We have six current players on this part of our top 1,000 MLB players list. We also have a couple of Hall-of-Famers as well as a few nasty left-handed pitchers. Let's get back into our journey as we crack the top 800 MLB players of all time.
Be sure to check out the rest of our series: MLB 976-1,000 | 951-975 | 926-950 | 901-925 | 876-900 |850-875 | 826-850 | 801-825 | 751-775
#800 - Bobby Bonilla - Third Base/Outfield - 1986-2001
While he may be better known for the day named after him on July 1 as the New York Mets still pay him $1.9 million until 1935, Bonilla could swing the bat. From 1987-1997, he slashed .287/.363/.497 and averaged 26 home runs and 103 RBIs per 162. He finished second in MVP voting in 1990 and third in 1991. Bonilla was a six-time All-Star and drove in 100 runs four times.
#799 - Dwayne Murphy - Centerfield - 1978-1989
Murphy was the premier defensive centerfielder in the 1980s. He won six straight Gold Gloves from 1980-1985. Murphy was no slouch on offense either. For a decade from 1979-1988, he slashed .248/.357/.403 and averaged 21 home runs and 14 stolen bases per 162. In 1982, Murphy had 27 home runs and 26 stolen bases. He also set a career-high of 94 RBIs that season.
#798 - Earl Torgeson - First Base - 1947-1961
While Torgeson had an up-and-down career due to multiple injuries, his overall body of work is very good. He had his best season in 1950 when he slashed .290/.412/.472 with 23 home runs and 15 stolen bases. Torgeson also led the league with 120 runs scored that year. The big first baseman followed that up in 1951 with career highs in home runs (24), stolen bases (20), and RBIs (92). He finished his career slashing .265/.385/.417 with 980 walks.
#797 - Jered Weaver - Right-handed Pitcher - 2006-2017
Weaver had a five-year peak from 2010-2014 where he finished in the top 5 of CYA voting. During that time, he was 80-42 with a 2.99 ERA and led the league in wins twice (2012, 2014). in 2010, Weaver led the league in strikeouts with 233. Weaver also had a solid 2.60 ERA in his postseason career.
#796 - Adam Jones - Centerfield - 2006-2019
Jones was a five-time All-Star and four-time Gold Glove winner. His peak covered nine seasons from 2009-2017. During that stretch, Jones slashed .280/.320/.468 while averaging 29 home runs and 90 RBIs per 162. He was extremely consistent throughout his career. From 2011-2017, he swatted between 25 and 33 home runs. From 2010-2014, Jones batted between .280 and .287.
#795 - Mike Cuellar - Left-handed Pitcher - 1959, 1964-1977
Cuellar got to the Astros in 1965 as a reliever and they kept in there for the season. In 1966, Houston inserted him into the rotation, and he flourished to a 2.22 ERA. From 1966-1974, Cuellar was 161-95 with a 2.90 ERA as he also completed nearly half of his games. He was a CYA winner in 1969 and finished fourth in 1970 while leading the league in wins with 24. He had a complete game win in the clinching Game Five of the 1970 World Series.
#794 - B.J. Surhoff - Left Field/Catcher/Third Base - 1987-2005
After being selected first overall in 1985 by the Milwaukee Brewers, Surhoff started as a decent player. He signed a one-year deal to stay with the Brew Crew for the 1995 season and that is when his play took off. From 1995-2000, Surhoff slashed .295/.348/.471 averaging 21 home runs and 95 RBIs. Surhoff's best season came in 1999 with the Baltimore Orioles as he set career highs in home runs (28) and RBIs (107) while making his lone All-Star appearance.
#793 - Ray Chapman - Shortstop - 1912-1920
Chapman is best known for being killed by a pitch from Carl Mays on August 16, 1920. However, people forget how good of a player Chapman was. He was a premier bunter at the time, leading the league three times in sacrifice hits. He also had some speed, setting a career-high in stolen bases in 1917 with 52. Chapman followed that up by leading the league in walks (84) and runs scored (84) in 1918.
#792 - Biz Mackey - Catcher - 1920-1929, 1933-1941, 1945-1947
Superior defensively to Josh Gibson, but not as good with the bat, Mackey could still swing it, especially in his early years. From 1920-1929, he slashed .348/.406/.518 while averaging 13 home runs, 16 stolen bases, and 126 RBIs per 162. Mackey led the league in 1923 with an astounding .423 average and led the league in hits in 1923 and 1924. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
#791 - Lefty O'Doul - Left Field - 1919-1920, 1922-1923, 1928-1934
O'Doul was truly a late bloomer as his career didn't get off the ground until 1928 at 31 years old. At that point, he was committed to hitting and batted .319 for the Giants. It was in 1929 when he made his mark, setting a National League record for hits at 254, which Bill Terry would tie a year later, that still stands. O'Doul led the league in batting in 1929 (.398) and 1932 (.368) while finishing second and third in MVP voting respectively.
#790 - Sid Fernandez - Left-handed Pitcher - 1983-1997
Although he was overshadowed by members of his own staff, Fernandez was a constant for the Mets and had an excellent nine-year peak. From 1985-1993, El Sid was 92-72 with a 3.12 ERA. He set a career-high in strikeouts in 1986 with 200 while making the first of two All-Star appearances. During that span, Fernandez had a sub-3.00 ERA five times and held opponents to a .203 batting average.
#789 - Jose Abreu - First Base - 2014-present
Abreu came over from Cuba and immediately started hitting for the White Sox setting a career-high in home runs with 36 and winning the AL ROY in 2014. He led the league in RBIs in 2019 and 2020 and won the AL MVP in 2020 while also leading the league in hits with 76. while he has shown his age recently in Houston, Abreu's time in Chicago was very productive as he slashed .292/.354/.506 while averaging 31 home runs and 110 RBIs per 162 in his nine seasons there.
#788 - Eddie Lopat - Left-handed Pitcher - 1944-1955
Like Fernandez, Lopat was also an overshadowed lefty on his own staff when he got to the Yankees. He was one of the best left-handers in baseball for a time. From 1946-1953, he was 126-73 with a 3.01 ERA. In 1953, Lopat led the league with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.127 WHIP. He did something that year that hasn't been done since, and probably never will. Lopat was the last pitcher to lead the league in ERA and strike out 50 or fewer batters.
#787 - Craig Kimbrel - Relief Pitcher - 2010-present
When Kimbrel started his career in Atlanta, it looked like he may have a shot at being the next Mariano Rivera. In his time with the Braves, Kimbrel had a 1.43 ERA with 186 saves. He won the ROY in 2011 and his 2012 season is one of the best ever by a reliever. That season, Kimbrel had a 1.01 ERA while striking out 116 to just 14 walks in 62.2 innings while holding opponents to a ridiculous .358 OPS. He has finished in the top 9 of CYA voting five times and is a nine-time All-Star.
#786 - Travis Fryman - Third Base/Shortstop - 1990-2002
When Fryman came up with the Detroit Tigers as a 21-year-old in 1990, he started a good 11-year stretch. From 1990-2000, Fryman slashed .279/.339/.456 averaging 23 home runs and 101 RBIs per 162. He was a five-time All-Star and won a Gold Glove at third base in 2000.
#785 - Cristobal Torriente - Outfielder - 1920-1928, 1932
Torriente was a "rookie" for the Chicago American Giants in 1920 at 26 years old. However, Torriente had been playing in Cuba since he was 18. Nevertheless, he led the league in doubles with 21 and slash with .411/.479/.606. Torriente continued to hit, leading the league in doubles again in 1924 with 27. That season he also led in RBIs (81) and OPS (1.079). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
#784 - Gary Peters - Left-handed Pitcher - 1959-1972
Although Peters's first season in the majors was in 1959, his true rookie season wasn't until 1963. That year he won the ROY award as well as leading the American League with a 2.33 ERA. He followed that up the next season leading the league in wins with 20. In 1966, Peters again led the league with a 1.98 ERA and a 0.982 WHIP. The southpaw finished in the top 9 in MVP voting three times in five years and was an All-Star twice. Peters was also used as a pinch-hitter and had 75 plate appearances. He hit four home runs and had a .764 OPS.
#783 - Dick Groat - Shortstop - 1952, 1955-1967
Groat finished third in ROY voting in 1952 then headed off to Korea with the Army. He returned to the Pirates in 1955. It took a couple of years for him to get his bat back. From 1957-1964, Groat had a .299 average. He led the league with a .325 mark in 1960 and took home the MVP award partially due to his superb defense. He finished second in MVP voting in 1963 for the Cardinals while leading the league in doubles with 43. Groat turned the most double plays of any shortstop with fewer than 16,500 innings played at the position.
#782 - Bobby Thomson - Outfield/Third Base - 1946-1960
Aside from the iconic "Shot Heard Round the World" in 1951, Thomson was an excellent player. In his Giants career which spanned from 1946-1953, Thomson slashed .277/.337/.484 averaging 28 home runs and 103 RBIs per 162. He led the league in triples with 14 in 1952 and received MVP votes three times. Thomson was also a three-time All-Star.
Surely, we will see Soto move up this list as the years go by, but for now, he is here. His plate discipline is exceptional as he has led the NL in walks each of the last three seasons. Soto set a career-high last year with 35 home runs. In 2020, he led the NL in slash and finished fifth in MVP voting. In 2021, Soto finished second to Bryce Harper in MVP voting and led the league with a .465 OBP. He has won four Silver Sluggers and has been an All-Star three times.
#780 - Aaron Nola - Right-handed Pitcher - 2015-present
Nola's breakout year came in 2018 when he was 17-6 with a 2.37 ERA and finished third in CYA voting. Since then, he has been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball. From 2021-2023, Nola is one of only three pitchers to toss more than 575 innings. The other two, Gerrit Cole and Sandy Alcantara are already hurt with Alcantara missing the 2024 season. Nola has not missed a start since May of 2017.
#779 - Andres Galarraga - First Base - 1985-1998, 2000-2004
While Galarraga put up solid numbers in Montreal including batting over .300 twice and leading the league in doubles once, his career took off when he got to Coors Field. After a dismal, injury-plagues season in 1992 with St. Louis, Galarraga hit .370 with the Rockies in 1993. He was the first right-handed hitter to bat .370 since Joe DiMaggio in 1939. He led the league in home runs (47) and RBIs (150) in 1996. Despite leaving Coors in 1998, the Big Cat belted 44 home runs for the Braves that season. He finished with 399 home runs for his career.
#778 - Jackie Jensen - Outfield - 1950-1959, 1961
While Jensen started his career with the Yankees and went to Washington for a couple of years, his peak with the Red Sox from 1954-1959. During that time, Jensen slashed .285/.378/.490 averaging 28 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and 120 RBIs per 162. He led the league in steals in 1954 and in RBIs three times (1955, 1958, 1959). He won the AL MVP in 1958 and his only Gold Glove in 1959.
#777 - Zack Wheeler - Right-handed Pitcher - 2013-2014, 2017-present
Since joining the Phillies in 2020, Wheeler has been one of the best pitchers in the league. He has a 3.03 ERA in that time and finished second in CYA voting in 2021 while leading the league with 247 strikeouts. Wheeler won his first Gold Glove last year. He has also been very effective in the postseason with a 2.42 ERA and 68 strikeouts to just 10 walks.
#776 - Ronald Acuna Jr. - Right Field - 2018-present
We all know about the historic season Acuna had last year becoming the first 40-70 player. Even before last year's crazy numbers, Acuna was averaging 38 home runs and 34 stolen bases per 162. He led the NL in runs (127) and steals (37) in 2019. He has already been a four-time All-Star and has won two Silver Sluggers.
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