MLB’s Ten Best Hitters of All-Time (Pete Rose .org)

 

 

Even the unfortunates among us who do not follow baseball are able to name at least two of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Hank Aaron and Ty Cobb would probably be top of the list and rightly so, because that’s just where they both are. But there’s another great whose name may not have been mentioned because of the controversy which, to this day still follows him everywhere – Pete Rose!

 

Forever denied his place in baseball’s Hall of Fame because of his gambling on major league baseball games, Pete Rose is forbidden to darken the doors of any ballpark and is prohibited from engaging in anything connected with professional baseball. His name is anathema, his personal reputation approaches that of a convicted serial killer and everywhere he goes, he is recognized, not for his unmatched achievements in Major League Baseball records - but for having feet of clay!

 

Bud Selig, MLB’s Commissioner has refused to overturn Pete Rose’s lifetime ban from the Hall, but hey, Selig’s due to retire in 2012! Is it possible that under a new Commissioner, Pete might have an opportunity to step up and walk proudly through those hallowed doors to take his rightful place among his fellow baseball heroes? We shall have to wait and see!

 

Voted one of the One Hundred greatest baseball players of all time, Pete Rose was allowed a one-time exception to his lifetime ban so that he could participate in the award ceremonies. He is the only major league player to have played at least five hundred games in each of his five positions on the field and is a self-taught switch hitter, batting left-handed during the last few years of his career. He has been selected for the All-Star Team seventeen times, has won three World Series and two Golden gloves in addition to pretty well every other baseball award there is to win.

 

Pete Rose played 3,562 career games and scored 4,256 career hits – more than any other player, ever. He broke Ty Cobb's record of 4,191 hits on September 11, 1985 with a single to left-centre field off San Diego Padres’ pitcher, Eric Show and ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” named Pete Rose as its Athlete of the Year in 1985.

 

Pete Rose is now seventy years old. He’s done and won everything in Major League Baseball and perhaps it’s time that MLB forgave Pete Rose. His millions of fans forgave him years ago and his misdeeds have long been overshadowed by the more recent – and perhaps more serious transgressions of other MLB players in today’s headlines.

 

It’s time, MLB, it’s time!

 

Number Two in career hits is the unmatched Ty Cobb with 4,189 career hits (some say 4,192). He held the title of most career hits for almost fifty years and his record was considered “unbreakable” for most of that time. Pete Rose broke it in 1985 and has held the title ever since.

Ty Cobb – the Georgia Peach, was racist, abrasive and controversial. It’s been said that he regarded baseball as something like a war – every time at bat was a crusade for him!  He was driven to win – and he did. There’s the story of his close friendship with Shoeless Joe Jackson who, in 1911 held a .009 lead in batting average over Cobb. Ty was determined to break that lead and he did so by ignoring his friend both on and off the field. Shoeless Joe became so upset over this treatment that his batting average dropped to .408 – and Ty’s was .420! Probably one of the first times a player used “mind games” to overcome a rival!

Ty Cobb started the Ballplayers Fraternity, now known as the Major League Baseball Players Association and was a legendary player throughout his 28 years in baseball. He was thoroughly disliked within the baseball community, even by his own teammates as well as management. He expected as much from other players as he gave, a standard most players couldn't meet.

He is credited with setting 90 MLB records throughout his career and to this day, still holds many of them, depending on your source. Until Pete Rose broke his record in 1985, Ty Cobb held the record for most career hits (4,191), the highest career batting average of .367, the most career runs (2,246) until 1974 and a slew of other records and achievements, most of which remained unbroken  years after his death in 1961 at the age of 74.

And what about the great Hank Aaron? Is there anyone, baseball fan or not, who has not heard of Hammerin’ Hank? He was the legendary player who finally broke the career home run record set by Babe Ruth in 1969. He almost tied the Babe’s record of 714 in 1973 but he ran out of season! He spent the winter, fearing for his life as the result of the hate-mail and death threats he received; yes, racism was alive and well! He even wrote himself an obituary in case one of the threats were carried out - as the 1974 season loomed, it was certain that the great Babe’s record of 714 homers was going down the tubes.

Hank tied the record in one of the early season games! Then, when it seemed that baseball history was going to be made, almost fifty-four thousand fans showed up to witness it. On April 8, 1974, at Turner Field, Hank Louis Aaron hit his 715^th career home run number off Dodgers’ pitcher Al Downing.

Hank received a standing ovation that wonderful day – an unprecedented occasion when a black man’s triumph was celebrated in the American Deep South!

Hank Aaron went on to hit 755 career home runs and ended his twenty-three year career on October 6, 1976. But this article is supposed to be about the player who scored the most career hits – and Hank Aaron occupies number one spot along with Pete Rose (please verify; wiki says otherwise) with his 3,771 career hits.

Ted (Kid) Williams was a real-life American hero and not only to baseball. He departed the Major Leagues twice during his baseball career to serve in the military, missing two full seasons. Despite his absences, Ted Williams was determined he was going to be known as “the greatest hitter who ever lived.” A born batter, he studied hitting and used a lighter bat than most hitters to achieve a faster swing. He never left his bat on the ground, fearing it would absorb moisture and become heavier. His dedication to perfection allowed him to hit for both power and batting average and in 1970, he wrote a book on the subject – “The Science of Hitting,” which is still used as a textbook by many of today’s players – over forty years later!

During his twenty-one years in Major League Baseball, Ted played for one team only; the Boston Red Sox and during his career with them, he slugged 2,654 career hits.  At the end of his career, his batting average stood at .344 and his best season was in 1941 when his average was .400.  

Ted Williams was voted eighth by Sporting News on their List of 100 Greatest Baseball Players in 1999, three years before his death in 2002, aged 83. He was selected nineteen times for the All-Stars and earned two MVP awards. In 1957, he hit .388, leading the League and the following year, at the advanced age of forty, he led again with a .328 batting average. His baseball injuries caused him to sit out many games and he retired from active play in September, 1960. But he did not go quietly; hitting a home run in his final at-bat, the occasion caused author John Updike to write an essay for the New Yorker, entitled “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu.”

On November 18, 1991, Ted Williams was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush. Ted Williams’ batting stance is considered text-book perfect and is still used as a reference in training by today’s coaches.

In his later years, Ted suffered from several heart-related problems and had a pacemaker installed in 2000. In 2001, he underwent open-heart surgery and later, fell victim to a series of strokes and heart attacks. You can see a statue to him, just outside Fenway Park as well as a plaque in the Boston Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1966. Ted Williams once stated that the greatest team he ever played for was the U.S. Marine Corps.

Babe Ruth holds fourth place on our list of MLB’s Greatest Hitters – but holds first place in most fans’ hearts! He has been voted the greatest baseball player ever in the history of the game by several surveys and his home run totals, together with his power hitting made him a larger-than-life personality in the nineteen-twenties! The most recognized sports hero by those who weren’t even around when the Babe was wowing crowds at baseball games, he was the first real American sports superstar whose fame surpassed even baseball.

He was the first player to hit 60 home runs in one season, a record which stood inviolate until broken by Roger Maris, nearly thirty-five years later. His career total of 714 home runs remained unassailable until Hank Aaron scored 715 in 1974 – almost forty years later!

But Babe Ruth started out as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1914. In 1919 he became right fielder for the New York Yankees and was one of the most prolific hitters in baseball, winning seven pennants and four World Series titles during his fifteen years with the team. He played briefly for the Boston Braves in 1935 and retired the following year, having scored 2,873 career hits with a batting average of .342.

Because of Babe Ruth, the face of baseball changed completely in the nineteen-twenties. He was a major part of the live-ball era because of his huge swing which increased the number of home run totals, helping baseball’s advance from a low-scoring speed-game to a much higher scoring power game. And few were more powerful than the Babe! He was the Godfather of the home run as he spearheaded the change in baseball strategies from the “inside game” to the “power game” because of his style and his incredible power. Most of his homers were beyond the 450 – 500 foot range and gave rise to the description “ruthian” which was applied to any supersonically long home run, hit by any player.

It is thought that his deepest hit in an official game was one he slugged on July 18, 1921 in Detroit – possibly the longest home run of any player, ever! This one was to straightaway centre, over the wall of the bleachers and to the intersection – 575 feet from home!

He dominated the World Series in 1923, batting .368, scored eight runs, hit three home runs and hit 1,000 as well as eight walks. The New York Yankees won their first World Series, four games to two – thanks to the Babe! And as well as for power, Babe Ruth hit for average; his .342 batting is the tenth highest in baseball history. In 1923, an unforgettable baseball season, he hit .393, a record for the Yankees. But his .690 career slugging percentage remains a Major League record to this day.

But the Babe did not take very good care of himself. Noticeably overweight in 1933, he nevertheless made the All-Star team for that year and the following one. But by this time, Ruth had achieved a personal goal of his own – 700 career home runs and was getting ready to retire from major league baseball. He wanted to manage the New York Yankees but personal differences with the owners put paid to that. He finally joined the Boston Braves as the team was in deep financial difficulty and it was thought that having Babe Ruth in the lineup would attract the fans to the ballpark. But it didn’t work for long – although the Babe could still hit, he could not do much else as his health continued to deteriorate. His last major league game was against the Philadelphia Flyers on May 25 and he retired a few days later.

Babe Ruth was one of the first five players elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Following his retirement, he coached first base for a short while and played some charity games. He also did a great deal of radio work into the 1940’s as a guest and with his own programs – The Adventures of Babe Ruth being just one of them. He played a number of roles in baseball movies, either as himself or as a ballplayer such as himself.

In 1946, he was diagnosed with a tumour in his neck and underwent surgery for it, losing 80 pounds in post-operative radiation treatments. A new drug was tried, producing dramatic results and Babe Ruth was able to attend “Babe Ruth Day” at Yankee Stadium on April 27, 1947. But the following year, the cancer returned. In June, he attended the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opening of Yankee Stadium (The House that Ruth Built) and a photograph was taken of him, from behind, using a baseball bat as a cane.

Babe Ruth died on August 16, 1948 aged just 53. His contributions to baseball are incalculable and over the sixty years following his death, he and the game he lived for are still the subject of debates, arguments and fond memories.

Stan Musial is the fifth on our list of Baseball’s Ten Best Hitters, with 3,630 career hits earning him his membership in the 3,000 Hits Club! But where in his life should we start reviewing his illustrious career, his impeccable example as a role model and his quiet modesty. Broadcaster Bob Costas described him thus, "Stan Musial represents more than two decades of sustained excellence and complete decency as a human being." Surely there is no greater compliment paid, especially by a sports boradcaster!

Stan “The Man” Musial is the “gentleman” of baseball; gracious with his fans, his colleagues and the management; rather shy and quiet. But when Stan took his place on the batters’ plate, he morphed into one of the greatest and most aggressive hitters in baseball with his unique batter’s stance. You can see a bronze statue of him, outside Busch Stadium which captures the essence of his signature stance perfectly! He was able to hit consistently to left field as a result of baseball practice as a child, where he used a broomstick and a ball of tape as a ball. He rarely missed a pitch and this became his greatest weapon, causing him to be named one of the top 100 baseball players ever. Stan was chosen for the All-Star team twenty-four times, named MVP three times, and played in three World Series championship teams.

Stan Musial’s batting average was .331 at the end of his career and he retired from active play in 1973, aged of 53 and was appointed as General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, the only team he ever played with. As GM, he won the pennant and the World Series and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969, the first year he was eligible. He won over 95% of the ballot on the first vote.

 

He ranked tenth on The Sporting News' list of the One Hundred Greatest Baseball Players and quiet, retiring Stan Musial frequently played the harmonica at public gatherings, such as the annual Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony and various charity events, throughout the 1990’s. Stan Musial was selected for MLB’s All-Century Team in 1999 at the age of 79.

 

And in February 2011, President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award given to a civilian.  Stan “The Man” Musial is still enjoying his retirement at the great age of 91 years.

Tony Gwynn is our sixth player to earn a place in MLB’S Ten Best Hitters with his career total of 3,141 hits – and he’s considered to be the best baseball player ever to wear a Padres jersey, having played his entire career for that team. He earned his place in the 3,000 Hits Club in 1999, exactly six years to the day after he scored his 2,000^th hit! He’s also considered one of the best bunters who ever picked up a baseball bat. Tony Gwynn built his illustrious career on his consistency as a contact hitter.  He aimed his hits at the “5.5 hole,” a spot in between the third baseman and shortstop - and rarely missed!

He studied his batting form voraciously – constantly searching for ways to improve his performance and spending hours watching and analyzing videos of his own game as well as those of other great players. This hard work paid off for Tony Gwynn, evidenced by e earned hishis fifteen selections for All-Star, five Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers, the Roberto Clemente Award, the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award and the Branch Rickey Award. He retired from professional baseball in 2001 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007, garnering almost 100% of the vote! He is now the head baseball coach at San Diego State University and was also a part-time analyst for ESPN. Recently, he started working as an expert analyst for Yahoo Sports and sits in for play-by-play during Padres games on the San Diego channel. He also assists in broadcasting post-season baseball games for TBS.

Number seven on our list, Tris Speaker broke his right arm as a child which forced him to throw using his left hand. He remainede a left-handed player for the rest of his career and retired with so many baseball achievements to his credit that he more than deserves his place on this List.

Sadly, he is rarely remembered these days as his last appearance in professional baseball was in 1928. He is considered one of the best offensive and defensive centre fielders in MLB history and finished his career with a batting average of .345 (fourth all-time). He still holds the record of 792 career doubles to this day and his records for assists, double plays, and unassisted double plays by an outfielder still stand as well. He became a member of the 3,000 Hits Club in 1925 and scored a total of 3,515 hits in his baseball career. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1937, he was advisor, coach and scout for the Cleveland Indians until his death in 1958.

Carl Yastrzemski was understandably given the nickname of “Yaz” by his Boston Red Sox teammates, with whom he played his entire, twenty-three year professional career. He replaced the great Ted Williams on the team – tough act to follow! But follow it he did, throwing right handed and batting left and Yaz achieved his 3,000^th hit on September 12, 1979. His total number of career hits was 3,419 and his achievements are legion; selected for the All-Star team eighteen times! Seven Gold Gloves, member of the 3,000 Hits Club and 452 home runs! 1967 was the Year of Yaz - he reached his peak, leading the Red Sox to the American League Pennant for the first time in more than twenty years. And in that year, he was also voted MVP and was the last winner of the batters’ Triple Crown in the major leagues. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1989 with 95% of the vote – pretty remarkable! He shares a record with one other player - Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles – that of having the longest career with just one team – twenty-three seasons! He was number 72 in “The Sporting News” listing of the One Hundred Greatest Baseball Players in 1999 and was also a finalist in MLB’s All-Century Team.

Carl works as a roving instructor with his old team, the Boston Red Sox and he was chosen to throw the first pitch in Game One of both the 2004 and 2007 World Series.  He underwent a successful triple bypass procedure in 2008 and continues working with the Sox, instructing those who consider him their hero.

Willie Mays is next on our List!  The one, the only! The complete player! Jerry Green of the Detroit News recently wrote,

“Willie Mays just turned 80 years old! The ‘Say Hey Kid’ is now an octogenarian – a damn good place to be. And forever he will dwell in my mind as the greatest baseball player who ever lived.ADGRPID:|SERVTYPE: Greater than Babe Ruth. Greater than Ty Cobb. Greater than Ted Williams. Greater than Barry Bonds, his godson!

Greatest baseball player because there are few true five-tool players! And Willie Mays did all five with such superb skill and finesse: hitting for average, hitting with power, running, fielding, throwing. Maybe he had six tools; enthusiasm! Willie Mays played ballgames with a kid's joy and gaiety that he brought with him to the New York Giants as a rookie 60 years ago this month.

Willie Mays had that magic.”

Willie Mays earned his place in the 3,000 Hits Club in July, 1970 and completed his magical career with the New York Mets, scoring 3,283 career hits and 660 home runs! Of his many achievements, one stands out in the collective memory of all baseball fans – “The Catch!” During Game One of the 1954 World Series, Willie Mays performed a miracle; a running grab in deep center field! It lives as one of baseball’s most unforgettable plays, stopping two Cleveland Indians runners from scoring and resulted in a tied game. The Giants won the game in the tenth inning, with Mays scoring the winning run.

He earned twenty-four All-Star selections and two All-Star game MVP’s. His twelve Gold Gloves, his World Series championship, his membership in the MLB All-Century Team plus his innumerable awards earned him his place in the Hall of Fame, in 1979, on the first ballot.  The irreverent New York Daily News columnist Dick Young wrote, "If Jesus Christ were to show up with his old baseball glove, some guys wouldn't vote for him. He dropped the cross three times, didn't he?"

Willie returned to the New York Mets for the last two years of his career, appearing in 133 games and was the oldest regular position player in baseball. He was also the oldest to appear in a World Series game.

 

His recognitions continue; on May 15, 2010, Mays was awarded the MLB Beacon of Life Award at the Civil Rights game at Great American Ballpark.

Willie Mays has earned the right to be called the greatest ballplayer of all time. May he live forever!

And our Number Ten on this list – Cal Ripken Jr. Faithful to the Baltimore Orioles for his entire twenty-one year professional career, Cal was known as the “Iron Man!” 

Probably his best-known achievement is his record 2,632 straight games over seventeen seasons which lasted from May 30, 1982 to September 20, 1998. He succeeded in breaking Lou Gehrig’s 56 year-old record of 2,130 consecutive games played, on September 6, 1995 – a record which most people, even those who know these things, considered to be unbreakable! Cal’s standing ovation at that game lasted for twenty-two minutes, one of the longest for any athlete in any sport. During the ovation, the shy, retiring Ripken was shoved out of the dugout by his teammates and ordered to take a victory lap around the stadium, shaking hands and creating an unforgettable piece of video which has been replayed repeatedly in the ensuing years.

Then, on June 14, 1996, he broke the world record of 2,216 consecutive games played and the record-holder was at the game to behold it!

Cal Ripken, Jr’s membership in the 3,000 Hits Club, his nineteen All-Star selections, his two Gold Gloves awards and his place in MLB’s All-Century team have made this humble, soft-spoken man a superstar. His towering presence (6 ft 4 in and 225 lb) gave lie to the belief that shortstops should be small and fast on their feet.

Together with his brother he formed the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation to give underprivileged children the opportunity to attend baseball camps around the country and learn the game. And in 2005, the Orioles honoured Cal Ripken on the tenth anniversary of his 2,131st consecutive game. After the top of the 5th inning, the numbers 2130 on the warehouse behind the stadium changed to 2131, just as they had on September 6, 1995. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in January, 1997, just eight votes short of unanimous selection (537 out of 545 ballots cast).

Oops – yes! We’re supposed to be writing about the Ten Best Hitters, aren’t we? Cal Ripken scored 3,189 hits during his career. He also grabbed 1,078 extra-base hits! Since his retirement from active play in 2001, Cal has involved himself in many charities, foundations and fund-raisers, most of them concerned with making sports available to inner-city children and fostering international diplomacy.

And just here’s one more record for Cal Ripken according to Wiki – did you know that in 1981, he participated in the longest professional baseball game ever played? It lasted a full 33 innings which took eight and a half hours to finish!

So there we go! It will be interesting to see who would be posted on this List twenty years from now!  I can wait and so can you!