100 Greatest Baseball Players of All-Time

63 Comments

1. 

   You could split Mariano Rivera’s regular season career into 2 and each half would be an all-time great RP career. Then just to top it off, HE PITCHED 2 SEASONS WORTH OF INNINGS IN THE POSTSEASON WITH A 0.70 ERA. And was the only unanimous HOF ever. Jeter and Yogi should be on there too, but I think I only saw 2 catchers and I don’t feel like having the Jeter argument so I’ll ignore that. Leaving Rivera off is ridiculous though.

   1. 

      With due respect, your argument could be flipped around, and I could be just as incredulous that you think Mariano Rivera is one of the 100 greatest players ever.

      Mo pitched pitched less than 1,300 innings. Tom Seaver pitched more innings from 1971 to 1975. And before you scream that Rivera’s innings were more important … consider this:

      Of his 1,105 relief appearances, Rivera entered the game with NO ONE ON BASE 879 times (79.5% of the time). Only in about a quarter of those appearances was his team ahead BY FEWER THAN TWO RUNS.

      Rivera pitched a lot of innings when the outcome of the game was in little doubt. Granted, Rivera converted those situations better than anyone ever has, he pitched better than any reliever ever has. But, it’s important to note that he pitched far fewer high leverage innings than the relievers of the previous three decades before his debut.

      It’s hard for me to think a pitcher who tossed less than 1,300 innings and who pitched often with a 3-run lead and only needing to get 3 outs, is one of the best 100 PLAYERS in baseball history. Greatest reliever, of course. One of the greatest 100 pitchers, yes I have him about #80 among pitchers. But one of the GREATEST 100 PLAYTERS EVER? You have to ignore a lot to make that claim.

      Also consider this last piece of statistical evidence: when the Yankees entered the ninth with a 1 or 2-run lead and Rivera was called in to protect it, he converted the save 86 percent of the time. From 1960 to 1990, the stat for that game situation (team ahead by 1 or 2 runs in ninth regardless of who was pitching) was 83 percent. The great Mo Rivera was 3 percent better over his career converting saves as opposed to the prior strategy used by managers.

      I love me some Rivera — but he was a relief specialist, not one of the 100 greatest players ever.

      1. 

         He was the most dominant releiver of all time, he definitely deserves to be a top 100 player of all time. Going by your standards A-rod isn’t top 100 and neither is Jeter. Mariano Rivera was one of the most dominant pitchers ever, and when your that good you deserve to be a top 100 player, its simple.

      2. 

         You’ve never been a reliever. It’s night and day. Like cutting 2 acres of grass with a push mower vs. a riding mower.

         The getting up and down and not pitching actually counts. Being ready every single day. Being told No way we’re using you today and then they do, is beyond annoying.

         Like bogus pitch counts. Add 40. Warming up and in between innings. All these people who talk about it, never did it.

         But let’s talk Rivera. War points per IP. No one in history is above 0.04, except Rivera. Over 0.03 is Sale and deGrom but they have limited innings. If you so this for 50 pitchers off the top of your head, a pattern emerges. Clemens at 0.028. W. Johnson at 0.027. Lefty Grove at 0.026.

         Try it, greatness falls right into place with some surprises. Like Billy Wagner being over 0.03 and Smoltz being under 0.20.

         You have to obviously believe in one of the 2 versions of WAR.

2. 

   So you have Mark McGwire and Joey Votto ahead of Warren Spahn and Mariano Rivera? Please go ahead and try and justify that.

3. 

   The stats of steroid freaks should not be included in this list. They are literally major league cheaters. In the olympics records set while using performance enhancing drugs are stricken from the books. So should it be in baseball.

4. 

   Joey Votto is the 54th best player of all-time? I can’t see how you justify that. He’s a top 15 first baseman, I’ll give you that, but how is he a greater player than Warren Spahn?

   You need to consider adjusting for era. According to your list FIVE of the ten greatest players of all-time played during World War I. Do you think that makes sense? And seven of your top ten played before baseball was integrated. I also question your ranking of Joe Jackson. You mean to tell us that his career was greater than Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr.?

   1. 

      Votto isn’t top 15 or 25 or 50 1B of all time

5. 

   You have them all numbered 1. Could you change all the numbers ‘1’ to their actual order number when you get a chance?

6. THE 50 GREATEST BASEBALL PLAYERS OF ALL TIME【MLB】 | Baseball All-Star Game
   

   December 21, 2019

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7. 

   It looks to me like you were using WAR and WRC+ to justify rankings. Everyone of your players would be in a TOP 150 of ALL-Time but I just don’t see where Players Like Votto, Coveleski, Waddell, Cano and Newhouser should be ranked ahead of players Like Jeter, Ryan. Rivera, Simmons, O.smith, Medwick, Hubbell and E. Murray. I would also think M. Scherzer, B. Robinson and I Rodriguez would be highly debatable

8. 

   Chase Utley over Derek Jeter WOW! And WHERE IS PAUL MOLITOR top 10 hits all time, .300+ BA. Also Hank Aaron in my opinion is the greatest player of all time only 9 seems a little low, I could justify only top 5.

   1. 

      Hank Aaron is not the goat in my book, but definitely top 5 or 3.

   2. 

      Yeah, I was enjoying the list until I saw the Utley pick.

      I’d take the career of Jeter, Stargell, Killebrew, Johan Santana, Pedroia, Ortiz, Yogi Berra, Ichiro, Lofton, Lance Berkman, Greinke, Altuve, J-Ram, Lindor, Molitor, Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, Bobby Abreu, Harold Baines, David Wright, Bryce Harper, Tony Gwynn, Jimmy Rollins, Bernie Williams, Carlos Beltran, Nolan Arenado, Matt Holliday, Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, Jon Lester, Felix Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Albert Belle, Delgado, Freddie Freeman, and Christian Yelich above him.

      WAR be damned.

9. 

   Billy Williams was the highest quality player the Cubs ever had in that critical #3 spot in the batting order, renowned for his “sweet swing.” Andre Dawson was another killer bat–both players more productive than Ron Santo, who apparently was favored because of his team spirit (which certainly should count).

10. 

    Johnny Bench 76 ? I give up

11. 

    BTW — on Baseball Egg, there’s a page that list the “Top 100” lists from several sources, side by side. Includes Bill James, ESPN, The Sporting News, and Baseball Scholar, among others.

    http://baseballegg.com/all-time-player-rankings/top-100-players-in-baseball-history-2/

12. 

    David Ortiz belongs in the top 100.

    1. 

       Ortiz was a wonderful hitter. Almost, but not quite as good of a hitter as Willie Stargell. But because Stargell at least played the field, Ortiz has to be behind him. I realize Stargell was not a good fielder. But he at least played the field. And Stargell’s 147 OPS+ tops Ortiz’s 141.

    2. 

       Hahahahhaaaaaaa

13. 

    Olympians lose their medals and reputation, Lance Armstrong lost his titles and reputation… Why should baseball fans glorify cheaters? It should stop.

14. 

    Well I’m glad Koufax beat out Stan Koveleski. Steroid Bonds over Mays? Idiot!

15. 

    Phil Niekro better than Spahn, Carlton and Koufax?!

16. 

    Bobby Grich was an average player and does not belong on this list. The fact that he’s even on here brings your list into question, The fact that you have him listed before Pete Rose shatters any credibility you could possibly have

    1. 

       Grich averaged 5.31 WAR per 150 games played. Rose averaged 3.36 WAR per 150 games played. If Grich was average then I guess Rose was terrible.

       1. 

          WAR is a laughable indicator if/when it implies Grich was better than Pete Rose.Grich doesn’t belong on a top 200 list

    2. 

       Bobby Grich over Yount, Gwynn, Rose, Piazza is preposterous. He was a very good player, but this recent trend to include him among the all-time greats is laughable.

17. 

    Don’t understand the numbering system, but otherwise good list and fun to look at. I’d probably move Yaz, Boggs and Bagwell lower, and Bench, Seaver, Feller and Maddux higher. And Mays ahead of Bonds. It’s also tricky when gauging players from early in the 20th century because the competition just wasn’t nearly as good as when the majors became integrated.

18. 

    Seriously, Derek Jeter is NOT listed on your top 100? How is that possible. I also think Mariano Rivera should be as well; but, I do understand if you do not give credit to closers. But, Jeter? Look at his stats! Only 5 players in history have more hits than him in history. You have clowns like Kevin Brown and Jeff Bagwell ahead of Jeter? I guess that you are the one writer who did not vote for Jeets. Also, Mo was unanimous ly selected to the HOF. What? More people have walked on the moon than Mo has let score in the post season.

    1. 

       It is really hard to ignore that Jeter’s Total Zone Total Fielding Runs Above Average is -186. He really was quite bad defensively. But I agree he is top 100, though I think he would be in the last 10 to 20 names. His 71.3 WAR is behind Reggie Jackson, Jim Thome, Rafael Palmiero and Larry Walker.

       1. 

          Yes, Douglas has hit it right on the head. Koufax had six good seasons, four of which were GREAT seasons. He had 6 other seasons that were mediocre or “nothing” seasons. How do you rate a player like that? It’s perfectly acceptable to rate a player who only had 6 good seasons as he is rated here.

          One thing missing from the conversation about “Who the greatest players are?” is HOW DO YOU RANK THEM? Do you consider peak, career, a combination of both? How? Which is most important, peak or career? Do you consider per/season performance? And so on.

          Making blanket comments like “Derek Jeter is better than Reggie Jackson or Bobby Grich etc.” isn’t helpful unless you include your rationale AND criteria? Is Grich a great player because of his career value? Is it his peak value? Is there value hidden by the misunderstanding of defensive statistics by most fans? Why is Nolan Ryan not as great as Justin Verlander, when “everyone” knows Ryan was a legend? Well, how does career value and performance vs league and peak performance answer that? And so on.

          Personally, I prefer a combination of career value, peak value (both 3-year and 7-year peak), as well as something I call PRIME VALUE. For prime value, I prefer value in the player’s best 5 CONSECUTIVE seasons. I also think postseason performance should weigh a tiny bit (but not much).

          So, if we measure based on CAREER, SHORT PEAK (3 best seasons), LONG PEAK (7 best seasons), and PRIME (best 5 consecutive seasons), how do we factor those? Is career valued the same as prime? And so on. I personally think career whould be valued slightly higher than peak. Why should Eddie Murray not get extra credit for his 15+ really, really good seasons, while Don Mattingly was only able to produce about 6-7 really good to great seasons? To me, it’s more valuable to have Eddie Murray on your team and know that for 15-18 years he will be among the best first basemen in baseball, as opposed to a higher peak guy like Mattingly for only half that time. You may disagree with that opinion, and that’s ok, but it’s important to establish how we both look at the question of “who is greater?”

          I’ve done a LOT of work on ranking players. And Sandy Koufax is one of the hardest to evaluate (maybe the hardest). If you favor career value, he’ll be ranked lower than Rick Rueschel. If you favor prime value he can be higher than Warren Spahn and Tom Seaver. Which is the right way to do it? That depends, and it makes for differences of opinion.

          1. 

             Author

             Well said Dan!

19. 

    This is trash.

20. 

    List overall is pretty good but I’m not sure on what planet Sandy Koafax would be the 91st overall baseball player and behind a guy like Mike Mussina but I can tell you its not earth.

    1. 

       Author

       Dantheman, where would you put Koufax and why?

       1. 

          Koufax is almost impossible to rank. If you consider a player’s 5 best seasons, then Koufax is one of the top 20. If you look at the total production in a career, then Koufax isn’t in the top 100. Most people would think this is a career ranking, so I have no problem with Koufax not being in the top 100.

          1. 

             Author

             Douglas, thank you for applying logic.

21. 

    This list looks like you just searched up a list of players and copy and pasted them onto here. How is Mike Mussina better than Sandy Koufax. I just don’t understand that, Sandy Koufax, the greatest left-handed pitcher of all time compared to a pitcher whose stats don’t even compare to that of Koufaxs’. Also, how can you put Joey Votto above players like Warren Spahn and Mariano River, Joey Votto was not nearly as dominant as those players. This list is not true whatsoever.

    1. 

       Here’s the thing, it’s not my list, but I feel compelled to defend this website because I have Top 100 lists over at baseballegg.com …

       If you value CAREER over PEAK, it’s perfectly defensible to rank Mike Mussina ahead of Sandy Koufax (in fact WAY ahead of him). So, you have to ask yourself, when you say “Greatest of All-Time,” what are you actually saying? Do you mean by a short peak, a longer peak, the best X number of seasons in a row? How much does career value matter? Because a guy like Koufax only had 6 great seasons. He did not have any other “Good” seasons. So you judge him based on the six great ones. So, how does that compare to a guy like Mussina who had 14-15 EXCELLENT seasons and 2-3 GREAT ones? Which is more valuable?

22. 

    Nolan Ryan????

    1. 

       An exciting player, an all-time legend, but Ryan doesn’t have anywhere near the numbers to be in the Top 100 Players of all-time. His career ERA+ is only 112. Granted, he pitched a TON of innings, but even his career WAR (that ranks 20th all-time among pitchers) is not high enough to push him into the 100 best PLAYERS. Remember, if you put 25 pitchers in the top 100, what does that leave us? You can only have about 9 players at every other position.

23. 

    I am a bit confused by two similiar players and my mind and there rankings. Either Wade Boggs doesn’t make the list is Tony Gwynn is the 100th best or Tony Gwynn is 34 th and Boggs remains at 35th. Thes two great players who pleayed in the same era had very similiar careers. The only actual baseball stat that Boggs was betterin was runs scored. Gwynn was higher in BA, HRs, RBIs, SBs, Gold gloves, fewer Ks , Silver sluggers I believe Boggs had one more than Gwynn and Gwynn had more All Star appearences. How can these very similar style players during the same eras be “65 places appar4t on your rankings? please help me understand.

    1. 

       Boggs had almost 700 more walks than Gwynn, and he did it while making fewer outs. So his OBP is 27 points higher. He also played a more demanding and important position. It’s really that simple, and it’s true, Boggs was a more valuable player.

       1. 

          Agreed, Boggs was more valuable. Gwynn ran better but Boggs played a more important position and got on base a lot more.

24. 

    Griffey’s TOP 20 not 39 that’s just dumb

25. 

    Nolan Ryan?

26. 

    If Honus Wagner could count his entire career instead of just his career from 1901 on, would he be higher on this list?

    1. 

       Author

       Great question Brian. He made his major league debut in 1897 so the first four years of his career don’t count in my rankings. If they did, he would be twelfth, just below Gehrig and above Clemens. He’d also be ranked as the number one shortstop.

27. 

    So you include steroid cheats and completely ignore Negro League Icons better than half your list. And some of your “top 100” were never Hall Of Fame worthy. Chase Utley and Bobby Grich??? I nearly choked laughing at their inclusion!

28. 

    Where is Eddie Murray? Are you kidding? The 2nd best or tied for Best switch hitter of all time. Tied with Mantle for most games with HRs from both sides of the plate. A more than consistent performer, who is an underrated defensive 1st sacker. Drop a couple of the steroid guys, and put Eddie in.

29. 

    bonds cheated

30. 

    Utleynowayjose

31. 

    I kept searching and searching-I just somehow missed “the Express,” right?

    1. 

       It’s hard to make an argument for Nolan Ryan to be one of the 100 greatest baseball players ever. Unless you give him 1,000 bonus points for every no-hitter.
       Put it this way: would you have traded Tom Seaver for Nolan Ryan? Or Steve Carlton for Ryan? Or Jim Palmer for Ryan? How about Pedro for Ryan in their primes? Or Warren Spahn
       for Nolan Ryan? No way, now way, and no way etc.

       Ryan accumulated a lot of records. But he isn’t an inner circle elite starting pitcher. He’s probably top 30 all-time as a pitcher, which means he’s not going to make a list of the 100
       greatest players.

       1. 

          Nolan Ryan was way better than Jim Palmer

    2. 

       I agree

32. 

    mike trout ahead of Rickey Henderson…..what kind of drugs are you on man! Did you watch Rickey play? Have you read his stats…and Rickey in the 25 spot? For a undisputed all timer, multiple record holder? Game wreckers like Rickey should be at the top 10 my friend. He changed the game not just from the plate but the basepaths as well. Gotta put more effort in placing these great players were they belong not on personal memory but on how they influenced the game in there time and eventually all time. Who’s breaking 1406 sb’s and over 2200 runs scored. It ain’t anybody in this era for sure. Also where’s Dennis eckersley in this debate the only reliever to win cy young and MVP in the same year 1992. It seems everybody just remembers the 1988 world series and Kirk gibsons homer. If they faced each other 100 times Eckersley strikes him out 99 times my friend …come on. Rest in peace Rickey …Oakland sheds a tear for her favorite son. And so do we.

33. 

    How is this list updated end of 24 but doesn’t contain Shohei and Freddie??? As I wrote this Freddie just got a 3 run triple vs the Marlins!! Watched it happen AS I WROTE THIS!!

34. 

    Griffey at 40 is pathetic. He’s top 20 at least

35. 

    Baseball Scholar you definitely are not. Joe D 41. Pedro in front of Maddux and Seaver..bawahahaha…Morgan in front of Henderson? I love Ted but he didn’t play a lick of Defense ti have him in front of guys like Musial, Speaker and Mantke is laughable. You do know baseball is played on both sides of the field. Boggs better than Brett? Only if you are blind. Cy Young 44, Bench 75, lmao really guy. Rise 95th 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️. Ripken better than Joe D…bawahahaha., stop smoking Crack. WAY, WAY to many Roiders. And the most GLARING ommision of all NO YOGI BERRA. You’re fired. Never rank again

36. 

    i hate this

37. 

    Any all-time top 100 is gonna start a fight, but the era problem never gets solved — Ruth never faced a slider, and Mays did all of it while playing half his games in a wind tunnel.

38. 

    Lists like this always start fights, which is half the fun. Ranking dead-ball era guys against modern players is basically apples and oranges though, especially once you factor in how different pitching was.