Through 2022.
This supersedes all of my prior baseball rankings.
It's been a minute since I did an MLB players ranking.
I've come up with one overall ranking number - a Total Value number, combining the following:
Regular Season Career Value - that's WAR, my WAR number is a combination of Baseball-reference, Fangraphs, and Clay Davenport's WARP3. Except for Negro Leaguers, that number is largely based on the gWAR number found at Seamheads.
Per Regular Season Game Value - that's WAR/PA or WAR/IP, with those totals then scaled to more approximate WAR.
Postseason Value. You can't fight city hall - it's been 30 years since the WC and going forward its now clear MLB has really adapted a playoff structure much closer to the other major sports; there has to be a recognition of this in player rankings. The main component here is Postseason Win Probability/Championship Probability Added.
There's an upward adjustment for catchers and a downward adjustment for starting pitchers. Adjustments for relievers are made both ways.
Note - it's a dynamic ranking for actives, not just upward, but downward - per game value drops post peak and the postseason value number is likely to have fluctuation. It's not the case that Active Player X will always keep rising - the further he is from his prime, but still remaining active and still heading out to the field - the lower that Total Value score will tick down.
The minimum for consideration is 40 WAR (45 for starting pitchers; 25 for bullpen).
Ties to the player with the higher WAR. Second tiebreaker is the per game WAR.
I spent way too much time on this.
In MLB history, there are 189 players with a Total Value of 75+
Here are the 74s, the group that just missed.
190. Darrell Evans (74.8)
191. Jesse Burkett (74.8)
192. Mark Buehrle (74.8)
193. Rube Waddell (74.8)
194. Joe Torre (74.7)
195. Willie Stargell (74.7)
196. Elmer Flick (74.7)
197. Jack Morris (74.7)
198. Chuck Finley (74.5)
199. Charlie Keller (74.5)
200. John Olerud (74.3)
201. Jon Lester (74.2)
202. Willie Wells (74.1)
203. Stan Hack (74)
Player profiles include Total Value, all seasons played, teams played for 5+ years, positions played 500+ games,
my WAR number, WAR/game, Postseason value number, OPS+, ERA+, Davenport translated stats for BA/OBP/SLG, W-L-Saves; those stats are an attempt to normalize all eras (what do 60 complete games in the 1880s mean when thinking about all of baseball history - it's an inflation adjustment).
189. DICK ALLEN 1B/3B RH 75.2
Phillies
1963-77
WAR: 59.5
Per game: 16
Postseason: .3
OPS+ 156
.297/.398/.605
It might be a second before we get another translated .600 slugging percentage on the list; it appears the highest WAR not to make this list is in the 65s (Reuschel, Biggio, Nettles). Allen had more games played at first, but given positional disparity, he's on my All Time Third Base list, through 2022, he is 14th with Darrell Evans next.
188. JONATHAN PAPELBON RHRP 75.3
Red Sox
2005-16
WAR: 25.3
Per Game: 47
Postseason: 7
ERA+ 177
65-32, 356
Through 2022, there are 4 relievers on the list, next man out is Gossage (70.7) Kenly Jansen is right there, at 70.3, but he may tick down in his final seasons given a likely drop in per game value (although postseason can fluctuate either way). Aroldis Chapman has 23.8 WAR through 2022, so doesn't quite qualify, he would come in right after Jansen on the all time reliever list if he can squeak out the rest of the WAR. Also not quite making the qualifying floor are Sutter, Franco.
187. THURMAN MUNSON C RH 75.4
Yankees
1969-79
WAR: 45
Per Game: 15
Postseason: 8.5
OPS+ 116
.300/.357/.461
14 catchers on this list through 2022, Munson just above Joe Torre, in case you skipped the "just missed" section. Played in 30 postseason games, hit .357.
186. RICHIE ASHBURN CF LH 75.5
Phillies
1948-62
WAR: 63.4
Per Game: 13
Postseason: -.9
OPS+ 111
.313/.399/.407
Ashburn led MLB in OBP three times, in '58 he led the NL in OBP, BA and triples with a solid center field glove and finished 7th in the MVP race. There are 15 center fielders on this list through 2022, Turkey Stearnes, who had an 18 year Negro League career is next (72.8)
185. BOB FELLER RHP 75.7
Indians
1936-56
WAR: 64
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: -1.3
ERA+ 122
241-183, 23
Through 2022, Feller's the first starting pitcher on the list; there are 55 still to come. 4 starting pitchers are part of the group of 74 that just missed: Buehrle (74.8) Waddell (74.8) Morris (74.7) Finley (74.5) Lester (74.2) Two active pitchers are within shouting distance, Sale (72.9) Wainwright (72.4). There's no bonus points for missing time for a good cause, but Feller had top 3 MVP finishes in the 3 years prior to his missing 3 years during WW2.
184. CRAIG KIMBREL RHRP 75.9
Braves
2010-
WAR: 26.4
Per Gm: 51
Postseason: 2.5
ERA+ 177
64-37, 385
Through 2022, Kimbrel's the first active player on the list (through 2022, there are a total of 11) so its possible he moves up - and possible, given how close he is to that 75 line, that he's off the list entirely by career's end. Kimbrel led the NL in saves in his first 4 big league seasons.
183. REGGIE SMITH RF/CF SH 76.1
Red Sox/Dodgers
1966-82
WAR: 60.7
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: .4
OPS+ 137
.287/.367/.533
Smith would be high up on the list of top performances for 1 year San Francisco Giants - in '82, a 37 year old Smith came to San Francisco and had a 134 OPS+ in 398 PA. Smith had top 5 MVP finishes for the Dodgers back to back pennant winners in the late 70s.
182. COLE HAMELS LHP 76.3
Phillies
2006-20
WAR: 57.5
Per Gm: 21
Postseason: 1.8
ERA+ 123
210-153
In 14 full seasons of a big league career, Hamels had a sub 100 ERA+ once, and it was 97.
181. JUAN MARICHAL RHP 76.3
Giants
1960-75
WAR: 61.9
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: .4
ERA+ 123
209-149, 2
The only San Francisco pitcher on the list through 2022, in '68, Marichal was 30, he led the NL with 325 IP, he had 30 complete games, it was the third season of his career pitching over 300 innings, in the following season he had a 168 ERA+ and by and large that was it - he had a sub 100 ERA+ in '70 and '72, '73 was his last season as a full time starter. Marichal left most of his arm back in the 60s but pitched until '75.
180. JACK GLASSCOCK SS RH 76.5
Blues
1879-95
WAR: 60.5
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: -
OPS+ 112
.281/.336/.414
Glasscock's the first of 18 shortstops on the list; first man out is Willie Wells (74.1) who had a 21 year Negro League career. Glasscock's got a lot of defensive value, per baseball-references's dWAR, his glove was worth 22 wins. Glasscock played for 9 big league teams in 17 seasons.
179. PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT 1B RH 76.6
DBacks/Cards
2011-
WAR: 59.2
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: .4
OPS+ 145
.303/.402/.533
Hard not to like a .300/.400/.500 translated slashline; Goldschmidt's got more to go, in 2022 he had a career best 180 OPS+. He was 34, so apparently it is possible to have a late career power spike not attributed to magic beans.
178. MICKEY COCHRANE C LH 76.7
Athletics
1925-37
WAR: 52.4
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: .3
OPS+ 129
.283/.381/.473
Cochrane played in 800 more games with Philly than Detroit, Cochrane had just two full time seasons as a Tiger, but was AL MVP in one of them (his second MVP Award). His real career BA/OBP significantly higher than the translated slash if you were looking for that .419 career on base.
177. CHASE UTLEY 2B LH 76.7
Phillies
2003-18
WAR: 58
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 3.7
OPS+ 117
.267/.353/.479
16 second basemen on the list; Utley's first - right behind him is a guy who should be here next year, Jose Altuve (73.6). Utley led all MLB in being hit by pitches 3 straight years, '07-'09.
176. BUSTER POSEY C RH 76.9
Giants
2009-21
WAR: 51.5
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: .4
OPS+ 129
.316/.389/.486
Just 5600 career plate appearances for Posey - 3 thousand fewer than Bench, nearly 5000 fewer than Pudge Rodriguez. Munson's career was cut short in that plane crash and he had more plate appearances than Posey. Posey does not get much postseason bounce, despite the 3 titles. He had 58 career postseason games, 252 plate appearances, here was his slashline: .252/.321/.345, compare that to his regular season career slashline .302/.372/.460.
175. MOOKIE BETTS RF RH 77.2
Red Sox
2014-
WAR: 54.9
Per Gm: 22
Postseason: .3
OPS+ 134
.301/.380/.526
2023 will be Betts's age 30 season, through 2022 he's the youngest active player on this list so there's more to come. He's got 4 top 5 MVP finishes through 2022.
174. WHITEY FORD LHP 77.2
Yankees
1950-67
WAR: 57.2
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: 6.1
ERA+ 133
201-163, 8
16 year big league career - and only once did Ford have an ERA+ below 115 and that was 105 when he was 36 years old. The year prior, 1964 when Ford was 35 - he went 17-6 with a 170 ERA+, the second best mark of his career.
173. DAVID WELLS LHP 77.2
Blue Jays
1987-07
WAR: 57.9
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: 6.4
ERA+ 108
245-208, 8
Led MLB in BB/9 3 times. His 2 top 3 Cy Young finishes were in his mid 30s. Pitched forever - threw 157 innings in '07 when he was 44.
172. CRISTOBAL TORRIENTE CF LH 77.3
American Giants
1920-32
WAR: 51.3
Per Gm: 26
Postseason -
OPS+ 158
.300/.386/.509
The first Negro League player on the list, in 1920, Torriente hit .411 and led the Negro National League in BA/OBP/SLG.
171. BUCK EWING C RH 77.6
Giants
1880-97
WAR: 53.9
Per game: 19
Postseason -
OPS+ 129
.279/.336/.493
Seriously. On the all time catcher rankings, Buster Posey, the great 21st century Giant - is right behind Buck Ewing, the great 19th century Giant. WAR? Nearly identical. Per game value? Nearly identical. OPS+? Identical. Plate appearances? Ewing, by less than 200. 5 Giants championships between them. Ewing and Posey, separated by over a century, together here.
170. GOOSE GOSLIN LF LH 77.6
Senators
1921-38
WAR: 60.2
Per game: 12
Postseason: 5.4
OPS+ 128
.283/.353/.510
Goslin's the first of 13 left fielders as of 2022, both Jesse Burkett (74.8) and Charlie Keller (74.5) were on the just missed list. Goslin's closest similarity score match is Clemente.
169. BUDDY BELL 3B RH 77.6
Rangers/Indians
1972-89
WAR: 64.6
Per game: 13
Postseason: 0
OPS+ 109
.284/.349/.448
Bell got 500 plate appearances as a 20 year old rookie in '72, just 3 years after being a 16th round draft pick. A year later he was an All Star. 23.8 career dWAR per b-ref.
168. SANDY KOUFAX LHP 77.7
Dodgers
1955-66
WAR: 49.3
Per Game: 21
Postseason: 11.5
ERA+ 131
156-89, 10
Here are the last 4 years of Koufax's career - Cy Young, 3rd in Cy Young, Cy Young, Cy Young. He also threw over 300 innings in 3 of those 4 years, leading all of MLB in his final two seasons and then his arm gave out. Maybe direct the next person complaining about modern starting pitchers getting coddled with pitch counts and innings limits to Koufax's baseball reference page. Would you like to see more guys retire at 30? Koufax threw 57 World Series innings. His ERA was 0.95.
167. DAVE WINFIELD RF RH 77.7
Yankees/Padres
1973-95
WAR: 64.7
Per game: 10
Postseason: 3
OPS+ 130
.289/.361/.533
If you're paying a 31 year old Aaron Judge into his age 40 season knowing the challenging aging history of men of that body type, your counter-example wish is Winfield. When he was 40, he was 5th in the AL MVP with 100+ RBI and a 138 OPS+ for the World Champion Jays. 4 years prior, at the age of 36, he was 4th in the MVP race with a 159 OPS+.
166. JACOB DEGROM RHP 78
Mets
2014-22
WAR: 46.8
Per Gm: 35
Postseason: .3
ERA+ 155
134-67
Just 1300+ innings pitched for DeGrom through his age 34 season; won back to back Cy Youngs in 2018-19. He's over double digit K/9 (and sometimes way over) each of the last 6 seasons through 2022. His most recent season pitching 100 innings (as of 2022) is 2019.
165. BRET SABERHAGEN RHP 78.1
Royals
1984-01
WAR: 59.8
Per Gm: 23
Postseason: -.6
ERA+ 126
192-125
Some pitchers, like DeGrom, start their big league careers at 26 -- Saberhagen threw 150 innings when he was 20 and won the Cy Young the next season. In 1999, with Boston, had a 171 ERA+ in 119 IP at the age of 35 in his last full big league season.
164. PEE WEE REESE SS RH 78.1
Dodgers
1940-58
WAR: 61.2
Per Gm: 13
Postseason: 3.9
OPS+ 99
.269/.361/.400
WW2 wiped out Reese's age 24-26 seasons. 121 was his top ever OPS+, it happened twice, the second time he was 35. 8 top 10 NL MVP finishes for Reese.
163. ERNIE BANKS 1B/SS RH 78.1
Cubs
1953-71
WAR: 65.1
Per Gm: 13
Postseason: 0
OPS+ 122
.272/.334/.534
Banks played a hundred more games at first than at short. Back to back MVP Awards in '58-9, but never led the NL in any category.
162. MONTE WARD SS/RHP SH 78.2
Giants/Grays
1878-94
WAR: 60
Per Game: 9/10
Postseason: 1
OPS+ 92
ERA+ 119
.267/.312/.370
81-50, 3
Ward wouldn't meet the minimum threshold either as a position player or a pitcher, which skews the ratios in an undesirable way - but I'm giving him his Total Value number anyway and slotting him here. When he was 18, Ward led the NL in ERA, when he was 19, he won 47 games. FF 7 years, when Ward was 26 he stole 111 bases and then 5 years later, stole 88. 19th century baseball, man.
161. LUIS TIANT RHP 78.5
Red Sox/Indians
1964-82
WAR: 61.3
Per Game: 18
Postseason: 3.3
ERA+ 114
216-156, 10
Tiant followed a 1.60 ERA in '68 with a 20 loss '69. Over 200 innings pitched when he was 37 with a 126 ERA+
160. AL SIMMONS LF/CF RH 78.6
Athletics
1924-44
WAR: 63.2
Per Gm: 13
Postseason: 2.4
OPS+ 133
.298/.342/.541
Simmons had top 5 AL MVP finishes in 3 of his first 4 seasons. The translation adjusts his numbers for era, which is important - but Simmons real career BA was .334; in '30-'31 he hit .380 and .391.
159. TOMMY JOHN LHP 78.6
Yankees/White Sox/Dodgers
1963-89
WAR: 67.2
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 1.5
ERA+ 111
263-255, 3
Am I missing someone? Has anyone accumulated more value as both a Dodger and a Yankee? Wee Willie Keeler? Tommy John started a combined 68 games for the Yankees in '87-'88 when he was 44 and 45 years old because that was the past.
158. OREL HERSHISER RHP 78.9
Dodgers
1983-00
WAR: 55.2
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: 9.9
ERA+ 112
212-181, 1
132 postseason innings pitched for Hershiser: 8-3, 2.59. World Series MVP. NLCS MVP - even an ALCS MVP in '95, when he was 36 as a Cleveland Indian.
157. ROBINSON CANO 2B LH 78.9
Yankees/Mariners
2005-22
WAR: 68
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: -3.1
OPS+ 124
.308/.362/.513
Assuming that Cano is done, and after playing 33 games in 2022, not playing in 2021, 49 games in 2020, it seems reasonable to conclude he's done, I've got him as the 15th best second baseman who ever lived. 4 top 4 MVP finishes. Still hitting until it was done, 2020, age 37, 49 games as a Met, 143 OPS+. No, I don't care about the PEDs. I just told you that Monte Ward won 47 games one season - you think whatever level of deviation from what we think of as baseball is greater w/ PED use than whatever was happening when Monte Ward one 47 games? It's baseball. There's PEDs, there's the Gilded Age. All of it happened. All of it counts.
156. GARY SHEFFIELD RF RH 79.1
Marlins
1988-09
WAR: 65.1
Per Gm: 12
Postseason: 2
OPS+ 140
.286/.389/.533
5 seasons with an OPS+ over 1.000. Sheff was an OBP monster in the middle of his career; from '95-'03, he was over .400 OPS every single year. You know that thing they say abour Rice? That he was "feared" -- Sheff scared the hell out of me as opposition. Dude was vicious.
155. WILLIE MCCOVEY 1B LH 79.2
Giants
1959-80
WAR: 66.4
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: -1.2
OPS+ 147
.273/.382/.579
I watched Willie McCovey play baseball at Candlestick Park. That's testiment both to my being an old and McCovey playing forever. 4 different decades of San Francisco Giants baseball for McCovey. Stretch has an obvious peak - his ages 30-32 seasons. He broke in in '59, from '59 to '67 McCovey led the NL in one category one time (homers, '63). And then from '71 forward to the end of his career in '80, McCovey led in only intentional walks, twice. And then came 1968. Led the NL in homers, RBI, OBP and all of MLB in SLG and OPS. Then did it again in '69, but added OBP. Then in '70, led in walks, slugging, OBP and OPS.
154. PUD GALVIN RHP 79.2
Bisons/Alleghenys
1875-92
WAR: 71.4
Per Game: 12
Postseason: -
ERA+ 107
225-124, 1
I believe Galvin is the lowest ranked 70 WAR player on the list (and there are no 70 WAR players who are not on the list). Galvin had a 1.16 ERA when he was 18 in 1875. In 1883 he threw 72 complete games and pitched in over 650 innings. He is, of course, in the Hall of Fame. But not Roger Clemens, because, you know, of how he skews the record books.
153. JACKIE ROBINSON 2B RH 79.4
Dodgers
1945-56
WAR: 62.1
Per Game: 21
Postseason: -3.7
OPS+ 133
.306/.400/.513
Robinson hits that magical translated slashline, 3/4/5 (his actual slugging falls short). Really got on base, in 11 seasons his lowest OBP was .367, in his final season, at the age of 37, his OBP was .382. He wasn't great in the postseason, in 38 World Series Games his slashline was .234/.335/.343; Robinson had 10 xtra base hits in the postseason and hit into 5 double plays.
152. YADIER MOLINA C RH 79.5
Cards
2004-22
WAR: 54.1
Per Gm: 13
Postseason: 5.2
OPS+ 96
.283/334/.408
We've reached the top 10 catchers of all time. Molina caught over 2100 games. In 21 World Series games Molina hit .328.
151. MARK MCGWIRE 1B RH 79.8
A's/Cards
1986-01
WAR: 66.2
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: -3.4
OPS+ 163
.265/.395/.640
Should Mark McGwire be in the Hall of Fame? For the love of God -- that is a .640 translated slugging percentage. Higher than anyone else on the list so far - a hundred points higher than Goldschmidt, for example. At 163, this is the best OPS+ we've seen so far. 7 times McGwire had an OPS over 1.000. McGwire's translated home run total? 659. 659!
150. JOE CRONIN SS RH 79.9
Red Sox/Senators
1926-45
WAR: 66
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: -1.1
OPS+ 119
.275/.359/.473
Cronin had an OPS+ over 100 every year in his 30s. I've got him as the 15th best shortstop in baseball history.
149. JOE GORDON 2B RH 80.1
Yankees
1938-50
WAR: 58.8
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: 3.3
OPS+ 120
.262/.340/.519
We've crossed the 80 Total Value mark with Gordon, the 13th greatest second baseman through 2022. Gordon won the AL MVP in '42 and then lost '44 and '45 for the War. Short career, like Robinson, both of them right around 6000 plate appearances. That's half of Eddie Collins, for ex - that's less than Altuve, through 2022.
148. HAL NEWHOUSER LHP 80.2
Tigers
1939-55
WAR: 63.2
Per Gm: 21
Postseason: .2
ERA+ 130
195-146, 37
Wartime star, back to back MVPs in '44-'45, led all of MLB in wins 3 straight years. The dominance was short, outside of a spike in '54, where Newhouser had a strong season in the Indians pen, he never had a better ERA+ than 124 after the age of 28. But he is in the Hall of Fame, despite the skewing of the records caused by WW2.
147. WILLIE RANDOLPH 2B RH 80.3
Yankees
1975-92
WAR: 65.2
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 1.1
OPS+ 104
.289/.389/.391
20+ career dWAR and a career translated OBP near .400 for a guy with nearly 10,000 plate appearances. The best batting average of Randolph's career? .327 when he was a 36 year old Milwaukee Brewer in 512 plate appearances. Randolph played over 2100 games at second base.
146. HANK GREEENBERG 1B RH 80.4
Tigers
1930-47
WAR: 56.6
Per Gm: 19
Postseason: 4.8
OPS+ 159
.288/.379/.627
Greenberg won two MVPs in his 20s and then missed his aged 31-33 seasons for the War. Led the league in doubles twice, homers 4 times, including at the age of 35, RBI four times, walks twice, including his final season as a 36 year old Pirate. For the list so far, just McGwire has a better OPS+ and translated slugging.
145. HARRY HEILMANN RF RH 80.4
Tigers
1914-32
WAR: 65.4
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 0
OPS+ 148
.310/.379/.555
I get an excessive amount of pleasure from this, Greenberg and Heilmann, representing 40 years of Detroit baseball, together with 80.4 Total Value (yes, enitrely coincidental, as in I didn't notice until right now). Heilmann's last year in Detroit was '29 -- Greenberg's rookie year was '30. Heilmann's real career BA was .342, he takes a hit with the translation. Hit .403 in '23 and was over .390 three other seasons. In his final full season, in Cincinnati, Heilmann had a 143 OPS+.
144. JIM EDMONDS CF LH 80.7
Cards/Angels
1993-2010
WAR: 63.2
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: 1.5
OPS+ 132
.277/.365/.521
Through 2022, I've got Edmonds as the 12th greatest center fielder of all time. 8 Gold Gloves and in the middle of his career just pounded the ball, Age 30, 147 OPS+, Age 31 149 OPS+ Age 32 158 OPS+ Age 33 160 OPS+ Age 34 171 OPS+ -- Jim Edmonds just mashed the ball when he was 34, slugging .643 with 42 homers and 111 RBI, that was 2004, his best ever season with the bat. I don't recall Edmonds getting the "these numbers don't count" treatment, but there you go.
143. DUKE SNIDER CF LH 81.2
Dodgers
1947-64
WAR: 59.1
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 8.1
OPS+ 140
.289/.374/.559
Willie and Mickey are still to come, but here's the Duke. In 36 World Series games (32 against the Yankees) Snider hit 11 homers. When you look at his dWAR in his 30s, Snider maybe could have used a DH spot as he aged.
142. MIKE PIAZZA C RH 81.4
Mets/Dodgers
1992-2007
WAR: 60.4
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: -2.4
OPS+ 143
.305/.371/.552
Had an OPS over 1.000 4 times, twice led all MLB in OPS+. 4 top 5 MVP finishes.
141. ED WALSH RHP 81.4
White Sox
1904-17
WAR: 63.7
Per Game: 21
Postseason: 1
ERA+ 146
165-93, 42
As of 2022, the career leader in ERA (1.82) and FIP. Won 40 in 1908, led all MLB in innings pitched 4 times, led the AL in saves 5 times.
140. DON DRYSDALE RHP 81.6
Dodgers
1956-69
WAR: 65.3
Per Game: 19
Postseason: 1.6
ERA+ 121
203-157, 6
From '62-65 Drysdale led all MLB in starts. 3 times he led MLB in strikeouts, 5 times he led the NL in hit batsmen. Through 2022, I've got Drysdale as the 42nd best pitcher ever.
139. LANCE BERKMAN SH 1B/LF 81.8
Astros
1999-2013
WAR: 53.7
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 14.1
OPS+ 144
.284/.396/.526
That's a ton of postseason value, a ton. Here's Berkman's World Series record. 11 games. 50 plate appearances. He hit .410. Had a .520 OBP. In a 52 game postseason career, Berkman had a .949 OPS. Just the one WS title and he never won a playoff MVP, so you maybe don't think of him as an all time great playoff performer, but there you go.
138. HOME RUN BAKER 3B LH 81.9
Athletics/Yankees
1908-22
WAR: 57.2
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: 7.7
OPS+ 135
.296/.352/.519
Led the AL in homers 4 straight years, Won 3 World Series; in 25 games he hit .363. The A's went back to back in '10-'11 and here were Baker's slashlines. 1910: .409/.458/.636, 1911: .375/.400/.708.
137. GABBY HARTNETT C RH 82.1
Cubs
1922-41
WAR: 60.9
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: -3.3
OPS+ 126
.269/.355/.517
Won the MVP at 34, hitting .344. Caught nearly 1800 games. Through 2022, he's my 8th best ever catcher.
136. BILLY HAMILTON CF LH 82.2
Beaneaters/Phillies
1888-1901
WAR: 65.2
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: -
OPS+ 141
.308/.426/.454
Just always got on base; you see his translated OBP, his real OBP was .455. Led the NL in OBP 5 times, in 1894 Hamilton had a .521 on base percentage. Led the NL in runs scored 4 times, in stolen bases 5 times, in walks 5 times. Hamilton hit .403 in '94.
135. JOEY VOTTO 1B LH 82.2
Reds
2007-
WAR: 67.4
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: -1.6
OPS+ 145
.296/.413/.517
Votto will be in his age 39 season in 2023, 2022 was his worst with the bat with an 89 OPS+ and he's always been a subpar glove, it seems unlikely there's a lot of advancement left and may drop back. He's just short of 3/4/5 in his translated slashline and his real slashline is almost identical. The last time he hit .300 was 2017, so it seems really unlikely that bumps up. In a 16 year career, Votto has led the NL in OBP 7 times.
134. EDDIE MURRAY 1B SH 82.4
Orioles
1977-97
WAR: 74.4
Per Gm: 12
Postseason: -4
OPS+ 129
.291/.367/.523
Murray's the lowest ranked position player with 70+WAR, that rough postseason record really hurts him here, particularly the World Series performances - 18 games, 75 plate appearances: .169/.280/.369. Murray had more strikeouts than hits in the World Series.
133. SAM CRAWFORD RF LH 82.6
Tigers
1899-17
WAR: 68.6
Per Gm: 13
Postseason: 1
OPS+ 144
.301/.360/.542
The career leader in triples. Crawford's only career top 10 MVP finish was 2nd when he 34, leading the league in triples and RBI with a 158 OPS+ Through 2022, Crawford's the 13th best RF in history.
132. SATCHEL PAIGE RHP 82.7
Monarchs/Crawfords
1927-65
WAR: 58.1
Per Gm: 28
Postseason: 1
ERA+ 152
181-110, 79
18 seasons in the Negro Leagues, 2.46 career Negro League ERA. Signed with the Indians when he was 41, had a 2.48 ERA. 4 years later, in 1952, a 45 year old Satchel Paige led the AL with 35 complete games and then a year later had 34. Just roll through that a couple of times. 46 years old. 34 complete games.
131. DEREK JETER SS RH 82.9
Yankees
1995-2014
WAR: 69.3
Per Gm: 11
Postseason: 2.6
OPS+ 115
.304/.374/.452
Through 2022, Jeter's the 14th best shortstop ever; 3 career top 5 MVP finishes, led MLB in hits when he was 38. By dWAR an actively bad glove, in 20 seasons, only 3 had a +dWAR.
130. RAFAEL PALMEIRO 1B LH 83.2
Rangers/Orioles
1986-2005
WAR: 72.9
Per Gm: 12
Postseason: -1.7
OPS+ 132
.284/.369/.537
Palmeiro's best year with the bat was '99 when he was 34, .324/.420/.630. His 5th place in the AL MVP was his highest finish. Talk about a bad glove. -10 dWAR for his career. Born to DH.
129. TIM KEEFE RHP 83.3
Giants
1880-93
WAR: 72.7
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 1
ERA+ 126
188-120, 2
In 1880, a 23 year old Keefe had an ERA of 0.86, 3 years later he had 68 complete games. In 1886, Keefe went 42-20. In 1888, 35-12. Keefe's translated wins is 188, his real wins: 342.
128. SHOELESS JOE JACKSON LH RF/LF 83.4
Indians/White Sox
1908-20
WAR: 59.2
Per Gm: 21
Postseason: 3.2
OPS+ 170
.335/.402/.600
The bat. The. Bat. A 170 Career OPS+ is the best on the list so far; look at the translated slashline, 3/4/6. 3/4/6! Quick spot check - Jackson's the top sub 60 career WAR ever who didn't play in the Negro Leagues.
127. BROOKS ROBINSON 3B RH 83.4
Orioles
1955-77
WAR: 68.8
Per Gm: 12
Postseason: 12
OPS+ 105
.277/.331/.434
You know how some guys have big historical defensive reputations but the metrics don't back that up? Robinson has 39.1 dWAR.
126. LARRY WALKER RF LH 83.5
Rockies/Expos
1989-05
WAR: 64.2
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: 3.3
OPS+ 141
.283/.373/.527
Walker suffers from the translation, his real world slashline hits the 3/4/5 mark, .313/.400/.565. In '97 and '99 Walker was with the Rockies and had an OBP over .450 and a SLG over .700. Walker never stopped hitting - he never had an OPS+ in any full season below 110. When Walker was 37, his OPS was over 1.000
125. SCOTT ROLEN 3B RH 83.5
Phillies/Cards
1996-2012
WAR: 68.2
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: -.7
OPS+ 122
.272/.356/.489
The list hits the top 10 third basemen of all time, through 2022 (and that includes a couple of DH's) so yeah, one of the ten best third basemen in MLB history should probably be in the Hall of Fame. The glove never stopped, just 2 negative dWAR seasons in 17 years.
124. JOHN CLARKSON RHP 83.7
Beaneaters
1882-94
WAR: 72.1
Per Gm: 16
Postseason -
ERA+ 133
175-111, 4
Clarkson won 53 games in 1885. Completed 56 in 1887. Was 49-19 in 1889.
123. KEITH HERNANDEZ 1B LH 84
Cards/Mets
1974-90
WAR: 62.2
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 6.8
OPS+ 128
.300/.391/.486
11 time Gold Glove winner (not supported by dWAR) Hernandez is helped by the two titles. Hit .344 in his MVP season and led the NL in OBP the following year. Hernandez was a 42nd round draft pick.
122. LOU BOUDREAU SS RH 84
Indians
1938-52
WAR: 64.7
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: 1.3
OPS+ 120
.298/.373/.471
Lou Boudreau was 30 when he won the '48 MVP. That year....his career best home run total, RBI total, walk total, batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS, Total Bases.
121. DAVID CONE RHP 84.3
Mets/Yankees
1986-03
WAR: 62.5
Per Gm: 22
Postseason: 4.2
ERA+ 121
223-152
Most valuable Met+Yankee, right? Strawberry would be the only competition? Cone won 20 for the Mets in '88 and a decade later 20 for the Yanks. Right in the middle, the Cy Young for the Royals with a 171 ERA+. Cone won 5 World Series Championships, 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in 29 innings pitched.
120. DON SUTTON RHP 84.5
Dodgers
1966-88
WAR: 75
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: -.1
ERA+ 108
311-260, 3
Sutton's the first 300 game translated winner on the list, the first 75 WAR player. 5 top 5 Cy Young finishes for Sutton, right in a row from '72 to '76. Led the NL in WHIP 4 times.
119. DAVID ORTIZ LH DH 84.6
Red Sox/Twins
1997-2016
WAR: 58.4
Per Gm: 12
Postseason: 14.2
OPS+ 141
.277/.380/.551
When I post the positional ranks, you'll see Ortiz ranked with the first basemen, I don't have a standalone DH list. Ortiz is this high for the postseason success, 3 titles, World Series MVP, ALCS MVP. In 14 World Series games Ortiz hit .455 with a 1.372 OPS. I'm not saying Ortiz is the best position player in WS history, but he's on the short list.
118. JOSH GIBSON C RH 85.3
Grays/Crawfords
1930-46
WAR: 47.5
Per Gm: 29
Postseason: 1
OPS+ 214
.325/.409/.709
Cartoonish bat. The OPS+. The translated slugging. Gibson's the top sub 60 WAR player in history and he's sub 50. 8 time Negro League leader in OPS+.
117. BOBBY WALLACE SS RH 85.5
Browns/Cards
1894-1918
WAR: 70.5
Per Gm: 15
Postseason -
OPS+ 105
.261/.336/.421
25 year big league career; strong glove, 28.7 dWAR, almost all of that packed into the middle decade of his career.
116. FRED CLARKE LF LH 85.7
Pirates/Colonels
1894-1915
WAR: 67.6
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 4.1
OPS+ 133
.291/.371/.497
.926 OPS in the Bucs WS win in 1909, Walked 4 times in Gm 7.
115. CARL HUBBELL LHP 86
Giants
1928-43
WAR: 66.1
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: 6.4
ERA+ 130
230-161, 35
2 Time NL MVP; he led in ERA+ both of those seasons. In another year, Hubbell led in both complete games and saves; in other, he led in Ks and winning %. 1.79 career ERA in 50 WS innings.
114. CC SABATHIA LHP 86
Yankees/Indians
2001-19
WAR: 69.7
Per Gm: 19
Postseason: 1.8
ERA+ 116
272-218
Led MLB in complete games in '06, in IP in '07, in complete games again in '08, led the AL in starts in '10 and in batters faced in '11. Even in his late 30s with the Yankees, Sabathia was pitching lots of innings, 179 when he was 35, 153 when he was 37.
113. DENNIS ECKERSLEY RHRP 86.3
A's/Red Sox
1975-98
WAR: 66.7
Per Gm: 24
Postseason: .1
ERA+ 116
225-159, 350
Eck's here as a reliever, 390 saves, but he also won almost 200 games and more than that when you translate his numbers. His MVP year was '92....but back up a couple of years. In 73 innings pitched in 1990, Eck's ERA was...0.61. That's an ERA+ of 603. He gave up 5 earned runs all year. Just one reliever left on the list.
112. RON SANTO 3B RH 86.3
Cubs
1960-74
WAR: 71.3
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 0
OPS+ 125
.274/.368/.499
Compared to Robinson/Rolen, not a lot of dWAR, Santo's here for being able to field third base capably while also nearing a .500 translated slugging.
111. RED RUFFING RHP 86.6
Yankees/Red Sox
1924-47
WAR: 67.1
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 9.1
ERA+ 109
251-232, 21
So, the first thing, Ruffing was a pretty good bat for a pitcher, 86 OPS+, hit 36 homers. Second thing, he missed his aged 38-39 seasons for WW2 and still came back to start another 27 games over the subsequent 3 years. And finally - it's all the postseason value that gets Ruffing this slot. 7 World Series, won 6 of them. 7-2 2.52 in 85 innings.
110. RYNE SANDBERG 2B RH 86.7
Cubs
1981-97
WAR: 70.9
Per Gm: 18
Postseason: .8
OPS+ 114
.280/.343/..481
9 straight Gold Gloves and dWAR seems him as steady throughout his career. Led the league in triples in '84 and homers in '90. Sandberg had a 145 OPS+ in '92 at the age of 32 and then fell off the table, 109 OPS+ the next year, never hit 100 again.
109. ROY HALLADAY RHP 87
Jays
1998-2013
WAR: 65.8
Per Gm: 24
Postseason: 1.8
ERA+ 131
219-147
Almost a hundred guys through this list, the only starters with more per game value are DeGrom (and that's likely to drop) and Paige. Cy Youngs in both leagues - Halladay led the league in complete games 7 times and 6 of those he led all of MLB.
108. ROBERTO ALOMAR 2B SH 87.5
Jays
1988-2004
WAR: 70.9
Per Gm: 14
Postseason: 2.6
OPS+ 116
.301/.373/.460
Nearing the top 100 and nearing 90 Total Value. Alomar's got an identical WAR to Sandberg, a little more on base, a little less power, similar gloves; he's got 2 World Championships Sandberg doesn't have and that provides the edge (Robby also had nearly 500 stolen bases).
107. BARRY LARKIN SS RH 87.8
Reds
1986-2004
WAR: 69.3
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 3.5
OPS+ 116
.289/.366/.455
Larkin had a real bat spike in the mid 90s, the only 3 OPS seasons of his career that topped .900 were '96-98 when he was 32-34. He hit 33 homers in '96, he only hit 20 one other time and that was 6 years before. Barry Larkin is, of course, in the Hall of Fame.
106. EDGAR MARTINEZ DH/3B 87.9
Mariners
1987-2004
WAR: 71.3
Per Gm: 16
Postseason: .6
OPS+ 147
.308/.415/.548
Both translated and real slashline hits that 3/4/5 mark. You want to see a mid/late 90s bat spike for a guy in his 30s? Edgar's 3 best OPS seasons were '95-97 when he was 32-34. Here are his home runs per season: 0,0,2,11,14,18,4,13. That takes us to 1995 when he is 32. Here's the rest of his career: 29,26,28,29,24.....37, that's the year 2000, Edgar Martinez is 37 years old, and he hits his career high in homers. In the year 2000. When he's 37. Finishing up: 23,15,24,12. Martinez led the AL in RBI when he was 37. Only time he ever did that. Martinez had an OPS over 1.000 5 times, all from the age of 32 forward. Edgar Martinez is, of course, in the Hall of Fame. Put this on my tombstone. Or better yet, on Costas's or any of the real PED hawks.
105. JIM THOME LH 1B/DH 88
Indians
1991-2012
WAR: 75
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: -2
OPS+ 147
.266/.393/.559
6 OPS seasons over 1.000, the last one 2010 when he was 39. Thome mashed - had a 131 OPS+ when he was 22 and never looked back, he didn't have an OPS+ below 120 until he was 38 and then came back the next year with the second best slugging % of his career.
104. CARLOS BELTRAN CF SH 88.1
Royals/Mets
1998-2017
WAR: 67.7
Per Gm: 12
Postseason: 8.4
OPS+ 119
.276/.351/.486
It's the postseason for Beltran that gets him knocking on the door of the top 100 players of all time. 65 games, 256 plate appearances. .307/.412/.609. Beltran hit 16 postseason home runs.
103. DWIGHT EVANS RF RH 88.2
Red Sox
1972-91
WAR: 68.4
Per Gm: 13
Postseason: 6.8
OPS+ 127
.267/.372/.511
Evans top home run season was '87, when he was 35, he had a .569 SLG that season, his best ever mark.
102. ALAN TRAMMELL SS RH 88.5
Tigers
1977-96
WAR: 70.9
Per Gm: 15
Postseason: 2.6
OPS+ 110
.289/.359/.449
Just hit a .400 OBP once, in '87, clearly his career year with the bat, his top BA, his top SLG. His biggest home run and RBI season. Finished second to George Bell in the AL MVP that season, Bell had 19 more homers but just 4 points ahead in OPS.
101. JIM PALMER RHP 88.6
Orioles
1965-84
WAR: 67.5
Per Gm: 17
Postseason: 8.8
ERA+ 125
243-164, 2
Won 20 games 8 times, 3 time Cy Young winner, led the AL in IP 3 straight times in his early 30s. 3 World Championships for Palmer, here was his postseason record: 8-3, 124 IP, 2.61 ERA.
The top 100 players in MLB history are next.
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