I want to start this blog by welcoming all the new subscribers to our website. Many of you came over from my Ty Cobb thread, and I appreciate it! Take the time to explore our website and check out all the great writers we have! I will have my Ty Cobb blog coming out soon. I am currently giving Ken Burns a few days to respond to my email.
For those of you who are new, I have been doing Top 10s for every position in baseball. I only have RF and SP left, so make sure to check out the others.
10. Ichiro Suzuki
Key Stats (MLB): .311 AVG, 117 HR, 780 RBI, .757 OPS, 3,089 H, 509 SB
bWAR: 60.0
WAR7: 43.7
JAWS: 51.9
Accolades: 10× All-Star, AL MVP (2001), 10× Gold Glove, 2× AL Batting Champion, 3,089 MLB Hits, All-Time Single-Season Hits Leader (262 in 2004)
Why: By the time this blog posts, Ichiro might already be in the Hall of Fame. I don’t think he will be unanimous, and I don’t think there is an issue. Ichiro was a mainstay on my MLB The Show franchises. I just put him at leadoff and had him rake. Ichiro will be getting inducted into Cooperstown the day after my wedding. There is a nonzero chance that I go!
Editors Note: I was told I can’t go.
9. Sam Crawford
Key Stats: .309 AVG, 97 HR, 1,525 RBI, .814 OPS, 2,961 H, 309 SB
bWAR: 75.4
WAR7: 39.8
JAWS: 57.6
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1957), All-Time Triples Leader (309)
Why: Friend and eventual rival of Ty Cobb, Crawford is that all-time leader of triples in MLB history. Like Cobb, he is a deadball player who “sort of” overlaps with the more modern Ruthian baseball that we see in the 20’s. Crawford retired right before
8. Al Kaline
Key Stats: .297 AVG, 399 HR, 1,582 RBI, .855 OPS, 3,007 H
bWAR: 92.8
WAR7: 48.8
JAWS: 70.8
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1980), 18× All-Star, 10× Gold Glove, 1968 World Series Champion
Why: Breaking into the bigs at the ripe age of 18, Kaline would go on to receive MVP votes in 13 of the next 15 seasons. He would secure 10 Gold Gloves and 16 All-Star selections in that same span. Remember, there used to be multiple All-Star games in a season. So, take that into account.
Kaline ranks 7th in WAR, 10th in WAR7, and 7th in JAWS. That does not necessarily dictate where I place him, but I feel like this is a fair spot. He was never the best player in baseball, but he was one of the best for 20 years. That level of consistency gets you in this Top 10.
7. Mookie Betts (active)
Key Stats (through 2024): .293 AVG, 243 HR, 730 RBI, .897 OPS, 1,452 H, 166 SB
bWAR: 69.6
WAR7: 55.0
JAWS: 62.3
Accolades: 7× All-Star, 6× Gold Glove, 3× World Series Champion, AL MVP (2018), 7× Silver Slugger
Why: Betts could retire today, and he would be inducted into the Hall. Besides the fact that the standard of a HOFer has decreased in the last 20 years, he is deserving. His MVP year ranks as the 23rd-best season of all-time regarding bWAR. If you take out Bonds PED years, it is the second best since 1991. Betts has never matched that season but has come close and probably would have in 2020 if he had an entire season (he produced 3.6 in 55 games.) If I had to guess, Betts will end up #4 on this list when it is all said and done. Who knows, if the Dodgers keep signing everyone, Betts might be able to double the number of WS rings he has.
6. Roberto Clemente
Key Stats: .317 AVG, 240 HR, 1,305 RBI, .834 OPS, 3,000 H
bWAR: 94.9
WAR7: 54.5
JAWS: 74.7
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1973), 15× All-Star, 12× Gold Glove, NL MVP (1966), 2× World Series Champion, World Series MVP (1971)
Why: Many fans look at Clemente’s career and think that it was cut short by his tragic death. While I am sure he had a few good seasons left in him, he was 38 when he passed. One of the most fascinating things about Clemente was his relatively slow start to a career, followed by dominance into his 30s. I added the photo below to visualize that.
5. Mel Ott
Key Stats: .304 AVG, 511 HR, 1,860 RBI, .947 OPS, 2,876 H
bWAR: 110.9
WAR7: 53.9
JAWS: 82.4
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1951), 12× All-Star, 6× NL Home Run Leader
Why: Ott is often labeled as one of baseball’s first true power hitters. While that is true, it overlooks his overall greatness. He led the league in walks six times, on base four times, OPS+ five times, and WAR three times. Ott is one of the players from the early 1900s who only got better once analytics started nitpicking players. Please take all of that, and remember that he played at the cavernous Polo Grounds his entire career, and you have yourself an All-Time great.
4. Frank Robinson
Key Stats: .294 AVG, 586 HR, 1,812 RBI, .926 OPS, 2,943 H
bWAR: 107.2
WAR7: 52.8
JAWS: 80.0
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1982), 2× AL MVP (1961, 1966), 14× All-Star, Triple Crown (1966), World Series MVP (1966), 2× World Series Champion
Why: Justification below
Robinson’s Triple Crown year is the peak of his career. It happened after he was traded to the Orioles in one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history. The justification was there, sort of. Robinson peaked from 1960-1962, where he lead the league in OPS and slugging all three seasons. He began to “fall off” slightly, and as he approached 30, it seemed like a good time to flip him. Of course, hindsight is 20-20, and we know that it was a terrible trade. Robinson never had a negative WAR season but would have kept his .300 AVG if he walked away in 74’.
3. Stan Musial
Key Stats: .331 AVG, 475 HR, 1,951 RBI, .976 OPS, 3,630 H
bWAR: 128.5
WAR7: 64.5
JAWS: 96.5
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1969), 3× NL MVP, 24× All-Star, 7× Batting Champion, 3× World Series Champion
Why: I think once you hit the Top 3, it is pretty clear what players should be here, and Musial is the clear #3. His 3 MVPs and 3 WS rings only cement that. Here are some pertinent all-time rankings for Musial
Hits- 4th
Total Bases- 2nd
Runs Scored- 9th
WAR- 11th
AVG- 30th
OBP- 23rd
OPS- 13th
HR- 32nd
2B- 3rd
3B- 19th
RBI- 5th
As I begin my Top 10 Players of All-Time, I have to sit and really dig into Musial. He is a player who gets “overlooked” partly because he is in a smaller market and doesn’t hold any of the major records.
2. Hank Aaron
Key Stats: .305 AVG, 755 HR, 2,297 RBI, .928 OPS, 3,771 H
bWAR: 143.1
WAR7: 60.3
JAWS: 101.7
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1982), NL MVP (1957), 25× All-Star, 3× Gold Glove, World Series Champion (1957), All-Time RBI Leader (2,297)
Why: I feel like my dad might get the belt out and beat me for putting Hank Aaron 2nd. This is where the history teacher in me starts to creep in more and more. Let me start by saying I think Hank Aaron is criminally overlooked and not spoken about enough. He received MVP votes for NINETEEN straight seasons, and it is an absolute travesty that he did not win more than one MVP. When I do my biggest MVP snubs of all time, you will see his name a few times.
I am going to go more in-depth on Aaron when I do that list. For now, just know that I love him, but I can’t put him #1…….
1. Babe Ruth
Key Stats: .342 AVG, 714 HR, 2,214 RBI, 1.164 OPS, 2,873 H
bWAR: 162.2
WAR7: 84.7
JAWS: 123.5
Accolades: Hall of Fame (1936), AL MVP (1923), 7× World Series Champion, 12× AL Home Run Leader, All-Time Slugging Leader (.690)
Why: I know critics like Overdue Sports are going to have a conniption over me having Babe Ruth here. As he says, “No one who wore wool pajamas counted.” I couldn’t disagree more with that take, and I hope to debate him on The Dean Ciriaco Show soon. Ruth’s impact on the game is unmatched in ANY sport, not just baseball. He became one of the world’s first superstars during a time when America was also beginning to enter the world stage in a larger way. While I adore Hank Aaron, if I go ask my 300 students and athletes, “Who is Hank Aaron?” I might get 40 people to say yes. If I ask, “Who is Babe Ruth?” I get 300 “the greatest baseball player of all time.” Ruth has transcended the sport into an American myth.
Hercules, Thor, Beowulf, King Arthur, Achilles, Gilgamesh—the list of mythical heroes stretches across time and cultures. Each embodies the values, dreams, and struggles of the societies that created them. These figures are more than just characters in stories; they are symbols of their people's ideals, larger-than-life manifestations of strength, courage, and leadership.
And yet, here in America, we don’t have ancient myths. We are a young nation born in an age of records, facts, and unrelenting documentation. There are no mysterious legends passed down through centuries, no heroes whose deeds blur the line between history and fantasy. We don’t have an Atlas to lift the world on his shoulders or a King Arthur to unite us with Excalibur in hand. But we have Ruth.
Babe Ruth is not just a baseball player; he is America’s myth. He didn’t need a sword, a hammer, or divine lineage—he was a poor orphan from Baltimore who rose up to become the most well-known person in the world next to Jesus Christ. He is the embodiment of the American dream. Do you want to say he played in cotton pajamas? Go ahead; there is no baseball without Ruth.
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A really good list of 'greats'. I was always a big Dave Parker fan and I know he had his issues, but still, a great right fielder.
Betts above Crawford is lunacy.