The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #36 Frank Thomas

Muscling in at #36 is “the Big Hurt” Frank Thomas. Thomas 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 in history with 10,000 career plate appearances, a 156 ops+ and 1,600 walks.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #37 Reggie Jackson

Towering in at #37 is Mr. October Reggie Jackson. When Jackson wasn’t being programmed to threaten 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 in history to win a World Series MVP with two different teams and the only hitter in history 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.

The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #74 Harmen Killebrew

Powering into the list at #74 is Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew. 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.