Ranking All 30 MLB STADIUM NAMES - From Corporate Trash to True Classics!!

Welcome to another Humm Baby Baseball ranking and today we have a slightly different list – instead of talking about players, we’re going to talk about MLB stadiums, but not necessarily the stadiums themselves, rather the name currently attached to the ballpark. There was a time when stadiums and arenas were typically named in tribute to a person, as a reference to something in the geographical area, or just something awesome and unique. Examples include Candlestick Park, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome and Ebbets Field. Sadly, nowadays, the vast majority of stadiums are named after corporate sponsors. This practice became very popular after the Busch family, who owned Budweiser, offered enough money to get the Cardinals to change the name of Sportsman Park. They wanted it to be called Budweiser Stadium, but the commissioner Ford Frick wasn’t too keen on that name for obvious reasons, so they settled with Busch Stadium.

Although this practice goes back a long way, it has become the absolute norm and stadiums frequently change names as sponsors change for a variety of reasons including sometimes scandal and bankruptcy, such in the case of Enron Park, named after the disgraced company Enron. A professional team attaching themselves to a sponsor to such a degree that they give the sponsor stadium naming rights comes with risk of embarrassment, not to mention the possibility that your stadium gets a name that is absolutely terrible. Of course, not all corporate names are terrible and some have become iconic stadium names. Most of the names are not so bad, but there are definitely some exceptions. Today, we’ll be ranking all 30 MLB stadium names from worst to best. The catchier and cooler sounding name, the better. Also, if a stadium has kept the name for long enough for fans to become accustomed to it and embrace it, that helps too. So, let’s get going, starting at #30.

#30 The Chicago White Sox – Guaranteed Rate Field

I don’t care how much money a company offers, there is one thing I can guarantee – my stadium will never be called Guaranteed Rate Field. The name of this stadium went from awesome to bad to horrendous. It originally carried over the name of the legendary Comiskey Park before changing to U.S. Cellular Field. Then, in 2016, a residential mortgage company called Guaranteed Rate – not even a great name for a mortgage company in my opinion - purchased naming rights for 13 years. The new name was mocked on social media, deservedly so, and Guaranteed Rate Field is by far the worst stadium name in MLB and in the history of humanity.

#29 The Miami Marlins – LoanDepot Park

Another stadium that went from a fantastic name – Marlins Park – to a terrible one – LoneDepot Park. The stadium opened in 2012 and had so many unique elements along with a contemporary design, moving away from the retro ballpark trend. It embodied the city of Miami and was named after the team that played there – the Marlins. The name Marlins Park became associated the famous Home Run Sculpture, the South-Beach style swimming pool area, the fish aquariums behind home plate along with many other amazing elements to the ballpark like the Bobblehead Museum. That is, until Derek Jeter, who coincidentally took the first at bat and has the first hit in the stadium’s history, took over the Marlins and decided to sell naming rights. A mortgage company called LoanDepot paid out the cash and got the name – and now this amazing ballpark is called LoanDepot Park – an absolutely horrible name for a baseball stadium. And, by the way, the Home Run Sculpture and Fish Tanks have been removed.

#28 The Seattle Mariners – T-Mobile Park

Well, at least it’s not a mortgage company. Still, while I’m sure T-Mobile provides a great cell phone service, it’s not a good name for a baseball stadium. It was originally called Safeco Field, which is not much better but at least it’s the original name. But before moving to Safeco, the Mariners played in the Kingdome, named after King County. Now, that is an awesome name. But, getting back to modern times, in 2019, T-Mobile took over naming rights of Safeco Field and added their logo all over the ballpark, with colors that completely clash with that of the Seattle Mariners. Maybe by now Mariners fans are used to the new name; I’m not sure – but I know I’m not.

#27 The Milwaukee Brewers – American Family Field

While there is nothing inherently wrong with the name, to me, it just sounds stupid. At first, I thought the Brewers were just coming up with super family-friendly name after dropping naming rights with the Miller Brewing Company. In reality, it’s another sponsor – named after a company called American Family Insurance. Miller Park was a perfect name for the stadium – even though it is named after a beer company, we’re talking about Milwaukee, known for many years as the Brewing Capital of the World. Also, it’s not too unusual to find a beer or two inside an MLB stadium. Now, it has a cringe and generic sounding name from a company based in Madison, 80 miles away from Milwaukee. Which sounds cooler? “Hey guys, I’m going to Miller Park tonight to catch a game, you wanna come?” Or, “Hey guys, I’m going to American Family Field to catch a game, you wanna come?” Pass.

#26 The Atlanta Braves - Truist Park

It felt like the Braves had just recently moved into the appropriately named Turner Field when it was announced they would be moving into a new stadium in Cobb County. There was a nice opportunity to name the stadium after baseball legend Hank Aaron – maybe something simple like Aaron Park. Instead, the new stadium was called SunTrust Park, after a bank – not too terrible for a sponsorship name. However, another risk you take when naming your stadium after a sponsor is that the sponsor merges with another company and changes their name, forcing you to change the name of your stadium. That’s what happened when SunTrust merged with another company, changing their name to Truist Financial Corporation and now the stadium is called Truist Park. At least it’s short and not nearly as cringe as the previous names on the list. But, is Truist even a word?

#25 The Pittsburgh Pirates – PNC Park

While there’s nothing wrong with the name – what does it even stand for? Does any one know? I didn’t until preparing this video – it’s named after PNC Financial Services and the letters PNC came about when two companies merged – the Pittsburgh National Corporation and Provident National Corporation. Don’t these words really remind you of the game of baseball? Me neither. The Pirates onced played at Three Rivers Stadium, a perfect name representing the famous three rivers in Pittsburgh – the Allegheny, the Monongahela and the Ohio. Instead of naming a new stadium after the legendary Robert Clemente, it’s named after a financial company – and the name is not even a word, it’s three random letters. At least White Sox had the guts to go all out with their stupid corporate stadium name.

#24 The Toronto Blue Jays – Rogers Centre

Two things – number one, this stadium used to have one of the coolest names in baseball – the Skydome. It can’t get much better than that, but it can get worse. In 2004, Rogers Communications acquired the Skydome shortly thereafter renamed it Rogers Centre. That doesn’t even sound remotely like a baseball stadium. It sounds like a small arena or convention center at the County Fair.

#23 The Cleveland Guardians – Progressive Field

For one, although I’ve never used them, I’m not really of fan of Progressive Insurance thanks to their annoying commercials. Secondly, this name comes off as weird – you think your stadium is more progressive than the other 29 teams? Thirdly, the stadium once had an awesome name – Jacobs Field, nicknamed “The Jake.” “Hey man, let’s go to the Jake tonight, the Yankees are in town.” Now, it’s like… “Hey man, let’s go to the.. Prog.. tonight.”

#22 The Philadelphia Phillies – Citizens Bank Park

In my opinion, the word “bank” should never be a part of an MLB stadium’s name. Still, this one has a decent ring to it, although had they just called it Citizens Park, that would have been much better. The company isn’t even officially called Citizens Bank, they’re called Citizens Financial Group. Perhaps there were some negotiaions – the bank wanted “Citizens Financial Group Stadium.” The Phillies were like, “F*** that,” and they settled on “Citizens Bank Park.”

#21 The Minnesota Twins – Target Field

Unfortunately, Target is just too famous of a company to associate with anything but the company itself. There’s nothing terribly cringe about it and it’s a halfway cool sounding name, certainly better than Walmart Field or Walgreens Stadium. Target Field has a much better ring to it, which is the only thing that saves it from being much lower on this list.

#20 The Texas Rangers – Globe Life Field

This stadium proves how ridiculous naming rights are – the Rangers were playing at Globe Life Park, but because they moved to a new stadium, the name had to go with them and now their stadium is called Globe Life Field. These names have absolutely nothing to do with the team, the stadium, the geography, baseball legends, or anything of the sort. It’s all about a billionaire company – usually a bank, insurance or mortgage company, paying the team money for naming rights. All that said, this is one of the better insurance/bank/mortgage company names and I don’t totally despise it.

#19 The Houston Astros – Minute Maid Park

This one seems like it should be a lot lower, but somehow the name fits and sounds pretty cool to me, even going back to when it was first announced. This stadium’s naming rights has some history, going back to Enron Field, named after the energy company that went bankrupt in 2001 due to a massive scandal. The Astros had to pay Enron $2.1 million to get out of the deal, changing the name of the stadium to Astros Field. Of course, that wouldn’t last long and naming rights were sold to Minute Maid in 2002. Like Target Field, it’s tough to associate the term Minute Maid to anything else but, well, Minute Maid. However, I don’t completely hate this name.

#18 The San Diego Padres – Petco Park

Although I’ve sort of gotten used to this one, we’re still talking about a Major League Baseball stadium named after a pet supply store. Petco is a company local to San Diego, they work with the team and community more than other corporate sponsors, and it’s not some boring financial company, so all that helps. However, the stadium is amazing with so many unique features that to me it’s still sad they took the corporate sponsor route. And if it wasn’t to be named after something unique about it, another option would have been naming it after the great Tony Gwynn. Instead, we got Petco Park, a name I used to hate a lot more, but after almost 20 years, it’s grown on me a bit.

#17 The Detroit Tigers – Comerica Park

Yes, it’s named after bank, but for whatever reason, I don’t hate the name Comerica Park. It’s not a bank that I’m familiar with as a bank, so when I hear the name, I think of the Detroit Tigers stadium. Also, they haven’t changed the name since it opened, which helps. Of course, I’ll always miss the classic name of the old stadium – simply Tiger Stadium.

#16 The Arizona Diamondbacks – Chase Field

The name is simple and probably an improvement over Bank One Ballpark, its former name. However, it’s strictly a corporate name after the popular bank headquartered in New York. The only reason its ranked this high is because its a short, catchy and simple name – which may have been pure luck. It could have just as easily been named First Option Mortgage Stadium had First Option offered enough dough.

#15 The Colorado Rockies – Coors Field

Although I’m not an alcohol drinker myself, where you find baseball you find beer. There’s no point in denying it, so I might as well embrace the beer stadium names - it’s a lot better than the mortgage company ones. And Coors Field has always been Coors Field – as famous as the Coors name is for its beer production, I associate it more so with the high altitude field where pitchers careers go to die. That said, for a stadium in Denver, I’m not sure any name can beat Mile High Stadium.

#14 The St. Louis Cardinals – Busch Stadium

And the beer stadium names continue. This one only gets ranked higher than Coors because it has a historic name by now, even though I would’ve despised it back in 1953 when it changed to Busch from Sportsman’s Park as I mentioned earlier. Now, we’ve had three Busch Stadiums and whenever I head to St. Louis to watch a Major League Baseball game, I know I’m heading to Busch Stadium.

#13 The Cincinnati Reds – Great American Ballpark

This one is similar to but so much better than American Family Field. It does sound a bit generic but has a better ring to it. It would be even higher if it wasn’t named after an insurance company – American Financial Group which is at least based in Cincinnati. It’s a cool name, though and I like it, so I’m ranking it relatively high.

#12 The San Francisco Giants – Oracle Park

I hate to rank my favorite team’s stadium outside the top 10, but it’s not about the actual ballpark, which is my #1 in all of sports; it’s about the name – or more specifically the constant changing of the name. I grew up going to Candlestick Park, an awesome name for a ballpark named after its location at Candlestick Point. Then, that stadium changed to the God-awful 3Com Park. Then, the Giants moved to Pac Bell Park – not a great name, but I got used to it, until it changed again – to SBC Park – then AT&T Park, which is a terrible name but somehow it became awesome after 3 World Championships playing at AT&T. Then, it changed again and while Oracle Park is a cool sounding name, the company is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Still, I do like the name, it is unique and not a company as widely known as some of the others I’ve already talked about.

#11 The Los Angeles Angels – Angel Stadium of Anaheim

While you can’t go wrong by simply naming the stadium after the team, some of them have a better ring to it than others. Angel Stadium is okay, but the official name, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, reminds me of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which the team was officially called for a while. Overall, this name is good, especially when just calling it “Angel Stadium” and I applaud the Angels for not going to corporate sponsor route, but it’s not one of my favorites.

#10 The New York Mets – Citi Field

The Mets stadium was named after Citigroup, who are at least headquartered in the same city the team plays in. This name, like Chase Field, short, catchy and simple, but I also think it’s pretty cool – with the word City but spelled c-i-t-i. It’s cool sounding, there’s nothing cringe or offensive about it other than the fact that its a corporate name. The Mets get $20 million a year for the naming rights.

#9 The Oakland A’s – The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum

The A’s stadium gets ranked this high by the skin of their teeth as they only recently pulled the plug on naming rights with RingCentral. There is really one word in its long name that makes this an awesome name – the Coliseum. I’ve always thought the proper name was too long, but the nickname it inspired is awesome – simply the “Coliseum,” which is what it’s been referred to even during cringe sponsorship years.

#8 The Tampa Bay Rays – Tropicana Field

Why do I like this name so much? To me, it somehow fits this dome perfectly. It’s the only non-retractable dome left in baseball, so you always feel like you’re sitting inside a gigantic orange. The Tropicana name and logo fits everything about the stadium perfectly and at this point, I can’t imagine calling it anything else but “The Trop.”

#7 The Kansas City Royals – Kauffman Stadium

Shoutout to the Royals for not taking millions of dollars from some financial company and changing the name of their stadium, nicknamed “The K,” which was named after Ewing Kauffman, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who brought Major League Baseball back to Kansas City thirteen years after the A’s moved to Oakland. He was a major factor in the decision to build a stadium that wasn’t the boring multi-purpose type stadium that was popular at the time. Instead, he helped design a stadium that is still a gem among Major League ballparks despite being built 50 years ago. The Royals are looking to build a new ballpark by 2030, but had they built the typical cookie-cutter of the time, they would’ve left a long time ago.

#6 The Washington Nationals – Nationals Park

The Nationals did possibly the best thing – simply naming the team after the stadium. Unfortunately, they have expressed some interest in selling naming rights, so don’t be surprised if Nationals Park doesn’t stick, but for now it’s a perfect name.

#5 The Los Angeles Dodgers – Dodger Stadium

It hurts me more than it hurts you to rank Dodger Stadium so high, but let’s be honest – it’s a simple yet iconic name that flows smoothly and both the stadium and the name have stood the test of time. There have been rumors that the Dodgers will change the name and do a corporate sponsor but as of now, that hasn’t happened and hopefully it won’t. This name works so well because, just like Yankee Stadium that I’m about to talk about, you don’t have to add at s at the end like for “Angels Park” or “Nationals Park.” It’s simply “Dodger Stadium.”

#4 The New York Yankees – Yankee Stadium

One of the most iconic stadium names of all time – simply Yankee Stadium. Of course, the current stadium isn’t the original Yankee Stadium, but they did the right thing in my opinion by simply carrying over the name. For distinction, it can be referred to as “the New Yankee Stadium.” Still, the name is perfect and can never be changed. It is a reminder of all the greats who played at Yankee Stadium – from Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig to Joltin’ Joe to Don Mattingly and Derek Jeter, who I trashed earlier in this video.

#3 The Chicago Cubs – Wrigley Field

One of the most iconic stadium names in the world does sound like a corporate name – Wrigley Chewing Gum, right? - but William Wrigley was not only the owner of the gum company, but was also owner of the Chicago Cubs. The stadium, formerly known as Weeghman Park then Cubs Park, was renamed Wrigley Field in 1927. Sure, at the time the owner named the stadium after himself and his gum company, but since then, the Chicago Cubs ownership have actually resisted giving into corporate naming rights, preferring to maintain the classic name Wrigley Field . There’s also the fear that Cubs fans will riot and perhaps cause World War III if they were to change the name.

#2 The Baltimore Orioles – Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Most fans simply call it “Camden Yards,” and that is an absolutely awesome name. They probably couldn’t just officially call it that because Camden Yards is more than just the stadium, but the name “Camden Yards” sounds so much cooler than simply Oriole Park, which would have been great but not too original. When trying to do both, it becomes a little long but still sounds kick-ass – Oriole Park at Camden Yards. And the name fits the scenery perfect. This is definitely one of my favorite stadium names in all of baseball and it comes in at #2.

#1 The Boston Red Sox – Fenway Park

Can it get more simple and historic than “Fenway Park.” While it is true the stadium was named by the Red Sox owner at the time, John I. Taylor, who owned Fenway Realty Company. But at least he wasn’t dumb enough to call it “Fenway Realty Park.” Also, the stadium is in a neighborhood called Fenway-Kenmore and Taylor claimed that was why he called it Fenway Park. Does it really matter at this point? Taylor purchased and developed the land, helping to create the most historic baseball stadium still standing. The name is absolutely perfect and has been the same for 111 years. It couldn’t be any simpler and is synonomous with baseball – no one thinks of anything but baseball when they hear the name Fenway Park. Since Fenway Park has never been called anything else, has such historic value and technically is not a sponsored name, regardless of Taylor’s original intentions behind it, I have to put at #1 in my list of the MLB stadium names worst to best.

Let me know your thoughts on my list and remember, to steal a quote from one of my favorite movie reviewers Sean Chandler, it’s not the right list, it’s just my list.

The Top 25 Most UNDER-RATED Players In Modern MLB HISTORY...

Over 20,000 people have put on a uniform in order to participate as a baseball player in a Major League Baseball game. Most of them played a few games at the highest level but never put together a long and successful career. Their names are mostly forgotten by even the most hardcore baseball fans. However, there are a select few other Major League players who went on to become absolute superstars with names that are instantly recognizable to nearly any baseball fan. Many of these legends went on be immortalized in the Hall of Fame. Then, somewhere in the middle is a group of players who did excel at the game for a long period of time, while helping their team win games like few others could, but for whatever reason, they never got the credit they deserved – these are players who were snubbed for awards and All Star Games. They were oftentimes as good or even better than the big stars, but their names never received that type of recognition from the fans. You probably won’t find any of these guys on the cover of a baseball video game, but they were all outstanding players who deserved much more recognition than they received. These are my Top 25 underrated MLB players of the modern era. There are also dozens of under-rated players from the early days of baseball such as Art Fletcher and Ross Barnes, but I’ll save them for another video. This list will include players who made their debuts in 1950 or later. Keep in mind this is not a ranking from worst player to best player, it is a ranking that compares how good the player was to how much appreciation they have received in terms of awards, All Star selections, Hall of fame support and hype with the fans. For instance, Andruw Jones was better than many players on this list, but although he is a major Hall of Fame snub, he did earn 10 Gold Gloves and 5 All Star selections, so he didn’t quite make the list. So, with that said, let’s get into it.

Bobby Bonds

#25 Bobby Bonds

Bobby Bonds was one of the greatest power-speed combo players in the history of the game and is one of only 8 players in the 300-300 club – 300 careers homers and 300 career steals. Although he did strike out a lot, he could also work a walk and retired with a .355 on-base-percentage. He hit 30 homers and stole 30 bases in a season 5 times and is the only player to do it in each league. He also played elite defense, but spent many years in the shadow of the great Willie Mays. Bonds made only 3 All Star Games, and receives even less credit for his great career now because of his son Barry who was somehow even better.

#24 Steve Finley

As a San Francisco Giants fan, when I think of Steven Finley, I think of the 2004 walk off grand slam to clinch the division for the Dodgers and the 2006 season when he would constantly pop out to kill a rally for the Giants. In other words, I don’t have too many fond memories of the man, but I was surprised to see his name as one of the 8 on the 300-300 club list along with not only Bobby Bonds, but also Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, A-Rod, Carlos Beltran, Andre Dawson and Reggie Sanders. During the late 90’s and early 2000’s, he was an absolute machine, crushing home runs and stealing bases while playing elite defense. He retired with over 2,500 hits and 300 home runs yet only made two All Star Teams and received .7% of the vote on the Hall of Fame ballot.

#23 Doug DeCinces

A lot of current baseball fans have likely never even heard of Doug DeCinces, but for about a decade, he was a reliable power hitter for the Orioles and Angels, hitting between 16-30 home runs nearly every year. In 1982 he finished 3rd for the MVP after smashing 30 homers with 97 RBIs and a .301 average but was left off the All Star Team. He also hit one of the most dramatic home runs in Baltimore Oriole history in 1982, officially kicking off “Oriole Magic.” DeCinces only made one All Star Team and although he certainly did not have a Hall of Fame career, he did come close to 250 home runs and had a much better career that most fans remember.

#22 Ron Fairly

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ron Fairly call Giants games on the radio in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but looking at his playing career, he may have been a better player than broadcaster. Fairly played for 21 years and did just about everything – no pun intended – fairly well. He got worked walks, kept a decent batting average, hit about 13-19 homers a year, while playing excellent defense. In the ‘65 World Series, he hit .379 with 2 homers and 6 RBIs, helping the Dodgers win it all. In his career, he had 1,913 hits and over 1,000 walks with 215 homers and 3 World Series rings. Unfortunately, he only made 2 All Star Teams and his name doesn’t really jump off the page as a great MLB player.

#21 Frank White

Another player who might be remembered more for his broadcasting career than his playing career – Frank White had an incredible glove and could fly on the basepaths while swinging a solid bat. He did win 8 Gold Gloves and made five All Star Games but has received little Hall of Fame support and feels underappreciated. By the mid-80’s, White had developed some pop as well, crushing 22 home runs in back to back seasons and was also clutch in the big moments, winning the 1980 ALCS MVP, crushing a home run in the ‘85 World Series and even hitting a deciding home run in the 1986 All Star Game. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1995 but received just 3.8% of the vote in his only year on the National Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot.

#20 Steve Rogers

Although he did make 5 All Star Teams, Steve Rogers is name largely forgotten since his retirement after 1985, possibly due to a relatively short 13 year career and a mediocre 158-152 record. However, many of those losses came in stellar starts where Rogers received almost no run support as a pitcher for the Expos in the mid-70’s. For example, in 1976, he went 7-17, leading the league in losses despite a 3.21 ERA. His team had the lowest batting average, fewest hits and fewest runs in the league. When the offense improved as the 1980’s approached, his record improved and in 1982, he went 19-8 with a league-leading 2.4 ERA and would’ve won the Cy Young if not for the incredible 23-win season by Steve Carlton. He has the most wins in Montreal Expos history and catcher Gary Carter once said Rogers has the best stuff he’d ever seen.

#19 Kenny Lofton

Kenny Lofton comes in somewhat low on this list because he was a popular player who made 6 All Star Teams and won 4 Gold Gloves. However, he only received 3.2% of the vote on the Hall of Fame ballot, falling off in his first year despite having over 2,400 career hits and 600 stolen bases. 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. 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. Yet he never really gets credit for how good he was.

Jose Cardenal

#18 Jose Cardenal

A member of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, Jose Cardenal collected over 1,900 hits, 300 steals and hit over .290 in 6 separate full seasons, retiring with a .333 on-base-percentage and a 20.7 WAR. Yet, he never won a single award or made a single All Star Team. In 1973, he was hitting .318 with 104 hits, and 53 RBIs at the break, but was not selected to the All Star Team. He tied with Pete Rose with a .317 batting average in 1975 but was snubbed that year as well. Although he was a fan favorite in Chicago, Cardenal was never really recognized for how good he was, possibly because he was overhyped as the next Willie Mays after hitting .312 with 36 bombs with the Giants Double-A team in 1963. He never worked out in San Francisco but still went on to have a great career and although he may not be Hall of Fame worthy, Cardenal was a lot better than he gets credit for.

#17 Brian Giles

During the late 90’s and early 2000’s when Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds and others were putting up video game numbers, another player was quietly smashing well over 30 home runs every year with an average over .300 – his name was Brian Giles and from 1999 to 2002 he averaged 37 homers a year. He also knew how to work walks and routinely had an on-base-percentage well above .400 every year. If a player had that four year stretch today, he would become one of the games biggest superstars. Instead, Giles went practically unnoticed. In 1999, for instance, he smashed 39 home runs with a .315 average and 115 RBIs. There are many seasons in which that would make him the frontrunner for the MVP. In 1999, however, he finished 19th in the MVP voting. An even crazier fact is that Mark McGwire smashed 65 home runs that year – and finished 5th. Giles played for 15 years and retired with a .400 on-base-percentage and 287 home runs. He made just 2 All Star teams.

#16 Tim Salmon

There was no way I could leave the biggest All Star snub in MLB history off this under-rated list. Tim Salmon was a name known by most MLB fans and did carry some star power, but somehow never made an All Star team. Salmon was a Rookie of the Year who had a 14-year career which included 5 30+ home run seasons and 8 years with a batting average over .280. In 1995, he hit .330 with 34 homers and 105 RBIs. His .884 career OPS puts him in excellent company and he is surrounded by Hall of Famers on the all-time list. The only reason he is this low on the under-rated list is because I believe the general baseball fandom appreciated his worth and he is an All-time Angels legend, but since he was never given the chance to shine at the mid-summer classic, I have to include him on this list.

Jimmy Wynn

#15 Jimmy Wynn

During the 60’s and 70’s, there were few players who could steal bases, hit for power and get on base like Jimmy Wynn, the Toy Cannon. He brought a ton of power to his 5’10” frame and smashed 291 career homers including 37 in 1967 and one of the most famous tape-measure shots of all time with this bomb that he sent out of Crosley Field onto the freeway. However, he could also work a walk like no one else and held the MLB record for walks in a season until Barry Bonds came along. He set that record in 1969 and also smashed 33 homers but was left off the All Star Team. His career 55.7 WAR puts him above Hank Greenberg, David Ortiz and Fred McGriff. Yet, on the Hall of Fame Ballot, Jimmy Wynn unbelievably received zero votes. As the voters usually do, they simply looked at the name and left his box unchecked instead of doing the slightest bit of research.

Bobby Grich

#14 Bobby Grich

Coming up next is a vastly underrated player who is only ranked this low because he did make 6 All Star Teams and won 4 Gold Gloves. However, when comparing Grich to other second basemen, he appears to be one of the greatest of all time and gets nowhere close to that type of respect. On The JAWS list for second baseman, he comes in at #8, above Hall of Famers Ryne Sandberg, Jackie Robinson and Craig Biggio. How is that possible? Two reasons – his ability to work a walk and his elite defense. Although he did have power, Grich only hit more than 20 home runs twice, which prevented him from entering into superstardom. However, he worked at least 75 walks 9 times in his career and retired with a .371 on-base percentage. On defense, he was probably the best in the game for a 5 year period. If you believe Jeff Kent should be in the Hall, Bobby Grich is certainly deserving as well as he had an even better OPS+ and was certainly better defensively. Grich had a 71 career WAR compared to Kent’s 55. While I believe both should be in the Hall, Kent seems to get much more support. Therefore, Bobby Grich makes today’s list as one of the most underrated MLB players of the modern era.

Graig Nettles

#13 Graig Nettles

While the outspoken and charismatic Reggie Jackson got most of the credit for being the power-hitter of the late 1970’s New York Yankees, the quiet and unassuming Graig Nettles was also smashing quite a few home runs while playing elite defense. In fact, he led the league with 32 bombs in 1976. Without him, the Yankees likely would not have made it to 3 World Series in the late 70’s and early 80’s, especially in ‘81 when he hit .500 in the ALCS, taking home MVP honors. He hit at least 20 home runs 11 times during his 22-year big league career. As a big fan of underappreciated players like Nettles, even I was shocked to see that he finished his career just 10 home runs short of 400. Also, if it weren’t for Buddy Bell and Brooks Robinson, Nettles would have won much more than 2 Gold Gloves. He fell off the Hall of Fame ballot after receiving less than 5% of the vote.

Carlos Delgado

#12 Carlos Delgado

Coming up next is another massive powerhitter completely swallowed by the steroid era. It is easy to forget how good Delgado was – he came just 27 home runs short of the magic 500. In the year 2000, he somehow smashed 57 home runs with a .334 batting average and 1.134 OPS yet finished 4th for the MVP. Somehow, he only made two All Star Teams during his career. In 1998, he had 17 homers with a .308 average at the break and was left off the All Star roster. Despite the lack of All Star appearances, Delgado had a clear cut Hall of Fame career in my opinion yet received a mere 3.8% of the vote due partially to the ridiculous 10-player maximum that the writers are allowed to vote for. This rule means by definition if 11 deserving players happen to be eligible for the ballot during the same year, as a voter you are forced to leave one off. Even today, Delgado doesn’t get much Hall of Fame support and is one of the most underrated players of all time.

#11 Tommy Herr

Up next is a player who has never received full appreciation for his abilities, even going back to the draft when his name was never called. He ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals and became one of their most consistent players. His best season came in 1985 when he drove in 110 runs with a .302 average. He also stole 31 bases, being thrown out only 3 times. Herr retired with the best fielding percentage in the history of MLB for second basemen, yet he never won a single Gold Glove. He retired with over 1,400 hits, a .347 on-base percentage and just one All Star selection.

#10 Bobby Abreu

Another player better than most remember is Bobby Abreu, who may have not had the appearance of a superstar but did all the little things right – and some big things, as he smashed 288 career homers including 31 in 2001. Other than the long ball, Abreu compiled 2,470 hits and 1,476 walks. He had an incredibly impressive career .395 on-base-percentage, better than many Hall of Famers including Honus Wagner and Vlad Guerrero. The closer Abreu’s career is studied, the more he looks like he belongs in the Hall of Fame – he could do it all including steal bases, which he did 400 times in his career. He also played elite defense despite winning just one Gold Glove. He was underappreciated during his career, making only two All Star Teams, and so far has been underappreciated on the Hall of Fame ballot, receiving just 15.4% of the vote in 2023, although to be fair the voters from 15 years ago likely would not have voted for some one like Abreu at all.

Rusty Staub

#9 Rusty Staub

Although he made 6 All Star Teams, Rusty Staub still makes the Top 10 as he has never gotten the appreciation he deserves, except perhaps in Montreal and New York where he was a fan favorite. Staub was one of the hardest working players of all time and despite not being the most naturally talented player, he learned to work the count like few others, get on base consistently and help his team win games. His power came along in his 7th year in the big leagues when he smashed 29 home runs in ‘69 then 30 in 1970. Although he crushed 292 career bombs, his most impressive number might be the number of times he reached base in his career – an insane 4,050 times, more than even Tony Gwynn. Despite this incredible career, he fell off the Hall of Fame ballot for not reaching the 5% minimum after 7 years on the ballot.

#8 Toby Harrah

A mostly forgotten player of the 70’s and 80’s, Toby Harrah could do it all – at least at certain points in his career. He came up as a player without much power who could work a walk like no one else, but eventually decided to start going for the fences and smashed 27 bombs in 1977 while still leading the league with 109 walks. He was also good for around 20 stolen bases a year for most of his career until he slowed down in the 80’s. He did lots of the little things right to help his team win ballgames but was never really recognized as a big time superstar. Still, he retired with an 51.4 WAR, much better than most fans would expect out of Toby Harrah, if they had even heard of him in the first place. He retired with less than 50 hits shy of 2,000 and had 195 career bombs.

Brett Butler

#7 Brett Butler

Coming in at #7 is one of my favorite players during the late 80’s, the speedy Brett Butler. He is so underrated than when I google his name, all I get is this girl. (Oh yeah yeah yea yea, the actress). Although he wasn’t a power hitter and never close to a big star, Butler is the guy who gets rallies started and the guy who scores the run when you need it. He had a great eye at the plate, could work a walk or even bunt for a hit in order to get on base. Once on base, he was an instant threat to run and retired with 558 steals, 25th on the all-time list. He covered a ton of ground in centerfield, making all the routine plays and many spectacular ones as well. He hit at least .300 5 times in his career yet made only a single All Star Game and has never been appreciated for how good he was. He retired with an impressive 2,375 hits in his career but received only two votes on the Hall of Fame ballot.

#6 John Olerud

Whenever I think of John Olerud, I remember the one defensive player who always wore a helmet on the field. I had no idea why at that time, but it turns out he had surgery in college for a brain aneurysm, which explains the helmet. Aside from the helmet, however, Olerud was quietly a fantastic player for about 15 years. He ended his career with over 2,200 hits, 500 doubles and 255 homers. He was an elite defensive first baseman and also got on base like nearly no one else, finishing his career with an on-base-percentage just under .400. Because he was not a huge power hitter, he was even more overshadowed than Carlos Delgado during the steroid era. However, he did hit at least 20 homers 5 times and retired with an impressive 58.2 WAR, better than many Hall of Famers including Willie Stargell. Most baseball fans may have had no idea just how good Olerud was and before doing the research, I was one of them, despite being a fan during his era.

Willie Davis

#5 Willie Davis

Moving into the top 5, we have Willie Davis, a long-time Los Angeles Dodger whose prime came right in the middle of the pitcher’s era of the 60’s. He was so under-rated after retirement that despite collecting over 2,500 hits over a 17 year career, he was not deemed good enough to even appear on the a Hall of Fame Ballot. Imagine having almost 3,000 career hits in the Major Leagues and not even getting your name on the ballot. Aside from the hits, Davis was an elite defender and one of the fastest runners in the game, leading the league in triples twice and stealing 398 career bases. He took home three gold gloves, helped the Dodgers win two World Series and stayed healthy throughout most of his career, nearly always playing in at least 140 games. Despite all of that, Davis got zero Hall of Fame support, not even appearing on the ballot and to this day, is underappreciated.

Jose Cruz

#4 Jose Cruz

Up next is a man named Jose Cruz, who had to hit for years at the pitcher friendly Astrodome. He was underrated even during his playing days, possibly because he was a late bloomer who had a few sub-par years in St. Louis. However, by the 80’s, Cruz was a tough out, especially on the road, and did it for many years. In 1983, he led the league in hits. Cruz hit at least .300 6 times and hit so well for so long that he accumulated 2,251 hits in his career with a .284 batting average and .354 on-base-percentage. He was also a solid defender despite winning zero gold gloves. His 54.3 career WAR is higher than several Hall of Famers including Orlando Cepeda and Jim Rice. Had he played in a more hitter-friendly ballpark, there’s no telling what kind of numbers Cruz could have put up.

#3 Willie Randolph

Although he may not come to mind as one of the all-time Yankee greats, Willie Randolph comes in 10th on the All-Time WAR list for time spent with the New York Yankees, above A-Rod, Thurman Munson, Andy Pettite and Bernie Williams. All 9 above him are in the Hall of Fame. Randolph had an incredible knack for getting on base, combined with speed and elite defense. Among second basemen, he has the 5th highest defensive WAR of all time, but never won a Gold Glove – as Frank White and Lou Whitaker routinely won them during Randolph’s prime. In 1980, he drew a league-leading 119 walks and had an on-base-percentage of .427. Randolph retired with 2,210 hits and an incredibly impressive .373 on-base-percentage, one point higher than Kenny Lofton’s. Randolph’s career WAR is tied with Hall-of-Famer Duke Snider and better than Willie McCovey’s and Jackie Robinson’s. Yet, on the Hall of Fame ballot, Randolph got an incredibly disrespectful 1.1% of the vote.

#2 Tony Phillips

Is it possible to play 18 years in the big leagues, collect 2,000 hits, be one of the best defenders at your position and not win a single award? Tony Phillips proves that the answer is yes. One of the best players to never make an All Star Team, Tony Phillips was one of the most versatile players in the league, with the ability to play elite defense almost anywhere on the field. He also had speed and knew how to work a walk – a skillset that seems made for a list like this. He even hit 160 career home runs including 27 in 1995. Despite all he did to help his team win games, Phillips was underrated during and after his career, never receiving a single award of any kind. Since he never won a gold glove or even made an All Star Team, it’s no surprise that he got almost no support on the Hall of Fame Ballot – just one brave voter decided to check the box next to Tony Phillip’s name.

Darrell Evans

#1 Darrell Evans

Coming in as my #1 underrated player of all time is going to be Darrell Evans, who had an extraordinary 21-year career, bringing massive power and elite defense to the field every day. He won zero Gold Gloves – which can be attributed to playing in the same league at the same time as Mike Schmidt. And, no surprise, he also had a great eye and worked a ton of walks. The difference with Evans as opposed to some one of the players on this list is, he worked walks and hit for massive power, smashing 414 career homers. He has a 58.7 career WAR, a .361 on-base-percentage and averaged 25 homers and 20 doubles throughout his entire career. Somehow, despite all this, he made just two All Star Teams and got kicked off the Hall of Fame Ballot after one year. This makes no sense and in my mind, makes Darrell Evans the #1 underrated player in the history of the game.

And that does it for this week’s countdown; I hope you all enjoyed it; I put a lot of time, thought and effort into this one. I understand there are dozens of other criminally underrated players – I considered hundreds of other players, and even started this as a Top 10 but couldn’t bear to leave off some of these names so it ended up as a Top 25. Comment down below if you can think of other players who should have made or been considered for this list.

The Top 15 MLB UNDRAFTED Free Agents of All Time

Since the inception of the MLB Draft, there have been many great players not considered to be very big prospects who were taken extremely low yet went on to have elite MLB careers. Players not taken in the first few rounds generally have a much tougher path to the big leagues and have to really impress in the Minor Leagues. Nevertheless, there have been some players such as Mike Piazza, who was taken as the 1,390th overall pick, who overcame being picked low in the draft and went on to become Hall of Famers. Still, there are many other players who have to take an even tougher path to baseball’s highest level – and for these players, the odds of even making it the big leagues – much less becoming an impact player - are even longer. These are players who were never drafted at all, despite being available in an MLB Draft. These players have to somehow get the attention of an MLB team with the help of an agent or by playing in the independent leagues, hoping to get signed as an undrafted free agent, giving them an opportunity to play in an affiliated minor league system. Even if this happens, the undrafted free agent is rarely considered anything more than a roster filler in the minors. They have to play extremely well in order to get the attention of the big league front office and finally be considered a realistic prospect.

Today, we will be ranking the Top 15 Best MLB Undrafted Free Agents of all time – these players were able to play well enough in the minors to get an opportunity in the big leagues and they took full advantage of it. As a side note, only players who were eligible for the first year MLB draft and were not drafted will be included – so this list will not include players such as Larry Walker and Edgar Martinez, who were signed as international free agents and were not eligible for the draft. Also, players were were drafted after High School but did not sign in order to go college, then later went undrafted after college are eligible for this list. So, let’s get into it, starting with 5 honorable mentions:

Honorable Mentions:

Kirby Yates – an active relief pitcher who led the National League with 41 saves in 2019

Kevin Millar – a 2004 World Series Champion with the Red Sox who hit 170 career home runs

Jim Leyrtiz – a two-time World Series champ with the Yankees who had an 11-year big league career

Dan Gladden – who won two rings with the Twins and retired with over 1,200 hits

Ken Hill – one of the best pitchers in the game for the Expos during the strike-shortened 1994 season

Now, let’s get into the Top 15

#15 Bernard Gilkey – OF (21.6 WAR)

First up is a classic name from the St. Louis Cardinals lineup of the early 90’s, Bernard Gilkey. Gilkey graduated from University City High School in 1984 but went completely undrafted. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals and displayed amazing speed with a solid bat that only improved as he moved up through the minors. He stole 56 bases in Single A in ‘88 and another 53 in Double A in ‘89, leading the league. After 6 long years in the Minors, Gilkey was promoted and by 1991, was in the Opening Day lineup. He consistently hit around .300 for St. Louis until he was traded to the Mets, where in 1996 he had his best year, driving in 117 runs with a .317 batting average and 30 home runs. Unfortunately, he was snubbed from the ‘96 All Star Team. He finished his career with a .275 average and 118 homers.

#14 Esteban Loaiza – P (22.7 WAR)

Up next is a 14-year big league pitcher who started the 2003 All-Star Game – Esteban Loaiza. Loaiza was ready to enter professional baseball after a stellar High School career at Mar Vista High, but sadly went completely undrafted. Later, he was able to sign with the Pirates and entered their Minor League system in 1991, going 5-1 with a 2.26 ERA in Rookie Ball. He continued to impress as he moved up through the minors and in 1995, he made the team out of Spring Training and was put into the starting rotation. Loaiza was a serviceable big league arm for years with the Pirates, Rangers and Blue Jays until everything clicked in 2003 with the White Sox, when he went 21-9 with a 2.9 ERA and league-leading 207 strikeouts. He finished second in the Cy Young voting to Roy Halladay and started the All Star Game. He made a second All Star team in 2004, although he never repeated that amazing 2003 season.

#13 John Montefusco – P (19.9 WAR)

John “The Count” of Montefusco was a staple in the San Francisco Giants rotation during the 1970’s. He attended Brookdale Community College and went completely undrafted in 1972. Fortunately, he was able to sign a contract with the Giants and dazzled in the minor leagues, going 9-2 with a 2.17 ERA and a 9.5 per 9 strikeout ratio. He made his big league debut in 1974 and became a regular by ‘75, when he won the Rookie of the Year award and finished 4th in the Cy Young voting. In 1976, he threw a no-hitter against the Braves, which was the last Giants no-hitter up until 2009 when Jonathan Sanchez finally threw another one. Montefusco later pitched for the Braves, Padres and Yankees, finishing his career with a 90-83 record.

#12 Tommy Herr – 2B (23.6 WAR)

Next up is Tommy Herr, a fan favorite for many years in St. Louis who played in three separate World Series for St. Louis, helping them win one in 1982. He attended the University of Delaware and went undrafted in 1974. Luckily, he caught on with the Cardinals, signing for a $10,000 bonus, and began his Minor League career ‘75. He showed an amazing ability to hit for average and get on base while playing nearly flawless defense. In 1977, he led his Single A league with 156 hits and he also stole an incredible 50 bases. In 1979, he made his big league debut and by the 1980’s, became a regular in the lineup. His best season came in 1985 when he made the All Star Team and drove in 110 runs with a .302 average. He also stole 31 bases, being thrown out only 3 times. Herr retired with the best fielding percentage in the history of MLB for second basemen despite never winning a Gold Glove.

#11 Mike Bordick – IF (26.8 WAR)

A familiar name to Oakland A’s fans of the early 90’s, Mike Bordick played college ball at the University of Maine but no team picked his name during the 1985 MLB Draft. He went on to play in the Cap Cod League, where A’s scout J.P. Ricciardi, who went on to become the Blue Jays GM and now works in the Giants front office, noticed Bordick and signed him to play in the A’s organization. Although his stats were nothing spectacular, he showed incredible work ethic and knew how to work the count and get on base. He worked his way up through the minors and made his MLB debut in 1990. By ‘92, he was an everyday player and hit .300 with 151 hits and 40 walks. By 2000, he developed some power, crushing 20 home runs for the Mets and Orioles and making the All Star Team. He finished his career with an impressive 26.8 WAR.

#10 Danny Darwin – P (39.8 WAR)

Coming in at #10 is Danny Darwin, a starting pitcher and reliever who had a 21-year big league career. He pitched at Grayson County College in Texas and was completely overlooked in the draft. In May of 1976, he signed with the Rangers and quickly impressed in the Minors, going 13-4 with a 2.51 ERA in 1977. He was promoted to Triple A in 1978 and showed amazing strikeout ability, earning a call-up to the big leagues. He had his first full MLB season in 1980 and impressed, going 13-4 with a 2.63 ERA. From there, Darwin would become a solid MLB arm for two decades, as a reliever and starter, pitching for 8 separate teams. In 1990 with the Astros, he led the league with a 2.21 ERA. He pitched for the Giants from 1997 to 1998, retiring with nearly 2,000 career strikeouts and an extremely impressive 39.8 WAR.

#9 Tom Candiotti – P (41.4 WAR)

Up next is the Candy Man, Tom Candiotti, a knuckleballer who had a 16-year big league career. He pitched out of St. Mary’s College of California for four years, but was never drafted. He was able to catch on with an independent league team in British Columbia, Canada called the Victoria Mussels after attending a try-out in 1979. With no place to live, no money, and no car, Candiotti went 5-1 for the Mussels, sometimes sleeping on the field in a sleeping bag after the game. He pitched well enough to be sold to the Kansas City Royals, but later ended up in the Brewers organization. He pitched well in the minors but had a major setback when he underwent Tommy John Surgery. Candiotti came back strong, however and threw a shutout during his initial call-up to the big leagues in 1983. As a knuckler, he had great stamina and later with the Indians in 1986, led the league with 17 complete games. Candiotti was also a mainstay in the Dodgers rotation for several years in the 90’s. He retired with a 151-164 record and over 1,700 strikeouts.

#8 Larry Bowa – SS (22.8 WAR)

Up next is a player who many now know as an MLB coach and Manager – Larry Bowa. Long before his managerial career, Bowa was a High School kid who tried out for the baseball team and was cut – every single year. Fortunately, he continued to practice and did make his college team at Sacramento City College. He became a strong player there and a scout from the Phillies went to check him out, but he was ejected early in the game for arguing with the umpire. The kid definitely had a future as a manager. As it turned out, no team drafted him. However, the Phillies continued to keep an eye on him as he played in a winter league, showing signs of defensive brilliance and a strong bat. He was eventually offered a contract that included a $2,000 bonus. It turned out to be a wise decision as Bowa hit well in the minors and went on to have an incredible rookie year for the Phillies in 1970. He finished 3rd in the Rookie of the Year voting and went on to make 5 All Star teams and take home 2 Gold Gloves. He hit .316 in the 1980 World Series, helping bring a ring to Philadelphia. He later went on to win the Manager of the Year Award for the Phillies in 2001.

#7 Kevin Mitchell – OF (29.2 WAR)

Coming in appropriately at #7 is my favorite player growing up in the late 80’s, Kevin Mitchell, who blasted 234 career home runs and also made one of the most famous catches in MLB history with this barehanded snag. Long before that, Mitchell’s parents separated when he was two years old. He was raised by his grandmother in a rough neighborhood where he sometimes ran with the wrong crowds, getting involved in gang activity. He struggled in school and never even played High School baseball, but did have a talent for the game thanks largely to his grandma encouraging him to practice baseball, even though he preferred football and boxing. In 1980, a friend of Mitchell’s took him to an open New York Mets tryout and Mitchell displayed incredible power, impressing the scouts, who signed him to a contract for $600 a month to enter into their minor league system. He immediately stood out, hitting .335 with 7 homers in Rookie Ball. Step by step, he ascended through the system and made it to the Major Leagues by 1984. In 1986, his pinch-hit single kept the Mets alive in the World Series and was allowed them to make one of the most dramatic comebacks in baseball history. However, he became an absolute superstar later with the San Francisco Giants, crushing 47 home runs in 1989 and taking home the N.L MVP and a Silver Slugger Award. Mitchell’s career was not always smooth sailing and there are some wild stories about some of his off-the-field antics, but for being an undrafted free agent, he had an incredible career, crushing 234 career homers with a .284 batting average.

#6 Brian Downing – C/OF (51.5 WAR)

Brian Downing, who played Major League Baseball for 20 years and collected over 2,000 hits, was not only an undrafted free agent, but was also cut from his High School teams multiple times. He attended Cyprus College after graduating High School and decided to try out for baseball, but only made the team as the official bullpen catcher. Most people would have given up on their baseball career by this point, but Downing decided to make one last effort and attended a Chicago White Sox open try-out in 1969 and fortunately for Downing, a scout named Bill Lentini saw some potential and offered him a contract. Downing was solid in the minors, hitting .278 with 15 homers in Double A. He made it to the big leagues by 1973, and despite a slow start in MLB, he eventually became a regular in the lineup. During the 1977-78 offseason, he was traded to the Angels and found his comfort zone there. Downing crushed 28 home runs in 1978 and was eventually moved from catcher to outfield. He hit at least 19 home runs for 7 straight seasons and became a fan favorite in Anaheim. He retired with 275 homers and one All Star selection. He also worked an impressive 1,197 walks in his career, giving him a .370 career on-base-percentage. His 51.5 WAR is better than Hall of Famers Kirby Puckett and Orlando Cepeda.

#5 Bobby Bonilla – 3B/OF (30.2 WAR)

An absolute superstar from the late 80’s and early 90’s, Bobby Bonilla is another player who was incredibly never drafted. He did play baseball in High School and graduated in 1981, but went unselected in the draft. He decided to pursue a degree in Computer Science but happened to attend a baseball camp where he was spotted by Pirates scout and future GM Syd Thrift. He played well in the Minors for several years but had a major injury setback with a broken leg, then was claimed in the Rule 5 Draft by the White Sox before he could make his big league debut. The White Sox promoted him in 1986 and he hit .269 with a couple homers before the Pirates reacquired him. In 1987, he showed real promise by hitting .300 with 15 homers. Then, in 1988, everything came together as Bonilla crushed 24 homers with 100 runs driven in. From there, he made 4 consecutive All Star Teams and finished 2nd for the MVP in 1990 with 32 bombs and 120 RBIs. Later, he made two more All Star Teams with the Mets and hit .297 with the Marlins in 1997, helping them win their first World Series. He may be best known now for Bobby Bonilla Day, the annual day when the Mets have to pay Bonilla over a million dollars as part of his 2000 deferred salary – a payment that will continue until 2035.

#4 Dan Quisenberry – P (24.6 WAR)

For a few years, Dan Quisenberry was by far the best relief pitcher in all of baseball. He was encouraged by his stepfather to play the game and was a solid arm in High School, but was not a serious prospect. Later, he was the team’s MVP at Orange Coast College before transferring to La Verne, a Division III baseball program. Quisenberry’s name was never called at the MLB Draft, but he was able to sign with the Royals as an undrafted free agent and absolutely dazzled in the minors, with an even 1 ERA in in 1976. In Double A in 1977, he had a 1.34 ERA in 33 appearances. He had fantastic control and great stuff but could not overpower hitters, and it showed in Triple A when his ERA shot up to 3.6. Royals manager Jim Frey suggested he learn to pitch submarine style in order to keep hitters off balance. This worked wonders for Quisenberry, who quickly mastered the new style and in his first full MLB season in 1980, led the league with 33 saves. In ‘81, he had a 1.73 ERA, kicking off 7 consecutive seasons with an ERA under 3. He led the league in saves for four straight seasons, maxing out at 45, an MLB record, in 1983. He won the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year award 5 times, finishing in the Top 5 for the Cy Young each of those seasons. His reign of complete domination ended around 1985, but he was still solid for several years out of the Royals bullpen. He ended up in St. Louis, where he had a nice year in 1989 with a 2.64 ERA in 63 appearances. He ended his career with 244 saves, and many fans believe he deserves to be enshrined in Cooperstown.

#3 Frank White – IF (34.8 WAR)

Coming in at #3 is another Kansas City Royals legend, who had an elite glove and also collected over 2,000 MLB hits. His name is Frank White and at one time he was a community college baseball player with no expectations of playing beyond college. That’s when the Royals created Royals Academy, a concept where strong and powerful athletes would be trained to become elite baseball players. Unfortunately, the Academy only produced three big-league players, but Frank White was one of them – the others being U.L. Washington and former Rangers manager Ron Washington. After White entered the Royals system, it was obvious he had big talent – his glove was incredible, he could fly on the basepaths and his offensive stats were respectable. He made his big league debut in 1973 and it took a few years for Royals fans to warm up to him but by 1976, he was a regular. He won his first of 8 Gold Gloves in 1977 and made his first of five All Star Games in ‘78. By the mid-80’s, White had developed some pop as well, crushing 22 home runs in back to back seasons. He was also clutch in the big moments, winning the 1980 ALCS MVP, crushing a home run in the ‘85 World Series and even hitting a deciding home run in the 1986 All Star Game. He was inducted into the Royals Hall of Fame in 1995 and is also heavily supported as a potential candidate for the Basebal Hall of Fame.

#2 Toby Harrah – IF (51.4 WAR)

One of the most underrated players of all time, Toby Harrah comes in at #2 on my list of the best undrafted free agents in MLB history. Although his name doesn’t pop off the page like that of some of the previous mentioned players, you might be surprised at how good this guy was. He was scouted as a High School prospect but went undrafted and entered into the workforce, getting a job at a factory. When Phillies scout Tony Lucadello found out that no one had drafted Harrah and that he was not playing college ball, he got in touch with him and signed him to play in the Phillies organization. He was later claimed by the Washington Senators, who promoted him in for a cup of coffee in 1969, then a full-time role in 1971. Harrah had not shown much power at this point, but he knew how to work a walk like nobody else, did not strike out much, had great speed, and would be a front office analytical dream come true this day in age. Even then, his value was clear and the Senators made him an everyday player. In 1972, the team moved to Arlington, becoming the Texas Rangers and Harrah made his first All Star Team. In 1974, he decided to try to hit for more power and crushed 21 bombs. In ‘75, he hit 20 more while hitting .293 with a .403 on-base-percentage and 23 stolen bases. Harrah had also vastly improved his defense – he was near-elite in almost every aspect of the game at this point. This type of production continued year after year, with perhaps his best season in 1977 when he hit 27 homers and led the league with 109 walks. Harrah was never a massive superstar, but he did everything right to help his team throughout a 17-year career. He retired as a 4-time All Star with a career 51.4 WAR, which is better than several Hall of Famers including Ralph Kiner, Jim Rice and Ted Simmons and the best of any one on this list. The JAWS ranking has him as the 28th greatest third baseman in MLB history. He was also the last player to bat for the Washington Senators, one half of the only duo to hit back to back inside the park homers, and once played every inning of a doubleheader at shortstop and never handled the ball once. He also hit one of three grand slams in a game for the Rangers, becoming the first team to ever do so. On top of being an amazing MLB talent, he is the answer to several trivia questions.

#1 Bruce Sutter – P (24.1 WAR)

Although it was tempting to put Harrah as my #1 overall pick, there was just no way I could put any one else other than the only undrafted free agent who was also a Hall of Famer as my #1 – and that would be of course Bruce Sutter, who finished his career with exactly 300 saves. Sutter was drafted after High School by the Senators in the 21st round, but did not sign and attended college at Old Dominion. From there, he was never drafted and ended up dropping out and playing in some semi-pro league. Chicago Cubs scout Ralph DiLullo noticed Sutter and signed him to play pro ball. This was just the first time Sutter’s career would be revived after being nearly dead in the water. He only pitched in a couple games in the minors when a pinched nerve required surgery. Then, in 1973 in A Ball, he had a 4.13 ERA, giving up 94 hits in 85 innings. The Cubs were considering releasing Sutter, but a minor league instructor named Fred Martin convinced them to let him teach Sutter a new pitch first. He taught Sutter the same pitch he taught Mike Krukow – the split-fingered baseball. It wasn’t a pitch that worked for every one, but Sutter’s hands were perfect for it and in 1974 , he used to dominate minor league batters to the tune of 1.38 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 64 innings. In 1976, he began the year in Triple-A but was quickly promoted and had a 2.7 ERA in his rookie MLB season. This was only the beginning. In 1977, he became the closer and had 31 saves with a 1.34 ERA, making the All Star team and garnering Cy Young votes. He became an MLB superstar, making the All Star team nearly every year. In 1979, he had a monster season, tying an NL record with 37 saves while taking home the Cy Young Award. He would later tie Dan Quisenberry’s MLB record of 45 saves in 1984. He led the league in saves 5 times, won 4 Rolaids Relief Awards, made 6 All Star teams and was eventually honored with induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the first pitcher who never started a game to become a Hall of Famer.

10 ELITE MLB Players SNUBBED From HALL OF FAME - Including NEW SNUB CARLOS BELTRAN!! SNUBBED Part 3

Welcome to another edition of MLB Hall of Fame SNUBS and today, we’ll be ranking #30-#21 along with some updates to the previous 2 videos which will be linked at the end of this one so you can check out my TOP 20 SNUBS of all time. Before getting into the main list, there have been some fortunate updates to my Top 10 list.

In the recent 2023 Hall of Fame election, my #6 snub of all time was finally elected to the Hall of Fame and it’s the great Scott Rolen, who was an elite player on both sides of the ball. Rolen was a Rookie of the Year winner who ended his career with 8 Gold Glove Awards. Based on defense alone, he would be a Hall of Fame candidate, but when you take into account his amazing bat and the fact that he averaged 28 home runs a year for 8 straight seasons and drove in over 100 runs 5 times, it’s a shoe-in for me. Scott Rolen absolutely deserves enshrinement in Cooperstown and I’m very happy to remove him from my snubs list as he gets the plaque that he deserves.

The second update of course is the man who was my #1 snub of all time, the Crime Dog, Fred McGriff, who was elected by the Contemporary Era Committee after somehow being snubbed on the ballot for 15 years. In my opinion, the fact that this happened will be a black eye for the writer’s association for as long as they continue to be the sole voters on the traditional Hall of the Fame ballot. Fred McGriff, of course, came within 7 home runs of 500 and had he hit those measly 7 more homers, he would have probably been in a long time ago. McGriff was an elite hitter and excellent defender for over a decade averaging 30 home runs a year for an astonishing 16 years. Congratulations to both Fred McGriff and Scott Rolen for being elected into the Hall of Fame, better late than never.

New Snubs: Carlos Beltran, Ross Barnes

To replace McGriff and Rolen in the Top 10, I’m going to start with a brand new snub and that snub is Carlos Beltran, who made the Hall of Fame ballot this year and received only 46.5% of the vote. Beltran was similar to Scott Rolen in that he was a Rookie of the Year winner who was an elite defender and hitter, but Beltran had an even longer career, 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. It is certainly worth pointing out that 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. Will the voters seriously keep him out? He not only had a Hall of Fame career but also won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2013 for his humanitarian work off the field. He apologized for his involvement and took responsibility. Meanwhile, 2017 Astros manager A.J. Hinch and bench coach Alex Cora are continuing their managerial careers elsewhere without issue. Also, as a final point, sign-stealing has been part of the game forever and even though the Astros clearly took it too far, Beltran was far from the only one involved and to keep him out of the Hall of Fame for this one blemish on his otherwise stellar resume, in my opinion, is ridiculous. Carlos Beltran is my newest Top 10 Hall of Fame snub of all time, along with a player from the 19th century named Ross Barnes, who not only hit the first home run in MLB history but absolutely dominated the game during the early years of professional baseball.

For more info on Barnes, check out my video on him above. So, now that my Top 10 remains complete, let’s move on to 10 more snubs, #30 through 21. Keep in mind these snubs are understandably mostly borderline cases, but in my opinion all 10 should eventually be enshrined and I’ll explain why.. here we go...

#30 David Cone

Although most baseball fans remember David Cone as being an excellent pitcher, his name may not jump out as an obvious Hall of Famer. When digging a bit deeper though, I believe he has an excellent case. He had a 17-year that included five All-Star appearances, five World Series rings and even a Cy Young Award in 1992. Cone is 27th All-Time in career strikeouts with 2,668. His career WAR of 26.3 beats out many Hall of Fame starters including Don Drysdale and Whitey Ford. When examining his placement on the JAWS ranking, which evaluates Hall of Fame worthiness, Cone finds himself dropped in the middle of a massive list of Hall of Famers. Notice how Cone is mixed in with names like Juan Marichal and Bob Feller among others. He only had 194 career wins, but when considering everything else, does that warrant him falling off the ballot during his first year of eligibility? Cone also finished in the Top 6 for the Cy Young 5 times and his best year was a year he didn’t even win it, 1988, when he went 20-3 with a 2.22 ERA. Without the Cy Young, he is definitely a boderline case, but when you add that into the mix, it puts it over the top for me – David Cone should have a plaque.

#29 Jack Glasscock

He was the best shorstop of an entire century – ableit the 19th century. Called “The King of Shortstops,” deadball superstar Jack Glasscock had a 17-year career in which he collected over 2,000 hits. At that time, 2,000 career hits was no small feat as he was only the 6th player of all time to do it. However, his strongest asset was his defense. Glasscock led the National League in fielding percentage seven times and assists 6 times. When he retired in 1895, he had the Major League record for games played, putouts, assists, double plays and fielding percentage. Had the Hall of Fame existed at the time, he was have been a first ballot no brainer Hall of Famer. Unfortunately, by the time the Hall of Fame did exist, he was overshadowed by the greats of the 20th century and only received 2.6% of the vote in his one and only year on the ballot in 1936. Since then, he has only been forgotten even more, due largely to the fact that most of the teams he played for no longer exist – such as the Indianapolis Hoosiers and Louisville Colonels. He did, however, play two years for the New York Giants, including the outstanding 1890 season in which he led the league in hits and won the batting title with a .336 average. Despite the fact that his overall numbers may not be Hall of Fame worth by today’s standards, because he stood out above his peers as one of the best in the game for well over a decade, even if it was in the 19th century, Jack Glasscock deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.

#28 Luis Tiant

Coming up next is Luis Tiant, a pitcher who was on the ballot for 15 years and was never elected. He was also snubbed on 3 ballots for the Veteran’s Committee. Today he is 82 years old and still with us, so I’m hopeful he will be able to enjoy the moment when he is elected. And why should he be elected? How about a 19 year career in which he won at least 20 games 4 times, finished in the Top 6 for the Cy Young 3 times and had 2 ERA titles. He had 2,416 strikeouts, more than Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal and Jim Palmer. In the postseason, Tiant went 3-0 with 2.86 ERA in 4 starts. He had all these accomplishments despite playing a large portion of his career at hitter friendly Fenway Park. He also pitched for the offensively light Cleveland Indians for the first 6 years of his career, and the lack of run support killed his record. For example, he went 12-11 in 1966 despite a 2.79 ERA. Five of his 12 wins that year were via the shutout. In 1968, he went 21-6 with an ERA of 1.6 Unfortunately, he only made 3 All Star Teams, but was certainly snubbed there. In 1973, for instance, he won 20 games – and had 12 at the All Star Break but did not make the All Star Team. All told, he won 229 games with a 3.3 ERA and an incredibly impressive 187 complete games. He is also one of two pitchers with two streaks of 40+ scoreless innings. The other is the great Walter Johnson.

#27 Tommy John

How could a player who had a Hall of Fame career who also has one of the most famous names in baseball history be left on the outside looking in? Even if we ignore the massive impact Tommy John had on the game by becoming the first player to make a successful comeback to the game after successful ligament replacement surgery, his career itself warrants induction. John pitched for an incredibly impressive 26 years. Aside from his incredible longevity, he won 288 career games – 12 shy of 300 – and won at least 20 games in 3 separate seasons. Although he never won a Cy Young Award, he certainly could have as he finished in the Top 10 four times, which includes two times when he was the runner-up. The only reason I have Tommy John ranked this low on my overall list of snubs is because he was only great for about a 4-year window and for most of his career was just good or average. Still, I consider longevity an important factor and considering he pitched for 26 years, his 3.34 ERA is impressive. When you combine his career numbers with the fact that he made an extraordinary comeback through a groundbreaking surgery that bears his name and continues to help hundreds of pitchers continue their careers despite experiencing what used to be career-ending injuries, it’s a shame that Tommy John isn’t in the Hall of Fame. Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise – the player with the most hits is not in, the player with the most home runs is not in and the player with the most famous name of all – also not in.

#26 Orel Hershiser

Up next is a player whose shelves are filled with so many awards, if you visited his home, you would just assume he’s a Hall of Famer. His name is Orel Hershiser and just to run through those awards before getting into his stats, he has a Cy Young Award, Major League Player of the Year Award, Silver Slugger, ALCS MVP, NLCS MVP, World Series MVP, and a Gold Glove Award. Add all that to a World Series Ring and 3 All Star Appearances. He was one of if not the best pitcher in the game during the late 80’s. At one point in 1988, he threw a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings. Although his career slowed down after the 80’s, he continued to be a dominant postseason pitcher and pitched well for both the Indians and Mets as well, retiring with a 2.59 ERA in 22 postseason games. Although his best regular season years were certainly with the Dodgers, especially the insane 1988 Cy Young season in which he went 23-8 with a 2.26 ERA, he was still good from 1995 to 1997 with Cleveland, when he went 45-21. His accomplishments and awards alone merit induction despite only winning 204 career games, which is partially due to poor run support. He did have a relatively high ERA as well at 3.48, but it has been proven you can get in with an ERA in 3’s – Jack Morris was recently inducted and he had a 3.9 career ERA. Bottom line, when you do what Hershiser did at his best then go on to win over 200 games while continuing to pitch well when it counts, you deserve a plaque in my opinion.

#25 Albert Belle

Next up is a player known more his insane temper and toxic relationship with the media than his talent on the field. This unfortunately may have kept him out of Cooperstown. After all, it’s the baseball writers who vote. Albert Belle got only 7% of the vote on his first ballot. The next year, he dropped to around 3% and fell off the ballot. He only played for 12 years but was an absolute machine during most of it, driving in over 100 runs 9 consecutive times. That includes the strike-shortened 1994 when he smashed 36 home runs in just 101 games. Belle finished in the Top 3 for MVP 3 times and in the Top 10 5 times, although he never won the award. He easily could have and should have in 1995 when he crushed a league leading 50 homers with 126 RBIs. He had a slugging percentage of .690 and an OPS over 1.000 and led his team to an easy division title. He also hit .317 that year but lost the MVP to Mo Vaughn, who hit an even .300 with 39 home runs. Belle was better in nearly every category but Vaughn took home the MVP. Belle did win the Player of the Year Award. In his career, he was a 5-time All Star and 5-time Silver Slugger as well and is the only player to ever hit 50 homers and 50 doubles in the same season. Unfortunately, he had to retire early due to a degenerative back condition, but he still managed 381 home runs, over 1200 RBIs and a .295 batting average. His career OPS of .933 is just 7 points below one Willie Mays and is better than Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols and Ken Griffey Jr. among many other greats of the game. To me, the only possible excuse to keep him out is his lack of longevity, but when you’re as good as he was, 12 years in more than enough.

#24 Carlos Delgado

Next up on the Hall of Fame snubs list is the great Carlos Delgado, who is slightly higher than Belle because he had a longer career at 17 years, allowing him to hit 473 homers – just 27 shy of 500. Aside from that, he also had a season where he could have easily taken home the MVP. It was 2003 and Delgado hit 42 homers with an incredible 145 RBIs while hitting .302 with an OPS over 1.000. Unfortunately, A-Rod, perhaps with a little assistance, outdid him in Texas and won the MVP. Since voters don’t consider juicers legit and won’t put them in the hall, I assume they must also credit Delgado then for being the true MVP that year. Aside from 2003, he was incredibly consistent, crushing at least 30 home runs 11 times, going over 40 3 times. Here’s one stat that might convince you Delgado is a Hall of Famer or at least deserved more than getting kicked off the ballot after one year. He drove in more runs than Mickey Mantle. When you combine that fact with the fact that he had nearly 500 homers, that’s all I need to know. Names on the list of similar players on baseball reference includ Willie McCovey, Jeff Bagwell and Willie Stargell. The voters did Delgado dirty when they failed to even give him 5% of the vote.

#23 Thurman Munson

Up next is a player whose career and life was cut short by a tragic plane crash. Had this never occurred, Munson would have likely waltzed into the Hall of Fame. Still, even with his shortened career, I think Munson deserves enshrinement. During his 11 year career, he made 7 All Star teams, won 3 Gold Gloves, and took home the Rookie of the Year Award as well as an MVP Award. That alone sounds close to a Hall of Famer. If it’s not enough, how about an absolutely phenomenal postseason career in which he hit .357 in 30 games, helping the Yankees win two World Series rings. He had 16 World Series starts and was unstoppable, hitting .373. Defensively, he was also dominant, throwing out 4 of 6 would-be base stealers during the ‘77 World Series. The only excuse to keep him out is his shortened career, in which he still hit .292 but only had 1,558 hits. Still, he did get the 10 year minimum in, has an MVP and was an absolute superstar during his time. When you add that to the postseason contributions, I believe he absolutely deserves a plaque and I’m shocked he was never voted in when you consider his tragic death as, for better or worse, I would assume he would have gotten some sympathy votes. Nevertheless, in my opinion, he’s a Hall of Famer with or without sympathy votes.

#22 Jim McCormick

It’s time to go way back in time again and talk about one of the early players of the game. Jim McCormick is another forgotten 19th century player who played pro ball from 1878 to 1887, just 10 years. However, during that time, his numbers were off the charts – even for early baseball stats. For example, he won 265 games in his career – nearly 300 – in just 10 years. In 1880, he led the league with an insane 45 wins, a number impossible to achieve today. He is 11th All Time with 466 Complete Games and is one of just 4 pitchers in baseball history with 4,000 innings pitched with an ERA under 2.50. The other 3 are all in the Hall of Fame – Christy Matthewson, Walter Johnson and Eddie Plank. In fact, when looking at his incredible numbers, it’s quite baffling he’s not in the Hall of Fame. The reason may be because he hasn’t been on the ballot in many decades and back when he was, he was held out for not reaching 300 wins, which most of his peers who made the Hall of Fame did. However, nowadays, 300 wins is rare and far from a requirement to get in. Jim McCormick is some one whose case needs to be re-evaluated and he needs to be put in the Hall of Fame and hopefully he has descendants he can be there to celebrate the induction.

#21 Dwight Evans

Coming in as my ultimate snub in today’s edition of snubs is an amazing player who spent 20 years in the league, dominating in both the field and at the plate. His name is Dwight Evans. Evans may be the most baffling case of some one who didn’t even receive 5% of the vote, which caused him to fall off the ballot. This just goes to show many of these voters don’t do the slightest bit of research when casting their ballot. This is some one who played 20 years, won 8 gold gloves, accumulated over 2,400 hits and crushed 385 home runs. He was a three-time All Star and 2-time Silver Slugger as well. The offensive numbers alone make him a borderline case, but when you add in the 8 Gold Gloves, the case should become clear – Dwight Evans belongs in. His career WAR of 67.2 is higher than Willie McCovey, Duke Snider and Jackie Robinson. Along with his power, Evans had a knack for getting on base and led the league in walks 3 times. He simply helped his teams win games for 20 years on both sides of the ball and even though he didn’t reach any of the main milestone numbers, Evans was great for a sustained period of time and deserves a plaque in Cooperstown.

Top 20 MLB ACTIVE Draft Steals

Welcome to another Humm Baby Baseball countdown and today we’ll wrap up my series on MLB Draft Steals by going down the list of my Top 25 MLB Active Draft Steals. This includes only players that are currently active and on a Major League roster and each of these players signed out of a draft in which they were taken in no higher than the 5th round. Players of the past like Mike Piazza, Ozzie Smith and John Smoltz have proven that you don’t have to take a prospect in the first or second round in order to find a future Hall of Famer. That hasn’t changed and today we’ll talk about 20 MLB stars who were all taken very late in the draft. I am ranking these based not just on how good the player is, but also on how late they were taken. The later the pick, the better the steal. A few honorable mentions include..

Honorable Mentions

• Mike Yastrzemski - 14th Round

• Jared Walsh - 39th Round

• Adam Frazier - 6th Round

• Cedric Mullins - 13th Round

• Tommy La Stella - 8th Round

• Matt Moore - 8th Round

• Matt Carpenter - 13th Round

20. Corey Dickerson - 8th Round

First up is Corey Dickerson, who was a massive superstar at Meridian Community College in Mississippi. He hit .459 with 21 bombs during his freshman year. Still, he wasn’t taken until the 8th round by the Rockies in 2010, who had also drafted him in the 29th round out of High School in 2009. Dickerson destroyed Rookie Ball with a .348 average and 13 bombs. He moved quickly through the Minors and found his way into the Rockies lineup by mid-2013. In 2014, he crushed 24 bombs with a .312 batting average and .931 OPS. He was later traded to the Rays where he hit 27 homers in 2017, making the All Star Team. In 2018, he hit .300 for the Pirates and won a Gold Glove. Dickerson recently signed with the Nationals for the 2023 season.

19. Nestor Cortes Jr - 36th Round

Coming in at #17 is a player with a chance to move much higher a list like this in the future, Nestor Cortes Jr. He was not taken until the 36th round in 2013, but absolutely dominated the minor leagues with an 11-4 record and 1.53 ERA in 2016. He continued to pitch well in the minors until, surprisingly, the Yankees left him unprotected and he was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the Orioles. Luckily for the Yankees, the O’s were not patient with him and after a couple bad outings, they sent him back to New York. He went 5-1 in 2019, then after a stint with the Mariners, came back to the Yankees where he finally had his breakout season in 2022 going 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 163 strikeouts, making his first All Star Team. He is currently slated to be in the rotation for the 2023 and could end up being an amazing steal from the 36th round.

18. Ty France - 34th Round

Next up is another player who could be ranked much higher on a list like this in a few years. Ty France was taken all the way down in the 34th round of the 2015 Draft and as of now, is the only player from that round to make the big leagues. France played at San Diego State University and showed some ability by hitting .337 across four seasons. Nevertheless, he wasn’t considered a big prospect and not taken until the 1,017th pick by the Padres. He hit so well in the Minors, the Padres had no choice but to keep moving him up until 2019, when he made Triple A look like T-Ball, hitting .399 with an OPS over 1.200. He hit 27 home runs in just 76 games, forcing the Padres to bring him up to the big leagues. He never got a full opportunity, however, until he joined the Mariners lineup in 2021 and hit .291 with 18 homers. France could go on to become one of the greatest steals of all time, but he is still at the beginning of his big league career.

17. Jordan Romano - 10th Round

Undrafted out of High School, Jordan Romano at first attended Connors State College in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where he 0-1 with an 8.68 ERA, not exactly stellar numbers. The next year, he improved drastically and transferred to Oral Roberts, where he became the closer, saving 11 games with a 2.66 ERA. The Blue Jays took him in the 10th round of the 2014 Draft, paying him a $25,000 signing bonus. The Jays almost lost him when the White Sox took him in the Rule 5 Draft in 2018, but after a trade to the Rangers, he was returned to Toronto. Despite a high ERA in the Triple A, his strikeout stuff was good enough to give him an opportunity and in 2020, Romano broke through with a 1.23 ERA in 15 apperanaces. In ‘21, he became the closer and last season, he made his first All Star Team and saved 36 games with a 2.11 ERA.

16. Blake Treinen - 7th Round

Next up is a player with an amazing story. Blake Treinen retired from baseball for the first time after his freshmen year of High School. He had some weight issues and struggled with borderline Type 2 Diabetes. Treinen worked hard to get in shape and by his Junior year realized he had grown 6 inches and could throw a ball harder than ever. He gave baseball another try and pitched well, but had no scholarship offers. He went to a Junior College called Baker, where he struggled to get playing time. After a transfer to Arkansas, he was told that they don’t hold open tryouts and denied even the opportunity to play ball. Finally, Treinen was given a chance at South Dakota State, where he went 7-3 with a 3.00 ERA. The A’s took him in the 7th round and later traded him to the Nationals. In 2014, Treinen, against all odds, made it to the big leagues and pitched well, with a 2.49 ERA in 15 games. The A’s eventually got their man back in another trade and in 2018, Treinen was one of the best in the game, allowing just 46 hits in 80 innings with a stunning 0.78 ERA. He’s been one of the most effective relievers out of the Dodgers bullpen since 2020 and an absolutely incredible steal from the 7th Round.

15. Max Muncy -5th Round

Max Muncy had a nice career at Baylor where he hit .311 with 27 homers. It wasn’t enough to get him very high in the draft however, as he wasn’t taken until the 5th round when the Oakland A’s took him as the 169th overall pick. He hit 25 homers with 100 RBIs during his first full minor league season and became a prospect to keep an eye on for Oakland. Unfortunately, he didn’t hit well with the big league club during two stints in 2015 and 2016, looking like the dreaded Quadruple-A Player. The A’s released him during the end of Spring Training in 2017. He signed a Minor League deal with the Dodgers, earned another shot in the big leagues by 2018 and from there, became one of the premiere power hitters in the game, crushing 35 home runs in ‘18 and 35 again in ‘19. He has made two All Star Teams and already has 144 big league home runs.

14. Brandon Belt - 5th Round

Coming in at #14 is the Captain, Brandon Belt, who was taken in the 5th round of the 2009 Draft out of Texas. He was quickly a mid-season All Star with the High A San Jose Giants. He blasted through the minors all the way to Triple A in his first season, ending the year with a .352 average and 23 home runs across all levels. He was quickly considered a top prospect for the Giants and made his MLB debut in 2011. By 2012 he was a regular and helped the Giants win their second World Series in 3 years. Of course, he was also part of the 2014 World Championship team as well and hit one of the most dramatic homers in Giants history in the NLDS in Washington D.C. with this tie-breaking bomb in the 18th inning. He ended up spending 12 years with the Giants, getting on base consistently while playing phenomenal defense at first base. In 2021, he crushed 29 home runs and helped the Giants win a franchise record 107 games. For the 2023 season, he has signed with the Blue Jays.

13. Chris Bassitt - 16th Round

Up next on the list is a pitcher named Chris Bassitt, who had a 1.62 ERA as a reliever during his Junior year at the University of Akron. He wasn’t taken until the 16th round by the Chicago White Sox. His excellence continued in the Minor Leagues and the organization converted him to a starter. Bassitt made his big league debut in 2014. After that season, the Sox sent him to the A’s along with Marcus Semien, who we may be discussing soon as well. Bassitt went on to be an All Star in Oakland. In 2020, he had a 2.59 ERA. In 2022, Bassitt went 15-9 for the Mets, helping them win over 100 games. After the season, he signed a 3-year, $63 million contract with the Blue Jays. Not bad for a 16th Round Pick.

12. Jake Cronenworth - 7th Round

Just cracking the Top 10 is Jake Cronenworth, who is still very early in his career. He played for the Michigan Wolverines, hitting .338 in his final year with 6 homers. The Tampa Bay Rays took him but not until the 7th round. He hit extremely well for five years in the Rays organization, but before he could make his big league debut, he was traded to the Padres. The Padres thanked the Rays for developing him for them, put him right in their lineup and let him rake as he hit .285 his rookie year, finishing second in the Rookie of the Year voting. The next season, in 2021, he made his first All Star Team and found his power stroke, crushing 21 homers. He made the All Star Team again in 2022 and drove in a career high 88 runs. He also hit well in the postseason for San Diego and is already a definite great steal as a 7th round pick even though the Rays never took advantage.

11. Brandon Woodruff - 11th Round

Coming up next is pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who was a solid prospect out of High School and was as originally taken in the 5th round by the Rangers but did not sign. His stock fell a bit after struggling at Mississippi State with a 6.75 ERA his Junior Year. The Brewers took him in the 11th round. In 2016, he went 14-9 with a 2.68 between Single and Double-A, becoming a serious pitching prospect for Milwaukee. The next year, he made his big league debut. By 2019, he worked his way to the top of the Brewers rotation, making the All Star Team and going 11-3 with a 3.62 ERA. He made another All Star Team in 2021 and then, in 2022, went 13-4 with a 3.02 ERA. He, along with Corbin Burnes, has become one of the most solid 1-2 punches at the top of a rotation in the game. Burns, by the way, was also a nice steal from the 4th round, but this list is only considering those taken in the 5th and lower.

10. Kyle Hendricks - 8th Round

Next up, we have The Professor, Kyle Hendricks, who was a solid pitcher for the Dartmouth Big Green. He was not considered a huge prospect and not taken until the 8th round by the Texas Rangers. Shortly after his pro career began, the Rangers traded him to the Cubs as part of a trade that sent Ryan Dempster to the Rangers. He quickly turned heads in the Cubs organization, going 13-4 with an even 2 ERA between Double and Triple A. He was promoted to the big leagues the next season and had a stellar rookie year, going 7-2 with a 2.46 ERA. In 2016, he was one of the best in the league, going 16-8 with a 2.13 ERA, then continued to dominate during the postseason, helping the Cubs win their first World Series since Teddy Roosevelt was president. Although he hasn’t repeated his 2016 season, Hendricks has continued to be a staple in the Cubs rotation and is still on their roster for the 2023 season.

9. Joc Pederson - 11th Round

Coming in at #9 is a fantastic steal in the 11st round, taken out of Palo Alto High School, Joc Pederson. He hit extremely well in the minors and after the 2013 season in which he hit 22 home runs, Joc was ranked as the #1 Dodgers Prospect by Baseball America. He became a full time big leaguer in 2015 and made the All Star Team, finishing the season with 26 bombs. His best season came in 2019 when he crushed 36 home runs. He came through for the Dodgers in 2020 and then the Braves in 2021 with some key postseason home runs, helping each team win a World Series. He smashed over 20 home runs again in 2022 for the Giants and now has a 171 career homers as an 11th Round Pick.

8. Marcus Semien - 6th Round

Next up is a huge star in the game named Marcus Semien, who played college ball at Cal. He was a solid prospect, but after hitting .275 his Junior year, his stock dropped a bit and he fell all the way to the 6th round. It was the White Sox who took him and he moved quickly through the minors, earning a promotion in just his third season. In 2014, he got an extended shot in Chicago but hit just .234 with 6 homers in 64 games. It was after this season when the White Sox packaged him up with Chris Bassitt and a couple others to send to Oakland for Jeff Samardzija and Michael Ynoa. The Sox got some value from these players but they certainly lost the trade. Semien became an everyday player in Oakland and crushed 27 homers in 2016. He was an MVP candidate in 2019 when he hit .285 with 33 homers. He has only missed about 8 games in the past 4 years. Before the 2022 season, he signed a 7-year deal worth $175 million with the Rangers.

7. Jeff McNeil - 12th Round

Next up is Squirrel, Jeff McNeil, who didn’t even play baseball during his Senior year at high school because he was focused on golf. He eventually returned to baseball at CSU Long Beach and hit .348 his Junior Year. The Mets took notice and drafted McNeil but not until the 12th round. His hitting ability and incredible speed were immediately noticeable in the minors as he hit .292 in A Ball with 17 steals. The next year, 2015, he hit .308 and was slowly climbing the Mets Top Prospects List. Still, he wasn’t promoted until 2018 as he was tearing up Triple-A with Las Vegas. With New York, he hit .329, finishing 6th for the Rook of the Year. The next year, his bat exploded with 23 bombs and a .318 average. He also made the All Star Team. He led the league with a .326 batting average last year and recently signed a lucrative extension with the Mets. He was an absolutely fantastic steal for the Mets in the 12th Round.

6. Robbie Ray -12th Round

Ray was an elite High School pitcher in the Nasvhille area who went 7-1 with 0.95 ERA during his Senior Year. He was planning to play at Arkansas when the Washington Nationals drafted him 12th round and offered a signing bonus of nearly $800,000, an amount usually allocated for fourth round picks. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse and Ray entered the Minor Leagues. Unlike many players on this list, the minors weren’t always easy for Ray and he struggled in High A, going 4-12 with a 6.56 ERA. The Nationals stuck with him, though, and by 2013 he had completely turned his career around, drastically improving his strikeout stuff and going 11-5 with a 3.36 ERA. With his improved value, the Nats traded him to Detroit, and Ray made his big leauge debut in 2014. He was later traded to the Diamondbacks and after two rough seasons, everything came together in 2017 when he went 15-5 and made the All Star Team. With the Blue Jays in 2021, Ray was one of the best in the game, striking out a league leading 248 batters and taking home the Cy Young Award. In November of 2021, he signed a 5 year, $115 million contract with the Seattle Mariners.

5. Mookie Betts - 5th Round

Although the next player wasn’t taken too insultingly low, I still have to put him very high on the list because Mookie Betts went from a 5th round pick to an American League MVP. He was a fantastic High School athlete and hit .548 with 24 steals his Junior Year. However, he committed to attend Tennessee on a scholarship, which certainly hurt his draft stock. He was taken in the 5th round but offered a $750,000 bonus. He signed with the Red Sox and went on to dominate the minors, hitting .346 in 2014 between Double and Triple A, earning a call up to the big leagues. From there, the rest is history as Betts became one of the greatest players in the game, making the All Star Team every year, winning Gold Glove after Gold Glove and even taking home the MVP in 2018. He helped the Red Sox win a World Series then did the same for the Dodgers in 2020. In his first 9 years, he already has 213 home runs, 6 Gold Gloves, an MVP and a batting title.

4. Josh Hader -19th Round

Moving into the top 3, we have Josh Hader, who makes it this high because he was taken all the way down in the 19th round. Hader went 10-0 with 0.3 ERA in High School, but at that time had a fastball in the mid-80’s. The Orioles took him as the 582nd overall pick and he is just one of the three players from his round to make the big leagues. Hader adjusted his workout routine and increased his velocity dramatically in the Minors. He had a 2.77 ERA in 2013 and made the Single A All Star Team. After the season, he was traded to Houston and continued to pitch well in their system as a starter. In 2016, he was traded to the Brewers and continued to start games in the Minors. However, after he was promoted in 2017, he pitched so well out of the bullpen that Hader became a reliever and won the Reliever of the Year award in 2018 despite not yet being a full time closer. He took over the closer role for good in 2019 and became one of the most dominant in the game. In 2021, he reached 400 strikeouts faster than any pitcher in history innings-wise. He’s already made four All Star Teams and has 131 career saves. He was traded to the Padres in 2022 and after some early struggles, pitched well for them during the postseason.

3. Jacob Degrom - 9th Round

Incredibly, one of the greatest pitchers of his generation was not even selected out of High School and was exclusively a shortstop throughout his first two college seasons. I’m talking about Jacob Degrom, who wasn’t drafted until the 10th Round of the 2010 Draft by the New York Mets. Early in his Minor League career, he had to undergo Tommy John surgery, but came back strong in 2012, going 9-3 with a 2.43 ERA in A Ball. In 2013 The Mets added him to their 40-man Roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. He made his Major League Debut in 2014 and in 22 starts had a 2.69 ERA with 144 strikeouts in 140 innings. DeGrom took home the Rookie of the Year award and went on to become one of MLB’s premiere starters, winning back to back Cy Young awards in 2018 and 2019. He’s made four All Star teams and recently signed a 5-year $185 million deal with the Texas Rangers.

2. J.D. Martinez - 20th Round

Just missing out on #1 is J.D. Martinez, who gets this high not only because he is a 5-time All Star with nearly 300 career home runs, but because he was taken shockingly in the 20th round. He played college baseball at Nova Southeastern University, where he set the school home run record with 32. He was an RBI machine who hit .394 and absolutely should have gone higher in the draft. However, because he went to a Division II school, he wasn’t considered too hot of a prospect and wasn’t taken until the 20th round when he was selected by the Houston Astros. He tore up the minor leagues, hitting well over .330 at each level, until the Astros promoted him in 2011. Unfortunately, he bounced back and forth between the minors and big leagues for the next 3 years until the Astros released him just as he was ready to hit his stride in 2014. He signed with the Tigers and hit .315 with 23 home runs. From there, he only got better, hitting 38 bombs the next season and becoming an All Star. He had his best years, however, in Boston and was instrumental in 2018, hitting 43 bombs with 130 RBIs, leading the team to a World Series ring. He recently signed a $10 million deal to play for the Dodgers in 2023.

1. Paul Goldschmidt - 8th Round

Coming in at #1 on my list of the Top 20 Active MLB Steals is an 8th Round selection named Paul Goldschmidt. He played college ball at Texas State and set Bobcat career records with 36 home runs and 179 RBIs. Still, he wasn’t taken until the 8th round of the ‘09 draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Minor Leagues were child’s play for Goldschmidt who crushed 35 home runs in High A with a .314 average. The next year, he had 30 homers in Double-A when the D-Backs promoted him. From there, he became an MLB superstar, making 6 straight All Star teams and twice finishing runner-up for the MVP in Arizona. He hit 36 homers and drove in 125 runs in 2013 and helped the Diamondbacks make the postseason twice. He was later traded to St. Louis, where he won the 2022 MVP award after hitting .317 with 35 bombs. Goldschmidt is one of the best in the game and was a superb steal for the D-backs in the 8th round.

Top 10 Most BIZARRE And WACKY MLB Moments

They say you see something new in every baseball game. With 162 games per year from each MLB team, it’s no surprise that there have no shortage of amazing and unforgettable moments, incredible comebacks and epic collapses. There have also been some weird, wacky and wild moments as well and in today’s video, we’ll be counting down 10 of the wackiest most insane moments in MLB history – one in a million moments that will likely never be repeated again. So, without further ado, let’s get into the list..

#10 J.T. Saves The Day

It was Game 5 of the 2002 World Series, the biggest stage in baseball, between the San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels. The Giants had 2 men on in the 7th when Kenny Lofton roped an extra base hit into right field. That’s when the Giants tiny batboy, 3 year old Darren Baker, the son of manager Dusty Baker, was a little too eager to run out and collect Lofton’s bat, the bat of his favorite player. As J.T. Snow scored, he saw the little boy wandering around the danger zone with another runner coming in hot behind him and the catcher ready to receive the throw. In one fell swoop, he snagged Darren and carried him to safety. It was an incredible scene and J.T. Snow, despite hitting over .400 and having a great postseason and career, is still remembered largely for being the hero that day. Darren Baker went on to play college ball at Cal and was drafted by the Washington Nationals. He hit .290 in Double-A in 2022.

#9 Attack of the Bugs

It was the 2007 playoffs – more specifically the ALDS – and the weather was unusually warm for an October evening in Cleveland, Ohio. The Yankees were hanging on to a 1-0 lead in the 7th inning when set-up man Joba Chamberlain entered the game to set things up for the Mariano Rivera. Chamberlain had a 0.38 ERA and 12.8 per 9 strikeout ratio that season. He was practically unhittable. He finished off the 7th inning without an issue. “We were dead in the water,” said one Indians player. Then, when Chamberlain took the mound in the 8th, the bugs attacked. The weather and stadium lights attracted an army of midges, small mosquito-like flies, who converged onto the pitching mound precisely during the top of the 8th inning. One Yankees player said,

“I just remember Joba grabbing the back of his neck to wipe off sweat and his hand was black, full of bugs.”

It was impossible for Chamberlain to focus as the bugs completely engulfed him. A walk and two wild pitches later, he gave up the tying run. He was visibly shaken and frustrated as the bugs continued to wreak havoc throughout his entire appearance. Then, the Yankees came up to bat and it was the Indians turn to deal with the bugs – or was it? In the bottom of the 8th, the bugs, who being from the area were obviously Indians fans, had disappeared. Thanks to the midges, the Indians won the game and the series.

#8 The Big Unit vs The Bird

Next up, we have an absolute one in a billion moment I still can’t believe actually happened. It’s only ranked this low because it happened in Spring Training. We all know the story. The premiere pitcher in the game, current Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, was pitching against Giants prospect Calvin Murray in Spring Training. Somehow, a bird happened to fly right through the path of a 95 mile per hour fastball, resulting in the tragic end to the poor bird’s life in an explosion of feathers. In all the years I’ve watched baseball, I’ve never noticed a bird happen to fly right in between the batter and the pitcher. If a bird did happen to fly through that zone, the odds of the baseball thrown by a pitcher and the bird being in the exact same place at the exact same time have to be beyond astronomical. Add to that the fact that it was Randy Johnson who threw the pitch and this incident becomes simply unbelievable. If this happened in a movie instead, I would instantly laugh it off and call the writers out for how unrealistic the scene was, explaining that such a thing would never – could never actually happen. I still can’t believe it actually did.

#7 A 3’7” Pinch Hitter

In 1951, former owner of the Cleveland Indians Bill Veeck purchased the St. Louis Browns and came up with some wild innovations and publicity stunts to compete with the St. Louis Cardinals, the better and more popular team at the time. By far, his most famous decision, was to sign Eddie Gaedel, a 3’7” 60 lb professional performer Veeck found through a booking agency. He was issued a uniform with the number 1/8 and popped out of a paper-mache cake in between games of a doubleheader to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the American League. It was seen at first as one of Veeck’s more mild stunts and the sponsor of the promotion was disappointed. Little did they know what was going to happen in the second game of the Doubleheader. In the bottom of the 1st inning, Browns manager Zack Taylor sent up the little man to pinch hit. He had been added to the active roster, and the umpires had no choice but to let him hit. Even the Browns players had no idea Gaedel would actually play in the game. Pitcher Bob Cain laughed at the absurdity of the situation and the catcher had to catch from his knees. Gaedel walked on four pitchers and bowed to the crowd on his way to first in one of the wildest scenes in MLB history. The A.L President voided the contract the next day because Veeck was making a mockery of the game.

#6 Down Goes Zimmer

It was during the 2003 ALCS between the Yankees and Red Sox when all hell broke lose in Boston. Tempers flaring between teams is nothing new – nor is an all out brawl. However, the scene here was certainly more bizarre than normal. Things started to heat up when an up and in pitch thrown by Pedro Martinez hit Karim Garcia in the 4th inning. A few minutes later, Garcia slid hard into second which resulted in a shoving match and emptying of dugouts. Later, when Roger Clemens threw up and in to Manny Ramirez, it was on like Donkey Kong. 72-Year old Yankee coach Don Zimmer, who momentarily forgot his age, wanted a piece of Pedro and went straight for him. Martinez sidestepped, grabbed Zimmer’s head and threw him to the ground. To make matters more insane, a few innings later, Yankee pitcher Jeff Nelson got into a fight with a Fenway Park employee in the bullpen and Karim Garcia hopped in to assist him.

#5 Pyscho

It was the 2000 World Series, known as the Subway Series, between the New York Mets and New York Yankees. The rivalry was fierce and there had been massive tensions throughout the season between the two teams. There was an especially tense situation occurring between Roger Clemens and Mike Piazza. Piazza had homered in three consecutive at bats against Clemens until their 4th meeting, earlier that season, when Clemens hit Piazza in the head with a fastball, causing him to miss the All Star Game. Every one was eager to see this match-up. What if Clemens hits him again? Would Piazza charge the mound? Or maybe it would be settled on the field – with a big strikeout or another long home run. With all the speculation, no one, and I mean no one, could have predicted what actually went down. Clemens jammed Piazza, causing him to break his bat. What happened next is still inexplicable. Clemens hurled the barrel of the bat, which has now turned into a sharp and dangerous weapon, towards Piazza. What was he possibly thinking? Did he think Mike Piazza intentionally broke his bat and made sure the barrel flew towards him? Well, that would make him the greatest hitter to ever live and is obviously not what happened. Later, Clemens claimed he thought it was the baseball, which makes absolutely zero sense. Even if we took the massive and impossible leap to believe that he couldn’t tell the difference between a baseball and a bat, if he thought it was the ball, he would’ve thrown it towards first base, not angrily towards Piazza. Benches emptied but there was no brawl, as most players were probably completely confused and shocked. Clemens wasn’t even thrown out of the game – probably because no one could believe what they just saw. Just think about how often the barrel of the bat ends up in the pitcher’s hand – it’s extremely rare. How did that exact event happen with these two players at that exact moment in time – their first meeting since the beaning and it was in the World Series. And then, the Clemens actually throws the thing at Piazza. I still can’t believe it.

#4 Two Batters At One Time

This is a screen shot from a game between the Cardinals and Cubs that was played on September 22, 1974. How did this happen? It was a 5-5 game in the Top of the 9th inning and “The Mad Hungarian” Al Hrabowski was on the mound. Hrawbowski was famous for an extended ritual he performed in which he turned his back to home plate, forcing the batter to wait out the ritual. The Cubs were not in the mood on this day and Gary Madlock decided to make Hrabowski wait for him instead, walking away from the batter’s box to add some pine tar to the bat. The umpire, Shag Crawford, ordered Madlock to return to the box. When he didn’t hear him or didn’t comply, Crawford started calling strikes with no one in the batter’s box, which brought out Cubs manager Jim Marshall to argue. The hitter on-deck, Jose Cardenal, got into the argument as well and at one point, had ventured near home plate, when Crawford continued to call strikes. Cardenal instinctively jumped into the batters box to hit around the same time that Madlock ran up and tried to jump in to hit as well, creating an insanely bizarre scenario in which two hitters were in the batter’s box at the same time. Even the announcer literally said on the air that this is some wild shit. Things didn’t end there as an all-out brawl broke out between the two teams, Cardinals player Ted Simmons punched Madlock and Cubs player Andre Thornton suffered a finger injury that ended his season. Order was eventually restored, but it may be the only time in MLB history where two batters were ready to take a swing at the exact same time.

#3 Disco Demolition Night

In 1979, Mike Veeck, the son of the aforementioned Bill Veeck and Chicago White Sox front office promotion manager, came up with a crazy idea. Like father, like son. In Mike’s case, it was not a publicity stunt, rather a promotion that allowed fans to enter the ballpark for just 98 cents if they brought a disco record along with them. The records would all be destroyed in-between games of a doubleheader, officially ending the disco era. Veeck was hoping for at least 20,000 fans as compared to their regular attendance of 5,000. Over 50,000 people showed up with records in hand and many more leapt fences and gates to enter the ballpark during the game. The boxes that fans were supposed to put their records in overflowed and many took them to their seats. Records along with other dangerous items were being thrown around the stadium and the game had to be halted several times. The records were indeed blown up, but they left a huge hole in the playing field, which would’ve made the next game difficult to play even if thousands of fans didn’t storm the field, which they did. They set fire to the field, pulled up bases, destroyed equipment, and took over the stadium. The rioters overwhelmed security and the best could try was to put on the scoreboard “Please return to your seats.” It wasn’t too effective. The second game had to be forfeited by the White Sox and to this day, Disco Demolition Night is one of the most infamous and disastrous promotions of all time.

#2 Independence Day in Atlanta

It was one of the most wacky and unlikely chain of events in MLB history and it started on the 4th of July of 1985 but didn’t end until the 5th. The Mets were in Atlanta and the game, which started like any other game, was quickly becoming something else. There were multiple rain delays, arguments, ejections, and a fireworks display planned for after the game. When that would be, nobody knew. After 9 innings, the game was tied 8-8 and continued into extras. In the top of the 13th inning, the Mets took a 10-8 lead and it looked like this long night would finally be over when with 2 outs in the bottom of the 13th, Terry Harper hit a home run to tie the game. The game continued all the way through until the next day, when the Mets scored another run in the 18th. In the bottom of the 18th, the Braves had run out of position players. Their last hope was a relief pitcher named Rick Camp. Camp was a notoriously awful hitter with a career .061 batting average entering the season. He had never hit anything close to a home run. It looked like this crazy 18 inning game was about to come to an end. Here’s what happened.

Mets players were stunned - Ray Knight threw his hands up in disbelief and Lenny Dykstra dropped to his knees. When Camp stepped up to the plate, the home plate umpire joked “You might as well hit one out, and we can play all night.” The Mets did score 5 in the Top of the 19th and ended up winning the game, but the Camp home run was still was on the craziest moments in MLB history. To make this scene even wilder, the fireworks still went off at about 4 in the morning, prompting 911 phone calls from residents who thought the city was being bombed.

#1 10-Cent Beer Night

It was 1974 and in an effort to improve attendance, the Cleveland Indians decided to hold 10-Cent Beer Night, offering 10 oz beers for just 10 cents with no limit on the number of purchases. What could possibly go wrong? To make matters worse, this promotion occurred in a game between the Indians and Rangers, two teams that had just gotten into a bench clearing brawl a few days earlier, and Indians fans were in a rowdy mood already. Over 25,000 fans showed up to 10-Cent Beer Night, more than double that was expected. Almost immediately, it was apparent there were going to problems. A woman ran out on the field, flashed the crowd, then tried to kiss the umpire. Later, a naked man ran on to the field and slid into second base. The next inning, a father and son ran out on the field and mooned the fans. The stadium started to look like a warzone as fans began randomly setting off firecrackers. Fans threw items like hot dogs onto the field and other naked people started appearing throughout the stadium. Gunpowder and marijuana smoke covered the entire ballpark. By the 7th inning, all the sober fans had already departed, leaving an army of extremely drunk belligerents who stormed the field, armed with knives and clubs formed from portions of the stadium they tore apart. Both Indians and Rangers players grabbed bats and the war was on in one of the most unbelievable scenes in the history of the game. Eventually the players escaped to the safety of the clubhouse and the uncontrollable beasts destroyed the field and stadium for 20 minutes until the police were able to restore order. The Indians were forced to forfeit the game and several players and umpires were injured. The Indians actually had the guts to hold another 10-Cent Beer Night that season, but this time with a 2-Beer per person limit.

Top 10 EPIC COLLAPSES In MLB History

An MLB season lasts 162 games and every one of them count. If there’s one lesson that has been taught over and over throughout baseball history, teams need to get the pedal the metal all the way up until a playoff spot or division title has been mathematically guaranteed. Without that, it doesn’t matter how big of a lead your team has entering September. In today’s video, we’ll take a look at the Top 10 most epic and painful team collapses in MLB history. There are teams that had great seasons up until that final home stretch when everything completely fell apart and when that happens, there’s almost always another team getting hot just at the right time to take that playoff spot from them.

Before I get into the main list, I have 2 honorable mentions – or should I say dishonorable mentions - that didn’t quite make the list.

Honorable Mention #1 – the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, who had a 13 ½ game lead at one point in the season, but a red-hot Giants team caught them, forcing a 3-game playoff that led to Bobby Thomson’s shot heard round the world. The fact that this didn’t make my Top 10 tells you what kind of collapses we’re about to talk about.

Honorable Mention #2 – The 2021 New York Mets, who were the first team to spend over 100 days in first place and still finish with a losing record. Their collapse was a bit more gradual and not a complete last minute meltdown, which is why they’re not in the Top 10.

Now, let’s get started with the Top 10.

#10 The 1987 Toronto Blue Jays

In 1987, the Toronto Blue Jays looked prime to win with a team loaded with stars like Fred McGriff, George Bell, Jesse Barfield and even a young Cecil Fielder. Their pitching was stacked with names like Jimmy Key, Dave Stieb and closer Tom Henke. On June 13th, they were 32-20, sitting in first place in the A.L. East. They never took a massive lead in the division and in fact were competing with the Tigers for the division crown, but after they won 2 out of 3 against them in a late September series – and by late I mean around September 27th, it appeared that the division belonged to the Jays. They were up by 3 ½ games with just 7 to play when the Jays completely lost it. They were swept by the Brewers, then had one final 3-game series with the Tigers in which they were again swept, losing each game by 1 run. The Blue Jays lost 7 consecutive games to finish the season and ended up losing the division to the Tigers, who won their final 4 games to clinch the championship and send the Blue Jays home.

#9 The 1934 New York Giants

The 1934 St. Louis Cardinals caught the 1934 Giants against all odds

The 1934 Giants were absolutely stacked. They had three future Hall-of-Famers, Mel Ott, Bill Terry and Travis Jackson, in their starting lineup. The rotation included two pitchers who won over 20 games that season in Hal Schumacher and another Hall-of-Famer, Carl Hubbell. The team spent the vast majority of the season in first place and had a 7-game lead on September 6th. They struggled a bit during the next week, but with just 14 games left to play, still held a 5 ½ game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals. Then, the two teams met in a 3-game series and the Cardinals won 2 out of 3. Led by the powerful slugger Ripper Collins and their Ace Pitcher, Dizzy Dean, the Cardinals continued to stay hot, slowly gaining on the Giants. Still, with five games left in the season, the Giants were up by the three games and their only remaining games were against two bottom feeders in the league at the time, the Dodgers and Phillies. The Cardinals needed to win just about every game the rest of the way and hope that the Giants would somehow lose every one of their five remaining games. That’s exactly what happened. The Giants lost their final five games of the season and the Cardinals swept the Reds to propel them into first place, making the Giants the first team in MLB history to blow a 7-game lead in September.

#8 The 2007 New York Mets

The Mets are a team that have some of the most unbelievable comebacks in baseball history but also a team known for massive late-season collapses. The 2021 Mets know something about collapsing as they spent more than 100 days in first place yet still finished with a losing record. Neverthelss,they got nothing on the 2007 Mets. After a rough loss in the 2006 playoffs, the Mets entered 2007 motivated and ready, with a wealth of talent that included Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Tom Glavine and Billy Wagner. They won the first four games of the year and after 14 games, were 11-3. The domination continued throughout the season and on September 12th, the Mets held a 7 game lead in the division with the best record in the league. With 17 games left in the season, the playoffs seemed to be in the bag. Then, they lost a game by 1 run against the Phillies. Then, they lost another, this time by 2 runs. Then they lost another, by 4 runs. Then, they were blown, losing by 8 runs. What the hell was going on? The losing streak reached 5 games before they finally won a game. Despite the skid,The Mets had held such a strong lead in the division that with 7 games to go, they were still up by 2 ½ games. They had favorable matchups against two teams at the very bottom of the division - the Florida Marlins and Washington Nationals along with one make-up game against the 73-82 Cardinals. They were swept by the Nationals and lost the makeup game to the Cardinals. After splitting the first two games with the Marlins, the Mets had to win Game 3 in order to prevent The Phillies, who won 4 of their last 5, to take the division. Tom Glavine could only get one batter out and the Marlins pounded the Mets 8-1. They lost the division and the incredibly hot Colorado Rockies overtook them for the Wild Card Spot. The Mets somehow blew a 7-game division lead with 17 games left and didn’t even get a wild card spot as consolation.

#7 The 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers

Newspaper Clipping from October 1st, 1962 reporting on the Dodgers & Giants Pennant Race

Coming in at #7 on my list of the worst late season collapses in MLB history is going to be the 1962 Los Angeles Dodgers. This is a team that was having an absolute dream of a season, entering into September with an 88-47 record, then going on a 7 game winning streak to apparently solidify their place as the #1 team in the National League. Only The Giants could dream of catching them, but they were 4 games back with just a week left to go in the season. The Dodgers were running on all cylinders, led by elite starters Don Drysdale and and Sandy Koufax. They had a chance to clinch the pennant during a 3-game series against the expansion Houston Colt 51s, but lost 2 out of 3. Then, all they had to do was manage one win during a 3-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals. They were swept. Miraculously, the Giants caught the Dodgers and both teams were tied with a 101-61 record at the end of 162 games. The teams played a 3-game series to determine the pennant, just as they had done in 1951. And just like in 1951, the series went to a third game with the Dodgers looking strong late in the game. They had a 4-2 lead going to the Top of the 9th inning when the Dodgers imploded. Four walks, a wild pitch and an error later, the Giants had taken a 6-4 lead. They went on to win the game by that score, winning their first pennant in San Francisco. The Dodgers lost 12 of their last 16 games to blow the pennant in ‘62.

#6 The 1969 Chicago Cubs

A black cat prances around in front of the 1969 Cubs dugout

It was the historic 1969 season, the first season of division play and the Chicago Cubs looked destined to make a push for their first World Series championship since 1908. At the All-Star Break they had an incredibly impressive 61-37 record with a 5 game lead over the 2nd place Mets. By mid-August, that lead had increased to nine games. On September 2nd, they were 32 games over .500, led by superstars like Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Ron Santo and, of course, Ernie Banks. Then, the Mets suddenly caught fire, going on a 10-game winning streak. The Cubs on the other hand, who hadn’t lost more than 4 in a row all season long, lost 8 straight. Still, the Cubs held on a lead in the division. Then, on a September 9th game between the two teams, a black cat showed up in front of the Cubs dugout and pranced back and forth a couple times before running off. Whether one believes in the supernatural or not, this couldn’t be a good sign. Sure enough, the Cubs continued to fall apart and the Mets kept winning. New York went 38-11 and finish out the season and not only won the division, but won it by an absolutely insane 8 games, despite being back by 9 games in mid-August. The Cubs lost 18 of their final 26 games to finish off the collapse. This, of course, was part of the story for the 1969 Miracle Mets, who went on the win the World Series.

#5 The 2009 Detroit Tigers

On May 10th, 2009, The Detroit Tigers won a baseball game in Cleveland, which propelled them into first place in the American League Central. Nearly 4 months later, entering into September, they had never relinquished that first place spot and continued to look amazing, winning 6 consecutive games to start the month. They entered into a series against the last place Royals with a strong 7 game lead over the Twins. Undoubtedly, fans were preparing for a World Series push in October. This was when everything began to fall apart. The Tigers were swept by Kansas City and went on to lose 9 out of 12 games. The Twins, meanwhile, were heating up, and at one point in September, won 11 out of 12. On September 29th, the teams met up in a 4-game series. If The Tigers could win 3 out of 4, they would clinch. The series ended up in a 2-2 split. Still, The Tigers held a 2-game lead in the division with both teams entering the final 3-game series of the season. If The Tigers could win one game out of the 3 and the Twins lose just one out of 3, Detroit would clinch. The Twins did what they had to and swept the Royals. Meanwhile, the Tigers lost game one against the White Sox in a game full of ejections and hit by pitches. Their superstar Miguel Cabrera decided it was good night to go hang out and get drunk with some White Sox players. He got into an altercation with his wife and had to be picked up at the police station by the Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski. Needless to say, he didn’t have his best game, going 0-4 as the Tigers lost 8-0. They won the last game of the year, but with the Twins sweep of the Royals, the teams ended the 162-game season tied, necessitating a 163rd game to determine the division winner. In an insane game that went 12 innings, the Tigers blundered several opportunities to win the game and in end, the Twins were victorious, knocking the Tigers out of the playoffs on October 4th. It was an absolutely unbelievable meltdown and to this day, one of the most epic collapses in MLB History.

#4 The 1978 Boston Red Sox

Coming up next is the 1978 Boston Red Sox, a team loaded with talent. A few names you might recognize include Dennis Eckersley, Luis Tiant, Carlton Fisk, Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Dwight Evans and Carl Yastrzemski. The team got off to a red-hot start, winning 19 of their first 30 games and cementing themselves into first place. By June, they were 45-19 and 7 games ahead of the Yankees. Come September 1st, the Red Sox were on a 6-game wining streak, holding a 6 ½ game lead in the division with a month to go. Then, they entered into a rough patch, losing 5 out of 7 games. That’s when the 2nd place Yankees came to town for a 4-game series. If the Red Sox could just manage a split, any hope the Yankees had at that point could be put to bed. Instead, the Yankees swept the series and could smell first place, sitting just 3 ½ games back. The Red Sox continued to fall, losing 5 of the next 6. This epic collapse allowed the Yankees to tie for the division lead at the end of the year, forcing a one-game playoff. During this game, the Red Sox had a 2-0 lead entering into the 7th inning. It was looking like maybe they could pull through after all. That’s when Bucky Dent came to the plate. Incredibly, against all the odds, the Yankees came back from 6 ½ games back in September to win the game and the division.

#3 The 1995 California Angels

Lee Smith, closer for the 1995 California Angels

By 1995, Angels fans had gotten used to late-season collapses. It had happened multiple times in the 80’s, and when they did make the playoffs, things got even more painful. However, the 1995 California Angels looked like a Team of Destiny. They had a powerful rotation anchored by Mark Langston and Chucky Finley to go along with an incredibly talented lineup featuring the likes of J.T. Snow, Chili Davis, Jim Edmonds and Tim Salmon. They even had a future Hall-of-Famer as their closer with Lee Smith. Unsurprisingly, the Angels dominated the league for months, building an 11-game lead by early August. Suddenly, the Seattle Mariners received a massive jumpstart from the return of Ken Griffey Jr. who had been injured since May. He made his return on August 15th and beginning on the very next day, the Angels suddenly lost it, losing 21 of 25 games. Nevertheless, their lead was so strong it seemed insurmountable and with just two weeks left in the season, they somehow still maintained a 6-game lead. Then they lost 9 more in a row. In an absolutely incredible turn of events, the Seattle Mariners came back from 11 games back in August to tie the Angels for the division lead at the end of the season, forcing a one-game playoff. In that game, the Mariners sent the intimidating future Hall-of-Famer Randy Johnson to the mound. He threw 150 pitches to seal the deal, defeating the Angels 9-1 and ending their playoff hopes. The Angels were 66-41 on August 20th with a 12 ½ game lead over the Mariners and went 12-44 the rest of the way, including two 9-game losing streaks. It was one of the most monumental meltdowns ever.

#2 The 2011 Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves

I’m going to cheat a little and put two in one since this was an epic dual collapse that the baseball world witnessed in 2011. Consider this 2a and 2b. The Atlanta Braves were essentially a lock to make the playoffs, holding a 8 ½ game lead over the Cardinals for the Wild Card on September 1st. Meanwhile, in the American League, the Red Sox had a 9 game lead for the Wild Card just in case they didn’t win the division, which they led by a game over the Yankees. The tailspin began for the Braves on September 2nd, as they began a 3-game series against the Dodgers. They lost the series 2-1. No big deal, right? Then they were swept by the Phillies in a series that included a 9-0 shutout. The bullpen, which had been lights out all season led by closer Craig Kimbrell, began to struggle and the offense went cold. The Cardinals had gotten red-hot and were gaining ground. The two teams met on September 9th for a 3-game series and the Braves were swept. By the end of the season, the Cards were hot on their trail and won 4 of their last 5 games to overtake the Braves, who lost 5 consecutive games to end the season.

During this monumental meltdown, the Red Sox weren’t faring much better, as they went 7-20 in the month of September, giving up the division to the Yankees. The Wild Card was in danger too, but a Rays loss and Red Sox win on the last day of the season would clinch it. It seemed as everything was going to work out as the Yankees were beating the Rays 7-0 in the 8th inning and the Red Sox led the Orioles in the bottom of the 9th with Jonathan Papelbon ready to close it out. Then, in a horrifying turn of events for Red Sox fans, the Orioles rallied, scoring 6 runs in the 8th and another in the 9th to tie the game. Up stepped Evan Longoria in the 12th inning to cap off the most epic dual collapse in MLB history.

1. The 1964 Philadelphia Phillies

1964 World Series Phillies Ticket

They were one of the most dominant young teams to ever take the field for the majority of 1964, led by Dick Allen, Johnny Callison and 19-game winner Jim Bunning. They were 47-28 at the All Star Break, and didn’t slow down from there, building a 6 ½ game first place lead by September 20th. That’s right – they had a 6 ½ lead on September 20th with just 12 games left in the season. The team literally began to print World Series tickets and Sports Illustrated held a photo shoot with the team for the cover of their World Series edition. There were two teams tied for 2nd place – the Reds and Cardinals, both 6 ½ back. As fate would have it, the Phillies schedule had them playing both teams down the stretch. First, they took on the Reds in a 3 game series that began on September 21st. They were swept. At the time, it wasn’t that big of a deal as they still held a 3 ½ game lead with about a week to go. Luckily, they had a fairly easy 4-game series against the middle-of-the-road Milwaukee Braves. They were swept again, bringing them to a 3-game series against the Cardinals, who smelled blood. The shell-shocked Phillies were once again swept, bringing their overall losing streak to 10 games. The Cardinals took over first place and won the pennant by a single game in what had to be the most epic and unexpected collapse in the history of the game. The team completely fell apart defensively and offensively while the manager Gene Mauch burned out his two best starters by starting them over and over during the losing streak. There have been many horrible collapses in MLB history, but the 1964 Phillies come in at #1 on my list.

Ranking the MLB COMMISSIONERS!!

Welcome to another Humm Baby Baseball countdown and in today’s video, I’ll be ranking the MLB Commissioners from worst to best. There have been 10 commissioners in the history of Major League Baseball, beginning with Kenasaw Mountain Landis in 1920. Of course, we all know the current commissioner, Rob Manfred. Half of the commissioners were active during my lifetime and their actions had constantly had a major impact on my enjoyment of the game. However, I will try not to be biased and give a fair evaluation of each commissioner, offering positives and negatives. Of course, some of the negatives I give may be positives for others, such as a rule change that I hate but others may love. For this reason, every one’s ranking will be different and I’d love to hear yours down in that comment section below. With that said, let’s get started.

And a lot of people probably assume that Rob Manfred will come in at #10 as the worst commissioner of all time. If you made that assumption, congratulations. Coming in at #10 as the worst commissioner in MLB History of my list is indeed Robert Manfred.

#10 Rob Manfred

Rob Manfred assumed the office of the Commissioner of baseball in January of 2015 and has been a complete disaster since that time. He listed several potential MLB cities and advocated for expansion, and there has been no obvious progress on that. He began instituting rule changes meant to improve pace of play, which only made the game look more amateurish, such as runners simply jogging to first for an intentional walk instead of taking four balls. The rule changes continued with more each year, including forcing managers to leave their pitchers in to face at least 3 batters and more recently, starting a runner on 2nd base in extra innings, which was supposedly a safety measure, but had been enforced in the Minors before the pandemic and was well on its way to the Majors. Speaking of the pandemic, the public bickering between the owners and players was absolutely out of control under Manfred as they were supposedly negotiating how they could have a 2020 season. Manfred said they would unequivocally 100% play baseball that year. Five days later, he backtracked, saying he wasn’t confident they would have a season at all. Manfred was also heavily criticized on how he handled the Astros cheating scandal, a scandal that occurred in 2017 under his watch. He referred to the World Series Trophy as a “chunk of metal.” In 2021, he stripped the City of Atlanta and local baseball fans of the All Star Game over a Georgia Voting Reform Law, and opinions on this were mostly divided politically. MLB has been terrible at marketing players under Manfred, who has said that players like Mike Trout need to market themselves. Under Manfred, the Minor Leagues were completely reassembled, resulting in 42 cities losing their affiliated team and labor relations were strained to the point that the 2022 season was in jeopardy after Manfred and the owners instituted a lockout. They went radio-silent for over a month, showing no signs of faithful negotiations or updates for the fans. On the positive side, he has unified all fans and players in their desire to see him fired as soon as humanly possible.

#9 William Eckert

Coming in at #9 is the 4th commissioner in MLB history, William Eckert, who was an extremely decorated Lieutenant General in the U.S. Air Force, serving during World War II. In 1965, MLB Club owners needed to vote for a new commissioner and decided to hire Eckert, who was completely unknown in baseball circles and hadn’t even watched a game in person in over 10 years. They wanted some one who wasn’t connected with baseball who had strong leadership skills with an understanding of business and bureaucracy. He accomplished very little during his tenure and drew much criticism for his handling of whether or not to cancel games after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy. He wasn’t completely clear and his meek response caused confusion as to whether there would be games or not – some teams played and some didn’t. He knew nothing about the business of baseball and oftentimes sat still during moments of major controversy in which leadership and guidance was needed. He was so clueless about the game, he hadn’t realized that the Dodgers had moved to Los Angeles and once referred to the Cardinals as “the Cincinnati Cardinals.” He stayed up late at nights just studying the game of baseball, learning names of superstars and trying to be prepared for whatever question the media ask lest he look like a complete fool. One of the few positives regarding Eckert is that he was one of the first to promote the game internationally. He once said

 “I can visualize within the foreseeable future the spread of major league baseball on an international scale to include Japan, Canada and several Latin American countries. I see major league baseball as a means of contributing to international friendship.”

He accompanied the Dodgers to Japan in 1966 on a goodwill and exhibition tour. It was also during his term that union leader Marvin Miller was hired as the head of the Player’s Association. Eckert violated several union laws, albeit possibly unintentionally, and was no match for Miller. The player’s union began to show its strength and the owners voted Eckert out as commissioner in 1968. Cubs owner Philip Wrigley, realizing that hiring an outsider was a mistake, said that baseball needed a “baseball man.”

#8 A. Barlett Giamatti

The only reason Giamatti is this low on the list is because he was only commissioner for five months before tragically dying of a heart attack at age 51, so he never got the chance to really improve or destroy the game. He was, however, President of the National League for nearly three years before becoming commissioner and fought to improve the fan experience at ballparks. He was tough and quick when it came to handing down punishments and suspensions. Once he became commissioner, he reorganized the administration by creating a deputy commissioner to assist him, a position that still exists. He is most famous for dealing with the betting scandal of Pete Rose. After a report showed the Rose had bet on 52 Reds games in 1987, Giamatti and Rose negotiated a deal in which Rose would voluntarily accept a lifetime ban from the game with the ability to apply for reinstatement in a year. He did not have to publicly admit guilt and, in fact, denied that he bet on games for many years thereafter. Unforunately, Giamatti died a few days after this agreement. Giamatti, a lifelong baseball fan, may have turned out to be a fine commissioner, but sadly, he ended up being the William Henry Harrison of MLB Commissioners, dying too early in his term to really tell how good or bad he would have been.

#7 Bowie Kuhn

After forcing out William Eckert, owners hired that “baseball man” they wanted with the much more baseball-savvy Bowie Kuhn, who at 42 became the youngest commissioner in history. He made the unfortunate decision to ban both Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle from being involved in Major League Baseball because they had associations and sponsorships with casinos even though neither were directly involved with gambling, much less gambling on the game of baseball. His time as commissioner is filled with labor issues, including the first strike in MLB history in 1972 and the 1981 work stoppage, both which resulted in the cancellation of games. There were also labor disputes in ‘73, ‘76 and ‘80. Free Agency was created during his time as commissioner but he fought hard to prevent it, preferring to keep the old reserve clause system. Kuhn denied Curt Flood’s initial request to become a free agent and the dispute went all the way to the Supreme Court, who ruled in Kuhn’s favor. However, the union was able to negotiate the start of MLB Free Agency in 1975. On the positive side of things, Kuhn fought hard to allow Negro League players to be eligible for the Hall of Fame. He also came up with the idea to have a World Series Night Game, assuming more people would watch due to being off work. The game drew in a record 61 million viewers. He made a controversial decision in 1974 that I believe was probably correct in order to maintain competitive integrity. Hank Aaron was 2 homers away from breaking Babe Ruth’s record and the Braves wanted to bench him for the 3-game series in Cincinnati to start the season so he could break the record at home. Kuhn ruled he had to play in at least 2 of the 3 games. He was also swift and quick with suspensions, although he is the first commissioner to be aware of the steroids issue and the first to do nothing about it.

#6 Bud Selig

During Selig’s time as Commissioner, I was not a huge fan. However, he did accomplish a lot during his reign as MLB Commissioner, including nearly 20 years of labor peace. It has to be noted that Selig was acting commissioner during the 1994 strike, and despite the fact that labor relations were already horrible when he took over in 1992 due to collusion by the owners, he was the acting commissioner when a strike prevented the World Series from happening, something two World Wars didn’t do. However, since baseball resumed in 1995, there was continuous peace throughout Selig’s time as Commissioner. He also instituted the Wild Card and expanded playoffs in 1994, which would prevent a situation like the one that occurred to the 1993 San Francisco Giants after winning 103 games but missing out on the playoffs because they happened to be in the same division with a team that won 104. The economics of the game were mostly healthy under Selig and teams were bringing in major revenue, which allowed many beautiful stadiums to be built. Whether some changes to the game during Selig’s term are good or bad depend on each fan’s viewpoint – but in general, inter-league play and instant replay are considered successful innovations in the game. He also created a rule I hated, which was making the All-Star Game determine which team had home field advantage in the World Series. This was possibly a knee-jerk reaction to the controversy caused after he ended the 2002 All Star Game in a tie. His biggest black eye might be the steroid-era. Selig knew steroids were rampant in the game but did next to nothing about it until he was pressured to do so by Congress. He turned a blind-eye to steroids during the 90’s when McGwire and Sosa were making headlines. It became obvious that any one could do it and get away, which led to more players doing it, such as Barry Bonds, who saw what was going on with McGwire and Sosa and decided he better do it too. Selig claims that he never knew or heard a thing about steroids during the 90’s. Either he is lying, which is most likely, or was completely ignorant about what was going on in the game. Whatever the case, he finally did begin to establish testing and punishments for PED’s, but the damage was already done. Overall, Selig is a mixed bag and falls right around the middle at #6

#5 Peter Ueberroth

The Commissioner of Baseball when I first became a fan in 1987 was Peter Ueberroth, who was hired in 1984 after overseeing the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He was an impressive commissioner in the early years, immediately resolving an umpire dispute that almost lead to them striking during the 1984 postseason. He also quietly, behind the scenes, helped negotiate collective-bargaining agreements between players and owners, ensuring the no games were lost. He reinstated Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, who were banned from working in Major League Baseball due to associations with casinos. He was also a key player in pushing the Chicago Cubs to install lights so that night games could be played at Wrigley Field and was swift in dealing with cocaine issues by suspending numerous players. Ueberroth negotiated massive contracts with CBS and ESPN and attendances improved dramatically under his leadership. The baseball industry became profitable for the first time in years and every team was benefiting from increased revenue.

Unfortunately, despite all the positives, there is one negative that keeps him from being ranked higher on this list and that is his involvement in the MLB Collusion Scandals of the 80’s. In 1986, the MLB Player’s Association filed a grievance after noticing no teams were willing to sign major free agents. Stars such as Kirk Gibson and Tommy John received zero interest. This continued throughout the mid-80’s and most stars had to re-sign with their previous teams. Andre Dawson, desperate to play on natural grass, took a massive pay cut to sign with the Cubs despite being an absolute superstar in the prime of his career. The players filed more grievances until an arbitrator ruled that the owners and conspired to restrict player movement. Peter Ueberroth played a major role in this and had given the message to owners to keep salaries as low as possible. Owners were ordered to pay millions in damages and any of the free agents affected were allowed to offer their services to any team without losing their existing contracts. Ueberroth resigned as Commissioner before the 1989 season.

#4 Fay Vincent

Next up is Fay Vincent, who took over for Bart Giamatti after his untimely death. He had a shaky start as Commissioner – literally, as an Earthquake brought the 1989 World Series to a halt. He made the right call in delaying the World Series for 10 days. There was also a lockout during 1990 Spring Training, but Vincent worked with both sides and helped work out an agreement in order to save a 162-game season. Later that year, he banned Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for life because he paid a gambler to dig up dirt on his player Dave Winfield. Steinbrenner was later reinstated. Vincent appointed a committee for statistical accuracy, which determined that Roger Maris’ 61 home runs in the 1961 season was indeed a true MLB single season record despite the schedule having 162 games instead of the 154 games that Babe Ruth’s schedule had. Vincent also started the expansion process, helping bring in the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins into Major League Baseball. However, owners did not appreciate Vincent as player salaries rose and Vincent was not afraid to openly criticize owners and past commissioners for collusion. He seemed like a solid commissioner who avoided major controversy and avoided making major rule changes for the sake of making rule changes. The owners voted him out, however, leading the way to Bud Selig as acting and eventually official Commisioner. Vincent also receives some criticism for not taking a stronger stance against the use steroids in baseball, although he did send a memo to all teams in 1991 explaining that any player who uses an illegal substance including steroids are subject to discipline including possible expulsion from the game. Of course, steroids were not nearly as rampant during Vincent’s time as Comish. After being voted out, Vincent said,

“To do the job without angering an owner is impossible. I can't make all twenty-eight of my bosses happy. People have told me I'm the last commissioner. If so, it's a sad thing. I hope they [the owners] learn this lesson before too much damage is done.”

#3 Kenasaw Mountain Landis

Coming in at #3 is the first Commissioner in the history of Major League Baseball, Kenasaw Mountain Landis. Landis, a former U.S. Federal Judge, was hired in the aftermath of the 1919 World Series Gambling Scandal, in which several members of the White Sox threw the World Series.

“We want a man as chairman who will rule with an iron hand,” said National League President John Heydler. “Baseball has lacked a hand like that for years. It needs it now worse than ever.”

They got exactly what they wanted as Landis came down hard on the 8 players involved in the scandal, banning each for life, regardless of the fact that they were acquitted by in a Chicago trial. He made a statement that made it loud and clear - no player involved in the throwing of a game will ever play professional baseball again. It was a major priority for Landis to rid the game of gamblers and crooks and he continued to ban and suspend any players involved in gambling. Under Landis the Minor Leagues became affiliated with the big leagues although credit for this mostly goes to Branch Rickey. Before his time as commissioner, all minor leagues were unaffiliated alternate leagues. This innovation is still felt today when attending Minor League Games and watching young prospects from Major League organizations. He also made it a law that all teams must disclose their transactions in both the Majors and Minors. His ruthless approach cleaned up the game and helped create the Minor League system we know today. On the downside, although he did proclaim that no rule prohibits black players from playing in the Majors, he did nothing to proactively help get rid of the gentleman’s agreement, an agreement among owners not to sign black players. He never encouraged teams to sign any player who would help their team regardless of race, even though Landis had the power and strength to destroy the color barrier as early as the 1920’s. Had he done this, his legacy would have been a hundred times stronger today.

#2 Ford Frick

Next up is the third Commisioner in MLB history and #2 on my list, Ford Frick, a lifelong baseball fan. He was a sportswriter and National League President before becoming commissioner, the first to have no political background. Before becoming commissioner, Frick was a pioneer in helping to create the Hall of Fame after proposing the creating of a Baseball Museum to honor the greatest players to ever play the game. As commissioner, he helped Major League Baseball grow massively across the country with expansion teams, television contracts, creating an international presence and a college scholarship system. New teams that entered the league were the Mets, Astros, Angels and Senators. He also approved the first team moves in over 50 years, which included the Giants and Dodgers moving west, creating Major League Baseball from coast to coast. Overall, however, he laid low and allowed the game to thrive without meddling. One writer wrote that

“He understood his role. He was a caretaker, not a czar.”

If only the current commissioner understood such things. That said, Frick had one major negative that he is remembered for and it is the decision to make a distinction between Babe Ruth’s single-season record of 60 home runs for a 154 game season and Roger Maris’s record of 61 for a 162-game season. This was a decision that was influenced in large part by the media, which he used to be a part of.

#1 Happy Chandler

Coming in at #1 is the second Commissioner in MLB history, Happy Chandler, a career politician who owners voted in as commissioner so they could have more influence in Washington D.C. He turned out to be a great commissioner, but not so much for the owners. His biggest contribution to the game was facilitating the breaking of the color barrier in 1947. After Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey announced to promotion of Jackie Robinson to the Dodgers, Chandler supported the decision and approved Robinson’s contract, even though he had the power to void it. After Phillies manager Ben Chapman hurled racist remarks at Robinson one game, Chandler threatened every team with disciplinary action should any race-based taunting happen again. Also, any player who decided to strike due to Robinson’s presence in the league would be indefinitely suspended. Ford Frick, who was N.L. President at the time, supported Chandler in this decision. Chandler made these decisions regardless of the opinion of the owners, many of whom were against allowing Robinson to play. Dodgers Pitcher Don Newcome said,

"Some of the things he did for Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella and [myself] when he was commissioner of baseball – those are the kinds of things we never forget. Chandler had cared for black players in baseball when it wasn't fashionable.”

Chandler was the Commissioner who decided to put umpires on the outfield foul lines during the playoffs back in 1947. Additionally, he negotiated a multi-million dollar contract with Gillette and the Mutual Broadcasting System for radio rights to the World Series, with the proceeds going into a player’s pension fund that he created. It was the first pension for players and gave him the reputation as a player’s commissioner. Unsurprisingly, the owners were not fond of his performance and voted him out in 1951. Although he was generally great to players, he did go to extremes to keep labor peace, such as threatening to ban players if they organized a strike. Another situation he dealt with was a Mexican League opening up and offering huge money to MLB players to come play in their league. Chandler threatened a five year ban if any player left MLB to play in the Mexican League and didn’t return before April 1st. These were questionable decisions, but overall, Happy Chandler was an outstanding commissioner and comes on my list as the best in MLB history.