Listing the 10 best Hall of Fame (HOF) ballplayers of all time is difficult enough; to actually rank them would be darn near impossible, so the following list is not intended to be in any sort of order. In fact, ranking Babe Ruth at number one is the only certainty I can imagine.
I know I've left out some unbelievable players from this list. But it's limited to 10, and that's not many when you consider how many players are enshrined. Also, keep in mind that to be eligible for my list, the player has to be in the HOF, so players like Barry Bonds and Greg Maddux aren't eligible.
So without further ado, let's get to it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on who you feel should be on this list.
The Racist Era
Babe Ruth
The Sultan of Swat is probably the only player who appears on everyone's list 100 percent of the time. Ruth was not only a prodigious hitter, but was a great pitcher too.
Ruth was 94-46 as a pitcher with a 2.28 ERA. He won five World Series games.
Ruth's lifetime total of 714 home runs at his retirement in 1935 was a record for 39 years until broken by Hank Aaron in 1974. His .342 lifetime batting is 10th highest in baseball history. It's hard to believe that when he was elected to the HOF, he received only 95.13 percent of the vote.
Lou Gehrig
Gehrig, "The Iron Horse," was known for power, durability, batting average, and his famous speech and ultimate death from what is now known as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," or ALS.
A first baseman who has the most career grand slams all-time, and the most RBI as a first baseman, played in 2,130 consecutive games from 1925 to 1939.
Gehrig accumulated 493 home runs and 1,995 RBI in 17 seasons with a lifetime average of .340, a lifetime OBP of .447, and a lifetime slugging of .632. He was a Triple Crown winner in 1934.
Ted Williams
"The Splendid Splinter" (didn't they have some great nicknames in those days?) led the American League in batting six times and won the Triple Crown twice. He had a career batting average of .344 with 521 home runs.
Williams is the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season (.406 in 1941). He holds the highest career batting average of anyone with 500 or more home runs. His .551 OBP in 1941 set a record that stood for 61 years.
Ty Cobb
"The Georgia Peach" is regarded as the best hitter of the dead ball era. His .367 average is the highest all-time. He had 4,191 hits and 2,245 runs in a 23-year career.
Cobb was also a great base stealer whose 54 career steals of home is still a record. He ended up with 892 career stolen bases.
Walter Johnson
It was a different game and easier for pitchers in the old days, so I've excluded Cy Young. But it's hard to ignore "The Big Train."
He was 417-279 with an ERA of 2.17. Johnson's record total of 3,509 strikeouts stood for more than 55 years, and his 110 shutouts remain unchallenged to this day.
Other Greats
Willie Mays
"The Say Hey Kid" was perhaps the greatest combination of offensive and defensive prowess of all baseball players. His catch in the 1954 World Series is legendary.
Mays won two MVP awards and tied a record with 24 appearances in the All-Star Game. He ended his career with 660 career home runs, currently fourth all-time.
He won the Gold Glove Award 12 times.
Mickey Mantle
Mantle hit .298 with 536 home runs and 1,509 RBI and was a fine defensive center fielder. He holds the records for most World Series home runs (18), RBI (40), runs (42), walks (43), extra-base hits (26), and total bases (123).
"The Mick" was a three-time MVP and appeared in 16 All-Star Games. He won the Triple Crown in 1956.
Warren Spahn
Spahn won more games than any left-handed pitcher in major league history. Pitching in the modern era was much tougher than the dead ball era (which is why I did not include Christy Mathewson despite some great stats) or the racist era.
363-245 with a 3.09 ERA, Spahn was a 14-time All-Star, the 1957 Cy Young Award winner, and was the runner-up three times, all during the period when just one award was given.
Joe DiMaggio
"The Yankee Clipper" hit .325 in his career with 361 home runs and is best known for his record 56-game hitting streak.
"Joltin' Joe" probably would have hit more homers except that Yankee Stadium's deep left and center fields could be a nightmare for right-handed hitters. Plus, he only played 13 seasons.
DiMaggio was an outstanding center fielder, smooth with great range. He is the only player in history to make the All-Star Game in every season he played. Hey, he was married to Marilyn Monroe, he has to get points for that...just kidding.
Hank Aaron
"Hammerin' Hank" held the all-time home run record for 33 years until the steroid-infused Barry Bonds broke the record in 2007.
Aaron hit .305 with 755 home runs, 3,771 hits, and 2,297 RBI (most ever) in a 21-year career. He also won three Gold Gloves and was a 25-time All-Star selection. He even stole 240 bases.
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