We have crossed the halfway point in our list of the top 1,000 MLB players ever. In this group, we have three Hall of Famers, two current players, and a couple of the best defensive players at their positions. Thank you for continuing this journey with me through baseball history. Let's see who is next on our list of the Top 1,000 MLB players of all time.
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
#500 - Carlos Zambrano - Right-Handed Pitcher - 2001-2012
Zambrano was a solid pitcher for the Chicago Cubs in the 2000s. From 2003-2010, he won 111 games and had a 3.41 ERA (130 ERA+) while logging nearly 200 innings a year. He finished fifth in Cy Young voting three times, was a three-time All-Star, and a three-time Silver Slugger. Zambrano could hit as well. From 2005-2011, he averaged 20 home runs per 162 and had a respectable .698 OPS. He led the league with 16 wins in 2006 while striking out a career-high 210.
#499 - Jon Matlack - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1971-1983
In 1972, Matlack won the Rookie of the Year award, winning 15 games with a 2.32 ERA over 244 innings. He followed that up with a 3.20 ERA and set a career-high in strikeouts with 205. From 1972-1978, Matlack won 97 games with a 2.89 ERA (123 ERA+) averaging 240 innings per year. He led the league in shutouts in 1974 and 1976. Matlack completed 36.7 percent of his games and threw a shutout 12.4 percent of the time. Six pitchers had more shutouts during that time, and they are all in the Hall of Fame.
#498 - Dave Parker - Right Field/Designated Hitter - 1973-1991
In Parker's first full season in 1975, he finished third in MVP voting while leading the league in slugging at .541. It would be the first of five times he would finish in the top 5 in MVP voting, winning the award in 1978. From 1975-1979, Parker slashed .321/.377/.532 (147 OPS+) averaging 40 doubles, 25 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and 106 RBIs per 162. He also won three Gold Gloves in that time. He had a resurgence, especially in 1985. The Cobra had a .916 OPS while leading the league with 42 doubles and 125 RBIs. He is one of only five players to retire in the last 35 years to have 500 doubles, 75 triples, and 325 home runs.
#497 - Catfish Hunter - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1965-1979
For a decade, Hunter started at least 34 games a year and averaged 277 innings. His peak was a great five-year stretch from 1971-1975. During that time, Catfish won 111 games with a 2.65 ERA (127 ERA+) while averaging 294 innings per year. He won three of his five World Series in that time and finished in the top 4 of Cy Young voting four years in a row, winning the award in 1974. His career ERA in the postseason is exactly the same as his regular season one, 3.26. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987 by the BBWAA.
#496 - Curt Flood - Centerfield - 1956-1969, 1971
Flood is most famous for his challenge of baseball's "reserve clause". However, he was an important piece to the success of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1960s. From 1961-1969, Flood slashed .302/.349/.392. He led the league in hits with 211 in 1964. While he was mostly a singles hitter and didn't steal much, his defense was stellar. Flood won seven consecutive Gold Gloves and is ninth in Total Zone Runs among centerfielders.
#495 - Gary Gaetti - Third Base - 1981-2000
Gaetti had an up-and-down career. In his first two full seasons, he hit 25 and 21 home runs respectively. Then he hit five in 1984. He got back up to 20 in 1985. From 1986-1988, Gaetti slashed .280/.334/.516 (125 OPS+) averaging 34 home runs and 111 RBIs per 162. He won the 1987 ALCS MVP for the Minnesota Twins going 6-for-20 with a couple of homers. Gaetti had a resurgence from 1994-1998 slashing .269/.328/.471 averaging 27 home runs and 94 RBIs per 162. He won four Gold Gloves and is eighth among third basemen with 132 TZR. He is one of six players to have 2,000 hits and 350 homers while playing the hot corner 2,000 times.
#494 - Lonny Frey - Second Base/Shortstop - 1933-1943, 1946-1948
Frey started his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1933. From that year through 1940, he slashed .276/.362/.397 averaging 99 runs and 12 stolen bases per 162. He led the league in steals in 1940 with 22. Frey was a three-time All-Star and received MVP votes three times. His defense at second base was Gold Glove-caliber. In his prime, he was regularly at or near the top of every defensive stat at the time.
#493 - Deacon Phillippe - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1899-1911
Phillippe was the National League version of Cy Young, without the rubber arm. Not that he didn't throw innings. Phillippe tossed over 275 innings in each of his first five seasons. He also won 20 games each year. Phillippe was known for his control as he led the league four times in K/BB rate and five times in BB/9. In fact, in the modern era, he has a 1.25 BB/9 which is the fewest in history (min. 2,000 IP). His 2.59 career ERA is 16th all-time among pitchers who retired in the modern era (min. 2,500 IP)
#492 - Paul O'Neill - Right Field - 1985-2001
While O'Neill was an above-average hitter with the Cincinnati Reds until 1992, it was when he got to the Bronx that he started to rake. From 1993-1998, he slashed .317/.397/.517 (138 OPS+) averaging 41 doubles, 25 home runs, and 114 RBIs per 162. O'Neill led the league in hitting with a .359 mark in 1994. He was a five-time All-Star and won five World Series. For his career, O'Neill's slash line in the regular season is .288/.363/.470. In the postseason it is .284/.363/.465.
#491 - Mel Stottlemyre - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1964-1974
In Stottlemyre's first season with the New York Yankees, he won a World Series while pitching three games against the Cardinals. It would be his only postseason experience as a player. However, it wasn't for his lack of talent. From 1965-1973, Stottlemyre was fifth in MLB in wins (149), second in innings (2,452.1), and second in shutouts (38). He was a five-time All-Star and had an ERA above 3.25 only once.
#490 - Marcus Semien - Shortstop/Second Base - 2013-present
Semien was an average hitter and a solid defensive shortstop for his first few years in the big leagues. Something clicked five years ago. From 2019-2023, Semien has slashed .265/.337/.483 (123 OPS+) averaging 32 home runs and 16 stolen bases per 162. He has finished third in MVP voting three times and won a Gold Glove at second base in 2021. Semien led the league in runs (122) and hits (185) last year helping the Texas Rangers win their first World Series.
#489 - Bill Donovan - Right-Handed Pitcher - 1898-1912, 1915-1916, 1918
In the first decade of the 20th century, Donovan made his mark. He won 170 games with a 2.51 ERA in 2,601.2 innings. In 1901, he led the league with 25 wins and tossed a career-high 351 innings with 226 strikeouts. In 1907-1908, Donovan was 43-11 with a 2.14 ERA allowing just five home runs while facing 2,040 batters. He also had nearly a 2-to-1 K/BB rate which was far better than the league average.
#488 - Jorge Posada - Catcher - 1995-2011
The five-time All-Star was one of the best catchers in baseball in the 2000s. From 2000-2009, Posada slashed .283/.386/.492 (129 OPS+) averaging 26 home runs and 102 RBIs. He won five Silver Sluggers and was third in MVP voting in 2003 when he set career highs with 30 homers and 101 RBIs. Posada finished sixth in MVP voting in 2007 while setting career highs with a slash of .338/.426/.543 and 42 doubles. He is one of only five catchers with an .840 OPS and 1,000 RBIs.
#487 - Deacon White - Third Base/Catcher - 1871-1890
White is not just on this list because he got the first professional baseball base hit in 1871. He was one of the premier players of the 19th century. White led the league in RBIs three times including a career-high 77 in 60 games in 1873. He was a two-time batting champ. In 1877, he led the league with a .387 average, 11 triples, and 103 hits in 59 games. White finished his career slashing .312/.346/.393 (127 OPS+) with 2,067 hits. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013 by the Pre-Integration Era Committee.
After a cup of coffee in 1946, Dark was the ROY in 1948 batting .322 with 39 doubles. From 1948-1954, he slashed .297/.339/.438 averaging 15 home runs and 104 runs. He led the league in 1951 with 41 doubles. In 1953, Dark batted .300 while setting career highs with 23 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 126 runs. In 1954, he helped the New York Giants win the World Series going 7-for-17. Dark was considered a Gold Glove-caliber defender in his day.
#485 - Yadier Molina - Catcher - 2004-2022
Considered one of the best defensive catchers to play the game, Molina had a stretch when he could do a little damage at the plate. Aside from the nine Gold Gloves and the 10 All-Star appearances, Molina slashed .292/.339/.437 and averaged 16 homers per 162 from 2011-2018. He had an excellent playoff run in 2006 going 19-for-53 with a couple of home runs and eight RBIs. Met fans remember him well from the 2006 NLCS.
#484 - George Burns - Outfield - 1911-1925
Not to be confused with George Burns the first baseman who came in at #676 on the list, this Burns played the outfield. He also has plenty of black ink on his baseball-reference.com page. Burns led the league in runs five times, walks five times, and stolen bases twice. In 1914, he finished fourth in MVP voting and led the league with 100 runs and 62 stolen bases. Burns is one of 11 National League players to have 2,000 hits, 1,100 runs, and 380 steals.
#483 - Red Schoendienst - Second Base - 1945-1963
The switch-hitting second baseman actually played left field for most of his rookie season in 1945, leading the NL in stolen bases with 26. In 1946, he moved to the keystone and never looked back, becoming one of his era's best defensive second basemen. At the plate, Schoendienst improved as he led the league in doubles with 43 in 1950. His best season came in 1953. That year, Red slashed .342/.405/.502 and set career highs in home runs (15), RBIs (79), and runs (107) while finishing fourth in MVP voting. Schoendienst and Nellie Fox are the only two players to retire after 1950 with more than 2,400 hits and fewer than 350 strikeouts. Red was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 by the Veteran's Committee.
#482 - David Price - Left-Handed Pitcher - 2008-2019, 2021-2022
Price's peak was from 2010-2015. During that time, he won 94 games and had a 2.97 ERA with a 4-to-1 K/BB rate. Over those six years, Price won a CYA in 2012 leading the league with 20 wins and a 2.56 ERA. He also finished runner-up for the award twice. He led the league in ERA in 2015 with a 2.45 mark and paced the AL with 271 strikeouts in 2014. Price is one of 14 lefties with 2,000 strikeouts and a career ERA below 3.40
#481 - Omar Vizquel - Shortstop - 1989-2012
Vizquel was one of the best defensive shortstops ever to play the game. He holds three of the top 11 single-season fielding percentages for shortstops. He holds the record for double plays turned as a shortstop as well as being third in assists and 11th in putouts. Vizquel won 11 Gold Gloves and was a three-time All-Star. Not known for his bat, he had a career year in 1999 batting .333 with 36 doubles and 42 stolen bases while setting career highs in runs (112) and hits (191).
#480 - Mike Griffin - Centerfield - 1887-1898
Probably one of the most obscure players to make the top 500 on this list, Griffin was nevertheless a premier centerfielder in the 19th century. He was also a superb leadoff hitter. Griffin stole at least 30 bases in his first eight seasons including 94 in 1887. A rookie record that would stand until 1985. He led the league in runs with 152 in 1889 and eclipsed 100 10 times in his 12-year career. He is one of only 17 players to accomplish that. Defensively, Griffin is one of the best in relation to his era. During his time the league fielding percentage in centerfield was .916. Griffin's was .956. He also fielded 20 percent more chances than the average centerfielder. He finished his career slashing .296/.388/.407 (123 OPS+).
#479 - Lance Parrish - Catcher - 1977-1995
Although he played for other teams, Parrish will always be remembered as a Tiger. From 1979-1986, he slashed .267/.322/.473 (116 OPS+) averaging 30 home runs and 100 RBIs per 162. In 1982, Parrish broke the AL record for home runs as a catcher with 32. In 1983, he finished ninth in MVP voting and won the first of three Gold Gloves throwing out nearly half of would-be base stealers. That season he set a career-high with 114 RBIs. Parrish is one of seven catchers (75% of games as C) with 300 home runs and a .750 OPS.
#478 - Lenny Dykstra - Centerfield - 1985-1996
Dykstra made a name for himself as a 23-year-old centerfielder in 1986 for the Mets. While he had an excellent season as their leadoff man with a .377 OBP and 31 stolen bases, Dykstra shined in the postseason. He hit a walk-off two-run homer in Game Three of the NLCS against the Astros, and with the game on the line and the Mets down 3-0 in the ninth inning of Game Six, he tripled to start the three-run rally. Dykstra had his best season in 1993 for the Phillies when he finished second in MVP voting while leading the league in walks, runs, and hits. He is one of four players since 1901 to have 140 runs, 190 hits, and 125 walks. The others are Ruth, Gehrig, and Ted Williams.
#477 - John Candelaria - Left-Handed Pitcher - 1975-1993
For a decade with the Pirates from 1975-1984, Candelaria was a rock at the top of their rotation. He won 122 games and had a 3.10 ERA (120 ERA+) averaging 180 innings per year. In 1977, he finished fifth in CYA voting and led the league with a 2.34 ERA winning a career-high 20 games. In 1984, Candy Man led the league with a 3.91 K/BB rate. His career 2.83 K/BB rate is impressive considering the league average was 1.64. In Game Six of the 1979 World Series with his Pirates down three games to two, Candelaria scattered six singles over six innings as the Pirates beat Jim Palmer and the Orioles.
#476 - Carlos Correa - Shortstop - 2015-present
Correa was the first overall pick in 2012 and promptly won the ROY award in 2015 for the Astros. He followed that up with career highs in doubles (36) and RBIs (96) in 2016. Correa made his first All-Star team in 2017. In 2021, he was again an All-Star and finished fifth in MVP voting while winning his only Gold Glove. He has been a good postseason player in his career. In 85 games, he has 19 doubles, 18 home runs, and 63 RBIs while slashing .282/.352/.508.
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