The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #8 Ted Williams

Breaking into the list at #8 is “The Splendid Splinter” Ted Williams. 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 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 in history. 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 most in history (Bonds). He won the AL Triple Crown in 1942 and 1947 becoming the only player in history to win multiple. He’s the only player in history with 2,000 career walks and fewer than 800 strikeouts and he’s the only player in history with 150 RBIs, 150 runs, and 160 walks in a single season.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #9 Greg Maddux

Schooling the last at #9 is “The Professor” Greg Maddux. Maddux’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 in history 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 in history. 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. Maddux led his team 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.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #10 Alex Rodriguez

Joining the list at #10 is Mariners, Rangers, and Yankees force, Alex Rodriguez. 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 in history with 3,000 hits, 300 stolen bases, 2,000 runs, and 2,000 RBIs. He’s the only player in history with at least 40 home runs and 45 stolen bases in a single season. He’s the only player in history with 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 200 hits in a single season. He’s the only player in history 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. Arod’s 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.