Top 10 BUSH LEAGUE & DIRTY Plays In MLB HISTORY (Film Era)

Although I’ve always hated most of the ridiculous unwritten rules in the sport of baseball, there are definitely certain plays that just feel unprofessional and amateurish – in other words, Bush League. For me, if it’s a standard baseball play like a bunt or stolen base, I don’t care what the score is, I don’t consider it bush league. But there are times when players cross a line from real baseball plays to straight up bush league by breaking the rules, intentionally hitting batters for ridiculous reasons, or just playing dirty and dangerously in a way the game is not designed. You don’t see bush league plays too often in the big leagues, but they do happen and in today’s video, we’ll look back at 10 of the most bush league and dirty moments that were caught on video in MLB history. These are moments that had major implications in the game and went beyond breaking unwritten rules in my opinion. Before jumping into the top 10, here’s a hilarious clip of a college player pretending to be hit by a pitch when the ball wasn’t even close to him – true next level bush league.

I also have one super dishonorable mention and I didn’t even know where to rank this one because I don’t know whether to call it bush league or pyscho league, but I had to at least mention Roger Clemens firing a bat at Mike Piazza during the 2000 World Series. Piazza had homered in three consecutive at bats against Clemens until their 4th meeting, earlier that season, when Clemens hit Piazza in the head with a fastball, causing him to miss the All Star Game. Every one was eager to see this match-up. What if Clemens hits him again? Would Piazza charge the mound? Or maybe it would be settled on the field. With all the speculation, no one, and I mean no one, could have predicted what actually went down.

Throwing that weapon of a broken bat towards Piazza goes beyond Bush League but I had to at least mention it as it was one of the most bizarre and insane moments in MLB history.

Now let’s get into the Top 10, and let me know in the comments, which of these do you think are dirty or bush league and which of them are completely legit.

10. Strickland Beans Harper

Pitchers throwing at hitters intentionally has always been a part of the game and it has created a debate among fans on whether it’s a good or bad thing. Some fans like it and think it’s a natural part of the game, but even those fans have to agree, a pitcher has to have a good reason to throw at a batter – usually as retaliation for a recent event or to send a message. But to retaliate nearly 3 years after the fact is unheard of and that’s what Hunter Strickland of the San Francisco Giants decided to do back in 2017, when he faced Bryce Harper for the first time since the 2014 playoffs, when Harper hit a couple of huge home runs off him.

Even as a Giants fan, I can’t defend this and even Buster Posey stood at the plate confused. There was no expectation he was going to do that and it caused a massive brawl, which ended the career of Giants 1st baseman Michael Morse after he ended up with a concussion. This intentional hit by pitch is especially bush league, because back in 2014, the Giants went on to win that series against the Nationals despite the Harper home runs, and in fact, they won the World Series as well.

9. A-Rod Distracts Fielder

This is the first, but certainly not last appearance of Alex Rodriguez on today’s list. I’m generally against unwritten rules and believe players should always try their best to win, even if it means bunting to break up a no-hitter, stealing with a decent lead, or swinging with a 3-0 count regardless of the score. But all those examples are real baseball plays. When it comes to a play like this – Alex Rodriguez yelling “Ha I got it!” as a baserunner to make the infielder think some one else is calling for the ball, that’s where I draw the line.

It could be argued that fielders try to decoy runners all the time with their motions, which is true, but screaming “I got it” as a baserunner to confuse an infielder looking up in the air and listening for his teammate to call him off seems a lot more bush league to me, but let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

8. Machado Kicks Aguilar

Manny Machado is no stranger to being called a bush leaguer. Here’s an example of his dropping the bat right by a catcher’s feet to cause him to miss a pop fly.

A notoriously dirty player, at least earlier in his career, Machado also created controversy against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2018 NLCS. First, there was the way he slide into second base in Game 3, reaching out with his hand to stop a double play.

Then, he appeared to intentionally kick first baseman Jesus Aguilar’s foot while running to first base on a groundout.

This caused benches to empty and tempers to flare. Luckily, Aguilar wasn’t seriously injured, but Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich called the play “a dirty play by a dirty player.”

7. Dempster Throwing at A-Rod

Next up is another incident involving A-Rod, but this time he was on the receiving end of the bush league antics. In 2013, just as Rodriguez was returning from a long stint on the D.L., it was announced he would be suspended for taking PED’s as part of the Biogenesis Scandal, but because he was appealing, he would still get to play. A couple weeks later, Red Sox pitcher Ryan Dempster, who had no known previous beef with A-Rod, decided he was going to drill him no matter what. He threw the first pitch behind him, and kept going inside on him until the 4th pitch nailed A-Rod in the elbow.

It was obviously intentional, but when umpire Brian O’Nora failed to eject Dempster and gave out warnings to both teams, Yankees manager Joe Giardi flipped out and ended up getting ejected himself. Dempster eventually was suspended 5 games and fined an undisclosed amount. He admitted to hitting Rodriguez on purpose in 2016.

Although lots of fans loved to see A-Rod getting drilled, I find plays like this bush league for a number of reasons, but in this case, he sent a message with the first pitch and missed him, so there was no need to throw at him again, especially when the only reason he was throwing at him was because he didn’t like him – there was no on-field incident; Dempster just decided he was going to drill A-Rod.

6. Jose Tabata Leans Into Scherzer’s Pitch

This one is a little tough to include because I hate most of the unwritten rules and one of the stupidest is the ridiculous ‘no bunting during a no-hitter’ rule. If a pitcher is working on a no-hitter or perfect game, I want to break it up as a hitter and get something started for my team – but only within the rules. Leaning into a pitch to intentionally get hit in order to break up a perfect game with 2 outs in the ninth of a 6-0 game has to be considered bush league. First of all, it’s against the rules, as not only can you not lean into a pitch, you have to make an effort to avoid getting hit in order to be awarded first base. But Jose Tabata made no such effort when he was facing Max Scherzer, who was working on a perfect game with 2 outs in the 9th inning.

So, yes, I always say, try your best to win and help your team within the rules. If Tabata bunted for a hit or even if Scherzer threw one right at Tabata and it hit him, I’d have no issue with this. But to lean into one and let it hit you in a situation like that is completely bush league, and the umpires probably should’ve called him out. Instead, Scherzer’s perfect game was ruined, but fortunately he got the next one for the no-hitter.

5. Mota Beans Piazza

Next up is one of the most insane moments I’ve seen on a baseball field. I’ve never seen a player more maniacally pissed off than Mike Piazza was during a game when he was hit by a pitch by Guillermo Mota. The story goes back farther than the hit by pitch. During 2002 Spring Training at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Mike Piazza was the target of several hit by pitches and he finally had enough after Guillermo Mota beaned him in the back with a 3-0 pitch. Piazza gave Mota an angry look but took his base then was replaced by a pinch runner.

Later in the game, as Mota was walking by the Mets dugout, Piazza confronted him and things quickly got heated with Piazza grabbing him by the shirt. Some shoving occurred, but no punches where thrown.

Fast forward to Spring Training 2003, and Piazza was facing Mota once again. Mota threw the first pitch uncomfortably inside. Then on the next, he intentionally drilled Piazza with an up and in pitch and shit completely hit the fan.

I’ve never seen an entire team go after a pitcher like that, never seen a pitcher that terrified and never saw this look before in my life – I fear what Mike Piazza would have done to Mota if he got his hands on him. But ultimately, it was an absolute bush league move to drill Piazza like that in a Spring Training game a year later, although I can’t blame him for back-peddling and running away, just look at Mike Piazza’s face.

4. Utley Breaks Tejada’s Leg

There’s been so many examples of the reckless “slide” into second base trying to take out the fielder going for the double play, you can include them all here. For most of baseball history, it was expected the runner would make an aggressive slide to break up a double play at second base, but sometimes, the runner takes it way too far, such as Chase Utley here taking out Ruben Tejada, which resulted in a broken leg.

Utley wasn’t even trying to hide the fact he was taking out the fielder and not at all trying to slide into second base. Another example happened in a Giants Cardinals playoff game when Matt Holliday takes out and Marco Scutaro. In the play, which I watched live, I initially thought Scutaro had to be seriously injured.

MLB made some rule changes in 2016 to prevent these types of dangerous plays in which fielders can get seriously injured. A runner now has to make a bonafide slide into second base, otherwise both runners will be called out, but it should be noted even before the rule changes, these types of slides should never have been legal. Under the old rules, umpires could call out a runner if he “willfully and deliberately interferes with a batted ball or a fielder with the obvious intent to break up a double play.” I would say both the Utley and Holliday slides qualify.

3. Albert Belle Levels Vina

But coming in at #3 is one of the dirtiest plays I’ve ever seen in an MLB game, a break up of a double play that somehow didn’t cause an all-out brawl. Albert Belle didn’t even make it to second base before absolutely leveling Fernando Vina, who made an attempt to tag Belle before throwing to first. He obviously never got the throw off.

Somehow, Vina held on to the ball and had some words for Belle, who took him out earlier in the game as well.

2. A-Rod’s Glove Swat

Up next is a play we’ve seen a few times and I find it completely bush league. In this case, it was a playoff game - Game 6 of the 2004 American League Championship Series with the Red Sox needing a win to force a Game 7. They had a 4-2 lead in the 8th with one out and Derek Jeter on first base. Up stepped Alex Rodriguez with a chance to tie the game. Instead, here’s what happened.

A-Rod appeared to actually swat the ball right out of pitcher Bronson Arroyo’s glove. This doesn’t feel fair at all, but is it actually against the rules? Well, per section 6.,1 of the MLB Umpire Manual, “While contact may occur between a fielder and runner during a tag attempts, a runner is not allowed to use his hands or arms to commit an obviously malicious or unsportsmanlike act.”

After Red Sox manager Terry Francona argued the call, the 6 umpires got together and changed the call from safe to out. The Yankee fans flipped out and began to throw trash on to the field, but most agree the call turned out correct as replay shows A-Rod intentionally slapping Arroyo’s hand to free the ball. The Red Sox went on to win the game, the series and then the World Series.

1. Kent Hrbek Takes Down Gant

But coming in at #1 was a classic moment I remember watching live to do this day - it was Game 2 of one of the greatest World Series in the history of the Game as the Twins and Braves, two last place teams from 1990 went toe to toe in the 1991 Fall Classic. The Twins were up 2-1 in the 3rd when Ron Gant picked up a two-out base hit, sending Lonnie Smith to third. After Gant rounded first and the ball briefly got away, pitcher Kevin Tapani tried to throw him out as he retreated back to first base. Gant was back in time until first baseman Kent Hrbek decided to go full WWF Wrestling, remove him from the base and tag him out.

Power-hitter Dave Justice would’ve been up with two men on but instead, the inning was over as the umpire ruled Gant out, saying his momentum pulled him off the bag.

The Braves ended up losing the game in 3-2 and the Twins eventually won the 1991 World Series in 7 games. I find it hard to believe Ron Gant was going to fall over off the back during a simple retreat. I find it pretty clear Hrbek helped him off that base, but let me know – bush league or fair play?

Top 10 Most HORRIFIC & Impactful INJURIES In MLB HISTORY!!

As everybody knows, injuries are part of sports and baseball is no exception. Players can be hurt in a variety ways such as getting hit by a 90+ mile per hour pitch, breaking a bone or ligament from the unnatural and violent motion of pitching a baseball, getting hit in the face by a line drive or from a bad hop on a groundball or getting plowed through by a runner trying to score or break up a double play. And those are just a few examples. Fortunately, graphic and horrific injuries are fairly rare considering the amount of baseball games played but they have happened and today we'll be counting down the 10 most memorable, horrific and impactful injuries in MLB history - injuries that caused major changes to the game of baseball or threatened to end a player's career on the spot or sometimes, something far worse.

Before getting to the main list, which just consists of MLB moments, there were a couple of minor league injuries that definitely deserve a mention.

The Tyler Zombro Incident

It was one of the scariest moments in professional baseball history, and it happened out of nowhere in the 9th inning of a typical Triple-A minor league game in Durham, North Carolina. Tampa Bay Rays prospect Tyler Zombro was facing Brett Cumberland of the Norfolk Tides. Cumberland smashed a 104 mile per hour line drive off Zombro's head, causing Zombro to lose consciousness and then go into a seizure. He was quickly removed from the field on a stretcher and taken into surgery, where surgeons had to insert 16 titanium plates and 36 screws to repair a major skull fracture. He eventually regained consciousness and had to undergo physical, speech and occupational therapy. He made a miraculous recovery and returned to the mound, throwing a scoreless inning his return. Zombro retired after the 2024 season.

The Mike Coolbaugh Tragedy

Mike Coolbaugh played 17 years of pro baseball including parts of 2 seasons in the big leagues, hitting 260 total professional home runs. He retired after the 2006 season and became a coach in the Colorado Rockies organization. In July of 2007, as the first base coach for the Tulsa Drillers, tragedy struck when he was hit in the neck by a line drive, resulting in a severe brain hemorrhage that almost instantly killed him. Coolbaugh was pronounced dead less than an hour after being struck by the line drive. That offseason, it was determined that all base coaches in the Major and Minor Leagues would wear helmets.

Now, let's get into the main list.

#10 Buster Posey Season-Ending Break

In 2010, Buster Posey hit .305 with 18 bombs and caught every inning of the playoffs, helping to lead the San Francisco Giants to their first World Series since moving west from New York. But the next year, Posey's season was cut short on May 25th during a play at the plate with the Marlins Scott Cousins attempting to score. Posey fractured his fibula and tore multiple ligaments. He missed the remainder of the 2011 season before bouncing back in 2012, winning the MVP and Comeback Player of the Year Awards. The injury led MLB to reinterpret the rulebook and adopt Rule 7.13, the "Buster Posey Rule," stating a runner attempting to score may not deviate from his direct pathway to the plate in order initiate contact with the catcher.

#9 The Ray Fosse-Pete Rose Collision

This play didn't end Ray Fosse's career or even put him on the disabled list, but he was never really the same afterwards. Pete Rose had a chance to score the winning run in the 1970 All Star Game and was hustling towards home plate, with the only thing between him and victory being catcher Ray Fosse. You can guess what happened next. The collision separated Fosse's shoulder, although it was improperly diagnosed as the time and he didn't miss any games. But according to Fosse, the pain from the injury lingered throughout his career and life. There is debate to whether or not this injury ruined Fosse's career, but he was a top prospect who had 16 home runs with a .312 average at the All Star break in 1970 then hit just 2 the rest of the season. His power completely vanished and he never topped 12 home runs in a season for the rest of his career.

#8 Mickey Mantle vs. The Drain

A knee injury that likely had a major impact on history occured in the 5th inning of Game 2 of the 1951 World Series. Mickey Mantle was a red hot rookie who could do it all, including hit for tremendous power as a switch hitter and absolutely fly on the basepaths. He was playing right-field with veteran superstar Joe Dimaggio in center. Yankees manager Casey Stengel instructed Mantle to go for everything hard because Dimaggio's heel was hurting. The Giants Willie Mays hit a flyball to right-center field and the two fielders converged, with Mantle hustling hard for it. In the book The Last Boy, Mantle is quoted as saying “I was running as hard as I could. At that point in time, I could outrun anybody. I ran over to catch it as Casey had told me to. Just as I was getting ready to put my glove up, I heard him say, ‘I got it.’ Well shit, you don’t want to run into Joe DiMaggio in center field in Yankee Stadium, I slammed on my brakes.” When he did so, Mantle's spikes got caught in an exposed drain pipe and something in his right knee tore as he went down in tremendous pain. He suffered a severely torn ligament, one that would have required immediate surgery today, but back then, he was told to let it heal on its own. He eventually had multiple knee surgeries and had almost no cartiladge in his knees by the time his career was over. After the injury, Mantle played the rest of his career with a torn or semi-torn ACL and never played again without pain. He was still good enough to hit 536 home runs and become one of the greatest all of time. It's incredible to imagine that he would've been even better if not for that injury in the 1951 World Series.

#7 Tony Conigliaro Hit by Pitch

Tony Conigliaro played mostly for the Boston Red Sox. His pro career started in 1963 when he tore up the Minor Leagues, hitting .363 with 24 home runs. The next year, he was in the Red Sox lineup and hit .290 with 24 home runs followed by a league leading 32 bombs in 1965, becoming the youngest American League player to ever lead the league in home runs. The Red Sox had a superstar on their hands and he made the All Star Team in 1967. He hit his 100th home run at just 22 years old. Then, everything changed during a game on August 18th, 1967 against the California Angels. Facing pitcher Jack Hamilton. A pitch struck Conigliaro in the face, causing a linear fracture of his left cheekbone, a dislocated jaw and severe damage to his left retina. He was carried off the field on a stretcher and it was questionable if he would ever play again. Conigliaro’s eyesight was permanently damaged. He missed the next two seasons entirely. Then, in 1969, 2 and a half years after playing his last game, Congliario attempted a comeback. The Red Sox were happy to give him the opportunity, but didn’t know what to expect. Congliario’s comeback was astonishing as he hit 20 home runs with a .255 average driving 82 runs. The next year, he set a career high in home runs and RBIs with 36 and 116 respectively, while hitting .266. His amazing comeback inspired the Tony Congliaro Award, which has since been awarded to those who overcome adversity. Unfortunately, his eyesight worsened as he entered his thirties and Congliario was forced to retire, but the fact that he came back from such a horrific injury to play four more years, including a career year is truly inspirational.

#6 Tony Saunders Breaks Arm

Pitcher Tony Saunders was originally signed as an undrafted free agent in 1992 by the expansion Florida Marlins, and he dominated the minor leagues as a starter, although he had to miss time in 1994 and 1995 due to elbow reconstruction surgery. He continued to pitch well after the surgery and

earned a call-up to the big leagues in 1997 when he became a part of the Marlins rotation. He was picked up by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in their innagural draft for the 1998 season. He had a rough season but was 9th in the league in strikeouts and still had a bright career ahead. That is, until one fateful game in 1999 when Saunders delivered a 3-2 pitch to Juan Gonzalez and his elbow snapped loudly enough for the entire stadium to hear it. He collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony as teammates rushed to his side. He had to be carted off the field, in too much pain to even walk. It was one of the most horrific moments in MLB history and he was diagnosed with a humerus fracture and torn ligament, ending his season. As it turned out, it ended his MLB career. Saunders bravely attempted a comeback, but during a rehab game in the minors, the humerus snapped again, leading to his retirement. He tried to comeback once again in 2005 and pitched in a Spring Training game with the Cardinals and in a few independent league games with the Mesa Miners, but never returned to the big leagues.

#5 Adam Greenberg Instant Career-Ender

In 2002, Adam Greenberg was drafted by the Chicago Cubs and worked his way through the minor leagues, getting promoted in 2005. It looked like he had a bright future as a big leaguer – that is, until the first pitch he ever saw in the Majors. Greenberg never got the chance to prove whether or not he could stick in Major League Baseball as that 92 mile per hour pitch from Valerio de los Santos hit Greenberg in the back of the head. He fell to the ground in pain, and had the sensation that his head had been split open, with thoughts of just trying to stay concious. He suffered a skull fracture and severe concussion, spending the rest of the season the D.L. He had vertigo symptoms for years including headaches, nausea, double vision and dizziness.

The symptoms that took more than two years to clear up. Then a string of other ailments thwarted any comeback bids. He returned to the minor leagues in 2006 but his numbers fell and after stints in the Dodgers, Angels and Royals minor league systems, he ended up in the independent leagues. After 4 years with the Bridgeport Bluefish, it was becoming clear that Greenberg would never get back to the big leagues.

That is, until the Miami Marlins, the team Greenberg was facing when he was hit in the head, signed him to a one-day contract in order to give him a chance to have a proper MLB at bat, which he had earned way back in 2005 but never got. It was a great gesture by the Marlins, although I never understood why they chose to give him the at bat against the practically unhittable R.A. Dickey, who was baffling even the greatest MLB hitters at that time. Other than that one weird detail, it was awesome to see Greenberg get a real MLB at bat.

Unfortunately, he struck out 3 pitches, and R.A. Dickey won the Cy Award and led the league in strikeouts. But at least Greenberg got his official MLB at bat.

#4 Juan Encarnacion Career Ending Foul Ball

2-time World Series champion and 11-year veteran Juan Encarnacion's career ended without notice in July of 2007 while he was waiting to bat in the on-deck circle. Teammate Aaron Miles hit an absolute rocket towards Encarnaction, who had his eyes elsewhere at that moment. The baseball smashed his left eye and he fell to to the ground, remaining still for several minutes as the crowd went silent. He eventually got up and waved a stretcher away, leaving the field with the assistance of Jim Edmonds. The Cardinals rallied that inning and won the game, making Tony La Russa the winningest manager in Cardinals history, but he was not in the mood to celebrate after the game after what had happened. The line drive caused a fractured bone and the immediate end to Encarnacion's 2007 season. As it turned out, it was the end of his career as his eyesight never fully recovered and he never played professional baseball again.

#3 Dave Dravecky Breaks Arm

Dave Dravecky was a solid left-handed arm in the San Diego Padres rotation for several years in 80’s, making an All Star team in 1983 and maintaining an ERA around 3 every season. On July 4th, 1987, the San Francisco Giants traded for him, along with Craig Lefferts and Kevin Mitchell, for Mark Grant, Mark Davis and Chris Brown. He pitched well for the Giants, including a shutout performance in the 1987 playoffs against St. Louis. In 1988, he was pitching well with a 3.16 ERA after 7 starts when a cancerous tumor was found in his pitching arm. It was a rare and aggressive tumor known as a desmoid tumor. Unfortunately, it was positioned on his left deltoid muscle, a muscle that is needed by pitchers to even pitch. Doctors would have to remove the tumor and surrounding muscle, a huge portion of his arm, in order to save his life. The surgery was performed in October of 1988 and half of the deltoid muscle was removed. The humerus bone was frozen as well in order to kill all of the cancerous cells. Doctors advised him that he would never pitch again but Dravecky had other plans. His rehab was astonishingly fast, going from not being able to move his arm at all, to lifting 1 lb. Dumbbells, to actually pitching all in a matter of months and by 1989 Dravecky already felt ready to pitch again, although doctors urged him to wait until at least 1990. They feared that the frozen humerus bone could snap if stressed too early. But Dravecky was determined to return that year and he did, returning to the minors in 1989 on rehab assignment, where he threw 3 complete games. Imagine a pitcher being allowed to complete any games so early in their comeback attempt in today's game. But in 1989, it happened – he threw three complete games and a shutout, convincing the Giants he was ready for his official comeback game. It occurred on August 10th, 1989, in an amazing day at Candlestick Park. Dravecky pitched 8 innings, defeating the Reds 4-3, despite the doctor’s prediction that he would lose 95% of the use of his left arm. Unfortunately, it was short-lived as during his next start in Montreal, he felt a strange tingling in his arm, continued to pitch anyway and then the unthinkable happened and the entire stadium heard the snap as Dravecky, as doctors feared, broke his arm on a pitch. He crumbled to the ground in pain in one of the scariest and horrific injuries in MLB history. Later, the cancer returned with a vengeance and he had to have his arm amputated. He never threw another MLB pitch after that injury. Dave Dravecky continues to travel the country and give motivational speeches today.

#2 Doc Powers Wall Collision

This is an injury that may or may not have immediately led to the death of a player, but my research indicates that an on-field injury may have never happened at all, and if it did, probably just accelerated an already existing medical condition. Mike "Doc" Powers started his professional career way back in 1898 with the Louisville Colonels after playing college ball at Holy Cross and Notre Dame. He ended up playing most of his career with the Philadelphia Athletics as a backup catcher and first baseman and was also a physician when not playing baseball, hence the nickname. On Opening Day in 1909, he was beginning his 11th MLB season, in the starting lineup for the Athletics. According to many online sources including wikipedia, during the first play of the game, he crashed into a wall at full speed chasing a foul pop fly. Powers stayed in the game and even got a base hit. But none of the medical reports or newspaper articles I could find from the time period mention an on-field injury as part of what caused his condition. What articles of the time do say is that in the 7th inning of the game he became noticeably ill, some mentioning it occurred after eating a ham sandwich. Powers insisted on finishing the game and did so, going 1 for 4, and then was taken immediately to the hospital. Physicians determined he was suffering from a condition described as "strangulation of the intestines" or "intussusception", a life-threatening condition that occurs when part of the intestine folds into the next section, blocking the flow of food and fluids. This is not a condition that would be caused by a collision as the intestines removed were decaying due to lack of blood supply, indicating he had been suffering from this condition for a substantial period of time. Powers underwent immediate emergency surgery and more than a foot of gangrenous intestines had to be removed. He rallied for a time and showed some improvement, but the problems returned and after two additional surgeries, he passed away, 2 weeks after the game. Although it is written all over the internet that Powers experienced an on-field injury that led to his death, long articles written after his death at the time never mention any on-field injury or collision nor do articles about the actual game. I researched this mystery for hours and found one 2014 internet piece that questioned the on-field injury theory and it agrees that there is no evidence an on-field injury actually led to his death and he was likely already suffering from the condition before the game even started. I will link that website in the description. I will still put this possible injury at #2 as, if there was an on-field injury, it was evidently bad enough to send Powers to the hospital, where he eventually lost his life - and if there wasn't an on-field injury, he still got sick in the middle of the game he was playing in and died just 2 weeks later. If any one does have real sources from the time period mentioning an on-field collision, please let me know so I can update this story, but I looked up hundreds of articles from the day after the game and beyond, none mentioning any on-field injury. Even modern newspaper articles as recent as 2009 discussing the mystery make no mention of an on-field injury. It's almost as if some one wrote it on Wikipedia one day and then the internet took it as fact and ran with it.

#1 Ray Chapman Hit In The Head

But coming in at #1 is a story that can be confirmed as the only definite on-field injury that led to the death of an MLB player. It happened to lifelong Cleveland player Ray Chapman, who was playing in his 9th season. He had over 1,000 career hits and had stolen 238 bases. Chapman set a single-season MLB record with 67 sacrifice hits in 1917, a record that stands today. On August 16th, 1920, he was taking an at bat at the Polo Grounds, facing Yankees pitcher Carl Mays. Mays was known as a "bean ball" pitcher who liked to throw inside. Back during this time, the balls were commonly dirtied with soil or tobacco juice and not typically thrown out of a game until they were hit in the stands or out of the ballpark, and even then sometimes the ball would be retrieved and put back in the game. Hitters also did not wear helmets. This led to a tragic situation in which Chapman did not pick up the high and in pitch from Mays and was hit so hard in the head, Mays thought it hit the end of Chapman's bat. He fielded the ball and threw to first. Meanwhile, Chapman crumpled to the ground. The crowd went silent as medical personal rushed to assist the batter. Chapman briefly regained concinousness and made it to his feet but collapsed before reaching the clubhouse. Chapman's skull was broken and doctors operated on him throughout the night. He initially survived the surgery but then passed away later in the morning. At first, much outrage was placed towards Carl Mays with demands that he be banned, but he insisted the ball was wet and simply got away from him, also saying "It is the most regrettable incident of my baseball career; I would give anything if I could undo what has happened." He went into seclusion for about 10 days before rejoining his team. The death of Ray Chapman had an enormous impact on the future of the game, as spitballs were banned along with scuffing or altering the baseball in any way. Baseballs hit out of play were not used again and the live ball era was introduced. Helmets eventually became the norm and are now required to be worn by all batters and baserunners. Fortunately, no other player has been killed from an on-field injury since Ray Chapman.

TOP 20 NON-MLB Athletes DRAFTED By an MLB TEAM!! NFL & NBA SUPERSTARS!!

It’s not unusual to find out some of the greatest professional athletes played multiple sports at one point, usually back in High School or sometimes even in College. The greatest athletes in the world having the ability to play multiple sports at a high level isn’t surprising, but many of these athletes were so good they had the opportunity to choose which sport they would play at the professional level. Today, we’ll be ranking the Top 20 professional athletes in sports other than baseball – in this case mostly football but there are a couple NBA players as well who were actually drafted by a Major League Baseball team, but either decided not to sign or they only played in the minors before making it big in another sport. So, I won’t include the obvious guys who actually played both at the highest level – i.e. Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. These are guys primarily known for their career in another sport besides baseball. But before getting to the main guys, let’s do a few honorable mentions.

Colin Kaepernick (AV 49)

One of the most famous NFL players for more reasons than one, Colin Kaepernick was an intriguing High School baseball prospect who could light up the radar gun as a pitcher and the Chicago Cubs drafted him in the 43rd Round of the 2009 MLB Draft while he was playing football at the University of Nevada. He decided to continue college instead and was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the 49ers and went on to play in the NFL for 6 years.

Jameis Winston (AV 67)

Another Heisman Trophy Winner, Jameis Winston, was a two-way baseball player in High School who could pitch and hit at a high level. The Texas Rangers drafted him in 2012 in the 15th Round, but Winston decided to go to college, and at Florida State, he continued to look like he could have a future in baseball, especially on the mound, where he had a 1.94 ERA coming out of the bullpen for the Seminoles, striking out 8.4 batters per 9 in 2014. But he was even better at football and was taken 1st overall by the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Brandon Weeden (AV 14)

At Edmond Santa Fe High School in Oklahoma, Brandon Weeden was a star player for both the football and baseball teams and had the opportunity to go to college to play D1 football or enter professional baseball after he was drafted in the 2nd Round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the Yankees. He decided to go pro, signing for a $565,000 bonus and entered the Yankees minor league system as a pitcher. He struggled through 5 seasons in the minors, getting traded to the Dodgers and taken in the Rule 5 by the Angels along the way. He had a great arm, but injuries and under performance let him to retire from baseball and enroll at Oklahoma State in 2009, where he joined the football team as a backup quarterback . By 2010, at 27 years old, he became the starter and in 2011, broke all types of school records, leading the Cowboys to an 11-1 record and Big 12 Championship. He was drafted 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns and did not have a great NFL career, but did play in parts of 5 seasons, mostly as a backup QB for the Cowboys and Texans.

Matt Cassel (AV 51)

Cassel was a great baseball player going back to Little League, when his team made it to the finals of the Little League World Series in 1994. He attended Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles and was a standout in all three major sports. He decided to attend college at USC, but he was mostly a backup quarterback and didn’t throw a single touchdown pass. He only made 8 appearances as a pitcher for the baseball team. He was taken in the 7th round by the New England Patriots and the 36th Round by the Oakland A’s. With a slightly brighter future in football, he signed with the Pats and slowly moved up the depth chart. After Tom Brady tore an ACL in 2008, he took over the as the starter and had a phenomenal breakout season, leading the team to an 11-5 record. Cassel was traded to Kansas City, and went on have a great 14 year NFL career.

Scott Burrell Bur-EL (WS 16.4)

In high school, Scott Burrell was the star player on the basketball team, quarterback of the football team and flamethrowing ace pitcher for the baseball team. He became a top baseball prospect, and after was taken 26th overall in the MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He decided not to sign and instead went to Uconn to play basketball, but baseball teams weren’t giving up. In the 1990 MLB Draft, his name was called again, this time by the Blue Jays in the 5th round. He signed with the agreement that he could continue playing college basketball. He pitched for 2 seasons in the Blue Jays system, going 2-6 with a 3.71 ERA and an impressive 8.9 per 9 strikeout ratio. He decided to quit baseball, focus on basketball ,and was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets 20th overall in 1993. Burrell went on to play for 8 years in the NBA.

Kyler Murray (AV 62)

An active NFL player currently in his 6th season as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray was drafted by the Oakland A’s in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft and is the only athlete to be drafted in the 1st Round of both the NFL and MLB Drafts. He hit .296 with 10 homers for Oklahoma, and signed with the A’s to play professional baseball, planning to attend Spring Training in 2019. However, after winning the Heisman Trophy with the Sooners, he decided to enter the NFL Draft, got picked first overall and forfeited his $4.6 Millon signing bonus to play football instead.

Golden Tate (AV 72)

Golden Tate was a phenomenal athlete at High School in Henderson, Tennesee and a star player on the diamond and gridiron. He was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 42nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft, but decided not to sign and instead went to Notre Dame where he continued to play both baseball and football. He hit .329 in 2009 with an OPS over .800 and was drafted again, this time in the 2010 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants, but not until the 50th Round. With a brighter looking career in football, he signed with the Seahawks, who took him in the 2nd round and went on to have a productive 11-year career, winning a Superbowl with the Eagles in 2018.

Now, let’s get into the Top 20.

#20. Charlie Ward (WS 33)

When it comes to mutli-sport talent, not many were better than Charlie Ward, who was excellent at baseball, basketball, football, tennis and track in High School. He eventually became a solid NBA point-guard who spent 11 years in the league. Before that, he was a star basketball player and Heisman-Trophy winning quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles. He could’ve gone on to have a great NFL career, but stated that he wouldn’t play football unless he was drafted in the first round. So, NFL teams decided not to draft him at all. However, the same can’t be said for MLB teams as he was drafted twice just on the off chance he might sign – by the Brewers in the 59th round of the ‘93 draft and shockingly again by the Yankees in the 18th round of the ‘94 draft. They did this despite the fact Ward wasn’t even playing baseball in college. He obviously did not sign. He remains the player in the history of the NBA to have won the Heismann Trophy.

#19. Ricky Williams (AV 91)

Speedster Ricky Williams was drafted out of Patrick Henry High School in San Diego back in 1995 and decided to sign and enter the minor leagues. He was an impressive base-stealer with explosive speed, but hit just .211 with 4 home runs over 4 seasons. During this time, he still found time to play football at the University of Texas and after winning the Heisman Trophy in 1998, it was clear which path made more sense. He was taken 5th overall by the Saints and went on to play 11 years in the National Football League.

#18. Archie Manning (AV 94)

College Football Hall-of-Famer and 2-time Pro Bowler Archie Manning was drafted in the MLB Draft not once, not twice, not three times, but four total times. The first time was out of High School in 1967 in the 43rd round by the Atlanta Braves. He went on to play College Football for 3 seasons at Ole Miss as the starting quarterback.  He threw 4,753 yards, 31 touchdowns and ran for 823 yards. He also played shortstop on the Ole Miss Baseball team and the White Sox drafted him in 1970 and 1971. The Royals also drafted him, but Manning never played pro baseball. Instead, he signed with the New Orleans Saints, who took him in the 1st round in 1971. Manning played for 13 seasons in the NFL, throwing 125 touchdowns.

#17. Michael Vick (AV 112)

Quarterback Michael Vick played for 13 seasons in the NFL, made 4 Pro Bowls, and was also a standout college football player who finished 6th for the Heismann Trophy. The weird thing is Vick did not play college or High School baseball, but the Colorado Rockies surprisingly picked his name in the 30th Round of the 2000 MLB Draft. Vick hadn't played baseball since 8th Grade, but the Rockies decided to roll the dice on an incredibly explosive and elite athlete who could’ve covered a ton of ground in the outfield. Of course, Vick was destined for the NFL and did not sign with the Rockies.

#16. Kerry Collins

College Football Hall of Famer and 2-time Pro Bowler Kerry Collins played for 17 years in the NFL and, like many of the athletes on this list, played all three major sports in High School. He had an electric arm and was drafted in the 26th round of the 1990 MLB Draft by the Tigers as a pitcher, but Collins did not sign. He was a good enough quarterback to be recruited by Joe Paterno and decided to play football at Penn State, where he became a consensus first team All-American, breaking several Penn State football records. Despite not even playing baseball in college, he was selected two more times in the MLB Draft, by Tigers again in the 60th Round in 1991 and by the Blue Jays in the 48th Round in 1994, but he obviously had no interest as football was the obvious path forward.

#15. Dell Curry (ws 41.5)

The Charlotte Hornets all-time leader in games played and 2-point field goals is still Dell Curry, who put together a fantastic 16 year NBA career in which he finished in the Top 10 for 6th man of the year 6 times and won the award once, in the 93-94 season. Back in High School, he was the star basketball and baseball player and he was so good at the later as both a pitcher and hitter, that he actually got drafted in the 37th round of the 1982 MLB Draft. He decided to go to college instead of playing pro ball and became a starter for Virginia Tech, where he was named player of the year his Senior season. Dell could hit the long shot with regularity before the 3-point line was introduced, a skill that would serve him well in the NBA. He also pitched for the Virginia Tech baseball team and was selected to play pro baseball again, this by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th Round of the 1985 Draft. He decided to play college ball for one more year instead, and taken by the Utah Jazz 15th overall in 1986. But, he did eventually get a chance to play bro baseball when the Texas Rangers Single-A team, the Gastonia Rangers allowed Dell and Hornets teammate Muggsy Bogues to suit up for a game on a one-day contract in June of 1991. The owner of the Gastonias also owned the Hornets, and he thought this would make an amazing promotion. The game sold out and Dell started the game and threw 3 innings, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits and 1 walk. He struck out 4, including back to back strikeouts in the second inning. Scouts clocked his fastball at 85 MPH. Muggsy didn’t fair as well and struck out twice, but did make a nice play at second base. Unfortunately, the game was called after 3 innings due to rain.

#14. Kevin Johnson (WS 92.8)

The 5-time All NBA star played for 12 years in the National Basketball League, made three All-Star teams and scored over 13,000 points, averaging at least 20 per game in 5 separate seasons. A year before he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1st Round, he was also drafted by a Major League Basball team – the Oakland A’s, in the 23rd Round of the 1986 MLB draft. He even signed and played in 2 games with the Single-A Modesto A’s, but went 0 for 2, scoring one run as a pinch runner, before retiring from baseball and concentrating on basketball, a wise decision as it would turn out.

#13. Ray Guy

Ray Guy is to this day the only punter enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He attended Thompson High School in Georgia, where he was a multi-sport star, playing football, baseball, basketball and track. His punting skills were insane and he averaged around 50 yards per punt, a bigger number than most NFL punters, but he was doing it in High School. In basketball, he routinely scored more than 30 points per game. But his future also looked bright on the mound, as Guy completely dominated the opposition and threw a 15-inning shutout in the state playoff semi-finals in 1969. He was taken by the Reds in the 14th round of the ‘69 Draft, but decided to attend college at Southern Miss. He became one of the best punters in college football, but continued to pitch and continued to dominate, striking out 266 batters in 200 innings. He even threw a no-hitter. In 1971, the Astros drafted him, but he did not sign. In 1972, it was the Braves who took a shot at him in the 17th Round. Finally, in 1973, he was drafted for the fourth time by the Reds again. He never signed with any pro baseball team, but when he became the 1st ever punter to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, he signed to play with the Oakland Raiders. Guy played his entire career with the Raiders, mostly in Oakland but also 5 years in Los Angeles, receiving 7 Pro Bowl selections and becoming an all-time great punter in NFL history.

#12. Joe Theismann (AV 107)

Theismann lettered in baseball, basketball and football at South River High School in New Jersey. He accepted a scholarship to play college football at Notre Dame, but also played shortstop on the baseball team in 1970. He absolutely thrived on the grid-iron and was an All-American in contention for the Heisman. He set multiple school records including passing yards in one game, passing yards in one season and touchdowns in a season. He was selected in the 4th round of the 1971 NFL draft by the Dolphins and the 39th round of the 1971 MLB Draft by the Minnesota Twins. After negotiations with the Dolphins broke down, he entered the Canadian Football League, playing for the Toronto Argonauts. Eventually, he did make it the NFL with the Washington Redskins and played for 12 years in the NFL, winning the MVP in 1983.

#11. John Lynch (AV 116)

Two-time All-Pro, 9-Time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl Champion John Lynch put together an impressive 15-year career as a defensive back in the NFL. Before that, he played football, baseball and basketball at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. He was recruited by Stanford University and became a Cardinal, playing for both their baseball and football teams. He was mostly a backup quarterback for his first 3 seasons, appearing in just 8 games. Frustrated with the lack of playing time, he decided to pursue baseball after being drafted in the 2nd Round of the 1992 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins. He started 7 games for the Low A Erie Sailors in 1992 and had a 2.15 ERA. Lynch had the honor of throwing the first pitch in the history of the Marlins organization. In 1993, Bill Walsh, the new head coach for the Stanford Football Team, contacted Lynch and told him he wanted him to return to Stanford as a starting safety, as he saw the talent in him others didn’t. Lynch agreed and became an All-America selection, and the third-round draft choice of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1993.

#10. Hines Ward (AV 119)

Career Pittsburgh Steeler Hines Ward put together a fantastic NFL career as a Wide Receiver, making 4 consecutive Pro Bowls and winning 2 Superbowl Rings. At Forrest Park High School in Georgia, he was not only a standout football player, but also an outstanding outfielder with a powerful bat. He was taken by the Florida Marlins in the 73rd round of the 1994 MLB Draft. Instead of going that route, he went to the University of Georgia to play football, where he had 149 career receptions for a total of 1,965 yards. He holds multiple Georgia records and looked to be a potential first round pick, until it was discovered he was missing an ACL in one of his legs, the result of a childhood bicycle accident. The Steelers took a shot at him in the 3rd round and the rest is history.

#9 Mark Brunell (AV 120)

3-time Pro Bowler Mark Brunell always had a powerful left-handed arm that he not only used to become an elite quarterback, but he also used to dominate batters as a pitcher at St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California. Not surprisingly, he was a star basketball player as well. “I’m basically known as a jock,” he once joked as a High School Senior. As a baseball player, he went 10-2 with a 2.18 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 74 innings. As a hitter, he hit .470 with 20 RBIs. He won his local district’s Player of the Year Award. If it weren’t for his strong commitment to play football at Washington, he would’ve likely been taken in the MLB Draft out of High School. He went on to play football at Washington, but after a knee injury, he lost the starting quarterback job to Billy Joe Hobert. The Atlanta Braves decided to take him in the 44th round of the 1992 MLB Draft as a pitcher in a desperate attempt to see if they could bring him back to baseball. Brunell stuck with football and after Hobert was suspended for violating NCAA rules by receiving over $50,000 in loans, Brunell got the starting job back and was eventually drafted by the Green Bay Packers and went on to have an extremely successful NFL career.

#8. Steve McNair (AV 125)

Years before Steve McNair became a 3-time Pro Bowler and 2003 Associated Press MVP, he was one of the best baseball players on the Mount Olive High School team in Mississippi. McNair was a shortstop who caught the attention of then-Mariners scout, Dan Jennings. Jennings said, “He was Adonis, a muscular kid; athletic build. I'm thinking, 'This is my day. The baseball gods are shining on me.'" Jennings convinced the M’s to draft McNair in the 35th Round of the 1991 MLB Draft. McNair and his family sat down with Jennings to discuss the contract. He was offered a $15,000 bonus but eventually, after hard consideration, decided not to sign and to instead pursue a professional football career.

#7. Ken Stabler (AV 118)

Ken “The Snake” Stabler was a well rounded athlete at Foley High School in Alabama, averaging 29 points per game in basketball, leading his football team to 29-1 record as the starting quarterback and dominating as a left-handed starting pitcher for the baseball team. He was recruited by the legendary Bear Bryant to play football at Alabama. He also played for their baseball team at first, under the tutelage of Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Sewell. In 1966, he had a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings, striking out 21 batters. He also led the football team to an 11-0 record. The New York Yankees drafted him in the 10th Round of the ‘66 Draft, but when they showed up at his house to negotiate the contract, no one was home. A neighbor told them he decided to return to college. He was suspended in 1967 by Bear Bryant for missing class, partying too much and skipping baseball practice. He eventually quit baseball all together, but was drafted again in 1967 by the Houston Astros. Stabler considered signing, saying he would go with whoever paid him the most money, but when the Oakland Raiders drafted him to play in the NFL, he decided to go in that direction as the Raiders were a winning club at the time. He won the MVP in 1974 with Oakland and put together a 15-year Hall of Fame NFL career.

#6. Patrick Mahomes

One of the top quarterbacks in the NFL today, he will surely be much higher on a list like this after he retires, but as of now, he has played 8 seasons in the NFL and already has 2 MVPs and 6 Pro Bowls and is well on his way to a Hall of Fame NFL Career. He has led the Kansas City Chiefs to six consecutive AFC championship games and three total Super Bowl wins so far. He was a top football and baseball prospect back in High School in Texas, receiving scholarship offers from Texas Tech, Rice, and Houston. Mahomes was also drafted as a pitcher by the Detroit Tigers in the 37th Round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He was only taken so late due to his strong commitment to Texas Tech. He decided not to sign with Detroit and went on to play football and baseball at Texas Tech. He was drafted 10th overall by the Chiefs, signed with them and the rest is history, much of it still in the making for NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes.

#5 Russell Wilson (AV 179)

The still active quarterback Russell Wilson recently returned from injury and is the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers as I record this video. But the veteran is in his 13th NFL season and, with 9 Pro Bowl Selections and a Superbowl Ring, he is a likely future Hall of Famer. He was an all-state High School football star in Richmond, Virginia and also good enough at baseball to be selected by the Orioles in the 41st round of the 2007 MLB Draft as a second baseman. He did not sign and instead continued to play football and baseball at North Carolina State. In 2010, he hit .306 with a .929 OPS, prompting the Colorado Rockies to draft him in the 4th Round. He spent two years in the Rockies minor league system, hitting .229 with 5 home runs and 19 steals in 93 games. In 2012, he was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 3rd round and Wilson became the starting QB for Seattle, a position he held for 10 seasons before moving on to Denver and now Pittsburgh. As for his baseball career, he was traded to the Rangers and he appeared in Spring Training, but never played for their minor league system. In 2018, the Rangers traded him to the Yankees so he could make one at bat in pinstripes, as he grew up a Yankees fan. He made the at at bat in 2018 Spring Training, striking out in 5 pitches against Max Fried.

#4 Marshall Faulk (AV 164)

Entering the top 5, we have nothing but the best of the best – Pro Football Hall of Famers like Marshall Faulk, who had a 12-year NFL career in which he became one of the best running backs in the game during the early 2000s. Faulk won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and made 7 Pro Bowls, also taking home a Superbowl Ring. He was a standout football player, baseball player and track star at Carver High in New Orleans. He accepted an offer to play running back at San Diego State and finished second for the Heisman in 1992. Despite not playing baseball since High School, the California Angels decided to take a waiver on him in the MLB Draft for his speed and explosiveness, taking him in the 43rd round in 1992. Obviously, he did not sign and continued his college football career. He did sign with the Indianapolis Colts, who took him 2nd overall in the 1994 NFL Draft. He went on to become one of the greatest running backs of all time and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame his first year on the ballot.

#3 John Elway (AV 206)

Coming in at #3 we have the great John Elway, whose awards and accolades are too long to list. He was a duel-threat quarterback going all the way back to High School, where he also excelled at baseball as an outfielder and pitcher. If he wasn’t so good at football with a heavy commitment to Stanford, he would’ve likely been selected higher than the 18th Round, but that’s where the Kansas City Royals took him out of High School. He obviously did not sign and went to Stanford, where he continued to play both sports. As a quarterback, he was a consensus All-American who set virtual every Pac-10 and Stanford career record for total offense and passing. But he was no slouch as a baseball player, hitting .349 with 9 home runs and 50 RBIs as a sophomore. The New York Yankees drafted him in the 2nd Round of the 1981 MLB Draft and this time, he actually signed. George Steinbrenner planned to have him in the Yankees lineup by 1985. In 1982, he showed massive potential in Low A, hitting .318 with an .896 OPS and just 25 strikeouts in 151 at bats. The clear potential for a baseball career gave him leverage when the Baltimore Colts drafted him 1st overall in 1983. Elway did not want to play for the Colts because of a losing culture and a preference to be closer to the West Coast. They eventually traded him to the Denver Broncos, where he spent his entire 16 year career, winning an MVP, a Superbowl MVP, 2 Superbowl Rings and 9 Pro-Bowl Selections. He was elected to both the College and Pro Football Hall of Fame. He never played pro baseball again after that one season in 1982.

#2 Dan Marino (AV 216)

The 1984 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, Dan Marino, played 17 years in the NFL and is 7th all-time with 420 passing touchdowns. He led the league in passing yards 5 times and was a 9-time Pro Bowler, widely considered one of the greatest QB’s of all time. He attended Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, where he was not only a star football player, but also a top prospect as a right-handed pitcher. Despite a commitment to the University of Pittsburgh, the Kansas City Royals selected Marino in the 4th Round of the 1979 MLB Draft, 99th overall. Marino didn’t sign and instead went to Pittsburgh where he played in every game for four years, accumulating 8,597 passing yards and 79 touchdowns. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and, of course, after his legendary NFL career, the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well.

#1 Tom Brady (AV 326)

Coming in easily at #1 is the consensus greatest quarterback in the history of football, Tom Brady, who played for an insane 23 seasons in the NFL and holds a multitude of offensive records including completions, yards, touchdowns, and games started. He is a 7-time Superbowl Champion and 15-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer the moment he is eligible. He was an impressive player at San Mateo High School in California, but no one could have predicted how good he would become. As a baseball player, he was a catcher with a tremendous arm and a powerful bat. The Montreal Expos selected him in the 18th Round of the 1995 MLB Draft and, in an unusual move, invited him to Candlestick Park during a road trip to work out with the team. The Expos front office considered him a future All-Star at a minimum. They offered him a large bonus the size you would normally see in the 2nd or 3rd round, but ultimately, Brady decided not to sign and ended up playing football at the University of Michigan. Of his 5 years at Michigan, he only started in his final two and had a solid but not otherwordly performance. He wasn’t drafted until the 6th Round, when the New England Patriots called his name in a move that would change football history. 198 football players, many of whom never made it past the practice squad, were selected before Tom Brady.

And that’ll do it for today’s video on some of the greatest athletes in sports history who were also good enough baseball players to be selected in the MLB Draft, but made their fame elsewhere.

The Top 20 MLB Players With ZERO CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Major League Baseball teams have historically had rosters of 25 players, although more recently the active rosters have been set at 26 players. With that many players on a team, plus considering the importance in a starting rotation, a bullpen, a lineup and even the defensive abilities of the 9 fielders, only one individual player can only do so much to help a team win a championship, no matter how good they are. That’s why, while in basketball, pretty much every top players of all time like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kareem Abdul-Jababa, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird all have multiple championship rings. With only 5 players on the court at any given time, the individual superstar has a much higher impact on the result of the game as opposed to baseball, where many of the games best players have played entire 20+ year careers and retired empty-handed – without even one World Series Championship. Today, I’ll rank the best 20 MLB players to ever play the game who never won a World Series ring.

This video will only focus on retired players, but look forward to part 2, which is coming up next and will link at the end of this video as soon as its live. That video will rank the top 20 active players who are still waiting on their championship ring, and the talent on that list is just as crazy as the one on the all-time list that starts now, but first 6 quick honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention #1: Ralph Kiner

The 6-time All Star and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner led the league in homers for his first 6 seasons, but played for the Pirates during one of their worst eras. He not only never won a World Series, but never made it to the playoffs.

Honorable Mention #2: Fergie Jenkins

The Hall of Fame former Cy Young Award Winner Fergie Jenkins won 284 games in his career, but played mostly for the Cubs, who obviously never won a World Series during Jenkins career. He also played for the Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox but none of those teams won it all during Jenkins career. Like Kiner, he never even made it to the postseason.

Honorable Mention #3: Edgar Martinez

Edgar was with the Mariners during both their 1995 and 1997 playoff runs and the historic 2001 season. Of course, the Mariners fell short every time. Martinez hit well in the playoffs, smashing 8 career postseason bombs, but could never get that elusive ring.

Honorable Mention #4: Lee Smith

Long-time Chicago Cub players might become a pattern in today’s video. Lee Smith picked up 478 career saves, which was an MLB record for a number of years. Unfortunately, he only made the playoffs twice – once with Cubs in 1984 and once with the Red Sox in 1988. He didn’t pitch particularly well and neither time did his team make it past the championship series.

Honorable Mention #5: Roy Halladay

After 10 seasons of missing the playoffs with the Blue Jays, the late great Roy “Doc” Hallday threw a no-hitter in his very first posteason start in 2010 for the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. It helped propel his team into the next round, but the Phillies fell short against the Giants. His Phillies were back in the postseason in 2011, but this time, despite two great efforts from Hallday, they lost in the NLDS against St. Louis. He never made it back to the playoffs again, but the 2-time Cy Young Award Winner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019, but sadly it happened after his tragic passing in a plane crash.

Honorable Mention #6: George Sisler

Poor George Sisler was an amazing player and had a .340 career batting average, hitting over .400 twice. But he played most of his career with the dreadful St. Louis Browns, who never won a World Series championship. During Sisler’s time there, they never even made the postseason nor did Sisler in his career. They eventually moved to Baltimore and became the modern day Orioles.

Honorable Mention #7: Don Mattingly

I have to mention Mattingly, who somehow played his entire 14 year career with the New York Yankees, made 6 All Star Teams, and became one of the best players in baseball, yet somehow never even got to the World Series. The Yankees won it all in 1978, the year before Mattingly was drafted and then the team went into a rough era in the 1980’s and early 90’s. Mattingly’s Yankees made the playoffs once in 1995, Mattingly’s final season, and he hit .417 but they lost to the Mariners in the ALCS. The next year, the Yankees won the World Series. They literally won a World Series the year before he was drafted and the year after his final season.

Honorable Mention #8: Jeff Bagwell

He played for 15 years for the Houston Astros, winning a Rookie of the Year, MVP and Gold Glove, but never got that championship ring. He played for some excellent Astros teams, made the playoffs 6 times, but only got to the World Series once, in 2005. The White Sox were victorious over Houston.

Honorable Mention #9: Craig Biggio

I might as well mention Biggio as well, who played with Bagwell that entire time, except he played even longer – 20 years with Houston. He made 7 All Stars teams, won 4 Gold Gloves, but like Bagwell, never won it all. Both players were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention #10: Sam Crawford

The Hall of Famer Sam Crawford hit an astonishing and MLB record 309 triples, had a .309 career batting average, 367 steals, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1957. He made it to the World Series 3 times with the Tigers, but never won it all.

Honorable Mention #11: Jeff Kent

He hit more homers than any other second basemen in MLB history, won an MVP in 2000 and made 5 All Star Teams, but the powerful Jeff Kent never won it all, although he was no stranger to the postseason. He appeared in the playoffs with the Indians, Giants, Astros and Dodgers, but always fell short.

Now let’s move on to the Top 20.

#20. Adrian Beltre

Recently inducted Hall-of-Famer Adrian Beltre played for 21 years in the big leagues for the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, and Rangers but never in a season that one of those teams made it all the way. His first taste of the playoffs was in 2004, but the Dodgers lost in the NLDS. The closest the 4-time All Star got to a championship was in 2011, his first year with Texas. The Rangers repeated as American League champs and made it to the Fall Classic, but were defeated in 7 games by the Cardinals, despite Beltre hitting .300 with 2 home runs. Beltre’s Rangers made the playoffs again in 2012, 2015 and 2016, but were eliminated each time before the World Series.

#19. Mike Piazza

The long time Dodgers and Met catcher played for a couple great franchises, but never in the right season. He won a Rookie of the Year and made 6 straight All Star Teams with L.A., but only made the playoffs twice – in 1995 and 1996, both times getting eliminated in the first round. In 1998, after a brief stint with the Marlins, he was traded to the Mets, a very strong team that took the 1999 Braves to a 6th game of the NLCS before getting eliminated. In 2000, they made it all the way to the World Series, where Piazza had some historic moments such as this freak incident with Roger Clemens. However, the Yankees won the series. Piazza had one last chance in 2006 with the Padres, who made the playoffs but were swept immediately by the Cardinals.

#18. Carlton Fisk

Fisk had an extremely long and successful 24 year career with the Red Sox and White Sox taking lord knows how much damage behind the plate as a catcher, yet he never won a World Series title. It might be a little surprising since Fisk hit one of the most famous World Series home runs in history, a walkoff shot in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. But some people might not know that didn’t win the series; it just forced a Game 7. The Red Sox ended up losing that final game to the Reds. Fisk made it back to the playoffs just one more time in 1983 with the White Sox, but his team lost the series 3 games to 1 to Baltimore.

#17. Sammy Sosa

It might be controversial to put steroid guys on this list, but as just one of 9 players in the 600-home run club and some one who smashed over 60 3 times, he has to be mentioned. Sosa, like many of the players on this, simply played for the wrong teams – and one of those teams was of course the Chicago Cubs. Sosa spent 13 of his 18 years with the Cubs, won an MVP and put up video game power numbers, but only made the playoffs twice – once 1998 when the Cubs lost to Atlanta in the NLDS, and again in the famous 2003 postseason when the Cubs got to the NLCS against the Florida Marlins and looked to have everything under control, when the Bartman incident occurred and the Cubs completely meltdown down, losing the game and series. Sosa never got back to the playoffs.

#16. Ryne Sandberg

Not the first and definitely not the last Cub to make the list is Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who spent his entire career with the Chicago Cubs – not a great idea if you want to win World Series Championships. He made 10 All Star Games and won an MVP, but only made it to the postseason twice and both times his team lost in the first round. It was no fault of Sandberg’s as he hit .385 with an OPS over 1.000 throughout both playoff series, but the Cubs lost to the Padres in 1984 then to the Giants in 1989.

#15. Robin Yount

Robin Yount spent 20 years in the big leagues, all playing for the Milwaukee Brewers who to this day have not won a World Series title at the time of this recording. So, obviously, Yount never got a ring although he did two MVPs and finished his career with 3,142 hits. The only time he played on a very good Brewers team was in the early 80’s. With teammates like Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, Pete Vuckovich, Ted Simmons and Cecil Cooper, the Brewcrew made the playoffs in 1981, but were eliminated in the ALCS by the Yankees. The next year, a determined Brewers club made it all the way to the World Series after leading the big leagues with 95 wins. Yount hit .414 with a home run, but the Cardinals were victorious in a hard fought 7-game series. Yount never saw the postseason again.

#14. Vladimir Guerrero Sr.

Vlad Sr. was well known for his amazing ability to put the bat on the ball, wherever it might be – even if it bounced first. He could simply rake and ended up with an MVP and 9 All-Star nods, playing for the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles. The Expos were great in 1994 when Vlad entered their minor league system, but by the time he made the big leagues, they were never a postseason threat. He was with the Expos in 2002 when the Angels won it all, and that’s where Guerrero ended up a couple years later. Unfortunately, even though they made the playoffs 5 times while Vladdy was there, the Angels never returned to the World Series. However, he did make it to the Fall Classic in 2010 with the Rangers, but they lost in 5 to the Giants. He ended up with the Orioles in 2011 then retired.

#13. Rod Carew

From his rookie season in 1967 all the way through 1984, Rod Carew made literally every single All Star team. He won a Rookie of the Year, MVP and led the league in hitting 7 times. However, he played for the Twins and Angels during a time neither team won any titles. The Twins had some talent in the late 60’s and made the playoffs in 1969 and 1970, but couldn’t get passed the Orioles in the ALCS. Then, it was the Orioles again who stopped Carew’s Angels from getting to the World Series in 1979. His last shot at a title was in 1982 when the Angels faced the Brewers in the ALCS that I talked about earlier featuring Robin Yount. That was the year the Brewers made it to the World Series and it was by defeating Carew’s Angels. Rod Carew never played in a World Series game.

#12. Juan Marichal

If you were primarily a San Francisco Giant before 2010, Champions were hard to come by. In fact, you’d have to go back to 1954 when the Giants were still in New York, 6 years before Juan Marichal’s debut. Marichal played from 1960 to 1975, 13 of the 15 years with the Giants, who reached the postseason twice during that time. In 1962, the Giants won the pennant, but lost to the Yankees in the ‘62 series. Marichal threw 4 scoreless innings in Game 4, leading the Giants to victory, but the Yankees ended up winning the series in 7. In the 1970’s the Giants made the playoffs just once, in 1971, and lost in a best of 5 to the Pirates. Marichal was excellent in Game 3, giving up just 1 run in 8 innings, but was outdueled by Bob Johnson. Those were Marichal’s only 2 postseason appearances.

#11. Nap Lajoie

One of the greatest hitters in the early years of professional baseball, Nap Lajoie hit .338 for his career, maxing out at a ridiculous .463 batting average in 1901. He led the league multiple times in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, RBIs, and doubles. Over 21 seasons, he played for the Phillies, A’s, and Cleveland Bronchos, who changed their name to the Cleveland Naps in honor of Lajoie while he was still on the team – that’s how much of a legend he was. He hit for the Triple Crown one year, but none of his clubs were ever good enough to win the pennant and Lajoie retired without a World Series appearance, much less a championship.

#10. Willie McCovey

Another Giants legend who started his career just a bit too late to take part in that 1954 championship in New York was Willie McCovey, who was still in the minors when the team moved to San Francisco. He made his debut in 1959 and was an instant force, winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He ended up making 6 All Star Teams and won the MVP in 1969, but just like Marichal, the only two postseason appearances he made were in 1962 and 1971. In ‘62, he made the final out by hitting a rocket that was caught by Yankees 2nd baseman Bobby Richardson. In ‘71, he hit .429 with 2 bombs in the NLCS but it wasn’t enough to get passed the Pirates.

#9. Harmon Killebrew

He was a 13-time All-Star and MVP who smashed 573 homers and led the league in bombs 6 times, but Harmon Killebrew never played on a World Series championship team. He did get to the World Series in 1965 after the Twins won an MLB best 102 games, but they ran into Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series. Koufax threw two complete game shutouts and allowed just 3 hits in the final Game 7. He was also teammates with Rod Carew in 1969 and 1970 when the Twins could not defeat the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS.

#8. Carl Yastrzemski

The Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski played for 24 seasons, won 7 Gold Gloves, 3 batting titles, a Triple Crown and an MVP but he alone could not get the Red Sox to break the Curse of the Bambino. He did appear in two World Series with Boston, both going 7 games. The first one was in 1967 against St. Louis and Yastrzemski hit .400 with 3 bombs, but an electric Bob Gibson won 3 games for the Cardinals and they ended up taking the series from Boston. In 1975, Yaz and teammate Carlton Fisk took on the Reds but as mentioned earlier, they fell short in 7. Yastrzemski eventually retired without a championship.

#7. Ernie Banks

Perhaps the first name that comes to mind when thinking of great players who never won a World Series, Ernie Banks played his entire career with the Cubbies from 1953 to 1971 and incredibly never played in a single postseason game. He is probably the greatest player to never even appear in a postseason game. The Cubs just were never good enough but it was not Ernie’s fault as won two MVPs, hit over 500 homers, made 14 All Star teams and even won a Gold Glove. The Cubs looked primed to make the playoffs in 1969, sitting in 1st place in August with an 8 ½ game lead. In early September, that lead fell to 5 games. Then, after a series against the Mets in which the famous black cat made his appearance, the Cubs began to really collapse and lost 17 of their last 25 games. It was the closest Ernie Banks came to postseason baseball.

#6. Tony Gwynn

The Great Tony Gwynn won 8 batting titles, 7 Silver Sluggers, 5 Gold Gloves and zero World Series rings. He played his entire 20 year career with the San Diego Padres, who are still trying to win their first ever Fall Classic. Gwynn did get to experience playoff baseball, starting in 1984 when the Padres won the National League Pennant, but lost to the Tigers in the World Series. After that, the Padres fell into futility for about a decade. In 1996, a veteran Padres team with the likes of Gwynn, Wally Joyner, Rickey Henderson, Steve Finley & Ken Caminiti won the National League West with Trevor Hoffman closing out games. But, they were swept in the NLDS by the Cardinals, with Brian Jordan crushing a game winning homer off Hoffman in Game 3. Two years later, the Pads made it back to the playoffs and, in fact, all the way to the World Series. Gwynn hit .500 in the ‘98 Fall Classic, but the Yankees swept the Pads.

#5. Ichiro Suzuki

Although Ichiro did win a Japanese Championship in 1996 and two World Baseball Classics, he never won a World Series, despite playing 19 years in the big leagues and making 10 All Star Teams. Ichiro finished his career with over 3,000 hits, an MVP and 10 Gold Gloves. He played the vast majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners, another team still looking for their first World Series appearance. In 2001, the Mariners had a historic season, winning 116 games, tying an MLB record. They got passed Cleveland in the ALDS but fell short against the Yankees. Ichiro eventually played for the Yankees, which one would think would give him the best shot at a championship. However, during his 3 years in New York, they only made the playoffs once, in 2012, and were swept by a powerful Tigers team in the ALCS, despite Ichiro hitting .353 with a home run. He played for the Marlins as well, who failed to make the playoffs while Ichiro was there.

#4. Ken Griffey Jr.

Another long-time Mariner, Ken Griffey Jr. smashed 630 bombs in his amazing 22-year career in which his list of accomplishments are too long to read off, but they do not include a World Series title. He played for Seattle from 1989 to 1999 then again as a teammate of Ichiro’s in 2009 and 2010. Griffey was already gone when the M’s had their amazing season in 2001, but he was there in 1995 when they won the AL West with 79 wins in the shortened post-strike season. The team had 3 future Hall of Famers with Griffey, Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson, not to mention Alex Rodriguez, who had Hall of Fame talent. Griffey tore it up in the ALDS, hitting .391 with 5 bombs, helping the M’s defeat the Yankees. But they lost to a loaded Cleveland Indians team in the ALCS. In 1997, Seattle won the West again, but Mike Mussina outdueled Randy Johnson twice and helped the Orioles beat the M’s in the ALDS. Griffey went on to play for the Reds, who never made the playoffs but he was traded to the White Sox in 2008 and they won the AL Central. Unfortunately for Griffey, they lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to Tampa Bay.

#3. Ty Cobb

The most surprising player on this list might be the legendary Ty Cobb, who played 24 years in the league, accumulated over 4,000 hits, had an unbreakable career record .366 batting average, and is one of the greats of the early 20th century, yet never did play a team that won it all. His main team was the Detroit Tigers, who didn’t win their first World Championship until 1935, 7 years after Cobb’s retirement. Back then, teams had to win the pennant just to make the postseason and they went directly to the World Series. It happened for Cobb’s Tigers 3 times – and they were consecutive American League titles – 1907, 1908 and 1909. The powerful Chicago Cubs, who had 4 future Hall of Famers, won in 1907 and 1908. In 1909, in one of great early World Series matchups, the Tigers and Pirates went back and forth but the it was the Pirates who ended up on top, thanks to rookie phenom Babe Adams, who threw 3 complete games including a shutout in the decisive game 7.

#2. Barry Bonds

You didn’t think I would forget Barry Bonds, right? Bonds was a generational talent and one of the greatest hitters to ever live. Even before what’s known as the juicing period of his career, he was one of the best all around talents to ever play the game and had won 3 MVPs, 2 of them with a powerful Pittsburgh Pirates team in the early 90’s. Those stacked Pirates teams had players like Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke, and Doug Drabek. They made the playoffs for three straight seasons, 1990 to 1992, but fell short in the NLCS every time, and Barry Bonds didn’t hit well, giving him a reputation as a poor postseason performer. But then, he went to San Francisco and the Giants immediately won 103 games in 1993, which would almost always be good enough for a postseason berth, but the Atlanta Braves were also in the NL West for some reason and they won 104 games – one year before the Wild Card was instituted. The Giants and Bonds missed the playoffs that year, but Bonds would get more chances. In 1997, San Francisco clinched the division on the 2nd to last day of the season against San Diego. Unfortunately, they were swept by the Marlins, who went on to win it all. The Giants lost in the NLDS again in 2000 to the Mets. However, 2002 looked like the big year and the Giants needed one more win to take home the World Series Trophy. They had a 5 run lead in Game 6 of the World Series against the Angels but blew the game and ended up losing the series in 7 games. In 2003, they had another chance against the Marlins, but the series ended when J.T. Snow was cut down at the plate on a great throw by Jeff Conine and a nice catch & tag by Pudge Rodriguez. Bonds never got back to the playoffs although he wanted to continue his career in 2008 to complete his goal of winning a World Series, but no teams were interested. Was it collusion? Most seem to think so as Bonds had just hit 28 home runs with an OPS over 1.000 and league leading .480 on-base percentage. Imagine a player today going unsigned after that type of season.

#1. Ted Williams

At #1 I had to go with the Splendid Splinter, Ted Williams, the last man to hit over .400 in a full season and perhaps the greatest hitter to ever live. He is a legend in Boston and he played his entire career that spanned over 4 decades with the Red Sox. Most baseball fans are aware that the Red Sox went into a massive World Series drought after selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Williams played his entire career during that drought and sadly never won a World Series, although he did appear in one, in 1946. The Red Sox went 104-50 that season behind a stacked roster that included future Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr, 20-game winner Tex Hughson, hitting machine Johnny Pesky and the powerful 7-time All Star Rudy York. They went up against Stan Musial and the Cardinals, who ended up winning an incredible World Series in 7 games. Williams was injured but played through it, hitting just .200 with no homers. That would be the extend of his postseason career. Ted Williams himself proves that in baseball, you don’t have to be great in the postseason to be an all-time great, and it’s incredible that even the great Ted Williams played in just 7 postseason games and never won a World Series.

The WORST 10 MLB CONTRACTS Of All Time!!! Unmitigated DISASTERS!!

One of the worst feelings in the world is buyer’s remorse, and the larger the purchase the worse the feeling. We’ve all been there. So, just imagine how it must feel to be a general manager in an MLB front office after spending hundreds of millions of dollars over multiple years on one player who ends up bringing the team almost zero or possibly even negative value. The owners might even feel worse since they’re the ones who provided all that lost money. But it’s a sad reality in professional sports – if you want to get the player, you have to overpay and offer contracts that extend well beyond the projected prime of a player. This means sometimes contracts as long as 10 years or more, guaranteeing players get paid handsomely well into their late 30’s and sometimes even into their 40’s. Today, let’s talk about the 10 worst MLB contracts ever handed out and find out exactly what went wrong with these deals. I’ll stick to deals at least 5 years long and with one exception I’m going to avoid current contracts.

First, a few dishonorable mentions:

Barry Zito – SF Giants: 8 years, $126 million

Zito was the best available free agent arm entering 2007 and the Giants signed the former Cy Young Award winner to a massive deal that almost immediately backfired. I remember attending his second start of the season against the Dodgers and he gave up 8 runs. He finished the year with a 4.53 ERA then led the league in losses in 2008 with a 5.15 ERA. He had a losing record through the first 5 years of his contract, but he avoids the main list, because of a nice 2012 season in which he pitched well in the playoffs and helped the Giants win a World Series.

Albert Pujols – LA Angels: 10 years, $240 million

This one just misses the main list because Pujols did provide some value for the Angels, made an All-Star team and crushed 222 homers in an Angels uniform, 4th all time. However, he was a shadow of the player they thought they were signing. Pujols was a 3-time MVP who consistently hit well over .300 and was simply the best hitter in the game when LA gave him a 10-year deal in 2012. He immediately declined and became a slow .250 hitter with power for most of his Angels career – a good player, but not one worth $240 million.

Alex Gordon – Kansas City Royals: 4 years, $72 million

After making three straight All-Star teams and helping the Royals win a pennant in 2014 and the World Series in 2015, Gordon was rewarded with a 4 year, $72 million contract deal to stay in Kansas City. He immediately declined and hit just .220 in 2016. He hit just .237 throughout the deal and never made another All Star team although he still played great defense and won 3 Gold Gloves. The Royals even signed him for one more year in 2020 in which he won another Gold Glove, the 8th of his career.

David Wright – New York Mets: 8 years, $113 million

I’ll put David Wright as a mention instead of on the main list because injuries were the sole reason for his massive decline, but it caused his 8 year, $113 million deal to be a complete disaster. He had made 6 All Star teams in 7 years and just finished 6th for the MVP after hitting .306 with 21 home runs when he signed the deal in 2013. His first year of the contract went well, although he had some hamstring issues and played in just 112 games. In 2014, he hit just 8 homers all year long with a .269 average. In 2015, he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis and played in just 38 games. Then, in 2016, while still struggling to stay on the field due to spinal stenosis, he suffered a herniated disc. Wright tried to rehab his injuries but setbacks occurred and he could never make a full-fledged comeback although in 2018, he was activated for the last home stand of the season and made 3 plate appearances, walking once.

Ryan Howard – Philadelphia Phillies: 5 years, $125 million

During the late 2000’s one of the best hitters in the game had to be Ryan Howard of the Phillies, who won a Rookie of the Year in 2005 and an MVP in 2006 after crushing 58 homers with a .313 average. From 2006 to 2009, he averaged around 50 home runs per season. The Phillies thought they had a future Hall of Famer and wanted to make sure they locked him up so he could be spend most if not all his career in Philadelphia. That’s about the only goal that was achieved with a 5 year $125 million extension offered to Howard in 2010. The new contract kicked in in 2012 and that’s when the decline began. During an injury-riddled season, he hit just .219 with 14 home runs. In 2013, he suffered a torn left meniscus and played in just 80 games. He finally played in a full year again in 2014 but hit just .223, leading the league with 190 strikeouts. His numbers continued to decline and in 2016, he hit .196 in his final year of the extension and MLB season. At least he finished out his contract – but the same can’t be said for every one on the main list, which starts now.

TOP 10:

10. Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels: 7 years, $245 million

I was going to avoid putting current contracts, but I have to make an exception for Anthony Rendon. I’ll put him at #10 since he still has time to get it together, but I wouldn’t bet on it. For his first 7 years, Anthony Rendon established himself as one of the best overall players in Major League Baseball. The third baseman played stellar defense, won multiple silver sluggers, finished as high as 3rd for the MVP and helped the Nationals win it all in 2019 after hitting .319 with 34 homers, and a league-leading 126 RBIs and 44 doubles. He was one of the top free agents entering 2020 and the Los Angeles Angels signed him to a 7 year $245 million deal that seemed to make sense at the time, but what they didn’t know at the time was – Anthony Rendon doesn’t really like baseball, which makes it kind of tough to play through nagging injuries when players hit their thirties. Incredibly, Rendon, after 5 years of this contract, has not played in 60 games yet for the Angels. In 2020, it took 29 plate appearances for him to get his first hit, although he finished the year with decent numbers including a .286 average and 9 homers. In 2021, however, he hit just .240 with 6 home runs, missing most of the year with various injuries. In 2022, he was again hurt almost all season long and was suspended for his part in a brawl. He hit just .229 with 5 homers. The spiral continued in 2023 as he got into an altercation with a fan and was suspended 4 games. He hit .236 with 2 home runs. In 2024, he landed on the injured list again multiple times and hit a career low .218. His contract has been an absolute disaster and he admitted this year that baseball has never been a priority for him and they need to shorten the season. Well, it seems it’s already been shorted for him as Rendon has played in about 37% of the Angels games since signing that 7 year deal.

9. Jordan Zimmermann – Detroit Tigers: 5 years, $110 million

One of the premiere free agent pitchers entering into the 2016 season had to be Jordan Zimmermann, who had recently made 2 All Star Games with Washington and led the league with 19 wins in 2013. In 2015, he had a slightly high 3.66 ERA, but was still solid and had just had his 4th straight season of at least 32 starts. He had proven to be healthy and effective, so The Tigers decided to give him a 5 year deal worth $110 million. He never made 30 starts in a season for Detroit. He had a hot start in Detroit and was 5-0 after April, winning pitcher of the month. After that, things fell apart and he finished the year 9-7 with a 4.87 ERA. 2017 was even worse and Zimmermann went 8-13 with an ERA over 6 and led the league in earned runs. By 2019, Zimmermann could hardly win a game – literally. He went 1-13 with a 6.91 ERA. He pitched in just 3 games in the last year of this contract in 2020 with a 7.94 ERA. For his 5-year stint with the Tigers, his WAR was in the negatives.

8. B.J. Upton – Atlanta Braves: 5 years, $72.5 million

Upton was a former Tampa Bay Devil Rays second overall pick who could fly on the basepaths, make sparkling plays in the outfield and absolutely crush a baseball. In 2012, his last year with Tampa Bay, he smashed a career high 28 bombs, his 3rd season hitting north of 20 home runs. He was one of the hottest free agents available and the Braves signed him to the biggest deal in franchise history. His stats immediately plummeted and he looked like a completely different player. After averaging 39 steals for 5 years, he stole just 12 bases and hit a mere 9 homers with an abysmal .184 batting average. He had a negative 1.7 WAR that season and did not improve much from there. In 2014, he hit .208 with another WAR in the negatives. To get rid of him, the Braves had to package him in a deal with their elite closer Craig Kimbrel and ship him off to San Diego for prospects. He played slightly better there for two part-time seasons before being traded to the Blue Jays, where he hit .196 and was released before the final season of his contract. He signed minor league deals with the Giants and Indians later, but never made it back to the big leagues.

7. Madison Bumgarner – Arizona Diamondbacks: 5 years, $85 million

By the time MadBum reached free agency in 2019, he was a 4-time All Star and postseason legend who had finished in the top 5 for the Cy Young Award 4 times. He was basically unhittable in the postseason and had a .25 ERA in 5 World Series starts. However, he was entering into his thirties and had recently experienced a couple injuries, one from a dirt bike accident. His velocity was down a bit and in 2019, he had just gone 9-9 with a 3.9 ERA, but still struck out 8.8 batters per 9. The Giants offered him 4 years and $70 million but the D-Backs topped their offer. Things didn’t go well to start the deal in the Covid-shortened 2020 as MadBum struggled then suffered a back strain. In 9 starts, he went 1-4 with a 6.48 ERA. He was terrible again in 2021 apart from one 5-game stretch in which he was pitched very well and even threw a 7-inning no-hitter. But for the season, he went 7-12 with a 4.67 ERA. In ‘22, he lost 15 games and had the worst strikeout ratio in his career. He was released after 4 starts in 2023 in which he went 0-3 with a 10.26 ERA. The D-Backs had to continue to pay Bumgarner through the 2024 season. He provided a negative WAR for his services during the contract.

6. Prince Fielder – Detroit Tigers: 9 years, $214 million

After seven years in Milwaukee, Prince Fielder was clearly was one of the league’s most dominant and healthy hitters. He never missed a game and absolutely crushed the baseball. In 2011, he hit .299 with 38 bombs, finishing third for the MVP. The Tigers gave Fielder a massive 9 year deal worth $214 million. He wore a Tigers uniform for just 2 seasons. He did play well during the regular season, hitting .313 with 30 bombs, but then struggled in the postseason and hit .071 in the World Series, which the Tigers lost to San Francisco. In 2013, he hit .182 in the ALCS then pissed off every Tigers fan by saying

"It's not really tough, man. It's over. I got kids I got to take care of, I got things I got to take care of. It's over."

It’s a sentiment he had expressed before, even after the 2012 World Series loss.

Although yes, it’s a good thing to go home and take care of your kids, fans weren’t trying to hear about how little Fielder cared about losing, especially after a poor postseason performance with the bat. After some outrage in Detroit, Fielder was traded to the Rangers but he played in just 42 games in 2014 before season-ending neck surgery. He recovered enough to hit .305 with 23 bombs in 2015, but after hitting just .212 in 2016, he had to step away from baseball after a second neck surgery, as doctors would not clear him to play again. But, he did not officially retire so that the Rangers would still have to pay him through the 2020 season. Ultimately, it was the Rangers, not the Tigers, who really paid the price for this bad contract.

5. Alex Rodriguez – NY Yankees: 10 years, $275 million

Alex Rodriguez singed not just one, but two 10-year contracts during his career. The first one he signed with the Rangers in 2001, and while he played well for Texas, the team itself wasn’t that great and they traded him after just 3 seasons. He went on to win 3 MVPs for the Yankees, so the first 10-year deal wasn’t so bad. The second, however, was in many ways a complete disaster, although it has to be said that he did help the Yankees win a World Series in 2009, which is why this isn’t ranked higher. As for the bad, the controversies during this 10-year deal began before he even signed the contract when A-Rod opted out of the original 10-year deal in 2007 before even speaking with the front office, becoming an unrestricted free agent. He and his agent Boras announced this during the 8th inning of what would be the deciding World Series game between the Red Sox and Rockies, which created controversy as they seemed to want to take the attention away from the field and focus it on them. The Yankees and A-Rod eventually settled on a 10-year deal that would last through A-Rod’s age 42 season. Just a year into the contract, Rodriguez was first exposed for using PEDs during the 2003 season with Texas. He admitted to using PEDs from 2001 to 2003 but said he quit after the 2003 season. Then, in 2013, he was linked to the BioGenesis scandal and busted for PEDs again. After denying it and appealing it, he was suspended for the entire 2014 season and eventually admitted guilt. When he wasn’t suspended during the new contract, Rodriguez struggled with injuries and played in less than 100 games 3 times. He retired in 2016 before the contract was over. A-Rod did give the Yankees some value, but based on the suspensions, controversies and injuries, I’d say it ended up as a terrible deal in the end.

4. Josh Hamilton – LA Angels: 5 years, $125 million

After being picked first overall by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999, Josh Hamilton nearly threw his entire career away due to an addiction to drugs and alcohol. He missed three entire minor league seasons and was considered the biggest draft bust in MLB history when he got his life together and got a second chance with the Reds in 2007. He hit .292 with 19 home runs, displaying the incredible ability he had to hit a baseball that got him drafted first overall. After a trade to the Rangers, he became a superstar and won the MVP in 2010 with an insane season in which he hit .359 with 32 bombs and an OPS of 1.044. He made 5 straight All Star teams and crushed 43 bombs in 2012, his last year before entering free agency. Not surprisingly, teams threw money at him and Hamilton signed with the Angels, who offered a massive 5 year deal worth $125 million. There was some risk given Hamilton’s past, but he seemed to have completely changed his life. But at 32 years old, there was also the risk of a decline in performance due to age. The Angels lost both of those gambles. Hamilton declined immediately and hit just .250 with 21 homers his first year. Then, the injury bug hit and he played in just 89 games in 2014. In the ALDS, he went 0 for 13. Before the 2015 season, while rehabbing a shoulder injury, he suffered a drug and alcohol-related relapse. The Angels were done with Hamilton and traded him back to the Rangers, but still were on the hook for most of his contract. He played in just 50 more games for the Rangers in 2015, but suffered injury problems the rest of his career until finally retiring after a failed comeback attempt in 2017.

3. Pablo Sandoval – Boston Red Sox: 5 years, $95 million

After the Giants won the World Series in 2014, fan favorite Pablo Sandoval AKA “Panda” became an attractive free agent due to his elite hand eye coordination at the plate and reliable glove at third base. He had made two All-Star teams in 2011 and 2012, but also had a history of being out of shape and wasn’t exactly a top-tier superstar. The Red Sox gave him a huge contract anyway with a 5 year deal worth nearly $100 million in guaranteed money. It turned out to be an unmitigated disaster and Pablo showed up to Spring Training out of shape and had career lows in several offensive categories including batting average which was just .245. He had a negative WAR and only got worse from there. In 2016, he was overweight again and ended up missing the entire season except for 6 hitless at bats due to injury. In 2017, he was hitting .212 when Boston pulled the plug. He was designated for assignment, removed from the 40-man roster, then released after passing through waivers. They still had pay him through 2019 and did so even though he had returned to San Francisco and began to play better there. The Red Sox ended up paying Pablo about $48 million to not play for them. It was one of the most regrettable and disastrous contracts in MLB history.

2. Jacoby Ellsbury – New York Yankees: 7 years, $153 million

No list of bad MLB contracts would be complete without the 7 year Jacoby Ellsbury disaster. Ellsbury was a speedy and exciting player for the Red Sox from 2007 to 2013. He led the league in steals 3 times, won a Gold Glove and could also handle the bat, especially in 2011 when he crushed 32 homers with a .321 average, finishing 2nd for the MVP. During the 2013-2014 offseason, the Yankees penned Ellsbury to a massive 7 year deal north of $150 million. He immediately turned into a slightly above average centerfielder with decent speed. In 2014, he hit .271 with 16 homers and that was his best year in New York. In 2015, he hit just .257 with 7 homers and 21 steals. After 2 more mediocre seasons, it was announced he would miss all of the 2018 season with hip injuries and a torn labrum. He never played professional baseball again. The Yankees released him in November of 2019 and still owed Ellsbury $21 million along with a $5 million buyout for 2021. They tried to not pay him, claiming he received an unauthorized medical, so the MLBPA filed a grievance. They won the case and the Yankees were forced to pay Ellsbury the owed money on his disastrous contract.

1. Chris Davis – Baltimore Orioles: 7 years, $161 million

It had to be the most epic performance meltdown ever for a player who just signed a massive contract extension and, in my opinion, it’s the worst contract in MLB history. From 2012 to 2015, Chris Davis was one of the Orioles’ most productive bats and he had just smashed a league-leading 47 home runs with a .923 OPS. He was an All-Star, Silver Slugger and finished as high as 3rd for the MVP. He was also not even 30 years old yet, so the Orioles did what seemed like the logical thing and secured his services for the foreseeable future with a 7 year extension. In 2016, he led the league with a career high 216 strikeouts and hit just .221. But this was just the beginning of the collapse. In 2017, he hit just .215 and in 2018, he became perhaps the worst single-season hitter in MLB history, hitting .168 with a slugging percentage under .300. Even Duane Kuiper, who hit one career home run, slugged .316. In 2019, Davis made history and completed 54 consecutive at bats without a hit, an MLB record for a non-pitcher. In 2020, he hit .115 and missed most of the season with a knee injury. He missed all of 2021 after hip surgery and then retired. However, much of the contract was deferred and the Orioles will still be paying Chris Davis through 2037.

The 10 WORST Teams In The HISTORY OF MLB...Will The 2024 CHICAGO WHITE SOX Be the WORST EVER??

Something historic is happening during the 2024 season and it isn’t good. The Chicago White Sox currently sit in last place in the American League Central with an MLB worst 35-115 record, a pitiful record that might make them the worst team in MLB history. There are 3 teams on today’s worst 10 list of all time that lost just 111 games in a 162 game season, and the White Sox have already lost more than that many with 2 weeks left to play. So, to find out if they are actually the worst team ever, let’s do a ranking – the 10 worst teams in modern Major League Baseball history going all the way back to the beginning of the modern era. Then, I’ll look at where the White Sox project to finish the season and explain what they will have to do avoid the fate of being the worst team in MLB history. I’ll calculate how many wins they need to not be the worst of all time, and even give my opinion on if they’ll be able to get there or not. The only two rules for this video will be that I won’t put any defunct teams that are no longer in the league, and I won’t repeat the same franchise, so it’s not full of the A’s and Phillies.

#10 - the 2013 Houston Astros (51-111) .315

In their first season in the American League, the Houston Astros did not fair well. They were a team in rebuilding and did have some good young players like Jose Altuve and J.D. Martinez, but neither had hit their prime yet. 21 players made their big league debut that year for the Astros and their big off-season signing Rick Ankiel hit .193. Dallas Keuchel was their Ace in just his second season and he had not found his Cy Young form yet. Other than that, their pitching was awful and they had the worst team ERA in baseball. But, they had a great farm system with players like Carlos Correa and George Springer moving through the system and would become World Series champions in 2017. Of course, that title isn’t considered the cleanest of all time.

#9 – the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks (51-111) .315

They had just won a World Series 3 years before, but the 2004 Arizona Diamondbacks had zero resemblance to that 2001 Championship Club. They traded away key players like Curt Schilling, Craig Counsell and Junior Spivey. Many of the big bats still in their lineup had down years like Luis Gonzalez, who hit just .259 with 17 homers, a huge dropoff from his 2001 form when he hit .325 with 57 bombs. Their big offseason acquisition, Richie Sexson, had just smashed 45 homers for the BrewCrew in 2003. He was injured almost all season long and hit just 9 homers for Arizona. As a team, the D-Backs hit just 135 homers all season long, the worst in MLB. Their bullpen was atrocious as well and the only starter who had a good year was Randy Johnson, but the run support was so bad, he lost a career high 14 games despite a 2.6 ERA and 2nd place finish for the Cy Young.

#8 – the 2018 Baltimore Orioles (47-115) .290

Back in 2018, the Baltimore Orioles won their first game of the season then went on to lose 20 of their next 26 en route to a god awful 47-115 record. Things got so bad they put Chris Davis, one of the worst hitters in the game at the time, in the lead off spot. He had one of the worst offensive seasons in MLB history, hitting .168 with a -3.3. WAR. The Orioles would’ve likely won at least 3 more games if they replaced him with an average player. Their new free agent pickup, Colby Rasmus, played in just 18 games then quit baseball in the middle of the season. Their bullpen was bad and none of their starters could stay healthy or effective. Former All Star Chris Tillman had an ERA over 10 in 7 starts and hasn’t played since. Their new free agent, Alex Cobb, who signed a 4-year deal for $57 million, went 5-15 with a 4.9 ERA. In fact, 3 starters – Cobb, Andrew Cashner, and Dylan Bundy – each lost at least 15 games. One of their few bright spots, Manny Machado, was hitting .315 with 24 bombs when he was shipped off to Los Angeles.

#7 – the 1932 Boston Red Sox (43-111) .279

In 1932, Boston Red Sox fans had more reason to be depressed than just the economy. They finished the season an incredible 64 games behind the New York Yankees. This was a team that was simply inept across the board and finished the season last in batting average, runs, on-base-percentage, OPS, ERA, complete games, walks and strikeouts. The Red Sox owner Bob Quinn severely under financed the team for years, not necessarily because he was greedy, but because he was broke, and it all came to a head in 1932. The front office had to throw together a team full of borderline MLB players who would play for the league minimum. They did pick up one great hitter in a trade, Dale Alexander, who was hitting .250 for the Tigers. He came over to Boston and hit .372 the rest of the way, winning a batting title. But the pitching staff was awful. Their Ace was Bob Weiland, and he went 6-16 with a 4.51 ERA and almost every other pitcher had an ERA over 5. Fortunately, Tom Yawkey bought the team shortly after the 1932 season and helped turn the franchise around.

#6 – the 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates (42-112) .273

Coming into the 1952 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a reputation similar to the one they have today – and it’s not a good one. They were coming off back to back 90 loss seasons and their 1952 roster featured 13 rookies, 4 of whom were still teenagers, along with a lackluster pitching staff. To make matters worse, their star player Ralph Kiner got off to a slow start due to a bad back. They lost 18 of their first 21 games that season and never recovered. Their ace pitcher, 35-year old Murray Dickson, who won 21 games in 1951, led the league in earned runs and home runs given up, and ended up losing 21 games. G.M. Branch Ricksey started to promote more and more youngsters throughout the year and the season became known as “Operation Peach Fuzz.” The Pirates promoted a 20-year old pitcher named Ron Necciail, who became famous for striking out all 27 batters in a minor league game. He went 1-6 with an ERA over 7. The ‘52 Pirates were just terrible across the board, but a few rookies did go on to have great careers like Dick Groat, who won the MVP in 1960

#5 – the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119) .265

After losing 106 games and finishing in dead last in 2002, the Detroit Tigers new GM Dave Dombrowski hired local legend Alan Trammel as their new manager. Unfortunately, he would have a monumental task ahead as the product on the field was not upgraded at all; in fact, Dombrowski decided to move on from several veteran players and focus on a youth movement, using a farm system that lacked any genuine big-league ready prospects. Pitching would be a massive problem. The average age in the starting rotation was 26 and it included 20-year old Jeremy Bonderman, a High School draft pick who had never pitched above High A, and the Opening Day starter, Mike Maroth, was completely unproven. The only pitcher with previous success they signed was Steve Avery, who was making a comeback attempt after not pitching for 4 years. The bullpen was equally uninspiring and did not even have one arm strong enough be considered an official closer. Other than the powerful Dmitri Young, the lineup was not much better. It included castoffs from other clubs like Austin Warren and a few young Tigers like Brandon Inge & Ramon Santiago, whose better years were in the future. They started the year on a 9-game losing streak, then after a win, lost 8 more. After a month, it turned out the offense was even worse than the pitching, as the team was hitting around .220. Things never got better for the 2003 Tigers and they lost a franchise record 119 games. After the season, the franchise began to turn around with the acquisition of Ivan Rodriguez and other talented players who, combined with some of the youngsters from that 2003 team like Inge and Santiago, ended up in the World Series in 2006.

#4 – the 1904 Washington Senators (38-113) .252

Today they’re known as the Minnesota Twins and one piece of their team’s history they’d like to leave in D.C. is the 1904 season when the Senators lost 113 games out of just 151, an embarrassing .252 winning percentage. The Senators had been a middle of the road club for a while, but their real downfall began in 1902 when their star player, one of the best hitters in game and future Hall of Famer Ed Delahanty died after he was kicked off a train for being drunk and disorderly then somehow ended up at the bottom of Niagra Falls. Whether he fell accidentally or committed suicide was never officially determined. Around this time, the team had no proper owner and the league was forced to take over ownership. The team was finally purchased just before the season in 1904, and new ownership had quickly scrape together enough players to field a team on Opening Day. There were no real threats in a lineup and during an era when batting averages were much higher, their best hitter was Jake Stahl, who hit just .262 and led the league in strikeouts. As a team, they hit just .227, an incredibly low average even by today’s standards. The Senators were also dead last in the league with just 10 home runs as an entire team, an incredibly low number even for 1904. Their pitching was also abysmal and they had the worst ERA in the league and were, simply put, an unmitigated disaster. With more time to regroup and organize the roster, ownership improved the team and in 1905, they went 64-87 and made it out of the basement, finishing ahead of the St. Louis Browns.

#3 – the 1962 New York Mets (40-120) .250

Although the 1962 New York Mets were definitely terrible, at least they had a good excuse as it was their inaugural season as a brand new expansion team in Major League Baseball. However, they could’ve been a lot better if upper management weren’t more concerned about signing washed up former Dodger and Yankee players as gate attractions rather than signing real up and coming talent. In addition to bringing in 72-year old legendary manager Casey Stengal, they also signed ex-Dodgers Roger Craig, Don Zimmer, and Charlie Neal along with several former Yankees, most of whom were past their prime. Veterans signed to the ‘62 Mets included Richie Ashburn, 35 years old, Gene Woodling, 39, and Gil Hodges, 38. They had some youngsters too, but none who had real MLB talent and they got off to a 9-game losing streak to start the year. The rotation was abysmal and the first 3 starters lost at least 19 games each. The 4th man in the rotation, Bob Miller, went 1-12. There was another Bob Miller in the bullpen who had an ERA over 7. The defense was even worse and committed 210 errors. The offense had only one serious threat, former Pirate outfielder Frank Thomas, who hit .266 with 34 homers but the Mets still finished last in the league with a .240 batting average. They lost an MLB record at the time 120 games.

#2 – the 1935 Boston Braves (38-115) .248

One of the worst teams in the history of Major League Baseball, The 1935 Boston Braves, lost 115 games out of just 153, good enough for a .248 winning percentage. This is the team that will always be remembered for signing an old and washed up Babe Ruth to play in his final MLB season as assistant manager with hopes of eventually becoming manager. He was no longer effective as a player apart from one glorious day in which he crushed 3 home runs, bringing the crowd at Pittsburgh to their feet. Ruth retired by June 1st and was never offered the managerial position. As for the rest of the 1935 team, many of them had returned from 1934 and simply had terrible seasons. Starting pitcher Ed Brandt, for instance, was decent in 1934, going 16-14 with a 3.53 ERA. In 1935, his ERA ballooned 5 to and his record was 5-19. Starter Ben Cantwell went 4-25, an abysmal record but a lot of it was due to terrible run support. The Braves were last in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits and doubles.

#1 – the 1916 Philadelphia A’s (36-117) .235

The Philadelphia A’s were in the World Series in 1913 and 1914. Then, in 1915, they lost 109 games and finished in dead last. In 1916, they were the worst team in the history of the game and their win-loss percentage remains the worst in modern MLB history. What in the hell happened? A big factor in this historic collapse was the Federal League, a new organization that entered into Major League status around this time and began to raid existing N.L. and A.L . clubs for talent. They offered big money and Philadelphia A’s manager and part-owner Connie Mack refused to match those offers, instead allowing the “prima-donnas” as he called them leave the team and go join the Federal League. Veteran starter Eddie Plank jumped to the Federal League and won 21 games with a 2.08 ERA in 1915. Mack decided to go ahead and perform a full-fledged rebuild and began to sell off more great players like Home Run Baker and Eddie Collins. By 1916, the team no longer resembled the 1914 World Series team. The average age in the pitching staff was just 23 and they had the worst team ERA in baseball by far at 3.92. Offensively, they brought in some old veterans like 41-year old Nap Lajoie, who had his worst season before retiring. Their defense was a joke, literally, as their infield was referred to as the $10 infield. They made 314 errors, averaging more than 2 per game. Rookie shortstop Whitey Witt made 78 all by himself. Despite the horrific season, Connie Mack stayed on as manager and they eventually had another dynasty, winning World Series titles in 1929 and 1930.

And now that brings us to the 2024 Chicago White, who just won their 35th game of the season and their current record is 35-115 with 12 more games to play. If the season ended today, they would have the worst win-loss percentage in MLB history at .233, worse than the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics. So, the question is, do they have a chance to avoid that fate and finish with at least a win-loss percentage above .235?

In order to do that, they would have to finish with at least 39 total wins. A 39-123 record would still break the record for the most losses in a season ever, breaking the 120 loss mark set by the 1962 Mets, but it would give them a .241 winning percentage, which wouldn’t be the worst of all time. So, they need to go 4-8 the rest of the way, a tall task for this team. To avoid the most losses of all time, they need to go 8-4 the rest of the way, a near impossibility based on what we’ve seen so far in 2024.

So, it looks like their fate is almost certain – the Chicago White Sox will break the 1962 New York Mets record and lose more than 120 games in 2024, but they have a chance to at least win 4 more games and avoid the worst win-loss percentage of all time. My prediction is they’ll fall just short in that goal as well and the 2024 Chicago White Sox at the end of this season will be the worst team in MLB history. Let me know if you’re watching this video before the season ends if you agree or disagree with that assessment, and if you’re watching after the season, was I right? And did the White Sox end up as literal the worst team in modern MLB history?

Thanks for checking out today’s video; make sure to hit that thumbs up and subscribe button for more; I appreciate you all so much and if you enjoyed it there is a thanks button down below that really helps out the channel since MLB has been copyright claiming all my videos lately. I really appreciate the support and we’ll talk to you in the next video.

Good For Just ONE Season!! Top MLB 15 ONE-AND-DONE Ultimate FLASHES In The PAN!!!

Welcome to another Humm Baby countdown and today we’re talking about my top 15 “one-and-dones,” the ultimate flashes in the pan, these are players who had one and only one excellent MLB season and were never able to do it again. Unlike my Flashes in the Pan video, the players on this list were only good for literally one season. I’ll be ranking them from the least impressive single good season to the best, and many of these players you probably never even heard of, but they all had one thing in common – one impressive big league season that probably earned them a spot in a lineup or rotation the following year, but none of them were able to ever repeat that one amazing year. Players with more than one All-Star nod are ineligible for the list, since that means they had at least 2 good seasons. So, let’s get right into it, starting at #15…

15. Warren Morris, IF – 1999 (1.7 WAR)

Warren Morris was a Louisiana State hero who smashed the game winning home run in the 1996 College World Series. He was drafted by the Rangers but traded to the Pirates and in 1998, drove in 103 runs in the minor leagues. He made his big league debut in 1999 and looked like he was off to a long and prosperous career, finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year vote by hitting .288 with 15 bombs and 73 runs driven in. But in 2000 he hit just 3 bombs all season long and his batting average dropped 30 points. Things only got worse from there and Morris ended up back in Triple-A in 2001. He never had another big league season like his first.

14. Bob Hamelin, 1B/DH -1994

A top power-hitting college prospect in the late 80’s, Bob Hamelin was drafted by the Royals in the 2nd round of the ‘88 draft and slowly moved through the minors. He showed he was ready for a shot in the big leagues in 1993 when he crushed 29 home runs for Triple-A Omaha. He was put into the Royals lineup for the ‘94 season and absolutely crushed it and was hitting .282 with 24 home runs when the season abruptly ended due to the player strike. Awards were still given out and Hamelin won the A.L. Rookie of the Year Award. Unfortunately, in 1995, he was hitting just .168 when he was sent back to Triple-A. Hamelin ended up with the Tigers and Brewers but could never repeat his amazing rookie season. He retired in the middle of a Triple-A game in 1999 after grounding out, telling his manager simply, “I’m done.”

13. Jerome Walton, OF – 1989

Jerome Walton became a top prospect while in the Cubs minor league system when he hit .331 with 42 stolen bases in 1988. The Cubs put him in their everyday lineup in 1989 and he became one of the most exciting young talents in the game. At one point, Walton became the talk of the baseball world when he went on a massive hitting streak that eventually ended at 30 games. Meanwhile, he was stealing bases, making amazing plays in the outfield and even tore it up in the playoffs, hitting .364 in the NLCS. Overall, Walton hit .293 with 24 steals and won the Rookie of the Year and even got some MVP votes. In 1990, he had what appeared to be a Sophomore slump, hitting just .263 with 14 steals. But he only got worse from there, hitting .219 in 1991 then an abysmal .127 in 1992. He bounced around the league throughout the 90’s, with some short-lived success, but could never stay fully healthy and productive for an entire season again.

12. Joe Charboneau, OF/DH – 1980 (2.4 WAR)

Another rookie sensation, the powerful Joe Charboneau made his debut in 1980 with the Cleveland Indians and looked like a future MLB superstar. He not only put up big numbers but was a huge hit with the fans, who loved his crazy personality. Charboneau died his hair different colors and consumed beer through his nose. “Super Joe,” as he was called, hit .289 and crushed 23 home runs his rookie season, driving in 87 runs. He took home the Rookie of the Year Award and looked to be a future staple in the Indians lineup. Unfortunately, he injured his back in 1981 Spring Training and struggled to regain his 1980 form, hitting just .208 when he was sent back to Triple-A. He was the first Rookie of the Year to get demoted the following season. He played in just 22 big leagues games in 1982, hitting .214, and spent the rest of his career in the minor leagues.

11. Fernando Tatis, 3B - 1999 (3.0 WAR)

Fernando Tatis, now more commonly known as Fernando Tatis Sr., played in parts of 11 big league seasons, but was never really a major impact player – except in one season – an absolutely incredible 1999 performance. To say he started the season with a bang is an understatement – on April 23rd, 1999, he did something truly unbelievable and crushed 2 grand slams not only in the same game, but in the same inning, breaking an MLB record for RBIs in a single inning. And he kept hitting all year long, ending the season with a .298 average, 34 home runs and 107 RBIs. In 2000, though, injuries limited him to 96 games and he hit just .253. He went on to play for the Expos, Orioles and Mets with some limited success but nothing close to the incredible 1999 campaign.

10. Wayne Garland, RHP – 1976 (3.8 WAR)

Garland was drafted by the Orioles in 1969 and after 5 solid years in the minors, made his MLB debut in 1973. For the next 3 seasons, he was mostly used as a reliever with occasional starts, putting up average numbers. Then, in 1976, after a trade opened up a spot in the rotation in June, Garland took it and thrived, going 20-7 with a 2.67 ERA. He didn’t strike out a ton of batters but induced soft contact and rarely allowed home runs. Garland’s epic season garnered him Cy Young Award votes and instantly made him a top highly sought after MLB starter. Unfortunately, he didn’t get along with his manager, Earl Weaver, and wanted to leave the O’s. He was able to enter free agency after the epic 1976 season and signed a lucrative 10 year deal with the Cleveland Indians, the first 10 year contract in MLB history. In 1977, his first year in Cleveland, he led the league with 19 losses and allowed 23 home runs as opposed to just 10 in ‘76. In 1978, he tore his rotator cuff and started just 6 games, not pitching well. He continued to struggle with injuries and under performance until the Indians released him after the 1981 season. He tried to make a comeback as a knuckleballer with the Yankees in 1982, but had a 7.48 ERA in 6 Double-A starts before being released, ending his career.

9. Atlee Hammaker, LHP - 1983 (4.6 WAR)

Hammaker was a 1979 first round draft pick who ended up with the San Francisco Giants and showed some promise in 1982 with a 4.11 ERA in 27 starts. Then, in 1983, it all came together for the lefty and he had a season for ages, leading the league with a 2.25 ERA and making his first and what would turn out to be his only All-Star Team. Through June, he was absolutely dominant, going 9-3 with a 1.52 ERA. He had a few struggles in the second half, which would be more reminiscent of the remainder of his career. In 1984, he started just 6 games before needing surgery on his rotator cuff and to remove bone spurs in his elbow. In 1985, he went 5-12. From there, he continued to deal with injuries and was sent to the bullpen, pitching for the Padres and White Sox. Hammaker never had another year like 1983.

8. Joe Mays, RHP – 2001 (6.6 WAR)

Mays was a 1994 6th Round pick who showed some excellent stuff as a starter in the minor leagues, leading to his big league promotion to the Twins in 1999. He was not great, going 6-11 with a 4.37 ERA but showed some promise, including one complete game shutout. In 2000, he struggled again, however, with a 5.56 ERA and 7-15 record. The Twins stuck with Mays for another year and it paid off as in 2001, everything came together and Mays dominated, making his first and only All-Star Team. He won 17 games for the Twins with a 3.16 ERA and led the league in ERA+. He threw 233 innings and had 4 complete games. The Twins inked him to $20 million 4-year extension. This turned out to be a mistake as Mays never repeated that 2001 performance. He had a 5.38 ERA the next year then missed all of 2004 with Tommy John Surgery. He was eventually sent to the bullpen, bounced around the league a bit and retired after a poor Triple-A season in 2007.

7. Cito Gaston, OF – 1970 (5.1 WAR)

Known now for his time as a big league manager with the Toronto Blue Jays, Cito Gaston was once a big league ballplayer and put together an 11-year career that started in 1967 with Atlanta. In 1969, with the Padres, he played his first full season but hit just .230 with 2 home runs. He did not look to have a bright future until 1970, when his bat absolutely exploded. Gaston crushed 29 bombs with a .318 batting average and 93 RBIs. He made the All Star Team and was instantly propelled into superstardom. But then, in 1971, his stats plummeted. Gaston hit just .228 with his slugging percentage falling over 150 points. The Padres kept giving his opportunities in the years to come but he could never come close to repeating his 1970 season. In 1974, he hit just .213 and was traded to the Braves. In Atlanta, he never hit more than 6 home runs in a single season, mostly coming off the bench. He retired after the 1978 season, only having made the one All Star team in that incredible 1970 season in which Gaston looked like an absolute superstar. Incredibly, despite having a single season 5.1 WAR in 1970, his career WAR in the negatives. Of course, he went on to become a great manager, helping lead the Blue Jays to World Series championships in 1992 and 1993.

6. Billy Grabarkewitz, IF – 1970 (6.5 WAR)

Billy Grabarkewitz, AKA Grabs, was an excellent multi-sport athlete in High School who went on to become an intriguing MLB prospect at St. Mary’s University. The Dodgers drafted him in 1966 and he instantly impressed in the minors, hitting .281 with 27 home runs in 1967. In Double-A in 1968, he bumped his average up to .308 and by ‘69, he was in the big leagues. His first big league stint was a rough one, and he went 6 for 65, an .092 average with zero home runs. The kid looked like a bust, but the Dodgers would give him an extended shot in 1970 just to be sure. Grabs made the most of it and had an incredible season. By July, he was hitting over .400 and was selected to play in the All-Star Game. He slumped a bit in the second half, but still had a phenomenal season, hitting .289 with a .399 on-base-percentage, and 17 homers. The Dodgers planned to use him as their everyday second baseman moving forward, but in 1971 Spring Training, he suffered an arm injury. He played in just 44 games that year, hitting .225 with no home runs. He 1972, he was even worse, hitting .167. He started to have more injury issues, including shoulder and ankle problems. He was traded to the Angels but hit .163 for them in 1973. Teams continued to sign him, hoping to find that 1970 performance, but it never happened. Grabarkewitz played for the Phillies, Cubs and A’s before retiring after the 1975 season, which he spent mostly in Triple-A.

5. Kyle Freeland, LHP – 2018 (7.7 WAR)

A top prospect in the 2014 MLB Draft, Kyle Freeland was taken 8th overall by the Colorado Rockies and after 3 solid minor league systems, was put into their rotation for the 2017 season. He went 11-11 but showed more than enough to stay in the rotation for the 2018 and that’s when he had his special season. He got off to a slow start, going 0-3 after 4 games, but then dominated the rest of the way. Freeland broke a franchise record with a 2.84 ERA and ended the season with a 17-7 record. He had an insanely impressive 2.4 ERA at the super hitter friendly Coors Field. He then dominated in the playoffs, throwing 6+ scoreless innings in the Wild Card game. Freeland finished 4th for the Cy Young Award and it looked like the Rockies finally found their Ace. Unfortunately, in 2019, he was awful, going 3-11 with a 6.73 ERA. He has only had losing records ever since, and has not put together as season remotely close to 2018, although Freeland is still active and has a chance to get off this list with one more excellent season. So far in 2024, he has dealt with an elbow problem and is 4-6 with a 5.51 ERA.

4. Chase Headley, IF - 2012 (6.4 WAR)

Although Headley did have a respectable 12-year career with a few decent seasons, there was only one season in which he really excelled – a freak outlier of a year in 2012. Headley had already earned a spot in the every day lineup for the Padres and was a solid fielder who could hit around .265 with about a dozen homers. But in 2012 Spring Training, he set a goal for himself to hit at least 15 home runs. He was having an excellent year, on pace to meet his goal, when he suddenly turned into one of the best power-hitters in the league in the 2nd half of the season. He was the NL Player of the Month in August and September, and over the last 2 months of the year, hit .313 with 19 bombs. For the 2012 season, Headley hit .286 with 31 home runs and a league leading 115 RBIs. He won his only Sliver Slugger, his only Gold Glove and finished 5th for the MVP Award. Headley came back to Earth in 2013, hitting .250 with 13 home runs. He never had another season like 2012 again.

3. R.A. Dickey, RHP – 2012 (5.7 WAR – Cy Young Award)

Although knuckleballer R.A. Dickey pitched in parts of 15 seasons, he only had one in which he was clearly one of the best in the game, but unlike many of the players on this list, it didn’t happen early in his career. Dickey was drafted in the 1st round in 1996 out of Tennessee as a traditional right-handed pitcher. He pitched well in the minors, but not as well as the Rangers had hoped from a 1st round pick. For 10 years, he bounced up and down from Triple-A to the big leagues and, in fact, spent time in the minor leagues every single season of his career from 1997 all the way through 2010. 2011, with the New York Mets, was his first full big league season without a demotion. But Dickey had developed a powerful knuckler that took years to perfect. In 2012, he used that knuckleball to completely baffle the competition and went 20-6 with a league leading 230 strikeouts, 5 complete games and 3 shutouts. He had a 2.73 ERA, made the All-Star team, and won the Cy Young Award, the first knuckleballer to win the award. He was also awarded with a trade to the Blue Jays that included a $25 million extension. Unfortunately, although he gave the Blue Jays some good stamina and plenty of innings, he never repeated his 2012 performance and 2012 would be the only elite season of his career.

2. Mark Fidyrch, RHP – 1976 (9.6 WAR)

Although his success was short-lived, Mark “The Bird” Fidyrch is one of the memorable players of all time. This 6’3” pitcher was drafted by the Tigers and brought a fun quirkiness to the mound as well as, for one season, his first in 1976, pure domination. After spending his first two years in the minors, Fidyrch was a non-roster invitee during 1976 Spring Training. He impressed enough to make the Opening Day roster, then, after throwing a 2-hit complete game in his first start, earned a spot in the rotation. The fans loved watching him, as he would march around the mound after each out, talk to the baseball and not allow the groundskeepers to work on the mound during the game. He completed nearly every game he started and started the All Star Game during an incredible season. He finished out the year with 19-9 record, 2.34 ERA and an incredible 24 complete games, including 4 shutouts. He won the Rookie of the Year award and finished 2nd in the Cy Young voting to Jim Palmer. The next season, Fidrich started to experience injury issues, starting just 11 games. Things only got worse from there and he was able to appear in just 7 games over the following two seasons, suffering from a torn rotator cuff that was never diagnosed or treated properly during his career. He made his last MLB appearances in 1980, going 2-3 with a 5.68 ERA.

1. “Seattle” Bill James, RHP – 1914 (7.9 WAR)

There might be two people in baseball with the same name more famous than this player – Bill James, the statistician who was hugely influential in introducing the analytical era of baseball and “Big” Bill James, a pitcher who played for 8 seasons and was a clean member of the 1919 White Sox team made famous by the Black Sox Scandal. “Seattle” Bill pitched in parts of just 4 seasons, but it was his second in which he looked like a future Hall of Famer. James picked up his nickname with the Boston Braves, because they purchased him from a minor league team, the Seattle Giants. He went 6-10 his first big league season, but in 1914, everything came together for James and he went 26-7 with a 1.9 ERA, finishing 3rd for the MVP award. He could also handle the bat, hitting .256. He was instrumental in helping the Braves, who were in last place on July 4th, make one of the most unlikely late season pushes in MLB history. They miraculously won the pennant and James was unhittable in the 1914 World Series, throwing a complete game shutout in Game 2, then coming in as an emergency reliever in the 11th inning of Game 3, throwing 2 shutout innings to help secure the victory. The Braves ended up sweeping the Phillies and Bill James became an instant legend in Boston. Then, James missed most of Spring Training in 1915 while trying to negotiate a new contract. He could never get it going and struggled with a sore arm all season long. He was sent home in August to rest his pitching arm, finishing the year with a 5-4 record. He was back in the minor leagues the next year and other than 1 relief appearance in 1918, James never pitched in the big leagues again. He finished his pro career in 1925 with the minor league Sacramento Senators. His one good big league season was absolutely phenomenal, and without it, another team would’ve won the 1914 World Series, so he comes in on today’s list as the greatest “one-and-done” player in MLB history.

Top 25 CLOSERS In MLB HISTORY - ELITE Relief Pitchers!!

One of the most difficult tasks in winning a baseball game is finishing it off, especially if it's a close game. That’s why it’s important to have some one in the bullpen who can be consistently relied upon to come into the 9th inning and close out the game. These pitchers are of course known as closers and didn’t really exist in the early days of the game when the starter was expected to always go the distance. The save didn’t even become an official statistic until 1969, but by the 70’s and 80’s, several elite closers began to emerge and since then, more than a few have even made it into the Hall of Fame. So, without further ado, let’s rank the Top 25 closers in MLB history.

25. Dave Righetti

Southpaw Dave Righetti had a 16-year career and he was originally a starter who won the Rookie of the Year in 1981 when he had a 2.05 ERA with the Yankees. In 1984, he was sent to the bullpen to be the closer and never turned back. He made his first All Star team in 1986 with a league-leading 46 saves and a 2.45 ERA and later became the closer for the Giants, saving 24 games in 1991. He won 2 Reliever of the Year Awards and finished his career with 252 saves,

24. Roberto Hernandez

Hernandez pitched for 10 different teams in his career, accumulating 326 saves along the way. He became an elite closer with the White Sox in 1993 and led the league in games finished for 3 straight seasons. In 1996, he made the All-Star Team and finished the year with 38 saves and 1.91 ERA. He was traded to the Giants in 1997 for the playoff push and went on to become the closer for the Rays, then Royals. Hernandez is 14th all-time with 1,010 appearances as a pitcher.

23. John Wetteland

Wetteland was drafted by the Dodgers and pitched for them for 3 seasons, but didn’t become a closer until he landed in Montreal. In 1992, he saved 37 games for them and never left the role. He led the American League with 43 saves with the Yankees in 1996, and absolutely dominated the competition in the World Series that year, finishing off 5 games and taking home World Series MVP honors. Wetteland also saved games for the Rangers through the 2000 season. He had 330 career saves and also more saves than any other pitcher during the decade of the 90’s.

22. Eric Gagne

He’s only ranked this low because he was a bit of a flash in the pan, but when Eric Gagne his his peak, there was nobody better. He was originally a starter, but never found sustained success until he went to the bullpen and became practically unhittable during his peak. Unfortunately, that peak only lasted 3 All-Star seasons – from 2002 to 2004. During that time, he averaged over 50 saves per season, winning the Cy Young in 2003. He set an MLB record by converting an astonishing 84 consecutive save opportunities. After some injury issues though, he never regained that level of domination and finished his career with 187 saves.

21. Troy Percival

Percival was drafted as a catcher, but after hitting just .203 in Low A, he was converted to a relief pitcher, and thrived. With 358 career saves, Troy Percival currently ranks 13th all-time and held the position as the primary closer for the Angels for 9 seasons, averaging 35 saves per year. He made four All Star Teams and was a key member of the 2002 World Series championship team. During that playoff run, Percival picked up seven saves with a 2.79 ERA.

20. Jeff Reardon

Jeff Reardon, AKA “The Terminator” was throwing 98 MPH heat long before it became the norm among MLB relief pitchers. He was a dominant reliever for the Mets early in his career but did not became a full-time closer until he got to Montreal. There, he became an All-Star and in 1985, led the league with 41 saves. He returned to Minnesota and saved 103 games over 3 seasons before heading to Boston, where he made his 4th All Star Team. He finished his career with 367 saves - 12th all time.

19. Robb Nen

Although he only pitched for 10 years in the big leagues, 3-time All Star Robb Nen was one of the most dominant closers in the game for a 7-year stretch from 1996 to 2002. He averaged about 40 saves per season during that time, maxing out at a league leading 45 in 2001. Nen was fantastic in the postseason, with a career 2.25 ERA with the Marlins and Giants. He didn’t allow a run in 3 World Series appearances in 2002. Unfortunately, a major tear in his rotator cuff led to 3 surgeries and an early retirement after that season. Despite his relatively short career, he still picked up 314 career saves.

18. Tom Henke

During the late 80’s and early 90’s, one of the most feared closers in the game was Tom Henke, a 6’5” pitcher easily recognized by his large-rimmed glasses. His stuff was filthy and Henke struck out 9.8 batters per 9 innings throughout his career. He led the league with 34 saves in 1987 and maxed out at 40 saves in 1993. His best years were with the Blue Jays and Rangers, although he did have one final dominant season with the Cardinals in 1995 when he picked up 36 saves with a 1.82 ERA. He had 311 career saves and saved 5 games in the 1992 playoffs, helping the Blue Jays win it all.

17. Jonathan Papelbon

6-time All Star Jonathan Papelbon ranks 11th all time with 368 career saves, pitching for the Red Sox, Phillies and Nationals. He was already an elite college closer with Mississippi State when he was drafted and continued to dominate in the role as a big leaguer. He broke a Red Sox rookie record with 35 saves in 2006. Papelbon was a strikeout machine, striking out 10 batters per 9 innings throughout his career and had an incredibly impressive 2.44 career ERA. He also dominated when it really counted, setting an MLB record with 25 scoreless innings to start his postseason career. He didn’t give a single run in the 2007 playoffs, helping the Red Sox win it all. Pabelbon is still the career saves leader for both the Red Sox and the Phillies.

16. Dan Quisenberry

Like Eric Gagne, Dan Quisenberry makes the list for his peak more so than his entire career. He ended up saving 244 games with an impressive 2.76 ERA, but during one 6-year stretch, he led the league in saves 5 times and was nearly untouchable. He didn’t strike out a ton of guys, but used a sinking fastball to induce groundballs and had pinpoint control, rarely giving out free passes. After 5 seasons as a reliever in the minors, Quisenberry finally got his chance in the big leagues in 1979 and did not disappoint with a 3.15 ERA out of the pen. He became the closer in 1980 and led the league with 33 saves, finishing 5th for the Cy Young and 8th for MVP. In ‘82, he made his first of 3 consecutive All Star Teams and in 1983, had perhaps his best year, saving a then MLB single-season record 45 games with a 1.94 ERA. Unfortunately, the save numbers began to drop significantly after 1985 and a torn rotator cuff ended his career by 1990. His peak lasted just 6 seasons, but during that time, there was nobody better.

15. Aroldis Chapman

From his first season in the big leagues in 2010, the Cuban Missile wowed fans by lighting up radar guns in a way never before seen. Pitching for the Cincinnati Reds, he threw a 105.1 MPH pitch in San Diego that made highlight reels. He became their full-time closer by 2012 and made 4 consecutive All-Star teams, averaging over 36 saves per season. His strikeout numbers were ridiculous – in 2014, he struck out an average of 2 batters per inning. Chapman went on to pitch for the Yankees with a stop in Chicago, helping the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908. He also pitched for the Rangers during their 2023 World Series run and is currently a member of the Pirates bullpen. Chapman has 325 career saves and an insane 1,219 career strikeouts in just 742 innings.

14. Joe Nathan

Nathan was drafted as a shortstop by the Giants, but after struggling to hit in the minors, was converted to a pitcher and made it to the big leagues as a starter in 1999. After some ups and downs, he found his comfort zone in the bullpen and in 2003, made 78 appearances with a 2.96 ERA. However, it was after a trade to the Twins that he became an elite closer. In 2004, he made the All Star Team, saved 44 games, and continued to pitch as a top tier closer for over a decade, making 6 total All Star teams and finishing his career with 377 saves, 10th All Time. He also pitched for the Rangers, Tigers and Cubs before returning to San Francisco to finish his career. Nathan has an MLB record 89.13% save percentage amongst pitchers with at least 200 saves.

13. Hoyt Wilhelm

One of the pioneers of the modern day reliever, Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm became the 1st MLB pitcher to appear in 1,000 games – not even Cy Young managed that. In his first season in 1952 with the Giants, he made a league-leading 71 appearances and went 15-3 with a 2.43 ERA, finishing 2nd for the Rookie of the Year and 4th for MVP. He went on to make 8 All Star teams and win two ERA titles. During his career, he wasn’t strictly used as a closer and would be used in a variety of high-leverage situations, but he still saved 228 games in his career, an MLB record at the time of his retirement. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame as one of MLB’s great relievers, but in 1959, the Orioles tried him out as a starter and Wilhelm was an All-Star, going 15-11 with a 2.19 ERA, 3 shutouts and 13 complete games.

12. John Franco

Franco was drafted by the Dodgers as a starter out of St. John’s, but after a trade to the Reds during his minor league career, was sent to the bullpen and found his role, earning a quick promotion to the big leagues. In 1985, he had a 2.18 ERA in 99 innings and was promoted to full-time closer by ‘86. From that point on, he became a dominant closer and remained so throughout the rest of the 80’s and 90’s, pitching for the Reds and Mets. He led the league in saves 3 times, made 4 All Star Teams and won 2 Rolaids Reliever of the Year Awards. He is 7th all time with 424 saves and is the current New York Mets career saves leader. He had a 21-year career with a 2.89 ERA, yet somehow was snubbed on the Hall of Fame ballot, receiving less than 5% of the vote and falling off completely.

11. Francisco Rodriguez

K-Rod originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Angels and showed incredible stuff as a starting pitcher in the minors. When he moved to the bullpen in 2002, however, he found his true calling, saving 15 games with a 2.27 ERA, earning a call-up to the majors. He quickly became of the of the most dominant and reliable relievers in the game, leading the league in saves in 3 out of 4 seasons, including an insane single-season MLB record 62 saves in 2008. He went on to the Mets and picked up 83 saves in 3 seasons before moving on the Milwaukee, where he continued to rack up saves with 44 in 2014 and 38 in 2015 then 44 again in 2016 with the Tigers. The 6-time All Star and 2-Time Reliever of the Year retired with 437 saves, 6th on the All Time list and also had some big playoff success, especially in 2002 when he helped the Angles win the World Series with a 2.08 ERA.

10. Craig Kimbrell

Potential future Hall-of-Famer Craig Kimbrell led the National League in saves for an incredible four consecutive seasons to kick off his amazing career. He was the Rookie of the Year award in 2011, made four straight All Star Teams and looked to be one of the greatest closers in MLB History. He was traded to the Padres in 2015 and picked up his 200th career save, faster than any pitcher in history. Since then, he’s had some ups and downs, but continued to pick up saves and reached 300 at the age of 29. In 2023 with the Phillies, he made his 9th All Star Team and is currently pitching for the Orioles, with 440 career saves and counting. Kimbrell has a 14.1 per 9 career strikeout ratio and will likely retire as one of the best closers in MLB history.

9. Kenley Jansen

Yet another closer on the list who started his professional career as a position player, Kenley Jansen was drafted as a catcher but after 5 years struggling to hit consistency in the minors, the Dodgers decided to try him out on the mound. It was a good decision. He dominated the minors as a pitcher and was quickly promoted to the big leagues, earning the job as a the Dodgers closer in his second full season. Jansen saved 25 games in 2012, 28 in 2013 then 44 in 2014, becoming one of the game’s premiere closers. He continued to dominate in the role year after year, eventually breaking the Dodgers all-time saves record, making 4 All Star Teams and winning 2 reliever of the year awards. He is also second all-time with 20 career postseason saves. He signed with the Braves in 2022 and led the league with 41 saves then headed to Boston, where he continues to pile up the saves. At the time of this recording, he has 441 saves - 4th All Time.

8. Bruce Sutter

One of the best closers of all time, Bruce Sutter, signed with the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 1971 and was almost released until he learned a pitch called the splitfingered fastball. The pitch revitalized his career and propelled him into the big leagues, where he became the Cubs primary closer in 1977, picking up 31 saves. By 1979, he was the best in the National League and led the league in saves in 5 out of 6 seasons. He tied Dan Quisneberry’s single-season record of 45 saves and in 1979, won the Cy Young Award. He had one of the most dominant 8-year runs of any reliever on the list, but unfortunately injuries began to take their toll in the late 80’s and Sutter retired after 1988, saving just 17 games after 1985. But he made 6 All-Star Teams, won 4 Reliever of the Year Awards, and saved 3 games during the postseason for the 1982 Champion Cardinals. He finished his career with exactly 300 saves and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2006.

7. Billy Wagner

The greatest MLB reliever in the history of the game who is eligible but still not in the Hall of Fame might be Billy Wagner, a lefty who accumulated 422 career saves with an absolutely incredible 2.31 career ERA. He became the full-time closer for the Astros in 1997 and kept the role for pretty much his entire career, also pitching for the Phillies, Mets, Red Sox and Braves. Even in his final big season, he was dominant with Atlanta in 2010, saving 37 games with a 1.43 ERA He had a career 11.9 per 9 strikeout ratio, made 7 All-Star Teams and won a Reliever of the Year Award. The only knock on Wagner is his struggles in the playoffs – in 14 appearances, he had an ERA over 10. But, he got 73.8% of the vote this year, falling just short – so I expect Billy Wagner to be voted into the Hall of Fame in 2025.

6. Rich “Goose” Gossage

One of the first pitchers to really create what the closer role is all about was Rich Gossage, one of the most intimidating and feared relief pitchers in MLB history. He threw almost exclusively a hard fastball that hitters struggled with even knowing it was coming. He first embraced the role of the closer in 1975 with the White Sox, when he picked up a league-leading 26 saves with a 1.84 ERA. From there, he went on to become one of the best closers in the game, pitching for a variety of teams, but mostly remembered for his years with the Yankees and Padres. He led the league in saves 3 times and finished 2nd twice. He was excellent in clutch situations, recording the final out to clinch a division, pennant or World Series championship seven times. He made 8 All-Star teams, a record for a reliever at the time. He finished his career with 310 saves and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008.

5. Lee Smith

For years, the legendary Lee Smith was the all-time MLB saves leader with 478 career saves. He became the Cubs closer in the early 80’s and from 1983 to 1995 – a 13 year stretch – he averaged 35 saves per season, leading the league 4 times and maxing out with 47 in 1991 with St. Louis. Smith finished in the Top 10 for the Cy Young 4 times, finishing runner-up once and he made 7 All Star teams. He is the Cubs all-time saves leader and he is unquestionably one of the greatest relievers in the history of the game, but he rarely got postseason opportunities, making just 4 appearances. He did not pitch very well in those games and likely lost some Hall of Fame votes due to this fact. Smith was never elected on the traditional ballot but the Committee elected him in 2019 and Lee Smith finally got his much deserved plaque.

4. Dennis Eckersley

One of the most impressive names on this entire list has to be 6-time All Star Dennis Eckersley, because he spent his first 14 big league seasons – basically an entire career – as a starting pitcher. During that time, Eckersley made 2 All-Star teams, had a 20-win season and was one of the most solid starters in the game. But after a trade to the Oakland A’s, he was converted to a reliever and quickly established himself as one of the best in the game, picking up a league-leading 45 saves in 1988. Despite the fact that he was already in his mid-30’s, Eckersley continued to pile up the saves and in 1992, won the Cy Young Award and MVP with 51 saves and 1.91 ERA at the age of 38. He kept on going until he was 43, picking up 390 career saves. He was excellent in the playoffs, winning the ALCS MVP, and picking up 15 career postseason saves. Imagine how many saves he could’ve had if he was a reliever his entire career. He had nearly 400 saves with 197 wins, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first year on the ballot.

3. Rollie Fingers

Another pioneer of the modern closer role, Rollie Fingers had a 17-year big league career in which he played for the A’s, Padres and Brewers, breaking Hoyt Wilhelm’s career saves record and becoming the first player to reach 300 saves. The 7-time All Star was a key member of the 1970’s championship A’s teams, and was absolutely dominant in the postseason. Fingers won the 1974 World Series MVP award and had a 2.35 career postseason ERA with 9 saves. With the Brewers in 1981, he saved 28 games with a ridiculous 1.04 ERA, earning him both the Cy Young Award and MVP. Fingers ended his career with 341 saves, a 2.9 ERA and 4 Reliever of the Year Awards. For many years, he would’ve come in as the best closer in the history of game. Then, a couple more amazing arms came along.

2. Trevor Hoffman

Yet another converted position player, Trevor Hoffman became a pitcher during his time in the Reds minor league system and quickly showed an ability to close out games with 20 saves and a 1.89 ERA in the minor leagues in 1991. The Florida Marlins selected him in their inaugural draft and he was a fantastic reliever for them in 1993 until the Marlins traded him to San Diego in a multi-player deal that included Gary Sheffield heading from San Diego to Miami, enraging many Padres fans who even booed Hoffman in his Padres debut. Hoffman would turn out to be a Padres legend, using a deadly change-up to make 7 All Star teams. He became the best closer in the game by the late 90’s. In 1998, he saved 53 games – a single season National League Record at the time - with a 1.48 ERA. He was the Padres closer for 16 seasons before heading to Milwaukee, where he made the All Star team in 2009 and closed out 37 games. He became the first pitcher to save 500 games then the first to save 600 and finished his career with an MLB record 601 saves. Hoffman, who should’ve been a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame in his first eligible year, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018, his third year on the ballot.

1. Mariano Rivera

Coming in at #1 as the greatest closer in the history of the game should surprise no one – the New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera, who broke Hoffman’s record and finished his career with an insane 652 saves and a 2.21 ERA. Rivera was a starter in the minor leagues and even started 10 games for the Yankees in 1995, but found much more success as a reliever and in 1996, he had a 2.09 ERA coming out of the pen and was absolutely stellar in the playoffs, helping the Yanks win a World Championship. He was given the chance to be the Yankees closer in 1997, took the job and did not relinquish it for the rest of his career. He made 13 All Star teams, 5 Reliever of the Year Awards and led the league in saves 3 times. Rivera has an almost unbelievable 42 postseason saves with a 0.7 ERA. He has more than twice as many postseason saves as Kenley Jansen, who comes in 2nd all time with 20. He became the first player in MLB history to be elected to the Hall of Fame with 100% of the vote and easily comes in as the greatest closer in the history of baseball and it’s not even close.

And there you have it for the best 25 closers in the history of the game; let me know your thoughts down below – I’m sure some people will argue with some of the lower ranked players, but I doubt any one will have an issue with Mo at #1. If so, let me know, and we’ll fight it out in the comments. Please hit that thumbs up and subscribe button and have a wonderful day – we will talk to you in the next video.