” by becoming the face of postseason baseball, winning a remarkable five World Series titles in seven appearances during his 20-year career. No player since 1957 has won more or appeared in more World Series. He’s the all-time playoff leader in hits, doubles, triples, and runs. He’s third all-time in playoff home runs, 5th in walks, and 6th in stolen bases. Jeter was no slouch in the regular season, finishing in the top-10 in MVP voting eight times. His 3,465 career hits are the 6th most in history, and he has the most hits ever by a shortstop while also ranking second in runs by a shortstop.
Randy Johnson SP 1988-2009
The Big Unit is universally regarded as one of the top 20 players in history which is why he is one of the most—if not the most—underrated players of all-time. His resume is much more appropriate in the top-6 baseball players ever than outside the top-10. His list of accolades combined with the era in which he achieved them puts him in the conversation as not only the greatest pitcher of all time, but also as a contender for the greatest player of all time. Randy won five Cy Young Awards and finished second three times. Only Roger Clemens equals Randy’s combined total of eight first and second-place finishes. Randy won four consecutive Cy Young Awards. Greg Maddux (also with four consecutive) is the only other player to win at least three in a row. Randy is the only player in MLB history to win a Cy Young Award in each league while also finishing 2nd in each league. He led the league in adjusted ERA+ six times. Only Lefty Grove and Clemens led the league more often. He led the league in H/9 six times. Only Nolan Ryan led the league more often. He led the league in winning % four times. Only Grove led the league more often. He led the league in strikeouts nine times. Only Walter Johnson and Nolan Ryan led the league more often. He is the only player since 1920 to lead the league in ERA+ and K/9 six times each. He’s the only pitcher since the dead-ball era to lead the league in complete games four times and ERA+ six times. He is the only player since 1920 to lead the league in WHIP three times and strikeouts nine times. Randy and N. Ryan are the only pitchers to lead the league in strikeouts for four consecutive seasons on two different occasions. Randy and N. Ryan are the only two pitchers to record 300+ strikeouts in four consecutive seasons. Of pitchers who pitched a minimum of 2,500 career innings, Randy has the highest K/9 in history. He holds the record for most strikeouts in a nine-inning start (20) and most strikeouts in a relief appearance (16). He led the league in WAR for Pitchers six times. Only Grove, Clemens, and W. Johnson led the league more often. He led the league in Win Probability Added (WPA) four times. Only Clemens and Grove led the league more often. He’s 2nd on the all-time strikeout list. He’s one of only four pitchers to reach 300 wins among players who debuted after 1967. Among players to debut since 1967, only Clemens has more shutouts. He is one of only seven players to pitch a perfect game and a no-hitter. He’s the only pitcher to lead the league in winning % four times and throw two no-hitters. He’s the only pitcher to lead the league in ERA+ six times, strikeouts six times (again, he did it nine), and throw two no-hitters. Randy had one of the greatest postseason performances in the history of baseball when he—and Curt Schilling—led Arizona to a World Series victory over the Yankees in 2001. In 41.3 postseason innings that year, he went 5-1 with two shutouts, a 1.53 ERA, and a .77 WHIP. Having pitched Arizona to victory in game six, he entered game seven the very next night to get the final four outs. He holds the record for most wins in a single postseason. He is the only pitcher since 1968 to win three games in a single World Series, and he’s the only pitcher in MLB history with five Cy Young Awards and a World Series MVP.
Walter Johnson SP 1907-1927
Johnson’s combination of peak and longevity is the gold standard for starting pitchers as he maintained his elite production for two decades, winning two MVPs and permanently stamping his name at the top of baseball’s historical leaderboards. Johnson’s 417 wins are the most since Major League Baseball formed in 1903 and trail only Cy Young since baseball’s inception. Johnson is second all-time in WAR trailing only Babe Ruth. He’s #1 all-time in shutouts, leading the league a record seven times. He’s third all-time in innings, 5th in complete games, and 9th in strikeouts, leading the league a record 11 times. He’s also 7th all-time in adjusted ERA and 11th in WHIP. Johnson was ahead of his time especially due to his proclivity for the strikeout. He was the only pitcher to debut before 1959 to reach 3,000 career strikeouts and the only pitcher in the first 81 years of Major League Baseball to reach 3,500 career strikeouts. He led the league in strikeouts for a record eight consecutive seasons. Johnson was at his apex from 1910 to 1919 when he won 20 games for 10 consecutive seasons with an ERA+ of 183. During this run, Johnson set the record for most consecutive 25 win seasons (7) and tied the record for the most consecutive 27 win seasons (4). Johnson had 10 seasons in which he started at least 28 games and had an ERA under 2.00. No other pitcher has thrown more than six. Johnson threw at least 320 innings in nine consecutive seasons. Since Major League Baseball’s inception, no other pitcher has even thrown more than six in total. Johnson produced nine seasons in which he started at least 27 games with a WHIP less than 1.00. No other pitcher in Major League Baseball history did it more than six times. Johnson led the Washington Senators to a World Series appearance in 1925 and a World Series title in 1924. He entered the 9th inning of Game 7 of the ’24 series and pitched four scoreless innings on one day’s rest as the Senators prevailed in the longest Game 7 in World Series history.
Chipper Jones 3B 1993-2012
Chipper’s combination of contact, power, and plate discipline is unrivaled at the hot corner. He’s the only third baseman in history to reach both 1,600 career runs and RBIs. In fact, he’s the only third baseman to do a lot of things. He’s the only third baseman with a .300 career batting average and 450 home runs. He’s the only third baseman with a .300 career batting average and a .529 slugging percentage. He’s the only third baseman with at least a .300 batting average and a 140 OPS+. He’s the only third baseman with at least a .400 on-base percentage and 1,100 extra-base hits, and he’s the only third baseman with at least 2,700 career hits and an OPS+ of 140. His .930 career OPS is the most all-time for a third baseman with at least 6,000 plate appearances, and he’s second all-time among third basemen in on-base percentage and slugging %. Chipper wasn’t just a regular-season on-base machine. His .409 postseason on-base percentage is the 9th best in history among qualifiers and the highest mark in postseason history among players with at least 340 post-season plate appearances. He’s the all-time leader in postseason walks and 4th all-time in postseason intentional walks.
Al Kaline RF 1953-1974
Kaline patrolled right field in Detroit for 22 years, garnering 18 all-star selections and 10 Gold Gloves. He’s one of only 11 players in Major League Baseball history with at least 1,600 runs, 1,500 RBIs, and 3,000 hits. Kaline finished among the top-10 in MVP voting nine times, including two runner-up finishes in 1955 and 1963. While Kaline had his fair share of “leading the league” it was the number of times he spent among the league leaders that defines his career. He finished in the top-5 in WAR for position players eight times, batting average and on-base % seven times, and slugging % and adjusted OPS+ five times. Kaline’s lasting legacy for Detroit was helping bring home the 1968 World Series title after hitting .379 with eight RBIs in a thrilling 7-game series against Bob Gibson and the Cardinals.
Clayton Kershaw SP 2008-active
How Kershaw finishes his career remains to be seen, but pitcher in history has had a better career through age 33. Even at a position that sees the historical leaderboard dominated by pitchers from 25, 50, and even a hundred years ago, Kershaw stands out. In the pinnacle pitching statistic in baseball—ERA+—Kershaw ranks number one in baseball history. He is second all-time in H/9, third in winning %, fourth in WHIP, 10th in strikeouts-to-walks ratio, and 12th in K/9. He has won three Cy Young Awards and an NL MVP, joining Sandy Koufax and Roger Clemens as the only three pitchers to accomplish that feat. Kersh’s seven consecutive seasons in the top-5 of the Cy Young voting is tied for the longest streak in history (Max Scherzer and Greg Maddux). He has led the league in WHIP four consecutive seasons which is tied for the longest streak ever (with Carl Hubbell, Sandy Koufax, and Johan Santana.) He joins Koufax as the only two pitchers to lead the league in ERA and WHIP for four consecutive seasons. Kershaw produced eight consecutive seasons with lower than a 2.74 ERA and lower than a 1.05 WHIP which is the most by a starting pitcher. His six seasons of less than a 2.32 ERA and less than a .95 WHIP are the most by a starting pitcher and his streak of five consecutive seasons below those marks is the longest in history. It took some time for the payoff but Kershaw’s postseason success eventually came and his overall postseason numbers are stellar. Among pitchers with at least 110 postseason innings, Kershaw’s 1.07 WHIP is the fourth-best, and only Justin Verlander has more postseason strikeouts. Kersh has led the Dodgers to three World Series appearances and went 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and a .857 WHIP in LA’s World Series win in 2020.
Harmen Killebrew 1B 1954-1975
Known as “the Killer” for his tape-measure shots, Killebrew led the league in home runs six times which is the fourth most in history. He also finished in the top-5 in home runs an incredible 12 times and slugging % and OPS+ ten times. He was named the American League MVP in 1969 and finished in the top-4 in MVP voting six times. Killebrew’s 14.2 at-bats per home run ratio is 7th best in history and he has the 12th highest home run and 15th highest walk totals of all time. Killebrew was also versatile with the glove, playing more than 450 games at three different positions and making the all-star game at all of them.
Sandy Koufax SP 1955-1966
The Man with the Golden Arm had arguably the greatest four-year stretch in Major League Baseball history at any position. Koufax helped lead the Dodgers to three World Series titles, becoming one of only three players to win two World Series MVPs. Koufax is the only player with two World Series MVPs over a three-year stretch. He won the 1963, 1965, and 1966 Cy Young awards becoming the only pitcher with three Cy Young awards and two World Series MVPs, and he accomplished it over a span of just four seasons. Koufax is the only player to lead the league in ERA for five consecutive seasons. He’s also the only player to lead the league in H/9 for five consecutive seasons. No player led the league in WHIP for more consecutive seasons than Koufax’s four. He’s the only pitcher since 1945 to win at least 25 games three times in a four-year stretch. His 382 strikeouts in 1965 are second all-time and just one shy of Nolan Ryan’s single-season record. His .825 career World Series WHIP is the lowest among pitchers with at least 40 innings, and he’s the last pitcher to throw two shutouts in a single World Series.
Nap Lajoie 2B 1896-1916
When Major League Baseball formed in 1903, there were three players who could stake a claim as the greatest player of all time. That list included Cy Young, Honus Wagner, and Lajoie. Close to 120 years later, Lajoie is still arguably the greatest second baseman in American League history. He led the league in batting average and doubles five times, becoming one of three players along with Wagner and Stan Musial to do so. He led the league in slugging % and total bases four times, RBIs, OPS and OPS+ three times, OBP twice, and home runs and runs once each. Lajoie is the all-time leader among second basemen in RBIs, second in doubles and hits, third in batting average, and fourth in triples. Lajoie is the only player in history with 3,000 career hits, 600 doubles, and fewer than 350 strikeouts.
Greg Maddux SP 1986-2008
The Professor’s control of the strike zone is unrivaled in baseball history. He led the league in BB/9 a remarkable nine times which is the most since MLB formed in 1903. Since 1909, no other pitcher has done it even six times. While Maddux’s control was his calling card, truly historic seasons are the hallmark of his resume. There have only been four seasons that have produced at least 200 innings and a 260 ERA+ and Maddux accomplished it in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and 1995 in what is arguably the greatest two-year stretch by a starting pitcher ever. Maddux’s 1995 season might be the greatest in history. His 19-2 record still stands as the all-time single-season record for winning percentage (min. 21 starts). He had four seasons with at least 200 innings, no more than a .98 WHIP, and at least a 187 ERA+ which ties Walter Johnson for the most all-time. Often lost in the glow of Maddux’s peripherals is the fact that he was a workhorse. Maddux led the league in innings pitched for five consecutive seasons which ties Robin Roberts for the longest streak in history. Since 1914, Maddux is the only pitcher with 5,000 career innings and at least a 132 ERA. He won four consecutive Cy Youngs Awards (1992-1995) which is tied with Randy Johnson for the longest streak in history. He also finished in the top-5 of the Cy Young voting nine times which trails only Roger Clemens for most ever. Maddux’s 355 career wins are the 2nd most since 1912. He led his teams to the playoffs in 13 of his 23 seasons, reached the World Series three times, and was phenomenal in two starts in the 1995 World Series, propelling the Braves to the championship.
Mickey Mantle CF 1951-1968
Mantle’s career regular-season totals are somewhat muted by injuries, but his combination of per-game performance and playoff performance is unparalleled. His 172 career OPS + is the 7th most all-time and “The Mick” joins Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth as the only three players with at least a 172 OPS+ and 530 career home runs. He joins Barry Bonds and Mike Trout as the only three players with at least a 172 OPS+ and 150 career stolen bases. Mantle and Bonds are the only two players to debut after 1940 with a career on-base percentage of at least .420 and a slugging percentage of .557. Mantle is tied for 2nd all-time with three MVPs while also finishing runner-up three times and in the top-5 nine times. Mantle’s regular-season statistics are eye-popping on their own, but his place in history really comes into perspective when we consider that he is arguably the greatest World Series performer of all time. Mantle led the Yankees to a World Series appearance in 12 of his first 14 seasons, including seven World Series titles. He holds the records for most career World Series home runs, RBIs, runs, total bases, and walks.
Edgar Martinez DH 1987-2004
In order for a player who spent most of his career NOT playing defense to rate among the top 100 baseball players of all-time, the hitting tool must be something special and Edgar Martinez’s was just that. Since 1960, few hitters have been as productive. Over that time frame, he has the 5th highest on-base percentage, 10th highest OPS+, and 11th highest batting average. Martinez was truly a jack of all trades with the bat. You name the statistic, he led the league in it including runs, RBIs, doubles, batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, OPS+, times on base, Offensive WAR, and runs created. He led the league in on-base percentage three times along with a remarkable 10 top-five finishes. He also picked up two batting crowns and finished among the top 10 in batting average seven times. Martinez is the only player in MLB history to have back-to-back seasons of 100 RBIs, 100 Runs, 100 BBs, and 50 doubles. He also accomplished the elusive positive career BB-to-K ratio, becoming only the 19th player to reach 1,200 RBIs, 1,200 Runs, and 1,200 walks with a positive BB-to-K strikeout ratio.
Pedro Martinez SP 1992-2009
If Pedro had been just a little more durable, he would be the leading candidate in the “greatest pitcher of all-time” discussion. Even with just a shade over 2,800 career innings, Pedro dominated the game like no other pitcher. His 154 ERA+ is the highest ever among pitchers with at least 2,800 career innings. His 1.05 WHIP is the second-lowest in MLB history (min. 2,800 career innings). His .686 winning percentage is the 2nd highest in MLB history (min. 2,800 innings). He’s the only pitcher with at least 215 career wins without losing more than 100 games. He’s the only pitcher with six seasons of at least 100 innings and less than a .95 WHIP. There have only been three seasons with at least 280 innings and a 240 ERA+ and Pedro has two of them. He joins Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers to lead the league in ERA five consecutive seasons (min. of 18 games started). Pedro shares the record with Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax with two seasons of at least 300 strikeouts and less than a .94 WHIP. In 1999, he became one of two players (Gerrit Cole) with 310 strikeouts in fewer than 215 innings. His 2000 season may have been the best season by a pitcher ever as he became the only pitcher to throw 200 innings with less than a .74 WHIP, and the only pitcher to throw 200 innings with a 290 ERA+. Pedro shares the record with three seasons of at least 180 innings and fewer than five losses, and two seasons with at least 20 wins and fewer than five losses (Roger Clemens). He holds the record with five seasons of at least 180 innings and a 200 ERA+. Pedro won three Cy Young awards and probably should’ve won a fourth, if not a fifth. In 2004, Pedro helped lead Boston to its first World Series championship in 86 years with seven scoreless innings in Game 3 to put Boston up 3-0 in the series.
Eddie Mathews 3B 1952-1968
When Mathews retired in 1968, he was without question the greatest third baseman in Major League Baseball history, ranking first in home runs, runs, RBIs, slugging %, and OPS+ (among third basemen who played a min. of 10 seasons). Mathews still ranks second all-time among third basemen in both home runs and WAR and is in the top five in RBIs, walks, and OPS+. Mathews twice finished runner-up in National League MVP voting and is the only third baseman to finish in the top-6 in offensive WAR for 11 consecutive seasons. He also led the league in walks four times, home runs twice, and is the only third baseman to hit at least 46 home runs twice. Mathews teamed with Hank Aaron to power the Braves to the 1957 World Series title, reaching base 13 times in a thrilling seven-game series with the Yankees.
Christy Mathewson SP 1900-1916
Without adjusting for league strength, few pitchers, if any, have more impressive career numbers than Big Six. He’s third all-time in wins and shutout, 9th all-time in ERA and WHIP, and 10th all-time in WAR for Pitchers. He led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio nine times, BB/9 seven times, ERA+ six times, WAR, ERA, and strikeouts five times and wins, WHIP, and shutouts four times. He’s the only pitcher in history with 12 consecutive seasons of at least 22 wins. He’s also the only pitcher with eight consecutive seasons of at least 23 wins. He led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio a record eight consecutive seasons and his 11 300-inning seasons are the most all-time. Since Mathewson’s regular season totals are stuff of make-believe, it’s hard to believe that his postseason numbers are even better. Among starting pitchers, he holds the postseason records (min. 60 innings) for lowest ERA (.97) and WHIP (.836). He holds the records for most career complete games and shutouts in the World Series and he’s the only pitcher with three shutouts in a single World Series.
Willie Mays CF 1951-1973
Firmly in the running for the greatest offensive and defensive centerfielder of all time, “The Say Hey Kid” spent 22 seasons patrolling centerfield in New York and San Francisco. Many statistics jump off the page for Mays, but perhaps the, most impressive is that he led the league in WAR an astounding 10 times which is tied with Babe Ruth for most in history. He’s also the only player to lead the league in home runs and stolen bases four times each, and he’s the only player to lead the league in home runs four times and triples three times each, demonstrating his elite power/speed combo. Mays won the NL MVP in 1954 and 1965 and finished in the top-6 for 10 consecutive seasons. He’s 3rd all-time in total bases, 5th in WAR, 6th in home runs and extra-base hits, 7th in runs and runs created, 12th in RBIs, 15th in intentional walks, and 17th in slugging percentage. His 156 WAR is the most ever by a centerfielder and his dWAR of 18.2 is the 3rd highest among center fielders. He joins Mike Trout and Cal Ripken Jr. as the only players with at least two MVPs and two All-Star Game MVPs and he is tied with Stan Musial for the second-most All-Star game selections (24). Mays is the only player with at least 35 home runs, 35 stolen bases, and 20 triples in a single season. He’s the only player with at least 6,000 total bases and 300 stolen bases. He’s the only player with 3,200 hits, 600 home runs, and 300 stolen bases. He’s the only player with 600 home runs and 140 triples, and he joins Barry Bonds as the only two players with 660 career home runs and 330 stolen bases. Mays led the Giants to four World Series appearances including a World Series title in 1954.
Willie McCovey 1B 1959-1980
To get an idea of how feared McCovey’s bat was, consider that he was intentionally walked 260 times in his career which is the 5th highest total in history behind only Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Stan Musial, and Hank Aaron. That’s some stellar company. Before Bonds rewrote the history books on intentional walks from 2002-2004, McCovey held the single-season intentional walks record (45). In fact, McCovey still has the highest non-Bonds single-season mark and he’s the only non-Bonds player to reach 40+ intentional walks in a season twice. McCovey led the National League in slugging % and OPS+ for three consecutive seasons. He led the league in home runs three times and finished in the top-5 seven times. He took home the National League MVP in 1969 and was 8th on the all-time home run list when he retired in 1980.
Mark McGwire 1B 1986-2001
Depending on what statistics we focus on, we could say Big Mac is—without hyperbole—the most prolific home run hitter in baseball history. McGwire’s at-bat per home run ratio of 10.6 is by far the best of all time. He owns the records for most home runs over a two-year, three-year, and four-year period. He is the only player in history with a 70 and a 60-home run season. He’s tied with Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa for most 50-home run seasons. McGwire and Sosa are the only players with four consecutive 50-home run seasons. McGwire joins Ruth as the only two players with five seasons of at least 49 home runs. McGwire is 7th all-time in slugging percentage and his .588 mark is the second-best since 1960. His adjusted OPS+ of 163 is 11th all-time and 4th best since 1960. McGwire led the league in home runs, slugging %, and OPS+ four times and walks and on-base percentage twice each. His 162-walk total in 1998 is the 5th highest single-season mark in history. Big Mac finished among the top-7 in MVP voting five times, including a runner-up finish in 1998 after breaking Roger Maris’s single-season home run record.
Johnny Mize 1B 1936-1953
Mize had one of the longest peaks in history as he led the league in home runs, slugging % and extra-base hits four times, RBIs, OPS, and total bases 3 times, OPS+ twice, and batting average, runs, and doubles once. When he wasn’t leading the league, he was coming awfully close as he consistently finished near the top of every major statistical category for nearly a decade. He finished in the top-3 in slugging % and OPS+ a remarkable nine times. He finished in the top-3 in extra-base hits and offensive WAR eight times and home runs, total bases, and RBIs seven times. Indicative of his immense power, Mize is 14th all-time in slugging % and 17th all-time in OPS+. He finished in the top-10 of the MVP voting six times including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 1939 and 1940 in which he was unquestionably the best hitter in the American League. Mize joins Mark McGwire as the only two players to lead the league in home runs twice in the American League and the National League. He was also a part of five World Series titles with the Yankees where he had a robust .584 slugging % and a .909 OPS. It’s hard to believe that Mize put together such a stellar career despite missing three full seasons of his prime serving in WWII.
Paul Molitor 3B/DH 1978-1998
Molitor was one of the premier run/hit threats in Major League Baseball. All “Molly” did was rack up 3,319 hits, 1,782 runs, 605 doubles, and 504 stolen bases. If those numbers sound unique, it’s because they are. Only three players in MLB history have at least 3,300 career hits, 600 doubles, and 500 stolen bases, and Molitor is the only player to do it since 1920. Over his 21-year career, Molitor led the American League in hits and runs three times, and finished in the top 10 in batting average 11 times. As good as Molitor was in the regular season, he was even better in the playoffs. In 132 postseason plate appearances, he hit a robust .368 with a .435 on-base percentage and a .615 slugging percentage. He nearly led the Brewers to a World Series title in 1982 and then put the Blue Jays over the top in 1993 on his way to being named World Series MVP.
Joe Morgan 2B 1963-1984
Morgan was a vital cog in Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine, combining with Pete Rose to provide a 1-2 punch at the top of the order that rivals any in history. Morgan helped lead the Reds to two World Series titles in four appearances. Morgan was the perfect combination of speed, power, and patience. He joins Rickey Henderson as the only two players with 1,800 career walks, 1,600 runs, and 650 stolen bases. Morgan and Henderson are also the only two players with 250 career home runs and 650 stolen bases. Among second basemen, Morgan is arguably the greatest since 1930. His 1,865 walks are the 5th most regardless of position and 366 more than any other second baseman. Morgan’s 689 career stolen bases are the most by a second baseman since the dead-ball era. Morgan joins Rogers Hornsby as the only second basemen to win two league MVPs, and he racked up 19.1 more WAR than any other second baseman since 1930.
Eddie Murray 1B 1977-1997
Murray earned the nickname Steady Eddie for being one of the most consistent hitters in baseball history. Murray’s career is notable in that he didn’t have a peak. It was steady production for 20 straight seasons. Murray is the only player with 20 consecutive seasons of at least 70 RBIs and 20 doubles. He’s 11th all-time in total bases and RBIs, and 13th all-time in hits. He joins Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Willie Mays as the only five players with at least 3,000 hits, 500 home runs, and 1900 RBIs. Ever the tradesman with the bat in his hands, Murray produced an excellent 11.8 strikeout percentage and is the all-time leader in sacrifice flies. Murray led the American League in OPS+ in 1984 and finished in the top-10 nine times, including three second-place finishes. He led the American League in RBIs in 1981 and finished in the top-10 11 times. He finished in the top-5 in MVP voting six times including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 1982 and 1983. He produced a .825 career postseason OPS in 186 career plate appearances while leading the Orioles to a World Series title in 1981.
Stan Musial OF 1941-1963
Musial’s career was magnificent for a number of reasons but the most remarkable is his presence on the all-time leaderboard in virtually every major offensive statistic. Musial is second all-time in total bases, third in runs created, doubles and intentional walks, 4th in hits, 7th in offensive WAR, 8th in RBIs, 10th in runs, 13th in OPS and walks, 16th in slugging percentage, 19th in triples, 23rd in on-base percentage, 30th in batting average and 32nd in home runs. He is the only player in the top-35 of each category. Musial’s hit/power tool and plate discipline are arguably the best ever as he is the only player with 3,600 career hits and a .559 slugging %. He’s also the only player with more than 1,500 career walks and fewer than 700 strikeouts. Stan “The Man” led the league in runs created nine times, doubles eight times, and extra-base hits seven times; all are the most in history. Musial had five seasons of at least 80 walks, 40 or fewer strikeouts, and at least 30 home runs which are the most in history. He’s the only player with 420 total bases and fewer than 35 strikeouts in the same season. Stan’s three MVPs are tied for the 2nd most all-time as are his seven top-2 MVP finishes. Musial led the Cardinals to three World Series titles and four appearances.
Hal Newhouser SP 1939-1955
Prince Hal’s career is most notable for his incredible run from 1944-1948 in which he joined Lefty Grove as the only two pitchers since the dead-ball era with three consecutive 25-win seasons. In 1944 and 1945, Newhouser became the only pitcher to win back-to-back league MVP awards and he nearly won a third in 1946 finishing runner-up to Ted Williams. Newhouser is the only pitcher since the dead-ball era to have back-to-back seasons of at least 25 wins and an ERA under two. He’s also the only pitcher with three consecutive seasons of at least 25 wins and fewer than 10 losses. Newhouser helped lead the Tigers to the World Series title in 1945 by pitching a complete game to go along with 10 strikeouts against the Cubs in a victorious Game 7.
David Ortiz DH 1997-2016
Given that Big Papi didn’t reach 600 plate appearances in a season until he was 28, it’s astonishing that he was able to put together a hall of fame regular-season resume while also becoming a postseason legend. Ortiz’s production per plate appearance was always impressive but it wasn’t until 2004 that he put together a full season’s worth of at-bats, and the results were stellar. His first three seasons with 600+ plate appearances produced at least 41 home runs and 137 RBIs, joining Babe Ruth, Sammy Sosa, and Ken Griffey Jr as the only four player to hit those totals over three consecutive seasons. In 2005 he started a streak of three consecutive seasons with at least 115 runs, 115 RBIs and, 85 extra-base hits, becoming the first player to do so since 1932. Ortiz joins Lou Gehrig and Sammy Sosa as the only players with four consecutive seasons of at least 85 extra-base hits. He joins Albert Pujols as the only two players with 540 career home runs and 630 doubles, and he’s 8th all-time in career extra-base hits. Ortiz’s regular-season dominance continued until the day he retired as he became the first player in his 40s to lead the league in doubles. His 48 doubles were 13 more than any other player in their 40s. He also became the first player in his 40s to lead the league in RBIs. His 127 RBIs were 19 more than any other player in their 40s. He also holds the record for most home runs by a 40-year-old with 38. Of course, Ortiz is most known for being one of the greatest postseason players in MLB history. He’s in the top ten in the postseason in hits, runs, RBIs, home runs, doubles, extra-base hits, and walks, and he’s #1 all time in win probability added. He was named the 2004 ALCS MVP and the 2013 World Series MVP, leading the red sox to three World Series titles.
Mel Ott RF 1926-1947
The diminutive Ott took his 5’9, 170-pound frame and turned it into a run-producing machine. Although the people responsible for giving him the nickname “Master Melvin” needed to do better, there was nothing shameful about Ott’s career totals. Over 22 seasons with the Giants, Ott surpassed 500 home runs, 1,850 RBIs and runs, and did so with a .304 batting average, .414 on-base percentage, and a 155 OPS+. Ott is the only player with 2,800 hits and 1,700 walks while amassing fewer than 900 strikeouts, and he’s the only player with 500 home runs and 1,850 RBIs with fewer than 900 strikeouts. Ott and Babe Ruth are the only players to lead the league in home runs and walks at least six times each. Ott’s streak of 18 consecutive seasons with an OPS+ of at least 130 is just one behind Hank Aaron for the all-time record. Ott’s 10th-inning home run against the Washington Senators in Game 5 of the 1933 World Series clinched the championship for the Giants. He led all players in the series in hits, runs, RBIs, home runs, and walks.
Rafael Palmeiro 1B 1986-2005
Palmeiro was the American League’s premier extra-base hit machine during the 1990s. His 1,192 career extra-base hits are the 11th most in MLB history. Palmeiro’s 9-consecutive seasons with at least 38 home runs are the all-time record and two more than any other player. Over that 9-year stretch, he averaged a surreal 41 home runs and 121 RBIs. He joins Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, and Eddie Murray as one of only six players with 3,000 career hits and 500 career home runs. Palmeiro used an impressive 11.2 strikeout rate to reel in the elusive career positive walk-to-strikeout ratio as he tallied 1,353 walks to just 1, 348 strikeouts.
Jim Palmer SP 1965-1984
Prior to the 19-year-old Palmer showing up in Baltimore in 1965, the Orioles had won zero world titles and made one World Series appearance. During his 19 seasons with the O’s, Palmer helped lead them to three World Series titles in six appearances. Palmer’s shutout of Sandy Koufax and the defending World Series champion Dodgers in Game 2 of the 1966 World Series got the ball rolling on Baltimore’s dynasty as he would play an integral part in Baltimore’s subsequent playoff success. His eight postseason wins are the most in franchise history and his 2.61 postseason ERA is the 4th best all-time among pitchers with at least 120 career postseason innings. Palmer was even better in the regular season. He won the AL Cy Young Awards in 1973, 1975, and 1976 and finished runner-up in 1977 and 1982 on his way to eight top-5 finishes. Palmer’s eight 20-win seasons are the most by any pitcher since 1955 and he has the most 290-inning seasons since 1970. Palmer is one of only four pitchers since 1935 with 265 career wins and at least a .638 winning percentage.
Gaylord Perry SP 1962-1983
Only Nolan Ryan and Phil Niekro have pitched more career innings since the dead-ball era than the appropriately nicknamed Ancient Mariner. Perry was the oldest player in the league for three consecutive seasons, pitching until he was 44 years old. He won the AL Cy Young in 1972 and the NL Cy Young in 1978 at the age of 40. Perry led the league in wins three times and had five 20-win seasons. While Perry’s elite seasons are notable, it’s the number of good seasons that define his legacy. He finished in the top-10 in strikeouts and complete games 12 times, WAR, ERA, and innings 11 times, WHIP 10 times and wins nine times.
Mike Piazza C 1992-2007
Piazza is, without question, the greatest offensive catcher of all time. Among catchers, he’s #1 all-time in home runs, offensive WAR, slugging %, and OPS+ (min. 500 games). He has the highest batting average since 1937 among catchers (min .500 games). His 185 OPS+ in 1997 is the most ever by a catcher (min. 500 plate appearances) and he has two of the top-3 single-season OPS+ marks ever by a catcher (min. 500 plate appearances). He has the most 30-home run seasons, most 90-RBI seasons, and most 80-run seasons by a catcher. Proving Piazza’s numbers weren’t just elite for a catcher, he is one of only eight players at any position with at least a career .308 batting average, 143 OPS+, and 400 home runs. Piazza finished in the top-10 in MVP voting seven times including two runner-ups and a third-place finish.
Albert Pujols 1B 2001-2021
Pujols (AKA “the Machine”) earned his nickname by consistently producing huge stat lines, year after year, for close to 15 seasons. His 12 seasons of at least 170 hits and 30 home runs are two more than anyone else in history and his 12 consecutive seasons of at least 170 hits and 30 home runs are four more than any other player. Pujols’ place in history is easy to see when considering his status on the all-time leaderboards. He’s #3 on the all-time RBIs, #5 in home runs, extra-base hits, doubles, and total bases, and #15 in hits and runs. He joins Hank Aaron and Willie Mays as the only three players with at least 660 career home runs and 3,200 hits. He’s the only player with at least 660 career home runs and 660 doubles. Pujols joins Aaron and Babe Ruth as the only three players with 600 home runs and 2,100 RBIs. Pujols and Aaron are the only two players with 3,000 hits, 600 home runs, and 2,100 RBIs. Demonstrating just how feared Pujols was across MLB, he was intentionally walked 313 times in his career which is the second-most all-time. Only Barry Bonds received more MVP recognition than Pujols as he garnered a remarkable 10 top-5 MVP finishes on his way to three MVPs and four second-place finishes. His seven top-2 finishes are tied for the second-most in history (Trout and Musial). Not to be outdone in the playoffs, Pujols is on the shortlist of the greatest postseason hitters of all time. He led the Cardinals to two World Series titles in three appearances. He was named the 2004 NLCS MVP in one of the most dominant performances in a postseason series ever. He went 14 for 28 with four home runs and nine RBIs in St. Louis’s thrilling seven-game victory over Houston. His 1.030 career postseason OPS is #1 all-time (min. 170 plate appearances). His name is stamped all over the postseason leaderboard as well as he is in the top-10 in postseason hits, runs, home runs, RBIs, walks, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage.
Manny Ramirez LF/RF 1993-2011
Man-Ram battered pitchers in a way that hasn’t been seen since Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, literally. Manny and Ruth are the only two players in history with at least 550 career home runs, a .410 on-base percentage, and a .310 batting average. Manny and Ted Williams are the only players since 1936 with at least a .310 batting average and a .585 slugging %. Manny is 8th all-time in career slugging % and has the third-highest slugging % since 1958. He’s 10th all-time in AB/HR and his 165 RBIs in 1999 are the most in a single season since 1937. He tallied seven seasons of at least 120 RBIs which trails only Alex Rodriguez for the most since 1937. Manny’s regular-season career was extraordinary, but his postseason performance is the secret weapon that puts him in the pantheon of baseball sluggers. He led 11 teams to the postseason, winning two World Series titles in four appearances while also being named the 2004 World Series MVP. His 29 postseason home runs are seven more than any other player in history. He’s the all-time leader in postseason RBIs (78), tied for the lead in walks (72), and he is third all-time in postseason hits (117) and runs (67). While these sound like video game numbers, this was simply Manny being Manny.
Cal Ripken Jr. SS 1981-2001
Ripken holds the all-time record for most consecutive games played at an unbelievable 2,632 which are 502 more than any other player and over 2,000 games ahead of any active player. When Ripken retired in 2001, he was the all-time leader in doubles among shortstops and 2nd all-time in home runs, RBIs, and hits. His 19 all-star game selections are four more than any other shortstop. Ripken is the only shortstop in history with 75 Offensive WAR and 35 defensive WAR and he is one of only two shortstops in MLB history to lead the league in WAR three times. Ripken joins Willie Mays and Mike Trout as the only two players to win two regular-season MVPs and two all-star game MVPs.
Mariano Rivera RP 1995-2013
Rivera is the most dominant relief pitcher in baseball history, the most dominant pitcher in postseason history, and there’s a strong argument to be made that he’s the most impactful pitcher of all time. His 652 career saves are the most ever. Only one other reliever has even reached 500 career saves. His 205 career ERA+ is the highest by any pitcher and—in one of the most remarkable statistics in all of sports—the gap between Rivera and second place is equal to the gap between second place and 314th place (min. 1,000 innings). Rivera’s career 1.00 WHIP is the lowest since the Deadball Era. It’s hard to believe that as dominant as Rivera was in the regular season, he was significantly better in the postseason. Among players who pitched at least 40 postseason innings, Rivera’s .71 ERA and .76 WHIP are the lowest of all time and by a significant margin. His 42 postseason saves are more than the next two players on the postseason saves list combined. His 8-1 postseason record is good for a .889 winning percentage which is the best in postseason history among pitchers with at least six decisions. Rivera is #1 all-time in Baseball Reference’s postseason win probability added statistic. His 11.7 mark is more than the next three on the list combined. He’s also #1 all-time in Baseball Reference’s championship win probability added stat with a crater size gap over second place. Rivera’s postseason dominance translated into seven World Series appearances and five World Series titles for the Yankees. He was named the 1999 World Series MVP and the 2003 ALCS MVP.
Robin Roberts SP 1948-1966
No pitcher in MLB history had a six-season run quite like the one Roberts went on from 1950-1955. During this stretch, Roberts became the only pitcher to lead the league in games started for six consecutive seasons. He also became the first pitcher to have separate streaks of leading the league in wins four consecutive seasons and innings pitched five consecutive seasons. Roberts was the best pitcher in baseball in 1952 and 1955, finishing highest among pitchers in NL MVP voting, and he was the second-best pitcher in 1953 and 1954. He is the only pitcher to lead the league in wins, innings, games started, and complete games for four consecutive seasons. Roberts is the only pitcher since the dead-ball era with a season of at least 28 wins and a BB/9 of 1.3 or less. Roberts also led the league in WAR for Pitchers and strikeout-to-walk ratio five times and BB/9 four times.
Brooks Robinson 3B 1955-1977
It’s hard to argue that Robinson isn’t just the greatest defensive third baseman of all time, but the greatest defensive player of all time regardless of position. Playing the hot corner, Robinson amassed an astounding 39.1 defensive WAR. He finished among the top-8 in dWAR a remarkable 14 seasons. Among third basemen, he’s the all-time leader in games, assists, putouts, double plays turned, total zone runs, and range factor per game. He led the league in fielding percentage at third base 11 times which is three more than any player from any other position in history. His 16 gold gloves are also the most for any position player in history. There’s no question that Robinson was superior with the glove, but the fact that he’s 13th all-time in sacrifice flies and produced a minuscule 8.4 career strikeout percentage shows he was skilled with the bat as well. Although he led the American League in RBIs in 1964 and finished in the top 10 in RBIs eight times, Robinson was at his best in the postseason. When merely equaling regular season rates is considered impressive, Robinson elevated his batting average 36 points and his OPS 62 points in the playoffs on his way to helping the Orioles win two World Series titles in four World Series appearances. After winning the World Series MVP in 1970, he joined teammate Frank Robinson as the only two players to win a regular-season MVP, a World Series MVP, and an All-Star game MVP.
Frank Robinson RF/LF 1956-1976
Few players in history were more productive for a longer period of time than Robinson. Despite playing in an era dominated by pitching, Robinson ranks among the top-25 all-time in OPS+, home runs, RBIs, runs, total bases, walks, runs created, extra-base hits, WAR, and intentional walks. Robinson was a fixture on league leaderboards finishing in the top-10 in slugging % 17 times, on-base % 16 times, and home runs 15 times. Robinson won the NL MVP in 1961 and the AL MVP in 1966, becoming the only player in history to be named MVP in both leagues. He finished in the top-10 of MVP voting 10 times and received MVP votes in 15 different seasons. Robinson played in five World Series while winning two with the Orioles. In Game 4 of the 1966 World Series, he hit the series-clinching home run which earned him the series MVP and made him the only player in history with multiple league MVPs, a World Series MVP, and an all-star game MVP.
Alex Rodriguez SS/3B 1994-2016
Since Rodriguez split his time playing shortstop and third base, you won’t find his name atop the career leaderboard for either position, but he is far and away the most productive player the game has ever seen from the left side of the infield. He’s the only shortstop or third baseman to hit 50 home runs in a season and he did it three times. No shortstop or third baseman has more home runs, runs, RBIs, extra-base hits, total bases, or runs created. Arod’s reach goes far beyond the left side of the infield as he’s among the top-10 in baseball history–regardless of position–in those same categories. He’s the only player in history with 3,000 hits, 2,000 runs, 2,000 RBIs, and a .380 on-base percentage. He’s the only player with 3,000 hits, 300 stolen bases, 2,000 runs, and 2,000 RBIs. He’s the only player with at least 40 home runs and 45 stolen bases in a single season. He’s the only player with 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 200 hits in a single season. He’s the only player with at least 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and a .310 batting average in a single season. Arod led the league in offensive war nine times which is the most since 1921. His 13-consecutive seasons with at least 100 runs are tied with Hank Aaron and Lou Gehrig for the longest streak in history. His 13-consecutive seasons with at least 100 RBIs are tied with Jimmie Foxx and Lou Gehrig for the longest in history. Arod’s eight seasons of 120+ runs trail only Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for most all-time. His nine seasons of 120 RBIs also trail only Ruth and Gehrig for most all-time. His 15 seasons of at least 30 home runs are tied with Hank Aaron for the most all-time, and his three seasons of at least 52 home runs trail only Ruth and Mark McGwire. Rodriguez won three MVPs which is tied for the second-most in history. He also had two second-place finishes, six top-3, and ten top-10 finishes. Arod led his teams to the postseason a remarkable 12 times and helped lead the Yankees to the 2009 World Series championship.
Pudge Rodriguez C 1991-2011
It would be hard to argue that Pudge isn’t the greatest defensive catcher of all time. His 13 Gold Gloves are the most by a catcher in MLB history. He’s first all-time in defensive games played at catcher with 2, 427 which are 200 games more than second place. He’s the all-time leader in defensive WAR among catchers and 8th overall regardless of position. Pudge led the league in caught stealing % a remarkable nine times. No other catcher has done it even 7 times and nobody has done it more than four times since 1951. As great as Pudge was behind the plate, it was a combination of defensive and offensive brilliance that won him the American League MVP in 1999 as he became the first catcher in either league to take home the award in 23 years. While Pudge’s calling card was his defense, he was no slouch with the bat. He is the all-time leader in hits among catchers and holds a 350-hit lead over 2nd place. He’s also the all-time leader at catcher in doubles and runs, and his 127 career stolen bases are the 3rd highest total by a catcher since 1931. In 2004, Pudge led the Marlins to one of the biggest upsets in World Series history over the heavily favored New York Yankees. He also helped revitalize a dormant Tigers franchise, leading Detroit to its first World Series appearance in 22 years.
Pete Rose LF/RF 1963-1986
“Charlie Hustle’s” 4,256 career hits are the most in baseball history and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. It’s hard to believe that once Albert Pujols, Miguel Cabrera, Robinson Cano, and Yadier Molina retire, no active player will be within 2,000 hits of his total. Rose’s records are too numerous to name, but we can at least give it a try. He’s tied with Ichiro as the all-time leader with 10 200-hit seasons. He led the league in hits seven times which is tied with Tony Gwynn for the most since the dead-ball era. He finished first or second in hits 13 times which is the most in history. He has the most doubles since the dead-ball era. He’s the only player with 4,000 hits and 1,500 walks. Rose reached base an unfathomable 5,929 times which will likely remain the record for as long as MLB exists. He won three batting titles and finished in the top-10 13 times. Rose was also no stranger to winning hardware. He won three World Series titles while also being named the 1975 World Series MVP. He won the 1973 NL MVP and finished in the top-10 in MVP voting 10 times.
Babe Ruth RF/LF/SP 1914-1935
Without the context of competition level, Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time. He dominated the league in a way no other player in history has been able to duplicate. Ruth led the league in home runs 12 times which is the most all-time and four more than anyone else. He had 11 forty home run seasons which are the most all-time and three more than anyone else. He had four seasons of at least 54 home runs which are the most in history. He had nine seasons of at least 46 home runs, nobody else has more than five. His six consecutive seasons of at least 46 home runs is the longest streak of all time. Ruth’s home run power was so prodigious that he nearly tripled the ML single-season home run record in 1919 and nearly doubled it again in 1920. Ruth’s home run ledger is just the appetizer to a resume that is stuffed with statistics that seem, well, made up. He’s #1 all-time with a .690 slugging percentage, a 1.164 OPS, and a 206 OPS+. He’s #1 all-time in WAR, #2 in RBIs, on-base percentage, and runs created, #3 in home runs and walks, #4 in runs and extra-base hits, and #10 in batting average. He’s the only player with 2,200 RBIs, 2,100 runs, and 2,000 walks. He led the league in slugging percentage 13 times which is the most all-time and four more than anyone else. He had nine seasons with at least 500 plate appearances and a .700 slugging percentage. No other player has more than four. His four seasons with at least a .750 slugging percentage and 600 plate appearances are the most all-time. There have only been four seasons with at least a .800 slugging percentage and 600 plate appearances and Ruth has two of them. Ruth’s 10 seasons of at least 130 RBIs are the most all-time. His nine seasons of 135 runs are tied for most all-time, and his 10 seasons of at least 125 walks are also tied for most all-time. Ruth had three seasons of 150 RBIs and 150 runs and five seasons of 140 RBIs and 140 Runs. Both are the most in history. His eight seasons of 130 RBIs and 130 runs are tied for most all-time. There have only been 11 seasons of 130 RBIs, 130 Runs, and 130 walks in history; Ruth has seven of them. No other player has more than two. There have only been eight seasons of 135 RBIs, 135 Runs, and 135 walks in history. Ruth has six of them. Ruth led the league in OPS 13 times which is the most all-time and OPS+ 12 times which is tied for the most all-time. His 10 seasons of at least 40 home runs and a 200 OPS+ are the most ever and twice as many as any other player. He had seven seasons with at least a 1.200 OPS and 500 plate appearances which is the most all-time. No other player has more than four. He had eight seasons with at least a 215 OPS+ and 500 plate appearances. Nobody else has more than four and only two other players have more than one. He led the league in WAR 10 times which is tied with Willie Mays for most in history. He led the league in runs eight times which is the most in history. He led the league in runs created nine times and extra-base hits seven times; both are tied for the most all-time. There have only been 11 instances of a player hitting at least .355, with 40 home runs and a 210 OPS+. Ruth has eight of them. His four seasons with at least a .370 batting average and 90 extra-base hits and his five seasons of 40 home runs with a .500 on-base percentage are the most ever. He joins Barry Bonds as the only two players to hit at least .340 with 45 home runs in three consecutive seasons. There have only been eight seasons with 45 home runs and a .500 on-base percentage and Ruth has four of them. In 1921, Ruth hit 119 extra-base hits and had 457 total bases; both are the most in history. He also scored 177 runs in 1921 which is the most since MLB was formed in 1903. To get even sillier, Ruth was the best pitcher in the American League in 1916, leading the league in ERA, games started, H/9, and winning percentage (min. 23 starts) while also giving up 0 home runs in 323.2 innings. He’s the only player in MLB history to lead the league in ERA in one season and home runs in another. While Ruth shattered regular-season records on a nightly basis, he was truly the king of the post-season. He led the Yankees to four World Series titles in seven appearances and the Red Sox to three World Series titles in three appearances. On the mound, he went 3-0 with a .87 ERA and a .935 WHIP in three World Series starts with the Red Sox, including a 14 inning 1-run complete game masterpiece in Game 2 of the 1916 World Series at 21 years old. That is still—and will probably always be—the postseason record for most innings pitched in a single World Series start. At the plate, his .744 postseason slugging percentage is the highest in history and 54 points higher than his career regular-season mark, and his 1,214 postseason OPS is tied with Lou Gehrig for the highest in history.
Nolan Ryan SP 1966-1993
The Ryan Express is the most prolific strikeout pitcher in the history of baseball. His 5,714 career strikeouts are 839 more than any other pitcher which is a record that ranks right at the top of the list of the most unbreakable records in sports. Ryan led the league in K/9 and H/9 innings an unbelievable 12 times each. Perhaps more remarkable, he finished in the top-5 in K/9 innings 20 times and H/9 17 times. His seven career no-hitters are three more than any other player in MLB history. He has the most shutouts of any pitcher to debut since 1942 and his 383 strikeouts in 1973 are the most in a single season. Ryan is tied with Randy Johnson for most 300-strikeout seasons with six and he joins Johnson as the only pitchers to lead the league in strikeouts four consecutive years on two different occasions.
Johan Santana SP 2000-2012
Santana posted a lofty .641 winning percentage over his career which is the 10th best mark of all pitchers since 1960 (min. 10 seasons). His 136 ERA+ is the 5th best in the last 100 years (min. 10 seasons). Santana is the only player in MLB history to lead the league in ERA+, WHIP, H/9, strikeouts, and SO/9 in three consecutive seasons. He is one of only four pitchers to lead the league in WHIP for four consecutive seasons (Carl Hubbell, Sandy Koufax, and Clayton Kershaw). Since 1920, he is the only pitcher to lead the league in wins, ERA, strikeouts, innings, games started, ERA+, WHIP, H/9, and SO/9 in the same season. He is one of only seven players to lead the league in ERA+ for three consecutive seasons (Christy Mathewson, Lefty Grove, Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, Randy Johnson, and Clayton Kershaw). Since 1920, he is one of only four pitchers to lead the league in H/9 for three consecutive seasons (Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax, and Nolan Ryan). Santana won the Cy Young in 2004 and in 2006 and should’ve won a third in 2005 when he was easily the best pitcher in the American League.
Max Scherzer SP 2008-active
Although Mad Max is still padding his resume, what he has accomplished so far is pretty remarkable. Over his first 12 seasons as a full-time starter, Scherzer won three Cy Young awards and finished in the top-5 seven consecutive seasons which is tied for the longest streak in history (Greg Maddux and Clayton Kershaw). He led the league in wins, WHIP, and strikeout-to-walk ratio four times each, and strikeouts three times. Scherzer’s most impressive feats are the ones that nobody else has duplicated. He is the only pitcher in MLB history with at least four seasons with an era below 3.00, a WHIP below .97, and at least 265 strikeouts, and he did it in four consecutive seasons. Among pitchers with at least 2,000 career innings, Scherzer is the only pitcher with a K% above 28 and a BB% below 7.0. In his Cy Young-winning season of 2013, he became the only pitcher with at least 32 starts, a .875 winning percentage, and a K% over 28. Scherzer and Johan Santana are the only two pitchers to lead the league in WHIP and strikeouts three years in a row. Among pitchers with at least 2,000 career innings, he’s second all-time in strikeout-to-walk ratio and K/9. Scherzer was also a postseason force, leading Detroit and Washington to a combined seven playoff appearances over nine seasons, and holding the postseason record for career K/9 among pitchers with at least 110 innings. Scherzer led the Nationals to the 2019 World Series title, going 3-0 with a 2.40 ERA over 30 postseason innings.
Curt Schilling SP 1988-2007
The two most important traits a pitcher can have are limiting contact and avoiding walks. Schilling’s arsenal might have featured the best mix of both the league has ever seen. Schilling is the only pitcher since 1920 to pitch at least 3,000 innings with a K/BB ratio of at least 4.38. He’s the only pitcher in history with 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 715 walks. Schilling and Juan Marichal are the only two pitchers since 1920 with at least 215 career wins and fewer than 715 walks. What makes Schilling’s power/control mix so remarkable is that he was able to maintain it while also being one of the preeminent workhorses in Major League Baseball. He’s the last pitcher to throw back-to-back seasons of 250 innings, and he led the league in complete games four times. Since 1988, only Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux have more complete games. Schilling’s regular-season numbers are Hall of Fame-worthy on their own. He’s the last pitcher to have three seasons of at least 21 wins and he led the league in strikeout to walk ratio five times, but it’s the success he had in the postseason that makes him one of the most unique pitchers baseball has ever seen. Over 133 and 1/3 career postseason innings, Schilling went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA and .97 WHIP while winning three World Series titles in four appearances. He was named the 1993 NLCS MVP and 2001 World Series MVP. He holds the record for most innings pitched in a single postseason without a loss (48 and 1/3 in 2001). He holds the record for most strikeouts in a single postseason (56 in 2001). He holds the record for Win Probability added in a single postseason (2.1 in 2001), and he has the highest postseason winning percentage among starting pitchers with at least 55 postseason innings.
Mike Schmidt 3B 1972-1989
Schmidt’s career numbers don’t jump off the page mostly due to the fact that runs were tough to come by in the 1970s and 80s. Looking at Schmidt’s performance relative to the era that he played in reveals a different story—one that makes him, without question, the greatest third baseman of all time. Schmidt led the league in home runs eight times. Only Babe Ruth led the league more often. He hit 35 or more home runs 11 times. Only Babe Ruth and Alex Rodriguez did it more. Schmidt finished in the top-5 in WAR 12 times, twice as many as any other third baseman. Even more remarkable, is the fact that he did it in 11 consecutive seasons. Schmidt led the league in OPS+ six times, which is more than any other player during his 18-year career. Among third basemen, Schmidt is the king. He’s the all-time leader at the hot corner in home runs and WAR, and his 18.4 dWAR is in the top ten in history among third basemen, making him one of the greatest two-way players baseball has ever seen. Schmidt won three MVPs and finished in the top-10 nine times. He also led the Phillies to two World Series appearances and a World Series title in 1980 in which he was named the World Series MVP, making him the only player with at least three MVP awards and a World Series MVP.
Tom Seaver SP 1967-1986
Seaver famously led the Miracle Mets—a team that had not finished better than 9th in the National League in its seven seasons of existence—to the 1969 World Series Championship. His capstone performance was a 10-inning complete-game victory over the Orioles in Game 4, giving the Mets a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Seaver’s ’69 regular season was largely responsible for the Mets making the playoffs in the first place as he went 25-7, leading the league in wins while also winning the NL Cy Young and finishing runner up in the MVP race. While 1969 was a stellar year for him, Terrific Tom’s career was just getting started on the superlatives. He would follow up his first Cy Young with two more in 1973 and 1975 on his way to eight top-5 finishes. Only Roger Clemens, Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson have more. Seaver is 6th all-time in strikeouts and 7th all-time in shutouts and WAR. He’s the only pitcher with at least 310 wins, 3,500 strikeouts, 200 complete games, and fewer than 206 losses. He’s the only pitcher with 3,500 strikeouts, fewer than 4,000 hits allowed, and an ERA under 3.00. He’s the only pitcher with more than 60 shutouts, 230 complete games, and 3,600 strikeouts. He’s the only pitcher since 1915 with 300 career wins and an ERA under 3.00. His nine consecutive 200-strikeout seasons are the most in history, and he joins Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux as only three pitchers since 1914 with at least a 127 career ERA+ over 4,200 innings.
Gary Sheffield RF 1988-2009
Sheff is one of the great power-speed combos professional baseball has ever seen. He’s the only player in history with 500 home runs, 250 stolen bases, 1,450 walks, and fewer than 1,200 strikeouts. He’s the only player since the dead-ball era to have 1,000 extra-base hits, 250 stolen bases, and fewer than 1,200 strikeouts. He’s one of only four players with at least 500 home runs, 250 stolen bases, and a 70% stolen base percentage. He finished in the top-10 in MVP voting six times including three finishes in the top-3. Sheff finished in the top-10 in on-base % 10 times, helping him become one of only seven players with at least a .392 on-base percentage and 500 career home runs. Sheff led the Marlins to the 1997 World Series title, reaching base 15 times in a 7-game thriller over the Indians.
John Smoltz SP/RP 1988-2009
Smoltz truly was the most versatile pitcher in Major League Baseball history. He’s the only pitcher with 200 career wins and 150 career saves, and the only pitcher with a 24-win season and a 55–save season. Smoltz won the Cy Young in 1996 when he became one of only three pitchers to compile a season with 24 wins, 250 innings, 275 strikeouts, and a K/9 of at least 9.8. Smoltz was even better in the postseason, throwing 209 innings with a stellar 2.67 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, both of which represented improvements over his spectacular regular season marks. Smoltz is third all-time in postseason innings, second in postseason wins, and his 15-4 record is the highest winning % ever among pitchers with at least 135 postseason innings.
Warren Spahn SP 1942-1965
There is a pretty convincing argument that Spahn is squarely in the conversation of the greatest pitcher of all time. Quite literally, there is an 85-year stretch where Spahn’s career was unrivaled. From 1915 to 2000, Spahn won 34 more games than any other pitcher and threw 26 more complete games than any other pitcher. He threw a minimum of 260 innings in 14 different seasons during this stretch, which is four more seasons than anyone else. Even more remarkable is that Spahn was a 13-time 20-game winner, which is the most in history. He led the league in wins eight times and complete games nine times, both are the records. Spahn was a 17-time all-star selection, which is five more than any other pitcher. His Black Ink and Gray Ink scores are the highest of any pitcher since 1930. Spahn’s durability showed up in the postseason as well. He is the only pitcher since 1912 to throw two 10-inning games in the World Series, including Game 4 of the 1957 series, helping propel the Minneapolis Braves over the heavily favored New York Yankees. It’s fun to imagine what Spahn’s career might have looked like had he not missed three-and-a-half seasons of his prime serving in WWII.
Sammy Sosa RF 1989-2007
Slammin’ Sammy’s 10-year stretch with the Cubs from 1995 to 2004 produced the greatest home run barrage Major League Baseball has ever seen, literally. Sosa’s 479 home runs over that period are the most ever over 10 years. In fact, Sosa also holds the records for most home runs over a 5-year, 6-year, 7-year, 8-year, and 9-year stretch. Sosa is the only player in history with three seasons of 60+ home runs. He also shares the record for the most 50-home run seasons with four. He’s the only player with more than 60 home runs and 140 runs in a single season. He’s the only player to have more than 65 home runs, 150 RBIs, and 130 runs in a single season. He’s the only player with a season of at least 64 home runs and 155 RBIs and he did it twice. Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, and Rafael Palmeiro are the only three players with nine consecutive seasons of 35 home runs and 100 RBIs. He was the NL MVP in 1998 and the runner-up in 2001. Remarkably, Sosa led the league in home runs twice, but not in any of his 60-home run seasons.
Tris Speaker CF 1907-1928
The Gray Eagle’s 792 career doubles make him baseball’s king of the two-bagger. He led the league in doubles a record eight times and holds the record for 30, 40, and 50-double seasons. Few players in history can equal Speaker’s lofty place in the record books where he stands 5th all-time in hits, 6th in batting average and triples, 9th in WAR, and 11th in on-base percentage. He has the most 145-hit seasons and the most consecutive 145-hit seasons in history. He’s the only player with at least 1,300 career walks and fewer than 400 strikeouts. He’s the only player with 3,000 career hits and 400 stolen bases while amassing fewer than 400 strikeouts. He’s the only player with 3,500 hits and 750 doubles, and he’s the only player with 3,500 hits and 300 sacrifice hits. No player in MLB history has more seasons with both a .370 batting average and a .460 on-base percentage than Speaker’s six (Babe Ruth also has six). Speaker played in three World Series leading his team to victory on all three occasions.
Willie Stargell LF 1962-1982
Legends are made in the postseason and that’s exactly where Pops shined brightest. He led the Pirates to six playoff appearances and his performance in a losing effort in the 1974 NLCS solidified his status as a postseason powerhouse, but it was what he did in the 1979 postseason that still echoes through the halls of baseball history. Stargell led the Pirates to a three-game sweep of the Reds in the 1979 NLCS, hitting two home runs, two doubles, and driving in six on his way to the NLCS MVP. In the World Series, Stargell was even better as he piled up 12 hits, three home runs, four doubles, and seven RBIs in a 7-game thriller against the Orioles. His home run and two doubles in Game 7 helped clinch the series for the Pirates and the World Series MVP for Pops. He also won the National League MVP, making him the only player in Major league baseball history to win a League Championship Series MVP, a World Series MVP, and a regular-season MVP in the same season–and he did it at 39 years old! Stargell’s regular-season accomplishments are nothing to scoff at either. Aside from winning the 1979 MVP, he finished runner-up twice, led the league in home runs and OPS+ twice, finished in the top-10 in home runs 10 times, and finished with a 147 career OPS+.
Ichiro Suzuki RF 2001-2019
The sweet-swinging savant from Japan got a late start to his Major League career after spending nine seasons tearing up the Japan Pacific League. His career in the U.S. started in earnest in 2001 at the age of 27 when he signed with the Seattle Mariners. Ichiro hit the ground running, literally, as he tallied 242 hits and 56 stolen bases in his rookie season on his way to winning the AL MVP. In only his first season, Ichiro became the first player to reach 240 hits and 55 stolen bases since Ty Cobb in 1911. In 2004, Ichiro tallied 262 hits, breaking George Sisler’s single-season hits record that had stood for 84 years. That was just the beginning of Ichiro’s assault on the record books as he holds the record for most consecutive seasons leading the league in hits, most 200 hit seasons, most consecutive 200 hit seasons, and most 200 hit seasons to start a career. Ichiro was also a standout right-fielder as he holds the 3rd highest fielding percentage of any right-fielder in Major league baseball history. Had he started his career in America, it’s not hard to imagine Ichiro replacing Pete Rose as the Hit King. In addition to the 3,089 hits he amassed in MLB, he also had 1,278 hits in Japan. His combined 4,367 professional hits are 111 ahead of Pete Rose’s historic mark.
Frank Thomas 1B/DH 1990-2008
The Big Hurt combined patience, power, and an elite hit tool to put together a truly unique career at first base. He won back-to-back AL MVPs for the White Sox in 1993 and 1994, finishing in the top-4 six times and the top-10 nine times. He led the league in on-base percentage, runs created, and walks four times, and OPS+ three times. He’s the only player since 1959 with at least 1,000 career plate appearances to hit .300 with a .419 OBP and a .554 slugging %. Thomas joins Babe Ruth and Ted Williams as the only three players in history with 520 home runs, 1,600 walks, and fewer than 1,400 strikeouts. He’s the only first baseman since 1930 with a least 500 home runs and a .419 on-base percentage. He’s the only player since 1960 to hit at least .300 with 500 home runs and an OPS+ of 156., and he joins Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds as the only three players with 10,000 career plate appearances, a 156 ops+ and 1,600 walks.
Jim Thome 1B 1991-2012
Thome’s career is marked by power, plate discipline, and more power. He joins Barry Bonds and Babe Ruth as the only three players with 600 career home runs and 1,700 career walks. He joins Bonds and Ruth as the only three players with 600 home runs and a .400 on-base percentage. He joins Bonds and Ruth as the only three players with at least 600 home runs, 1,650 walks, and 1,650 RBIs, and he joins Bonds, Ruth, and Ted Williams as the only four players with at least 1,740 career walks and at least a .554 slugging %. His 13.8 AB/HR mark is the 4th best in history and his 612 home runs are 8th on the all-time list.
Mike Trout CF 2011-active
Trout is smack dab in the middle of his prime so his career numbers are TBD, but what he was able to accomplish by the age of 29 is unrivaled in baseball history. Trout holds the record with nine consecutive seasons in the top-5 of the MVP voting. He’s the only player with three MVPs and two all-star game MVPs. He’s also tied for 2nd with seven top-2 finishes in MVP voting (Musial and Pujols). Trout is tied for 5th all-time in OPS+, 8th in OPS, 9th in slugging %, and he has the 2nd highest OPS+ since 1960. Trout’s worst season in terms of OPS+ in which he had at least 250 plate appearances is 169. For perspective, that is better than Ty Cobb’s career OPS+ and would be the 10th best career mark in history. In just eight non-COVID seasons as an everyday player, Trout has led the league in OPS+ six times, runs and on-base percentage four times, and slugging percentage and walks three times.
Justin Verlander SP 2005-active
JV’s march to historic career numbers took an unexpected detour in 2020 as the COVID shortened season and Tommy John surgery robbed him of 68 starts over two seasons. Despite the setback, Verlander’s career remains one of the most unique in baseball history. During his Cy Young-winning season of 2019, he became the only pitcher in Major League Baseball history with a season of 220 innings and 300 strikeouts with less than a .81 WHIP. He has three seasons with 210 innings, 250 strikeouts, less than a 2.6 era, less than a .92 WHIP, and fewer than 10 losses; only one other pitcher even has two. He’s the only pitcher with back-to-back seasons of 210 innings, 290 strikeouts, and a WHIP lower than .91. Only Randy Johnson has more seasons with 200 innings, 250 strikeouts, and fewer than 10 losses, and only Roger Clemens has more seasons with at least 30 starts and no more than 10 losses. His three no-hitters trail only Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax on the all-time list. JV won the 2011 AL MVP award and the Cy Young in 2011 and 2019. He was a Cy Young runner-up three times and produced seven top-5 finishes. He led the league in strikeouts five times, WHIP and innings four times, and wins three times. Verlander’s dominance carried into the postseason as he joins Clayton Kershaw as the only pitchers in postseason history with at least 180 innings and a WHIP no higher than 1.07. He’s third all-time in postseason wins and holds the record for most career postseason strikeouts. He led eight teams to the playoffs, made four World Series appearances, and was the final piece to Houston’s 2017 World Series championship team after coming over from Detroit in a late-season trade. He went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA and a .647 in five regular-season starts with Houston and then won the 2017 ALCS MVP after giving up just one earned run in 16 innings against the Yankees.
Joey Votto 1B 2007-active
Although hitting home runs is the most important skill in baseball, getting on base isn’t far behind and few have been better than Votto at doing just that. Votto has led the National League in on-base percentage seven times. Only Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and Rogers Hornsby have led the league more often, and they just happen to be four of the top-20 players ever. Votto is the active leader in on-base percentage and is second among active players in career walks trailing only Albert Pujols. Votto won the NL MVP in 2010 while also finishing 2nd in 2017 and 3rd in 2015. Votto will not end up reaching the celebrated statistical milestones that have become synonymous with Hall-of-Fame resumes, but it is hard to imagine a player leading the league in on-base percentage seven times and not being one of the 100 greatest players. Hopefully, Hall of Fame voters will show more respect to Votto than they did to Johan Santana’s similarly underappreciated profile.
Honus Wagner SS 1897-1917
SpongeBob’s favorite baseball player, “The Flying Dutchman” Honus Wagner, was the original “greatest of all time” when Major League Baseball was officially formed in 1903. While his reign at the top was usurped by Ty Cobb by 1910, Wagner’s imprint on the sport is still felt today as his 1909 T206 baseball card has been the most sought after on the market for over a century. Few players in history appear in baseball record books as often as Wagner. He’s third all-time in triples, 8th in hits, and 10th in doubles and stolen bases. Among shortstops, he’s the all-time leader in hits, doubles, triples, stolen bases, WAR, batting average, and OPS+. Wagner led the league in WAR for position players 11 times, batting average and OPS eight times, doubles, extra-base hits, and runs created seven times, total bases and slugging % six times, on-base percentage and RBIs four times, triples three times, and hits and runs twice. Wagner was the star of the 1909 World Series as he led the Pirates to the title over the Tigers, throwing one last salvo at Cobb before the changing of the guard.
Ted Williams LF 1939-1960
Had Williams not missed three seasons serving in WWII and a litany of games throughout his career with injuries, he might have had a legitimate claim as the greatest player of all time. Williams reached 550 plate appearances just nine times over his career. For comparison, Lou Gehrig—whose career was tragically cut short at the age of 35—managed to reach 670 plate appearances 13 times. While Williams was on the diamond, however, he was arguably the most efficient player to ever play the game. He is the all-time leader in on-base percentage with an outlandish .482 mark. To put that into perspective, there have only been seven total seasons that have yielded a .482 on-base percentage since Williams retired in 1961 (Bonds x 4, Cash, Mantle, F. Thomas). His cartoonish career 191 OPS+ and .633 slugging percentage trail only Babe Ruth on the all-time list, and he’s 4th all-time in walks and 8th in batting average. Williams won the AL MVP in 1946 and 1949 and was the runner-up four times. He had nine top-5 finishes and received MVP votes in 18 seasons which is tied for the second-most in history (Hank Aaron most, Stan Musial). Williams led the league in on-base percentage a remarkable 12 times which is two more than any other player. He also led the league in OPS 10 times, OPS+, slugging percentage, and intentional walks nine times, batting average, runs, and total bases six times, and home runs and RBIs 4 times. His six seasons of at least 140 walks are tied for the record (Bonds). He won the AL Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947, becoming the only player in history to win multiple Triple Crowns. He’s the only player with 2,000 career walks while amassing fewer than 800 strikeouts, and he’s the only player with 150 RBIs, 150 runs, and 160 walks in a single season.
Carl Yastrzemski LF 1961-1983
Yaz spent 23 seasons with the Red Sox which are tied with Brooks Robinson for the most seasons spent with a single franchise. Yaz didn’t just play for 23 seasons, he was a productive player for 23 seasons, amassing 18 all-star game appearances, and receiving MVP votes in 14 different seasons. Yastrzemski is the only player in history with 3,400 career hits and 1,800 walks. He’s also the only player with 3,000 hits, 1,800 RBIs, 1,800 runs, and 1,800 walks. Yaz is in the top-10 all-time in hits, doubles, walks, and total bases and he led the league in on-base percentage five times, OPS+ four times, runs, and doubles three times while also winning three batting crowns. He joins Babe Ruth and Ted Williams as the only players with 1,800 career walks, 1,100 extra-base hits, and fewer than 1400 strikeouts. He joins Hank Aaron and Stan Musial as the only players with 3,400 career hits and 1,100 extra-base hits, and he joins Musial and Albert Pujols as the only players with at least 645 career doubles and 450 home runs. Yaz won the AL Triple Crown in 1967 on his way to the league MVP, and he hit .352 with a .438 on-base percentage in two World Series appearances.
Cy Young SP 1890-1911
Young–the namesake of Major League Baseball’s pinnacle award for pitching–is pretty much the major league leader in every pitching category, holding the top spots in career wins, losses, games started, complete games, innings, hits allowed, and earned runs allowed. His 7,356 career innings are over 1,400 more than any other pitcher in history. Behind Young’s massive volume is one of the most frugal pitchers ever when it comes to issuing walks. Young led the league in BB/9 a record 14 times, five more than any other pitcher. He led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio a record 11 times and no other pitcher led the league in WHIP and shutouts more often. Young’s 16 20-win seasons are the most all-time and his streak of 14 consecutive seasons of 20-wins is the longest in history. Young also led the Boston Americans—soon to be Boston Red Sox—to victory in 1903 in the first-ever World Series between the American League and the National League.