Baseball has a rich history filled with legends. These legends have impacted the game of baseball and its culture to this day. From Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson, and Ted Williams to Yogi Berra, Roberto Clemente, Cal Ripken Jr., and Mark McGwire, all the players were great at what they did on the field and contributed superbly to their teams off the field.
As pitchers, we have the opportunity to be near these legends daily. From talking to players during pre-game meals and in massage rooms after each game, I feel like it’s my job as a pitcher to help them share their knowledge with us.
These baseball legends contributed best-of-best to their games and took them top of history.
If you look up their history creation performance, and career achievement, you will haven’t any doubt positioned them as the baseball legends. Here we (Top Baseball Reviews) write their performance, records, & other strengths and why we consider them legends in baseball.
Lets see about the all-time best baseball legends-
20. Cal Ripken Jr. (August 24, 1960)
Calvin Edwin Ripkin Jr. is an American-format professional baseball player. He’s nicknamed “The Iron Man” who played 21 years in major league baseball as a third baseman and shortstop, for Baltimore Orioles. Rapkin is one of the most productive players who compiled 3184 hits with 431 home runs, 1632 runs scored with .276 average runs, and batted in runs 1695 during his major league baseball career. Cal Rapkin was a two-time American League MVP and 19-times All-star award winner. Rapkin holds a record 2632 consecutive games played on MLB, 1983 world series champion, AL Rookie of the year & Roberto Clemente award 1982, twice golden glove award, and 8-time silver slugger award winner.
As a baseball superstar, he was Baltimore Orioles’ hall of fame, a member of the MLB all-century team, and a member of the national baseball hall of fame, the record 6th-highest (98.53%) election vote percentage ever.
19. Richie Ashburn (March 19, 1927 -September 9, 1997)
Don Richard Ashburn was nicknamed “Putt-Putt” “The Tilden Flash”, and “Whitey”. He was a professional American center-fielder in Major League Baseball. He was born in Tilden, Nebraska. Richie Ashburn was the center fielder of national champion Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and New York Mets.
Richie Ashburn was an outstanding baseball career. His lifetime batting average was .308 with 29 home runs and 2574 career hits. He was a six-time major league baseball all-star champion team member, 2-times NL batting champion, and NL stolen base leader. He is one of the great players of Phillies history and was Philadelphia’s wall of fame. He is the American National hall of fame and museum selected in 1995.
The baseball icon Ashburn has been passed away on September 9, 1997.
18. Ernie Banks (January 31, 1931- January 23, 2015)
Ernie banks nicknamed “Mr. Sunshine” and “Mr. Cub” was an American Professional Baseball Player. He was a shortstop and first baseman who played for the Chicago Cubs and Miami Marlins. Before his baseball career, he was a member of the American military as a private first-class officer. The Banks was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977, his first year of eligibility.
He is one of the most consistent hitters in baseball history. His batting average was over .300 for six consecutive seasons from 1951 to 1956 and completed with a .274 career batting average with 2583 hits. He also holds several other significant offensive records along with 2-time NL Most Valuable Player (MVP). In 1960 he won the golden glove award, and in 1958 and 1960, in two-season, he was NL’s home run leader, 2-times NL RBI leader, and so many records head. He is a member of the Major league all-century team, the Chicago Cubs hall of fame, and his signature achievement is the member of the National Hall of fame and museum.
Ernie Banks’s career records and achievements make him the champion baseball legend in baseball games history.
17. Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962-)
William Roger Clemens is a former American professional Major League Baseball pitcher. He was born in Houston, Texas, the United States to a Texan family of ex-outfielders including his father Cliff “. He’s nicknamed Rocket, who played two seasons in MLB, primarily with the “Boston Red Sox” and “New York Yankee” As a pitcher. Roger is one of the most dominant pitchers in MLB history.
He has a lot of records that are hard to beat, such as 254 Wins, 3.12 earned runs average, 2-world series champions, 2-triple crowns, 4 MLB win leaders, 5 AL strikeout leaders, and MLB record 20 strikeouts in a nine-inning game, and 9-league pennants. He set the record for most strikeouts in a season (K/9 – 8.93). Roger also holds the MLB record for most walks allowed per nine innings pitched (1.64).
He is a member of the Major league baseball all-century team selected by popular vote of fans. He has enlisted in the hall of fame of the Boston Red Sox voted by players, coaches, and managers.
We think he was a champion Baseball pitcher in baseball history. So, we also enlisted him as a baseball legend.
16. Cy Young (March 29, 1867- November 4, 1955)
Denton True Cy Young was a professional baseball player. He played in MLB as a pitcher. Cy Young started his career in the 1890 National league with Cleveland Spiders and played until 1898. After that, he transferred to St.Louis Cardinals. In 1901, he entered the American League and played for the Boston Red sox until 1908, helping to win the 1903 world series. He also played for Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers.
Cy Young was the hardest-throwing pitcher in his early career. After diminishing his speed, he relied on his control and remained effective into his forties. After his retirement, he was numerous pitching records, and some of his pitches stood for over a century. He holds some never-to-be-forgotten MLB records that are most career win with 511, along with most career losses, innings pitched, games started, and completed games. He had leads in wins during his five seasons.
For giving him the honor started the “Cy Young Award” for best pitcher each season. His career win-loss record is 511-315, Earned run average 2.63, total career strikeouts 2803, 7356 career innings pitched, 815 career games started, 749 games completed, and 25 1/3 consecutive hitless innings pitched. He had a five-time record win leader, 2-time ERA Leader, two-time strikeout leader, 1901 Triple crown winner, and 1903 world series champion.
As a baseball megastar, he was honored by different clubs and the overall baseball world. He is the hall of fame of Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians, a member of the MLB all-century team, and he became a member of the national baseball hall of fame in 1937.
15. Mike Trout (August 7, 1991-
Mike Trout is an American professional baseball center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, playing Number #27 of MLB. The Angels selected Trout in the first round of the 2009 MLB draft, and he made a brief MLB appearance in 2011 to become a regular player. Trout won the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year award unanimously.
Mike Trout is a nine-time MLB all-star, Three-time AL MBP (winning the award in 2014,16,19 and second in 2012, 13,14,& 2018), and is an eight-time winner of the Silver Slugger award. Trout’s athleticism on the field has received praise from both mainstream media and sabermetricians. He is considered one most outstanding young baseball players in the history of baseball, as well as one of the best current baseball players in all MLB.
If you consider Trout’s statistics to date, his total hits 1458, Home runs 321, and a batting average of .305 with a total batted run of 839. He has led American leagues on runs 2-time, and time on bases four-time. He is one of the best current baseball players. He achieved many exceptional records and is to be continued. In 2019, he signed a 12 years contract with a record $426 with Los Angeles Angles is the second richest contract in North American sports history and 3rd richest contract among professionals. Now he played for them.
We consider him a baseball legend to his overall career achievements and capability to make the games for his team.
14. Walter Johnson (November 6, 1887-December 10, 1946)
Walter Perry Johnson nicknamed “Barney” and “The Big Train” was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played 1907-1927 MLB for Washinton Senators as a right-handed pitcher. After his major league baseball career, he served 4- years as a manager of Senators and 3-years in Cleveland Indiens until 1935.
Walter Johnson was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and died in Washington, D.C. Walter started playing organized baseball at the age of nine with the Ripon Trojans AA team, where showed his stuff by throwing a 97 mph fastball. Later that year, Walter signed on with a semi-pro team in Fargo, North Dakota called the Brewsters and broke into a professional ball as an 18-year-old for the Class A Spokane Indians of the Western League.
Walter Johnson finished his rookie season with a record of 16-8, 3508 strikeouts, and an ERA of 2.17.
His career win-loss record is 417-279, two-time most valuable player award,3-times Tripple crown, 6-times AL wins leader, 5 times AL ERA leader winner. He is a member of the MLB all-century team, MLB all-time team, and Washington Nationals Ring of Honour. He has become A member of the National Baseball hall of fame and museum.
The Big train was the premier power pitcher of his era. He has recorded as Pitching a no-hit on July 1, 1920, and was a great rookie. As baseball lovers, we couldn’t forget him, such a legendary baseball player.
13. Mickey Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995)
Mickey Charles Mantle was an American professional baseball hero. Nicknamed “The Commerce Comet” and “the Mick” he played a different position in his MLB career. During his entire 18-year, Major league career (1951-1968) played for New York Yankees as a center fielder, right fielder, and first baseman. Mantle was one of the best players and sluggers, he is regarded by many as the greatest switch player in baseball history.
The mantle is one of the baseball players, who have many outstanding records that are still unbroken. The mantle is one of the great threats for any center fielder in baseball. He is the second-highest career OPS+ among all center fielders (first Mike Trout), and he had the highest percentage of stolen-base end of his career. He is a member of the All-century team in comparison to four other center fielders on the all-century team. He had the lowest career rate of grounding into double plays.
Mantle won the Triple Crown award in 1956, when he led the major leagues in batting average (.353), home runs (52), runs batted in (RBI) (130), and his overall career batting average.298, Home runs 536, runs scored 1676, stolen base 153, runs batted in 1509, and career hits 2415. He was 16 seasons all-star, won a three-time AL MVP award, golden glove once, 7-times world series champion, 4-time home runs leader, etc.
He was a member of the national baseball hall of fame, Monument park honoree, and MLB all-century team, and he died in 1995 from liver cancer. He was a true baseball legend in his position.
12. Rogers Hornsby (April 27, 1896- January 5, 1963)
Rogers Hornsby Sr. was an American and one of the best baseball legendary players nicknamed “The Rajah” who played as a second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. Rogers played MLB for 23 years on different professional baseball clubs and also play the role of a Manager. Rogers played in St.Louis Cardinals, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Chicago Cubes, and St. Louis Browns during his MLB career. He won NL Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice and was a member of the World Series team.
Rogers was regarded as one of the best hitters of all-time in baseball history. In his outstanding career, he had hit 2930 hits and 301 home runs, his batting average career is .358 (Third all-time MLB history), 1584 runs batted in, and a career winning percentage of .463. The Rajah won two “Triple Crowns” and batted .400 or more, batting on average three-time in his career. In 1922, he was a record- as the only player who hit 40 home runs and 0.400 batting average simultaneously. In the 1924 season, achieved a .424 batting average, a mark that no players can reach to date. He is also a 7-time NL batting champion, 2-time NL home run leader, and 4-time NL RBI leader.
He holds the position of Hall of fame of St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubes. He had selected as a member of the MLB all-century team and all-time team and a member of the national baseball hall of fame. To consider his career achievement, we have positioned him on our top 20 baseball legends list.
11. Honus Wagner (February 24, 1874 – December 6, 1955)
Honus Wagner was an American professional baseball player. He’s nicknamed “The Flying Dutchman” for his speed and Garmen heritage “Hans” and “Wagner” played different positions in his MLB career. During his 23-year Major league career (1897-1917) played for Pittsburgh Pirates and Louisville Colonels as a short-stop right-fielder and first baseman.
Wagner has achieved many more records in his career, and some remain unbroken. In 1911, Wagner won his 8th batting title, and a national league record remains unprevented. This record was matched in 1997 by Tony Gywnn. Wagner also six-time led the league in slugging and was the 5-time stolen base leader. His 21-year MLB career batting average is .329, total hits 3430 with 101 home Runs, Runs batted in 1732, and 722 stolen bases. He was world series champion in 1909, 8-time NL batting champion, five-time NL RBI leader, and NL stolen base leader five-time.
The all-time great Shortstop Honus was a member of the MLB all-time century team, MLB all-time team, and National baseball hall of fame. You can understand what class Wagner holds by the comments of Babe Ruth about great baseball legends Wagner- At the shortstop position, there is only one candidate, the immortal Honus Wagner. He was just head and shoulders above anyone else in that position.
10. Greg Maddux (Born April 14, 1966-)
Greg Alan Maddux was an American professional baseball player and former MLB pitcher, and now he is a college baseball coach. He is a pitching coach at the University of Nevada, Los Vegas. Greg had 23 years of MLB career playing for the Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs. In 1995 he won the world series for the Braves. The first to achieve several records and feats, he was the first pitcher in MLB history. Who won Cy Young Award for four consecutive years. During these four years, he had 75-29 records and an ERA of 1.98 while allowing less than one base runner per innings.
Greg is the only pitcher in major league baseball history to win at least 15 games for 17 straight seasons, had the record for most gold gloves winners with 18, and most putouts by a pitcher with 546. As a pitcher, Maddux won more games than other pitchers during the 1990 season, and he’s 8th on the all-time career wins with 355. Since the start of the post-1920 only live-ball-era, only Warren Spahn recorded more career wins than Maddux.
Maddux was the most wins among pitchers who doubt before the second world war. He is one of ten pitchers ever to achieve the record of both 300 wins and 3000 strikeouts. The win-loss records were 355-227, ERA 3.16, and 3371 strikeouts. He wins a 4-time NL Cy Young award, 18-time gold gloves award, 3-time MLB wins leader, and 4-time MLB ERA leader. He ends his career at Chicago Cubs 31. He is in the hall of fame of the Chicago Cubs, and Braves. He is also a Member of the National Hall of fame. He is a living baseball legend and baseball training legend too.
9. Joe Dimaggio (Nov 25, 1914-March 8,1999)
Joseph Pual Dimaggio was the New York Yankee’s centerfielder, known as “Joltin, Joe” and “The Yankee Clipper”. He chooses his career as a baseball player to avoid floundering as a fisherman. His father was an Italian immigrant. Dimaggio started his career for the Yankees after the 2nd world war when the Yankees won nine times the World Series. During this winning time, he was an outstanding performer, those 56-game hitting streak record in 1941 still stands.
He was right-handedly batted and threw. His MLB debut on New York Yankees was on May 3, 1936, and the last match was on September 30, 1951. He has an excellent MLB career record, a batting average of .325, Hits- 2214, 361 Home Runs, and Runs batted in 1537.
He is a 9-times World Series champion, 13 all-star, 3-times Major league Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP), 2-times AL batting Champion, 2-times AL home run leader, and many more awards. He was a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum since the 1955 election.
His career achievements and records indicate he was a true baseball legend.
8. Stan Musial (November 21, 1920 – January 19, 2013)
Stanislaw Franciszek Musial nicknamed “Stan the Man” was an American Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 22-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1947–63), helping them win record eight National League pennants and three World Series titles. He is considered by many to have been the best right fielder in Major league history. He has widely been considered one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history. His records are 3-time Major league baseball most valuable player award, 7-times NL batting champion, double NL RBI leader, etc.
Musial was selected Major league baseball all-century team in 1999, and he was the first-ballot inductee into the national baseball hall of fame and museum.
If we find the quality and history of baseball legends, everything had into the Stan Musial. So, their no doubt he was a baseball superstar.
7. Barry Bonds (Born July 24, 1964-
Barry bands received record-7 NL MVP awards and 12 silver sluggers awards with 14 all-star selections. He has received 8- times golden gloves & a 12-time silver slugger award, 3-times NL Hank Aaron award, 2-times NL batting champion, and 2-times NL home run leader. Besides that, he achieved a lot of awards and made some outstanding records in his career.
He has 762 career home runs with 73 home runs in a single season, 2558 career bases on balls with 232 bases on balls in a single season, and many more records.
His overall records say- he is a true baseball legend, and the baseball world considers him a baseball hero.
6. Ty Cobb (December 18, 1886- July 17, 1961)
Tyrus Raymond Cobb was an American Professional baseball player who was a major league baseball outfielder. His nicknamed “The Georgia Peach” who spent 22-seasons as Detroit Tigers, and the last six seasons as a player-manager. He finished his career in Philadelphia Athletics.
In 1936, Cobb became into a Baseball hall of fame by receiving 98.2% votes which were 222 votes out of 226. It was a records no players got higher votes until Tom Seaver in 1992. World-famous sports-related newspaper “Sporting News” ranked him 3rd position their “Baseball’s 100 greatest players” list.
Ty Cobb has credited 90 MLB records during his career. His combined total scored 4065 runs, and runs-batted-in after added home runs scored is still the highest ever produced by any major league baseball player. We are in the modern era still he holds several world records including the highest career batting average, is .366, most career batting titles 12, most career games played 3035, etc.
He won 12 times AL batting champion award, AL MVP 1911, Triple Crown 1909, 6-times AL stolen bases that are 892, as younger players compile 4000 hits and career hits 4189 and scored 2000 runs. He was a member of the most National hall of fame since 1936.
5. Ted Williams (August 30, 1918- July 5, 2002)
Ted Williams was a professional baseball player and baseball manager. His major league baseball career was 19 years long. He played Boston Red Sox from 1939 to 1960, his career was interrupted by the 2nd world war and the Korean war for military service. “Teddy Ballgame” “The Kid”, “The Splendid Splinter” and “The Thumper” are the different nicked names used for Ted Williams.
Williams recorded 19-times All-star, a twice Most Valuable Player, led the American League in home runs 4-times (1941, 1942,1947 and 1949), won ten batting titles, Six times Al- batting champion, MLB batting average of .344, 521 career home runs, and finished with 2654 career hits. He holds many other records, including the record for most seasons leading the league in hits (12). with outstanding records are .482 OBP.
He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox and San Diago Padre’s Hall of Fame and a member of Major League Baseball all-century team and Major League Baseball all-time team, and MLB hall of fame and museum member since 1966 selected to got 93.4 percent first ballot.
4. Willie Mays (Born May 6, 1931-
Willie Howard Mays Jr. is an American former professional baseball center fielder nicknamed “Tha Say hey kid” and “Buck”. He spent almost 22-season as a professional Major League Baseball player for the Sun Francisco Giants (1951-52 and 1952-1972). He finished his career with the New York Mets in 1973. He is considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time in history.
He has several outstanding records since his doubt on MLB in 1951 for the New York/ San Francisco Giants. His 660 Home runs and a batting average of .302 is the sixth most of all time with 3283 hits. His batted-in runs are 1903 and stolen base 338. He holds MLB records for most putouts 7095 and extra innings home runs 22. Willie Mays has selected 24 all-star games that are second-most of all times. 12-times gold gloves award, 4- times home runs leader, hits 4-home runs in a game.
He is in the Sun Francisco Giants hall of fame and a member of the Major league baseball all-time century team. The Sporting News list of all 100-greatest players in 1999, he holds second position only behind Baby Ruth. He was a member of the national baseball hall of fame since 1979. He was awarded by President Barak Obama the “presidential medal of freedom” in 2015.
3. Lou Gehrig (June 19, 1903-June 2, 1941)
Henry Louis Gehrig was a professional baseball player who played for New York Yankees for 17 seasons in MLB as a first baseman. He’s nicknamed “The Iron Horse” and was renowned for his strength as a hitter and his durability. He won the All-star award seven consecutive times in a row, was won the Triple Crown award once, was a member of the six-world series champion team, and won the two-time MVP award in the American League. He had 2721, 493 home runs with .340 average runs, and runs scored 1888 with 1995 runs-batted-in. Besides that, his slugging average was .632 and a .447 on-base average. He was a 3-time AL Home run leader and 5-time AL RBI leader. He’s one of the unique records is 4-home run hits in a single game.
He was NYY captain from 1935 to 1939 and retired as number 4. He holds numerous honors as Monument Park honoree, member of MLB all-century team, MLB all-time team, and a member of the national baseball hall of fame in 1939 by a specially arranged vote. Baseball writers association of America voted Gehrig the greatest first baseman of all time.
2. Hank Aaron (February 5, 1934- January 22, 2021)
Henry Louis “Hank” Aaron is an American professional baseball player whose nickname- is “Hammer” or “Hammerin Hank”. He was a baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in MLB from 1954 to 1976. Aaron had a long reputation as one of the greatest baseball players. He had played in MLB for Milwaukee/Atlanta Breves.
Aaron holds the record for most home runs in a career (755) and is second on the all-time total rbi list with 3,817 broke Babe Ruth’s career home run record on April 8, 1974, at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1975. He also won seven AL MVP Awards, 3 Gold Gloves Awards (the most ever by a right fielder), and 3 World Series Championships with Milwaukee (1958, 1975, and 1982). He was also the first player ever to be named MVP of both leagues. He has been involved in charity work and served as a spokesperson for MLB’s campaign against human trafficking.
He had awarded Braves hall of fame, American family field walk hall of fame, Milwaukee Brewer’s wall of honor, MLB all-century team, and the national baseball hall of fame and museum.
He is considered one of the best baseball right fielders in history. So undoubtedly, he was a true baseball legend in baseball history.
1. Babe Ruth (February 6, 1895-August 16,1948) ( Our #1 Baseball Legends)
George Herman Babe Ruth Jr. was an American former MLB Baseball player. His nicknamed was “The Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”. He has spent 22 years of Major League baseball from 1914 to 1935. Although he has begun his career as a star left-hand pitcher for the Boston Red sox, his highest achievement from New York Yankees is as a Slugging outfielder. Babe is considered the all-time greatest Sports hero for American culture, and many people considered him the Number-1 Baseball player in baseball history.
Babe Ruth earns many outstanding recode in his career. He twice won 23-games in a season as a pitcher and is a member of the Red Sox’s three World Series championship team. Babe broke the MLB single-season home run record in 1919. He is the first inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also had 7-times World Series champions, 13 All-Star Game appearances, and 12-times voted best fielding position (center fielder). In 1937 he came to the limelight again after the death of President Washington star Harry S Truman when Babe Ruth died.
In June 1922, Babe played his last game. In 1999, Ruth was ranked first on the SportinNewss’ annual “All-Time Baseball Team.
He is the only individual to earn in the National and World Famine halls of fame. In 1936 Babe spent his last two seasons with Baltimore Orioles, where he had 2283 hits (eighth-best all-time) in 2185 at-bats, which was a record achievement.
Ruth hits 714 Home runs, a batting average of .342, which is the sixth-most of all time with 2873 hits. His batted-in runs are 2214. Besides that, Babe achieved many more baseball records in his career, which is still remarkable.
He is in the Boston Red Sox’s Hall of fame, a member of the Major league baseball all-time century team & a Major league Baseball all-time team. In sporting news’s list of all 100-greatest players in 1999, Number#1 positioned Baby Ruth. He has been a member of the national baseball hall of fame since 1936. He was awarded by President Donald Trump the “Presidential medal of freedom” in 2018.
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