Major League Baseball (MLB) has gifted fans with some of the unparalleled stars who have engraved their names as baseball royalty.
These early 20th centuries legends stand tall as “GOAT” with their elite contact hits, plate discipline, baserunning, gap power, defense, strikeout rates, and a number of walks.
The information and details are compiled from trusted sites on the web including Players Bio and Wikipedia.
10. Roger Clemens
The 10th best baseball player of all time is Roger Clemens a.k.a “Rocket.”
Clemens debuted in MLB in 1984 with the Boston Red Sox.
He played for 24 seasons mainly with Red Sox and New York Yankees.
Renowned for his intimidating persona and hard-throwing pitching style, Clemens ranked third most dominant pitcher of all-time in MLB.
Roger Clemens (Source: Pinstripe Alley)
Throughout his career, Clemens won 354 games, got a 3.12 ERA, and 4,672 strikeouts.
Moreover, Clemens played 11 All-Star Games, won World Series twice, was two times Triple Crown, seven times ERA leader, 1986 AL MVP, and twice broke the record of 20 strikeouts in a single game in 1986 & 1996.
Further, Clemens won 7 Cy Young Awards, the awards given to the league’s best pitcher. None of the pitchers have won that many Cy Young Awards as Clemens has.
9. Stan Musial
Stanley Frank Musial, famous as “Stan the Man,” was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman.
Musial debuted in MLB with NL’s St. Louis Cardinals in 1941. With the Cardinals, he played for 22 seasons in MLB from 1941 to 1944 and 1946 to 1963.
Renowned as the greatest and the most consistent hitters in baseball history, Musial batted .331, 3,630 hits, 1,951 runs batted in (RBI), and 725 doubles throughout his career.
Besides, Musial ranked second in NL history during his time with his 475 career home runs, left behind by Mel Ott’s 511 career home runs.
Stan Musial (Source: Wikipedia)
Similarly, he is one of the players who played the highest number of All-Star Games (24) in MLB, along with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
Moreover, Musial was three times World Series Champion, three times NL’s MVP, seven times batting champion, two times RBI leader, and 1989 St. Louis Walk of Fame inductee.
Further, The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Musial on a first-ballot in 1969. And, he is one of the 30 players to get inducted into the Major League Baseball All-Century Team.
On 19th January 2013, Musial died due to natural causes at his home in Laude, Missouri, at the age of 92.
8. Walter Johnson
Holding the 8th spot on our list comes the legendary right-handed pitcher of the Washington Senators.
Walter Johnson, renowned as “Barney,” pitched for the Senators from 1907 to 1927.
Besides, he served as the manager of the Senators from 1929 to 1939 and of Cleveland Indians from 1933 to 1935.
Moreover, Johnson broke the MLB record with 110 shutouts, as 12 times strikeout leader, second with 417 wins, and fourth with 531 complete games.
Walter Johnson (Source: Los Angeles Times)
Similarly, Johnson was the first member of the 3,000 strikeouts club. While he holds the record of the most innings pitched and the lowest strikeouts per nine-innings pitched among all of its 18 members.
For around 56 years, Johnson held the career record of 3,508 strikeouts.
Throughout his career, Johnson was the 1924 World Series Champion, two times AL MVP, three times Triple Crown, five times ERA leader, and pitched a no-hitter in 1920.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Walter Johnson in 1936.
One of the best baseball players in MLB history succumbed to tuberculosis in 1946 at the age of 59.
7. Lou Gehrig
Holding the 7th spot is the first baseman of the Yankees, “The Iron Horse.”
Lou Gehrig debuted as the baseman in MLB with the New York Yankees in 1923.
Throughout his 17 years of career, Gehrig earned a record of .340 batting average, 493 home runs, 2,721 hits, and 1,995 RBI.
Whereas he played 7 All-Star Games from 1933 to 1939.
Besides, Gehrig hit 23 grand slams, which stood for more than 70 years until Alex Rodriguez broke the record with 25 in 2013.
Lou Gehrig (Source: www.wsj.com)
Similarly, he played 2,130 consecutive games, the highest record in MLB history, which stood for 56 years.
Among all of the Hall of Fame players, Gehrig has the highest ratio of runs scored, runs batted in per 100 plate appearances with 35.08 and per 100 games with 156.7.
Moreover, he was six times World Series Champion, two times AL MVP, three times homerun leader, five times RBI leader, and 1934 Triple Crown and Batting Champion.
In 1941, the Yankees legend succumbed to Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at the age of 37.
The Major League Baseball celebrates Lou Gehrig Day in June 2.
Every year, MLB honors the players who best exhibit the character and integrity of Lou Gehrig both on and off the field with “The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award.”
6. Ty Cobb
Ty Cobb a.k.a “The Georgian Peach,” was a renowned left-handed outfielder.
He played for 23 seasons in MLB.
From 1905 to 1926, Cobb played with the Detroit Tigers and served as its manager from 1921 to 1926. Then, he played with Philadelphia Athletics from 1927 to 1928.
Ty Cobb (Source: Wikipedia)
For almost half a century, Cobb held the record of highest batting average (.366), most career batting champion titles (12), most hits (4,191), most runs (2,246), most games played (3,035), most at-bats with 11,434, and most stolen bases with 892.
Moreover, Cobb was 1909 Triple Crown and AL home run reader, 1911 AL MVP, and four times RBI leader.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Ty Cobb in 1936.
Cobb succumbed to prostate cancer in 1961 at the age of 74.
5. Ted Williams
Ted Williams, famous as “The Kid,” was a left fielder and a baseball manager.
Williams played in MLB with Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960. Whereas he served as the manager of Washington Senators from 1969 to 1972.
Throughout his career, Williams played 19 All-Star Games, was twice AL MVP, twice Triple Crown, six times batting champion, four times home run leader, and RBI leader.
Ted Williams (Source: IMDb)
Moreover, Williams has the highest on-base percentage with .482 in MLB history. Besides, he ranks seventh of all time with a .344 batting average and 22nd with 511 home runs.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Ted Williams in 1966.
One of the best baseball players of all time, Williams succumbed to cardiac arrest in 2002 at the age of 83.
4. Hank Aaron
Harry Louis Aaron, famous as “Hank,” was an American right-hand fielder.
He competed for 23 seasons in MLB.
From 1954 to 1974, Hank played with Atlanta Braves. Whereas he played with Milwaukee Brewers from 1975 to 1976.
Besides, Hank ranks the highest in career records with 2,297 RBI, 1,477 extra-base hits, and 6,856 total bases in MLB.
Hank Aaron (Source: MLB.com)
Similarly, Hank ranks second with 755 home runs, 12,364 at-bats, and third with 3,298 games played.
Moreover, Hank is among the top five players with his record of 3,771 hits and 2,174 runs.
Throughout his career, Hank played 25 All-Star Games, was 1957 World Series Champion, 1957 NL MVP, twice batting champions, four times home run leader and RBI leader, and won 3 Gold Glove Awards.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Aaron in 1982.
Hank Aaron died on 22nd January 2021 at the age of 86 in Georgia.
MLB started giving the Hank Aaron Award to the top offensive players from each league from 1999.
3. Barry Bonds
Barry Lamar Bonds is a former left fielder from California.
He competed for 22 seasons in MLB.
From 1986 to 1992, Bonds played with Pittsburgh Pirates. Whereas he played with San Francisco Giants from 1993 to 2007.
Barry Bonds (Source: Forbes)
Throughout his career, Bonds played 14 All-Star Games, was 2004 NL batting champion, twice home run leader, 1993 RBI leader, and won 7 NL MVP, 8 Gold Glove Awards, 3 Hank Aaron Award, and 12 Silver Slugger Award.
Besides, the all-around player ranks highest in record with 763 home runs, most home runs in a season with 73, and most career walks with 2,558.
Moreover, Barry ranks second on Wins Above Replacement Player, behind Babe Ruth.
2. Willie Mays
Willie Mays, famous as “Buck,” is a former center fielder from Alabama.
He competed for 22 seasons in MLB.
From 1951 to 1972, Mays played with New York Giants. Whereas he played with New York Mets from 1972 to 1973.
Throughout his career, Willie played 24 All-Star Games, won 1954 World Series and batting title, 12 Gold Glove Awards, was 1951 Rookie of the Year, twice NL MVP, four times NL home run leader, and stolen base leader.
Willie Mays (Source: People.com)
Moreover, he holds the highest record with 7,095 putouts and 22 extra-inning home runs in MLB.
Further, Willie ranks 6th with 660 home runs and 12th with 1,903 RBI. Besides, he has a record of .302 batting average, 3,283 hits, and 338 stolen bases.
On 30th April 1961, Willie hit four home runs in a single game.
1. Babe Ruth
At the top comes the greatest slugging outfielder of the New York Yankees, Babe Ruth.
Babe Ruth a.k.a “The Sultan of Swat,” was a left-handed pitcher and outfielder from Baltimore.
He competed for 22 seasons in MLB.
From 1914 to 1919, Babe Ruth played with Red Sox, and from 1920 to 1924 with Yankees.
In 1935, he played his last game with Boston Braves.
Babe Ruth (Source: The Columbus Dispatch)
Throughout his career, Babe Ruth had hit 714 home runs, 2,214 RBI, .342 batting average, a 2.28 ERA, and a win-loss record of 94-46.
Moreover, he played 2 All-Star Games, was seven times World Series Champion, 1923 AL MVP, 1924 AL batting champion, 12 times home run leader, and five times RBI leader.
Further, Babe Ruth is the only baseball player who won 23 games twice in a single season. Besides, he was the only pitcher to hit long home runs during the 1920 dead-ball era.
The Baseball Hall of Fame inducted Babe Ruth in 1936.
The greatest baseball player in MLB history succumbed to nasopharyngeal cancer in 1948.
