Items23The creator’s order
  1. 1Honus WagnerHonus WagnerBorn 24 Feb 1874Shortstop, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1897 to 1917. Wagner won eight National League batting titles and stole more than 700 bases, and contemporaries rated his range and arm at shortstop as the best of the era. He was one of the five players in the Hall of Fame's first class in 1936, chosen for all-round…0i
  2. 2Ty CobbTy CobbOutfielder, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Athletics, 1905 to 1928. Cobb's career batting average of .366 is still the highest in Major League history, and he stole home 54 times, a record. He played the "inside game" of bunts, hit-and-runs and aggressive running, a reminder of how runs were made…0i
  3. 3Walter JohnsonWalter JohnsonBorn 6 Nov 1887Pitcher, Washington Senators, 1907 to 1927. Johnson threw 110 shutouts, a record that has never been approached, with a sidearm fastball that hitters of his day called the fastest they had seen. He won 417 games for a team that was often poor, which makes his record even more a measure of the…0i
  4. 4Satchel PaigeSatchel PaigeBorn 7 Jul 1906Pitcher, Negro leagues and later Cleveland. Paige spent two decades as the most famous pitcher in Black baseball, relying on pinpoint control and an array of deliveries, including his "hesitation pitch". He reached the Major Leagues at 42 in 1948, helped Cleveland win the World Series that year,…0i
  5. 5Ted WilliamsTed WilliamsBorn 30 Aug 1918Left fielder, Boston Red Sox, 1939 to 1960. Williams hit plenty of home runs, but his defining skill was refusing to swing at bad pitches: his career on-base percentage of .482 is the highest in Major League history. In 1941 he batted .406, and no Major League player has reached .400 since. His…0i
  6. 6Jackie RobinsonJackie RobinsonSecond baseman and infielder, Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947 to 1956. Robinson broke the Major League colour line in 1947 and was the first Rookie of the Year. On the field he was the most disruptive baserunner of his time, stealing home 19 times, including in the 1955 World Series, and his threat to run…0i
  7. 7Willie MaysWillie MaysBorn 6 May 1931Centre fielder, New York and San Francisco Giants. Mays is the model of the five-tool player: he hit for power and average, but his over-the-shoulder catch in the 1954 World Series is the most famous defensive play in baseball, and he won 12 Gold Gloves in centre field. He also led the league in…0i
  8. 8Roberto ClementeRoberto ClementeRight fielder, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1955 to 1972. Clemente's throwing arm made runners stop at third rather than test him, and he won 12 Gold Gloves and four batting titles. He reached exactly 3,000 hits in his last regular-season game before dying in a plane crash while taking relief to earthquake…0i
  9. 9Brooks RobinsonBrooks RobinsonBorn 18 May 1937Third baseman, Baltimore Orioles, 1955 to 1977. Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves at third base, where reactions matter more than range, and he was nicknamed "the Human Vacuum Cleaner". His diving stops in the 1970 World Series earned him the series MVP award and are still the best showcase…0i
  10. 10Sandy KoufaxSandy KoufaxPitcher, Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers, 1955 to 1966. Koufax's peak from 1962 to 1966 is among the most dominant in the game: he won three Cy Young Awards, led the league in earned run average five years running and threw four no-hitters, including a perfect game in 1965. Arthritis in his elbow…0i