Number 467 on this list marks the beginning of the top two percent to ever play in MLB. We have a couple of Hall of Famers, and our usual amount of ROY, MVP, and league leaders in this group. We also have three pitchers who did something that wouldn't be achieved again for over 50 years as well as the first 30/30 player ever. What we don't have in this bunch of 25 is an active player. Enjoy our continuing journey back in time through MLB history with some guys who have been mostly forgotten.
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
#475 - Bob Shawkey - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1913-1927
Shawkey was a reliable pitcher for most of his career. Between 1914 and 1925, he had 180 innings each season except for 1918 when he served in WWI. He eclipsed 200 innings in nine of those seasons. In 1916, Shawkey won 24 games and led the league with eight saves. He is one of four pitchers since 1901 to meet those numbers. He won 20 games three more times and led the league with a 2.45 ERA in 1920. In his final start of 1919, Shawkey struck out 15 Philadelphia A's. That would stand as a Yankee franchise record until Ron Guidry broke it in 1978.
In the decade between 1927-1936, Lucas led the league in complete games three times and shutouts once. He averaged 209 innings over those 10 seasons, eclipsing 230 five times. Lucas had a 3.65 ERA (111 ERA+) during that time and won 134 games. He was also frequently used as a pinch-hitter. In 1927, Lucas won 18 games and had a 3.38 ERA over 239.2 innings. He also batted .313 over 169 plate appearances. He pitched 37 times, played second base five times, shortstop three times, and left field once.
#473 - Roger Peckinpaugh - Shortstop - 1910, 1912-1927
One of the premier defensive shortstops of his era, Peckinpaugh led AL shortstops in assists five times and double plays five times. He also had a few good offensive seasons. In 1919, he batted .305 with a .390 OBP. In 1925 he won the MVP mostly due to his leadership and great defense. However, he did bat .294 with a .367 OBP. The previous year Peckinpaugh helped the Washington Senators win their only World Series in Washington when he went 5-for-12.
#472 - Fielder Jones - Centerfield - 1896-1908, 1914-1915
Evidently, by his moniker, Jones was a dominant defensive force. He averaged nearly 19 assists a year between 1901 and 1908. He also consistently blew away the league average in fielding percentage and led the league with 324 putouts in 1903. As far as his offense, Jones proved to be excellent at that as well. From 1896-1902, he slashed .314/.392/.379 averaging 41 stolen bases and 200 hits per 162. During that stretch, Jones batted .300 six times and only once had an OBP below .383.
#471 - Ken Williams - Left Field - 1915-1916, 1918-1929
Despite not debuting until he was 25 and missing nearly two full seasons to WWI, Williams put together quite a five-year stretch from 1921-1925. During that span, he slashed .339/.421/.595 (154 OPS+) averaging 33 home runs, 26 stolen bases, and 135 RBIs per 162. In 1922, Williams had one of the best seasons to date. He led the league with 39 home runs and 155 RBIs. He also stole 37 bases, becoming the first 30/30 player ever. He also became the first MLB player to have more homers than strikeouts. When he retired in 1929, he was the only player with 150 home runs and 150 stolen bases.
#470 - Nap Rucker - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1907-1916
Rucker was the ace of some awful Brooklyn Dodgers teams in the dead-ball era. Despite the lefty sporting a 2.39 ERA from 1907-1913, he was a losing pitcher at 116-123. During that time, Rucker tossed 300 innings four times and led the league in shutouts twice. Rucker's 2.42 mark is 16th in ERA among pitchers with at least 2,300 innings pitched.
Pratt was a very good all-around player. He had 30 doubles in eight of his 13 seasons. He played over 150 games seven times. Pratt also led the league in RBIs with 103 in 1916, the first of three such seasons. He stole 20 bases six times and batted .300 six times. On the defensive side, Pratt led the league in chances five times and double plays three times. He is one of 26 second basemen with 5,000 assists but one of only four with fewer than 15,000 innings at the position.
#468 - Mike Tiernan - Right Field - 1887-1899
One of the most prolific offensive players of the 19th century, Tiernan manned right field for the New York Giants for 13 years. His peak was in the middle nine years of his career. From 1889-1897, Tiernan slashed .319/.404/.477 (141 OPS+) averaging 19 triples, 12 home runs, and 47 stolen bases per 162. He also scored nearly a run per game. He led the league in homers and OPS in 1890 and 1891. At the end of the 19th century, Tiernan was the only player with an .850 OPS, 100 home runs, and 400 stolen bases.
#467 - Don Newcombe - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1944-1945, 1949-1951, 1954-1960
Newcombe was a successful pitcher despite having gaps in his playing time for three years as he awaited a call-up by the Brooklyn Dodgers and two years when he fought in WWII. In 1949, he became the third black player to pitch in a major league game after Dan Bankhead and Satchel Paige. Over his first three years, Newcombe won 56 games and had a 3.39 ERA. In 1955-1956, Big Newk was 47-12 with a 3.12 ERA in over 500 innings. He won the 1949 ROY, 1955 World Series, 1956 CYA, and the 1956 MVP. Until Justin Verlander in 2017, he was the only pitcher to achieve all four.
#466 - Pete Browning - Outfield - 1882-1894
Browning was a three-time batting champ including in his first year in 1882. In 1885, he led the league with 174 hits in just 112 games and batted .362. In 1887, although offense was off the charts, Browning still put together an incredible year. He batted .402 with 103 stolen bases, 118 RBIs, 220 hits, and 137 runs in 134 games. 1890 marked the third time Browning had won a batting crown when he led the league with a .373 average. He also led the league in doubles with 40. His career batting average of .341 is 11th all-time among players with at least 5,000 plate appearances.
#465 - Lon Warneke - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1930-1943, 1945
At just 23 years old in 1932, Warneke led the league with 22 wins and a 2.37 ERA finishing second in MVP voting. From 1932-1935, the Chicago Cubs righty had a 2.66 ERA and won 82 games. He had a few subpar years when he got to St. Louis in 1937 but rebounded in the 1940s. From 1940-1943, Warneke had a 3.05 ERA. He was a five-time All-Star and tossed over 200 innings eight times. Warneke led the league in shutouts twice and finished his career with 192 wins and a 3.18 ERA
#464 - Ben Zobrist - Second Base/Outfield/Shortstop - 2006-2019
Zobrist's first full year in the majors, 2009, was his best. He slashed .297/.405/.543 with a career-high 27 home runs and 91 RBIs. He made the first of three All-Star teams, finished eighth in MVP voting, and played every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher. For the next decade, Zobrist slashed .271/.363/.434 averaging 17 homers and 12 steals per 162. He was the 2016 World Series MVP going 10-for-28 with arguably the biggest hit in Cubs history to put them ahead in the 10th inning of Game Seven.
#463 - Albert Belle - Left Field - 1989-2000
Belle was one of the most feared hitters in the 1990s. Even during the steroid era, he was ahead of most sluggers. His peak was from 1993-1998. During those six seasons, Belle slashed .310/.389/.614 (158 OPS+) averaging 46 doubles, 46 home runs, and 141 RBIs per 162. He led the league three times in RBIs and in 1995 he became the only MLB player to have 50 doubles and 50 home runs in a season. He finished second in MVP voting that year (although he should've won). Belle finished third in voting two other times.
#462 - Wally Berger - Centerfield - 1930-1940
Berger started his career with one of the best rookie seasons ever. In 1930, he had a .990 OPS with 38 home runs and 119 RBIs to go along with 14 triples. He is still the only rookie to have 35 homers, 110 RBIs, and 10 triples. His success didn't end there. Berger betted .300 four years in a row and broke 100 RBIs four times. In 1935, he led the league with 35 home runs and drove in a league-leading 130 runs. Berger finished his career with a .300 average and .881 OPS (138 OPS+).
#461 - Noodles Hahn - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1899-1906
While Hahn's career was short, he managed to pitch over 1,900 innings in his first six years. During that time, he had a 2.51 ERA and won 122 games. In 1901, Hahn led the league with 375.1 innings and 41 complete games. He also led the league in strikeouts in his first three seasons with a career-high of 239 in 1901. For those six seasons, Hahn's strikeout percentage was 11.5, and walk percentage was 4.8. The league average was 8.7 and 6.6 respectively. In 1901, Noodles won 42 percent of his team's games and struck out 16 in a game. Both records would stand for 71 and 29 years respectively.
Otis was arguably the best centerfielder of the 1970s. From 1970-1979, he slashed .284/.354/.443 (123 OPS+) averaging 18 home runs and 33 stolen bases. He was a five-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves, and finished eighth or higher in MVP voting four times including third in 1973 when he hit .300 with a career-high 26 homers. Otis led the league in stolen bases with 52 in 1971. Otis was one of only two outfielders to have 150 home runs and 250 stolen bases in the decade of the 70s (Bobby Bonds).
#459 - George Van Haltren - Centerfield/Left-Handed Pitcher - 1887-1903
Van Haltren started as a pitcher and was serviceable but became a better hitter once he devoted time to it. From 1889-1901, he slashed .324/.393/.427 (125 OPS+) averaging 49 stolen bases and 139 runs. Van Haltren scored over 100 runs 11 times and had 175 hits 12 times. He led the league in stolen bases with 45 in 1900 and triples with 21 in 1896. The 17-year veteran is 21st in stolen bases (583), 38th in runs scored (1,642), and 95th in hits (2,544).
#458 - Moises Alou - Outfield - 1990, 1992-1998, 2000-2008
Alou had quite the pedigree with his father and two uncles playing in the majors. He was second in ROY voting in 1992 and finished third in MVP voting in 1994. In 1997, he helped the Florida Marlins win their first title going 9-for-28 with three homers and nine RBIs in the seven-game series. He set a career high in RBIs (124) with the Houston Astros in 1998 finishing third in MVP voting again. After injuries kept him out in 1999, Alou bounced back in 2000 to bat .355 with 30 home runs and 114 RBIs. He is one of eight right-handed hitters to start their career after 1950 and have 300 home runs with a .300 batting average.
#457 - Bill Foster - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1923-1930, 1932-1937
Foster was arguably the best left-handed pitcher in Negro League history. From 1924-1927, he led the league each year in ERA. During that time, he was 47-10 with a 1.91 ERA. 26 percent of his starts were shutouts. He also had a 2-to-1 K/BB rate when the league averaged more walks than strikeouts. Foster led the league in strikeouts in 1930 with 133. Only eight other Negro League pitchers ever reached that mark. He is one of three Negro League pitchers to have 900 strikeouts and a sub-2.75 ERA (Satchel Paige, Bullet Rogan). Foster was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996 by the Veteran's Committee.
#456 - Earle Combs - Centerfield - 1924-1935
As the leadoff man for "Murderers Row", Combs was the starting centerfielder in New York from 1925-1933. During that time, he slashed .327/.398/.469 averaging 18 triples and 137 runs per 162. Combs led the league in three-baggers three times eclipsing 20 all three seasons. He is one of four Yankees to have 20 triples in a season. In 1927, Combs led the league with 231 hits which stood as a franchise record until Don Mattingly had 238 in 1986. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1970 by the Veteran's Committee.
#455 - Dixie Walker - Outfield - 1931, 1933-1949
Walker didn't play a full season until 1937 with the White Sox. For the next decade, he slashed .310/.383/.444 (124 OPS+) averaging 92 RBIs and 95 runs scored per 162. Walker batted .357 in 1944, leading the league while finishing third in MVP voting. He led the league in RBIs with 124 the following year and then finished second in MVP voting in 1946. Walker was a five-time All-Star and had the distinction of playing with Ruth and Ralph Kiner.
#454 - Jesse Tannehill - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1894, 1897-1909, 1911
Heading into the 20th century, Tannehill was looked at as a young rising star. For a decade, from 1898-1907, Tannehill was 184-102 with a 2.62 ERA (120 ERA+). He won 20 games six times and tossed over 230 innings eight times. He led the league with a 2.18 ERA in 1901 for the Pirates. From 1901-1904, Tannehill had a 3.44 K/BB rate when the league average was 1.40. During those four seasons, he had more shutouts (12) than home runs allowed (9). He was also a solid hitter slashing .262/.313/.351 (95 OPS+) from 1898-1906.
#453 - Darryl Strawberry - Right Field - 1983-1999
Strawberry was a number one pick out of High School in 1980. He won the NL ROY in 1983 for the New York Mets. From 1983-1991, Strawberry was a premier outfielder slashing .263/.359/.516 (144 OPS+) averaging 36 home runs, 26 stolen bases, and 108 RBIs per 162. He was 25/25 each year from 1984-1988. Strawberry was a nine-time All-Star and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting four times including a runner-up finish in 1988 when he led the league in homers with 39.
#452 - Jack Chesbro - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1899-1909
In 1904, Chesbro had one of the greatest seasons in the modern era. He threw 454.2 innings, passed by Ed Walsh in 1908, and won 41 games which stands as the modern-day record. While Chesbro pitched during the dead-ball era, he was still excellent. From 1901-1907, he was 163-85 with a 2.37 ERA (123 ERA+) and had a 2.22 K/BB rate. He led the league in wins and shutouts twice and averaged 313 innings during those seven seasons.
#451 - Miguel Tejada - Shortstop - 1997-2011, 2013
In the late 90s/early 2000s, A-Rod, Jeter, and Nomar were the big three at shortstop. However, Tejada held his own. From 2000-2009, he slashed .297/.347/.481 averaging 26 home runs and 107 RBIs. He took home the MVP in 2002 and led the league in doubles twice. He is one of only four Orioles to have 50 doubles in a season. Tejada led the league in RBIs with 150 in 2004. He holds the fifth longest consecutive games streak in history, playing in 1,152 games from June 2, 2000, to June 21, 2007.
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