3. 2014 – The Professor, his sidekick & Big Hurt
Mandatory Credit: Gregory J. Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Career WAR (avg per season): 262 (4.1)
Years of service: 64
Total years on ballot: 3
Awards: 2x MVPs, 5x CYAs, 2x WS rings, 23x AS, 18x GG, 8x SS
A very special class, indeed. Both Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine are 300 game winners and were teammates on the Atlanta Braves for most of the 1990s. That culminated in a World Series championship in 1995, of which Glavine was named series MVP.
We all know about the pitching abilities, but Glavine was also an apt hitter, having won just as many Silver Slugger awards in his career as Frank Thomas. Glavine hit as high as .289 in 1996, while Maddux’s 18 Gold Gloves are the most at any position ever.
The Big Hurt did it all as a hitter. His 521 career home runs rank tied for 19th all-time to go with a lifetime BA of .301. At 6-foot-5 and 240 lbs in his playing days, the big guy could even steal bases, with 32 in his career. During the early 90s when steroids ran rampant in MLB, Thomas’ name was never linked to them, yet he was one of the most dominant all-around hitters of his generation, winning consecutive MVPs in 1993 and 1994.
Next: Number 2