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| Lou Gehrig, left, and the Babe pose in the dugout. |
Before assembling my
top 100 list, I thought about what my criteria would be. After all,
without criteria, lists are somewhat dubious.
I came up with a few
things. Consistency is important for my ranking, especially closer to
the top. Most of the guys up there were dominant for at least eight
years.
Other things I
considered with every player: their versatility across skillsets
(power, speed, defense, hits per nine, ERA, K/W ratio, etc.); postseason
record; all-time standing; and intangibles. The latter might include
things like whether they played in the integrated era, and their
ballpark.
I am a
traditionalist, but this is not a traditional fan ranking. I looked
at the WAR for every single player.
The hardest part is
ranking players from 100 years ago. I finally decided to compare
those players to one another, not to players from today. I did not
consider pre-1900 players. The protean rules of that era make it
difficult to rate the stars like Cap Anson and Kid Nichols.
Finally, I allowed
my own memories from 40 years of watching baseball, as well as my own
value judgments, to factor in the criteria. After all, this is fun
and it’s my list.
1. Babe Ruth –
Yes, it was a much different era for baseball, one that few people
living can assess in comparison to the modern game. It’s best to
avoid the Ruth vs. today rabbit hole entirely and just appreciate
what he accomplished during his prolific career. The game was
fundamentally the same, and nobody in history owned it the way George
Herman Ruth did.
It’s hard to
appropriately convey how good he was, other than to say he was bigger
than the game. I don’t mean his outsized personality. I mean Ruth
was so good, he made baseball a different game. The home run was an
afterthought pre-Babe. By the time he retired, baseball was the most
popular American pastime due mainly to how Ruth played it. You likely
know the hitting numbers, so I’ll skip them.
Ruth’s teams won
seven World Series rings, and he started the game’s greatest
rivalry – albeit accidentally. After winning three championships
with the Red Sox, owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth to the New York
Yankees and the Sox didn’t win again for 86 years.
Oh, and Ruth went
94-28 with a 2.28 ERA and was the best left-handed pitcher in the
game from 1916-18.
He was the Babe, the
Bambino, the Sultan of Swat and Yankee Stadium was the House that
Ruth Built. Simply the best.
2. Willie Mays –
If you were tasked with creating the quintessential modern
ballplayer, you would doubtless craft something that resembled Willie
Mays. Confronting his career ledger yields a wondrous thought: he’s
probably underrated.
In every skill, Mays
gave us two performance levels: great and all-time great. He hit .302
lifetime, stole 338 bases and walked nearly as often as he struck out
(1,464-1,526).
He hit 660 homers
and won 12 Gold Gloves. Mays finished in the top six in the National
League MVP voting an amazing 10 years straight.
A few players
achieve prominence for doing everything well on the baseball field.
Mays was the best of those very select few who did everything great.
Mays was a marvelous
player, but he was not perfect. His .247 postseason batting average
in 25 games is a lone besmirchment.
3. Ted Williams –
In some ways, Ted Williams was the opposite of Mays. He couldn’t
run (24 steals in 41 career attempts), he didn’t play defense
especially well, and he probably wasn’t a very good teammate.
But Williams was the
greatest hitter who ever played, in my opinion. Where do we start?
How about Ted’s ridiculous .482 on-base percentage? It’s the
highest in Major League history. Williams was essentially 60-70 years
ahead of the sabermetrics’ movement, which properly elevated OBP
ahead of batting average.
Williams was absurd
with a bat in his hand. Six years straight (1941-42, 1946-49) he led
the American League in walks, OBP, slugging percentage and OPS. He
won four batting titles, led the AL in homers four times and finished
in the top three in the MVP vote all six years.
Incredibly, Williams
missed three years in the middle of that stretch due to World War II
service. One wonders where his crazy offensive numbers would have
ended up had he not been called to serve his country.
Nobody hit a
baseball better than Ted Williams and that deserves top three on my
list.
4. Hank Aaron –
The story of Hammerin’ Hank Aaron is one of consistent greatness.
From a raw rookie in 1954 until he retired 22 years later, Aaron
avoided injury and hit the baseball with unparalleled consistency.
He led the National
League four times in homers, doubles, RBIs and slugging percentage.
He led the league in total bases eight times, and is the all-time
leader in total bases and RBIs.
Blessed with
famously strong, quick-twitch wrists, Aaron’s 755 home runs will
forever be the standard for me. To think that he never exceeded 100
strikeouts is stunning. Aaron played during an era where 100 Ks was a
black mark to be avoided. Had he swung relentlessly for the fences,
he might have hit 1,000 bombs.
In 74 postseason
at-bats, Aaron hit .362 with six homers.
If you were starting
an all-time team, Aaron might be your first draft pick.
5. Walter Johnson –
Our first pitcher is acknowledged as the greatest hurler of all time
-- the Big Train. It’s very hard to judge players across such vast
eras, but I am trusting the metrics that show Johnson as the
preeminent pitcher of the early days.
Johnson claims one
all-time MLB record likely to never be broken – 110 career
shutouts. The active leader is Clayton Kershaw with 15.
Johnson’s career
is remarkable for its lengthy dominance. He won league MVPs 11 years
apart in 1913 and 1924 and remains second all time with 417 wins and
ninth with 3,509 strikeouts.
6. Ty Cobb – Cobb
was a horrible human being off the field. On it, he didn’t hit many
homers (117), and he was equally hated by opponents, teammates and
umpires.
But the man could
hit. Cobb hit .295 as a teenager his first two years (1905-06), but
never dipped below .323 during his final 22 years in the majors.
During a 13-year
stretch beginning in 1907, Cobb won the American League batting title
every year but one. He hit .377 with 744 stolen bases during this
period.
Cobb still holds the
highest batting average in ML history at .366. He is second in hits
with 4,189, triples (295) and runs (2,244).
7. Barry Bonds –
I’ll confess my bias here: I don’t like Barry Bonds. He ruined
the magical career home run number that every baseball-obsessed kid
used to know by heart: 714, and then 755. I don’t even know what
the number is now and don’t care. It’s a fraud.
The number is now
treated like that aunt who blurts out uncomfortable comments during
Thanksgiving dinner. We wince, but just go on as though everything
else is normal.
Having said that,
Bonds was going to be an all-time player prior to juicing. I am going
to accept the “Game of Shadows” assertion that he started his
medicinal enhancement program in 1998.
At that point, Bonds
had 374 homers, 417 stolen bases, three MVP awards and seven Gold
Gloves. He was certainly going to be a 500-500 player.
An all-time great
who made some extremely sad choices.
8. Tom Seaver –
During his first 12 years in the big leagues, Tom Terrific’s earned
run average exceeded 3.00 just once. Considering that he threw five
shutouts and led the National Leage in Ks/9 and K/W ratio, that 3.20
ERA in 1974 was seemingly the byproduct of some tough luck.
In my opinion,
Seaver lost a year in 1966 when he needlessly pitched in Triple A
when he was clearly ready for the bigs. That hurts his final ledger,
which is still outstanding. Those first 12 years included three Cy
Youngs and three other top five finishes.
Seaver’s final
eight years were less consistent, but included some sparkling seasons
– like 14-2 with a 2.54 ERA in 1981 and a magnificent 16-11, 3.12
effort at 40 years old in 1985.
In total, Seaver
went 311-205 with a 2.86 ERA. He made a beautiful transition from a
hard thrower who led the NL in strikeouts five times in his first 12
years, to a crafty pitcher who never K’d more than 135 his last
eight years.
Few know more about
pitching than the great Tom Seaver.
9. Rogers Hornsby –
Our first true infielder and the greatest second baseman ever.
Hornsby can match production with any of the names above.
From 1920-25, he led
the National League in virtually every major offensive category every
year. He hit an incredibly .397 during those six years.
Hornsby fell off
considerably in his 30s, hitting just 23 homers after clubbing 39 in
his MVP age 33 season. One wonders if he didn’t suffer from the
type of shoulder or knee injury that went undiagnosed in those days.
Hornsby never
stopped hitting, however, and closed out his career with a .358
average, good enough for second all-time.
10. Stan Musial –
A poor man’s Ted Williams in a sense. I admire Musial greatly for
his power produced vs. the strike-zone judgment.
Stan got the most
anyone could get from his 12,718 at-bats. He struck out just 696
times. Now the good: 1,599 walks, 475 homers, 725 doubles and 177
triples. That the anvil-footed Musial (78 career steals) banged out
177 triples testifies to how hard he regularly mashed the baseball.
The Man’s 1,377
extra-base hits is third all-time. He ranks second in total bases,
fourth in hits and pocketed three MVP awards.
11. Roger Clemens –
At this point, I am saddened by the fact there were so many poor
character ballplayers among the greats. Clemens, of course, continues
to bizarrely claim he never used steroids, a claim believed only by
virtually nobody.
Be that as it may,
the Rocket was heading for the top of this list before juicing went
mainstream. Unlike Bonds, there’s no book pinpointing when the Roge
went on the needle. But prior to turning 30 and long before steroids
entered the picture, Clemens had three Cys, and had led the American
League in shutouts five times, ERA four times and strikeouts twice.
He would add four
more Cys in his 30s and finish 354-184 with a 3.12.
12. Honus Wagner –
Generally considered the best SS ever, I could rank Wagner higher. A
Pittsburgh legend, Wagner won eight National League batting titles
and led the league in stolen bases five times and doubles seven
times.
Although he only hit
101 career homers, Wagner led the NL in slugging percentage six
times. Probably should have retired at 40.
13. Lou Gehrig –
Let’s address The Streak first. I find it admirable and impressive,
but it in no way affects my ranking. Frankly, I’d rather see a star
player take a day off a month at minimum to stay fresh.
The Iron Horse was
lineup protection for the Babe, an interesting decision. While his
numbers, particularly the 1,995 RBIs, are no doubt inflated due to
the perennial lineup strength, Sweet Lou was a masher in his own
right.
He hit .340 career
with 493 homers and a 1.080 OPS. Lou won two MVPs and six other years
finished top five. In postseason action, Gehrig upped it to .361 and
a 1.214 OPS.
14. Randy Johnson –
The Big Unit is somewhat the opposite of Seaver. Following his age 28
season, Johnson was coming off three straight seasons leading the
league in walks.
The ensuing 12
seasons saw him go 197-80 with a 2.78 ERA. More impressively, he
struck out 3,343 batters in 2,550 innings. He won four straight Cy
Youngs in his mid-to-late 30s.
Johnson led his
league in ERA four times and fewest hits per nine five times. He
remains baseball’s all-time K-per-nine leader at 10.6.
This is an unusual
ranking given the glaring negatives at various times in Johnson’s
career. But he was also extremely dominant for a very long stretch.
15. Lefty Grove –
Back-to-back leftys with Robert Moses Grove. Lefty certainly earned
his way here, leading the American League in ERA nine times in a
career that concluded in 1941. The 1931 MVP also led the league in
strikeouts this first seven years of his career.
But I like Grove for
different reasons. He gave up a lot of hits and a lot of walks.
Still, he had the great ERA (3.06 career) and went 300-141 overall.
That tells me Grove was toughest in the toughest situations, and
forever stingy with the game on the line.
In short, a winner.
A player I especially wish I could have seen play.
16. Johnny Bench –
This is high, but I want to acknowledge the coach on the field. Back
in the day, catcher was even more important than today.
Johnny Bench in his
20s was an incomparable asset to a baseball team. During those 10
years, Bench won two MVPs, produced 286 homers, 1,032 RBIs at the
plate, and won the Gold Glove every season.
For those 10 years,
Johnny Bench was as good at catcher as the game has ever seen.
17. Tris Speaker –
Otherwise known as the King of the Two Bagger. Speaker is the
all-time leader in doubles with 792.
A marvelous hitter,
Speaker was overshadowed annually by Cobb. He won his lone batting
title in 1916, edging Cobb, .388-.371. Otherwise, Speaker finished
second or third in the batting race nine times.
Speaker hit .345 for
his career with 3,514 hits, good for fifth all-time.
18. Pete Alexander –
I have a hard time judging players who predate the “deadball era.”
Especially pitchers, who enjoyed enormous advantages.
But Old Pete spanned
the entire eras and pitched wonderfully throughout his career,
retiring with a 373-208, 2.56 line.
Pete will forever be
remembered for the 1926 World Series, when the 39-year-old hurler led
the Cardinals to a massive upset of the Yankees. Pete went the
distance in a Game Six win on Saturday, then returned for 2.1 innings
of relief to close out Game Seven the following day.
19. Alex Rodriguez -- Another steroid dude. I don’t know what is real with these guys
and, in some ways, Alex is harder than the rest. Unlike some others,
Alex’s career did not predate the steroid era.
But I remember Alex
as a high school phenom and his talent was always legit. Personally,
I don’t think he was using as a 20-year-old rookie who won the
batting crown at .358, adding 54 doubles, 36 homers and 123 RBIs.
The rest of the
numbers are cartoonish, and I don’t know what’s real and what
isn’t. But I’m certain Alex was going to be a transcendent talent
regardless. At SS, he had great range and a great arm to go with it.
A polarizing figure
for sure.
20. Greg Maddux –
As I write this, I’m thinking Maddux should be higher. Unlike the
old timers, he played during integration. More importantly, he
pitched during the steroid era, which makes his domination all the
more breathtaking.
From 1992-98, Maddux
won four Cys and finished in the top five every year. He went 123-57
with a sparkling 2.15 ERA. His 0.968 WHIP is unbelievable.
And it’s not like
he pitched poorly before or after that seven-year run. Maddux
finished up with 355 wins and a 3.16 ERA. His slingback fastball
challenged hitters and umps alike. Oh, and he won 20 Gold Gloves.
So what’s the
problem? I reverse Pete and Maddux if the latter righty had a little
more postseason success. As it is, Greg’s 11-14 postseason mark
feels a bit unsatisfying.
21. Mickey Mantle –
We all know Mantle wasted his incredible athletic gifts to some
degree. But the production is still prodigious.
The Mick won three
MVPs and finished second three times as well. All off the strength of
536 homers and another 18 in the postseason. A career .421 OBP and
.557 slugging percentage are evidence of Mantle’s imposing presence
at bat.
22. Mike Schmidt –
I grew up listening to Harry Kalas’ summer night calls of “Home
run Michael Jack Schmidt!” Baseball was never better.
Schmitty hit a lot
of homers (548), won three National League MVPs and was the anchor of
the most successful Phillies’ core in history. On defense, Mike won
10 Gold Gloves. No third baseman charged and barehanded the slow
dribbler better than Schmidt.
Sadly, the apex of
my baseball-obsessed, baseball card-collecting youth came in 1981,
when the baseball strike curtailed Mike’s pinnacle season. He hit
.316 with 31 homers in 102 games that year.
23. Joe DiMaggio –
Injuries and military service conspired to rob Joe D of a lot of
field time. Still, produced some of baseball’s best performances.
Start with 1941 and the 56-game hitting streak.
Joe hit .357 that
year with 76 walks and 13 Ks in 622 plate appearances. Won three MVPs
awards and married Marilyn Monroe.
24. Jimmie Foxx –
Finished his career with a 1.038 OPS. Knocked in more than 150 runs
four times and won three MVPs. A thunderous hitter. Lefty Gomez
remarked, “He had muscles on his muscles.”
25. Eddie Collins –
Came about during the deadball era and promptly hit .347, .323, .365,
.348, .345, and .344 beginning in 1909. Collins was a little
hitterish, as Whitey would have said.
Collins holds the
all-time MLB record for sacrific hits with 512.
26. Clayton Kershaw
– Great pitchers often fall into one of two categories: the hard
throwers who struggle with walks (Ryan, Koufax, Johnson) and the
command pitchers who give up a lot of hits. Maddux, for example, gave
up 8.5 hits per nine over his career.
Then there’s
Kershaw. The extraordinary pitcher who throws nothing but strikes,
and they still can’t hit it. Clayton ranks second all-time in
fewest hits per nine at 6.7. While he walked a fair amount of hitters
early in his career, his control is now the best in the game.
The past two years,
Kershaw struck out 374 batters and walked 41. He will finish in the
top five in Cy Young voting for the seventh straight season.
The postseason
record (and continued success) is the only thing standing in the way
of Kershaw ranking as perhaps the best pitcher of all time. He hits
per nine (7.2) and Ks (10.3) are fine, but his 4.35 ERA in 122
postseason innings is not acceptable.
27. Frank Robinson –
Solid, sustained greatness. Feared hitter. Best marks are .342
(1962), 49 homers (1966), 136 RBIs (1962), 51 doubles (1962), 26
steals (1966), 88 walks (1969).
28. Warren Spahn –
Missed three early years to World War III service and still piled up
363 wins and a 3.09 ERA. Finished what he started. Led the National
League in complete games seven straight years and nine times overall.
Another crafty
lefty, much like Gomez, Spahn finished with 382 complete games and 63
shutouts.
29. Mel Ott –
Underrated hitter, Ott walked 1,708 times to bolster a career .414
OPB. He also bashed 511 homers and batted .304 during a 22-year
career, all with the New York Giants.
Ott’s only fault
was playing among a lot of great hitters. He only had one top three
finish in the MVP race (3rd in 1942). A typical season saw
him lead the NL in homers (35), RBIs (135) and bat .326 in 1934 –
and finish 5th in the MVP race.
30. Nap Lajoie –
Another deadball era player. Tough to rate. Cracked 657 doubles,
stole 380 bases and hit .326 in a 21-year career that concluded in
1916.
31. Joe Morgan –
Morgan walked more than he struck out every single season. At his
best, he was one of the best tablesetters ever. When he won
back-to-back MVPs in 1975-76, Morgan walked 246 times and struck out
93 times.
He stole 689 bases
and hit 268 homers. On defense, Morgan was five Gold Gloves at second
base. And he had the coolest bat trigger the game has ever seen.
32. Christy
Mathewson – Incredibly consistent deadball era pitcher. Posted a
2.41 ERA as a 20-year-old rookie in 1901 and went lower than that for
the next 12 years. Finished with a 2.13 and 373 wins.
0.97 ERA in 11
postseason starts. Died young (45) within a decade of retiring young
in 1916.
33. Rickey Henderson
– Unusual player. Stole the most bases in history, but was also
caught the most. Dynamic offensive weapon, but a handful in the
clubhouse. Dumped by teams more than any superstar in history.
Still, the best
leadoff man in MLB history. Drew 2,190 walks and scored and all-time
record 2,295 runs. Also hit 297 homers. Played too long. Hit just
.228 his last 348 games.
34. Cy Young –
I’ll be honest: I don’t know where to put Cy Young. He holds
plenty of pitching records, but his main skill seems to have been an
ability to throw a bazillion innings. He started, completed, won and
threw the most innings in ML history.
But he gave up 8.7
hits per nine – in the deadball era. In the prime of his career, in
1894, he gave up 488 hits in 408 innings. Yikes.
Let’s just park
him at 34 and celebrate Cy’s marvelous 1908 season. At 41, he went
21-11 with a 1.26 ERA. They named a damn award after him – that
counts for something.
35. Jackie Robinson
– Jackie had a bit of a thin career – eight strong years – but
the legacy lives on. Off the field impact is not really part of this
list, but Jackie’s impact kinda overwhelms any criteria.
And he was a great
player, one who didn’t arrive until he was 28. Jackie had six
straight years exceeding a .410 OBP and .900 OPS. He hit .311 for his
career, with one MVP (1949) and a Rookie of the Year (1947).
36. Roberto Clemente
– Didn’t run that great, but Clemente could hit. He won three
National League batting titles, topping out at .357 in 1967.
Also a wonderful RF
who won 12 straight Gold Gloves. Departed tragically with 3,000 hits
on the nose.
37. Albert Pujols –
Aging poorly, but what a start to his career. In his first 10 years,
Pujols averaged .331, 41 homers and 123 RBIs. Sadly for the Angels,
they paid megabucks for the decline years. Buyer beware.
38. Eddie Matthews –
Like many ballplayers, the 30s were not kind to Matthews. But in his
20s, he mashed, hitting 40+ homers four times. Walked 1,444 times and
struck out 1,487.
39. Bob Gibson –
Gibby intimidated on the mound and was at his toughest in the
high-stakes games. He won two World Series MVPs and allowed just 55
hits and 17 earned runs in 81 postseason innings (1.89).
He also went 251-174
with a 2.91 and two Cys in the regular season. From 1968-70, Bob
completed 79 of 103 starts, went 65-29 with a 2.13. A complete
player, Bob won nine Gold Gloves and hit .206 with 24 homers.
40. Pedro Martinez –
Pedro had a great career, one cut short by injuries. But he was
stunningly dominant for a seven-year stretch from 1997-2003. He went
118-36, with a 2.20 and 1,761 strikeouts in 1,408 innings. He won
three Cys and finished second two other years.
41. George Brett –
When he was healthy, which wasn’t as often as others, Brett could
swing it with anyone. A power hitter with 665 doubles and 317 homers,
Brett famously hit .390 in 1980. He won three batting titles overall
and was a solid fielder at the hot corner.
42. Pete Rose –
New-agey fans are not going to like the .784 career OPS. Certainly
Pete is very overrated given his name recognition. But for all they
add to our analysis of the game, new metrics can’t measure the
human impact and that’s the one flaw.
Pete was about
pressure – an unrelenting pressure on the opposing pitcher and
defense that never abated. He agitated, he annoyed and he got on
base. Often, Pete was going to do something that didn’t show up as
a stat.
In the postseason,
Pete was better – hitting .321 with an .828 OPS in 67 games.
43. Ken Griffey Jr.
– Another guy who played two years too long. But Griffey could do
it all. Hit 630 homers and stole 184 bases. A .300 hitter in his
prime, Grif won 10 Gold Gloves for masterful centerfield play.
44. Steve Carlton –
Hung on three painful years too long. But setting that aside, Lefty’s
slider was one of baseball’s epic pitches. It carried him to four
Cy Young awards and one remarkable season in particular (27-10 on a
59-win Phillies team in 1972).
45. Mike Trout –
His first five seasons include two MVPs and three second-place
finishes. No question Trout is going to rocket up this list with each
season. He is the best player in the game. The debate comes with
where to slot a player with six great seasons. 45 feels right.
46. Ernie Banks –
Mr. Cub had a remarkable career that unfortunately did not include
any postseason action. During a six-year run (1955-60), Banks his 248
homers, knocked in 693 runs and hit .294.
Ernie only won one
Gold Glove, but new fielding metrics credit him with tremendous range
at shortstop. Unfortunately, he played during an era that considered
errors the main fielding stat.
47. Miguel Cabrera –
Pure hitter whose 2017 decline saddens. Rebound potential is good for
a few more decent seasons if he works hard this offseason. Career
.317 hitter (four batting titles) with 462 homers and seven top five
MVP finishes. Offers little speed or defense.
48. Adrian Beltre –
Changed teams at an abnormal rate for a great player. Struck out
twice as much as he walked and range not great for a solid defender.
Despite those flaws, Beltre enjoyed a long career as a tremendous
two-way player.
Hit 462 homers and
613 doubles and even stole 120 bases. Oddly, a poor .325 OBP in his
20s improved to decent .360 in his 30s.
49. Nolan Ryan – A
one-dimensional pitcher, one who struck out the most batters in
history and walked the most as well. But Ryan translated that one
dimension – power – into prolonged excellence unmatched in
history.
His 6.6 hits per
nine is the best ever. Ryan tossed seven no-hitters and an astounding
12 one-hitters and 18 two-hitters. Simply put, he was a threat to
allow zero hits every time out.
The Express pitched
on a lot of bad teams, but put up a sterling 0.903 WHIP in 58
postseason innings. His 12-6, 2.91, 203 Ks in 173 innings at 44 years
old in 1991 is one of the more amazing seasons in MLB history.
50. Al Kaline – So
much to love about Al Kaline that I want him higher. He just went to
work and did everything really well, if unspectacular. For 22 years,
Kaline labored somewhat in obscurity with the Detroit Tigers.
The numbers tease
how close Kaline was to all-time greatness: .297 BA, 399 homers, 498
doubles. As it stands, he was really, really good. Won 10 Gold
Gloves, although modern fielding metrics wouldn’t rate him as
highly. A wonderful career.
51. Hank Greenberg –
Yet another player who lost time to the war, roughly four years in
Greenberg’s case. When he played, Hank put up titanic numbers.
He concluded his
career with per-162 averages of .313, 38 homers 148 RBIs and 99
walks/98 Ks. Won two American League MVPs.
52. Cal Ripken Jr. –
One of the many players I struggled to rank. As noted with Gehrig, I
am indifferent to the games played streak. So I am probably biased
against a guy who hit 431 homers and 603 doubles. The K/W ratio was
very strong, but the .278 BA and .788 OPS were just OK.
The Ripper was much
better defensively than I realized. Posted a very strong SS range
factor for such a big man (6-4).
53. Sandy Koufax –
Hands down, the toughest player to rank. Where do you rank a player
with five dominant seasons? My answer is 53rd.
Hard to imagine a
pitcher having any better five-year stretch than Sandy K had from
1962-66. He led the National League in ERA every year and went 111-34
with a 1.95. He won three Cys, one MVP and finished second in the
1965 and 1966 MVP voting.
In 57 postseason
innings, Sandy was superhuman, winning two World Series MVP awards
and pitching to a 0.95 ERA.
A very short burst
of pitching brilliance.
54. Bob Feller –
Rapid Robert is another ballplayer who missed three years in Europe
crushing the Nazi threat. All he did in the three years prior to the
war was go 76-33 with a 2.88.
In his first full
year back, Bob finished 36 of 44 games started with 10 shutouts, 26
wins and a 2.18. In terms of production lost to the war, Feller is
the pitching equivalent of Ted Williams. Still, he won 265 games.
55. Carl
Yazstrzemski – The mercurial Yaz has a complicated legacy. For some
reason, he isn’t beloved in Boston nearly the way a man with 452
homers and 1,844 RBIs should be.
Boston didn’t win
a lot and maybe that has something to do with it. Yaz came up on the
heels of Ted Williams, so that might be a factor as well. But Carl
had a marvelous career.
His peak performance
ran 16 years (1962-77) and went like this: .291, 355 homers, 1,365
RBIs, 1,451 walks, 155 steals. Yaz won the Triple Crown and the MVP
in 1967. He won a bunch of Gold Gloves and led the AL in outfield
assists seven times. Hit .369 in 17 postseason games.
Should be more
respected.
56. Mariano Rivera –
Count me among those wary of closer numbers. But Rivera is the king
of the closers and nobody else is in the room. Consider, at age 38 he
played six more years and posted a 1.80 in 330.2 innings with 209
saves.
But it was the
postseason that set Mariano apart. He pitched 141 playoff innings and
gave up 11 runs (0.70).
57. Chipper Jones –
Just a classic ballplayer right down to the nickname. Larry Jones
might have done the same things, but it wouldn’t feel the same.
With his country boy good looks and bright smile, Chipper was
destined to be a star from the moment he was drafted No. 1 overall in
1990.
Finished at .303,
468 homers, 1,623 RBIs and 150 steals. Won his lone batting title by
hitting .364 at age 36.
58. George Sisler –
Hit .340 lifetime, including .420 in his apex season (1922). Fun
fact: hit 18 triples in three straight seasons (1920-22). Pitched 111
innings to a 2.35 ERA.
59. Yogi Berra –
Starting catcher on 10 World Series winning teams. Berra finished top
four in the MVP voting an amazing seven straight years (1950-56),
winning three times. Yogi nearly hit as many homers (358) as he
struck out (414).
Penchant for
mangling the English language overshadowed a smart, brilliant
ballplayer.
60. Joe Jackson –
Did he do it? I lean toward unlikely. As everyone knows, Jackson hit.
375 in that World Series and made no errors. Maybe we’ll never
know, but the “evidence” appears dubious.
Otherwise, Jackson
had the swing that Babe Ruth copied. He was one of the very best
hitters of the deadball era, hitting .408 in 1911 and .395 a year
later. In his final year, Jackson hit .382 and led the American
League with 20 triples.
61. Charlie
Gehringer – Another career Detroit Tigers’ legend. The Mechanical
Man (?) was a bit underrated, but could do everything well. A strong
defensive second baseman, Gehringer hit .320 career with 184 stolen
bases and 181 homers. 1937 American League MVP.
62. Luke Appling –
Another very underrated player IMO. Luscious Luke (not making that
up) was a defensive whiz who could hit. Won the batting title at .388
in 1936. Missed nearly two years to war service – returned and hit
.368 in 18 games in 1945. Delivered elite range from SS.
63. Wade Boggs –
Buried in the minor leagues by the Red Sox until he was 25. Should
have been in the Majors three years earlier. Still Boggs pounded out
200+ hits seven straight seasons and won five batting crowns. Drew
nearly twice as many walks as Ks, finishing with a career .443 OBP.
Solid defender at
third base.
64. Eddie Plank –
Remarkably consistent pitcher in the deadball era. Plank posted ERAs
between 1.76 and 2.87 over 15 consecutive years. Finished 326-194
with 69 shutouts.
65. Rod Carew –
Soldiered on through many injuries that hurt his final numbers.
Still, Carew was a pure hitter who thrived within the contextual
hitting approach of his time. Won seven batting titles and the 1977
MVP.
66. Jim Palmer – A
career 2.86 ERA, Palmer tossed 211 complete games and 53 shutouts. He
finished 268-152 and won three Cy Youngs. Underwear model on the
side.
67. Reggie Jackson –
Reggie struck out the most times in history (2,597). He feuded with
managers and teammates. He hit a pedestrian .262 for his career. He
didn’t finish a single season with a 1 defensive WAR. He also
bashed 563 homers, knocked home 1,702 runs and even stole 228 bases.
But he makes the
list for what earned him the Mr. October moniker. Reggie hit 18
postseason homers and won two rings with the A’s and another two
rings with the Yankees. He was World Series MVP in 1973 and 1977.
68. Willie McCovey –
Things that surprise you: McCovey (.320 45, 126) was National League
MVP in 1969. He followed that up with 39, 126 and .280, walking 137
times for a league-leading 1.056 OPS in 1970. And he finished 9th
in the MVP race. Huh?
69. Ivan Rodriguez –
One of the great two-way catchers in MLB history. Hit .296 with 311
homers and 127 steals. Also won 13 Gold Gloves and the 1999 American
League MVP.
70. Harry Heilman –
Yet another career Tiger on our list. Heilman remarkably had four
seasons hitting .390 or above. Never hit below .328 during his final
10 seasons. Retired young at 35 with a career .342 average in 1930.
71. Gaylord Perry –
I saw the end of Perry’s career, when he morphed into a sad
charlatan sideshow. But while he had some so-so numbers (8.3 hits per
9, 265 losses), Perry was actually a force on the mound. From
1966-79, he piled up 255 wins and a 2.83. Won two Cy Youngs.
72. Johnny Mize –
The original Big Cat. Mize also lost three years to war service. In
six years prior to enlisting, he hit .332 with 165 homers. Returning
in 1946, Mize hit .306 with 113 homers over the next three years.
73. Paul Waner –
Just 5-8, 153 pounds, Big Poison averaged 206 hits his first 12
years. One of MLB’s most underrated players, Waner finished with a
.333 average and 1,091 walks/376 Ks. His best year (Waner was 1927
National League MVP) came as the Yankees stole all the headlines.
74. Jeff Bagwell –
1991 Rookie of the Year and National League MVP three years later.
Bagwell could flat-out hit. .297 batting average and 449 homers. Also
stole 202 bases.
75. Carl Hubbell –
Hub Spot is famously known for striking out five Hall of Famers in a
row in the 1934 All-Star Game: Ruth, Gehrig, Foxx, Simmons and Joe
Cronin. One of three pitchers to win two MVPs. Led the league in ERA
three times and tossed 10 shutouts in 1933.
76. Brooks Robinson
– A defensive weapon. Robinson piled up a 39 WAR at the Hot Corner
and 16 Gold Gloves. His quick, sure hands dominated the 1970 World
Series. Brooks hit .429 with a pair of homers and was MVP of that
Fall Classic.
At the plate,
Robinson was often barely above average. But the defense more than
made up for it. Hit 482 doubles and 268 homers in a 23-year career.
77. Ozzie Smith –
Let’s stay on the defensive with the best gloveman ever to play SS
– or any position. Smith really didn’t offer much at bat (career
.666 OPS), but he had the glove. No. 1 all time with a 43.4 career
defensive WAR. Stole 580 career bases.
78. Chuck Klein –
One of the most underrated nicknames in baseball history. The Hoosier
Hammer did a lot of things on the baseball field. Like win the Triple
Crown in 1933 (.368, 28, 120). Like set a single-season record for OF
assists with 44 in 1930.
His first seven
seasons, the Hammer hit .352 with 211 homers and a 1.026 OPS. Victim
of self-inflicted wounds, it seems. Died at 53 after length alcohol
abuse.
79. Whitey Ford –
Epic Bomber ace who fronted six World Series-winning squads spanning
13 years. Lost two years to war service. Ford’s first 13 years
usually meant the Yankees win, the Yankees win: 216-84, 2.73. 1961 Cy
Young winner and World Series MVP. Iffy K/W ratio (5.6-3.1).
80. Andre Dawson –
My youth baseball memories include a fear of seeing the Hawk step in
against a (usually) hapless Phillie pitcher. Hawk stood 6-3 and his
whip-quick bat uncoiled with often frightful results for opponents.
In 1987, Hawk handed
the Cubs a signed, but blank, contract and told them to fill in the
number. A victim of owner collusion, he was reportedly paid $800,000
for his ensuing MVP season (49, 137). Hit 438 homes and stole 314
bases. Powerful RF arm gunned down many a baserunner. Poor K/W ratio.
81. Joe Cronin –
Steady .301 career hitter with great defensive range at SS. Prolific
doubles hitter (515) who led the league twice. Knocked in 100+ runs
eight times and walked 1,059 times to 700 Ks. Just steady great.
82. Bill Dickey –
Another overshadowed, underrated player if you just go by the
results. Catcher captain on the field for seven World Series winners.
In 17 years, hit .313 with 202 homers and just 289 strikeouts. Superb
defensive catcher who controlled the running game.
83. Fergie Jenkins –
Five-time top five Cy Young finisher; Won it in 1971. Longtime, at
times great RH starter. 3,194 Ks; 284 wins; 49 shutouts.
84. Bert Blyleven –
Similar to Jenkins. 287 wins; 3,701 Ks. 60 shutouts. Remarkable 1989
season at 38 years old (17-5, 2.73).
85. Robin Roberts –
Similar to Jenkins/Blyleven. 286 wins; 3.41 ERA; 45 shutouts. Led
National League in K/W ratio five times in the 1950s. Phillies’
horse.
86. Dave Winfield –
Crafted a Hall of Fame career out of being consistently very good.
Only led the league in one major category – with 118 RBIs in 1979 –
but did everything pretty well. 465 homers, 1,833 RBIs, 540 doubles,
223 steals. Powerful OF arm.
87. Eddie Murray –
All-time leader in sacrifice flies. And that was Steady Eddie Murray
– plug him in the four hole and bank on run production. Knocked in
1,917 runs off 560 doubles and 504 homers. Slick glove at first base.
88. Roy Halladay –
Author of one of the two postseason no-hitters. Over 10-year stretch,
Doc went 170-75 with a 2.97. Led league in K/W ratio five times and
won a Cy Young in each league. Gave up a lot of hits (8.7/9)
89. Curt Schilling –
The similarities between Doc and Schill are numerous. Both struggled
mightily as young pitchers before enjoying a mid-career stretch of
dominance that included great control and postseason success with the
Phillies. Curt went 180-112 over 12 years with 2,632 Ks.
Led the league in
K/W ratio five times. 11-2, 2.33 in 19 postseason starts. 2001 World
Series MVP. Owner of bloody sock. Belongs in the Hall of Fame.
90. Paul Molitor –
Just a wonderful player who started 50+ games at first base, second
base, third base, shortstop and OF (all three positions). Hit .306
with 605 doubles, 234 homers and 504 steals. In 29 postseason games,
hit .368 with 6 homers. Fine defender. Could do it all.
91. Duke Snider –
From 1953-57, Snider bombed 40+ homers a year, for a 1.025 OPS.
Finished with 407 homers and another 11 in the postseason.
92. Jim Thome – An
old-fashioned power hitter who struck out a lot (2,548) and walked a
lot (1,747). The payoff was 612 homers and a career .956 OPS. Avoided
the declining 30s, which plagued similarly sized players such as Mo
Vaughan. Hit 385 dingers after his 30th birthday.
93. Chase Utley –
My favorite athlete and the most instinctive baseball player I’ve
ever seen. Example: The Man ranks 2nd all-time with an 88 percent
stolen base percentage 151-172. And he’s not especially fast.
Chase is everything
you want in terms of work ethic, leadership, production and
professionalism. His deke play in Game Five of the 2008 World Series
is quickly becoming legendary. His five home runs in the 2009 World
Series nearly carried the Phillies to a second banner.
Career hampered by
injuries will end close to these numbers: 258 homers, 1,011 RBIs, 401
doubles and an .828 OPS. Hit by pitch 199 times – 8th
all-time. Plus range at second base.
94. Roy Campanella –
A shortened career, but those good years were really good. Campy had
a seven-year run, during which he won three MVPs and hit 200 homers
with a .901 OPS. Elite defender who gunned down an astounding 66
percent of runner during his first five seasons. Struggled in the
postseason.
95. Robin Yount –
Interesting player. Ten mediocre years bookend ten terrific ones. From
ages 24-33, Young hit .305 with 174 homers and 148 steals. And won
two MVPs. Terrific range at SS. Posted an .888 OPS in 17 postseason
games.
96. John Smoltz –
A career in three acts: Smoltzie won 157 games and struck out 2,098
batters his first 12 years, winning the 1996 Cy Young; moved to the
closer role after missing the 2000 season with injury and saved 154
games in 3.5 dominating years; returned as a starter and won 44 games
in three years. Went 15-4 with a 2.67 in 209 postseason innings.
97. Carlton Fisk –
Long career as a very good catcher. 1972 American League Rookie of
the Year and 1991 AL All-Star. 376 homers, 1,330 RBIs. Hit 83 doubles
and 72 homers after turning 40. WAR grades as a good defender. Hitter
of one of most famous postseason homers.
98. Gary Carter –
The Kid is the National League version of Fisk. First All-Star game
in 1975 and last one in 1988. Hit 324 homers and 1,225 RBIs.
Excellent defensive catcher.
99. Ron Santo –
From 1964-70, Santo was an on-base machine and stout defender at the
Hot Corner. Also hit 205 homers during those seven prime years.
Finished with five Gold Gloves, 342 homers, 1,331 RBIs.
100. Frankie Frisch
– The Fordham Flash sneaks into our final spot. The 1931 National
League MVP hit .316 for his career and stole 419 bases. Struck out
just 272 times in 19 years. Superb infield defender and second and
third.
