Baseball Movie: Top 30 Characters of All-Time

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Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Baseball movies can be very hit or miss, but even in those movies that are not the best, there are still characters that are memorable. Here are the Top 30 baseball movie characters of all time.

The genre of baseball movies are full of some of the best and worst characters we’ve come to love and hate. Even this list, though ranked as the Top 30 best baseball movie characters of all-time, doesn’t necessarily mean we love them all or hate them all, either.

This list includes many characters from the “Major League” series, a few from “Bull Durham” and some fictional characters from movies we may have forgotten about over time due to just not seeing the movie lately, or for the reason the movie was worse than a hanging curveball thrown to Mike Trout.

Of all sports movies, baseball movies seem to tug at the heartstrings a little more than most, and they always seem to have a lesson more than just about the game of baseball, but about life in general.

Baseball movies have characters who might start out a cocky or very unlikeable, but we find ourselves liking them at the end of the movie. There are also those characters who don’t swing a bat who became memorable by how they act or what they say.

One character built his own baseball field after a voice told him so. Another character in this movie played baseball for most of his career at the minor league level, and another character on this list had one last great day on the mound in the most famous baseball park of them all in the Bronx. Did I mention all three of those characters were played by the same actor in three different movies?

In all, this list is just for fun, but maybe it helps us remember what can be great about baseball, even through the actions and feats of fictional characters from the silver screen.

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 30-27

30. Billy “Downtown” Anderson, “Major League 3”

This is the very worst of the three “Major League” movies produced, but if it weren’t for this movie, we’d never have Scott Bacula looking a little like Tony LaRussa, and we’d not have Billy “Downtown” Anderson in our collective memories, either. I liked this character because he played the prima donna-type prospect who was humbled, and eventually he had the redemption story as he succeeded ultimately in the end.

29. Ben Wightman, “Fever Pitch”
This may not be purely a movie about a baseball team, but it is about the fan’s point of view, and I can see some of myself in Ben Wightman, the role played by Jimmy Fallon in the movie. What I enjoyed about this character is he lived and breathed the Boston Red Sox, but he eventually realized there was more to life than his favorite baseball team. Not the greatest movie, but the character wasn’t terrible.

28. Roger Dorn, “Major League”
Corbin Bernsen portrayed this role for all three of the Major League movies, once as a player of the Cleveland Indians, once as the owner-then-player for the same team, then in the third installment he somehow became the owner of the Minnesota Twins.

I like the Dorn from the first “Major League” movie, as he went from a veteran who only cared about making money to a veteran who wanted to win and bought into what the no-name Indians became in the film.

27. Morris Buttermaker, “Bad News Bears”
How about having this guy coach your kid’s little league team? Who wouldn’t want a former major leaguer who sits in a dugout, doesn’t teach the players any fundamentals and has a cooler of beer in the dugout? There is something wholesome in a strange way about that. OK, I wouldn’t want him coaching my kids, or anyone else’s kids, but I’d play for him in a softball league.

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 26-23

26. Billy Heywood, “Little Big League”

One of the most unrealistic movies ever made, this character stands out for the reason that he got to manage the Twins before he was even a teenager. Not the greatest of movies, but his knowledge of baseball in the film, and the fact he did get to manage and own a MLB team, makes Billy Hayward a memorable character.

25. Miles Pennfield, “Hardball”
“I love it when you call me Big Poppa…” those scenes where Miles wears headphones and pitches make for a fun storyline as he pitches on his youth team. Though he eventually pitches without the headphones, to this day sometimes I listen to that song and think of those pitching scenes, making him a memorable character in my book.

24. Johnny (The Angry Indians Fan), “Major League II”
One of my favorite movie characters of all-time, as he really shows just how passionate baseball fans can be. Quaid plays this role perfectly, turning him into a character that every team most likely has who are more passionate that most, but we can’t help but love them. Some of us turn into this character at times, but this character is like this 24/7/365, and sometimes you just want to smack them with your hat. His best quote from the entire movie was: “You rotten bums … You overpaid weenies … Mild thing, you make my butt sting!”

23. Lou Brown, “Major League”
This list has a lot of characters from the Major League series, and Lou Brown might just be the greatest fictional baseball manager to ever hit the silver screen, and he’s probably one of the most successful as he went from selling tires in “Major League” to seeing his team reach the postseason and win in the second edition of the series as he jumped on his hospital bed after suffering a heart attack.

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 22-19

22. Bobby Rayburn, “The Fan”

This isn’t the only baseball character on this list played by Wesley Snipes, as this character has a lot of credentials and maybe the best “player” on this list, being he’s a former three-time MVP who joins the San Francisco Giants, and to boot, he has an obsessive fan who tries to “help him” through a bad season.

21. Skip, “Bull Durham”
Maybe not the best manager on this list, but possibly wins the award for best quote by any manager in any baseball movie. When following a loss, he tries to “scare” his young team at the advice of his veteran catcher, calling them “Lollygaggers!” That scene is classic, and even 25-plus years later can still be relevant and is still funny. His other memorable line in the movie when he talks to Crash Davis about continuing playing a lower level of minor league baseball … “Beats the hell out of working at Sears” … is near the top of the list as well.

20. Jimmy Dugan, “A League of Their Own”
If Skip from “Bull Durham” doesn’t have the most memorable manager quote from the silver screen, the winner could be the Jimmy Dugan character from “A League of Their Own” when the Tom Hanks-played character yells at an upset player, “There’s no crying in baseball!” To this day, that quote is used everywhere, and to this day, it still gains a positive reaction.

19. Ham Porter, “The Sandlot”
“Plaaaay Ball!” How can anyone not enjoy one of the greatest catchers in cinema history in Ham Porter? We all had a friend like this who was a little outspoken, knew the rules of life (his recipe for s’mores is on point) and his baseball hero was Babe Ruth (you better know who that is). His attitude on the field was great, and he helped make “The Sandlot” memorable.

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 18-15

18. Annie Savoy, “Bull Durham”

“I believe in the church of baseball.” What can you say about Ms. Savoy, except she helped make a lot of great ball players in her day with, umm … her special ways, but she loved the game of baseball, and her love of the game puts her on this list for sure. It took a veteran player like Crash Davis to slow her down a bit, but in the end, her true love will always be the game of baseball.

17. Jake Taylor, “Major League”
Jake Taylor is the veteran player you always want to cheer for just because of the 100-percent effort he puts in each time he takes the field. You know he wanted to win more than any player on that field, and he beat up his body for years to play the game he loved. He was full of knowledge, helped the younger players and even became a coach in the second edition of “Major League.” He gave all he had to everything he believed in (on and off the field) and was one of the most important characters to this series, plus he had this memorable quote: “Let’s win the whole (expletive) thing!”

16. Steve Nebraska, “The Scout”
One of, if not the hardest thrower on this list, as he’s one of the more underrated players on this list. Discovered in Mexico, Nebraska eventually works up to playing for the New York Yankees and reaches the greatest stage in all of baseball due to his hard-throwing ways.

15. Willie Mays Hayes, “Major League”
He may run like Mays, but he hits like … you get the point if you’ve ever seen “Major League,” and Hayes might hold the record for most pushups done for hitting a fly ball during spring training. Hayes had some memorable moments on the bases, as you can most likely remember when he didn’t make it to the base on a steal attempt and told the infielder he’s “number one.” The character portrayed by Wesley Snipes in the first edition of the series is the more memorable of the two. Say Hey!

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 14-11

14. Henry Rowengartner, “Rookie of the Year”

Not the biggest fan of this movie, but the character of Henry is a dream by many (if you can pick the MLB team you play for) as his broken arm eventually made him a star in the majors. Even though he was a kid playing at the highest level, he made the game fun again, played it like a kid should, and I believe he did the impossible for the Cubs … maybe it was a sign to the future of sorts. Oh, he also had this timeless saying: “Pitcher has a big butt.” Again, he played a kid’s game like a kid.

13. Billy Chapel, “For Love of the Game”
This is one of the better pitcher characters because it actually has a chance to happen, and who doesn’t want to see the old veteran pitcher have one last hurrah? Chapel was dealing with a lot of personal stuff during his elite pitching performance, as the day had a lot of drama, we got to know him on a very personal level and his catcher was played by John C. Reilly, so maybe he’s not the best character played by Kevin Costner, but he’s very deserving to be on this list.

12. Dottie Henson, “A League of Their Own”
Maybe the most memorable character of this classic movie, and one that needs to be included on this list. Though this character is loosely based off an actual person, portrayed by Geena Davis, she was not only the catcher, but the assistant manager as well. A very well-played and grounded character, one that will always be remembered.

11. Jack Parkman, “Major League II”
Jack Parkman was the perfect villain in “Major League II” for the Cleveland Indians and Ricky Vaughn. He was originally on the team, traded due to financial issues and then he finally had to square off with his for teammates, better known as enemies. Though ultimately he was put in his place, he was possibly the best villain to ever step onto a sliver screen baseball movie. By the way, the women in Cleveland still hate his “shimmy.”

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 10-7

10. Kelly Leak, “Bad News Bears”

Maybe not the biggest rebel on this list, but he’s in the Top 2 of baseball movie rebels as he did ride his dirt bike motorcycle on the baseball field. He was a talented player for the “Bad News Bears” and helped them to the championship game once he became a team player.

9. Jack Elliott, “Mr. Baseball”
The Tom Selleck Mr. Baseball character must be in the Top 10, and is because of the way he went from being in American baseball only to be traded to a team in Japan. He went from being an all-about-me type of player to a team player, taking his team to the pennant, and eventually he did all the right things to have a better life than before he arrived in Japan.

8. Pedro Cerrano, “Major League”
Maybe the most memorable character of all the Major League movies, but if he isn’t the most memorable, Pedro Cerrano might just be the most quotable as he was in all three movies in the series. One of my favorite quotes he had in the first Major League movies was:

“Bats, they are sick. I cannot hit curveball. Straightball I hit it very much. Curveball, bats are afraid. I ask Jobu to come, take fear from bats. I offer him cigar, rum. He will come.”

Cerrano went on to get out of his slump, his bats were better and everyone loved Jobu. But always remember this sound advice: “It is very bad to steal Jobu’s rum. It is very bad.”

7. Nuke LaLoosh, “Bull Durham”
C’mon, Meat! The cocky but likable Nuke LaLoosh went from having no control on the mound to eventually making the majors after he took the veteran advice of Crash Davis and even Annie Savoy off the field and sometimes on the field as well. LaLoosh made the majors, learned how to do a bland, safe interview and most of the time was oblivious just how lucky he was to have his million-dollar arm … maybe it was his ten-cent brain. By the way, he once threw a pitch that hit the bull.

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: No 6-3

6. Ray Kinsella/Terrance Mann, “Field of Dreams”

Ray mowed down his corn field to build a baseball field. Some might have called Ray crazy in the movie, but to this day I’m still jealous of him and wished I had a baseball field of my own. I’m still not sure he actually saw the ghosts of his father and the 1919 Chicago White Sox play on that field, but I want to believe in that character and what he saw, so that’s why he made the Top 10.

The passion Kinsella had for the sport of baseball, and life in general, makes him a very memorable character, and while he works on his own path, he helps others believe as well.

As for Mann, he had the greatest line in any baseball movie, and maybe any movie ever, with this being just a short part of his famous speech:

“Ray, people will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.”

5. Harry Doyle, “Major League”
Is there a better movie baseball announcer than Harry Doyle of the Cleveland Indians in the Major League series? He has some of the most memorable quotes in not just the baseball movie genre, but in all of sports movies. My personal favorite:

“Just a reminder, fans, comin’ up is our ‘Die-hard Night’ here at the stadium. Free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant.”

Though he never took a single at-bat, to this day I still recite a Harry Doyle quote when something bad (or comical) happens in an MLB game.

4. Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, “The Sandlot”
He was a kid playing a kid’s game, but he understood the importance of baseball and what it can bring to a person’s life. The Jet knew people can learn from this game, and he taught his friends they could be something through the game of baseball. We all eventually find out The Jet was a very talented player, making the majors and reminding us just how special the game can be. This character will be one that generations will come to know and remember.

3. Roy Hobbs, “The Natural”
Just the other day, the final scene of “The Natural” was dubbed for the Bartolo Colon home run, giving this movie the spotlight once again for a couple days. Hobbs was supposed to be the “greatest player of all time,” but some things didn’t go his way. He had a special baseball bat named “Wonderboy,” and eventually he was able to save the day. The soundtrack to go with this movie helped build Hobbs into a legendary character and make him not only great, but magical.

Next: Baseball Movie Characters: The Top 2

2. Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn, “Major League”

Wild Thing … You make my heart sing. The character could be an actual person in the majors, and I still hope one day the actual Cleveland Indians can have a player like Ricky Vaughn and he enters a game like “The Wild Thing” did. He had the coolest entrances, the baddest hair, a crazy fast fastball and a rebel attitude that made him special.

Yes, Vaughn might have became corporate in the second edition of the movie series, but he eventually found his way after playing poorly as a clean-cut MLB player, got back to his roots, took care of business and stole the show once again. He made many fans happy in the movie, and to this day, that character is still celebrated, as a couple years ago they even had their own baseball cards.