11 Best Baseball Players of All Time, Ranked

I took into account peak performance, career totals, longevity, and accolades when making this list of the 11 greatest baseball players ever. 

It’s always difficult comparing eras, even with stats like ERA+ and wRC+ available. How can I pit a slugger from the steroid era against a .350 hitter from the deadball era? Valuing relievers is tricky, too, given that their role has changed so much throughout the history of the sport. 

Selecting these 11 players wasn’t about whether their team was a perennial World Series favourite in Major League Baseball odds. I tried to isolate their careers and individual achievements regardless of team success.

11 Best Baseball Players of All Time, Ranked

Major League Baseball’s All-Time Greatest Players

1. Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth has 15.7 more bWAR than anyone else. His 194 wRC+ is only bettered by Josh Gibson, who played less than 25% of the number of games. Ruth’s statistics show he is the greatest baseball player ever given the vast chasm between his performances and those of his peers.

An effective pitcher before becoming a record-setting hitter, Ruth changed what was considered possible in Major League Baseball. From the called shot to home run records and The Curse of the Bambino, Ruth’s legacy is unmatched. 

2. Barry Bonds

Baseball odds priced Barry Bonds as the MVP favourite throughout his career. Bonds is in a league of his own with seven MVPs – no other player has won more than three.

Bonds is the home run king, holding the records for the most dingers in a season and in a career. He’s only 2.6 fWAR behind Ruth. 

Along with his 762 home runs and a 1.051 career OPS, Bonds also stole 514 bases and won eight Gold Gloves. Steroid allegations might have stopped Bonds getting into Cooperstown, but it’s not keeping him out of second place in my rankings.

3. Willie Mays

The Say Hey Kid led the majors in bWAR eight times between 1954 and 1966. Willie Mays, a 12-time Gold Glove winner and three-time NL home run leader, was unlucky to only win two MVPs during his unparalleled career. 

Beginning his career in the Negro Leagues, Mays was a true five-tool player. He really could do everything on the diamond, and performed at an elite level for two decades. I wouldn’t take much convincing to move the 24-time All-Star into first place. 

4. Cy Young

Cy Young leads all pitchers in bWAR, wins, innings pitched, and games started. Of course, the award for the best pitcher in each league is also named after him.

Given the change in pitcher usage, Young’s records are never going to be broken. He threw over 2,300 innings more than Greg Maddux, for instance. 

5. Ted Williams

Despite missing three of his peak years for military service, Ted Williams is the fifth greatest baseball player of all time. Williams’ career .482 OBP is the highest in MLB history, plus he led the AL in OPS+ on seven occasions.

Ruth and Gibson are the only hitters with a better wRC+. Williams combined an elite eye (20.6% walk rate) with contact and power. The 19 All-Star selections only tell part of the story for Teddy Ballgame, who is arguably the best pure hitter in MLB history.

6. Ty Cobb

Playing a long time before it was possible to bet on baseball at an online sportsbook, Ty Cobb was one of MLB’s early superstars. Winning a record 12 batting titles, Cobb was also a celebrity away from the diamond, with forays into the world of acting, and a tendency to make inflammatory comments about fellow ballplayers.

Cobb holds one of MLB’s more unbreakable records with a career batting average of .366. His fWAR is the fourth highest among all position players in MLB history, and only three players have bettered his tally of 897 stolen bases. 

7. Roger Clemens

Roger Clemens has the most fWAR of any pitcher in MLB history. He’s only 16th in ERA+. Steroid allegations have stopped Clemens making the Hall of Fame and will always tarnish his legacy for some baseball fans. 

His achievements cannot be ignored when making a list of this nature. His seven Cy Young awards are two more than anyone else and more than Justin Verlander and Clayton Kershaw have won between them. 

8. Rogers Hornsby

Rogers Hornsby’s peak wasn’t as long as some of the players above him. He led the NL in OPS in 10 of 12 seasons at his best, however, winning a pair of MVP awards and two Triple Crowns. 

After winning the second of his MVPs in his age-33 campaign, he dragged down his career numbers with some subpar years. He’s still 11th all-time in wRC+ and 12th in bWAR, however, so I feel pretty comfortable having him eighth. 

9. Mickey Mantle

Mickey Mantle is 21st in career bWAR and 14th in fWAR. It might seem generous to have him ninth, but Mantle is 12th in wRC+, won three MVPs, hit over 500 home runs, and would have even better numbers if injuries didn’t curtail his peak.

The switch-hitting centre fielder was the best player in the American League throughout the 1950s and the start of the 1960s. Between 1954 and 1962, he averaged 9.5 bWAR per 162 games. 

10. Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig – affectionately named “The Iron Horse” – was renowned for his durability. He was also an exceptional hitter, with a career 179 OPS+ and 493 home runs. 

Twice leading the majors in bWAR after his 30th birthday, Gehrig’s career and life were sadly cut short when he was diagnosed with ALS. 

11. Stan Musial

Stan Musial paired a high peak – three MVPs in six seasons – with durability and longevity. The reward was 24 All-Star selections, seven batting titles, and 128.5 career bWAR.

Only 10 players in MLB history have a higher WAR to their name than Musial. Playing into his 40s, his career numbers dropped a little, leaving him outside the top 20 in wRC+.