Apr 12, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera (24) gets up after sliding in safe to score a run in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
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Over the past 145 years of Major League Baseball, there have been some truly impressive players. Let us continue our look at the top 100 players in MLB history, as we continue to count down through the greatest of the greats.
We have now reached the halfway point in our countdown of the 100 greatest players in MLB history. After this, the fifth installment of the best that baseball has to offer, the top 50 players will be left. However, that is not to say that these players, making up the next tier, are without merit.
These players, stretching back from the early days of professional baseball through to the modern day, have been truly brilliant. Each player is either in the Hall of Fame or very well could find themselves enshrined in Cooperstown when they become eligible. For the one player still on the ballot but not enshrined, his resume still lands him amongst the best to ever step on the diamond.
Out of the 18,663 players in major league history, we are now down to the 60 best to ever lace up the cleats and set foot on the diamond. So, without further ado, let us continue the countdown, and get to this week’s installment of the greatest players ever in MLB history.
Lefty Grove did not reach the majors until he was 25 years old, and he struggled in his rookie year, posting a 10-12 record with a 4.75 ERA and a 1.716 WHiP. He led the American League in strikeouts with 116, but also paced the league with 131 walks. Yet, he ended his career as arguably the greatest lefty in MLB history.
Grove straightened himself out after that season. He went on to lead the American League in strikeouts in his first seven seasons, and captured nine ERA titles. Grove led the league in wins four times, and won the pitching Triple Crown in both 1930 and 1931. In 1931, Grove was the American League MVP as he posted a 31-4 record with a 2.06 ERA and 175 strikeouts. He even recorded five saves that year.
A six time All-Star, Grove ended his career with a 300-141 record with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.278 WHiP. He struck out 2266 batters against 1187 walks, fixing those control issues that had plagued him during his first season. Grove ranks 27th in MLB history with a 103.6 WAR, and is eighth all time with a .680 winning percentage.
As great as his career was, one has to wonder what it would have been like had Grove reached the majors earlier. Pitching for the Baltimore Orioles, then in the International League, he was one of the more dominant pitchers of his time and a great draw for the team. However, Jack Dunn, the Orioles owner/manager, did not want to part with his star, finally doing so when the Philadelphia Athletics purchased his contract for $100,600.
The ace of the dominant A’s teams at the end of the 1920’s, Lefty Grove was one of the best lefties to step on the diamond. Had his career started earlier, he may well have been the best lefty in history.
Next: Enter Sandman
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Primarily a starter in his minor league career, Mariano Rivera did not reach the majors until age 25, where he struggled in a starting role. After a conversion to the bullpen, he became the greatest closer in MLB history.
Armed with a cutter that was almost impossible hit even though the opposition knew it was coming, Rivera was a true force in the bullpen. He led the American League in saves three times, and finished in the top three on six other occasions. He was a 13 time All-Star and a five time Rolaids Relief Award winner. Rivera even finished in the top three for the Cy Young vote four times, and was in the top ten in the MVP ballot twice.
Rivera set numerous records in his major league career. Not only did he save a record 652 games, but he also holds the record with 952 games finished. His 205 ERA+ is the highest career mark of any pitcher with over 1000 innings in their career. Rivera also ranks 13th with a 2.21 ERA and third with a 1.000 WHiP.
The final player to wear number 42, after it was retired by Major League Baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson, Rivera is also tied with Bruce Chen for the most wins of a pitcher from Panama. He was also one of the most dominating pitchers in postseason history, recording a 0.70 ERA and a 0.759 WHiP, notching 42 saves in 96 games.
Even though opponents knew that Mariano Rivera was going to throw a cutter, it did not matter. One of the greatest New York Yankees players, Rivera was also the greatest closer in MLB history.
A near sighted alcoholic, Paul Waner would be one of the last people that one would expect to be one of the greats in baseball history. However, he and his brother Lloyd Waner were the greatest brother tandem in the history of the game.
Paul, the better of the two Waner brothers, was quite the impressive hitter. Known for his ability to make contact, and to hit with a hangover, Waner was a three time batting champion who hit over .300 fourteen times in his career. He led the league in hits, doubles, triples and runs scored twice each, and won the MVP award in 1927, when he produced a .380/.437/.549 batting line, leading the league in hits (237), triples (18) and RBI (131).
A four time All-Star, Waner had a career .333/.404/.473 batting line with 113 home runs and 1309 RBI. His 3152 hits rank 17th all time, and he is 11th with 605 doubles and tenth with 191 triples. Waner struck out only once in every 25.2 at bats in his career, the 55th best mark in MLB history.
Waner was also a gifted defensive outfielder. He ranks first with 4785 putouts in right, and is third in assists (238) and double plays (54) at the position. His tremendous arm helped him rank in the top five for outfield assists eight times, including when he led the league with 28 assists in 1931.
One of the greatest players in history, Paul Waner was able to become a true star, despite how unlikely it would have seemed given his issues. Sober or drunk, Waner was one of the greats ever to set foot on the diamond.
Next: The current star
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Miguel Cabrera is already one of the greatest players in MLB history. Right now, the question is where he will rank when his career is over.
Cabrera’s resume, up to this point, would be the envy of a great many players, including quite a few already ranked. A four time batting champion, Cabrera has led his league in home runs, RBI and doubles twice each. He has made ten All-Star Games, been an MVP twice and has won six Silver Slugger awards. In 2012, Cabrera became the first player to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat in 1967.
A Hall of Fame player if he retired at this moment, Cabrera sports a .320/.398/.520 career batting line with 409 home runs and 1451 RBI. Cabrera has the highest batting average of any active player, and is second in on base percentage and slugging. In fact, Cabrera’s .520 slugging percentage is the 16th best in history, and he ranks 17th all time with a .959 OPS.
His career is also a testament to perseverance. He had been arrested for threatening his wife while drunk on October 3, 2009, needing to be bailed out of prison by GM Dave Dombrowski. That offseason, Cabrera spent 90 days in an outpatient rehabilitation program. He relapsed on his way to Spring Training in 2011, being found drinking whiskey beside his broken down car, hours after threatening the staff at a steak house, saying that he had a gun and knew who they were. This second time in a treatment program appears to have stuck, with Cabrera staying out of trouble since.
One of the greats of the game, no one knows how far Miguel Cabrera will climb the rankings if he stays healthy and productive.
One of the most beloved players in his day, Mel Ott was considered one of the nicest men in baseball, and one of the more dangerous hitters in the game.
The youngest player to reach the 100 home run, 200 home run and 1000 RBI, Ott was a true power threat. He led the league in home runs and walks six times, and had the highest on base percentage in the league four times. A twelve time All-Star, Ott finished in the top ten in the MVP vote six times.
Over his career, Ott produced a .304/.414/.533 batting line with 511 home runs and 1860 RBI. He ranks 24th all time in home runs and twelfth in RBI. His 1708 walks are the ninth highest total in MLB history, helping Ott to have the 27th best on base percentage ever. Ott’s 107.8 WAR is the 22nd highest mark in history.
Defensively, Ott was a solid right fielder. He led the league in assists in right twice, and his 235 assists in right are fourth all time. He ranks second with 61 double plays, and was one of the best glovemen in right during his time.
Mel Ott was an all around force on the diamond, and one of the greatest power hitters in his era. Had he not slowed down in his early 30’s, Ott could have been one of the truly elite players to play the game.
Cap Anson has a mixed legacy in MLB history. One one hand, he was a truly innovative mind, helping to change the way baseball was played. On the other, he helped bring segregation to major league baseball.
As a player, Cap Anson was one of the greatest hitter to play the game. He won four batting titles and led the league in RBI twelve times en route to a career .334/.394/.447 batting line and 2075 RBI. That RBI total is the third highest mark in history, and he ranks seventh with 3435 hits.
A manager as well as a first baseman, Anson helped change baseball strategy and preparation. He claimed to use the first hit and run plays, and used an aggressive baserunning style to force the opposition into errors. Anson, along with White Sox president Al Spaulding, are credited with creating the modern day Spring Training, sending the team south to get ready for the season.
However, Anson was also an avowed racist, refusing to play games against teams with dark skinned players. Even though it was likely that segregation would have found its way to the majors anyway, especially after opposing players and executives demanded that Fleet Walker and Welday Walker be removed from the Toledo Blue Stockings roster, Anson helped force the issue.
A great player, but a questionable person, Cap Anson has a mixed legacy. However, if one just looks at his on the field exploits, Anson was a true innovator and one of the best players in the early days on the major leagues.
Bob Feller was one of the greatest pitchers in history, and had he not lost three and a half years due to his time in the Navy during World War 2, he could have been one of the five best to ever play the game.
A hard thrower with occasionally questionable control, Feller led the American League in strikeouts seven times, and also led the league in walks four times. Feller also led the league in wins six times, and won the pitching Triple Crown in 1940 when he was 27-11 with a 2.61 ERA and 246 strikeouts. An eight time All-Star, Feller placed in the top ten in the MVP ballot six times, finishing as high as second in that magical 1940 season.
Overall, Feller had a 266-162 record with a 3.25 ERA and a 1.316 WHiP. He struck out 2581 batters against 1764 walks. He fired three no hitters, including the only no hitter ever thrown on Opening Day. As impressive as those numbers are, one has to wonder what Feller would have accomplished if he did not miss three and a half years of his prime due to military service.
After his career, Feller remained active in the game. He was the first President of the Player’s Association, and spent over forty years in public relations for the Tribe. Great with the public, Feller would go out of his way to sign autographs and take a moment or two to speak with the fans.
A great pitcher, and possibly a greater ambassador, Bob Feller made an impact upon everyone he met. He also made quite the impact on those he faced, as his blazing fastball is still the stuff of legend.
Frank Thomas wasn’t flashy and he may have been overshadowed during his playing career, but when his career ended, he proved to be among the all time greats.
A fearsome slugger with a great eye at the plate, Thomas led the league in walks four times. While he never led the league in home runs, Thomas finished in the top five in homers seven times. A five time All-Star and a three time Silver Slugger winner, Thomas won the American League MVP award in both 1993 and 1994, and finished second in the ballot in 2000.
After his 18 year career wrapped up, Thomas quietly found himself among the elite power hitters in MLB history. He produced a .301/.419/.555 batting line with 521 home runs and 1704 RBI. Thomas ranks 20th in both on base percentage and slugging percentage, 19th in home runs and 22nd in RBI. His 1667 career walks rank tenth all time, as he proved to be quite the patient slugger.
While Thomas was a feared slugger, he was not nearly as great in the field. He was typically in the top five in errors at first, and was essentially a full time designated hitter by the time he was thirty. As Thomas was in the lineup for his bat instead of his glove, this was a move that benefited all parties.
During his career, Frank Thomas was a bit overshadowed by the other sluggers in his era. However, when his career ended, Thomas was one of the best to play the game.
One of the best pure hitters in MLB history, Rod Carew was a star from the moment he set foot on a major league diamond.
Carew showed the type of player he would be from his first game, going 2-4 from the sixth spot in the batting order. He would end up making the All-Star Game and winning the Rookie of the Year award that year, the first of his 18 All-Star selections. A seven time batting champion, Carew led the American League in hits three times and on base percentage four times. In 1977, Carew won the MVP award as he produced a .388/.449/.570 batting line with 128 runs and 239 hits.
In his excellent career, Carew posted a .328/.393/.429 batting line. His 3053 hits rank 24th all time, and Carew is 34th in batting average. A batter who made excellent contact and used his speed to get on base, Carew is eighth in major league history with 2404 singles.
Defensively, Carew began his career at second, where he was a solid gloveman, but he made his mark at first. Despite spending only ten full seasons as a first baseman, Carew led the league in runs saved four times and ranks 47th all time with 19 runs saved. Carew is also fifth in range factor per nine innings, handling 10.29 chances per nine in his career at first.
An all around player and one of the best pure hitters in baseball, Rod Carew was a star for both the Minnesota Twins and the California Angels.
Statistically, Roger Clemens is one of the elite pitchers in MLB history. However, there are questions surrounding how much of the second half of his career was helped by PEDs.
His resume may well be better than any for a pitcher in baseball. Clemens made eleven All-Star Games, won seven Cy Young awards, and took home two pitching Triple Crowns. He was the 1986 American League MVP, posting a 24-4 record with a 2.48 ERA and a 0.969 WHiP, striking out 238 batters in 254 innings. He led the league in wins four times, strikeouts five times and ERA seven times, including a 1.87 ERA in 2005 at age 42.
Clemens’ name dots the record books. He posted a 354-184 record with a 3.12 ERA and a 1.173 WHiP, striking out 4672 batters. He ranks ninth all time in wins, third in strikeouts, 26th with 46 shutouts and 24th with 8.552 strikeouts per nine innings. One would imagine that Clemens would have been a certain Hall of Fame player.
However, Clemens was named on the Mitchell Report, one of 60 players linked to PED usage. While he vehemently refuted these allegations, his association with Brian McNamee led to a trial on six counts of perjury, where Clemens was eventually found not guilty. The BBWAA has not been so quick to accept that Clemens did not take PEDs however, as he has yet to reach the 50% mark on the Hall of Fame ballot in his four years.
Roger Clemens was one of the best pitchers statistically in baseball history, but there is a question as to how much of that success was chemically enhanced.
