The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #27 Manny Ramirez

Smashing in at #27 is the most underrated hitter in baseball history Manny Ramirez.  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 Manny’s career 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) and 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.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #28 Rickey Henderson

Speeding in at #28 is the ultimate leadoff man Rickey Henderson. Rickey’s career was so unique 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 in history who even reached 468 stolen bases as a career total. The gap between Rickey and Brock is bigger than the gap between Brock and 45th place. Rickey’s 2,295 career runs are the most in history. His 2,190 non-intentional walks are also the most in history. He’s the only player in history with 3,000 hits and 2,000 walks. He’s the only player in history 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 in half his career hits, runs, walks, stolen bases, and home runs total, there is only one player in major league baseball history to reach those marks (Tim Raines). Rickey is the only player in MLB history 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 in history 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.