7. Red Ruffing – Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees/Chicago White Sox
Unlike Gibson and Johnson, Red Ruffing was not one of the most dominant pitchers of his time. While he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, he finished his career with a 3.80 ERA and a 4.1 K/9 ratio.
The right-hander finished just 27 wins shy of 300 total wins in his career. He was most dominant as a Yankee, where he was selected to his only six All-Star games.
What Ruffing lacked pitching-wise when comparing the No. 8 and 9 players, he made up for at the plate. In 22 seasons, Ruffing hit .269 with 36 home runs, 111 extra base hits, and 273 RBI.
Ruffing’s best season came in 1930 where he hit .364 with four home runs. He finished his career hitting .300 or above in seven of his 22 seasons.
Eight separate times has Ruffing his over .300 in the season. Even more impressive is that Ruffing hit at least one home run in 16 straight seasons.
Ruffing was a solid pitcher. He was used often and did the job. However, when he struggled, his bat heated up and proved to never be an easy out. So much so that he was called upon to be a pinch-hitter on multiple occasions.
Next: Dontrelle Willis