Here we are finishing off the first 600 of our top 1,000 MLB players ever. There are three Hall of Famers in this group, but also a few more players who fans think should be in. You can be the judge of that. We have the greatest closer ever and a couple of players who were traded for superstars. This group also has two of the oldest guys to play in the major leagues. Without further ado, let's continue our journey as we wrap up the bottom 600 of our list.
#425 - Jamie Moyer - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1986-1991, 1993-2010, 2012
Moyer's longevity is certainly his calling card. He is one of five pitchers to have over 4,000 innings pitched who pitched in the 21st century and he is the last one to retire with that many. In his prime from 1996-2003, Moyer had a .692 winning percentage and a 3.77 ERA (120 ERA+) averaging 203 innings per year. He won 20 games twice and finished in the top six of CYA voting three times. He won a championship with the 2008 Phillies going 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 196.1 innings at the age of 45.
#424 - Julio Franco - Shortstop/Second Base/First Base - 1982-2007
Franco had his final at-bat in the majors at 49 years old. While he played in 23 seasons in MLB, his peak was from 1987-1996. He slashed .311/.385/.444 (126 OPS+) averaging 15 home runs and 24 stolen bases per 162. Franco led the league with a .341 average in 1991. He was a three-time All-Star and a five-time Silver Slugger. In 1994, Franco hit .319 with a career-high 20 home runs and 98 RBIs and finished eighth in MVP voting. His 2,586 hits are 88th on the All-Time list.
#423 - Jon Lester - Left-Handed Pitcher - 2006-2021
Lester was a workhorse during his peak from 2008-2016. During that time, he averaged 15 wins, 207 innings, and 195 strikeouts while maintaining a 3.34 ERA (127 ERA+). He finished top four in MVP voting three times including a runner-up spot in 2016 when he was 19-5 with a 2.44 ERA. Lester was the 2016 NLCS MVP. In his postseason career, he won nine games with a 2.51 ERA over 154 innings. He finished his career with 200 wins and 2,488 strikeouts.
#422 - Dizzy Dean - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1930, 1932-1941, 1947
Dean had a short timeframe when he was a dominant pitcher, but he was easily the best pitcher in the league at that time. From 1932-1936, he won 120 games, led the league in strikeouts four straight years, and had a 3.04 ERA (130 ERA+) averaging 306 innings per year. In 1936, he completed 28 of his 34 starts and led the league in saves with 11. Dean was the 1934 MVP and finished second the next two years. In the 1934 World Series, he was 2-1 with a 1.73 ERA leading the St. Louis Cardinals to a title. Dean was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 by the BBWAA.
#421 - Al Oliver - Outfield/First Base - 1968-1985
Oliver was second in ROY voting in 1969. His peak would come from 1972-1982 when he slashed .312/.352/.470 (129 OPS+) averaging 17 home runs and 97 RBIs per 162. Oliver hit .300 11 times in his career. His best season came in 1982 with the Montreal Expos when he finished third in MVP voting and led the league in batting (.331), hits (204), doubles (43), and RBIs (109). Oliver was a seven-time All-Star. He is 58th in hits (2,743) and 43rd in doubles (529).
#420 - Sam McDowell - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1961-1975
Sudden Sam was an excellent pitcher on a bad team. Pitching for the Cleveland Indians from 1964 to 1970, McDowell won 116 games, had a 2.81 ERA (126 ERA+), and averaged 253 strikeouts in 244 innings per year. He was a six-time All-Star and led the league five times in strikeouts. McDowell finished third in CYA voting in 1970 with 20 wins, a 2.92 ERA, and 304 strikeouts in 305 innings. He is second in Cleveland franchise history with 2,159 strikeouts.
#419 - Dolph Camilli - First Base - 1933-1943, 1945
Camilli got a late start to his career at 26 years old. However, after a few years, he became one of the best first basemen in the National League. From 1936-1941, Camilli slashed .294/.415/.543 (154 OPS+) averaging 30 home runs and 111 RBIs per 162. He led the league twice in walks and won the MVP award in 1941, leading the league in home runs (34) and RBIs (120).
#418 - Mel Harder - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1928-1947
Harder pitched 20 seasons for the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately, he pitched during a period when they weren't very good. He was a four-time All-Star and led the American League in ERA in 1933 with a 2.95 mark. From 1932-1939, Harder won 134 games with a 3.64 ERA (127 ERA+) while averaging 245 innings. For those eight seasons, he won at least 15 games and tossed at least 200 innings each year.
#417 - Milt Pappas - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1957-1973
Famously traded for Frank Robinson, Pappas was coming off an excellent year in Baltimore at age 26. It didn't work out for Cincinnati, but Pappas was good leading up to the trade. From 1959-1965, he won 100 games and had a 3.18 ERA while averaging 213 innings. For his career, Pappas won 209 games and had a 3.40 ERA in 3,186 innings.
#416 - Hugh Duffy - Outfield - 1888-1901, 1904-1906
For nearly a decade from 1889-1897, Duffy was one of the best baseball players. He slashed .340/.403/.474 (130 OPS+) while averaging 65 stolen bases, 131 RBIs, and 163 runs scored per 162. In 1894, Duffy had one of the best seasons ever. That year he slashed .440/.502/.694 with 51 doubles, 18 home runs, 160 runs, 145 RBIs, and 237 hits. That was in only 125 games. His 1.196 OPS was the standard until Babe Ruth beat the mark in 1920. Duffy was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945 by the Old Timers Committee.
#415 - Cliff Lee - Left-Handed Pitcher - 2002-2014
Lee had a bumpy start to his career. However, he got on track in 2008, leading the league in wins (22) and ERA (2.54) while taking home the AL CYA. From that season to 2013, Lee won 85 games with a 2.89 ERA while averaging 222 innings and 200 strikeouts per year. In 2010, Lee had a 10.28 K/BB rate. He is one of two pitchers in the modern era to have a 10+ K/BB rate (min 200 IP).
#414 - J.D. Drew - Right Field - 1998-2011
Drew got some grief for not signing with the Phillies after they picked him second in 1997. Drew still put together a good career. In the 2000s, he slashed .286/.396/.507 while averaging 26 home runs and 86 RBIs. Drew finished sixth in 2004 in MVP voting, setting career highs with 118 walks and runs and 31 home runs. During the 2007 playoffs, Drew started slow but came through in the ALCS and the World Series going 14-for-40.
#413 - Gerrit Cole - Right-Handed Pitcher - 2013-present
While Cole was good in Pittsburgh and finished fourth in CYA voting in 2015, he has improved with Houston and New York. From 2018-2023, Cole won 86 games with a 2.93 ERA (146 ERA+) and a sub-1.000 WHIP. He has also averaged 236 strikeouts to just 45 walks in 179 innings. During that time he led the league in ERA twice and strikeouts twice. He is the only pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2002 to strike out 325 batters in a season.
#412 - Bill Freehan - Catcher - 1961, 1963-1976
Freehan was an 11-time All-Star which should tell you a lot of how Freehan stacked up to his fellow backstops during his time. From 1967-1974, he slashed .266/.354/.427 (122 OPS+) while averaging 20 home runs per 162. Freehan won five Gold Gloves and was above average defensively. In 1967 and 1968, he finished third and second in MVP voting. During his prime, Freehan also walked more than he struck out.
#411 - Tim Hudson - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1999-2015
Hudson finished fifth in ROY voting in 1999 and followed that up in 2000 with a second-place finish in the CYA race. He finished sixth once and fourth two other times for the CYA. In his career, Hudson tossed 180 innings 11 times and over 200 eight times. He is one of 33 pitchers to toss over 3,000 innings with a sub-3.50 ERA, 2,000 strikeouts, and 220 wins in history but one of only three since 1996.
#410 - Jim Fregosi - Shortstop - 1961-1978
Fregosi was famously traded to the New York Mets for Nolan Ryan. However, he was one of the top shortstops in baseball for nearly a decade with the Angels. From 1963-1970, Fregosi slashed .271/.342/.409 (119 OPS+) and averaged 13 home runs in 157 games per year. He was an excellent defensive shortstop and won a Gold Glove in 1967, finishing seventh in MVP voting. He was a six-time All-Star.
#409 - Chuck Knoblauch - Second Base - 1991-2002
Knoblauch won the AL ROY in 1991 and a World Series with the Twins. He got the first of his four All-Star nods the following year. From 1994-1999, Knoblauch slashed .305/.400/.454 averaging 14 home runs, 47 stolen bases, and 130 runs per 162 while walking more than he struck out. He won a Gold Glove in 1997 and stole a career-high 62 bases which is the most by a Twins player in the last 100 years.
#408 - Buddy Myer - Second Base - 1925-1941
Myer had his first of nine seasons batting .300 in 1926. In 1928, he led the league with 30 stolen bases and finished ninth in MVP voting. He went back to Washington in 1929. Myer enjoyed his best season in 1935 when he led the league with a .349 batting average and set a career-high with 100 RBIs. He finished fourth in MVP voting that season and was an All-Star. For his career, Myer slashed .303/.389/.406. In the past 100 years, Myer is one of 12 players with 130 triples and 150 stolen bases.
#407 - Mariano Rivera - Relief Pitcher - 1995-2013
It's hard to place the greatest closer ever on this list because of the unique nature of his position. Rivera was dominant after a failed attempt as a starter. If we remove 1995, Mariano had a 2.03 ERA (223 ERA+) with a 0.972 WHIP. He was a 13-time All-Star and finished in the top five of CYA voting five times. He had a sub-2.00 ERA 11 times and saved over 30 games 15 times in 17 seasons. Rivera led the league three times in that category and set a career-high with 53 in 2004. He was inducted unanimously into the Hall of Fame in 2019 by the BBWAA.
#406 - Jimmy Ryan - Outfield - 1885-1900, 1902-1903
Ryan had a historic year in 1888. He Led the league with 16 home runs while also leading in hits (182), doubles (33), and slugging (.515). He is one of only six players to have a season with 15 homers, 60 steals, and a .500 slugging percentage. From 1888-1898, Ryan slashed .316/.390/.460 (130 OPS+) averaging 304 total bases and 38 swipes per 162. He is one of six players in the 19th century to have a .300 batting average and 100 home runs.
#405 - Augie Galan - Outfield - 1934-1949
In Galan's first full season, he led the league in stolen bases (22) and runs (133). Two years later, he set a career-high with 18 home runs and led the league again in steals (23). Over the next few years, he was a solid player, but his peak was from 1943-1948. Galan slashed .306/.431/.445 (145 OPS+) averaging 114 walks and only 30 strikeouts per 162. He led the league in walks twice. He was a three-time All-Star.
#404 - Devon White - Centerfield - 1985-2001
In his first full season in 1987, White hit 24 home runs and had 32 stolen bases finishing fifth in ROY voting. After struggling with the bat for the next three years, White was traded to the Blue Jays after the 1990 season and found his groove. From 1991-2001, he slashed .271/.330/.432 averaging 18 home runs and 27 stolen bases per 162. White was one of the best centerfielders to grace a baseball diamond. He is sixth in TZR among centerfielders at 112 and won seven Gold Gloves.
#403 - Nomar Garciaparra - Shortstop - 1996-2009
Garciaparra was an absolute terror from 1997-2003, especially from the shortstop position. During that time, he slashed .325/.372/.557 averaging 48 doubles, 30 home runs, and 117 RBIs per 162. He won the ROY in 1997, leading the league with 11 triples and 209 hits. Garciaparra led the league in batting back-to-back years in 1999 and 2000. Only Tris Speaker and Ted Williams have ever hit for a higher batting average for the Red Sox than Nomar's .372 in 2000. His 56 doubles in 2002 are second only to Earl Webb's 67 in 1931.
#402 - Claude Passeau - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1935-1947
The tall right-hander was a solid pitcher who tossed 200 innings each year for a decade. His peak came with the Cubs from 1940-1945 when he won 100 games with a 2.71 ERA (125 ERA+) while averaging 250 innings per year. He kept the ball in the yard, twice leading the league in HR/9. in 1945 when he led the Cubs to the NL Pennant, Passeau allowed just four home runs in 227 innings while winning 17 games with a 2.46 ERA. In Game Three of the World Series, Passeau pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just one single to Rudy York in the second inning.
#401 - Cupid Childs - Second Base - 1888, 1890-1901
Childs was the standard for second basemen in the late 19th century. During his peak from 1890-1897, he slashed .325/.438/.420 averaging 153 runs and 37 stolen bases while walking 121 times to just 22 strikeouts per 162. Childs scored over 100 runs seven times including leading the league with 136 in 1892. He is fifth all-time in chances per game among second basemen and his lifetime .416 OBP is third to Rogers Hornsby and Eddie Collins.
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