In this group of 25, we have eight Hall-of-Famers as well as a couple of guys on the current ballot. We also have a few postseason greats. Despite having 10 pitchers in this group, only one of them is a lefty. Also in this group are one the best defensive shortstops ever, a player who died during their playing days, and a player who killed someone during their time in the majors. Let's continue with our list of the top 1,000 MLB players ever.
Be sure to check out the rest of our series: MLB 976-1,000 | 951-975 | 926-950 | 901-925 | 876-900 |850-875 | 826-850 | 801-825 | 776-800 | 751-775 | 726-750 | 701-725 | 676-700 | 651-675 | 626-650 | 601-625 | 576-600 | 551-575 | 526-550 | 501-525 | 476-500 | 451-475 | 426-450 | 401-425 | 376-400 | 351-375
#350 - Ellis Burks - Outfield - 1987-2004
Burks was a 20/20 player in his first season in the majors. He was a solid base-stealer in his first three years with 73 stolen bases. He won a Gold Glove in 1990. When he got to Colorado, Burks had his best season. In 1996, He led the league in slugging (.639), runs (142), and total bases (392). That season he hit 40 home runs and stole 32 bases. Only Larry Walker and Burks have had 40 homers and 30 steals in a season in franchise history. He is one of 14 players since 1980 to have 350 home runs, 1,200 RBIs, and 180 stolen bases.
#349 - Dennis Martinez - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1976-1998
Martinez finished his career an out short of 4,000 innings. In 1979, he led the league in complete games with 18 and innings pitched with 292.1. Two years later, Martinez finished fifth in CYA voting and led the league with 14 wins in the strike-shortened season. After a few down years, Martinez was sent to the Montreal Expos where he revived his career. From 1987-1995, he won 120 games with a 3.02 ERA (130 ERA+) averaging 208 innings per year. Martinez was a four-time All-Star and led the league in ERA in 1991 with a 2.39 mark.
#348 - Dutch Leonard - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1933-1936, 1938-1953
The second Dutch Leonard on this list is the right-hander and no relation to the other one who slotted in at #686. Unfortunately for Leonard, he played on awful teams and never made the postseason. However, it was not his fault. From 1938-1948, he managed to win 148 games with a 3.14 ERA (122 ERA+) averaging 215 innings per year. Since 1920, he is one of five pitchers with more than 3,200 innings and fewer than 160 home runs allowed.
#347 - Mike Cameron - Centerfield - 1995-2011
Cameron was an excellent fielder with power and speed. During his peak from 1999-2009, he slashed .253/.344/.459 (111 OPS+) averaging 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases per 162. He was an All-Star in 2001 driving in a career-high 110 runs. Cameron was a three-time Gold Glove winner and led the league in putouts twice. He is one of 16 players with 275 home runs and 275 stolen bases and one of only three to have fewer than 8,000 plate appearances.
#346 - Hoyt Wilhelm - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1952-1972
Wilhelm started his career with a bang. In 1952, he led the league with a 2.43 ERA and was 15-3. He finished second in ROY voting and fourth in MVP voting. After a couple of good years, Wilhelm struggled. However, in 1959, he led the American League with a 2.19 ERA while setting a career-high with 226 innings for the Baltimore Orioles. He went back to the bullpen for the rest of his career which ended 15 days before his 50th birthday. Wilhelm finished with 143 wins, 228 saves, and a 2.52 ERA (147 ERA+). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 by the BBWAA.
#345 - Thurman Munson - Catcher - 1969-1979
Although Munson's career was tragically cut short, he cemented himself as a Yankee icon. He won the ROY in 1970 and made the first of seven All-Star teams in 1971. Munson finished top 7 in MVP voting three times and won the award in 1976. He won three Gold Gloves and only once finished below the league average in caught stealing. In his postseason career, Munson had 46 hits in 30 games, going hitless only three times.
#344 - Nellie Fox - Second Base - 1947-1965
Fox was one of the best defensive second basemen ever. He ranks 5th in games played at the position (2,295), and 8th in assists (6,373). Fox led the league in fielding percentage six times, putouts 10 years in a row, and assists six times. His bat wasn't bad either. From 1951-1959, Fox slashed .305/.364/.388, leading the league four times in hits. He was a 15-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves, and took home the 1959 AL MVP award. Fox was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997 by the Veteran's Committee.
Although Mays is probably best known for killing Ray Chapman with a pitch in 1920, he was a very good pitcher. From 1915-1921, Mays won 134 games with a 2.46 ERA (130 ERA+) averaging 268 innings per year. He was versatile during his career as well. Mays led the league twice in saves and twice in shutouts. In 1921, he led the league with 27 wins and a career-high 336.2 innings. Since 1915, Mays is one of 12 pitchers with a sub-3.00 ERA and over 3,000 innings pitched.
#342 - Silver King - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1886-1893, 1896-1897
King had a short career, but his peak was phenomenal. From 1887-1892, he won 178 games with a 2.85 ERA (132 ERA+) and a remarkable 448 innings per year. In 1888, King won 45 games with a 1.63 ERA throwing an incredible 584.2 innings. He completed all of his 64 starts that season. He would lead the league again in 1890 with a 2.69 ERA.
#341 - Tony Lazzeri - Second Base - 1926-1939
Lazzeri was part of the "Murderer's Row" Yankees in the late 20s and early 30s. His peak was from 1927-1933 when he slashed .308/.391/.490 averaging 16 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 118 RBIs per 162. Lazzeri and Charlie Gehringer are the only two second basemen in history to have 175 home runs and 100 triples (75% of games at 2B). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 by the Veteran's Committee.
#340 - Dizzy Trout - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1939-1952, 1957
Trout was the right-handed side of Detroit's righty-lefty ace combo with Hal Newhouser in the 40s. From 1942-1948, Trout won 114 games with a 2.81 ERA (132 ERA+) averaging 245 innings per year. His best season came in 1944 when he led the league with 352 innings pitched and a 2.12 ERA. He completed 33 of his 40 starts and led the league with seven shutouts. Trout also had a nice year with the bat slashing .271/.317/.429 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 144 plate appearances.
#339 - Jimmy Rollins - Shortstop - 2000-2016
Rollins finished third in ROY voting in 200, leading the league with 12 triples and 46 stolen bases. He would lead the league in triples three more times and win the MVP in 2007. That season Rollins became the only player in MLB history to have 20 triples, 30 home runs, and 40 stolen bases in a season. He also led the league with 139 runs while winning the first of his four Gold Gloves. Rollins is the only shortstop ever with 200 home runs and 450 stolen bases (min 75% games at SS).
#338 - Curtis Granderson - Centerfield - 2004-2019
While Rollins was making history in the NL in 2007, Granderson was making his own in the AL. before Rollins and Grandy, there were only four seasons where a player had 30 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs. His 23 triples were the most since 1949 and he is the only player since 1900 to have 23 triples and 20 home runs in a season. In 2011, Granderson led the league with 136 runs and 119 RBIs, blasting 41 home runs and stealing 25 bases en route to a fourth-place finish in MVP voting.
#337 - Mark Langston - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1984-1999
There are only four rookies to lead the league in strikeouts with more than 200. Langston is one of them. He also led the league in Ks in 1986 and 1987. In 1987, he set a career-high with 262 while also earning the first of four All-Star nods and the first of seven Gold Gloves. In 1989, he was traded for another wild lefty named Randy Johnson. he struck out 190 seven times and threw 200 innings 10 times. Langston is 13th All-Time in strikeouts among southpaws with 2,464.
#336 - George Foster - Left Field - 1969-1986
Foster gets lost sometimes because the Big Red Machine had more prominent players like Morgan, Rose, Bench, etc. However, Foster was right there in the middle of the lineup and produced. From 1975-1981, he slashed .297/.369/.543 averaging 37 home runs and 125 RBIs per 162. He led the league in home runs and RBIs in consecutive years (1977-1978). In 1977, Foster won the MVP award with 52 homers and 149 RBIs. He was the first National League player to have 50 homers and 145 RBIs in a season since 1930 and is only one of 10 to have a season like that in MLB history.
#335 - Jack Morris - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1977-1984
Morris became a full-time starter in 1979 and was the ace of the Detroit Tigers for the next nine seasons. From 1979-1987, he won 158 games with a 3.51 ERA (116 ERA+) averaging 248 innings per year. Morris led the league in innings (293.2) and strikeouts (232) in 1983. For his career, he finished in the top 5 of CYA voting five times and was a five-time All-Star. In the 1991 postseason, Morris started five games, going 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA allowing just one home run across 36.1 innings. In Game Seven of the World Series, he pitched a 10-inning shutout and earned himself MVP honors. Morris is the last pitcher to retire with 175 complete games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018 by the Modern Era Baseball Committee.
Brock's first full season in St. Louis was 1965. From that year through 1976, he stole 50+ bases each season. He led the league eight times including his record-setting season of 1974 when he swiped 118 bags finishing second in the MVP race. During that stretch, Brock slashed .299/.351/.419 averaging 69 stolen bases and 105 runs per 162. In 1967, he became the first player with 20 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. He was a six-time All-Star and a playoff legend. In his postseason career, he had 12 multi-hit games in the 21 he played. Brock slashed .391/.424/.655 with 13 extra-base hits and 14 stolen bases. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985 by the BBWAA.
#333 - Tommy Leach - Centerfield/Third Base - 1898-1915, 1918
Leach is somewhat of a forgotten player from the Pirates at the turn of the century. However, from 1901-1909, he was a solid contributor slashing .277/.334/.383 (117 OPS+) averaging 16 triples and 29 stolen bases per 162. Toward the end of the decade, Leach moved from third base to centerfield where he would lead the league twice in fielding percentage. He is 23rd all-time in triples with 172. Leach is in the Pirates top 10 in triples (139), stolen bases (271), and runs (1,009).
#332 - Charles Bender - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1903-1917, 1925
Bender was an integral part of the Philadelphia A's staff that won three World Series in four years. From 1906-1914, he won 148 games and saved 28 with a 2.09 ERA (129 ERA+) averaging 211 innings with a nearly three-to-one K/BB rate which was unheard of at the time. In 1913, Bender won 21 games and saved 13 with a 2.21 ERA. He is one of two pitchers in history to have 20 wins, 10 saves, and a sub-2.50 ERA in the same season (Ed Walsh 1912). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 by the Veteran's Committee.
#331 - Harry Stovey - Outfield/First Base - 1880-1893
Stovey has a bunch of black ink on his baseball-reference.com page. He led the league in triples, runs, and home runs four times apiece. He also led in slugging three times, stolen bases twice, and RBIs once. From 1883-1891, Stovey slashed .299/.375/.484 (153 OPS+) averaging 19 triples, 16 home runs, 67 stolen bases, and 172 runs per 162. He stole 97 bases in 1890 with 12 home runs. That season still stands as the most home runs by a player in a season when they stole 90 bases.
#330 - Heinie Groh - Third Base - 1912-1927
Groh was the best player on the Cincinnati Reds for eight years from 1914-1921. During that time, he slashed .300/.381/.395 (132 OPS+) averaging 20 stolen bases per 162. He led the league in doubles and OBP in 1917 and 1918. Defensively, Groh was one of the best in his era. He led the league five times in fielding percentage, seven times in double plays, and three times in putouts.
#329 - Dave Bancroft - Shortstop - 1915-1930
Bancroft was a solid hitter in his prime. From 1919-1926, he slashed .306/.379/.399 (111 OPS+) and batted over .300 five times. However, his defense is what pushes him this far up the list. One of the best defensive shortstops ever, Bancroft led the league in Range Factor/Game eight times, putouts four times, and assists three times. In 1920, he set a record with 598 assists. That mark has only been passed twice in the 104 years since. Bancroft was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1971 by the Veteran's Committee.
#328 - Charlie Buffinton - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1882-1892
Although Buffinton only played for 11 seasons, he packed a lot into that time, especially the middle nine. From 1883-1891, he won 227 games with a 2.89 ERA (118 ERA+) averaging 363 innings per year. In 1884, Buffinton threw 587 innings, striking out 417 batters, and had a 2.15 ERA while winning 48 games. He put together another phenomenal year in 1888 when he won 28 games with a 1.91 ERA in 400.1 innings.
#327 - Bert Campaneris - Shortstop - 1964-1981, 1983
While Campaneris may be best known for playing every position in a game on September 8, 1965, he was a very good shortstop, logging 2,097 games at the position. He led the league in stolen bases six times and stole over 50 bases five years in a row from 1965-1969. Campaneris led the league in hits in 1968. In 1970, he became the first shortstop (min. 75% games at SS) to have 20 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season. Since then, it has only been done five times. He holds the A's franchise mark for hits with 1,882.
#326 - Kiki Cuyler - Outfield - 1921-1938
Cuyler did everything well. He was an above-average defender, had pretty good power, and had excellent speed. From 1924-1931, Cuyler slashed .336/.405/.512 (133 OPS+) averaging 16 triples, 14 home runs, and 38 stolen bases per 162. He led the league four times in steals and twice in runs. In 1925, Cuyler had 26 triples which is still the modern-day National League record. He also scored 144 runs and finished second in MVP voting. In the World Series that year, Cuyler doubled in the eighth inning of Game Seven to give the Pirates a championship. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968 by the Veteran's Committee.
Main Image Credit
Comments