Top 15 MLB Draft BUSTS Of the 1970's

15. Butch Edge – RHP (1974 - 6th Overall – Milwaukee Brewers)

With a name like Butch Edge, this guy was destined to make it to the big leagues, and he eventually did. But long before that, he was a hot High School prospect who made the Face in the Crowd section of a June, 1974 Sports Illustrated issue that read “Butch Edge, a senior at El Camino High, Sacramento, was involved in all 21 outs in his team's victory in a city playoff game, recording 19 strikeouts and fielding two grounders for outs.” He was a strikeout machine with an incredible arm and the Brewers drafted him 6th overall in 1974. Unfortunately, his numbers in the minors were average at best, although he did make it to Triple-A in 1978, going 2-10 with a 5.3 ERA. The Jays moved him to the bullpen, where he showed improvement and got an MLB call up in 1979, as a starter again. He went 3-4 with a 5.57 ERA and just 19 strikeouts in 51 innings. The Blue Jays released him and he played a bit in the minor league systems of the Braves and Pirates before hanging them up permanently.

14. John Bohnet - LHP (1979 - 7th Overall – Cleveland Indians)

Bohnet pitched at Hogan High School in Vallejo, California and was practically untouchable with a 93 MPH fastball. In April of 1979, with the draft coming up, he threw a no-hitter in front of several scouts, striking out 12 batters. His Junior year, he struck out 116 batters with just 23 walks and a 1.16 ERA, setting several school records. He made clear his plan to sign with a pro team if he was drafted high. In 1979, he was taken 7th overall by the Indians, and jumped right into Low A, going 6-3 with a 2.9 ERA and 9.9 per 9 strikeout ratio. He continued to pitch well in the minors, climbing the ladder to Triple-A, where he was 1-1 with a 2.2 ERA in 4 games when the Indians called him up. He started just 3 games, giving up 9 runs in 11.2 innings with 7 walks and just 4 strikeouts. After a major elbow injury, he was sent back to the minors to rehab later that year. He struggled in Double-A for the next two years, never finding his old form, and was released in April of 1984.

13. Rick O'Keeffe - LHP (1975 – 5th Overall – Milwaukee Brewers)

Towering southpaw Rick O’Keeffe was a strikeout machine in High School, leading his conference with 82 strikeouts. In 1974, he went 6-1 with a .4 ERA. The Brewers took him first overall and assigned him to Low A Newark, where he went 7-3 with a 2.83 ERA, but he did walk 54 batters in 67 innings. He improved that walk rate in 1975, going 7-4 with a 2.87 ERA in A Ball, striking out 113 batters while walking 95 in 166 innings. The Brewers were pleased enough to invite him to big league Spring Training in 1976. But that year, at the trade deadline, they sent him to Cincinnati along with fellow minor league Garry Pyka for big league pitcher Mike Caldwell, who went on to finish 2nd for the Cy Young in 1978 for Milwaukee with a 22-9 record, and he helped them reach the World Series in 1982. As for O’Keefe, he pitched in the minors for the next 4 seasons in the Reds organization, never getting the call-up, despite some strong seasons. He had a shot to make the team out of Spring Training in 1982, but ended up in Triple-A, then was traded to the Blue Jays. With Triple-A Syracuse, he went 2-3 with 7.64 ERA and just 19 strikeouts in 50 innings. He was released in July. After surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow, he missed all of 1983 and attempted a comeback in 1984 with the Mets organization but after 7 starts with a 4.89 ERA, allowing as many walks as strikeouts, he suffered a groin injury and called it a career.

12. Roy Branch – RHP (1971 - 5th Overall – Kansas City Royals)

In 1971, the Kansas City Royals took Roy Branch fifth overall out of Beaumont High School in St. Louis, Missouri. His Senior Year, he went 7-0 with a .6 ERA and 96 strikeouts using a hard fastball and sharp curveball, but he was a bit wild and needed to work on his control in the minors. Branch was also the star quarterback, but he preferred baseball and when he got drafted 5th overall, it was an easy decision to sign with the Royals. Bone chips in his pitching arm held him to just 3 starts in rookie ball. In 1972, his first full season in the minors, Branch walked 80 batters in 120 innings, yet still went 10-5 with a 4.28 ERA. The next season with the San Jose Bees A Ball team, a hernia kept him out for half the season, and when he did pitch, his control got even worse as he walked 68 in 69, nearly a batter per inning. The Royals coaches continued to work with him, eventually moving him up to Double-A. In 1976, his 6th year in the minors, he started 23 games, with a 3.1 ERA and 4.2 walks per 9, still high but an improvement. He was still in double-A in 1977 and said “If I hadn’t been a bonus baby, I probably would’ve been gone by now.” He had a solid season that year between Double-A and A Ball, going 9-13 with a 2.75 ERA, but his control was still an issue and the Royals released him. He ended up in the Mexican League, and showed enough for the Mariners to sign him to a late season deal. They brought him back in 1979 for some extra depth and despite a below average season in Triple-A, the M’s brought him up when rosters expanded and he made 2 big league starts, going 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA. He spent all of 1980 in Triple-A continued to play in the Mexican League and in various independent leagues throughout the 80’s and also played in the Pacific Senior League from 1989 to 1991. He may have been a bust, but at least Roy Branch did make it to the big leagues after an extremely long road in the minors.

11. Tommy Bianco – 3B (1971 - 3rd Overall – Milwaukee Brewers)

In 1971, The Milwaukee Brewers took a switch hitting infielder with massive potential named Tommy Bianco third overall in the draft. In High School, he was a phenom who played in Shea Stadium at 15 years old in a greater New York High School Tournament and he went 15 for 16. He consistently hit well over .450 throughout his High School career and had one of the best throwing arms in his draft class. The Brewers held a Press Conference with owner Bud Selig present to announce his signing. Bianco took some time to adjust to playing every day and hitting under the lights, with a .230 average and 11 home runs in Double-A in 1972. However, he broke out in 1974 with Triple-A Sacramento, hitting .281 with 28 home runs and 81 RBIs. After another hot start in 1975, he got the call-up. In 34 at bats he had just 6 hits, a .176 batting average, with no home runs or RBIs. In 1976, he was hitting .268 with 10 homers when Triple-A manager Frank Howard announced Bianco wouldn’t start another game the rest of the season due to lack of hustle. Bianco was released during 1977 Spring Training and signed with the Tigers, but was released after 20 games in Double-A. He played some for the Expos and Orioles organizations as well, but never got back to the big leagues, playing his last season in Triple-A in 1979, hitting just .219 with 2 home runs.

10. Tito Nanni – OF/1B (1978 - 6th Overall – Seattle Mariners)

At Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, 17-year old Tito Nanni was the captain and MVP of the baseball, football and basketball teams. He was fantastic in all three, and he planned to play college football at North Carolina, but his brightest future appeared to be in baseball as he was an All American and Philadelphia Daily News Player of the Year. His High school Baseball coach, Stan Parker, said “He is the finest High School Baseball Player I’ve seen in terms of all-around pure talent – speed, arm, all of that.” The 6’4”, 205 lb slugger was hitting .528 with just one strikeout his Senior Year as the draft was approaching. The M’s took him 6th overall, but there was some controversy with the contract as the Mariners scouting director offered a $100,000 bonus, a figure much higher than the Mariners had authorized. The bonus had to be re-negotiated and Nanni did not play pro baseball until 1979 with the Class A Alexandria Mariners. He hit just .226 with 6 homers and led the league with 132 strikeouts. Hard times continued in 1980 as he hit .199 with High A San Jose. Then, he started to show improvement after a demotion back to A Ball. “The biggest problem was striking out,” said Nanni, “I’ve got such a long swing. If I was going to hit for average, I had to cut down on my swing.” In 1982 in Double-A, he hit .293 with 16 home runs and an .839 OPS. He still struck out 113 times, but that was a slight improvement. He came back down to Earth a bit in Triple-A over the next two years, still hitting okay but not well enough for a call-up. In 1985, he was hitting .273 with just 6 homers in 466 at bats when the Mariners released him. “They had told me I had the tools, but I was a head case,” he said. “They’d given up on me. That’s the bottom line.” He finished the season with the Blue Jays Triple-A team, then signed with the Angels in 1986, and he played his final pro season with the Midland Angels, hitting .263 with 4 home runs.

9. Tim Cole – LHP (1977 - 4th Overall – Atlanta Braves)

Lefty Tim Cole had set all types of High School records at Saugerties High in New York when he was taken 4th overall by the Braves in 1977. He had a .88 ERA and was considered the top High School left-handed pitcher in the country. Unfortunately, he just never quite figured it out in the minor leagues despite spending 12 years in the Braves system. In 1978 in A Ball, he went 5-8 with a 5.6 ERA and just 68 strikeouts in 106 innings with 99 walks. His command was terrible, and when he did throw strikes, he gave up a lot of hits. In 1979 in Double-A, he was 6-11 with a 5.91 ERA. He pitched for Double-A Savannah for 3 seasons and only showed marginal improvement. In 1980, he pitched well in August and was hoping for a promotion to Atlanta but it didn’t happen. He finally made it to Triple-A in 1982, but had a 6.77 ERA with 80 walks in 97 innings. He pitched mostly from the bullpen after that never above Double-A again. The Braves let him go in 1985. Cole caught on with the Astros and White Sox organizations, but retired after the 1986 season after 10 years in the minor leagues. For his minor league career, he walked an average of 7.2 batters per 9 innings and struck out 6.1 per 9 with an ERA of 5.55.

8. Kevin Richards – RHP (1977 - 5th Overall – Detroit Tigers)

In 1977, the Detroit Tigers had the 5th Overall pick and went with a right-handed arm out of Roosevelt High School in Michigan, Kevin Richards. Richards had electric stuff as he struck out 231 batters in 153 innings with a .69 ERA, but another local senior had even better stats - Brad Havens went 10-1 with a .3 ERA and wasn’t taken until the 8th Round. Havens pitched for 8 years in the big leagues. Richards said “I was surprised that I was their no. 1 pick.” He was sent to rookie ball and struck out 46 batters in 43 innings, not bad for his year in the pros. Unfortunately, he would go on to be plagued by arm trouble for the rest of his career and he didn’t appear in a game in 1978. In ‘79, Richards made just 4 starts and 10 relief appearances in Single A, striking out 16 batters in 45 innings. His velocity was already gone. The following year in Double-A, Richards gave up 10 runs in 3 innings and was shipped to the Texas Rangers, where he pitched in Tulsa for the next two seasons before retiring.

7. Glenn Tufts – 1B (1973 - 5th Overall – Cleveland Indians)

In 1973, the Indians went with a High School first baseman named Glenn Tufts as their 5th overall pick. He was an incredible talent and the stands at his high school games in Bridgewater, Massachusetts were crowded with scouts. He was already a local legend his last year in Little League when he smashed 17 home runs. In High School, he hit .565 as a Sophomore on the Varsity Team. He was hitting .571 his Senior Year when it was time for the MLB Draft. Of course, that batting average was not going to drop significantly in the pros, but it dropped more than any one expected after he hit just .194 in Rookie Ball with a single homer in 155 at bats. Then, in November, he was involved in a car accident in which he broke his pelvis, four ribs and an ankle, forcing him to miss the entire 1974 season. He made a strong comeback in 1975, hitting .270 with 9 home runs in Single A San Jose. He continued to hit well there in 1976, but struggled in Double-A, going 3 for 26 with no extra base hits and also had injury issues with torn cartilage in his left knee. In 1977, he got more time in Double-A to prove himself, but things went south as hit just .163 with zero home runs. He was released at just 22 years old. Tufts noted, "It was time to move on... In reality, it had been over for awhile". He successfully transitioned into coaching and scouting with the San Francisco Giants, remaining in baseball ever since his playing career ended.

6. Les Filkins – OF (1975 - 3rd Overall – Detroit Tigers)

The 3rd overall pick in 1975, Les Filkins, felt like a can’t miss prospect. He was a good student, amazing athlete, and incredible 5-tool ballplayer, and the consensus among scouts was that he would reach the Majors within 3 years. He set basically every individual football and baseball record at George Washington High in Chicago, won the baseball and football MVP two years in a row, hit .438 his Senior Year with power and he could also pitch with a zero ERA in 30 innings pitched. He played well in Rookie Ball with a .296 average and 5 homers in 108 at bats. The next season in A Ball, he struggled however, hitting just .235 with 3 home runs in 472 at bats. In 1977 he was even worse, hitting .221 with a single bomb. 2-Time MLB All Star Walter Evers, who was the Tigers Director of Player Development, said “He plays his position well, runs well, and has a fantastic attitude, but he just won’t listen to us when it comes to batting.” Evers explained that Filkins used his same stance and swing he used in High School and it needed some slight adjustments to hit pro pitching, but Filkins wouldn’t or couldn’t make the adjustments. They promoted him to Double-A anyway for the 1978 season but Filkins hit .232 with 5 home runs. Filkins finally started to improve in 1979, earning a promotion to Triple-A. In 1980, he hit .293 with 13 bombs between Double and Triple A, but never got the call-up. A groin injury held him to just 97 games in 1981, but Filkins did hit .287. After hitting just .257 in 1982, however, the Tigers decided to cut Filkins loose, selling him to the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan. He played one season in Japan before retiring.

5. Jay Franklin - RHP (1971 - 2nd Overall – San Diego Padres)

His Senior Year, High School pitcher Jay Franklin struck out 160 batters in 79 innings, an average of about 2 batters per inning. The 6’3” right-hander helped his team win a State Title with a complete game shutout and 4-hitter in which he struck out 14 batters. After the Padres took him 2nd overall in 1971, he was assigned to Low A to pitch for the Tri-City Padres, and had a phenomenal season, going 8-1 with a 3.12 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 104 innings. He threw 8 complete games, a shutout, and at one point retired 25 consecutive batters. He was surely on his way to the next rung on the minor league ladder, but the Padres had other ideas. They promoted the 18-year old straight to the big leagues in September of that year and in his first start, the Atlanta Braves greeted him with 3 home runs in 2 1/3rd innings. He had the honor of giving up one of Hank Aaron’s 755 career bombs. In 3 appearances with San Diego, he had a 6.35 ERA. He went from High School to the big leagues in 3 months and his confidence was surely shot. He missed the entire 1972 season due to an arm injury then spent the next 4 years in Double-A, never regaining his previous form. In 1977, he played his final professional season in Triple-A with the Hawaii Islanders and went 8-4 with a 5.16 ERA and just 49 strikeouts in 122 innings. It was time to hang em up, and Jay Franklin never made it back to the big leagues.

4. Mike Lentz - LHP (1975 - 2nd Overall – San Diego Padres)

Mike Lentz was a standout pitcher at Juanita High School in Kirkland, Washington. His Senior year he was 14-2 with a .47 ERA, striking out 199 batters in 104 innings with just 22 walks. In three Varsity seasons, Lentz was 28-8 with 441 strikeouts in 249 innings. He was expected to go to the San Diego Padres second overall in the draft and that’s what happened. He went straight to Low A and struck out 74 batters in 67 innings, throwing 6 complete games and 4 shutouts. Unfortunately, he also dislocated his shoulder, not while pitching, but chasing a flyball during batting practice. The next season, a knee injury held him to just 11 games in Double-A, and Lentz struggled with a 5.47 ERA. He gained weight while on the disabled list, and the next season, he went 4-8 with a 5.79 ERA and just 41 strikeouts in 98 innings. He was demoted back to A ball for 1978 and Lentz struggled early and considered immediate retirement. He finished out the season, going 8-11 with a 5.35 ERA, and never pitched again.

3. Danny Goodwin - 1st Base (1975 - 1st Overall- California Angels)

Danny Goodwin makes the list for getting drafted 1st overall not once, but twice. The White Sox took him out of High School 1st overall in 1971, but he decided to go to college at Southern University and A&M, where he hit .408 with a 1.271 OPS. Again considered the best player in the draft, the Angels called his name at #1 in 1975 and gave a record $150,000 bonus. He went straight to Double-A, where he hit .275 with just 2 homers. Instead of letting him develop more, the Angels promoted him to the big leagues, and he went 1 for 10 with 5 strikeouts. The next season, 1976, they shipped him all the way back down to Single-A, and he started the normal process of moving through the minor leagues. He made it to Trilpe-A, where hit .305 with 10 homers in 77 games and after nearly 2 years since his MLB debut, he was back in the big leagues, but hit just .209 in 91 at bats with 1 home run. The Angels eventually let him go and he ended up with Minnesota as a part-time 1st baseman and pinch hitter. Goodwin moved on to the A’s organization from 1982 to 1985, hitting just .212 in the minors. For his big league career, he has a negative 1.7 WAR. For a guy who was drafted 1st overall twice, he has to make the list as one of the biggest busts of the 1970’s.

2. David Clyde – LHP (1973 - 1st Overall – Texas Rangers)

The 1st overall pick in 1973 was David Clyde and he is a perfect example of why MLB teams should not rush prospects to the big leagues, especially High School draft picks. He was an absolute phenom billed as the next Sandy Koufax. Clyde was considered the best player available and the Rangers offered him a record $125,000 bonus to sign with them. The plan for him was to skip the minors entirely and go straight to Texas for two starts before heading back for proper development. This was obviously not best for Clyde, but maybe Rangers owner Bob Short wanted to sell some extra tickets. After Clyde’s first start resulted in a sellout, Short forced the team to keep him in the big leagues the rest of the season. He went 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA, all straight from the High School mound to the Major Leagues. In 1974, manager Billy Martin fought with the front office to give Clyde some time in the minors, but he was denied. In 1974, Clyde went 3-9 with a 4.38 ERA, not bad considering he never pitched in the minors. But by the time he finally did get sent down, it was 1975 and Clyde needed shoulder surgery. He was over-used and never given the proper development. He bounced around the minors with a few MLB chances with Cleveland, but never found any consistency and retired with an 18-33 MLB record.

1. Al Chambers (1979 - 1st Overall – Seattle Mariners)

But coming in at #1 is Al Chambers, the Seattle Mariners #1 overall pick in 1979. The M’s have traditionally done pretty well when they’ve had the first overall pick, with a few guys you might have heard of – Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez and pitcher Mike Moore. But their ‘79 pick was not meant to be so great. Al Chambers seemed to have all the tools – blazing speed, big power and an amazing glove. He was 6’4”, 217 lbs and looked like a total monster. He hit well in the minors too, with a .301 average and .388 on-base percentage in San Jose. The next season, he crushed 20 bombs for the Double-A Lynn Sailors. In Triple-A, he was even better, hitting .331 with 75 RBIs in 99 games for the Salt Lake City Gulls. He got the call-up and drove in four runs in his big league debut, but according to Chambers,

"The veterans on the team didn't take me under their wing," he said. "It was a tough situation for me. I talked to other rookies in the league who told me how the veterans showed them the ropes, but it never happened in Seattle."

He hit just .209 for Seattle in 1983 and was optioned back to the minors. In 1985, he was given just four big league at bats despite hitting .308 with a .402 on-base percentage in Triple-A. They were his last 4 big league at bats. Chambers bounced around the minors and Mexican Leagues through 1988. “You only get so many breaks,” he said. He went on to work the swing shift at the Hershey Foods Factory in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Top 10 Greatest College Baseball Players Who Never Played Pro Ball

Welcome back to another Humm Baby Countdown and today is a unique one – we’re talking about forgotten college players, some of the greatest in the history of college baseball, who not only never made it to the big leagues, but never even played in the affiliated minor leagues – these are players who were either not drafted or even if they were, never played affiliated minor league baseball, and some just never pursued a professional career in baseball at all. It seems like every year during the draft, I see several amazing players go undrafted and never play pro ball, and I thought over the course of baseball history, there has to be some absolutely amazing college players who never played in an MLB organization. A few years in independent ball or international pro leagues is allowed, but none of these amazing college players were ever in an MLB system, and you won’t believe the talent some of these ballplayers possessed. So let’s get right into the list of 10 of the best college baseball players who never played in the affiliated minor leagues, and there are literally thousands to choose from, so feel free to put more examples in the comment section down below. These are just a few that stood out to me, so, let’s get into it started with an absolute legend at…

Greg Ellena

#10 Greg Ellena – C/DH (University of Miami)

Going into the 1984, walk-on Greg Ellena was in line to be the bullpen catcher for the Hurricanes. His claim to the fame at the time was going 1 for 1 as a Freshman with a basehit in a 1983 exhibition game against the Baltimore Orioles. In 1984, Miami played the O’s again in the annual practice game, and got crushed 12-2, but once again, Greg Ellena came to bat, and got a hit, and was now 2 for 2 against MLB competition. He barely played in 1984, but in 1985, now a Junior, Ellena got an opportunity and responded, crushing 2 home runs in a game in against Rutgers. Then with more chances, he kept producing, displaying an impressive clutch ability to come through in big moments. He earned his way into the everyday lineup as a DH and occasional catcher, and continued to rake throughout the season. In just 76 at bats, Ellena had smashed a team-leading 10 home runs, an insane pace. He moved from the bench to the bottom of lineup to the cleanup spot. At one point, he crushed a home run in 4 consecutive games and ended the season hitting .354 with 14 bombs. He helped propel his team into the postseason, and then to the College World Series, where he became a thing of legends. In 5 games, Ellena went 12-for-25, a .480 batting average, with 3 bombs, 2 in one game, and eight RBIs, and he tied a College World Series record with 22 total bases, easily winning the MVP and of course, the Hurricanes won it all. In 1986, despite hitting over .300 in April and May, Ellena could not reproduce his 1985 season and went undrafted. He decided to finish college and not purse pro baseball, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering. “If I got drafted, I’d take a look at it, but an engineering job looks more secure compared to Minor League Baseball,” he said. Although he never played pro baseball, Greg Ellena certainly had one of the most legendary College Baseball seasons of all time.

Macky Waguespack

9. Macky Waguespack – 1B (Southeastern Louisiana)

Four year-standout Macky Waguespack was a prolific power hitter during the late 90’s who was a first team-all American for the American Baseball Coaches Association in 1999 and a second team All-American for Baseball Weekly. He was also named as Southeastern’s Male Athlete of the Year. His Junior year, he led the team with 33 home runs, then during his Senior year, the left-handed slugger he hit 3 home runs in one game twice. For that season, he crushed 23 home runs with 82 RBIs to go along with a .351 batting average and .727 slugging percentage. During one stretch of the season, he smashed 6 homers in less than 48 hours. During his last two college seasons combined, he crushed 56 bombs and drove in 185 runs. Unfortunately, Waguespack was on the shorter side at about 5’9” or 5’10” depending on the source, and MLB teams did not go for him in the draft. He signed up to play in the independent leagues and still hit well, with a .281 average and 9 home runs in 1999. He played for 3 years in independent ball, hitting 35 homers with a .462 slugging percentage in 727 at bats – respectable but not good enough to grab the attention of an MLB team.

Jay Coakley

8. Jay Coakley – C – Marietta College

Representing Division 3 baseball on today’s list is a catcher named Jay Coakley, who was a dominant force for Marietta for four years from 1999 to 2002. He helped his teams win the Ohio Athletic Conference Championship all four seasons, with multiple D3 World Series Appearances. He set numerous school records he still holds, including a .436 batting average, 58 home runs, 265 runs batted in and 497 total bases. He is #3 all-time in Division 3 baseball in RBIs and 5th all time in home runs. In 2000, he set a single season conference record with 93 RBIs, still 3rd all time in D3 ball – for context, over a full 162 game season, that pace would add up to 292 RBIs. He was inducted into the Marietta Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2013. After his college career, Coakley went undrafted and played 3 seasons for the independent league Washington Wild Things, a team that still exist in Washington, Pennsylvania. Over 3 seasons and 205 games, he hit .286 with an .811 OPS, 30 home runs, 127 RBIs and 340 total bases. Unfortunately, an MLB team never gave him a shot. Coakley graduated with a degree in allied health and went on to become a registered nurse.

Bill Gearhart

#7 Bill Gearhart – P (Armstrong State University)

Gearhart was a standout 3-sport athlete at Wadsworth High School in Ohio with an incredible arm. In 1982, he threw a no-hitter and went 8-2 with a 1.17 ERA. Then, in ‘83, threw a 1-hit shutout in a sectional championship game with a home run. He went on to attend Division 1 Armstrong State University in Georgia and absolutely dazzled in 1987, allowing just 40 hits in 77 innings, 4.64 per 9, still 14th all time for a single season in D1 history. He was drafted in the 12th round by the San Francisco Giants, but decided to continue his college career. In 1988, Gearhart was even more dominant, going 11-0 to start the season, giving him an absolutely incredible 20 consecutive victories. For over a year, from Feb. 14, 1987 to April 14, 1988, his team never lost a game he started. Gearhart finished 12-3 on the season and 22-3 overall during his college career with a 2.44 ERA. He was drafted again, this time in the 13th round by the Astros, and records show he signed, but never appeared in a minor league game. Gearhart became the pitching coach at his High School and also became co-owner of the youth organization Wadsworth Outlaws. He was inducted into the Greater Akron Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Jesse Trinidad

#6 Jesse Trinidad – P (University of Texas-Pan American)

Next up, we have Jesse Trinidad, a dominant left-handed pitcher for the UTPA Broncs in the mid-70’s. He left his mark in NCAA history with 14 career shutouts – still an all-time Division 1 record. That’s right, no pitcher in D1 baseball has thrown more shutouts than Trinidad, and in his Senior season he was at the top of his conference in wins, complete games and ERA. During his college career, he pitched three one-hitters. In 1974, his first season at UTPA, he led his team with 72 strikeouts to the tune of a 1.74 ERA. The next year, he went 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA with 4 shutouts. Then, his Senior Year, Trinidad was second in the nation with 7 shutouts. He is still top 10 all-time in school history in wins, complete games, ERA, strikeouts and innings pitched. He went unselected in the 1976 MLB draft and played the rest of the season in the independent leagues with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings, going 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA in 7 starts with 3 complete games. He still couldn’t catch on with an MLB team and instead played the next two seasons in Mexico before returning to Texas to coach the Brownsville Hanna High School team.

Chris Kowilcik

#5 Chris Kowilcik – 1B (Wake Forest)

For 3 years, Wake Forest starting first baseman Chris Kowilcik put up incredible offense numbers in the most competitive D1 conference in the country. He made headlines in April of 1991 when, during a double header, he went 7 for 7 with a home run. In 1992, he led his team in almost every offensive category, hitting .374 with 20 bombs, 63 RBIs and 36 walks, good enough for 1.208 OPS. He was named to the all-ACC first team, joining future MLB stars like Jason Varitek and Quinton McCracken. In 1992, Kowilcik was nearly as good if not better, bumping his average up to .383, with 65 RBIs and 16 home runs. He was named as an American Baseball Coaches Association All-American. Despite his amazing career, something about him turned off MLB teams and he went undrafted in the 1992 MLB Draft. He played one season of independent ball with the Duluth-Superior Dukes, hitting .281 with 5 homers before moving to the New England area and entering the business world. He eventually became Managing Director at JPMorgan.

George Plender

#4 George Plender – P (University of Vermont)

University of Vermont Hall of Famer George Plender is widely regarded as one of the greatest college pitchers of his era. His 16-6 record might not jump off the page, but what will is his NCAA record streak of 60 1/3rd consecutive scoreless innings that lasted from the middle of the 1954 season, when he threw 6 straight shutouts, to the start of 1955, when he finally gave up a run. Then, in his next start, he threw another shutout, making it 7 shutouts in 8 starts. He was not overpowering, but like Greg Maddux, had pinpoint control and averaged less two walks per game during his college career. Plender became team captain his senior year and went 8-0 in conference games. He was offered a contract by the Milwaukee Braves after college, but chose not to pursue a professional career, instead fulfulling his commitment to the U.S. Air Force and later building a successful 35-year career in the municipal bond industry.

Phil Ross

#3 Phil Ross – 1B – (St. Leo University)

I had to put at least one Division II star on the list, and there were lots to choose from, but I had to go with a first baseman named Phil Ross, who still holds several D2 records. He played for St. Leo from 1982 to 1985, and was a consistent power hitter the entire time with an ability to hit over .300, but it was his Senior Year where everything came together and he had an absolute monster season. Ross hit .484 with a .962 slugging percentage, a .645 on-base percentage, and won the triple crown with a .484 batting average, 22 home runs and 90 RBIs. He was also a patient hitter, averaging over a walk per game. Ross did the near-impossible one game against Division 1 Florida A&M, crushing 2 grand slams in a single inning. He ended that game going 3-for-4 with 11 RBIs. On top of all of that, he wa a fantastic defensive first baseman, with a .988 fielding percentage, committing only 6 errors with 485 put-outs with 25 assists. Ross was inducted into the Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame and still holds conference records in batting average and slugging percentage, along with the single-season record for RBIs. Inexplicably, Ross went undrafted and was never signed by an MLB team. He quietly walked away from baseball and lived a private life until passing away in 2020.

Littleton Fowler

#2 Littleton Fowler – P (Oklahoma State University)

The people of Texarkana, Texas know Dr. Littleton Fowler as a kind and caring local optometrist who has practiced in his hometown for more than 55 years. But back in the early 1960’s in Stillwater, Oklahoma, he was a superstar on the baseball field. Fowler enrolled at OSU in 1959 and practiced with the team his freshman year, although he didn’t appear in any actual games. But the coaches were so impressed with his arm that they offered him a full scholarship over the next three years. His first year in the rotation, he went 5-0 in the regular season and 7-1 overall with a 1.93, ERA, helping propel the Cowboys to a Big 8 title and College World Series appearance, where he was dominant, winning the Most Outstanding Player award. His only loss came to Southern California, in a game where he got no run support, and Oklahoma State lost 1-0. After a strong senior season, Fowler was offered a contract by the St. Louis Cardinals, but he decided to go on to optometry school instead. “The Minor Leagues would have been a wonderful experience, and in retrospect, I’ll always wonder what might have happened,” he reflected. In 1996, he was inducted into the Cowboy Baseball Hall of Fame.

Mike Rebhan

#1 Mike Rebhan – P (University of Georgia) Reebin

But coming in at #1 is Mike Rebhan, who was a standout pitcher at Florida Gateway College when he was drafted in the 32nd Round in 1988 by the Boston Red Sox. Instead of signing, he decided to transfer to Georgia and pitch against Division 1 talent. As a Senior in 1990, Rebhan went 13-5 with a 3.01 ERA, facing some of the best college hitters in the country in the Southeastern Conference. He led his team to the College World Series and twice defeated a first round pick from that very year and a future Hall of Famer named Mike Mussina. Rebhan won the Most Outstanding Player award with those two complete game victories, and his Bulldogs won the Championship.  During his 2 seasons with Georgia, he won 20 games, including 12 complete games and even threw a no-hitter in 1989. He was not overpowering but had excellent control. “It was pretty simple—it was fastball in, slider away, fastball in, slider away,” 1990 designated hitter Brian Jester said. “He was the epitome of a pitcher. He would throw strike, after strike, after strike, after strike.” Surprisingly, he went undrafted after that year and theorized it might be due to the fact that he was already married with two children, and didn’t fit the profile of a young, unattached prospect. He had some opportunities to sign with the Dodgers and Braves, but nothing materialized and Rebhan went on to purse career in software engineering. He passed away in 2019 after a battle with cancer.

Top 10 MLB Most SHOCKING Retirement Announcements!!

Traditionally in Major League Baseball, when a player is great, fans can expect a full career spanning close to if not over 20 years. Legends like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson all played beyond their 40th birthday, well past their prime, retiring when their aging bodies would no longer let them play the game they loved. But every so often, a great player voluntarily walks away from the game when no one sees it coming – not because they couldn’t play anymore, but because they simply chose not to, and there could be a variety of reasons including deciding to go out on top, wanting to spend more time with family, or quitting before an inevitable serious injury. For example, 2007 All Star Gil Meche suddenly retired, leaving behind a guaranteed $12 million for the 2011 season, because injuries prevented him from performing at the level his team deserved for that much money. He didn’t think it was fair to take $12 million to be a bullpen arm at best. Or sometimes the reasons are just bizarre – like Adam LaRoche, who repotedly retired from baseball in 2016 because the Chicago White Sox asked him to reduce his 14-year-old son Drake's constant presence in the clubhouse. Those are two examples that didn’t quite make the Top 10. So let’s talk about some of most shocking early retirements in MLB history – stars who left talent, money and potentially bigger legacies behind in order to ride off into the sunset earlier than any one expected.

10. John Kruk

John Kruk’s retirement was as legendary as it was shocking. The pure left-handed hitter was in the middle of an excellent career when he just literally walked away. Kruk came up with the Padres and was a Rookie of the Year contender in 1986 when he hit .309. The next year, he proved it was no fluke, hitting .313 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs. He really shined with the Phillies in the early 90’s, making 3 consecutive All Star teams, including 1993 when he walked 111 times and had a career high .430 on-base percentage. 1994 was a tough year for Kruk as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer, but luckily it did not spread to other parts of his body before surgery to remove the cancerous testicle. He still hit .302 in 75 games with the Phillies. In May of 1995, he signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox, and got off to a hot start, hitting .364 by July 5th. He went into a slump for the rest of the month, however, and decided he was going to retire due to chronic knee soreness and a lack of a desire to compete. However, after a conversation with his teammates, he decided to go out in style, getting a hit and then walking out of the stadium. But Kruk was struggling to do it, and his batting average was in danger of dropping below .300. He was in an 0 for 15 slump and one more out would bring his average to .299. But then, facing Scott Erickson on July 30th, 1995, Kruk got a basehit in the 1st inning. Then, the 34-year old simply walked off, got in his car, and drove home with a career batting average of exactly .300. He in his last season, he hit .308 with a .789 OPS.

9. Dave Nilsson

Nilsson was one of the top up-and-coming hitters of the late 90’s who suddenly left the big leagues to represent his country. Around 1987, Dave Nilsson was a young phenom in Australia who caught the attention of the Milwaukee Brewers. They signed him at 17 years old to an amateur free agent contract and he promptly hit .394 in 188 at bats in Rookie Ball, putting him on the map as a serious prospect. In 1991, he hit .418 in Double-A and after hitting .317 in Triple-A in 1992, got promoted to the big leagues. Nilsson worked his way into the everyday lineup and in 1996, hit .331 with 17 home runs and 84 RBIs. The next year, he hit 20 home runs. He had his best season in 1999 when he hit .309 with 21 bombs and a career high .954 OPS, becoming the first Australian to make the MLB All Star Team, and he was just 29 years old, in line for a massive multi-year deal worth around $10 million. However, playing MLB in 2000 would mean Nilsson would not be able to represent his country in the Sydney Olympics. In order to play in the Olympics, Nilsson left Major League Baseball to play in Japan, which would allow him to return Australia in time for the Olympics. He also bought the Australian Baseball League and renamed it the International Baseball League of Australia. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, he was the best player by far, hitting .565 with a .957 slugging percentage. The next year, despite big offers from MLB teams, he decided to stay down under, declining every offer, in order to stay with his family and work on his baseball operations at home. He never played in Major League Baseball again, although he made a brief comeback attempt in 2004 with the Braves, appearing in 16 games with their Triple-A team before retiring for good.

8. Will Clark

Will “The Thrill” Clark was on a possible path to Cooperstown when he suddenly walked away from the game while his sweet swing was still effective at the MLB level. He became a legend in San Francisco, making 5 straight All Star Teams, with a Gold Glove, two Silver Sluggers and three Top-5 MVP seasons. In 1988, he led the league with 100 walks and 109 RBIs, then in ‘89, helped the Giants reach the playoffs, where he went a ridiculous 13 for 20 in the NLCS, a .650 batting average, with 2 bombs, winning the NLCS MVP, leading the Giants to the World Series. He then signed with Texas, where he made another All Star Game in 1994, finishing the year with a .329 average. Clark looked like a no-doubt future Hall of Famer. He hit over .300 again in 3 of the next 4 season with Texas before signing with the Orioles, in order to be near Johns Hopkins Hospital, which offered the best treatment in the country for his son, who had autism. He continued to hit over .300 with pop and after a trade to the Cardinals mid-season in the year 2000, he went off, hitting .345 with 42 RBI’s and an OPS over 1.000 in 51 games with the Cardinals. The Thrill hit .412 in a losing effort for the Cardinals in the NLCS. The Cardinals were prepared to offer Clark a healthy amount of money to return in 2001, but immediately after the season, he announced his retirement at 36 years old, citing a desire to spend more time with his family. He confirmed he could still hit, but was ready to move on to the second part of his life – focusing on being a husband and father. His 2,176 career hits, .303 average and 284 home runs have not gotten him in Cooperstown yet.

7. Buster Posey

One of the most shocking retirements of recent memory has to be Giants legend Buster Posey. Although catcher is definitely the toughest position on the field physically, the great catchers of the past have routinely played for a long time, even if they have to switch positions in their late 30’s. Greats like Yogi Berra, Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, Carlton Fisk, and Pudge Rodriguez all had long and memorable Hall of Fame careers, that left no doubt about their status as Hall of Famers. During his early career, Posey felt like he would end up belonging in the same group. He won a Rookie of the Year in 2010, immediately helping the Giants win their first World Series in San Francisco. In 2012, he hit .336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBIs, taking home the MVP Award and leading his team to a 2nd World Series Championship. In 2014, he finished 6th for the MVP, and the Giants won it all again, making it 3 in 5 years. Posey continued to perform well year after year, making 4 straight All Star Teams from 2015 to 2019. Then, he opted out of the shortened 2020 MLB season due to the fragile health of his newly adopted, prematurely born twin daughters, deciding it was best to protect his family during the pandemic rather than risk their immune systems. Posey returned in 2021 and showed he hadn’t missed a beat, hitting .304 with 18 home runs, making his 7th All Star Team and winning his 5th Silver Slugger, all while helping the Giants win a franchise record 107 games. He was just 34 years old, and due to make at least $22 million in 2022. Posey decided to walk away from the game, citing diminishing returns and wanting to prioritize his family and avoid the increasing physical toll of being a catcher. He played in just 1,093 games at catcher and ended his career after 12 seasons, barely reaching 1,500 hits. However, he will be an interesting Hall of Fame case due to his exceptional peak performance, awards, championships, and significant impact on the game.

6. Mark McGwire

Although it probably shouldn’t have been too shocking since Mark McGwire struggled with injuries throughout his career and was 38 years old, his retirement in 2001 was still unexpected, especially after both recently signing a lucrative extension and breaking the single season home run record with an amazing 70 bombs just 3 years prior. McGwire had always been an elite home run threat going back to his rookie of the year season in 1987 when he broke the rookie home run record with 49 homers. He just kept hitting bombs when he was healthy, with over 30 home runs in 4 out of 5 seasons until foot problems severely limited his playing time from 1993 to 1995. But beginning in 1996, he was an absolute beast, routinely smashing over 50 home runs per season, including the aforementioned 70 bombs in 2001, a season in which he and Sammy Sosa became the faces of baseball, helping bring the game back into prominence after the 1994 strike. He followed up that year with 65 more bombs, and he was still excellent even in the year 2000 when he hit .305 with 32 home runs in just 236 at bats. He was having knee issues, but when he did play, he was still elite. Before the 2001 season, the Cardinals gave him a 2-year extension worth an extra $30 million through the year 2004. That year, he crushed 29 bombs in less than 300 at bats, but continued to struggle with injuries. Nevertheless, with $14 million due to him in 2002, then that $30 million for the following two years, he was certainly going to at least show up and try to play. Or so we thought – McGwire suddenly retired, saying he was worn out both physically and mentally, and owed it to the Cardinals and the fans to step aside without accepting the $44 million he would be owed, so that they could find a replacement. It definitely took fans by surprise and was one of the most shocking retirements of the century.

5. Ryne Sandberg

No one expects a star player still in or at least near their prime to just walk away from the game right in the middle of the season, but that’s exactly what happened when Ryne Sandberg retired from baseball in 1994. Ryno was an absolute MLB superstar who burst onto the scene on June 23rd, 1984 when he smashed 2 home runs in a game on NBC’s Game of the Week, leading the Cubs to an 11 inning victory over St. Louis, in what became known as the Sandberg Game. He won the MVP that season, beginning a streak of 10 straight All Star nods, 8 straight Gold Gloves and 7 Silver Sluggers in 9 years. He led the league in runs 3 times and home runs with 40 in 1990. The future Hall of Famer had just had another fantastic All Star season in 1993 when he hit .309, finishing 12th for the MVP. But in 1994, he got off to a slow start, albeit not horrible, hitting .286 in early May. By June, however, his average dropped to .238 and on June 13th, he shocked the baseball world by announcing his immediate retirement. He was in his 2nd year of a 4-year, $28 million contract. “I didn’t have what I felt I needed to go on the field every day, give my very best, and live up to to the standards I set for myself,” he said. There has also been speculation that his retirement had to due with problems with his marriage and the Cubs losing ways, with 11 different managers during his career. He did pick a good time to walk away as the ‘94 season ended early due to the strike. He stayed retired throughout the ‘95 season but that October, Sandberg, now remarried and reinvigorated, announced he would unretire and return to the Cubs in 1996. He crushed 25 homers that season, then played his actual final season in 1997, retiring with 285 bombs and a .285 career batting average.

4. Mike Schmidt

Schmidt did retire at the age of 39, which isn’t unusual, but the way it happened shocked the baseball world. Schmidt was not even 3 years removed from an MVP 1986 season in which he hit .290 with a league-leading 37 bombs and 119 RBIs while also winning a Gold Glove. In 1987, he was also elite, crushing 35 homers with 113 driven in. This was a 3 time MVP, 11 time All Star, World Series MVP and 10-time Gold Glover who was still in his prime, or maybe, barely on the other side of it but still extremely effective. He experienced a rotator cuff injury in 1988, causing him to play in just 108 games but was reportedly 100% healthy in 1989, and every one expected a full season of production from the superstar. And he looked great in April. Schmidt crushed a 3-run bomb on the second game of the season, and stayed hot, going 7 for his first 18 at bats, a .388 average, hitting in the clean up spot. On April 29th, he went 3 for 3 and was leading the team with an .849 OPS. Unfortunately, he had a rough month of May, going 2 for 40, which dropped his average to .203. No one thought much of it, until on May 29th, 1989, in the middle of a road trip, after going 0 for 9 in a series in San Francisco, Mike Schmidt abruptly retired from the game. He held a press conference in San Diego to explain his decision, citing the fact that he could no longer compete at the standard he set for himself. It all happened so fast -it felt like one minute Mike Schmidt was one of the best in the game, and the next, he was walking away.

3. Jackie Jensen

A mostly forgotten great of the 1950’s was Jackie Jensen, a powerful outfielder who was having a Hall of Fame career when he suddenly left baseball forever for a very unusual yet understandable reason. Jensen began his pro career in the Pacific Coast League with the Oakland Oaks in 1949 and was signed by the New York Yankees to back up Joe Dimaggio. In 1951, as a part time player, he hit .298 with a .500 slugging percentage. He was traded to the Wasington Senators in 1951 and made his first All Star team. Then, after a trade to the Red Sox, his career really took off as he hit 25 homers with 117 RBI’s at 22 stolen bases in 1954. Over the next 5 seasons, he led the league in RBIs 3 times, made 2 more All Star teams, won a Gold Glove, and even had a monster season in 1958 in which he took home the American League MVP with 35 bombs and 122 RBI’s. He was at the top of his game, one of the biggest stars in baseball when, in January of 1960, right in his prime at the age of 32, he abruptly announced his retirement due primarily to an intense fear of flying. He also wanted to spend more time with his family, but with teams increasingly turning to air travel as MLB moved further west, flying was becoming more and more frequent. Jensen tried therapy, hypnosis, and even sleeping pills which would knock him out and then teammates would carry him onto the plane. “I was worried the plane was going to crash every single time I went up,” Jensen said. “After we’d get up in the air and everyone else would fall asleep I’d just stare out the window looking at the engines the whole flight, as if something bad was going to happen if I took my eyes off them. Then, after we landed, all I’d be thinking about was how many days it would be until we had to fly again. It was just an awful time.” Manager Billy Martin didn’t help at all when he pulled a prank on Jensen during some turbulance one flight, putting on his oxygen mask and life vest, yelling “we’re doing down!” Jensen tried to make a comeback in 1961 after more therapy, but could not focus and quit again a month into the season. “I’ve had it,” he said. He eventually returned to finish out the season, in which he hit .263 with 13 home runs and 66 RBIs. After that, he walked away for good.

2. Sandy Koufax

No Hall of Famer retired as young as the great Sandy Koufax, who walked away from the game at just 30 years old. Koufax was not immediately the dominant pitcher he is remembered as. He was a slightly above average arm for 6 years with the Dodgers, pitching both as a starter and reliever. But in 1961, he worked extensively on his delivery and arm slot, smooth out inconsistencies that had plagued him early in his career. He developed a deadly curveball as well and suddenly won 18 games, making his first All Star Game. By 1963, he was practically unhittable, going 25-5 with a 1.88 ERA, winning the Cy Young Award and MVP. In 1965, he won 26 games, winning a second Cy Young, and then in 1966, went 27-9 with a career best 1.73 ERA, picking up his third Cy Young Award. He also helped the Dodgers win three World Series, winning 2 World Series MVPs for himself. He was hands down the best pitcher in baseball and was on his way to becoming perhaps the best to ever live. Then, in November of 1966, at 30 years of age, he shocked the baseball world by retiring at the peak of his dominance due to debilitating arthritis. He cited extreme pain and permanent damage to his pitching arm, choosing health over major money, a wise decision. "I don't regret for one minute the twelve years I've spent in baseball, but I could regret one season too many," he stated at his retirement press conference, emphasizing his choice to preserve his future. He became the youngest player ever inducted into Cooperstown.

1. Lou Gehrig

But coming in at #1 as the most shocking retirement in MLB history has to be Lou Gehrig, who was one of the greatest players to ever live, still near his peak, when just 8 games into the 1939 season, he was forced to walk away from the game. It wasn’t shocking to him or those close to him who knew what he was going through, but at the time, very few fans saw it coming. Gehrig was of course already an all-time legend. He won his first MVP in 1927 when, as a teammate of Babe Ruth, he drove in 173 runs, crushed 47 homers and 52 doubles with a .373 batting average, beating out his teammate for the award despite the Babe crushing a record 60 homers. He led the league in RBIs in 5 of 8 seasons and won his second MVP in 1936, less than 3 years before his retirement. That year, he crushed 49 homers and had a 1.174 OPS, absolutely insane production. In 1937, he was still unstoppable, hitting .351 with 37 home runs. In 1938, however, Gehrig began to decline, but it wasn’t due to age. He still hit .295 with 29 home runs and 114 RBIs, a season that would be considered a monster year by almost any one’s standards except Gehrig’s. But he felt noticeably less agile and powerful. But with 493 home runs, he was all but guaranteed to surpass 500 in 1939, and at just 35 years old, he could play another 5 years and easily reach 600. But in Spring Training of 1939, Gehrig knew something was seriously wrong. His muscles were stiff, his coordination was off, his power was gone, and he even struggled to keep his balance. He tried to push through, beginning the regular season, but after 8 games, going 4 for 28 with no extra base hits, he asked to be removed from the lineup, ending his record streak of 2,130 consecutive games played. Even then, he struck out only once in those 28 at bats, proving his legendary baseball skills were still intact somewhere, but something was wreaking havoc on his ability to drive the ball like he once did. Newspaper reports said he was taking a break due to his poor play in order to rest his body, so most fans thought he’d be back once he healed up. But then the next month, all hope of him returning was gone as Lou Gehrig officially retired after being diagnosed with ALS. His farewell was held at Yankee Stadium on July 4th, 1939, the date he gave his famous speech. Fans across baseball were stunned at how rapidly Lou went from being an MVP, and the legendary Iron Horse, baseball’s most unstoppable force, to a sick man forced into retirement. Sadly, the disease progressed quickly and Lou Gehrig passed away in 1941 at just 37 years of age, sending even more shockwaves through the game of baseball.

Top 25 MLB STARTING PITCHERS Of ALL TIME!! GIBSON, SPAHN, MADDUX Etc. Etc. - ELITE ARMS!!!

A starting pitcher is obviously vital to a team's success on any given day, at least until the age of bullpen games.  Still, on most days, it's the most important job on the field, as a strong starting performance gives a team a significant advantage while a poor starting performance can quickly destroy a team's chances for a victory.  The position is so important that as baseball evolved, teams realized the ability of a pitcher to hit well is so insignificant compared to their ability to pitch well, that they need not even practice it – their focus needs to be on pitching and getting hitters out, and so, pitchers became notoriously horrible at hitting until the DH was eventually adopted in the American League, and later across all of MLB, and now pitchers no longer have to hit, unless of course - they're actually good at it.

Throughout the history of baseball, hundreds of starting pitchers have had Hall of Fame careers, making this list extremely difficult.  Making it even tougher is comparing pitchers from the early 20th century to more modern arms. I do take inflated dead ball era numbers into consideration and some of those pitchers, while still considered for the list, might not be ranked as high as pitchers who faced more powerful bats. But ultimately, no matter who I put in the Top 25, I will have to leave off some legendary Hall of Famers. So, I’ll start with 15 quick honorable mentions who were considered for the main list but I just couldn’t quite squeeze them in.

Fergie Jenkins – Jenkins was the 1971 Cy Young Award Winner, and the first pitcher to end his career with at least 3,000 strikeouts and fewer than 1,000 walks.  He finished his career with 267 complete games, a shocking number for some one who pitched as recently as the 70’s and 80’s.

Roy Halladay – Doc Halladay was a 2-time Cy Young Award Winner and 8-time All Star who threw a perfect game in 2010 and later that year, a no-hitter in the playoffs. He led the league in complete games 7 times and is the last pitcher to pitch 260 innings in a season.

Phil Niekro – Niekro was a legendary knuckler, whose rare pitch allowed him to have an exceptionally long career that included 318 wins and 3,342 strikeouts. He was also a fantastic fielder who won 5 Gold Gloves.

Bret Saberghagen – a three-time All Star and 2-time Cy Young Award Winner, Saberhagen had a blazing fastball with pinpoint control. He was the 1985 Worlds Series MVP, going 2-0 with a .5 ERA, allowing just 1 run in 18 innings. In the 2 complete games, he walked 1 single batter. He is a major Hall of Fame snub.

Gaylord Perry – Perry was a 2-time Cy Young Award Winner notorious for his spitball and mind games with hitters. But he also had a strong fastball, deadly curve, and was extremely durable, coming in 6th all time in innings pitched. He is the last pitcher to retire with over 300 complete games.

Mike Mussina – Mussina may have never been the best, but he was among the best for 18 years, consistently winning between 14 and 20 games per season. He made 5 All Star games, won 7 Gold Gloves, and retired with an impressive 270-153 career record with over 3,500 strikeouts.

Tom Glavine – With his mastery of control, changing speeds and strategic intelligence, Glavine won 305 games throughout his 22 year career. He also won 2 Cy Young Awards and made 10 All Star teams, not to mention a World Series MVP in 1995, when he went 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the Fall Classic.

Curt Schilling – My #1 Hall of Fame snub of all time is currently Curt Schilling, who had an incredible 20 year career in which he finished 2nd for the Cy Young Award 3 times, made 6 All Star Teams, led the league in complete games 4 times and struck out over 3,000 batters. But he was even better in the postseason, winning an NLCS MVP and Co-World Series MVP, going 10-2 with a 2.23 ERA in October, helping the Diamondbacks win their first World Series and helping the Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino in legendary style.

Don Sutton – Sutton had incredible longevity, pitching 23 seasons, accumulating 5,282 innings pitched, 7th all time. He had his best years in the mid-70’s, when he finished in the Top 5 for the Cy Young in 5 straight years, making 4 All Star teams.

John Smoltz – Smoltzy was an elite 8-time All Star who put his name on the map with a legendary performance in the 1991 World Series, then went on to win a Cy Young in 1996 with a 24-8 record. Injuries forced him to miss a season then move to the bullpen, but he became a lockdown closer, leading the league with 55 saves in 2002.

Red Ruffing - Ruffing was a late bloomer who peaked in his 30’s after being traded to the Yankees. He won at least 20 games for 4 straight seasons, going from an innings-eating middle of the rotation starter to an Ace and Hall of Famer.

CC Sabathia – One of the best arms of the late 2000’s and early 2010’s, 6-time All Star CC Sabathia won a Cy Young in 2007 with the Cleveland Indians, then went on to help the Yankees win the World Series in 2009, going 19-8 in the regular season and then dominating in the playoffs, winning an ALCS MVP.

Smokey Joe Williams – a legend of the Negro Leagues for over 20 years, Williams was a strikeout machine who once struck out 27 batters over 12 innings while allowing a single hit. He threw several no-hitters, including one in an exhibition game against the New York Giants.

Satchell Paige – Paige was an extremely skilled pitcher known for his blazing fastball, pinpoint control, and diverse arsenal of trick pitches. His showmanship and longevity also defined his career, as he pitched professionally for over 40 years across the Negro Leagues and Major Leagues.

Since we’re only focusing on the modern era, I’m not talking about pitchers who primarily had their best years before 1903, but there is one more pitcher who also has to get a mention, and I’ve already said his name several times and will be repeating his name throughout the rest of the video – the legendary Cy Young.

Cy Young

“Cyclone Cy” would easily come in at #1 if we went back to the 19th Century. His career lasted from 1890 to 1911, 22 seasons, but his best years were before 1903. He put up numbers that will never be seen again, due to the way the game has evolved. But there is no doubt that among his peers, nobody was better. Cy Young dominated with a powerful fastball early in his career then incredible control later on. He had remarkable durability and was the ultimate "workhorse". Young won over 30 games 5 times and at least 20 games 16 times, retiring with a still MLB record 511 wins. He set a since broken MLB record with 3 career no-hitters and still holds the record for starts, complete games, and innings pitched. He completed 749 games in his career. Only 2 other pitchers even started that many games – Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton. Cy Young’s legendary status led to the naming of the Cy Young Award, given to the best pitcher in each league every season.

And now let's jump into the Top 25…

25. Bert Blyleven

Although he shockingly made just 2 All Star Teams, Blyleven was a workhorse and dominant starter for 22 years in the big leagues, with double-digit wins in 17 separate seasons. He retired with 287 wins and is in the top 15 all time in innings pitched and career WAR for starting pitchers. When he retired, he was 3rd all time in strikeouts and remains in the top 5 even today.

24. Eddie Plank

One of the best pitchers of the dead ball era, Plank won at least 20 games 8 times and finished his career with an insanely impressive 326-194 record with a 2.35 ERA. He also had a career 1.32 ERA in 7 World Series appearances, helping his A’s win 3 Championships. Plank was the first left-handed pitcher to reach 200 and 300 wins and still holds the record for most career shutouts and most complete games by a lefty.

23. Don Drysdale

An intimidating, hard throwing righty, Don Drysdale was a 9-time All Star and 1962 Cy Young Award winner who was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the 1960’s. That year, he went 25-9 with a 2.83 ERA. He helped his Dodgers win 3 World Series but unfortunately, injuries cut his career short.

22. Mordecai Brown

3-Finger Mordecai Brown had an insane 2.06 career ERA and 6 consecutive seasons with 20+ wins. In 1909, he went 27-9 with a 1.31 ERA and 32 complete games. His unique skillset was primarily defined by his exceptional curveball and sinker, which he developed as an advantage from a mangled pitching hand. His rare grip imparted an unusual spin on the ball, making his pitches highly deceptive during the dead-ball era. He also possessed excellent control and fielding skills. For his career, he went 239-130 with 271 complete games.

21. Juan Marichal

Next up is the Dominican Dandy, who made 10 All Star teams and won 243 games during his 16 year career. Known for his distinctive high leg kick, wide variety of pitches, and incredible stamina, Marichal holds the record for most wins in San Francisco Giants history. He won over 20 games in 6 of 7 seasons, an ERA title in 1969 and retired with 244 complete games, 52 shutouts and over 2,300 strikeouts.

20. Whitey Ford

Yankee Legend Whitey Ford is a 10-time All Star who won the Cy Young in 1961 when he went 25-4. That year, he also won a World Series MVP with 2 shutdown performances – he didn’t allow a single run in 14 innings of work. Ford led the league in wins 3 times and ERA twice. He retired with 236 wins, 2 ERA titles and 6 World Series rings.

19. Ed Walsh – The early 20th Century Hall of Famer Ed Walsh was known for a dominant spitball. He had an insane 6 year peak in which he won over 20 games 4 times including 40 in 1908. But what’s most impressive about Walsh – he has an MLB record for starting pitchers with a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched – a 1.82 career ERA and although he only started 315 games, he completed 250 of them and still compiled nearly 3,000 innings.

18. Carl Hubbell

Hubbell pitched for the New York Giants his entire 16 year career. He was great from the beginning, averaging 17 wins per year his first full four seasons, but in 1933, Hubbell won 23 games with a 1.66 ERA, winning the MVP Award. From that point on, he was absolutely elite, making 9 All Star teams, and winning over 20 games per season for 5 straight years. He won a second MVP in 1936 when he went 26-6. Hubbell retired with 253 wins, a 2.98 ERA, 260 complete games, and 36 shutouts.

17. Grover Cleveland Alexander

Pete Alexander, AKA Grover Cleveland, AKA Alexander the Great was a legendary early 20th century pitcher who had masterful control, a wide variety of breaking pitches and an easy, graceful delivery. He dominated hitters for two decades, and threw over 300 innings in 9 separate seasons. For a 6 year stretch from 1915 to 1920, he had a sub 2 ERA every season. His best numbers were during the dead ball era and he wasn’t quite as dominant in the 1920’s, but Alexander still retired with incredible career numbers – 373 wins, 436 complete games, 30 shutouts and 2,189 strikeouts.

16. Robin Roberts

Just missing out on the top 15 is 7-time All Star Robin Roberts, the best starting pitcher in baseball during the first half of the 1950’s. He threw over 300 innings for 6 straight seasons. Note that no pitcher today even comes close to 300 innings and no one has done it for 45 years. During that 6 year stretch, he never won less than 20 games, threw 24 shutouts, and led the league in strikeouts twice. The Cy Young Award was introduced in 1956, just after his insane peak. He would’ve easily won the award at least twice, maybe three times. Outside of that peak, he still had lots of success, including 10 seasons with double digit wins. He put forth an amazing performance in the 1950 World Series, throwing 10 innings, allowing 2 runs, but his offense only scored 1 and the Phillies lost the game and eventually, the series.

15. Sandy Koufax

Legendary Dodger Sandy Koufax is only this low on the list, because of his relatively short 12-year career cut short by chronic pain in his pitching elbow at the age of 30. He was also an average at best pitcher for his 1st 6 seasons. But over his final five seasons, Koufax went 111-34 with a 1.95 ERA, possibly the greatest 5-year peak for a starting pitcher in MLB history.  For those 5 seasons, he led the league in ERA every year, averaging over 22 wins per season, 3 times with at least 25 wins. He was a strikeout machine, setting a modern MLB record with 382 strikeouts in a single season. He won 3 Cy Young Awards, an MVP, and had a postseason .95 ERA, winning 2 World Series MVP Awards, while helping the Dodgers win 3 titles. Koufax is also second all-time with 4 career no-hitters.

14. Jim Palmer

Jim Palmer was known for his exceptional command, ability to induce weak contact, and a smooth delivery featuring a high leg kick.  During the mid-70’s, no one was better. Palmer won the Cy Young Award in 3 out of 4 seasons, and in 1975, his best year, he went 23-11 with a 2.09 ERA. He led the league in wins for 3 straight seasons, ERA twice, and innings pitched four times. In 1975, he led the league with 10 shutouts, an incredible number as even by that time, shutouts were becoming somewhat rare, although obviously not as rare as today. The 6-time All Star and 4-time Gold Glover helped the Orioles win 3 World Series Championships and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990.

13. Clayton Kershaw

The now retired Kershaw pitched for 18 seasons, won a Cy Young in 3 out of 4 seasons, led the league in ERA for 4 consecutive seasons, and even won an MVP Award in 2014, going 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA. He is one of just 5 pitchers in the 21st Century with 300 strikeouts in a season and has the lowest ERA in the live-ball era for a pitcher with more than 1,000 innings pitched. Kershaw had some troubles in the playoffs, but still 2nd all time with 213 career postseason strikeouts and he helped the Dodgers win 3 World Series titles. His .699 winning percentage is a modern MLB record for a pitcher with at least 1,500 innings pitched.

12. Steve Carlton

Lefty Steve Carlton was an intimidating starting pitcher whose repertoire included a dominant fastball and slider that helped him strike out 4,136 batters, 4th all time. His rigorous training helped him pitch for 24 seasons, in which he won four Cy Young Awards. He won at least 20 games 6 times and led the league in strikeouts 5 times. He also pitched well in the postseason, helping both the Cardinals and Phillies win World Series championships. Carlton won 329 games and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1994.

11. Pedro Martinez

Pedro Martínez was one of baseball's most dominant pitchers in the late 90’s and early 2000’s due to an elite blend of an electric arsenal, pinpoint command, and exceptional intelligence. He led the league in ERA in 5 out of 7 seasons and won the Cy Young Award in 3 out of 4. In 1999, he won the Pitcher’s Triple Crown with 23 wins, 313 strikeouts and a 1.07 ERA. He was also a key member of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, helping them break the Curse of the Bambino with 7 scoreless innings in Game 3 of the Fall Classic. He retired with 3,154 strikeouts, 15th all time and made it into the Hall of Fame his first year on the ballot in 2015.

10. Nolan Ryan

Next up is the legend himself, the Ryan Express. Nolan Ryan made his MLB debut in 1966 and pitched until 1993 – a nearly 30 year span. His primary skill was unparalleled power centered around an explosive and almost untouchable fastball. He was probably the first pitcher to consistently hit triple digits on the radar gun. The Mets used him as a reliever and starter, but after a move to Angels in 1972, he entered the rotation full time and showed his true potential, striking out 329 batters and setting a still-standing MLB record by allowing just 5.26 hits per 9 innings. He went on to lead the league in strikeouts a record 11 times, maxing out at 383 K’s in 1973, a modern MLB record. The 8-time All Star became the first pitcher to strike out 5,000 batters and remains the lone member of the club. He retired with 5,714 strikeouts, a record that feels completely safe for eternity. Another one of his untouchable records – an absolutely insane seven no-hitters.

9. Bob Gibson

Bob Gibson's legendary career was built on a fierce, intimidating presence, a blistering fastball, pinpoint control, and exceptional overall athleticism. His dominance was so pronounced during the 1968 season that MLB lowered the pitcher's mound the following year. He won the Cy Young Award and MVP that year with a 22-9 record and insane 1.12 ERA. Despite the change, he kept dominating and won another Cy Young in 1970 with a 23-7 record. Gibson made 9 All Star Games, won 9 Gold Gloves, an ERA title and two World Series Championships. What’s even more impressive is he won the World Series MVP both times. Gibson always showed up when it counted and he had a career 1.89 World Series ERA. For his career, Gibson struck out 3,117 batters and compiled 251 wins.

8. Greg Maddux

Hall of Famer Greg Maddux had an elite ability that was defined by exceptional control, superior pitching mechanics, and high baseball intelligence rather than overwhelming velocity. Nicknamed "The Professor," his ability to out-think hitters and consistently hit his spots made him one of the most dominant and efficient pitchers of his era. He was also one of the best fielders to ever pitch and won a record 18 Gold Gloves. Maddux was incredibly reliable and during his 23-year career, he landed on the disabled list just one time. As far his credentials, he made made 8 All Star teams, won four ERA titles and also won four Cy Young Awards – consecutively. He won at least 19 games 7 times, and retired with 355 wins, over 5,000 innings pitched, 109 complete games and even 3,371 strikeouts. He had a 2.25 ERA in the 1995 World Series, when he helped the Braves win it all.

7. Warren Spahn

Another legendary Brave, Warren Spahn was known for his durability, intelligence on the mound, and masterful control, which included a deceptive high leg kick. The 17-time All-Star tied an MLB record by winning at least 20 games in thirteen separate seasons. Eight times he led the league in wins, and he also led the league in strikeouts for 4 straight seasons. He completed games at a pace that was insane even in his time. Spahn led the league in complete games 9 times, 7 consecutively, and retired with 382 complete games, more than any pitcher who appeared in the 2nd half of the 20th century. He won the Cy Young Award in 1957, and finished in the Top 3 5 times. He also threw 3 complete games in the World Series and won a ring with the Braves in 1957. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973.

6. Roger Clemens

One of the most dominant pitchers to ever live, Roger Clemens was known for his durability, fierce competitiveness, and intimidating power pitching that relied on both an overpowering fastball and a devastating splitter. He became the best pitcher in the game early in his career with the Red Sox, winning the Cy Young and MVP in 1986 when he went 24-4 with a 2.48 ERA. He won a second MVP in 1987, then a third in 1991. By 1996, he had won four ERA titles, made 5 All Star teams and looked on track to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. After that, he went on to Toronto, where he is alleged to have started using PEDs. Clemens became better than ever, winning back to back Cy Young Awards again, then another with the Yankees, and a record 7th with the Astros. He led the league in strikeouts 5 times and shutouts 5 times, retiring with 352 wins and 4,672 strikeouts. He gets docked a little on this list for the PED usage, since there is a chance that without it, he was on the backend of his career by the late 90’s. The roids gave him a chance to dominate for an additional decade, but they’ve also kept him out of Cooperstown for the time being.

5. Tom Seaver

Moving into the top 5 we have Tom Seaver, whose pitching mechanics and delivery generated immense power from his legs and reduced stress on his arm. This technique was central to his success and longevity throughout his 20-year career. Seaver won a Rookie of the Year in 1967, and then in 1969, he won his first of 3 Cy Young Awards, going 25-7 with a 2.21 ERA. He went on to make 12 All Star Teams and win 3 ERA titles. Seaver was a key member of the 1969 Miracle Mets team and he threw a 10 inning complete game victory in Game 3 of the World Series. He retired with 311 wins, 231 complete games, 61 shutouts, and 3,640 strikeouts.

4. Lefty Grove

Next up, we have Lefty Grove, who was a dominant left-handed pitcher in the first half of the 20th century, known for his elite fastball and intimidating presence on the mound. While his peak with the Philadelphia Athletics was defined by overpowering speed, he evolved into a finesse and control pitcher later in his career with the Boston Red Sox. To kick off his career, he led the league in strikeouts for 7 straight seasons from 1925 to 1931. Grove won nine ERA titles, and won at least 20 games 8 times. In 1931, he had a season for the ages, going 31-4 with a 2.06 ERA. He completed 27 of his 30 starts that year and won the MVP Award. Grove retired with exactly 300 wins and still has the highest win-loss percentage of any 300-game winner at .680.

3. Randy Johnson

It was only a matter of time before I got the Big Unit, Randy Johnson, without a doubt the most intimidating and best pitcher of my lifetime. His pitching skillset was defined by his towering 6’10” frame, a high-velocity four seam fastball and a sharp, late-breaking slider. This electric stuff led to a Hall of Fame 22 year career in which he led the league in strikeouts 9 times, won 4 ERA titles, made 10 All Star teams and took home an incredible five Cy Young Awards. He dominated the late 90’s and early 2000’s, and in 2002, he went 24-5 with a 2.32 ERA, earning his 4th consecutive Cy Young. He, along with Curt Schilling, won the 2001 World Series MVP Award, going 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA, helping the D-Backs win it all. Randy Johnson's notable MLB records include ranking first all-time among left-handed pitchers in career strikeouts, and being tied for the most seasons with 300 or more strikeouts. He also holds the record for most consecutive seasons with 300 or more strikeouts.

2. Christy Mathewson

Next up, a legend of the early modern era, Christy Mathewson kicked off the 20th century with a bang, winning 20 games in 1901 with a 2.41 ERA. It was just the beginning for the legend. For fourteen seasons, Mathewson averaged an unthinkable 26 wins per season, including an astounding 37 wins in 1908. He had exceptional control, and threw an untouchable screwball that helped him put up strikeout numbers never before seen. He led the league in the category in 5 of 6 seasons, maxing out at 267 strikeouts in 1903, a single-season National League record at the time, and a single-season Giants franchise record that stands to this day. Not even Tim Lincecum was able to break it. Mathewson also won 5 ERA titles and retired with a 2.13 ERA, better than any pitcher with at least 4,000 innings pitched. In the World Series, he had a .97 ERA, and in 1905, had a performance for the ages, unfortunately forgotten now since no one who witnessed it is around anymore. Mathewson threw 3 shutouts, and helped his Giants win the championship. Had the award existed, he would’ve been the obvious choice for World Series MVP.

1. Walter Johnson

But coming in at #1, even though he pitched mostly in the dead ball era, has to be the Big Train, Walter Johnson. Johnson was the original flamethrower, and was known for having one of the fastest pitches of his era. It was likely no faster than the average fastball we see out of a typical MLB bullpen in 2025, and probably significantly slower, but in the early 20th Century, it was untouchable. Johnson led the league in strikeouts in 12 separate seasons, maxing out at 313 K’s in 1910. His win totals were off the charts and Johnson averaged 27 wins per season for 10 seasons. His best year was 1913 when he went 36-7 with a 1.14 ERA. He had a sub-2 ERA in 11 seasons and even won two MVP Awards, one in 1913 and one in 1924. He set an unbreakable MLB record with 110 career shutouts, and also won a World Series ring in 1924, helping the Senators beat the Giants with 20 strikeouts and 2 complete games. Johnson retired with 417 wins, 531 complete games, 3,509 strikeouts and a 2.17 career ERA and he comes in at #1 as the greatest pitcher in modern MLB history.

And that does it for today’s ranking; I hope you all enjoyed it – we’re almost done with the positional rankings, just one more to go – the greatest designated hitters of all time; look forward to that one next week. I hope every one has a great day and we’ll talk to ya’ll in the next video.

Top 10 MLB Players Who Were RELEASED, DFA'd or NON-TENDERED Before Becoming SUPERSTARS!!

One of the toughest decisions an MLB front office has to make is which players to give the bad news to – your services will no longer be required. There’s different ways to do it – outright release, designate for assignment, non-tender, waivers, but they all mean the same thing – we don’t want you. Sometimes the player returns to the organization in the minors, sometimes they catch on somewhere else only to be released again, and sometimes they call it a career. And then sometimes, the player signs elsewhere and becomes a massive superstar, leaving the original team that released them looking completely foolish. And today we’ll be talking about 10 players who were released or DFA’d by an MLB team, then went on to have an amazing big league career. This isn’t about players who already had a great career and then were DFA’d when they were older and no longer as good – that happens all the time sadly. This is about younger players who were deemed to not be worthy of a roster spot, but proved themselves in a huge way somewhere else. It’s not an all-inclusive list as there have been hundreds of examples throughout baseball history, so feel free to add more in the comments section, but these are the top 10 that occurred during the last 45 years. So, let’s jump right into it...

10. Liam Hendriks

Liam Hendriks grew up playing baseball in Australia, becoming a premiere High School pitcher in Perth, the Capital City of Western Australia. The Minnesota Twins took notice and signed him to a professional contract on his 18th birthday. He immediately impressed in rookie ball with 2.05 ERA in 10 starts and a Gulf Coast League leading 52 strikeouts. He worked his way up the minor league ladder, dominating each level. In 2012, he went 9-3 with a 2.2 ERA in Triple-A. Unfortunately, his numbers in the big leagues were not so impressive, and after three seasons bouncing up and down from Triple-A, the Twins designated him for assignment, even though he still had minor league options remaining. Hendriks had shown electric stuff, but couldn’t figure it out as a starter, and the Twins never tried him out in the bullpen. The Cubs claimed him off waivers, then almost immediately put him back on waivers, where the Blue Jays claimed him. He again dominated in Triple-A, going 8-1 with a 2.33 ERA and he was the starter for the International League All-Star Team. But the Blue Jays traded him to the Royals, and then the Royals Designated him for Assignment after just 6 appearances. He was traded back to the Blue Jays, who finally tried him out in the bullpen, and Hendriks pitched very well in the role with a 2.92 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. The Jays traded him to the A’s, where he became a staple in the Oakland bullpen and was eventually named the closer. In 2019, he made his first MLB All Star Game and saved 25 games with a 1.8 ERA. In the shortened 2020, he had a 1.78 ERA and finished in the Top 10 for the Cy Young. He signed with the White Sox on a 4-year, $54 million deal and led the league with 38 saves in 2021 then followed it up with 37 saves in 2022, making back to back All Star teams. Not too bad for a guy who was DFA’d multiple times.

9. Tim Wakefield

Next up is Tim Wakefield, a Pittsburgh Pirates draft pick. He was drafted in the 8th Round in 1988, receiving a $15,000 signing bonus, as a first baseman. Wakefield hit 40 career home runs in college, but after hitting just .189 in Low A Ball, he decided to re-invent himself as a pitcher, but not just any pitcher – he would be a knuckleballer. Wakefield pitched so well in the minors, the Pirates agreed to a full conversion to pitcher and in 1991 in Double-A, he led all Pirates minor league pitchers in wins, inning pitched and complete games. In 1992, he was 10-3 with a 3.06 ERA in Triple-A when the Pirates called him up. He dazzed his rookie year, going 8-1 with a 2.15 ERA, finishing 3rd for the Rookie of the Year. He was also fantastic in the playoffs, beating Tom Glavine twice and throwing a complete game 5-hitter in Game of the NLCS. You’d think that would’ve been good enough for a place in the Pirates rotation for years to come, but after a rough start to the 1993 season in which he struggled with command, the Pirates sent him down. They kept him in the minors all year in 1994 then released him in 1995 shortly after the strike ended. It was an understandable decision as he went 5-15 with a 6.51 ERA in Triple-A in 1994, and it seemed he was just a flash in the pan success. But that wasn’t the case. The Red Sox signed him and Wakefield worked with knuckeball legends Joe and Phil Niekro. He went 16-8 with the Red Sox in 1995 with a 2.95 ERA. From there, he was a key member of their rotation for 17 years, and helped them to win two World Series Championships. He made the All Star team in 2009 and retired with 200 wins and 2,156 strikeouts.

8. Dave Stewart

Right-handed pitcher Dave Stewart was drafted out of High School by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1975. He dominated A ball in 1977, going 17-4 with a 2.15 ERA and was in Triple-A by the end of the season. Despite continuing to pitch well, the Dodgers only gave him limited opportunities in the big leagues until they were forced to put him on the big league roster or release him in 1981 when he ran out of minor league options. He barely made the team, but spent the season in the bullpen, pitching very well with a 2.49 ERA and even picked up 6 saves. He continued to pitch well, mostly out of the bullpen, for the Dodgers, until they traded him to the Rangers in a controversial move as many fans thought Stewart was the team’s best pitcher. “I’ve been doing so little in L.A. that this is the best thing for me,” said Stewart. He was put into the rotation and went 5-2 with a 2.14 ERA down the stretch. However, Stewart struggled in 1984, going 7-14 with a 4.73 ERA. In 1985, he was sent back to the bullpen and after one particular rough appearance, he was booed by the Rangers fans. Stewart said “I’d say to those idiots, ok partner, come out and see how you do.” The Rangers traded him to the Phillies in September of 1985. Then, in May of 1986, after struggling with a 6.57 ERA, they released him. It looked like it might be a career for Dave Stewart. But the Oakland A’s offered him a contract. He had one more shot and he took it.. literally, as he decked Cleveland manager Pat Corrales during a bench clearing brawl, resulting in a 5 game suspension. But after that, he pitched well the rest of the season, and earned a 2-year, $500,000 contract. Starting in 1987, Stewart became a star, winning at least 20 games in 4 straight seasons. During that 4-year stretch, he never finished lower than 4th for the Cy Young, led the league in complete games twice, and won a total of 84 games. He made the All Star Game in 1989, the same year he helped lead the A’s to a World Series title, with a 1.69 ERA in the World Series. He later won another ring with Blue Jays in 1993, winning the ALCS MVP along the way with a 2.03 ERA in the series. It was quite the career recovery after it looked like it was all over when the Phillies released him back in 1986.

7. Kevin Gausman

Current Toronto Blue Jays Ace Kevin Gausman was at one time a potential first round bust after some rough years in the big leagues. He was drafted in the 1st round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 out of Louisiana State and pitched well in the minors, although he didn’t exactly dominate. He made his big league debut in 2013 and bounced up and down from Triple-A that year, never getting completely comfortable anywhere. It was the same story year after year until he finally got an extended shot in 2016, and he went 9-12 with a 3.61 ERA. He showed signs of greatness, at one point pitching 21 consecutive scoreless innings. He was the 2017 Opening Day starter for the Orioles but that season, went 11-12 with a 4.68 ERA. In 2018, the Orioles traded him to the Atlanta Braves for prospects and international signing money. With Atlanta in 2019, Gausman struggled in 16 starts, going 3-7 with a career worst 6.19 ERA. He was designated for assignment. Gausman was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds and put in the bullpen. He went 0-2 with a 4.03 ERA in 15 games, and although the Reds could’ve brought him back in 2020, they non-tendered him, essentially letting him go for nothing, and he became a free agent. At this point, Gausman was a former first round pick who never completely panned out, never made an All Star team, and had been both DFA’d and non-tendered. But another team thought he still had something left, and the San Francisco Giants signed him to a one-year deal. In the Covid-shortened 2020 season, he showed serious stuff, striking out 79 batters in 59 innings with a deadly splitter that he had now learned to use masterfully. The Giants offered him the $18.9 million qualifying offer and he accepted, returning in 2021 to go 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA and 10.6 strikeouts per 9 innings. He made his first All Star team and finished 6th for the Cy Young, helping the Giants win a franchise record 107 games. He signed a 5-year, $110 million deal with Toronto and finished 9th for the Cy Young in 2022, made another All Star team in 2023, and just helped the Jays win the AL pennant in 2025, with a dominant performance in ALDS and ALCS. He’s certainly come a long way since being DFA’d back in 2019.

6. Max Muncy

The Los Angeles Dodgers just recently picked up their 2026 option on Max Muncy, agreeing to pay the slugger $10 million to return to LA. But his career was on a completely different path about 10 years ago. Muncy was drafted in the 5th round of the 2012 Draft by the Oakland Athletics. He showed some impressive power in 2013 between High A and Double-A, crushing 25 bombs and 25 doubles while driving in 100 runs with a .273 batting average. He made his big league debut in 2015, but hit just .206 with 3 homers in 102 at bats. In 2016, he hit .186 with 2 homers in 51 games and the A’s likely decided he wasn’t big league material. They designated him for assignment, and he cleared waivers, meaning no other team wanted his services. They sent him to the minor league camp during 2017 Spring Training, then released him all together just as the season was to begin. He could’ve retired right then and there and no one would’ve thought anything of it. Instead, Muncy signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers and in Oklahoma City, hit .309 with 12 home runs. He was sent back to OKC to start the 2018 season but was quickly promoted after a hot start, and he started homering at a blistering pace, breaking a Dodgers record with 20 homers in his first 183 at bats. He was selected to participate in the home run derby, although he didn’t quite make the All Star team. He ended the year with 35 bombs, then hit 35 more in 2019, proving it was no fluke. Muncy has been a regular in the Dodgers lineup ever since, has made two All Star teams and currently has 214 career home runs and counting. It’s crazy to think he not only was DFA’d by the Oakland A’s, but cleared waivers, was sent to the minors then released completely before his amazing career resurgence with Los Angeles.

5. Justin Turner

Veteran third baseman Justin Turner just completed his 17th big league season and has put together an impressive career that seemed very unlikely to happen back around 2013. He was drafted in the 7th Round of the 2006 Draft by the Cincinnati Reds and quickly impressed in rookie ball, hitting .338 in 60 games while showing his versatility by playing every infield position and the outfield. He continued to rake in the minors, but the Reds decided to use him as a trade piece, sending him to the Orioles for veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez. Turner was sent to Triple-A and hit .300 in 108 games, but hit just 2 homers. The Orioles promoted him but he went 3 for 22 during his first cup of coffee. The next year, after going 0 for 9, the Orioles decided that Justin Turner ain’t it, and they designated him for assignment. He was claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, and hit .333 with their Triple-A team, showing more power with 11 home runs. He got an extended shot in 2011 and set a Mets Rookie Record for most consecutive games with an RBI. Still, Justin Turner’s career never really took off with the Mets, and after 3 seasons there, he was non-tendered, making him an unrestricted free agent during the 2013-2014 offseason. His career was in jeopardy until Dodgers bench coach Tim Wallach saw Turner hitting at a Cal State Fullerton alumni game. Wallach was impressed and asked Turner if he was getting any interest from other teams since the Mets let him go. Turner was honest and said he had zero offers from any one. Wallach convinced the Dodgers to sign Justin Turner to a minor league deal, and he made the 2014 LA Dodgers team out of Spring Training. Injuries gave him more playing time than expected, and Turner took full advantage, hitting .340 with 7 home runs and 43 RBIs in 288 at bats. He earned a one-year, $2.5 million deal, became the starting third baseman, and hit .294 with 16 homers in 2015, then tore it up in the playoffs, hitting .526 in the NLDS. In 2016, he smashed 27 home runs, then in 2017, he had his best year yet, hitting .322 while making his first All Star team. Justin Turner had become a top-tier player, and helped the Dodgers win the World Series in 2020, hitting .320 with 2 homers in the World Series. He moved onto Boston and hit 23 home runs with 96 RBIs in 2023, before spending time with Seattle, Toronto and then this year, the Chicago Cubs.

4. J.D. Martinez

Another low round pick, J.D. Martinez wasn’t taken until the 20th Round of the 2009 Draft out of Division 2 Nova Southeastern University by the Houston Astros. He was an amazing hitter in college, but could he hit professional pitching? Martinez immediately showed the Astros what he could do, hitting .341 in 2010 between Single and Double A. In 2010, still in Double-A, he was hitting .338 with 13 home runs when the Astros promoted him. He showed potential in the big leagues, hitting .274 in his first 54 games, but ended up bouncing up and down over the next couple years until the Astros decided Martinez wasn’t going to be part of their future during 2014 Spring Training. They outrighted him off the Major League Roster and released him. Martinez had to settle on a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, but after a hot start in Toledo, they promoted him back to the big leagues and Martinez hit .315 with 23 home runs, immediately cementing himself into the Tigers everyday lineup. In 2015, he made his first All Star Team and hit .282 with 38 homers and 102 RBIs. He hit over .300 for 4 straight seasons, moving on to the Diamondbacks, then Red Sox, where he became a critical piece of their lineup in 2018 when they won it all. He led the league with 130 RBIs and 358 total bases, and finished 4th for the MVP. He made 4 All Star teams with Boston, and then another with the Dodgers in 2023. The 6-time All Star and 3-Time Silver Slugger’s baseball career appears to be over, but he is now planning a professional career as a pickleball player.

3. Jose Bautista

Jose Bautista was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th Round of the 2000 MLB Draft out of Chipola College in Florida. In his first full season of minor league ball with the Hickory Crawdads, he hit .301 with 14 homers and a .402 on-base-percentage. He continued to play well in the minors, but before he was added to the 40-man roster, the Baltimore Orioles picked him up in the Rule 5 Draft, adding him to the 2004 Opening Day Roster. He then bounced around like a hot potato that season, getting DFA’d, sent to waivers, and traded multiple times. The Orioles DFA’d him after just 11 at bats, although he had 3 hits. He was claimed by the Rays, who DFA’d him after 12 at bats and sent him to the Royals, who traded him to the Mets. Before the Mets even put him in a game, just minutes after the trade, they traded him back to his original team, the Pirates, who got a second chance to enjoy the services of this future All Star. They actually used him for a couple years, and Bautista was decent, hitting .254 with 15 home runs in 2007. It wasn’t good enough apparently and the Pirates traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays, where he would finally realize his full potential. In 2010, he led the league with 54 home runs, drove in 124 runs, won a Silver Slugger and finished 4th for the MVP. The Jays gave him a 5 year, $54 million extension and he kept crushing the baseball. He made 6 straight All Star teams, averaging 38 homers a year, leading the league in RBIs twice, while finishing in the Top 10 for the MVP 4 times. He hit a dramatic game winning bomb in the 2015 ALDS, resulting in one of the most famous bat flips of all time.

2. Kyle Schwarber

Kyle Schwarber was a 1st round, 4th overall pick, by the Chicago Cubs in 2014. He was a top prospect, who hit .344 with 18 home runs in his first 72 games in the minor leagues. He continued to tear up the minors in 2015, forcing a call up to Chicago. He became a regular in 2015 and absolutely crushed the ball in the playoffs, setting a Cubs record with 5 postseason bombs. Unfortunately, a left leg injury kept him out for nearly all of 2016, although he did appear in the World Series as a pinch hitter and DH, hitting .412, helping the Cubs win their first World Series since 1908. It seemed Schwarber’s career was on the right track despite the injury, but in 2017, after a slow start, he was demoted to Triple-A. He returned to the Cubs after the All Star Break, and finished the season strong. Schwarber continued to be a huge home run threat, smashing 26 in 2018 then 38 in 2019. Then, in 2020, the Covid-Shortened season, Schwarber never really got going and hit just .188 with 11 home runs. Fortunately for the Cubs, he was still under their control for the 2021 season, where he would surely bounce back with a full season. But, actually, the Cubs didn’t want him – they shockingly non-tendered Kyle Schwarber, simply letting him go for nothing, and instead signed Joc Pederson, who they traded to the Braves mid-season. Schwarber signed with the Nationals and with them and the Red Sox, he hit .266 with 32 home runs, and made his first All Star team. But he got even better after signing a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies. He won a Silver Slugger in 2022, with a league leading 46 home runs, and then smashed 6 homers in the postseason, 3 in the World Series. In 2024, he led the league in walks and then this year, had his best season yet, leading the league with 56 home runs and 132 RBIs, while making his 3rd All Star team. At the All Star Game, he impressed the world with 3 home runs in 3 swings during the first ever swing-off, giving the National League the victory. He is now set for a huge payday in free agency.

1. David Ortiz

Coming in at #1 has to be Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who was first signed as an international free agent by the Seattle Mariners in 1992. While still in the lower minor leagues, he was traded to the Minnesota Twins to complete an earlier trade. Ortiz at that time, was the player to be named later. In 1997, he hit 31 home runs and 124 RBIs in the minor leagues between high A, Double-A, and Triple-A. Ortiz made his big league debut in 1997 and hit .327 with a homer in his first 49 at bats. Still, the Twins kept him mostly in Triple-A the next couple years. In 1999, he crushed 30 home runs with 110 RBIs for the Salt Lake Buzz. He finally got an extended shot in the bigs in 2000, and hit .282 with 10 homers and an impressive .364 on-base percentage. In 2001, he started the year hot but a wrist fracture derailed his season and he hit just .234 overall. In 2002, he bounced back, especially in the second half when he hit .297 with 15 home runs and 42 RBIs. He hit his first but definitely not last walk off home run in September, and hit a clutch double in the ALDS. The Twins had control of Ortiz for 2002 and all the signs where there that he was a star in the making. However, the Twins decided they didn’t want to pay him the relatively small $2 million salary he would’ve been owed, and instead, released him. The story goes that in the offseason, Pedro Martinez had a chance encounter with Ortiz at a restaurant in the Dominican Republic, and was reminded of the time Ortiz crushed a home run off him. He convinced the Red Sox, who needed a 1st baseman, to sign Ortiz and they offered him a one-year deal. Ortiz thanked the Red Sox by hitting .288 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs, finishing 5th for the MVP and immediately making the Twins look stupid. He went on to get even better and over 14 years in Boston, he made 10 All Star teams and won 7 Silver Sluggers, averaging 35 home runs per season. He finished in the Top 10 for the MVP 7 times and helped the Red Sox win three World Series championships with multiple walk off hits and clutch home runs. He won the World Series MVP award in 2013 with .688 average and 2 home runs. David Ortiz retired as the greatest designated hitter to ever play the game and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022, about 20 years after he was released by the Twins.

Top 15 DESIGNATED HITTERS In MLB History

Welcome back to the final positional ranking video; and today we’re going to rank the top 15 Designated Hitters of all time; maybe someday we can do these again in 10 or 15 years as more amazing active players retire; it’s been a lot of fun diving into baseball history and trying to rank all these amazing players. Today, we go with an interesting position – the DH, a position where defense doesn’t matter at all and these players don’t even need to bring a glove to the ballpark. Their entire role revolves around batting effectively, and they are typically expected to have above-average hitting statistics compared to position players.  And preferably, they should be able to hit with lots of power. The only rules for this list are that the player played at least 500 games as a DH and hasn’t appeared on another positional ranking, so if you’re looking for Dave Winfield, check out the top right-fielders video. I’ll also give a little extra bonus for players who had their best seasons as a Designated Hitters. Let’s get into the list.

15. Billy Butler

Billy Butler was identified by the Royals as a primary DH right away and he played 76% of his games as the designated hitter his rookie year of 2007 when he hit .292. He quickly became a staple in the Royals lineup and hit .301 in 2009 with 21 bombs. Butler consistently hit around .300 with power, and made the All Star Team in 2012, a year he won the Silver Slugger Award for the position of Designated Hitter. He smashed 29 homers with 107 RBIs and a .313 batting average. His numbers dropped in 2014 and he ended up with the Oakland A’s, where he hit just .251 in his last full season. Butler retired after a short stint with the Yankees in 2016. He only played 10 years total, but hit .290 with 147 homers, 96 as a DH.

14. Brian Downing

Long-time California Angel Brian Downing played 20 years in the big leagues and was known for his disciplined plate approach, which resulted in more walks than strikeouts throughout his career. Originally a catcher, he reinvented himself as a powerful outfielder and DH after breaking his ankle in 1980. Downing, who had only averaged 6 home runs person season, suddenly crushed 28 bombs in 1982. He averaged 24 homers a year for 7 years, and hit a career high 29 in 1987, the year he transitioned to a full time DH. That season, he also led the league with 107 RBIs. Downing hit 159 of his 275 homers as a DH and retired with over 2,000 hits and 1,000 RBIs.

13. Hal McCrae

Long-time Royal Hal McCrae embraced the role of the DH in 1976, a season in which he hit .332 with a league-leading .407 on-base-percentage. In 1977, he played in all 162 games, 153 as a DH, and led the league with 54 doubles while crushing 21 homers. He was their primary DH for over 10 years and made three All Star games, and he also won a Silver Slugger in 1982 when he again led the league in doubles with 46 and was also #1 in RBIs with 133. He consistently hit around .300 with pop, and was also clutch in the postseason for both the Reds and Royals, hitting .292 with 14 doubles. He was the Royals Designated Hitter in 1985 when they won the World Series, although he saw limited action in the Fall Classic that year due to a thigh injury. He is second all-time with 393 career doubles as a Designated Hitter.

12. Travis Hafner

Up next is Travis Hafner, who played nearly exclusively as a DH, only playing 1st base in 6% of his games. He was the 1996 Texas Rangers 31st Round Pick out of Cowley Community College in Arkansas, and forced his way up the minor league ladder with insane numbers including a .342 average with 22 home runs in Triple-A. Hafner ended up in Cleveland, where he punished pitchers for 4 seasons from 2004 to 2007, averaging 32 homers and 109 RBIs per season. He had an OPS over 1.000 in back-to-back seasons and it’s a complete mystery how he never made an All Star Team. Injuries slowed down his career after that insane peak, but he still hit double digit bombs in 5 more seasons, finishing his career with 213 home runs, 200 of them as a DH.

11. Edwin Encarnacion

An underrated power-hitter who hit more than half of his 424 career home runs as a designated hitter, Edwin Encarnacion had a 16-year career in which he had 10 seasons with 20+ home runs. He made his debut in 2005 with the Reds, and quickly became an every day player but had his real breakout season with Toronto in 2012 when he crushed 42 home runs with 110 RBIs, playing 82 games as a DH. He made 3 All Star Games over the next 4 years before heading to Cleveland where, as a full time DH, he crushed 70 homers in 2 seasons. Encarnacion is 54th all time in home runs, above all-time great power hitters like Al Kaline, Duke Snider, and Johnny Bench.

10. Chili Davis

Chili Davis came up as an outfielder with the San Francisco Giants in the National League, where there obviously was no DH in the 1980s. As a Giant, he made two All Star teams and averaged about 17 homers a year for 6 seasons. Then, he signed with the California Angels, where he got his first taste as a DH, although he was still primarily an outfielder. It was the Twins who converted him into a full time Designated Hitter in 1991 and he hit .277 with a career high 29 home runs and 117 RBIs. He smashed two home runs in the ‘91 World Series, helping the Twins win a title in one of the greatest Fall Classics of all time. Davis returned to the Angels in 1993 and smashed at least 20 home runs for four straight seasons before heading to Kansas City, where he hit 30 homers for the first time in his career. He finished off his career as the Yankees part time DH, winning back to back rings, smashing 19 bombs in 1999, giving him 350 career home runs, 206 as a Designated Hitter.

9. Victor Martinez

Long-time Detroit Tiger Victor Martinez combined plate discipline, contact and power from both sides of the plate. He originally came up with the Cleveland Indians as a catcher, and quickly became a star, hitting .283 with 23 bombs and 108 RBIs in 2004. He got even better from there, smashing 25 homers with 114 RBIs in 2007, finishing 7th for the MVP. The Tigers signed him to a 4-year deal starting in 2011 and converted him to a full time DH. He thrived in the position, hitting .303 with 103 RBIs. Martinez had his best year in 2014, when he finished 2nd for the MVP, leading the league with a .409 on-base percentage while hitting 32 homers and driving in 103 runs. For his career, he made 5 All Star teams and had 2,153 hits with a .295 batting average. As a DH, he hit .317.

8. Don Baylor

The powerful Don Baylor didn’t become a regular DH until signing as a free agent with the California Angels in the late 70’s. He had already established himself as a solid player with some power and fantastic baserunning abilities, but he wasn’t a superstar. Then, in 1979, the Designated Hitter role allowed him to play in all 162 games for the first time in his career, and he smashed 36 homers while leading the league with 120 runs and 139 RBIs. Baylor made his first All Star team and won the MVP Award. He went on to be a full-time DH for the New York Yankees and won two Silver Sluggers. Then, with Boston in 1986, he won a third Silver Slugger, crushing 31 home runs. He hit .346 in the ALCS, a memorable series in which Dave Henderson hit that famous home run off Donnie Moore to give the Red Sox the lead in the 9th inning of Game 5. The Red Sox went on to win the series, and people remember the Henderson home run, but they couldn’t have won it without Baylor. He also hit .385 in the 1987 World Series, helping the Twins win it all. Baylor is 7th all time with 225 homers as a DH and 6th in RBIs with 789.

7. Nelson Cruz

Power-hitting DH Nelson Cruz played for 19 years in the big leagues. He didn’t play his first full season until the age of 26, but, thanks to the DH role, was able to keep playing until he was 43. Cruz was an outfielder for first half of his career, and established himself as an excellent power hitter who could also hit for average. He hit .332 with 33 bombs in 2009 with the Texas Rangers, and made his first of 7 All Star Teams. In 2014, the Baltimore Orioles tried him out as a DH in 89 games and his bat responded well as he crushed 40 home runs with 108 RBIs, finishing 7th for the MVP. From that point on, the DH was his primary position and he won 4 Silver Sluggers in the role while smashing 40+ home runs 3 more times with the Mariners and Twins. He ended up hitting 263 home runs as a DH, 4th all time, and with 464 total career homers, over 2,000 hits and .274 batting average, he’s got borderline Hall of Fame numbers, but a 2013 PED suspension will definitely keep him out.

6. Jim Thome

Thome came up as a third baseman with the Cleveland Indians in 1991 before moving over to 1st, where he played for many years. He was on-base machine who also had big power. Thome made three straight All Star teams in the mid-90’s and from 1994 to 2004, an 11 year period, he smashed an average of 38 home runs per season, with a maximum of 52 in 2002. Persistent back and elbow issues forced him to become a full time DH by 2006 and in that role, he continued to rake, crushing 42 homers with 109 RBIs for the White Sox, while making his 5th All Star Team. He hit between 20 and 35 homers on four more occasions as a full time DH. His biggest seasons came before the switch to DH, which is why he comes in a little lower on the list, but Thome played his final 7 seasons as a DH, allowing him to surpass 600 career homers. He made it into the Hall of Fame in 2018.

5. Harold Baines

Harold Baines played the majority of his 22 year career as a Designated Hitter. He had incredible consistency and longevity, much of it thanks to not having to play the field. Baines was an outfielder for 7 years with the White Sox and he consistently hit over 20 homers per season with an average around .300. He converted to a Designated Hitter in 1987 and continued the trend, hitting .293 with 20 homers. He won a Sliver Slugger in 1989, hitting .309 with the White Sox and Rangers, and went on the DH for the A’s, Orioles, and Indians, returning to the White Sox again twice. His piled up 1,039 RBIs as a DH, second all time, and smashed 384 career homers, 64% of them as a Designated Hitter. He’s also second all time in hits as a DH with 1,789. Baines was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

4. Paul Molitor

Up next is Paul Molitor, who didn’t become a full time DH until 1991, his 14th big league season. Before that, he played mostly third base but also some at second, shortstop and even the outfield. Entering the ‘91 season, he was a 3-time All Star who had hit over .300 6 times, including 1987 when he hit .353 with a league leading 41 doubles. But after converting to DH full-time, he had his best year, leading the league in hits, runs, and triples, while crushing 17 homers. In 1993, he hit a career high 22 home runs for the World Champion Toronto Blue Jays, and won a World Series MVP with a .500 batting average, 2 homers, and 8 RBIs in the series. As a DH, Molitor made 4 straight All Star teams, and in the strike-shortened 1994, he hit .341. In 1996 with the Twins, Molitor led the league with a career high 225 hits, hitting .341 again, this time over a full season, as he played in 161 games. He won two Silver Sluggers as a DH and retired with 3,319 hits, 1,613 as a DH, 4th all time, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

3. Edgar Martinez

Career Seattle Mariner, Edgar Martinez, came up as a sweet-swinging third baseman who could hit for average like few others while also supplying some power. He made his first All Star team in 1992 when he hit a league leading .343 with 46 doubles. He was a doubles machine and in 1995, his first year as a full time DH, he hit one of the famous doubles of all time in the 11th inning of Game 5 of the ALDS. That year, he led the league in doubles, runs, batting average, on-base-percentage, and OPS. As a Designated Hitter, Martinez just raked year in and year out, driving in over 100 runs in 6 out of 7 seasons, and he won 4 Silver Sluggers as a DH. He hit over .300 ten times in his career and retired as one of just 3 players with over 1,000 RBIs as a Designated Hitter. For his career, Martinez hit .312 with 309 homers and 2,247 hits. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

2. Frank Thomas

Coming in at #2 is the Big Hurt, Frank Thomas, who crushed 521 home runs in his career with a batting average of .301. He played 971 games as a first baseman, but even more – 1,404 games – as a Designated Hitter. Thomas debuted in 1990 and won back to back MVP awards in 1993 and 1994, quickly establishing himself as a premiere superstar. He made five straight All Star teams, and won a batting title with a .347 mark in 1997. Thomas was good for about 30 to 45 home runs every season. In 1998, he became a full time DH, and continued in the role for 11 years. In the year 2000, he crushed 43 homers with 143 RBIs, while hitting .328 with an OPS over 1.000, finishing second in the MVP race to Jason Giambi. He had another monster season in 2003, with 42 bombs and 105 RBIs. Then, with the A’s in 2006, had his last great year with 39 homers and 114 runs driven in. Frank Thomas is currently 2nd all time with 296 homers as a DH, although Shohei Ohtani will probably pass him next year. Thomas was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

1. David Ortiz

But coming in at #1 as the greatest DH in the history of the game has to be Red Sox legend, David Ortiz, who was used as a DH from the beginning with the Minnesota Twins, although he also spent limited time at 1st base throughout his career. He put himself on the map as a superstar after being released by the Twins in 2002. He signed as a free agent with Boston and immediately hit .288 with 30 home runs, finishing 5th for the MVP. Big Papi had arrived and in 2004, he made his first of 10 All Star teams. Ortiz averaged 35 homers a year for 14 years with the Red Sox. He finished in the Top 10 for MVP 7 times, in the top 5 five times, and won a record 7 Silver Sluggers as a DH. He was a critical piece of three Red Sox championships – one in 2004 to break the Curse of the Bambino and then two more – in 2007 and 2013. He won an ALCS MVP in 2004 and a World Series MVP in 2013 when he hit .688 with 2 home runs and an OPS just short of 2.000, a legendary performance. He had multiple walk off homers and clutch hits in the postseason, and retired on the top of the list as a DH in multiple categories including RBIs, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homers, and walks. Ortiz is the only player with over 500 career home runs as a designated hitter – 521 of his 541 bombs came as a DH. So, it’s obvious why he comes in at #1.

And that’ll do it for today’s list, the final positional list, check out the playlist above for more of these rankings and what do you think of the DH list? Will we get more amazing Designated Hitters in the future now that it is in both leagues? Will Ohtani shatter all of Ortiz’s records someday? Let me know in the comment section down below and I look forward to talking to ya’ll in the next video.

The Top 15 MLB Center-Fielders Of ALL TIME!! GRIFFEY, PUCKETT, MANTLE ETC. ETC.

Welcome back to another Humm Baby Baseball ranking and today, we’re talking about the greatest center-fielders to ever play the game, and this position is usually reserved for one of the team’s better players. A center-fielder is essentially the captain of the outfield, and the position typically requires leadership skills and an advanced baseball IQ. Additionally, exceptional speed and range are needed to cover the largest area of the outfield, and a strong arm is also helpful. These qualities oftentimes result in an incredibly strong and athletic player who can also handle a bat, and on today’s list, we’ll be talking about some of the greatest hitters to ever live. So, get ready for a ton of Hall of Famers, all-time legends and absolute generational talents. But there are also some massive Hall of Fame snubs on this list, as for some reason the writers who vote for potential Hall of Famers hate center-fielders. If some one obvious is missing on the list, there is a possibility the player played even more games at another position, for example, Andre Dawson played over 1,000 games in center-field but played even more in right-field, so he ended up in that video. It’s also possible the player is still active, like Mike Trout, who will obviously retire as a top 15 center-fielder, but I’m only focusing on retired players. The other possibility is I messed up and left some one off. (YOU BLEW IT!!) But I’ll do my best not to do that, so let’s jump into today’s list, but first – a few quick honorable mentions --

Jimmy Wynn

The Toy Cannon is one of the most underrated ballplayers in MLB history and barely missed out on the top 15. He just 5’9”, but boasted enormous power and had an extremely strong arm. He crushed at least 20 homers 8 separate times. Wynn made just 3 All Star teams but deserved to make a lot more. For example, in 1969 he wasn’t an All Star, but led the league with 148 walks, smashed 33 homers, stole 23 bases and had a 7.1 WAR, just 1 below Willie McCovey, who took home the MVP.

Earl Averill

One of the great forgotten centerfielders, Averill hit the ground running in his rookie season of 1929, hitting .332 with 18 bombs. He only got better from there and averaged 23 homers a year for his 9 seasons, 3 times hitting over 30, while consistently hitting well over .300. He played in 6 straight All Star games, the first 6 to exist, and finished in the top 5 for MVP 3 times. Injuries derailed his career in the late 30’s and early 40’s, but Averill was still good enough to make the Hall of Fame, although it took 34 years after his retirement for the Veteran’s Committee to finally elect him.

Johnny Damon

Damon was never the biggest superstar in the game, but he helped his team win games year after year by combining speed, contact hitting and pop while staying on the field. For 16 straight seasons, he never played in less than 141 games in a single season, an extremely impressive feat. Damon stole 408 bases, including a league leading 48 in 2000, hit over .300 5 times, walked over 1,000 times and collected 2,769 hits, surprisingly close to 3,000. He was also a clutch hitter in the postseason, and helped both the Red Sox and Yankees win World Series titles.

Willie Davis

Dodgers fans who were around in the 60’s and 70’s will never forget the impact of Willie Davis, who could pretty much do it all. He had exceptional speed, strong defensive abilities and a solid bat with some power. He played 18 seasons, accumulated 2,561 hits, 398 steals, and over 1,000 runs scored. Davis even crushed 182 homers including 21 in 1962. He won 3 Gold Gloves, and played centerfield for two World Series championship Dodger teams. Despite his amazing career, Davis was snubbed not only for the Hall of Fame, but for the voting process itself – he was shockingly never even put on a ballot.

Max Carey

During the 1910’s, Long-time Pittburgh Pirate Max Carey was the premiere base-stealing threat in National League. He led the league in steals 10 times, consistently nabbing from 40 to 60 plus bases per season. He was a very good hitter as well, but after an alteration to his batting stance in the mid-20’s, he suddenly became elite, hitting .343 in 1925. He was the best hitter for the Pirates in the World Series that year, and in the deciding game, had four hits including 3 doubles against Walter Johnson. He is still in the Top 10 All Time with 738 career stolen bases.

Oscar Charleston

An absolute legend of the negro leagues, Oscar Charleston certainly would’ve made the top 15, maybe even top 5, had he been allowed to play in the Major Leagues, but since it’s impossible to know exactly where he would’ve ended up, I have him as an extremely honorable mention. According to the great Buck O’Neil, Oscar Charleston was like “Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Tris Speaker rolled into one.” During the 1920’s, Charleston regularly hit over .400, including insane batting averages of .433 in 1921 and .427 in 1925. He also hit for massive power during a time when home runs were not the norm. He led the league in home runs 5 times, including 20 bombs in 1925, which was unheard of at the time due to the much shorter Negro League schedule. Charleston could also fly and regularly stole at least 20 bases per season during his prime. Charleston was elite in everything he did on a baseball field and even went on to become a great manager. He passed away in 1954 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976.

Now let’s get into the top 15…

15. Larry Doby

Three months after Jackie Robinson’s debut, center-fielder Larry Doby broke the color barrier in the American League, and instantly proved he belonged. He hit .301 with 14 home runs his rookie season of 1948, then followed it up with 24 homers in 1949 and his first All Star nod. Doby hit at least 20 homers in 8 straight seasons including a league leading 32 in 1952 and 1954. He made 7 consecutive All Star teams, and finished 2nd for the MVP in 1954, a year in which he led the league with 126 RBIs. He was a key member of the most recent Cleveland team to win a World Series in 1948, and he hit .318 with a homer in the World Series. Doby had a fantastic eye as well, working plenty of walks, retiring with a .389 on-base-percentage. He was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee in 1998.

14. Dale Murphy

Dale Murphy led all of Major League Baseball in home runs and RBIs during the entire decade of the 80’s. Somehow, he is still on the outside of Cooperstown looking in. Murphy was drafted 5th overall by the Braves in 1974 out of High School and it took a few years to get established in the big leagues, but when he did, there was nobody better. He made his first All Star team in 1980 and by 1982, he was a superstar. Murphy hit 36 home runs in back to back seasons, won the MVP and Silver Slugger both years, while leading the league in RBIs. From 1982 to 1987, he almost never missed a game, won 5 straight Gold Gloves, 4 straight Silver Sluggers and was absolutely an elite talent in the game. Knee issues plagued his career by 90’s and Murphy’s production declined quickly, explaining his absence from Cooperstown, but he was great for almost a decade, making 7 total All Star teams, and at his peak he was one of the greatest all around center-fielders to ever play the game.

13. Jim Edmonds

Next up is Jim Edmonds, one of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs of all time and a center-fielder who was elite both with the glove and the bat. He somehow got bumped off the ballot after one year.  A human highlight reel in centerfield, Edmonds won eight Gold Gloves, but he was also a serious hitter, finishing his career just 7 home runs shy of 400.  For his first six seasons in St. Louis, he averaged 35 home runs a year.  He helped the Cardinals win the World Series in 2006 and hit 13 career postseason home runs.  He was also a patient hitter, working plenty of walks, retiring with an on-base percentage of .376 and an OPS over .900. Edmonds career WAR of 60.4 is tied with the great Harmon Killebrew and is higher than the previous 3 centerfielders on today’s list and is higher than many other Hall of Famers including Yogi Berra, Mike Piazza, and Willie Stargell.

12. Kirby Puckett

All-time Twins legend Kirby Puckett was an elite hitter and defender for over a decade, starting in 1984 when he finished 3rd for the Rookie of the Year Award after hitting .296. He looked like a fantastic contact hitter with great speed and elite defense. Then, he became more than singles hitter in 1986 when he crushed 31 home runs, while bumping his batting average up to .328. He also stole at least 20 bags in back to back seasons. From 1986 to 1995, he was one of the premiere talents in the game, and during that span, he never missed an All Star Game, won 6 Gold Gloves, 6 Silver Sluggers, and finished in the Top 10 for MVP 7 times. He led the league in hits 4 times, RBIs once in 1994, and he even won a batting title with a .339 average in 1989. He was on his way to another elite season in 1996 when he was hitting .344 in Spring Training. Then, he woke up one morning without vision in his right eye due to sudden, severe glaucoma . Puckett was placed on the Disabled List for this first time ever and was eventually forced to retire as his vision could not be restored. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year on the ballot.

11. Richie Ashburn

Patrolling center-field for the Philadelphia Phillies during the decade of the 1950’s was the great Richie Ashburn, who was known for his exceptional range and speed. He could track down fly balls no one else could reach while maintaining an elite fielding percentage throughout his career. His 5,803 career putouts ranks third among center fielders in Major League Baseball history. He also used that speed to steal 234 bases during his career, including a league leading 32 his rookie year. Ashburn could also handle the bat, and consistently turned singles into doubles and doubles into triples. He also hit 8 career inside the park home runs. He won two batting titles, one with an incredible .350 average in 1958. For his career, he hit .308 with 2,574 career hits. The 6-time All Star was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veteran’s Committee in 1995, 2 years before he passed away.

10. Kenny Lofton

Entering into the Top 10, we have a few of the biggest Hall of Fame snubs ever, starting with the great Kenny Lofton, who shockingly didn’t even get the 5% required to stay on the ballot. On the JAWS ranking for center-fielders which measures Hall-of-Fame worthiness, Lofton is 10th All-Time and ranked above several Hall of Famers. He simply helped his teams win ballgames by getting on base and wreaking havoc on the basepaths while playing elite defense for 17 years. Lofton led the league in stolen bases for 5 straight seasons, maxing out at 75 steals in 1996. He could also rake and hit .349 in 1994 and hit over .300 8 times. Even in his final MLB season in 2007, he hit .296 with 23 steals and a .367 on-base-percentage. His career on-base-percentage of .372 is better than George Brett and Paul Molitor. He stole 34 bases in the postseason as well. Lofton made 6 All Star teams, won 4 Gold Gloves, had over 2,400 hits and retired with an average of .299.

9. Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran has already made 3 Hall of Fame ballots and is 0 for 3 so far. He was a Rookie of the Year winner and an excellent defender and hitter who played for 20 years, accumulating 435 home runs and 2,725 hits. He was a 9-time All Star, 3-time Gold Glover, 2-time Silver Slugger and drove in over 100 runs 8 times. Beltran was never the best at any one thing, but did everything well, including baserunning earlier in his career, stealing over 40 bases twice. He hit at least 20 home runs 12 times and with a career high 41 bombs in 2006. Beltran lost many votes due to his involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal. He was a 40-year old player at the time in the last year of his career, so whatever cheating took place certainly didn’t change the fact that he had a Hall of Fame career. He has a good chance to get elected in 2026, however, and I’m hoping it happens.

8. Andruw Jones

And coming in at #8 is 10-time Gold Glover Andruw Jones, an even bigger snub than Beltran and Lofton in my opinion. He was a master in centerfield, consistently making amazing plays that seeemed to defy physics. Some advanced metrics suggest he is the best defensive center fielder ever. But Jones was also elite with the bat and he smashed over 430 home runs in his career, more than Cal Ripken Jr. and Mike Piazza. He finished 5th for the Rookie of the Year in 1997 and by 2007, had won his 10th Gold Glove and averaged 33 bombs a year throughout his first decade in the big leagues. Unfortunately, Jones struggled with injuries later in his career, stringing together 5 mediocre years to finish it off. This hurt his Hall of Fame chances as the voters are not the sharpest tools in the shed and could only remember the tail end of Jones’ career. But Andruw Jones had more Defensive Wins Above Replacement than any outfielder in the history of the game – including Willie Mays and was a premiere power hitter for a decade. He finished 2nd for MVP in 2005, leading the league with 51 homers and 128 RBIs, and for me, he easily ranks as a Top 10 Centerfielder all time.

7. Duke Snider

One of the biggest stars in the game during the mid-1950’s was Duke Snider, who became the Dodgers regular center-fielder in 1949, a year in which he hit .292 with 23 homers. From there, he only improved and made his first All Star team in 1950. He hit .321 that year and led the league with 199 hits, beginning a streak of 7 consecutive All Star appearances. He averaged 31 home runs a year for 9 straight years, led the league in home runs in 1956 with 43 bombs, and led the league in runs for three straight seasons. He was also a top-notch defender, known for his ability to run, throw and make sensational catches. He suffered a series of injures in the late 50’s and had knee surgery in 1957. After the move to LA in 1958, Snider never regained his prior form although he made one more All Star team with the Mets in 1963. He retired with a career .295 batting average, 407 home runs, and a .919 OPS. He likely would have won a few Gold Gloves, but the award did not begin until 1957, just after his prime. Snider was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1980.

6. Joe Dimaggio

The Yankee Clipper, Joe Dimaggio, made his big league debut in 1936, in the same lineup with Lou Gehrig. He set a rookie franchise record with 29 home runs that season, a record that was not broken until Aaron Judge came along in 2017. He also made the All Star team, his first of 13 – and he played in 13 seasons. In other words, Dimaggio was an All Star every single season he played. He led the league with 46 homers in 1937, won his first MVP in 1930 with a league leading .381 batting average, then won a second MVP in 1941, a season in which his most famous achievement took place – an unbreakable 56-game hitting streak that stretched from May 15th to July 17th. Then, in the prime of his career, he missed 3 straight seasons due to World War II. He came back strong, though, and won a 3rd MVP in 1947. Dimaggio also had two second place finishes for the award. He was considered a strong fielder, though modern defensive metrics suggest he was above average but not elite. He did have a very strong and accurate arm and his incredible bat made up for any defensive shortcomings anyway. Dimaggio retired with a .325 batting average, .977 OPS, 361 home runs and 2,214 hits. If not for WW2, he would’ve easily hit around 450 homers and surpassed 2,500 hits. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1955, but the writers unbelievably snubbed him on two ballots before finally electing Joltin’ Joe.

5. Ken Griffey Jr.

Now we move into the Top 5, which include nothing but the best, and it starts with the Kid – Ken Griffey Jr., who grew up around baseball as the son of 3-time All Star Ken Griffey, who made his MLB debut when Junior was 3 years old. By the time he was in High School, he was the biggest prospect in the country, displaying incredible skills both defensively and offensively. He was drafted first overall by the Mariners, destroyed the minor leagues, and made his big league debut at age 19. He was an immediate sensation. In 1990, his first full season, he hit .300, won a Gold Glove, and made his first of 13 All Star teams. His dad was also still playing and in one of the most amazing moments in MLB history, the pair hit back to back home runs for the M’s. Jr. was sensational in the field, but absolutely raked at the plate and his power increased throughout the early 90’s, going from 22 home runs to 27 then to 45 in 1993. He was also a base-stealing threat in his early years, stealing at least 15 bases 8 times. In 1997, Griffey Jr.’s skillset reached its peak as he crushed 56 home runs with 147 RBIs, winning the MVP Award. He followed that season up with 56 more bombs and led the league in homers for 3 straight years, while consistently playing elite defense and making highlight reels. He ended up with 10 Gold Glove Awards. Jr. later played with the Reds and White Sox before returning to Seattle to finish off his amazing career, which included 630 home runs and 2,781 hits. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

4. Tris Speaker

Coming up next is the Gray Eagle, a complete player who still holds many MLB records to this day – the great Tris Speaker, who played most of his career with Boston and Cleveland. He was one of the best fielders in the history of the game, with blazing speed and freak athleticism. Speaker would play extremely shallow to defend against singles, with the confidence to chase down fly balls over his head to prevent extra base hits. But as good as he was defensively, Speaker might’ve been even better with the bat, and he had a .345 career batting average. He was a doubles machine, leading the league in the category 8 times. He also hit an incredible 222 career triples, maxing out at 22 in 1913. His speed was off the charts and unsurprisingly he also stole a lot of bases – 432 in total. Speaker even led the league in home runs in 1912. For most of his career, there was no MVP award, but it did exist from 1911 to 1914, and he got votes every time, winning the award in 1912, a season in which he had a league leading .464 on-base percentage. Speaker still holds the MLB record for career doubles, outfield assists, and unassisted double plays. He is 5th all time 3,514 career hits and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as part of its second ceremony, the Class of 1937.

3. Ty Cobb

One of the early legends of the game, Ty Cobb, AKA The Georgia Peach, played 24 years in the Major Leagues, 22 with the Detroit Tigers, and set an insane 90 MLB records throughout his career. He still has more batting titles than any other player, and it all started in 1905, when he made his debut at just 18 years old. Jealous veterans subjected him to hazing, destroying his bats, tying knots in his clothing, while verbally abusing him. This only fueled the young star, who emerged as not only the best player on the Tigers, but as one of the premiere players in the game. In 1907, he .350 with 119 RBIs and 212 hits, each a league best. And Cobb continued to put up numbers that no one could touch. He led the league in batting average in 12 out of 13 seasons, surpassing .400 multiple times, while stealing bases at a ridiculous pace. He stole 53 bases one year, then 76, then 83, then 96 in 1915. He played the game all out every day, with a fire never before seen. Cobb led the league in hits 8 times, triples 4 times, and doubles 3 times. On four separate occasions, Cobb reached 1st, stole 2nd, stole 3rd, then stole home, another one of his many records. He regarded baseball as “something like a war,” and every single game for him felt like life or death. Casey Stengal said "I never saw anyone like Ty Cobb. No one even close to him. He was the greatest all time ballplayer. That guy was superhuman, amazing.” Cobb hit .366 for his entire career, a stunning number, and also had an MLB record 4,189 hits, a record that stood until Pete Rose became the new hit king. He was one of the first 5 inaugural inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

2. Mickey Mantle

Up next we have the Commerce Comet, one of the greatest sluggers to ever walk the planet. Mickey Mantle was an incredibly talented switch-hitter who caught the attention of Casey Stengel during Yankees Spring Training in 1951 when he crushed tape-measure home runs from each side of the plate. He made the big league team, but struggled in his rookie year and was sent back to the minors. He almost quit, but reconsidered after his father said “I thought I raised a man. I see I raised a coward instead. You can come back to Oklahoma and work the mines with me.” Mantle stuck with baseball, made it back to the Yankees, and broke out in 1952 with a .311 batting average and league leading .924 OPS. He had unbelievable speed and explosiveness, but much of that declined after severe right knee injury sustained in the ‘51 World Series. Even with the injury and a torn ACL, Mantle went on to have an incredible career, becoming a generational superstar. He won back to back MVPs in 1956 and ‘57, winning a Triple Crown in ‘56 with a .353 average, 52 home runs and 130 RBIs. He won a third MVP and a Gold Glove Award in 1962. Mantle also led the league in walks 5 times, retiring with a .421 on-base-percentage. He made 20 All Star Teams, hit 536 career home runs, and batted .298 – all during a career that was plagued with injuries. He helped the Yankees to win 7 World Series titles and hit 18 World Series home runs. Mantle is an absolute legend and one of the greatest baseball players to ever live. He was inducted into Cooperstown in 1974.

1. Willie Mays

But coming at #1 is none other than the legendary Willie Mays, possibly the greatest all-around player in the history of the game. He won a Rookie of the Year Award in 1951 and by 1954, was the best player in the game despite missing nearly two full seasons due to military service. He hit .345 in ‘54 with 41 home runs, and took home his first MVP Award. From there, Mays was elite year after year, hitting for average and power, playing incredible defense while stealing a ton of bases. He led the league in steals for 4 straight seasons, averaged over 35 home runs per season for a decade, and led the league in multiple offensive categories every year. In 1957, the Gold Glove Award was introduced and Willie Mays won the award for 12 straight seasons. He won a second MVP award in 1965 with 52 home runs, a .317 average and 112 RBIs. Mays topped 100 RBIs 10 times and became the only player to ever hit 50 homers and 20 triples in the same season. He tied an MLB record with 4 home runs in a single game, made one of the most iconic catches in the history of the game in the 1954 World Series, and is the only player to ever reach 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and 300 steals while hitting over .300. He far exceeded some of those numbers, reaching 660 home runs in his career, 3,293 hits, and 339 steals. Although this list has some amazing legendary players, there was no one else but the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays, who I could put as the #1 greatest center-fielder to ever play the game.

But let me know your thoughts down below; who else would you add to the list? Thanks so much for checking out the video and we’ll talk to ya’ll in the next one.

Top 15 MLB Right-Fielders of ALL TIME

Welcome back to another MLB top 15 position video and today we’ll be talking about some of the greatest right fielders to ever play the game. Right field is the farthest position from third base, usually meaning the right fielder needs to have an extremely powerful arm. Oftentimes, that’s not the only thing powerful about a right-fielder, as many of the greatest hitters of all time played the majority of their games as the position. On today’s Top 15, every single player is in the Hall of Fame. To be eligible for the list, a player has to be retired, has to have played in at least 1,000 games in right field and it had to be the position they played more than any other. But before getting into the Top 15, I have 5 quick honorable mentions.

Sammy Sosa

Sosa is 10th all time with 2,015 games played in right field and is 1st all time with 576 home runs as a right-fielder. The 1998 MVP hit over 60 home runs in a season 3 times, also a record. However, it’s hard to tell how good he would’ve been without the ‘roids. Sosa was below average defensively, although he did have a strong arm with 127 career assists. His career WAR of 58.6 is relatively low compared to other great right-fielders. But, he definitely deserves a mention for his insane peak.

Gary Sheffield

9-time All Star Gary Sheffield began his career as a shortstop and third baseman, but settled into right-field in 1994 with the Florida Marlins. He was one of the most feared hitters in the game, consistently hitting near .300 with big power. Sheffield had exceptional bat speed and impressive plate discipline. He retired with 509 home runs, a .394 on-base percentage and a .907 OPS. His 60.5 WAR ranks 19th among right-fielders

Dwight Evans

One of my top Hall of Fame snubs of all time, Dwight Evans barely missed out on the Top 15. He brought an incredible combination of power, patience and elite defense to the ballpark every night. Evans won 8 Gold Gloves, led the league in walks 3 times, and hit at least 20 home runs in 11 separate seasons. He retired with a .370 on-base percentage and 385 home runs. He is a borderline Hall of Famer with his bat alone, but the 8 Gold Gloves should definitely have put him over the top.

Vladmir Guerrero

Although he finished his career as a full-time DH, Guerrero played 1,605 games as a right-fielder with one of the most powerful arms in the game. But his main skillset was definitely his bat, and Guerrero had elite hand eye coordination that allowed him to put wood on the ball no matter where the pitch was thrown. He consistently hit well over .300 with power, crushing 449 career bombs. Guerrero made 9 All Star teams, won 8 Silver Sluggers, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018.

Dave Parker

“The Cobra” was one of the most dangerous sluggers in baseball and also had a rocket for an arm. He won an MVP, 3 Gold Gloves, an All Star Game MVP, two World Series Rings and back-to-back batting titles. He was a key member of the Pirates championship team in 1979, hitting .333 in the NLCS and .345 in the World Series. He had 2,700 hits and 143 outfield assists in his career. Parker was just recently elected to the Hall of Fame, but sadly he also passed away in June. Rest in Peace Cobra.

Now, let’s jump into the Top 15...

15. Ichiro Suzuki

The fact that Ichiro comes in at the bottom of this list tells you just how good these players are. Ichiro came over to the United States after a stellar 9 year career in Japan, making his MLB debut at age 27. He had a season for the ages, winning the Rookie of the Year and MVP, hitting .350 with 242 hits and 56 stolen bases. It was just the beginning for Ichiro, who played in 19 separate seasons in the big leagues, leading the league in hits 7 times, and he made 10 straight All Star Games while winning 10 straight Gold Glove Awards. He reached 3,000 hits with a .311 career average. Who knows what career records he could’ve broken had he started his career back in 1992 when he began his pro career in Japan. But regardless, Ichiro is one of the greatest right-fielders to ever play the game.

14. Andre Dawson

The Hawk, Andre Dawson, played center-field for the first few years of his career with the Expos, but moved to right in 1984, where he played for the rest of his career. He was one of the most feared hitters in the game from the beginning, as he won the Rookie of the Year in 1977 and after signing with the Cubs in 1987, became one of the best in the game. That year, he won the MVP with 49 bombs and 137 RBIs. He was also a fantastic fielder and won 8 total Gold Gloves, half of them as a right-fielder. He ended his career with 438 home runs, 2,774 hits, and an .806 OPS. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2010.

13. Larry Walker

5-Time All Star Larry Walker could pretty much do it all. He obviously had big power, and hit 383 career home runs. He led the league in his MVP season of 1997 with 49 bombs. He could also hit for average like few others, leading the league in batting average 3 times, maxing out with a .379 mark in 1999. He also had a great eye, worked consistent walks, and was an elite fielder, winning 7 Gold Gloves. He retired with 150 career assists, 20th on the All Time list for right-fielders. He was even a great baserunner, with 11 seasons of double-digit steals including 33 in 1997. He stole 230 career bases, hit .313 and retired with a .965 OPS. Few players helped their teams win ballgames like the legendary Larry Walker, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020.

12. Dave Winfield

Up next is the 7-time Gold Glover and 6-Time Silver Slugger, Dave Winfield, whose reign of terror against pitchers began in 1977 when he made his first of 12 straight All Star Teams. That year, he crushed 25 homers and began a streak of 15 seasons, with the exception of the strike shortened 1981, in which he would crush at least 19 bombs. He drove in at least 100 runs 8 times and finished in the Top 10 for the MVP 7 times, although he never won the award. But he had incredible longevity, playing for 22 seasons. He was an impact player even later in his career, crushing 2 home runs in the 1992 ALCS for the Blue Jays, helping them reach and eventually win the World Series. He retired with 3,110 hits and 465 home runs and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2001.

11. Sam Crawford

The legendary Sam Crawford was the best fielding and throwing right-fielder in the game during his time and he retired with an insane 191 assists, 5th all time. The speedy right-fielder played for 19 years and set all types of MLB records, many which still stand today. He led the league in triples 6 times, and RBIs 3 times, surpassing 100 6 times in his career. He even had pop for his era, crushing a league leading 16 home runs in 1901, an incredibly high number for the dead ball era. He was also a prolific basestealer, stealing at least 20 bases 9 times, with a maximum of 42 in 1912. Crawford, to this day, has an MLB record 309 triples, a record that may stand forever, as a player would need to average 16 triples a year for 20 years to break it, and no one has hit 16 triples in a season since Jose Reyes in 2011. I would say Crawford’s record is safe.

10. Harry Heilmann

Moving into the Top 10, we have one of the most overlooked players in MLB history because he played alongside Ty Cobb for a decade, Harry Heilmann, AKA Slug, was one of the best hitters in the game during his time. He is currently 15th all time with a .342 career batting average and he won four batting titles during his career, once topping .400 with a .403 mark in 1923. He also had solid power for his time, hitting double digit bombs 9 times, including 21 homers in 1922. On July 8th, 1921, he hit a home run over the centerfield wall in Detroit that, according to reports at the time, “actually made the patrons gasp in astonishment.” It was reported to have traveled 610 feet, certainly an exaggeration. Detroit’s grounds keeper said it was closer to around 500 feet. Heilmann was also a great fielder and certainly would’ve won some Gold Gloves if they existed back then. He had 175 career assists, 11th all time among right-fielders. Heilmann never won an MVP, competing with the likes of Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and Walter Johnson, but he finished in the Top 5 four times. He was voted into the Hall of Fame in 1952.

9. Paul Waner

Another forgotten superstar of the late 20’s and early 30’s, Paul Waner AKA Big Poison was an immediate sensation for the Pirates in 1926 when he hit .336 with a league leading 22 triples his rookie year. He followed that up with an MVP season in which he hit .380 with 131 RBIs. He continued to hit well over .300 nearly ever season, and he hit double-digit triples for 10 straight years. Waner was known as one of the best defensive right fielders in baseball, with amazing speed and an extremely strong and accurate arm that led to 238 right-field assists, 3rd in the history of the game and a National League record to this day. He threw out at least 15 runners in 8 separate seasons. He became the 7th member of the 3,000 hit club and retired with 3,152 hits. He had a .333 career batting average and .401 on-base percentage. His 191 triples are 10th all time and his 605 doubles are 14th. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1952.

8. Tony Gwynn

Next up, we have one the greatest hitters to ever live, Padres legend Tony Gwynn. The Padres knew he was a pure hitter with solid potential when they took the local kid in the 3rd round out of San Diego State in 1981, but they had no idea just how good he would become. Gwynn immediately tore up the minor leagues, hitting .462 in Double-A, forcing a call up by 1982. He quickly became a regular in the Padres lineup, and led the league in 1984 with a .351 average and 213 hits, finishing 3rd for the MVP. He continued to rake his entire career, making 15 All Star Teams, winning 8 batting titles, and he also played excellent defense in right-field, taking home 5 Gold Glove Awards. He led the league in hits in 7 separate seasons and in batting average 8 separate seasons, finishing his career with 3,141 hits and a .338 career batting average. He was easily elected to the Hall of Fame on his first ballot in 2007.

7. Reggie Jackson

A powerful slugger with a flair for the dramatic, Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, crushed 563 home runs in his illustrious career and that doesn’t count his 18 postseason bombs, many extremely dramatic, including 3 in one World Series game. He began his career with the A’s and made his first of 14 All Star teams in 1969, a season in which he hit 47 home runs with an OPS over 1.000. Jackson hit .310 with a home run in the 1973 World Series, helping the A’s take home the championship. He followed up with another solid World Series performance in ‘74, helping his team win back to back championships. He did the same for the New York Yankees and was unstoppable in both the 1977 and 1978 fall classics. In ‘77, he hit .450 with 5 bombs then in ‘78, hit .391 with 2 bombs and 8 RBIs. Jackson had a flamboyant personality and often crashed with his managers, most notably Billy Martin. He wasn’t the best defender and did strike out a lot, but it was all worth it for his incredible power and ability to come through when it counted. Jackson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.

6. Al Kaline

Coming in at #6 is Al Kaline, who played 22 years in the big leagues, accumulating over 3,000 hits with 399 homers and a .297 batting average. He was a force at the plate since his rookie year and in 1955, he led the league with a .340 batting average while crushing 27 homers with 102 RBIs. He hit over .300 in 9 separate seasons, consistently hitting between around 20-29 homers. He had a good eye and worked 1,277 walks, resulting in a .376 on-base percentage. He was also one of most exceptional defenders in the game, retiring with a .987 fielding percentage and 146 assists. From the inception of the Gold Glove in 1957, he won one in ten out of eleven seasons. He would’ve likely won at least 2 or 3 more if they existed earlier in his career. In 1968, Kaline hit .379 with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs in the World Series, helping his Tigers win it all. Kaline retired as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1980.

5. Roberto Clemente

Now we move into the Top 5 for some of the most decorated and legendary ballplayers of all time, and they all played right field. At #5 is the Great One, Roberto Clemente, whose career was tragically cut short on December 31st, 1972 when he perished in a plane crash attempting to deliver aid packages to Nicaragua, which was affected by a massive Earthquake. When he died, Clemente was already a baseball legend, having played for 18 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates as an absolute superstar offensively and defensively. He had his breakout season in 1960 when he hit .314 with 16 homers, making his first of 15 All Star Teams, but the next year, he was even better, leading the league with a .351 average. He won 4 batting titles in his career, and finished in the Top 10 for MVP 8 times, winning the Award in 1966. As a defender, Clemente was absolutely stellar, possibly the greatest defensive right-fielder ever. He had a cannon for an arm and was ridiculously accurate as well. He had 256 career assists, second in the history of the game for a right-fielder. He was also known for spectacular catches, many times leaping or sliding to catch balls that seemed uncatchable. Clemente was simply was one of the best to ever play the game, and when he died, he had exactly 3,000 hits, a .317 batting average and 12 Gold Gloves. Clemente was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1973 in a Special Election.

4. Frank Robinson

Next up is Frank Robinson, who lit up the league out of nowhere in his rookie year of 1956 with Cincinnati, hitting .290 with 38 bombs and a league leading 122 runs. He unanimously won the Rookie of the Year Award and continued to crush the baseball for 21 years, hitting at least 30 home runs 11 times while hitting for average. He led the league in OPS in 4 separate seasons, each eclipsing the 1.000 mark. In 1961, he won his first MVP, still with the Reds, by hitting .323 with 37 bombs, and a league leading .611 slugging percentage. He won another MVP in 1966, his first year with Baltimore, in a season for the ages – Robinson won the Triple Crown, hitting .316 with 122 RBIs and a career high 49 home runs. Robinson ended his career with 586 bombs and a .294 average and he also became the first black manager in MLB history in 1975, but he was also still a player, and went deep in his first at bat as manager. Robinson was also an elite defender and he won a Gold Glove in 1958, and he even stole over 200 bases in his career. He got his plaque in the Hall of Fame in 1982.

3. Mel Ott

During the 1930’s the best power hitter in the National League hands down was New York Giants right-fielder Mel Ott. He led the league in homers 6 times and was also one of the most patient hitters in the game, leading the league in walks 6 times and on-base percentage four times. He played for 22 years, all for the Giants, and retired with 511 home runs, 2,876 hits, 1,708 walks and a .304 batting average. He was an elite defender with an insane arm, retiring with 235 assists, still 4th in MLB history for a right-fielder. He made the first All Star Team in 1934 and went on to make a total of 11, and got MVP votes in 13 seasons, but never won the award. He might be the greatest MLB player of all time who played while the MVP award existed, and never actually won it. In 1942, he led the league in WAR, runs, home runs, walks, and OPS, but finished 3rd for the MVP behind Enos Slaughter and pitcher Mort Cooper. Ott is still 20th all time in career WAR with a 111 WAR, higher than Mickey Mantle. Ott was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1951.

2. Hank Aaron

Hammerin’ Hank Aaron needs no introduction. He was simply a once-in-a-lifetime generational talent who put together an insanely impressive career in which he made an MLB record 25 All Star teams, 13 Top 10 MVP seasons, 3,771 hits and at the time he retired an MLB record 755 home runs. Aaron was elite from day one with the Milwaukee Braves, and he won his MVP award in his 4th season, 1957, when he hit .322 with 44 home runs and 132 RBIs. He was incredibly consistent, year after year, crushing at least 20 home runs a year for an absolutely crazy 20 straight seasons, and he usually hit well over 30. Aaron was a 5-tool talent who could defend, throw, hit for power, hit for average and run – he stole over 20 bases in 6 separate seasons and retired with 179 right-field assists, 9th in the history of the game. He had a .305 career average, 2,227 RBIs and still holds the MLB record with 6,856 total bases, a record that may never be touched. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982.

1. Babe Ruth

But at #1 has to be the greatest of all time, Babe Ruth, who played 1,128 games in right field. No player ever separated himself more from his peers than Ruth, who started his career as a pitcher, and he was elite, winning 23 games in 1916 with a league leading 1.75 ERA. But he was too good of a hitter to be a pitcher, and in 1919, he moved to the outfield full time and put up numbers no one ever thought possible before. Ruth smashed an MLB record 29 home runs with 113 RBIs, and he was just getting started. In 1920, he broke his own record with 54 homers, then broke it again in 1921 with 59. His offensive numbers dwarved those of every other player, and he also hit for average, hitting well over .300 nearly every season, maxing out an an incredible .393 mark in 1923, the year he won the MVP award. At that time, players were only allowed to win one MVP. Had that not been the case, Ruth could’ve won as many as 10 MVPs. Earlier in his career, Ruth had speed and was an above-average defender, but as he focused more on hitting and gained weight, his defensive skills declined. Still, Ruth’s offensive numbers more than made up for it and he ended his career with 714 home runs and a .342 batting average. To this day, Babe Ruth holds the MLB record for career slugging percentage, OPS, OPS+, and WAR. He is 3rd all time in walks, 3rd in home runs, and even 13th in batting average. And he has to come in at #1 as the greatest right-fielder, and let’s be honest, compared to his peers, the greatest MLB player of all time.

And that is going to do it for today’s video ranking the greatest right-fielders in MLB history; let me know your thoughts down below. I hope you enjoyed the video; if so check out the playlist above which has my entire series, ranking every position in the game; I still have a few more to go, look forward to my ranking of the greatest left-fielders coming up next. Until then, enjoy the playlist and we’ll talk to you in the next one.