Best 100 Baseball Players Of All Time
Baseball is America's favorite pastime and it has produced some of the greatest athletes in history. From Babe Ruth to Derek Jeter, baseball has seen some outstanding talents take to the field. In this article, we will take a look at the best 100 baseball players of all time.
1. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is widely regarded as the greatest baseball player of all time. He was a pitcher and a hitter and his career spanned over two decades. Ruth set numerous records during his career, including the most home runs in a season (60) and the most career home runs (714).
2. Willie Mays
Willie Mays is often referred to as the best all-around player in baseball history. He had a remarkable career that spanned over 22 seasons, during which he won two MVP awards and made 24 All-Star appearances. Mays was known for his incredible defense and his ability to hit for power and average.
3. Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron is one of the most accomplished baseball players of all time. He spent 23 seasons in the Major Leagues and finished his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood for over 30 years. Aaron was also a 25-time All-Star and won three Gold Glove awards.
4. Ted Williams
Ted Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest hitters of all time. He spent his entire career with the Boston Red Sox, where he won two MVP awards and six batting titles. Williams also served in the military during two separate tours of duty, which interrupted his baseball career.
5. Stan Musial
Stan Musial was a three-time MVP and seven-time batting champion during his 22-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. He had a lifetime batting average of .331 and hit over 3,600 hits. Musial was also known for his incredible consistency, as he had 16 seasons with a batting average of .300 or higher.
6. Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle was a three-time MVP and seven-time World Series champion during his 18-year career with the New York Yankees. He hit 536 home runs and had a .298 lifetime batting average. Mantle was also known for his incredible speed and athleticism.
7. Lou Gehrig
Lou Gehrig was one of the most dominant players in the game during his 17-year career with the New York Yankees. He won two MVP awards and had a lifetime batting average of .340. Gehrig was also known for his incredible durability, as he played in 2,130 consecutive games, a record that stood for over 50 years.
8. Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was a pioneer in baseball as the first African-American to play in the Major Leagues. He played for the Brooklyn Dodgers and won the Rookie of the Year award in 1947. Robinson was a six-time All-Star and won the MVP award in 1949.
9. Derek Jeter
Derek Jeter is one of the most beloved players in baseball history. He spent his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees and won five World Series championships. Jeter was a 14-time All-Star and won five Gold Glove awards. He also finished his career with over 3,400 hits and a lifetime batting average of .310.
10. Cy Young
Cy Young was a pitcher who played for 22 seasons and won 511 games, a record that still stands today. He won the most games in a season five times and led the league in wins three times. Young was also known for his incredible durability, as he pitched over 7,000 innings during his career.
11. Joe DiMaggio
Joe DiMaggio was a nine-time World Series champion during his 13-year career with the New York Yankees. He had a lifetime batting average of .325 and hit 361 home runs. DiMaggio was also known for his incredible defense in center field, winning the Gold Glove award three times.
12. Sandy Koufax
Sandy Koufax was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history. He won three Cy Young awards and had a career ERA of 2.76. Koufax was also known for his incredible performance in the World Series, where he helped the Dodgers win three championships.
13. Rogers Hornsby
Rogers Hornsby was one of the best hitters in baseball history. He had a lifetime batting average of .358 and won seven batting titles during his career. Hornsby also won two MVP awards and hit over 2,900 hits.
14. Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan is the all-time leader in strikeouts with 5,714. He played for 27 seasons and won 324 games. Ryan was known for his incredible fastball, which he used to throw seven no-hitters during his career.
15. Albert Pujols
Albert Pujols is one of the most accomplished hitters in baseball history. He has over 3,300 hits and 661 home runs during his career. Pujols has won three MVP awards and two Gold Glove awards during his career.
16. Hank Greenberg
Hank Greenberg was one of the best power hitters of his era. He had a lifetime batting average of .313 and hit 331 home runs during his career. Greenberg won two MVP awards and was a four-time All-Star.
17. Greg Maddux
Greg Maddux was a pitcher who won four consecutive Cy Young awards during his career. He had a career ERA of 3.16 and won 355 games. Maddux was also known for his incredible control, as he walked just 999 batters during his career.
18. Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente was one of the best all-around players in baseball history. He won four batting titles and had a lifetime batting average of .317. Clemente was also known for his incredible defense, winning 12 Gold Glove awards during his career.
19. Frank Robinson
Frank Robinson was a two-time MVP and Triple Crown winner during his career. He hit 586 home runs and had a lifetime batting average of .294. Robinson was also the first African-American manager in baseball history.
20. Pete Rose
Pete Rose is the all-time leader in hits with 4,256. He also won three batting titles during his career and was a 17-time All-Star. Rose was banned from baseball in 1989 for gambling on games, which has prevented him from being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
21. Rickey Henderson
Rickey Henderson is the all-time leader in stolen bases with 1,406. He played for 25 seasons and had over 3,000 hits. Henderson also won the MVP award in 1990 and was a 10-time All-Star.
22. Cal Ripken Jr.
Cal Ripken Jr. is one of the most durable players in baseball history, playing in 2,632 consecutive games. He won two MVP awards and two Gold Glove awards during his career. Ripken also hit 431 home runs and had a lifetime batting average of .276.
23. Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench was one of the best catchers in baseball history. He won two MVP awards and 10 Gold Glove awards during his career. Bench hit 389 home runs and had a lifetime batting average of .267.
24. Bob Gibson
Bob Gibson was a dominant pitcher during the 1960s and 1970s. He won two Cy Young awards and had a career ERA of 2.91. Gibson was also known for his incredible performance in the World Series, where he had a career ERA of 1.89.
25. Walter Johnson
Walter Johnson was a pitcher who played for 21 seasons. He won 417 games and had a career ERA of 2.17. Johnson was also known for his incredible durability, pitching over 5,900 innings during his career.
26. Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra was a three-time MVP and 10-time World Series champion during his career with the New York Yankees. He hit 358 home runs and had a lifetime batting average of .285. Berra was also known for his famous sayings, which became known as Yogi-isms.
27. Jimmie Foxx
Jimmie Foxx was one of the best power hitters of his era. He hit 534 home runs during his career and had a lifetime batting average of .325. Foxx won three MVP awards during his career and also won two World Series championships.
28. Tom Seaver
Tom Seaver was a dominant pitcher during the 1960s and 1970s. He won three Cy Young awards and had a career ERA of 2.86. Seaver was also known for his incredible control, as he walked just 1,390 batters during his career.
29. Joe Morgan
Joe Morgan was a two-time MVP and five-time Gold Glove award winner during his career. He hit 268 home runs and had a lifetime batting average of .271. Morgan was also known for his incredible speed, stealing 689 bases during his career.
30. Carl Yastrzemski
Carl Yastrzemski spent his entire 23-year career with the Boston Red Sox. He won the Triple Crown in 1967 and had a lifetime batting average of .285. Yastrzemski was also a Gold Glove award winner and won seven batting titles during his career.
31. Lefty Grove
Lefty Grove was a pitcher who played for 17 seasons. He won 300 games and had a career ERA of 3.06. Grove was also known for his incredible control, as he struck out 2,266 batters during his career.
32. Al Kaline
Al Kaline spent his entire 22-year career with the Detroit Tigers. He won 10 Gold Glove awards and had a lifetime batting average of .297. Kaline was also a 15-time All-Star and won a World Series championship in 1968.
33. Eddie Collins
Eddie Collins was one of the best second basemen of all time. He had a lifetime batting average of .333 and stole over 740 bases during his career. Collins won two MVP awards and was a six-time World Series champion.
34. Cy Young
Cy Young was a pitcher who played for 22 seasons and won 511 games, a record that still stands today. He won the most games in a season five times and led the league in wins three times. Young was also known for his incredible durability, as he pitched over 7,000 innings during his career.