Baseball is a unique sport when compared to the other major sports. No one would dare say Wilt Chamberlain or Johnny Unitas is the greatest player ever in their respective sport, but we’re pushing nearly an entire century since Babe Ruth last suited up, and he’s still the consensus best player of all-time.
Ruth was part of the original 1936 Hall of Fame class that saw five members elected. There are now 235 such major league players, and I attempted to rank all of them in reverse order. Making the Hall is an incredible accomplishment by itself, and it’s better to be the worst player in Cooperstown than not be in at all. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t undeserving players.
Pre-sabermetrics, voters often looked at simple numbers like home runs and wins. Now we’re blessed with in-depth websites that tell you everything from launch angle to batting average on balls in play (BABIP) to average spin rate on a curveball.
I looked at both traditional stats and sabermetrics, along with awards, impact on championship teams, and positional value, while also doing my best to factor in unquantifiable intangibles – how did peers around the league view said player?
While I have no doubt that Negro League players like Cool Papa Bell, Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, and Oscar Charleston would have excelled in the major leagues, I did not include them in this ranking. I also did not factor in pioneers/executives, managers, or umpires.
A few statistics explained:
WAR: Wins Above Replacement; a measure of the amount of wins a player contributes to his team in a given season compared to that of a player that could be called up from Triple-A; this factors in batting, fielding, baserunning, and positional value; 60 WAR is traditionally the benchmark for a HOF player
WAA: Wins Above Average; a measure of the amount of wins a player contributes to his team in a given season compared to that of an average major league player; a player can have a positive WAR and a negative WAA
JAWS: an invention by Jay Jaffe that combines a player’s career WAR with his WAR from his seven peak years and averages them out
OPS+: a player’s on-base percentage + slugging percentage combined and then compared to the league at the time; an average mark is 100 while 110 is considered to be 10 percent above average and 90 is 10 percent below average
ERA+: a pitcher’s ERA when compared to the league at the time; an average mark is 100 while 110 is considered to be 10 percent above average and 90 is 10 percent below average
Click here for Part I (#235-201) and here for Part II (#200-151).
The Rankings
150. Jimmy Collins, 3B, 1895-1908
Stats: .294/.343/.409, 65 HR, 983 RBI, 113 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 53.3 WAR, 26.4 WAA, 45.9 JAWS, 5.01 WAR/162
Back in a time when player-managers were still common, Jimmy Collins batted .296 with a 5.3 WAR for the 1903 Boston Red Sox while also managing the team to the World Series title in baseball’s first ever Fall Classic.
Collins is still a top-10 defensive third baseman to ever play the game according to defensive runs saved, and he helped to change the way the hot corner was played. Before Collins played, shortstops were the ones that would field bunts down the third-base line. Collins was one of the first third basemen to take this task. Had Gold Gloves existed back then, he probably would have won seven or eight of them.
149. Don Drysdale, SP, 1956-1969
Stats: 209-166, 2.95 ERA, 3,432 IP, 2,486 K, 1.148 WHIP, 121 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 67.1 WAR, 34.4 WAA, 55.9 JAWS
In his 1994 book Whatever Happened to the Hall of Fame?, Bill James does an incredibly in-depth analysis on Don Drysdale before ultimately concluding that he doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall.
Drysdale was certainly very good, also benefiting immensely from the most pitcher-friendly era and ballpark in baseball history. Drysdale’s 2.95 career ERA was 21 percent above league average, but he also had a 2.19 ERA at Dodger Stadium and 3.31 elsewhere.
Batters were terrified of Drysdale – he threw hard and wasn’t afraid to hit a better to send a message. Three times he led the league in strikeouts and five times he led in hit by pitches. Sandy Koufax was the better of the two Dodgers pitchers in the ‘60s, but Drysdale still won a Cy Young of his own, set a record with 58 consecutive scoreless innings, and was a three-time world champion. It’s a tremendous career worthy of the Hall of Very Good.
148. Jim Bunning, SP, 1955-1971
Stats: 224-184, 3.27 ERA, 3,760.1 IP, 2,855 K, 1.179 WHIP, 115 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 59.4 WAR, 27.5 WAA, 54.2 JAWS
Does it get much cooler than throwing a perfect game on Father’s Day? Jim Bunning did that on 1964, just the seventh such perfect game in major league history. He even doubled and drove in two runs that game. You could make a case it’s one of the five most impressive performances in the history of the sport.
Bunning was a strikeout pitcher, topping his respective league three times and finishing with what was then the second-best total in baseball history. He gave up more home runs than a great pitcher should and led the NL in hit by pitches four straight seasons. Perhaps because he never won a Cy Young, ERA title, or even pitched in the postseason, it took 25 years after his retirement for the Veterans Committee to vote him into the Hall.
147. Roy Campanella, C, 1948-1957
Stats: .276/.360/.500, 242 HR, 856 RBI, 123 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 34.1 WAR, 15.6 WAA, 33.5 JAWS, 4.55 WAR/162
Several factors have to be taken into consideration when evaluating Roy Campanella’s shortened career (and subsequent low WAR total).
1) He’s a catcher, and those players always have shorter careers.
2) Due to segregation issues beyond his control, Campanella didn’t get started in major league baseball until his age-26 season.
3) He was tragically paralyzed in an automobile accident after 1957.
That’s a big factor into Campanella being the only HOF position player with under 5,000 career plate appearances.
When he did play, Campanella was not only the best catcher in the league, but arguably a top-three overall player. He won three Most Valuable Player awards over a five-year period. He set the single-season record for home runs by a catcher (40; one came when he wasn’t catching) that lasted for over 40 years. And he still holds the career record for percent of would-be base stealers thrown out (57.1).
What Campanella accomplished as a player is enough still to put him on the list of top 10 catchers ever.
146. Don Sutton, SP, 1966-1988
Stats: 324-256, 3.26 ERA, 5,282.1 IP, 3,574 K, 1.142 WHIP, 108 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 66.7 WAR, 21.4 WAA, 50.3 JAWS
Don Sutton’s best attribute was that he was always there, always available, and he pitched at an above-average level for over two decades. It takes unbelievable consistency to average 15 wins and 240 innings over a 20-year stretch. Sutton is the only pitcher ever with 21 seasons of double-digit wins and while he never won a Cy Young, he did lead the league in WHIP four times.
Sutton ranks high on the all-time leaderboards for counting stats. He’s 14th in wins, seventh in both innings and strikeouts, and third in games started. He ranks much lower on efficiency stats – his 108 ERA+ is tied for seventh-lowest among Hall of Famers, largely due to the fact that he pitched primarily in pitchers’ parks. And he was frequently victimized by the home run, surrendering 472 in his career (the fourth-most ever).
145. Mickey Cochrane, C, 1925-1937
Stats: .320/.419/.478, 119 HR, 830 RBI, 129 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 52.1 WAR, 29.5 WAA, 44.6 JAWS, 5.70 WAR/162
Catchers aren’t supposed to be able to hit as well as Mickey Cochrane. They’re supposed to be slow .250 hitters who play great defense, not guys who bat .320 and walk as much as Cochrane did. Cochrane hold the positional record for career batting average and on-base percentage, and he’s second in OPS and sixth in OPS+.
Cochrane won an MVP and led the Philadelphia A’s to three straight pennants (including two titles) during the heart of the Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig era, then he went to Detroit and won an MVP and led the Tigers to a championship in 1935. Cochrane might rank as the best-hitting catcher of all-time if he hadn’t gotten beaned in the head by a pitch that effectively ended his career in 1937.
144. John Montgomery Ward, SS/P, 1878-1894
Stats (offense): .275/.314/.341, 26 HR, 869 RBI, 92 OPS+
Stats (pitching): 164-103, 2.10 ERA, 119 ERA+, 1.043 WHIP, 3.64 K:BB
Sabermetrics (offense): 34.3 WAR, 11.1 WAA, 29.6 JAWS, 3.04 WAR/162
Sabermetrics (pitching): 28.1 WAR, 7.8 WAA
Babe Ruth is the greatest two-way player of all-time, but John Montgomery Ward is second (and Shohei Ohtani may be third). From 1878-1884, Ward was a standout pitcher, winning 164 games, leading the league in ERA as a rookie, and throwing the second perfect game in baseball history. He also played other positions, seeing action at third base, shortstop, and the outfield.
After an arm injury in 1884, Ward transitioned to being a full-time position player. He collected over 2,100 hits and stole 540 bases. Twice he led the league in steals, racking up as many as 111 in 1887. After 17 years in the league, Ward retired at the still-young age of 34.
143. Bobby Wallace, SS, 1894-1918
Stats: .268/.332/.358, 34 HR, 1,121 RBI, 105 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 76.2 WAR, 37.4 WAA, 56.1 JAWS, 4.78 WAR/162
Bobby Wallace has a strong case as the least-known Hall of Fame player ever, and it’s even more remarkable that he joined the 70 WAR club despite his anonymity. Wallace began his career as a pitcher, throwing over 400 innings to the tune of a 125 ERA+. He transitioned to outfield, and then moved to third base before finally settling at shortstop. Over a two-decade span, he was a solid if unspectacular hitter who played strong defense at a key defensive position.
Wallace finished at just .268 with 34 home runs and a .358 slugging percentage, although the lower leaguewide offensive numbers of the time still give him a 105 career OPS+. Wallace’s fielding metrics show he would have won eight to 10 Gold Gloves had they been awarded, and he still rates as a top-50 defensive player of all-time and top 15 at shortstop.
142. Amos Rusie, SP, 1889-1901
Stats: 246-174, 3.07 ERA, 3,778.2 IP, 1,950 K, 1.349 WHIP, 129 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 65.8 WAR, 33.6 WAA, 64.6 JAWS
Amos Rusie’s career was interesting, to say the least. He pitched from 1889 to 1895, held out for all of 1896 due to a contract dispute, pitched again in 1897 and 1898, and then missed two seasons due to injuries and personal problems. At that point, Rusie had only appeared in nine years and would have been ineligible for the Hall of Fame.
Fortunately for Rusie, he was traded for Christy Mathewson (one of the all-time most lopsided trades ever), and even though Rusie never won a game for his new team, he therefore qualified as a Hall of Famer by appearing in a 10th big league season.
Rusie pitched in the workhorse days, regularly topping 500 innings pitched and averaging 33 wins over a five-year period. His control was legendarily bad – he still holds the single-season record with 289 walks and was a major influence in the game’s decision to move the pitching mound from 50 feet to 60 feet, six inches. There were no speedometers in the 19th century but Rusie’s fastball was apparently thought to be in the upper nineties, and he led the league in strikeouts five times.
141. Willie Stargell, LF, 1962-1982
Stats: .282/.360/.529, 475 HR, 1,540 RBI, 147 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 57.5 WAR, 26.6 WAA, 47.8 JAWS, 3.95 WAR/162
Willie Stargell isn’t always mentioned among the immediate list of the most feared sluggers ever, perhaps because he finished 25 home runs short of the elusive 500-home run club. But when he retired, Stargell ranked tied for 14th on the all-time list. He played his entire 21-year career with the same franchise, won an MVP, led the league in home runs twice, and batted .315 in a pair of World Series championships.
Stargell’s flaws are obvious: he didn’t run well, played poor defense, and won an MVP award (1979) that was given to him much more for sentimental value than actual on-field production. And he’s still eighth all-time in career strikeouts (1,936), after one point ranking as high as second on the list.
But Stargell’s value derived totally from his power. His 147 OPS+ is still higher than close to a dozen players with over 500 home runs. In today’s inflated home run era, he probably would have cleared 600 home runs.
140. Zach Wheat, LF, 1909-1927
Stats: .317/.367/.450, 132 HR, 1,248 RBI, 129 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 60.2 WAR, 28.4 WAA, 47.4 JAWS, 4.05 WAR/162
It’s pretty easy to fly under the radar when you’re Zach Wheat. He played all but 88 games of his career for a team that never won the World Series. He collected 2,884 hits but missed the famed 3,000-hit threshold. And he played before the league recognized All-Star appearances, so Wheat’s credentials are limited to just three seasons of earning MVP votes and one batting title.
But Wheat could certainly hit. He batted .317 over his career and posted a career OPS+ that was nearly 30 percent better than league average. Wheat batted .300 12 times and seemed to get even better with age; he batted .299 over his first 11 seasons and then .339 over the last eight years. From his age-35 season on, Wheat batted .349 in 2,189 at-bats; that’s the third-highest mark in league history, behind just Ty Cobb and Tony Gwynn.
139. Jake Beckley, 1B, 1888-1907
Stats: .308/.361/.436, 87 HR, 1,581 RBI, 125 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 61.6 WAR, 26.4 WAA, 45.8 JAWS, 4.17 WAR/162
Jake Beckley performs pretty well when compared to the other players of his time. When slated head-to-head against those who played at least half their careers in the 19th century, Beckley is second in hits (2,938), RBIs (1,581), and total bases (4,160), in all cases trailing just Cap Anson. He also pulled off the incredible achievement of hitting exactly 19 triples in five straight seasons.
Beckley hit enough triples that he’s fourth on the all-time list (244). By virtue of playing first base and for an extended period of time (20 years), Beckley is still first among all major league players in career putouts (23,743). His career WAR of 61.6 compares pretty favorably against other Hall of Famers.
138. Stan Coveleski, SP, 1912-1928
Stats: 215-142, 2.89 ERA, 3,082 IP, 981 K, 1.251 WHIP, 127 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 61.5 WAR, 31.5 WAA, 56.2 JAWS
You think there are a lot of Molinas in baseball? Four different Coveleskis played in the majors, with Stan going on to have the best career. This Coveleski was a five-time 20-game winner, doing so during both the Dead Ball Era (1918-1919) and Live Ball Era (1920-1921 and 1925) – and despite not becoming a regular until age 26.
Coveleski led the AL in ERA and ERA+ twice each and finished with a 127 ERA+, a better mark than top-tier Hall of Famers like Bob Feller or Warren Spahn. He also has one of the greatest World Series performances ever, throwing three complete games (all wins) in the 1920 Indians’ championship.
137. Billy Williams, LF, 1959-1976
Stats: .290/.361/.492, 426 HR, 1,475 RBI, 133 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 63.7 WAR, 27.1 WAA, 52.6 JAWS, 4.15 WAR/162
It’s hard to believe the 1960s Chicago Cubs had three Hall of Fame position players (Ernie Banks, Ron Santo, and Billy Williams), and yet never made the postseason. That’s almost unfathomable.
Williams led the league in games played five times and at one point played in 1,117 consecutive games, a then-National League record. Over the 16-year period from 1961-’76, Williams averaged 26 home runs and 92 RBIs, leading the NL in total bases three times. He finished with a sizable lead in career OPS+ over longtime teammates Banks and Santo (133 to 122/125).
136. Dennis Eckersley, SP/RP, 1975-1998
Stats: 197-171, 390 saves, 3.50 ERA, 3,285.2 IP, 2,401 K, 1.161 WHIP, 116 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 62.2 WAR, 30.4 WAA, 50.0 JAWS
As a 20-year-old starting pitcher in 1975, Dennis Eckerlsey was 13-7 with a 2.60 ERA that was third-best in the league. As a 37-year old relief pitcher in 1992, Eckersley was the AL MVP, saving 51 games with a 1.91 ERA.
In between, Eckersley showed both the ability to be a very good starter and a dominant closer. He nearly recorded 200 wins and 400 saves. As a starter, he threw a no-hitter, won 20 games once, and led the league in K:BB ratio three times. As a closer, he led the majors in saves twice and fashioned one of the most dominant relief seasons ever (0.61 ERA, 73 K, 4 BB in 1990).
While Eckersley is infamous for surrendering the home run to Kirk Gibson, he did record 15 postseason saves, won the 1988 ALCS MVP, and helped the Oakland A’s to three straight pennants and a World Series. He eventually was the first reliever selected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
135. Early Wynn, SP, 1939-1963
Stats: 300-244, 3.54 ERA, 4,564 IP, 2,334 K, 1.329 WHIP, 107 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 61.1 WAR, 25.9 WAA, 49.9 JAWS
By many of the traditional and advanced metrics, Early Wynn is the worst of the 24 300-win pitchers. He’s last (or tied for last) in wins, ERA, ERA+, and K:BB ratio. But still, 300 wins is an amazing accomplishment, and one deserving of the Hall of Fame.
Wynn was a workhorse, frequently leading the AL in games started or innings pitched. He made the All-Star team or got MVP votes in 11 different seasons. He pitched in four decades and was the first pitcher to appear in 23 different seasons. And he was a pretty good hitter as well, hitting 17 home runs and adding close to 10 WAR at the plate.
134. Bill Dickey, C, 1928-1946
Stats: .313/.382/.486, 202 HR, 1,209 RBI, 127 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 58.4 WAR, 34.2 WAA, 46.3 JAWS, 5.29 WAR/162
Only the New York Yankees could be blessed with so many Hall of Fame position players in such a short time period – Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Earle Combs, Tony Lazzeri, and Bill Dickey. And when the Yankees won four straight World Series from 1936-1939, it was Dickey who batted a ridiculous .326/.415/.565 during that span, averaging 26 home runs and 115 RBIs while finishing at least sixth in AL MVP voting every year.
The defensive metrics support Dickey as being an above-average defender for the duration of his career, and most remarkably, he never played a single inning elsewhere in the field. He also led the Yankees to seven World Series titles, including six in an eight-year span.
133. Red Ruffing, SP, 1924-1947
Stats: 273-225, 3.80 ERA, 4,344 IP, 1,987 K, 1.341 WHIP, 109 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 68.6 WAR, 27.8 WAA, 54.3 JAWS
For over 50 years, Red Ruffing held the distinction of having the highest ERA (3.80) by any pitcher in the Hall of Fame. But he also pitched in the American League during the most explosive offensive era ever, and after overcoming a 39-93 start to his career with Boston, Ruffing was 231-124 with the Yankees, fashioning an ERA 19 percent above average.
Ruffing also added more value as a hitter than any Hall of Fame pitcher aside from Babe Ruth and John Montgomery Ward. Ruffing batted .269 over his career, topping .300 eight times and adding 13.3 WAR as a hitter.
132. Gabby Hartnett, C, 1922-1941
Stats: .297/.370/.489, 236 HR, 1,179 RBI, 126 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 60.1 WAR, 36.3 WAA, 45.3 JAWS, 4.89 WAR/162
It took Gabby Hartnett some time to get his career started, but he then played his best baseball well into his thirties. He won an MVP in 1935 when he was 34, and the only catcher ever to accumulate more WAR after turning 34 years old is Carlton Fisk. And Hartnett had a higher batting average in his last 10 years (.300) than his first 10 years (.295).
When Hartnett retired, he was widely considered to be the greatest catcher in National League history, and he held that unofficial title until Johnny Bench retired. Hartnett is still second all-time in percentage of base stealers thrown out, leading the league in six different seasons. And he played a key role in helping the Chicago Cubs to four World Series in a 10-year span.
131. Ted Lyons, SP, 1923-1946
Stats: 260-230, 3.67 ERA, 4,161 IP, 1,073 K, 1.348 WHIP, 118 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 70.5 WAR, 30.9 WAA, 55.6 JAWS
It’s pretty easy to criticize Ted Lyons’ low winning percentage (.531), high ERA (3.67), and a 0.96 K:BB ratio that is the worst of any HOF pitcher.
But what Lyons did do was pitch over 20 years for the same organization, throwing 4,000+ innings, and posting an ERA much better than it seemed given the era in which he pitched. Lyons had exceptional control, leading the league in walk rate four times after the age 35. And he received MVP votes nine different times, including nearly two decades apart.
130. Dave Winfield, RF, 1973-1995
Stats: .283/.353/.475, 465 HR, 1,833 RBI, 130 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 64.2 WAR, 24.0 WAA, 51.0 JAWS, 3.50 WAR/162
The raw statistics for Dave Winfield are pretty impressive. After being drafted in three different sports, he went on to hit 465 home runs, accumulate 3,110 hits, and drive in 1,833 runs over 22 major league seasons. He never won an MVP but brought home seven Gold Gloves and made 12 All-Star teams. And he even stole 223 bases, which is pretty rare for a man his size.
When you actually compare Winfield’s numbers to the other 35 players who hit as many home runs as he did, he falls near the bottom of that group. He’s last in slugging percentage and second-last in OPS. And while he was awarded with a bunch of Gold Gloves, Baseball Reference’s statistics don’t support that claim – he’s actually rated as the third-worst defensive player (-91 runs saved) of any player in the Baseball Hall of Fame. If you go strictly by defensive WAR – which factors in positional value – he’s last (-22.7 dWAR). And ask George Steinbrenner about his postseason performances.
Still, this is a middle-tier and deserving Hall of Famer.
129. Andre Dawson, CF, 1976-1996
Stats: .279/.323/.482, 438 HR, 1,591 RBI, 119 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 64.8 WAR, 29.2 WAA, 53.8 JAWS, 4.00 WAR/162
The comparisons between Dave Winfield and Andre Dawson are uncanny; not just the fact that both were primarily 1980s power/speed outfielders who won a bunch of Gold Gloves, but each even finished with essentially the same WAR. Winfield gets the edge in OPS+ due to his propensity to draw more walks, but Dawson rates higher in defensive metrics and he did so at a tougher position in the field.
Dawson won an MVP award and retired as one of four players in history with 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases. His on-base percentage of .323 is a vastly inferior mark to many Cooperstown players, but he was a very well-rounded player still; he’s one of eight Hall of Famers to be worth at least 200 runs above average as a hitter, 70 defensively, and 10 as a baserunner.
128. Red Faber, SP, 1914-1933
Stats: 254-213, 3.15 ERA, 4,086.2 IP, 1,471 K, 1.302 WHIP, 119 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 64.0 WAR, 24.6 WAA, 52.4 JAWS
For the first 50 years of the Live Ball Era (post-1920), Red Faber held the distinction of the greatest single-season WAR (11.4) by an AL pitcher. In fact, nearly one-third of his career value is derived from a two-year span.
Faber was the last legal spitballer in the American League and holds the distinction of being an innocent member of the 1919 Black Sox. Faber was largely ignored by the BBWAA when it came to Hall of Fame voting before the Veterans Committee added him in 1964.
127. Harmon Killebrew, 1B, 1954-1975
Stats: .256/.376/.509, 573 HR, 1,584 RBI, 143 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 60.4 WAR, 28.1 WAA, 49.4 JAWS, 4.02 WAR/162
Harmon Killebrew’s skillset would have been in perfectly in today’s inflated home run era – he hit a ton of home runs, walked regularly, and struck out too much. When he did hit home runs, he did so better than almost anyone else… ever.
A full 27.5 percent of Killebrew’s hits were home runs, which is the highest mark ever for Hall of Famers. He had eight 40-homer seasons and led the AL six times. Killebrew retired with 573 home runs, then the fifth-highest total in history and still the 11th-best total.
Defensively, Killebrew spent his career bouncing around the diamond, going from third base (and even a little at second base) to first base/left field and then to designated hitter. Baseball Reference credits Killebrew with producing a career defensive WAR of -18.7. His offensive firepower was enough to earn him a justifiable spot in the Hall of Fame, but his one-dimensional talent limits how high he can rank.
126. Eddie Murray, 1B, 1977-1997
Stats: .287/.359/.476, 504 HR, 1,917 RBI, 129 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 68.7 WAR, 27.4 WAA, 54.0 JAWS, 3.68 WAR/162
“Steady Eddie” has a claim as the most consistent player in baseball history. Bill James once said picking the best season from Murray’s career is almost impossible, and fittingly enough, Murray topped 25 home runs 10 times without ever reaching 35 and he had 12 170-hit seasons without ever reaching 190. Six times Murray was a top-five finisher in the MVP voting without ever winning the award.
Murray retired with unbelievable counting stats – 504 home runs, 3,255 hits, 1,917 RBIs, and an under-the-radar major league record 128 sacrifice flies. Murray walked enough to produce a 129 career OPS+ and his 68.7 WAR is higher than the average Hall of Famer, even if his peak wasn’t as stellar as non-Hall of Famers like Dick Allen or Mark McGwire.
125. Addie Joss, SP, 1902-1910
Stats: 160-97, 1.89 ERA, 2,327 IP, 920 K, 0.968 WHIP, 143 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 45.4 WAR, 24.6 WAA, 42.7 JAWS
Addie Joss owns the distinction of being the only player in the Baseball Hall of Fame not to have suited up for the required 10 years of eligibility. Joss was 31 years old and pitching in his ninth season when he became ill and died from tuberculous meningitis. As a result of his dominance on the mound, the Veterans Committee waived the 10-year rule and voted him in in 1978.
Joss’s accomplishments on the field were staggering. He holds the second-lowest career ERA (1.89) in the game’s history. His 0.968 WHIP still stands as an all-time record. He threw two no-hitters, including a perfect game. His lifetime numbers never had the chance to go through the natural aging process, but with more years, it’s likely he would rank well in the top 25 pitchers ever.
124. Ernie Banks, 1B/SS, 1953-1971
Stats: .274/.330/.500, 512 HR, 1,636 RBI, 122 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 67.5 WAR, 28.5 WAA, 57.4 JAWS, 4.33 WAR/162
There were essentially two Ernie Banks – the two-time MVP shortstop who produced a 145 OPS+ and averaged 40 HR/110 RBI/7.4 WAR over a seven-year span and then the mediocre first basemen who hit at the clip of a 106 OPS+ and averaged 1.3 WAR for a decade. The two of them put together still finished with 512 home runs, at the time making Banks the ninth player to clear the 500 home run barrier.
Banks had poor plate discipline, and falls last among his 500 HR contemporaries in walks (763), on-base percentage (.330), and OPS+ (122). But shortstops who win multiple MVP awards are rare enough that Banks is easily a deserving Hall of Famer, even with a subpar second half of his career.
123. Vlad Guerrero, RF, 1996-2011
Stats: .318/.379/.553, 449 HR, 1,496 RBI, 140 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 59.4 WAR, 29.5 WAA, 50.3 JAWS, 4.48 WAR/162
Some players accumulate great offensive numbers via plate discipline and patience working the count; others just swing the bat and hit the ball well. Vlad Guerrero was the latter. He was a free swinger whose .318 career batting average is the highest among all players whose careers have started in the last 30 years (min. 7,500 at-bats).
Guerrero added close to 450 home runs and nearly 200 stolen bases, won an MVP, and missed a 40/40 season by just one homer. The defensive metrics don’t rate Guerrero as fondly as revisionist history remembers him; while he had an absolute rifle of an arm in right field, he also led all right fielders in errors nine separate times. Still, his 140 adjusted OPS and power/speed combo makes him a deserving Hall of Famer.
122. Ozzie Smith, SS, 1978-1996
Stats: .262/.337/.328, 28 HR, 793 RBI, 87 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 76.9 WAR, 42.0 WAA, 59.7 JAWS, 4.84 WAR/162
How you feel about Ozzie Smith depends on how much of an impact you think defense really makes. The one they called “The Wizard of Oz” is one of the worst offensive players to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. He’s also maybe the most talented defensive player in the history of organized baseball.
Baseball Reference credits Ozzie Smith with 239 defensive runs saved in the field (second only to Brooks Robinson), and when you factor in his positional value, he’s first all-time in defensive WAR at 44.2. He won 13 Gold Gloves and probably deserved even more; you can search his name on YouTube and watch endless highlights of his defensive excellence and stunning backflips.
His 87 career OPS+ isn’t anything impressive but he played long enough to still put up close to 2,500 hits. He walked a lot and stole 580 bases, which gave him incredible value on the basepaths. And he became a significantly better offensive player once he started play for Whitey Herzong; Smith had a 66 OPS+ in San Diego and 93 in St. Louis.
121. Jesse Burkett, LF, 1890-1905
Stats: .338/.415/.446, 75 HR, 952 RBI, 140 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 62.7 WAR, 30.5 WAA, 50.0 JAWS, 4.91 WAR/162
Jesse Burkett often flies under the radar when compared to 19th century superstars like Ed Delahanty, Cap Anson, and Dan Brouthers. But Burkett’s .338 career batting average can hold his own against any of them. He batted .400 twice, averaged 206 hits over a 10-year span, and would have easily cleared 3,000 hits (he finished with 2,850) if he didn’t walk so much.
There are 29 Hall of Fame position players whose careers began in the 19th century, and Burkett ranks third among them in OBP (.415) and fifth in batting average (.338). He’s one of the better hitters in Cooperstown.
120. Hoyt Wilhelm, SP/RP, 1952-1972
Stats: 143-122, 228 SV, 2.52 ERA, 2,254.1 IP, 1,610 K, 1.125 WHIP, 147 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 49.8 WAR, 26.7 WAA, 38.5 JAWS
Hoyt Wilhelm has a strong case as the most underrated pitcher of all-time. His career ERA+ of 147 is identical to that of Walter Johnson. It’s easier to do that as a reliever than a starter, but in Wilhelm’s one year as a primary starter, he fashioned a league-leading 2.19 ERA and 173 ERA+.
Wilhelm didn’t throw a single pitch in the major leagues until he was nearly 30 years old and he still put together a two-decade career. That’s one of the benefits of being a knuckleball pitcher. Wilhelm got better as he got older; his ERA+ was better in his forties (156) than in his thirties (140). When he retired, he held the all-time record for games pitched (1,070).
119. Dazzy Vance, SP, 1915-1935
Stats: 197-140, 3.24 ERA, 2,966.2 IP, 2,045 K, 1.230 WHIP, 125 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 60.2 WAR, 36.1 WAA, 54.9 JAWS
Here’s an interesting fact for you: Kid Nichols is tied for first in major league history with 330 wins by age 31. Dazzy Vance is tied for last at zero. And interestingly enough, both eventually made the Hall of Fame.
Vance debuted in the major leagues in 1915. He spent parts of seven seasons dealing with arm issues and pitching in the minors leagues before he broke out in 1922. Vance then proceeded to lead the National League in strikeouts for seven consecutive seasons. His 262 in 1924 was more than the second and third-best pitchers combined.
Vance led the league in ERA three times. He pitched long enough that he led the NL in multiple pitching statistics at age 40. And he holds a distinct achievement by being the second-oldest pitcher ever to hit a home run, doing so at age 43.
118. Craig Biggio, 2B, 1988-2007
Stats: .281/.363/.433, 291 HR, 1,175 RBI, 112 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 65.5 WAR, 29.1 WAA, 53.7 JAWS, 3.72 WAR/162
We’ve officially reached the halfway point of ranking Hall of Famers. There are 117 Hall of Famers ranked below Craig Biggio and 117 ranked above him, which makes Biggio an ‘average’ Hall of Famer. Since there have been just a tad over 20,000 baseball players to play in the major leagues, that puts Biggio clearly in the top one percent of all players ever.
Bill James once called Craig Biggio the best in baseball history at the ‘little stats’, citing his innate ability to register extra bases for his team via hit by pitches and by avoiding double plays. When you look at his career numbers, Biggio is first among modern players in career hit by pitches (285), and among Hall of Famers, only Joe Morgan added more runs than Biggio by avoiding double plays.
And Biggio’s other stats were pretty impressive as well. He’s a member of the 3,000-hit club. He’s fifth all-time in doubles (668). He just missed the 300 HR/400 SB club (291/414). He literally came up as a catcher, won four Gold Gloves at second base, and then moved to center field. No one else in baseball history has that kind of defensive resume.
Several factors keep Biggio from rating higher though. He was a vastly mediocre player in his final seasons, accumulating -5.3 Wins Above Average over an eight-year span from 2000-2007, and he put up a dreadful -2.1 WAR campaign in ’07 during his pursuit of 3,000 hits. And while he was renowned as a great defensive player, the sabermetrics don’t support that claim. Baseball Reference rates him as the second-worst defensive player enshrined in the Hall of Fame (-100 runs saved).
117. Goose Goslin, LF, 1921-1938
Stats: .316/.387/.500, 248 HR, 1,612 RBI, 128 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 66.1 WAR, 30.5 WAA, 54.5 JAWS, 4.68 WAR/162
Goose Goslin needed the Veterans Committee to make the Hall of Fame, but he’s one of the VC’s better selections. He put up over 2,700 hits to go with 500 doubles, 173 triples, and even 248 home runs, made more impressive by the fact that 62.9 percent of his home runs were hit in away games. Had he not been limited by Washington’s Griffith Stadium, he would have cleared 300 home runs.
When Goslin retired, he was still ninth on the all-time home run list and seventh in RBIs. He was also an above-average baserunner and a fine defensive player who would have won a handful of Gold Gloves in left field had they existed back then.
116. Willie McCovey, 1B, 1959-1980
Stats: .270/.374/.515, 521 HR, 1,555 RBI, 147 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 64.5 WAR, 30.5 WAA, 56.4 JAWS, 4.04 WAR/162
Some players could flat out hit the cover off the baseball, and Willie McCovey was one of them. He got four hits, including two triples, in his first major league game (off future Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, no less). He won the Rookie of the Year award that year and by a decade later had led the league in home runs three times and won a league MVP award. When he hung up his cleats after 1980, McCovey ranked seventh on the all-time home run list at 521.
McCovey was a similar player to Harmon Killebrew, but he hit for a higher batting average, struck out less, and posted a slightly higher OPS+. He was arguably the most feared hitter of his time, racking up 45 intentional walks in 1969 that stood as a record until Barry Bonds came along. McCovey also holds the career National League record with 18 grand slams.
115. Roberto Alomar, 2B, 1988-2004
Stats: .300/.371/.443, 210 HR, 1,134 RBI, 116 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 67.1 WAR, 32.6 WAA, 55.0 JAWS, 4.57 WAR/162
Roberto Alomar’s accolades give him a strong case to be considered a top-10 second basemen ever. He and Paul Molitor are the only two players ever to hit 200 home runs, steal over 450 bases, and do so while batting at least .300. And Alomar did it all while also winning 10 Gold Gloves in the field.
The defensive statistics don’t support the claim of Alomar being a perennial Gold Glove award winner; in fact, he rates as a below-average fielder over 17 seasons. Alomar led Toronto to back-to-back World Series championships from 1992-’93, and was a .347 career hitter in the World Series. It’s likely that his infamous incident when he spit on an umpire kept him from being a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
114. Fred Clarke, LF, 1894-1915
Stats: .312/.386/.429, 67 HR, 1,015 RBI, 133 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 67.9 WAR, 35.2 WAA, 52.1 JAWS, 4.90 WAR/162
One of the great forgotten players of the 19th century, Fred Clarke played second fiddle to teammate Honus Wagner for their two decades together, but that shouldn’t negate just how successful Clarke was. He batted .312 in his career, topped .300 11 times, hit 220 triples (seventh all-time), and put together a 35-game hitting streak in 1895. He was the player-manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates for four of their pennants and even retired with the most wins of any manager in MLB history.
When you look up Clarke’s sabermetrics, he holds his own against the other all-timers well. His 67.9 WAR puts him in the top half of all Hall of Fame position players. Eight seasons he ranked as a top-10 player by WAR and four times he was in the top five. And he was as good defensively as he was at the plate, saving 91 runs in the field.
113. Larry Walker, RF, 1989-2005
Stats: .313/.400/.565, 383 HR, 1,311 RBI, 141 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 72.7 WAR, 48.3 WAA, 58.7 JAWS, 5.92 WAR/162
Several factors kept Larry Walker out of the Hall of Fame initially. He dealt with a barrage of injuries during his career, only topping 145 games once and finishing with one of the lower totals of plate appearances (8,020) among Hall of Fame position players. He played in the offensive-laden era of the 1990s. And of course, there’s the undeniable effect of Coors Field.
In Colorado, Walker was an absurd .381/.462/.710 career hitter. His lifetime home/road splits give him a .203 differential in home/road OPS, the third-largest gap among HOFers. Yet even with the Coors Field boost, Walker still finished with a 141 lifetime OPS+. He won an MVP, three batting titles, stole over 200 bases, and was exceptional with the glove.
Seven times Walker won a Gold Glove in right field and three times he led his position in assists. It remains to be seen whether Walker’s longtime teammate, Todd Helton, will join him in Cooperstown, but Walker was the first of the Colorado group to make it.
112. Ed Walsh, SP, 1904-1917
Stats: 195-126, 1.82 ERA, 2,964.1 IP, 1,736 K, 1.000 WHIP, 146 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 65.9 WAR, 38.8 WAA, 64.1 JAWS
Ed Walsh is baseball’s all-time leader in ERA, posting a ridiculous 1.82 mark over a 14-year career. Pitching in the Dead Ball Era undoubtedly helped his numbers, but his era-adjusted ERA of 146 is still the fourth-best mark ever for pitchers with 2,500+ innings.
Walsh was one of the most extreme workhorses of all-time. He holds the single-season 20th century record for innings pitched (464), and led the AL in innings four times in a six-year period. During the stretch of a pennant race in 1908, Walsh threw nine complete games and five shutouts in a 19-day period. As you’d expect from someone who threw so many innings, arm troubles eventually shortened his career.
111. Joe Cronin, SS, 1926-1945
Stats: .301/.390/.468, 170 HR, 1,424 RBI, 119 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 66.4 WAR, 35.9 WAA, 55.2 JAWS, 5.06 WAR/162
History doesn’t seem to remember the excellence of Joe Cronin. He wasn’t a power hitter, never won an MVP, never won a World Series, and played before Gold Gloves existed. But still, he was a 20-year shortstop who batted .301 over his career and had enough power that he set a then-position record with 24 home runs in 1940.
On three separate occasions, Cronin led all AL players in defensive WAR and he retired with 28 defensive runs saved at the shortstop position. His bigger contribution to baseball may be the fact that he later served as player-manager, manager, general manager, and then even AL president.
110. Mike Piazza, C, 1992-2007
Stats: .308/.377/.545, 427 HR, 1,335 RBI, 142 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 59.6 WAR, 35.9 WAA, 51.0 JAWS, 5.05 WAR/162
Mike Piazza started his career as a 62nd round draft choice and retired as the greatest offensive catcher who ever lived. Among players to play at least 50% of their games behind the plate, he’s first all-time in home runs, slugging percentage, OPS, and OPS+. He had nine seasons with at least 30 home runs; only two other catchers in history have ever done it more than twice.
The biggest knock on Piazza was always his defense. Baseball Reference charts him with -63 defensive runs saved for his career. Ten times he led the league in stolen bases allowed, plus four times in errors and twice more in passed balls. Surprisingly enough, pitch framing always rated Piazza very well behind the plate, and in fact, Baseball Prospectus charted him as seventh-best among all catchers since 1988 with +137 defensive runs saved.
109. Hal Newhouser, SP, 1939-1955
Stats: 207-150, 3.06 ERA, 2,993 IP, 1,796 K, 1.311 WHIP, 130 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 62.7 WAR, 39.5 WAA, 57.6 JAWS
Few pitchers in history have jampacked so much of their career accomplishments into a short peak. Hal Newhouser pitched for 17 years but accumulated over two-thirds of his career WAR into a five-year run in which he led the AL in wins four times, won two MVPs, and led the Detroit Tigers to a World Series championship.
It’s easy to point at both Newhouser’s 1944 and 1945 AL MVPs and cite the fact that many of the game’s best players – including Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams – were fighting in the war. But Newhouser’s first year post-war was every bit as good: 26-9, 1.94 ERA, and the lowest FIP (1.97) the game had seen in nearly 30 years.
He didn’t have the longevity of the pitchers ahead of him on this list, winning just 22 games and posting 4.5 total WAR after the age of 30. Still, he’s in an exclusive club of 15 left-handed starters in the Hall of Fame.
108. Tim Raines, LF, 1979-2002
Stats: .294/.385/.425, 170 HR, 980 RBI, 123 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 69.4 WAR, 35.4 WAA, 55.9 JAWS, 4.49 WAR/162
Perhaps being just the second-best leadoff hitter/base stealer of his time (behind Rickey Henderson) made Tim Raines underrated and overshadowed. He never hit 20 home runs in a season, drove in 100 runs, or drew 100 walks at the plate. And his highest finish in the MVP voting was a distant fifth. Late-career injuries probably kept Raines from reaching 3,000 hits, and it took considerable time for him to garner enough votes via the BBWAA.
But what Raines had going for him was just consistent greatness year after year. He was nearly a .300 career hitter and walked enough (seven seasons with 80 walks) to give him a 123 OPS+. His best quality was stealing bases, where he swiped a ridiculous 808 in 23 years and did so at an uncanny efficiency rate – his 84.70 career stolen base percentage is the highest ever for a player with at least 400 stolen base attempts. Both his career WAR and JAWS scores are ahead of the standard for Hall of Fame left fielders.
107. Carlton Fisk, C, 1969-1993
Stats: .269/.341/.457, 376 HR, 1,330 RBI, 117 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 68.5 WAR, 35.3 WAA, 53.1 JAWS, 4.44 WAR/162
Durability was Carlton Fisk’s biggest strength, as his career spanned four different decades. Fisk suited up for over 130 games 12 times and finished with the all-time record for games played by a catcher (2,226). Fisk made an All-Star team at age (43) and still holds the record for career WAR by a catcher after the age of 30 (39.5).
Fisk’s offensive numbers speak for themselves – he retired with the career record for home runs by a catcher and had eight seasons with at least 20. Defensively, Fisk was a strong presence behind the plate. He caught 149 shutouts, second only to Yogi Berra, and led the AL in putouts five times. He also hit one of the most famous home runs in major league history, a game-winner in the 12th inning of Game 6 of the 1975 World Series.
106. Pee Wee Reese, SS, 1940-1958
Stats: .269/.366/.377, 126 HR, 885 RBI, 99 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 66.6 WAR, 31.6 WAA, 53.7 JAWS, 4.96 WAR/162
Pee Wee Reese ranks right around the middle of the pack of Hall of Fame shortstops in both WAR and WAA, and that doesn’t factor in the boost he would have gotten had he not missed three key years in the middle of his career (WWII service time). With Reese at shortstop and Jackie Robinson at second base, the Brooklyn Dodgers went to six World Series in a 10-year span (plus one back in 1941 when only Reese was on the team).
Reese was a slightly-above average hitter who finished with a 99 career OPS+ because he played past his prime years. Still, he collected over 2,000 hits, walked over 1,200 times, and stole 232 bases. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting eight times. Reese never made the HOF through the BBWAA, but he’s one of the Veterans Committee’s better picks.
105. Brooks Robinson, 3B, 1955-1977
Stats: .267/.322/.401, 268 HR, 1,357 RBI, 104 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 78.4 WAR, 39.7 WAA, 62.2 JAWS, 4.39 WAR/162
Brooks Robinson, who was called “The Human Vacuum Cleaner”, retired with a major league record 16 Gold Gloves and still holds the record with 293 defensive runs saved, a full 52 more than the next-highest player. And if you’ve seen the plays he made in the 1970 World Series, you can see that the hype matched the production. He was quite simply the prototype for the perfect defensive third baseman.
Offensively, Robinson was a slightly above-average hitter for two decades, amassing over 2,800 hits, 268 home runs, and finishing with a 104 career OPS+. He won an MVP and twice led the league in WAR. He’s a well-deserved Hall of Famer.
104. Mike Mussina, SP, 1991-2008
Stats: 270-153, 3.68 ERA, 3,562.2 IP, 2,813 K, 1.192 WHIP, 123 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 82.8 WAR, 48.7 WAA, 63.6 JAWS
It’s easy to look at Mike Mussina for what he wasn’t. He never won a Cy Young award, just missed the heart of the New York Yankees’ dynasty meaning he never won a ring, and he retired short of both 300 wins and 3,000 strikeouts. But he was remarkably consistent, winning double-digit games for 17 consecutive seasons, finishing in the top six in Cy Young award voting on nine occasions, and fielding his position incredibly well.
Mussina’s 3.68 career ERA is one of the highest of any Hall of Fame pitcher, but he also pitched in the steroid era and in the American League that featured the DH. When adjusted to ballpark conditions and era, his 123 ERA+ is a better career mark than Juan Marichal, Steve Carlton, or Nolan Ryan. And Mussina went out with a 20-win season, suggesting he very likely could have reached the famed 300 win club had he continued pitching.
103. John Smoltz, SP, 1988-2009
Stats: 213-155, 154 SV, 3.33 ERA, 3,473 IP, 3,084 K, 1.176 WHIP, 125 ERA+
Sabermetrics: 69.0 WAR, 40.4 WAA, 53.9 JAWS
It’s going to be a long time before major league baseball sees another three-headed pitching rotation quite like Greg Maddux/Tom Glavine/John Smoltz. The trio combined for six straight Cy Young awards with Smoltz winning the award in 1996, posting a 24-8 record, striking out 276 batters, and winning four more postseason games.
As a starter, Smoltz made All-Star teams nearly 20 years apart, earned Cy Young votes in four different seasons, and retired with over 3,000 strikeouts. As a closer, Smoltz averaged 48 saves and a 2.47 ERA over a three-year period when the Braves needed him to close.
He’s also a ridiculous 15-4 with a 2.67 ERA in his postseason career. Not bad for a pitcher who was once the 574th overall selection in the MLB draft.
102. Al Simmons, LF, 1924-1944
Stats: .334/.380/.535, 307 HR, 1,828 RBI, 133 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 68.8 WAR, 34.8 WAA, 57.4 JAWS, 5.03 WAR/162
Not only is Al Simmons the only player to start his career with 11 straight 100 RBI seasons, but he also did it by batting over .300 in every one of them, reaching .350 seven times and .380 four times. Simmons was frequently overshadowed by the other AL superstars of the 1920s/1930s – Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig/Jimmie Foxx/Hank Greenberg – even so though, he’s one of the top run producers of all-time.
He played a pivotal role in leading the Philadelphia A’s to three straight World Series appearances from 1929-’31, batting over .300 with multiple home runs in all three series. When you factor in Simmons’ above-average defense, he’s a top seven or eight left fielder ever.
101. Duke Snider, CF, 1947-1964
Stats: .295/.380/.540, 407 HR, 1,333 RBI, 140 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 66.3 WAR, 35.3 WAA, 58.1 JAWS, 5.01 WAR/162
The debate amongst New Yorkers during the 1950s was over which center fielder was better – Willie Mays or Mickey Mantle – leaving Duke Snider to be a distant third in the unofficial polls. But it was Snider who led the entire decade of the ‘50s in home runs (326) and RBIs (1,031), at one point putting together five consecutive 40-HR seasons.
Snider was a great defensive center fielder as well, at least until the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field to the Los Angeles Coliseum. He led the Dodgers to six World Series and finished with a .286/.351/.594 line in 149 postseason plate appearances. His 1.10 WPA (Win Probability Added) in the playoffs is the 13th best total of any Hall of Famer ever.
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