After a hiatus, I'm back to finish out the first 400 players in our travels through the top 1,000 MLB players of all time. The corner infield positions are well-represented here as 10 of the 25 players played primarily at first or third. We also have a couple of Hall of Famers in this group and a couple of active players as well. Let's continue our journey and stay tuned for the next installment in a few days as we break into the top 600.
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 | 576-600 | 551-575 | 526-550 | 501-525 | 476-500 | 451-475 | 426-450 | 401-425
#625 - George Scott - First Base - 1966-1979
Scott came into the league in 1966 and promptly played all 162 games, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 90 runs. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and made his first All-Star team. After a very good year for "The Impossible Dream" Red Sox in 1967, Scott fell off the next two years. He rebounded and from 1970-1977 Scott slashed .280/.340/.461 averaging 25 home runs and 94 RBIs per 162. He is considered one of the best fielding first basemen ever. His 90 Total Zone Runs are sixth all-time, and he won eight Gold Gloves.
#624 - Cy Williams - Outfield - 1912-1930
While many players from the early 20th century fell by the wayside after 30, Williams was the opposite. Before his age-31 season in 1920, he was a .260 hitter with a little pop. From 1920-1930, Williams slashed .311/.388/.521 averaging 26 home runs and 92 RBIs per 162. He also won three home run titles in that time (four overall) and set a career-high with 41 in 1923. He still sits eighth on the Philadelphia Phillies all-time list in home runs (217) and ninth in total bases (2,539).
#623 - Art Devlin - Third Base - 1904-1913
Devlin played for 10 years in the deadball era. While he wasn't a superstar, he was as steady as they come and considered the best third baseman at the time. In 1905, Devlin led the league with 59 stolen bases. The following year was his best as he slashed .299/.396/.390 with 54 stolen bases and set career highs in doubles (23), hits (149), and runs (76).
#622 - Troy Glaus - Third Base - 1998-2010
For a decade from 1999-2008, Glaus was one of the best third basemen in baseball. During that time he slashed .257/.362/.505 (124 OPS+) and averaged 36 home runs and 102 RBIs per 162. His postseason run in 2002 was memorable. In 16 games, Glaus was 21-for-61 with seven home runs, 13 RBIs, and 15 runs scored. He capped it off by taking home the World Series MVP. During the decade of the 2000s, Glaus was one of three third basemen to have 270+ homers and an .875 OPS (Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez).
#621 - Denny Lyons - Third Base - 1885-1897
Lyons was a premier third baseman in pre-1900 baseball. Defensively, he had four seasons above an .890 fielding percentage. The league average was .871 during Lyons's career. He could hit as well slashing .317/.414/.452 while averaging nine home runs, 112 RBIs, and 33 stolen bases per 162 for a decade (1887-1896). Lyons led the league in OBP and SLG in 1890 (.461 and .531 respectively).
#620 - Brett Gardner - Outfield - 2008-2021
Gardner was a career Yankee and had his prime from 2009-2017. During that time, he slashed .265/.349/.396 and averaged 12 home runs and 31 stolen bases per 162. He was an All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove in 2016. Gardner also set a career-high and led the league in steals in 2011 with 49.
#619 - Max Bishop - Second Base - 1924-1935
Bishop was a cornerstone for the great Philadelphia A's teams of the late 20s to early 30s. He was a terrific fielder and had an impeccable eye. From 1926-1933, Bishop slashed .273/.427/.372 averaging 148 walks and 125 runs per 162. Bishop is 10th all-time with a .423 OBP among players with 5,000 plate appearances who played after 1900. In 1930, he scored more runs (117) than he had hits (111). It is the only time since 1900 that a player did this in a season with more than 500 PAs.
#618 - Guy Hecker - Pitcher/First Base/Outfield - 1882-1890
Hecker was as good of a hitter as he was a pitcher. In 1884, he put up one of the most amazing statistical seasons even by 19th-century standards. On the mound, he led the league with 670 innings pitched and won the triple crown for pitching (52 wins, 1.80, 385). At the plate, Hecker slashed .297/.323/.430. Two years later he led the league in batting with a .341 average. For his career, he had a 2.93 ERA and won 175 games while posting a .699 OPS (117 OPS+).
#617 - Jason Heyward - Right Field - 2010-present
Heyward has had his ups and downs. He finished second in ROY voting and was an All-Star that year. In 2012, Heyward won the first of five Gold Gloves and set career highs in home runs (27) and RBIs (82). From 2010-2020, Heyward slashed .262/.345/.414 averaging 17 home runs and 13 stolen bases per 162. He is second all-time in TZR for right fielders with 166 (Roberto Clemente 204).
#616 - Josh Beckett - Right-handed Pitcher - 2001-2014
The odd-numbered years seemed kinder to Beckett than the even-numbered ones. From 2001-2012, Beckett was 76-38 in odd years with a 3.27 ERA and a 3.35 K/BB rate. During that time in even years, he was 58-57 with a 4.55 ERA and a 2.78 K/BB rate. He also enjoyed postseason success in 2003 and 2007. During those postseason runs to World Series victories, Beckett was 6-2 with a 1.73 ERA and had a 5.86 K/BB rate in 72.2 innings. He also won the 2003 WS MVP and the 2007 ALCS MVP.
#615 - George Kell - Third Base - 1943-1957
Kell wasn't your typical power-hitting third baseman. He could hit though and led the league in batting in 1949 (.343). Kell also led the league in hits and doubles in 1950 and 1951. His 56 doubles and 218 hits remain third and seventh-best in Detroit Tiger history. Kell was a 10-time All-Star and during his peak from 1946-1953, he slashed .322/.389/.439 while walking nearly three times as much as he struck out (430-145). Kell also finished in the top eight of MVP voting three times.
#614 - Kenley Jansen - Relief Pitcher - 2010-present
Jansen has established himself as one of the best closers ever. He is tied for fifth all-time in saves with 436 along with Craig Kimbrel. From 2012-2017, Jansen was nearly unhittable. Opponents slashed .176/.228/.283 during that time and Jansen had an amazing 7.11 K/BB rate. In 2017, he struck out 109 batters while walking seven. He is one of only five pitchers to have more than 100 Ks and fewer than 10 walks in a season.
Bell's career spanned 18 seasons. However, his peak was the decade between 1991-2000. During that time, Bell slashed .274/.351/.437 while averaging 18 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 97 runs scored per 162. He won a Gold Glove in 1993 with the Pirates and had his best season in 1999 with the Diamondbacks with a .931 OPS while setting career highs in home runs (38) and RBIs (112).
#612 - Eddie Yost - Third Base - 1944, 1946-1962
Nicknamed "The Walking Man", Yost certainly earned his moniker. From 1950-1960, he had a .406 OBP while leading the league twice in that category. He also led the league in walks six times. He is one of only five players to have 1,500 walks and fewer than 1,000 strikeouts (Ted Williams, Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial). Yost is also one of just four players with eight or more seasons of 120+ walks joining Barry Bonds, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams. Finally, in 1956, Yost did something no one has ever done. He had over 150 walks and fewer than 120 hits for the season.
#611 - Jim Maloney - Right-handed Pitcher - 1960-1971
From 1963-1969, Maloney was the ace of the Cincinnati Reds. In those seven seasons, he won 117 games and had a 2.90 ERA (125 ERA+). Maloney struck out over 200 batters four times and set a career-high in 1963 with 265 Ks, a Reds record until Mario Soto struck out 274 in 1982. Maloney also still holds the career record for strikeouts in Cincinnati history with 1,592.
#610 - Corey Kluber - Right-handed Pitcher - 2011-2023
Although Kluber had a short career (1,641.2 IP), he had a dominant five-year stretch from 2014-2018. In that time, Kluber won 83 games and had a 2.85 ERA (151 ERA+). He also held opposing batters to a .618 OPS and his K-BB% was 23.3 percent. He threw over 200 innings each of those seasons and struck out 220+ as well. Kluber won two CYAs and finished third two other times.
#609 - Judy Johnson - Third Base - 1923-1927, 1929, 1932-1936
Johnson was a slick-fielding third baseman who also did some damage with the bat in his early years. He led the league in hits twice (1926 and 1929) and slashed .329/.375/.460 for the Hilldale Club in his seven seasons there. In 1925, Johnson helped Hilldale defeat the Kansas City Monarchs in the World Series. He slashed .389/.431/.576 during the season and drove in 66 runs in 70 games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1975 by the Negro League Committee.
#608 - Cecil Cooper - First Base - 1971-1987
Cooper was a good player in Boston for the first six years of his career. When he got to Milwaukee, he really hit his stride. From 1977-1983, Cooper batted over .300 each season. He slashed .316/.354/.504 in that span and averaged 25 home runs and 109 RBIs per 162. He led the league in RBIs twice and also doubles twice. Cooper's .352 average in 1980 sit second on Milwaukee's franchise list for average, and his 219 hits that season is still a Brewers record.
#607 - Burt Hooton - Right-handed Pitcher - 1971-1985
Hooton had a few solid seasons with the Cubs before joining the Dodgers in 1975. His tenure in LA lasted 10 years and from 1975-1981, Hooton was excellent. He won 96 games for the Dodgers in that time and had a 2.96 ERA. Hooton tossed over 200 innings each season except for the strike year of 1981. In 1978, he won 19 games, had a 2.71 ERA, and finished second in CYA voting. In 1981, he was the NLCS MVP allowing just one unearned run in 14.2 innings against the Expos.
#606 - Bill Madlock - Third Base - 1973-1987
A lifetime .305 hitter, Madlock liked to swing the bat. Only one time in his career did his walks+strikeouts equal over 100 (102 in 1985). From 1975-1983, Mad Dog slashed .317/.377/.459 and averaged 15 homers and 19 stolen bases per 162. He also had four NL batting titles in those nine seasons. Madlock was a three-time All-Star and finished in the top 12 of MVP voting four times. He is the only player in history to win two batting titles with two different teams (1975-1976 Cubs and 1981,1983 Pirates).
#605 - Steve Garvey - First Base - 1969-1987
Garvey's peak was from 1974-1980. Only once during that time did he fail to have 200 hits and a .300 average. He won the 1974 NL MVP award and finished second in 1978. Garvey led the league in hits in 1978 and 1980. He also won four Gold Gloves. While we all know about Cal Ripken Jr.'s Ironman streak, many don't know that Garvey holds the consecutive game streak in the NL at 1,207 games from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983.
#604 - Frank Howard - Outfield - 1958-1973
Hondo was an absolute terror at the plate. Known for prodigious home runs, he was able to hit 382 of them while playing a considerable amount of his career in pitcher's ballparks. With the Senators from 1967-1970, Howard blasted 172 homers, including leading the league in 1968 and 1970. Those 172 bombs accounted for 32.8 percent of his team's home runs. He won ROY in 1960, a World Series ring in 1963, and he was a four-time All-Star.
#603 - Jeff Heath - Left Field - 1936-1949
In 1941, Heath became the first AL player to have 30 doubles, 20 triples, and 20 home runs in a season. He almost accomplished it three years prior but fell short by only two triples. All in all, Heath had an up-and-down career. However, his final numbers are solid. He slashed .293/.370/.509 (139 OPS+) averaging 23 home runs and 104 RBIs per 162.
When you look up workhorse starter, Haren's name is right there at the top. From 2005-2015, he started at least 30 games a season. He tossed over 210 innings a year until 2011. Haren finished fifth in CYA voting in 2009 while leading the league in WHIP at 1.003 and K/BB rate at 5.87. He was adept at finding the strike zone. Haren is the only pitcher in history to have over 2,000 strikeouts and 500 or fewer walks in over 2,400 innings.
#601 - Trevor Hoffman - Relief Pitcher - 1993-2010
Many people think of Hoffman as a Padre, and rightfully so. However, few remember that he was drafted by the Reds in 1989 and also selected in the expansion draft in 1992 by the Marlins, with whom he started his MLB career. He was a seven-time All-Star and finished in the top six of CYA voting four times including two times being the runner-up. Hoffman's 601 saves are second behind the great Mariano Rivera. Hoffman was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018.
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