I hope you all are enjoying our jaunt through baseball history. We are inching closer to the top and this set of 25 players includes a couple of Hall-of-Famers.
Be sure to check out the rest of our series: MLB 976-1,000 | 951-975 | 926-950 | 901-925 | 876-900 | 826-850 | 801-825 | 776-800 | 751-775
#875 - Ice Box Chamberlain - Right-handed Pitcher - 1886-1894, 1896
The young right-hander started his career as an 18-year-old in 1886. After just four starts, Ice Box didn't show much. In 1887 he came in with a renewed vigor and over the next four years, Chamberlain would be one of the best pitchers in the league. He was 90-49 with a 2.96 ERA (132 ERA+). He led the league with six shutouts in 1890 and tossed over 400 innings in 1891 and 1892.
#874 - Jim Piersall - Centerfielder - 1950, 1952-1967
Piersall was...a character to say the least. His antics aside due to his mental illness, Piersall was a good baseball player. He was a fairly average hitter, but he could field his position and received two Gold Gloves and three top-15 MVP votes. He was so good on defense that he is fourth all-time in Total Zone Runs according to Baseball Reference with 128, trailing only Willie Mays, Andruw Jones, and Paul Blair.
#873 - Tim Wakefield - Right-handed Pitcher - 1992-1993, 1995-2011
Wakefield finished third in ROY voting in 1992 and then, going to Boston, finished third in CYA voting in 1995. He had a long career afterward and was more valuable than his stats may prove. While his 4.41 ERA is not earth-shattering, it was still better than the average pitcher in his time. How he saved bullpen innings and what he did for his team is not counted in the stats.
#872 - Thomas Burns - Outfielder - 1884-1885, 1887-1895
Burns's peak was from 1887-1894. In that time, he slashed .308/.377/.481. His best season was his first year back in the American Association in 1887. He had a .933 OPS (164 OPS+), leading the league with 19 triples. In 1890 Burns led the league with 13 home runs and 128 RBIs.
#871 - Henry Larkin - First Base/Outfield - 1884-1893
Larkin led the league in doubles in 1885 and 1886 with 37 and 36 respectively. He drove in 101 runs in 1888 and set a career-high with 112 RBIs in 1890. For his career, Larkin slashed .303/.380/.440 (142 OPS+). He had seven seasons of 12 or more triples and finished with 114.
#870 - Gio Gonzalez - Left-handed Pitcher - 2008-2020
Gonzalez was traded three times before he even made his big-league debut in 2008 for Oakland. He was 7-11 with a 6.24 ERA in his first two seasons. However, from 2010-2017, Gonzalez pitched well. He was 110-75 with a 3.41 ERA. The southpaw finished third in CYA voting in 2012 going 21-8 with a 2.89 ERA and a career-high 207 strikeouts.
#869 - Lance Johnson - Centerfielder - 1987-2000
Johnson is best known for his speed. Especially when it comes to collecting triples. He led the league five out of six years. During his peak from 1989-1997, Johnson slashed .298/.338/.398. His 1996 season with the Mets is historic. He led the league in hits with 227, but that isn't what makes it special. Since 1900, there is only one other player in major league history to have 20 triples and 50 stolen bases in a season. Johnson did that in 1996, Ty Cobb did it three times.
#868 - Jack Taylor - Right-handed Pitcher - 1898-1907
He pitched only 10 years, but he made the most of it tossing 300+ innings six times. In 1902, he had his best season going 23-11 with a minuscule 1.29 ERA. He completed every one of his 39 starts in 1904 and led the league in that category (39). He finished his career with a 2.65 ERA and over 150 wins.
#867 - Freddie Lindstrom - Third Base/Outfielder - 1924-1936
Lindstrom's career numbers don't jump off the page, but his peak was great. From 1926-1930, the third baseman slashed .335/.375/.484. In 1928, he hit .358 and led the league with 231 hits. He finished second in MVP voting to Jim Bottomley. In 1930, Lindstrom batted .379 with a career-high 22 home runs. He was considered an excellent fielder, especially at third base where his fielding percentage exceeded the average by .011 while making more plays at the hot corner. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1976 by the Veteran's Committee.
#866 - Charlie Hough - Right-handed Pitcher - 1970-1994
Hough is a unicorn in MLB history. He pitched 25 years in the majors, went from full-time reliever to full-time starter, and threw more innings after he turned 37 years old than before. Aside from the longevity, Hough was a good pitcher. His peaks were exactly a decade apart. From 1973-1978 with the Dodgers, Hough had a 3.01 ERA with 57 saves. With the Rangers from 1983-1988 as a starter, the knuckleballer won 95 games with a 3.53 ERA averaging 256 innings a year.
#865 - Mickey Tettleton - Catcher/Designated Hitter - 1984-1997
Never mind the .241 lifetime average, Tettleton could hit. He was adept at getting on base and hitting home runs. From 1989-1995, he slashed .245/.384/.474 (134 OPS+) and averaged 31 homers per 162. He was a Three True Outcomes guy before it was popular, finishing with a home run, strikeout or walk 45.5 percent of the time. Tettleton was a two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger as a catcher.
He didn't pitch very long, but Bagby's five-year peak was excellent. From 1916-1920, he was 104-69 with a 2.58 ERA (124 ERA+). In 1920, Bagby led the league in wins (31), CG (30), and innings pitched (339.2). He is one of only three pitchers since 1911 to throw 270+ innings without allowing a home run. He did so joining Walter Johnson (twice) and Babe Ruth.
#863 - Brandon Crawford - Shortstop - 2011-present
Although Crawford was rarely known for his bat, he was an above-average offensive player from 2014-2021. During that stretch, he slashed .259/.328/.423 (104 OPS+). Crawford had a career year in 2021 with highs in average (.298), home runs (24), and RBIs (90). He has four Gold Gloves and three All-Star nods.
#862 - Matt Chapman - Third Base - 2017-present
In the five seasons that Chapman has played in 140 games, he has won four Gold Gloves. According to Fangraphs, he is sixth in DRS (s.2003) at third base despite only playing just over 7,500 innings there. Chapman's career at the plate has been a bit up and down. However, his slash of .240/.329/.461 is good enough for a 117 OPS+
#861 - Ripper Collins - First Base - 1931-1938, 1941
Collins was an integral part of the "Gas House Gang" Cardinals of the 1930s. He was the premier bat in that lineup along with Joe "Ducky" Medwick. During Collins's peak from 1933-1936, the first baseman slashed .316/.384/.533 (143 OPS+) while averaging 24 home runs and 110 RBIs per 162. In 1934, Collins led the NL with 35 home runs and a 1.008 OPS. In the World Series, he went 11-for-30 to help the Cardinals win their second championship in four years.
#860 - Preacher Roe - Left-handed Pitcher - 1938, 1944-1954
Roe led the league in strikeouts (148) in 1945 and it looked like he was going to have a great career. While coaching basketball in the offseason, he was punched and was not the same. He went to the Dodgers in 1948. With a new repertoire, which included a spitball, Roe began a five-year stretch where he was 79-30 with a 3.00 ERA. He was an All-Star four times and finished fifth in MVP voting in 1951.
#859 - Hank Sauer - Left Fielder - 1941-1942, 1945, 1948-1959
Sauer won the National League MVP award in 1952 while leading the league with 37 home runs and 121 RBIs. He is not a household name by any means, and some may think that season was a fluke. It was not. In fact, Sauer hit over 30 homers five other times including a career-high 41 in 1954. From 1948-1954, Sauer slashed .271/.350/.513 and averaged 38 home runs and 112 RBIs per 162.
#858 - Kevin Mitchell - Outfielder - 1984, 1986-1994, 1996-1998
Mitchell is mainly remembered for two things: Getting a hit and scoring in the bottom of the 10th for the Mets in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and catching a flyball barehanded while with the Giants.
Mitchell won the 1989 MVP award with a league-leading 47 home runs and 125 RBIs. Injuries caught up to Mitchell, and he didn't play over 100 games in a season after his 30th birthday. He could always hit though, slashing .284/.360/.520 (142 OPS+) for his career.
#857 - Brian Roberts - Second Base - 2001-2014
Roberts was a mainstay at second base in Baltimore for a solid six-year stretch. From 2004-2009, the switch-hitter slashed .290/.365/.438 and averaged 49 doubles per 162. He holds the single-season record for the Orioles' franchise with 56 doubles in 2009 and eclipsed 50 three times. Roberts is also one of only four players in franchise history to have 50 stolen bases in a season, and he is third all-time with 278 swipes.
#856 - Trevor Story - Shortstop/Second Base - 2016-present
Story broke into the majors with a bang. In his first four games, he hit six home runs and drove in 11 runs. From that point until 2020, Story slashed .277/.343/.535 while averaging 36 home runs, 101 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases per 162. He led the league in steals (15) and triples (4) in 2020. He is a two-time All-Star and has finished in the top 12 of MVP voting three times.
#855 - Freddie Fitzsimmons - Right-handed Pitcher - 1925-1943
Fitzsimmons was a pitch-to-contact pitcher with an unorthodox delivery and threw a knuckle curve. From 1926-1934, Fitzsimmons was 148-94 with a 3.55 ERA averaging 242 innings per year. After arm problems plagued him for a few years, he made a resurgence albeit with fewer appearances. From 1938-1941 with the Dodgers, Fitzsimmons was 40-20 with a 3.06 ERA while walking just over five percent of the batters he faced. In 1940, he was 16-2 with a 2.81 ERA and finished fifth in MVP voting at 38 years old.
#854 - Bake McBride - Outfielder - 1973-1983
McBride was a talented outfielder, but injuries wreaked havoc on his career. Only twice did he exceed 140 games in a season. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1974 and an All-Star in 1976. He finished 10th in MVP voting in 1980 for the World Series champion Phillies. That year he slashed .309/.342/.453. He only played 155 more games in his career. McBride was an excellent baserunner as well as a great fielder.
#853 - George Stone - Left Fielder - 1903, 1905-1910
Here is an interesting fact: Every AL batting champ from 1901-1928 is in the Hall of Fame except one. That would be George Stone who won the title in 1906 batting .358. While his career was short-lived, he slashed .301/.360/.396 (144 OPS+) while averaging 25 stolen bases per 162. Stone was considered an above-average fielder.
#852 - Sonny Gray - Right-handed Pitcher - 2013-present
Gray was an ace in the making for his first three years in Oakland. From 2013-2015 he was 33-20 with a 2.88 ERA and finished third in CYA voting in 2015. After a rough year in 2016 and a forgettable time in New York, Gray went to Cincinnati to post a 2.87 ERA in 2019 with a career-high 205 strikeouts. His past two seasons in Minnesota were great. Gray finished second in CYA voting last season.
#851 - Lloyd Waner - Centerfielder - 1927- 1942, 1944-1945
Waner finished in the top 6 in MVP voting in two of his first three seasons. He led the league in runs in his rookie season with 133. Waner also led the league in triples with 20 in 1929. He led the league in hits with 214 in 1931 which was his fourth time in five years surpassing 200 hits. From 1927-1932, Waner slashed .340/.378/.432 with just 88 strikeouts. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967 by the Veteran's Committee.
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