best baseball players of all time

Top 15 Best Baseball Players of All time

Being considered one of the greatest in any sport is a great honor. It means you are best at something.

Moreover, in baseball, that means hitting the most home runs or having a high batting average.

Also, great players demonstrate a high level of skill. In fact, they usually have speed, strength, self-discipline, self-confidence, and better-than-average eyesight.

As a result, they react more quickly and correctly to challenging situations.

Are you curious to know who the greatest baseball players of all time are? Then, stay with us and find that out:

Top 15 Best Baseball Players of All time

15. Roger Clemens

Position: Pitcher

Nickname: “The Rocket”

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Career Stats: 139.2 WAR, 3.12 ERA, 1.173 WHIP, 4672 SOs, 4916.2 IP

Active Years: 1984-2007

William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962) is a former professional baseball player from America.

Moreover, he played in MLB (Major League Baseball) for 24 seasons.

Clemens was regarded as one of the most dominant players in MLB history.

He played for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros.

In addition, Clemens was noted for his tenacious competitiveness and hard-throwing pitching style, which he utilized to frighten batters.

Eleven times All-star, Roger Clemens is a two times World Champion (1999 and 2000).

Moreover, he is the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award seven times.

Also, the other pitchers to have more WAR than Roger are Cy Young and Walter Johnson.

In addition, the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame elected Roger Clemens in 2014.

14. Tris Speaker 

Position: Centerfielder 

Nickname: “The Gray Eagle”

Bats: Left

Throws: Left  

Career Stats: 134.7 WAR, 10195 AB, 3514 H, 117 HR, .345 BA, .500 SLG, 158 OPS+

Active Years: 1907-1928

Tris Speaker (4th April of 1888 – 8th December of 1958) was a professional baseball player from America.

Likewise, the baseball player is regarded as one of the best offensive and defensive center fielders in Major League Baseball history (MLB).

Tris Speaker best baseball players of all time
Tris Speaker playing baseball.

He played for the Cleveland Indians, Boston Americans / Red Sox, Washington Senators, and Philadelphia Athletics.

Moreover, his average batting record of .345 is sixth of all time. Additionally, his 3,514 career hits rank him fifth all-time.

Also, he has a professional career record of 792 career doubles and 449 career outfield assists.

Three times World Series champion, Tris Speaker was an American League MVP (1912), AL batting champion (1916), and AL Homerun Leader (1912).

Likewise, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Tris in 1937.

Similarly, the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame and Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame inducted him in 2000 and 1951.

13. Mickey Mantle 

Position: Centerfield and Fist Baseman

Nickname: “The Mick”

Bats: Both

Throws: Right

Career Stats: 110.2 WAR, 8102 AB, 2415 H, 536 HR, .298 BA, .557 SLG, 172 OPS+

Active Years: 1951-1968

At number 13 on our best baseball players of the all-time list is Mickey Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995).

He was a former professional baseball player from America.

Mantle played for the New York Yankees throughout his career. Moreover, his 172 OPS+ is second-highest behind Mike Trout among the centerfielders.

In addition, he had the lowest rate of double plays during his career compared to the other four center fielders on the All-Century team.

Also, he had the highest on-base percentage and slugging percentage in the World Series.

20 times All-Star, Mickey Mantle is seven times World Series champion, four times AL home run leader who received the Golden Glove Award in 1962.

Likewise, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1974.

12. Honus Wagner 

Position: Shortstop, Rightfielder, and First Baseman

Nickname: “The Flying Dutchman”

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Career Stats: 130.8 WAR, 10439 AB, 3420 H, 101 HR, .328 BA, .467 SLG, 151 OPS+

Active Years: 1897-1917

Honus Wagner (February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955) was a professional shortstop from America who played 21 seasons in MLB.

Wagner played for Pittsburgh Pirates and Louisville Colonels. In fact, he holds the record of eight batting titles which is still unbroken to the date.

Furthermore, Wagner is known for his speed and German heritage. Also, he is the only fitted shortstop with a wOBA (.408) over .400 in his career.

Eight times NL Batting Champion and five times NL RBI leader, Honus was the World Series champion in 1909.

Similarly, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

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11. Stan Musial

Position: Outfielder and First Baseman 

Nickname: “Stan the Man”

Bats: Left 

Throws: Left 

Career Stats: 128.7 WAR, .331 AVG, ,976 OPS, 1951 RBIs

Active Years: 1941-1963

Stan Musial (21nd November of 1920 – 19th January of 2013) is number 11 on our list of best baseball players of all time.

An American professional baseball player, Stan Musial, played for 22 seasons in MLB for St. Louis Cardinals.

Besides being the greatest, he is also regarded most consistent hitter.

Stan Musial best baseball players of all time
Stan Musial in his batting stance.

Moreover, Stan was known for his unique batting posture and is regarded as one of the best baseball players of all time.

In 1969, Musial was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

24 times All-Star, Stan Musial has been a World Series champion three times (1942, 1944, 1946) and was also declared NL batting champion seven times.

Also, he has the fifth-best batting average, the second-best total bases, and the sixth-best WAR among all-time greats.

10. Rogers Hornsby 

Position: Second Baseman, Shortstop, and Third Baseman

Nickname: “The Rajah”

Bats: Right

Throws: Right 

Career Stats: 127.3 WAR, .358 AVG, ,1.010 OPS, .577 SLG, 175 OPS+

Active Years: 1915-1937

Rogers Hornsby (27th April of 1896 – 5th January of 1963) was a professional baseball player from America who played for 23 seasons in MLB.

Hornsby played for the New York Giants, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Browns, Boston Braves, and Chicago Cheer.

In his career, he had 2,930 hits and 301 home runs. Additionally, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1942.

Hornsby was the World Series champion seven times and NL batting champion (1926).

9. Cy Young

Position: Pitcher

Bats: Right

Throws: Right 

Career Stats: 163.6 WAR, 2.63 ERA, 2803 SOs, 1.130 WHIP

Active Years: 1890-1911

Cy Young (March 29, 1867 – November 4, 1955) is number 9 on our list of best baseball players of all time. He was a former professional baseball player from America.

Young is noted for his exceptional control and his expertise to pitch from different positions.

Consequently, he was top ten in the league for nineteen consecutive years (1891 – 1909).

Likewise, Young has played for Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Perfectos / Cardinals, Cleveland Naps, Boston Americans / Red Sox, and Boston Rustler.

Cy Young had become World Series Champion in 1903 and conquered the Triple Crown in 1901.

Consequently, he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 1951.

8. Walter Johnson

Position: Pitcher

Nickname: “The Big Train”

Bats: Right

Throws: Right 

Career Stats: 164.8 WAR, 2.17 ERA, 1.061 WHIP, 3509 SOs, 

Active Years: 1907-1927

Walter Johnson (November 6, 1887 – December 10, 1946) from America is on number 8 on our list of the best baseball players of all time.

Moreover, he played for Washington Senators throughout his career.

With 110 shutouts, he is still the all-time leader in shutouts. Also, he has 417 wins and 531 complete games.

Walter Johnson best baseball players of all time
Walter Johnson throwing a baseball.

Among 18 members of the 3,000 strikeout club, Johnson has the most innings pitched and the fewest strikeouts per nine innings pitched (5.34 K/9).

Also, Johnson was considered the best power pitcher of his generation.

Moreover, he is the only pitcher in major league history with more than 400 wins and 3,500 strikeouts.

Six times AL wins and Five times AL ERA leader, Walter Johnson was the World Series champion in 1924 and AL Strikeout leader 12 times.

Likewise, he was named into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

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7. Lou Gehrig 

Position: First Baseman

Nickname: “The Iron Horse

Bats: Left

Throws: Left” 

Career Stats: 114.1 WAR, .340 AVG, 1995 RBIs, 1.080 OPS 

Active Years: 1923-1939

Lou Gehrig (19th June of 1903 – 2nd June of 1941) is number 7 on our list of best baseball players of all time. He was a former professional baseball player from America.

In MLB, Lou played for 17 seasons entirely for the New York Yankees. Gehrig was known for his hitting prowess as well as his stamina.

He still maintains the record of the largest proportion of runs scored plus runs batted in per 100 plate appearances (35.08) and 100 games (156.7).

In addition, he broke many major league records like most career grand slams (23) and most consecutive games played (2130).

Seven times All-Star and Six times World Series champion, Lou was three times AL home run and five times AL RBI leader.

Moreover, he hit four home runs in a single game on June 3, 1932. Likewise, he was abducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

In fact, he was the first baseball player to have his uniform number (4) retired along with the person.

6. Ty Cobb 

Position: Centerfielder

Nickname: “The Georgia Peach”

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Career Stats: 151 WAR, .366 AVG, 1944 RBIs, .944 OPS 

Active Years: 1905-1928

One of the greatest hitters, Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886 – July 17, 1961), was a professional baseball player from America.

Throughout his career as a baseball player, he played from Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics.

Furthermore, after correcting for home runs, his aggregate total of 4,065 runs and runs batted remains the highest by any major league player.

Also, he still owns the career records for stealing home (54 times) and stealing second, third, and home all in the same game (4 times).

12 times AL batting champion, Ty Cobb was an AL home run leader (1909), four times AL RBI leader, and six times AL stolen base leader.

Similarly, he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936

5. Hank Aaron 

Position: Rightfielder and First Baseman

Nickname: “Hammerin’ Hank”

Bats: Right

Throws: Right

Career Stats: 143.1 WAR, .305 AVG, 2297 RBIs, .928 OPS 

Active Years: 1952-1976

A former American professional baseball player, Hank Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), played for 23 seasons in MLB.

Hank played from Indianapolis Clowns, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, and Milwaukee Brewers throughout his professional baseball career.

Hank Aaron is recognized as the man who, in 1974, broke the all-time home run record with 755 home runs, a record that remained until 2007.

Likewise, Aaron was ranked fifth on The Sporting News’ list of the “100 Greatest Baseball Players” in 1999.

Moreover, he is one of only two players in baseball history to hit 30 or more home runs at least fifteen times in a season.

25 times All-Star and three times Gold Glove Award winner Hank Aaron conquered World Series champion in 1957.

In addition, he was won the NL batting championship two times and the NL home run and RBI leader four times.

Also, the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted him in 1982. 

4. Ted Williams 

Position: Leftfielder

Nickname: “Teddy Ballgame”

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Career Stats: 121.9 WAR, .344 AVG, 1839 RBIs, 1.116 OPS 

Active Years: 1939-1960

Ted Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) from America is number 4 on our list of best baseball players of all time who played in MLB from Boston Red Sox throughout his career.

His perfect batting stance made him well-known, which is being taught to many youngsters nowadays.

In 1997, he was named to the Major League Baseball All-Time Team. Also, he was nominated to the Major League Baseball All-Century Team in 1999.

19 times All-Star and two times AL MVP (1946, 1949), Ted Williams was AL batting champion, AL home run leader, and AL RBI leader six, four, and four times.

Similarly, he was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame (1960) and San Diego Padres Hall of Fame (2016).

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3. Barry Bonds

Position: Leftfielder         

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

Career Stats: 162.7 WAR, .298 AVG,1996 RBIs1, .051 OPS

Active Years: 1986-2007

Barry Bonds (born July 24, 1964) is number 3 on our list of best baseball players of all time. He was a former professional baseball player from America.

Often considered the best power hitter of all time, Barry played 22 seasons in MLB from Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants.

Furthermore, Barry Bonds became the first player to blast a “splash hit” home run into McCovey Cove on May 1, 2000.

14 times All-Star and seven times NL MVP, Barry won Gold Glove Award eight times and the Silver Slugger Award 12 times.

Also, the San Francisco Giants Wall of Fame inducted him in 2007.

2. Willie Mays

Position: Centerfielder

Nickname: “The Say Hey Kid”

Bats: Right  Throws: Right 

Career Stats: 156.1 WAR, .302 AVG, 1903 RBIs, .941 OPS 

Active Years: 1948-1973

One of the best all-around baseball players, Willie Mays (born May 6, 1931), is America’s former professional baseball player.

In MLB, he played for New York/San Francisco Giants and New York Mets and is considered one of the best baseball players of all time.

Willie mays best baseball players of all time
Willie Mays is posing for the picture.

One of the most memorable baseballs plays is his over-the-shoulder catch of a Vic Wertz fly ball in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series.

Likewise, he has the most putouts (7,095) and extra-inning home runs (22) in MLB history.

Moreover, former president of America, Barack Obama, awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

24 times All-Star and 12 times Gold Glove Award winner, Willie Mays was four times NL home run and stolen base leader.

Furthermore, he was awarded NL Rookie of the Year (1951) and Roberto Clemente Award (1971) and was inducted into the San Francisco Wall of Fame.

1. Babe Ruth

Position: Outfielder and Pitcher

Nickname: “The Bambino”

Bats: Left

Throws: Left

Career Stats: 182.5 WAR, .342 AVG, 2214 RBIs, 1.164 OPS 

Active Years: 1914-1935

Babe Ruth (6th February of 1895 – 16th August of 1948) is number 1 on our list of best baseball players of all time. He was a former professional baseball player from America.

Throughout his career in MLB, Ruth played from Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Boston Braves.

Likewise, Ruth set many MLB batting and pitching milestones, including 714 career home runs, 2,213 RBIs, 2,062 bases on balls, .690 slugging percentage, and 1.164 on-base plus slugging.

Furthermore, former president of America, Donald Trump, awarded him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Two times All-Star and seven times World Series champion, Babe Ruth was AL home run leader and AL RBI leader for twelve and six times, respectively.

Also, the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame inducted Babe Ruth in 1919.

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