Who are the best MLB players of all time? This is the list that’s gonna help solve debates, or stop a punch on, all over one of the heated baseball arguments.
Baseballs is America’s greatest pastime and this is the ultimate list of the the ten best MLB players of all time:
10. Mickey Mantle
Mickey Mantle was a five-tool player who could do it all – hit, hitting power, running, fielding and throwing. A member of the 50’s Yankees dynasty he became back-to-back AL MVP in 1956-57.
Mantle dominated World Series games with a record 18 home runs in total and seven championships. At center field he held a solid .984 fielding percentage and the 1962 Golden Glove to his name.
9. Stan Musial
For over two decades Stan Musial dominated the MLB with his pure hitting, reaching over .300 in each of his first 17 seasons in the league.
Musial played at first base and outfield. He earned 24 All-Star appearances, three MVP awards, 3,630 hits, 475 home runs and three World Series championships.
8. Barry Bonds
His steroid use has tarnished his legacy but if you can overlook that, Barry Bonds is one of the best MLB players ever. He earned 14 All-Star appearances, seven NL MVP awards and 762 home runs in 22 seasons.
Bonds averaged 33 home runs through 1987 to 1998. That skyrocketed to more than 44 homers between 2001 and 2007. Is he sure it was just flaxseed oil and arthritis cream?
7. Walter Johnson
The “Big Train” Walter Johnson is the greatest ever pitcher in MLB history and dominated the league for 21-years since debuting in 1907. He held an ERA of under two in 12 of those seasons, including 1.14 in 1913.
Johnson recorded 110 shutouts during his career, an effectively unbreakable record due to relief pitchers today. He earned 417 wins, 531 complete games and 3,509 strikeouts.
6. Ty Cobb
Arguably Ty Cobb is the greatest hitter in MLB history, although Josh Gibson posthumously surpassed his former all-time career batting average record of .366. He also surpassed .400 in three seasons.
Cobb retired with ridiculous numbers. He registered 4,191 hits, scored 2,245 runs, batted in 1,944 runs, and also stole 897 bases, leading the league in those categories on countless occasions.
5. Lou Gehrig
Although Lou Gehrig was overshadowed in power by Babe Ruth, Gehrig was a key player in the middle of the lineup for the Yankees during the 1920’s. Gehrig played 2,130 games in a row, a record for 56 years.
For twelve straight seasons he hit at over .300. Gehrig retired with 493 runs to his name, a .340 batting average and 1,995 runs batted in and is our fifth best MLB player of all time.
4. Ted Williams
Ted Williams is one of the greatest MLB hitters in history, and he revolutionized hitting by steerheading the concept that sluggers didn’t need to use a heavy bat, but could use a lighter one which created more speed in the swing.
Williams was the last player to hit .400, with a 0.406 in 1941. He still holds the best on-base percentage ever at .482, and finished his career with 521 homers, 1,839 runs batted in and a .344 batting average.
3. Hank Aaron
Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974 when he hit his 715th homer. He hit at least 30 homers in 15 seasons and he finished his career with a record 755 in total, before being surpassed by Barry Bonds.
Known for his consistency across his 23-season career, Aaron made 24 All-Star appearances, 2,297 runs batted in, a .305 batting average and earned three Golden Glove awards for this fielding at outfield.
2. Willie Mays
Willie Mays is the second best MLB player of all time. Like Hank Aaron, he earned 23 All-Star appearances in 24 seasons and displayed athleticism like no other at centerfield earning 12 Golden Glove awards.
Mays hit at least 40 homers in six seasons and he smashed 660 during his career. He’s also the only player to finish a career with a batting average at least .300, 3,000 hits, 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases.
1. Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is the undisputed best MLB player of all time, leading the most popular team of all time, the Yankees, to seven World Series titles during their greatest ever dynasty and across his 22-year career.
Ruth retired with 714 home runs, 2,214 runs batted in, 2.174 runs scored, and an all-time high slugging percentage of .690 including .741 in World Series games.
Reknowned for hitting the long ball Ruth smashed at least 40 homers in eleven seasons, hit over .300 in seventeen seasons, smashed an average .342 during his career and he led the league in home runs in 12 seasons.
