We are nearly through the first half of our list. This group of 25 sports six Hall of Famers, four MVPs, and an active player. As with many of these groups, there are a bunch of players who you probably never heard of. However, that is why we are here, isn't it? To celebrate the best of MLB history even if they weren't household names. Let's continue our journey through 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 | 526-550 | 501-525 | 476-500 | 451-475 | 426-450 | 401-425 | 376-400 | 351-375 | 326-350 | 301-325 | 276-300 | 251-275 | 226-250 | 201-225 | 176-200 | 151-175
#575 - Ray Lankford - Outfield - 1990-2002, 2004
In his rookie season, Lankford led the league in triples with 15 and also swiped 44 bags. Starting the following year, he had an eight-year stretch where he slashed .282/.376/.494 (130 OPS+) averaging 25 home runs and 28 stolen bases per 162. Lankford was an All-Star in 1997 setting a career-high in home runs with 31 which he would match the following season.
#574 - Ernie Lombardi - Catcher - 1931-1947
Lombardi was a "hit first" catcher. He could hit better than many non-catchers of his day. Despite never playing an inning at another position, Lombardi led the league twice in batting. He also refused to strike out. From 1935-1940, Lombardi hit 86 home runs and struck out 86 times while maintaining a .326/.372/.501 slash (137 OPS+). He won the MVP award in 1938 batting .342 with a career-high 95 RBIs. He is one of only two players in MLB history, along with Bill Dickey, with fewer than 300 strikeouts and more than 175 home runs (min. 6,000 PA). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 by the Veteran's Committee.
#573 - Hanley Ramirez - Shortstop - 2005-2019
Ramirez struck out in both plate appearances in 2005 for the Boston Red Sox. That November he was traded to Florida for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. In 2006, Ramirez won the NL ROY award. For the next five years, Ramirez would terrorize pitchers. He slashed .313/.385/.521 (136 OPS+) averaging 27 home runs, 42 stolen bases, and 200 hits per 162. He led the league in batting in 2009 with a .342 mark and finished second in MVP voting. Ramirez is the last player to retire with 270 homers and 270 steals.
#572 - Sadie McMahon - Right-handed Pitcher - 1889-1897
McMahon had back-to-back seasons in 1890 and 1891 which were impressive even by 19th century standards. In those years, he won 71 games, tossed 1,012 innings, and completed 108 of his 115 starts. All while maintaining a 3.04 ERA. He finished his career with a 3.51 ERA (118 ERA+), winning 173 games and throwing 2,634 innings.
#571 - Charlie Bennett - Catcher - 1878, 1880-1893
Considered the best defensive catcher of the 19th century, Bennett was also an above-average hitter. From 1881-1888, he slashed .278/.349/.437 (143 OPS+). Catchers had no protective gear back then, and it is a testament to Bennett's toughness that he was able to play nearly 1,000 games behind the plate. His career fielding percentage of .942 was .033 higher than the average catcher at the time. His 114 double plays and 5,123 putouts were catching records until the 1900's.
#570 - Sam Leever - Right-handed Pitcher - 1898-1910
Although he pitched in the deadball era, Leever was one of the most consistent starters at the turn of the 20th century. After leading the league with 379 innings pitched in 1899, Leever followed it up with 11 seasons of sub-3.00 ERA ball. He led the league in ERA in 1903 with a 2.06 mark and had his lowest ERA in 1907 at 1.66. Leever's 2.47 ERA stands 16th all-time among pitchers with at least 2,500 innings.
#569 - Tim Salmon - Right Field - 1992-2004, 2006
Salmon was the AL ROY in 1993 hitting 31 home runs and driving in 95 runs. From that season through 2000, Salmon slashed .294/.396/.532 (138 OPS+) averaging 34 home runs, 112 RBIs, and 100 walks per 162. Salmon finished seventh in MVP voting in both 1995 and 1997. He is second in Angels franchise history in home runs (299) and RBIs (1,016). He also sits fourth in OPS (.884).
#568 - Harry Davis - First Base - 1895-1899, 1901-1917
Although Davis had an excellent season in 1897 leading the league in triples with 28 and batting .305, his peak wouldn't come until the 20th century. From 1901-1907, Davis was the AL's premier power hitter. He led the league in home runs four years in a row. He also led the league in doubles three times and RBIs twice. During that stretch, he slashed .294/.340/.441 (131 OPS+) and averaged 30 stolen bases per 162. Since 1901, Davis is one of only seven first basemen to have 450 extra-base hits and 200 stolen bases.
#567 - Pie Traynor - Third Base - 1920-1935,1937
Traynor broke out in 1923 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He batted .338, led the league in triples with 19, and set career highs in hits (208), home runs (12), and stolen bases (28). For the next decade, he would continue to hit. Up until 1934, Traynor hit below .300 only twice and drove in over 100 runs seven times. Since 1901, he is one of only eight players with 150 triples, 150 stolen bases, and 1,200 RBIs. All eight are in the Hall of Fame. Traynor was inducted in 1948 by the BBWAA.
Brown had a stellar career as a pitcher (119-46, 3.12 ERA) and was a pretty good hitter (.266/.332/.417, 101 OPS+). However, during his peak from 1935-1940, he was dominant on both sides of the ball. As a hitter, he slashed .291/.365/.477 (117 OPS+) with 17 home runs and 97 RBIs in 608 plate appearances. As a pitcher, he was 62-15 with a 2.85 ERA (174 ERA+) and completed 65 of the 70 games he started. Brown won the pitching triple crown in 1938 going 14-0 with a 1.88 ERA and 70 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 by the Negro League Committee.
#565 - Rollie Fingers - Relief Pitcher - 1968-1982, 1984-1985
They don't make relievers like Fingers anymore. For his career, he averaged five outs per appearance. In 11 years from 1972-1982, Fingers won a CYA, an MVP, and a World Series MVP. He also took home four Rolaids Relief awards and was a seven-time All-Star. When Fingers retired, he was the all-time leader in saves with 341. Lee Smith and Jeff Reardon passed him in 1992. He is one of only eight pitchers to have 1,500 innings pitched with at least 90 percent of their appearances out of the bullpen. Fingers was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992 by the BBWAA.
#564 - Andy Messersmith - Right-handed Pitcher - 1968-1979
Messersmith only made 36 appearances after his 31st birthday, but he was a dominant pitcher before that. From 1968-1975, he won 112 games and had an ERA of 2.65 (127 ERA+). During that time, he held opposing batters to a .207/.282/.305 slash and led the league three times in H/9. Messersmith finished top 5 in CYA voting three times including second in 1974 when he won 20 games and set a career-high in strikeouts with 221.
#563 - Jud Wilson - First Base/Third Base - 1923-1929, 1932-1945
One of the best hitters the Negro Leagues ever had was Wilson. during his peak from 1923-1929, he slashed an amazing .386/.463/.597 averaging 50 doubles, 19 homers, 39 stolen bases, and 151 RBIs per 162. Wilson led the league twice in batting, setting a career-high of .422 in 1927. For his career, Wilson slashed .350/.434/.524. He is fifth all-time in batting average (min. 3,000 PA). Wilson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006 by the Negro League Committee.
#562 - Jesse Barfield - Right Field - 1981-1992
Barfield was known for his cannon of an arm in right field. It helped him win two Gold Gloves as he sits 16th all-time in RF assists with 154. Barfield is also fourth all-time among right fielders with 149 TZR according to Baseball-Reference.com. From 1983-1990, he slashed .263/.343/.480 averaging 28 home runs per 162. In 1986, he led the league with 40 home runs and set a career-high with 108 RBIs.
#561 - Magglio Ordonez - Right-Field - 1997-2011
For a decade, Ordonez was one of the most dangerous right-handed bats in the league. Although he was overlooked due to the era in which he played, he put up some gaudy numbers. From 1999-2008, Ordonez slashed .315/.376/.529 averaging 41 doubles, 30 home runs, and 120 RBIs per 162. He finished second in MVP voting in 2007 while leading the league with 54 doubles and a .363 batting average. Magglio is one of 11 right-handed hitters since WWII to have a .300 career average and 250 home runs.
McKean was considered a power-hitting shortstop during his era. In the 1890s, McKean led his team multiple times in home runs. As of 1899, only Herman Long had more home runs as a shortstop in the majors. McKean put together an impressive four-year run from 1893-1896. He slashed .337/.392/.487 averaging 140 runs and 154 RBIs per 162 while also contributing 21 triples and 23 stolen bases. He is one of only eight players before 1900 to play in 1,600 games and maintain a .300 batting average.
#559 - Roger Maris - Right Field - 1957-1968
Of course, Maris is remembered for the historic 1961 season. What most fans tend to forget is that Maris was the MVP in 1960 as well. That season he led the league in RBIs (112) and slugging (.581 while winning his only Gold Glove. Even after his Yankee days were over, he won a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967. During that series, Maris was 10-for-26 with a home run and seven RBIs in seven games.
#558 - Jake Peavy - Right-handed Pitcher - 2002-2016
Peavy's peak was from 2004-2008 with the Padres. In those five years, he won 68 games, had a 2.95 ERA, and struck out over 1,000 batters. He had the pitching triple crown in 2007 (19, 2.54, 240) and took home the NL CYA. Injuries limited him to just over 1,000 innings after his 28th birthday. However, Peavy had a few good seasons left and won back-to-back World Series in 2013 and 2014 with the Red Sox and Giants respectively. His 2,207 strikeouts are 66th all-time, and he is one of only four pitchers to have that many in fewer than 2,400 innings.
#557 - Xander Bogaerts - Shortstop/Second Base - 2013-present
While Bogaerts had a decent first season with the Padres last year, his time in Boston is when he did some real damage. From 2018-2022, he slashed .301/.373/.508 averaging 45 doubles, 27 home runs, and 101 RBIs per 162. He set career highs in all three categories in 2019 with 52, 33, and 117 respectively, and finished fifth in MVP voting. Bogaerts was an All-Star four times and a Silver Slugger five times.
#556 - Chili Davis - Outfield/Designated Hitter - 1981-1999
Davis was a consistent offensive contributor for a long time. While he never led the league in any major offensive category, he was an above-average hitter according to OPS+ for 16 straight seasons. From 1984-1997, he slashed .279/.368/.463 (126 OPS+) averaging 25 home runs and 95 RBIs per 162. In 1991 for the Minnesota Twins, Davis led the team in home runs (29) and RBIs (93) on his way to his first World Series championship. He finished 14th in MVP voting that season.
#555 - Carney Lansford - Third Base - 1978-1992
Lansford led the AL in batting in 1981 with a .336 mark. From that year until 1989, he slashed .300/.353/.426 (119 OPS+) and averaged 14 home runs and 21 stolen bases per 162. He set a career-high with 37 swipes in 1989 for the World Series champion Oakland A's. He is one of only four third basemen (over 60% of games at third) to have 150 home runs and 200 stolen bases (George Brett, Jose Ramirez, Howard Johnson).
#554 - Eddie Stanky - Second Base - 1943-1953
Although Stanky didn't steal much, he was adept at getting on base at the top of the order. In 1945, he led the league with 128 runs and 148 walks. He would go on to lead the league two more times in walks. From 1945-1951, Stanky slashed .272/.420/.363 and averaged 114 runs and 142 walks per 162. In 1950, he finished third in MVP voting and led the league with a .460 OBP. He is one of only five players to have at least three seasons of 135 walks. His .410 OBP ranks tied for 29th all-time (min. 5,000 PA).
While Perry didn't have the Hall-of-Fame career his brother did, he was a very good pitcher nevertheless. Perry finished second in ROY voting in 1959 and led the league in wins with 18 in 1960. His peak came from 1965-1970 with the Twins. During that time split between the bullpen and starting, Perry won 83 games with a 2.76 ERA (131 ERA+). He was the AL CYA winner in 1970, winning 24 games with a 3.04 ERA and a career-high 168 strikeouts.
#552 - Harold Baines - Designated Hitter/Right Field - 1980-2001
When Baines's career was over after 22 years in the big leagues, his numbers put him up there with some of the greats. He is in the top 50 all-time in hits (47th, 2,866), RBIs (34th, 1,628), and Total Bases (43rd, 4,604). Baines was a productive hitter even toward the end of his career. In 1999 at the age of 40, he slashed .312/.387/.533 with 25 home runs and 103 RBIs. Baines was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019 by the Eras Committee.
#551 - Carl Crawford - Left Field - 2002-2016
Although Crawford's career was basically over by his 33rd birthday, he was a dynamic player earlier in his career. From 2004-2010, he slashed .301/.344/.461 averaging 14 triples, 15 home runs, and 55 stolen bases per 162. He led the league in steals four times and triples four times. Crawford was a four-time All-Star and in 2010, he finished seventh in MVP voting. That season he set career highs in home runs (19) and RBIs (90) while winning his only Gold Glove.
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