As we break into the top 400, we have a group that includes five Hall-of-Famers and a couple who may eventually get there. We have two-thirds of the most famous infield in baseball history. There is the first dominant two-way player who died tragically at 25. As always, there are a bunch of players who remain underrated and rarely talked about. Let's continue moving up 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
#400 - Johnny Evers - Second Base - 1902-1917, 1922, 1929
As part of the famous Tinker to Evers to Chance lexicon in baseball during the dead ball era, Evers earned his fame. While he was a glove-first player, he had a solid peak with the bat. From 1908-1914, Evers slashed .286/.393/.361 (121 OPS+) averaging 26 stolen bases and 100 runs per 162. Although most of his career was spent in Chicago with the Cubs, he won an MVP in 1914 with the Boston Braves. Evers was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946 by the Old Timers Committee.
#399 - Travis Jackson - Shortstop - 1922-1936
Jackson was the anchor of the New York Giants infield from the mid-20s to the early 30s. Offensively, his peak was from 1926-1931 when he slashed .307/.361/.472 (115 OPS+) averaging 15 home runs and 96 RBIs per 162. He was a top 10 MVP vote-getter four times. Defensively is where Jackson made his mark. He led the league in dWAR three times. He finished his career 31st in dWAR at 22.9. Jackson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1982 by the Veteran's Committee.
#398 - Dolf Luque - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1914-1915, 1918-1935
Luque had a long and successful career and won both of his World Series rings as a reliever allowing no earned runs in 9.1 innings of work. During his peak from 1919-1927, he won 132 games with a 2.90 ERA (128 ERA+) averaging 242 innings per year. In 1923, Luque led the league with 27 wins and a 1.93 ERA (201 ERA+) while finishing second in strikeouts with 151. He led the league in ERA (2.63 0 two years later and led the league three times in shutouts. Luque also led the league three times in H/9. He is fifth in Cincinnati Reds franchise history in wins (154) and second in innings pitched (2,668.2)
#397 - Jack Stivetts - Right-Handed Pitcher/Outfield - 1889-1899
Stivetts led the league with a 2.25 ERA (186 ERA+) in his rookie season. He threw over 400 innings for the next three years and won 95 games with a 3.13 ERA. Stivetts finished his career with 203 wins and a 3.74 ERA (120 ERA+). That alone would not have him in the top 400. From 1890-1897, he slashed .306/.350/.455 (111 OPS+) averaging 10 home runs and 105 RBIs per 162.
#396 - Bob Friend - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1951-1966
Friend was a workhorse on the Pittsburgh Pirates. From 1955-1965, he threw over 200 innings each season and averaged 255 per year during that time with a 3.29 ERA. He led the league twice in that category. Friend also led the league in ERA (2.83) in 1955 and wins (22) in 1958. He is the Pirates franchise leader in innings pitched (3,480.1) and strikeouts (1,682). Friend finished third in CYA voting in 1958 and was a four-time All-Star.
#395 - Francisco Lindor - Shortstop - 2015-present
Lindor started his career with a second-place finish in the Rookie of the Year voting to fellow shortstop Carlos Correa. The following year he helped the Cleveland Indians make the World Series finishing ninth in MVP voting and earning the first of four All-Star nods. He finished in the top nine four more times and won two Gold Gloves. Although this list was done before the season started, Lindor could move into rarified air with two home runs and 15 stolen bases. He would be one of three shortstops (min 60% games at short) with 250 homers and 200 steals (Derek Jeter, Hanley Ramirez).
#394 - Bobo Newsom - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1929-1930, 1932, 1934-1948, 1952-1953
Newsom was not blessed with great teams throughout his career where he changed teams 20 times from 1933-1953. While Newsom had his good seasons and not-so-good ones, one thing he did was throw innings. From 1934-1946, he averaged 263 innings with a 4.00 ERA. Newsom finished in the top five of MVP voting twice and was a four-time All-Star. He led the league in starts four years in a row. Since 1938 Newsom is one of only five pitchers to have 30 complete games and 225 strikeouts in a season. That year, he also won 20 games with an ERA above 5.00. Ray Kremer is the only other pitcher to do that.
#393 - Bobby Veach - Left Field - 1912-1925
Here is another player history has all but forgotten. Veach was a premier left fielder throughout his career, especially from 1915-1922. In that time, he slashed .318/.375/.465 (138 OPS+) averaging 39 doubles, 15 triples, and 118 RBIs per 162. He led the league in RBIs three times and doubles twice. Veach is on the top 10 list for RBIs and stolen bases for the Tigers. Only three others can boast the same (Cobb, Gehringer, Crawford).
#392 - Adam Wainwright - Right-Handed Pitcher - 2005-2010, 2012-2023
Wainwright was one of the rare pitchers that went from a reliever to a starter. In 2006, he appeared in 61 games as a reliever and had a 3.12 ERA. During the St. Louis Cardinals postseason run, he tossed 9.2 shutout innings and struck out 15 while recording four saves. Wainwright led the league in wins and innings pitched in 2009 and 2013 and finished in the top three of CYA voting four times in five seasons. From 2006-2015, Wainwright won 121 games and had a 2.97 ERA (134 ERA+).
#391 - Frank Chance - First Base - 1898-1914
Another one of the famous double-play trio makes it here. Chance didn't have a long career but from 1902-1907, he was arguably the best first baseman in the league. During that time, he slashed .311/.416/.416 averaging 63 stolen bases and 109 runs per 162. He led the league in steals twice, OBP once, and runs once. He is one of three first basemen (min. 75% games) since 1901 to have a .450 OBP and 30 stolen bases in a season. Chance was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1946 by the Old Timers Committee.
#390 - Rocky Colavito - Outfield - 1955-1968
For a decade from 1956-1965, Colavito was one of the premier sluggers in the league. He slashed .273/.366/.509 (136 OPS+) averaging 36 home runs and 110 RBIs per 162. He led the league in homers in 1959 with 42 and led the league in RBIs in 1965 with 108. His career highs came in 1961 when he had 45 home runs and 140 RBIs. Colavito was a nine-time All-Star who finished in the top five of MVP voting three times.
#389 - Larry Doyle - Second Base - 1907-1920
Doyle may not have gotten the fame Evers did, but he was every bit the player he was, albeit with different strengths. Doyle had an offensive peak impressive for a second baseman in the dead ball era. From 1908-1915, he slashed .299/.368/.428 averaging 35 stolen bases and 100 runs. He won the MVP in 1912 but had an even better year in 1911. That season remains the only time an infielder had 25 triples in the modern era. Doyle led the league in hits twice. In 1915, he also led the league in doubles (40), and batting (.320).
#388 - Bartolo Colon - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1997-2009, 2011-2018
Big Sexy had his ups and downs, but he was a solid pitcher for most of his long career. He threw 204 innings with a 3.71 ERA as a 25-year-old and threw 191.2 with a 3.43 ERA as a 43-year-old. He won 18 games five times including leading the league in 2005 with 21 capturing the CYA that season. Colon finished in the top six of CYA voting three other times. He is one of four pitchers since he debuted in 1997 to have 3,000 innings pitched and 2,500 strikeouts (Verlander, Sabathia, Greinke).
#387 - Larry Gardner - Third Base - 1908-1924
Gardner was a sure-handed third baseman who anchored the hot corner for four World Champions. He batted .300 five times, and although he was not spectacular, Gardner was a consistent player. He drove in 118 runs and 120 runs for the 1920 and 1921 Cleveland Indians. When he retired in 1924, only Lave Cross and Jimmy Collins had played more games at third base than Gardner.
#386 - Curt Simmons - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1947-1950, 1952-1967
Simmons debuted at 18 years old and tossed a complete game allowing one run. Although he struggled for the next two years, Simmons pitched well in 1950 going 17-8 with a 3.40 ERA. After missing 1951 due to the Korean War, Simmons bounced back to have a 2.95 ERA over the next three years averaging 231 innings. Arm problems caused the Phillies to release Simmons in 1960. He bounced back again with the Cardinals pitching to a 3.25 ERA over parts of seven seasons.
#385 - Kenny Rogers - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1998-2008
Rogers won five Gold Gloves and was a four-time All-Star. He won 13 games nine times and had 219 in his career. On July 28, 1994, Rogers pitched the 14th perfect game in history on 98 pitches when he shut down the California Angels. He had his best season in 1998 for the Oakland A's going 16-8 with a 3.17 ERA in a career-high 238.2 innings. Rogers is one of 20 lefties to have 1,900 strikeouts and 200 wins.
#384 - Sam Thompson - Right Field - 1885-1898, 1906
Thompson was one of the premier sluggers in the 19th century. He led the league twice in home runs, twice in doubles, and once in triples. Thompson also led the league in hits three times, RBIs three times, and won a batting title in 1887. He held the single season record for RBIs (166 in 1887) until Babe Ruth broke it with 168 in 1921. For his career, he slashed .331/.384/.505 (147 OPS+) averaging 145 runs, 150 RBIs, and 348 total bases per 162. Thompson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1974 by the Veteran's Committee.
#383 - Heinie Manush - Left Field - 1923-1939
Manush won the batting title in 1926 with a .378 mark. For the next nine seasons, he slashed .343/.385/.504 (129 OPS+) averaging 103 RBIs and 45 doubles per 162. Manush had his best season in 1928 when he batted .378 again while leading the league with 47 doubles and 241 hits. He also had a career-high 20 triples with 16 stolen bases. He finished in the top five of MVP voting five times including back-to-back runner-up finishes in 1928 and 1929. Manush was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964 by the Veteran's Committee.
Another player with an up-and-down career, Orth put up some good numbers when he was done playing. From 1898-1901, he won 63 games with a 2.93 ERA (120 ERA+) averaging 235 innings. After a few rough seasons, Orth finished his pitching career strong with a 2.72 ERA with the Yankees. He led the league in wins (27) and innings pitched (338.2) in 1906. Orth was also pretty good with the bat for a pitcher, slashing .273/.298/.366 averaging eight triples and eight stolen bases per 162.
#381 - Art Fletcher - Shortstop - 1909-1920, 1922
Fletcher was probably the best fielding shortstop in the 1910s. He anchored an infield that made it to four World Series in eight years despite not winning it all. From 1911-1916, Fletcher slashed .285/.331/.376 (107 OPS+) averaging 22 stolen bases per 162. He led the league in HBP five times and was hit 13 times eight years in a row.
#380 - Josh Donaldson - Third Base - 2010, 2012-2023
While the end of his career with the Yankees and Brewers didn't help his legacy, people forget just how good Donaldson was. From 2013-2021, he slashed .272/.373/.514 averaging 35 home runs and 101 RBIs per 162. He won the AL MVP award in 2015 leading the league in runs (122), RBIs (123), and total bases (352). Donaldson finished fourth in MVP voting two other times. He was a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger.
#379 - Charlie Ferguson - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1884-1887
Tragedy struck when Ferguson died at the age of 25. However, he had established himself as one of the greats of the game in his four seasons in MLB. As a pitcher, he won 99 games and had a 2.67 ERA (120 ERA+) averaging 378 innings per year. With the bat, Ferguson slashed .288/.364/.372 (124 OPS+) in 1,078 plate appearances, averaging 99 RBIs and 120 runs scored per 162. In 1887, he was 22-10 with a 3.00 ERA in 297 innings and batted .337 in 300 plate appearances with 85 RBIs.
#378 - Buster Posey - Catcher - 2009-2019, 2021
Despite Posey's relatively short career especially in modern times, no one can argue he was one of the best catchers of this century. He won NL ROY in 2010, MVP in 2012, and three World Series with the Giants. Posey led the league in batting (.336) in 2012. He was a seven-time All-Star, five-time Silver Slugger, and a Gold Glove winner. For his career, he slashed .302/.372/.460 (129 OPS+).
#377 - Matt Williams - Third Base - 1987-2003
Williams was a force in the 90s. He led the league with 122 RBIs in 1990 and drove in over 100 three more times during the decade. In 1994, Williams led the NL with 43 home runs in 112 games. He was easily on pace to break Hack Wilson's NL record of 56 home runs before the strike. During the decade, Williams slashed .278/.326/.508 (122 OPS+) averaging 36 home runs and 116 RBIs per 162. He finished top six in MVP voting four times, was a five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger, and a four-time Gold Glove winner.
#376 - Jacob deGrom - Right-Handed Pitcher - 2014-2024
As with many players on our list, deGrom is another who is dominant but cannot stay healthy. Over the last four years, he has made 35 starts. His stats are otherworldly. deGrom has thrown 197.1 innings and struck out 307 while walking 24. He has a 2.01 ERA (200 ERA+) during that time and has faced 722 batters with a WHIP of 0.679. He won ROY in 2014 and won back-to-back CYA. deGrom is the all-time leader in K/BB rate with a 5.41 mark.
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