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Major League Baseball has been home to some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. Today, we are going through all 30 MLB franchises and determining the five-best players of all-time for each club. Let’s see which franchise has the best group of five…
Arizona Diamondbacks
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Randy Johnson — Luis Gonzalez — Curt Schilling — Paul Goldschmidt — Steve Finley
Johnson won four-straight Cy Young’s and went a remarkable 103-49 over six seasons. Schilling finished second behind Johnson for the Cy in ’01 and ’02 while going 45-13. The two aces also shared the ’01 World Series MVP honors. Finley smashed 130 homers and won two Gold Gloves for the Snakes between ’99-03. Through the ’01 postseason, Finley hit a remarkable .365. From ’99-06, Gonzalez led the team at the dish — peaking in ’01 when he tallied 57 HR, 142 RBI and slashed .325/.429/.688. One of the two greatest position players in franchise history, Goldschmidt established himself as one of the best players in baseball from ’13-18. Six All-Star nods, three Gold Gloves and four Silver Sluggers later, Goldy cemented his place in Diamondback lore.
Atlanta Braves
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Greg Maddux — John Smoltz — Chipper Jones — Hank Aaron — Tom Glavine
Atlanta has been blessed with stars. Maddux — three Cy Young’s, four ERA titles and a 194-88 record. Smoltz — Cy Young, 210 wins, 154 saves. Glavine — 244 wins and two Cy Young’s. Chipper — career .303 BA, 2,726 hits, 468 HR, MVP. Aaron — 755 HR, 25-time All-Star, 3,771 hits, .305 BA, MVP. All five men are in the Hall of Fame. Is there anything else that needs to be said?
Baltimore Orioles
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Cal Ripken Jr. — Frank Robinson — Brooks Robinson — Jim Palmer — Eddie Murray
Baltimore has a loaded group of ex-players. Of course, we have to start with Mr. Iron Man himself — Cal Ripken Jr. The 19-time All-Star finished his 21-year career with 431 home runs, 3,184 hits, and two MVP Awards. Both Frank and Brooks could mash with the best of them. Murray was a seven-time All-Star in Baltimore, and Palmer notched a whopping 268 wins as a starting pitcher for the organization — a number which included eight seasons with at least 20 victories — and took home three Cy Young victories.
Boston Red Sox
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Ted Williams — Carl Yastrzemski — Pedro Martinez — Roger Clemens — Cy Young
The Red Sox have an endless amount of legends to choose from, so this wasn’t the easiest group to decide upon. The Sox fielded two of the best pitchers of all-time in Pedro and Clemens. Pedro won four ERA Titles, two Cy Young’s (six top-four finishes), and went 117-37. Clemens accrued three Cy’s, an MVP, 192 wins and 2,590 strikeouts. All Cy Young did was go 192-112 with a 2.00 ERA and have a yearly award given to each league’s best pitcher named after him.
How about Yastrzemski? In 23 years with the Sox, Yaz was an 18-time All-Star, MVP, three-time batting champ, seven-time Gold Glover, had 3,419 hits, 452 HR and won the Triple Crown in ’67. Williams, simply, is one of the best to ever play. A career .344 hitter, Williams won six Batting Titles, two MVPs, two Triple Crowns and hit 521 homers — all while missing three seasons due to Military Service.
Chicago Cubs
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Ernie Banks — Ryne Sandberg — Ron Santo — Sammy Sosa — Billy Williams
When looking at the Cubs’ vast history, Ernie Banks comes to mind as the franchise’s flagship player. Sandberg and Santo were rock-solid for a long time on the North Side. While Sosa’s rumored usage of performance-enhancing drugs has tarnished his image, there’s no denying the relevancy he brought to the franchise after years of being a laughing stock.
Chicago White Sox
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Frank Thomas– Harold Baines — Shoeless Joe Jackson — Paul Konerko — Carlton Fisk
Though Jackson played only six seasons with the White Sox, he’s one of the most notable names in the history of baseball. Jackson never batted lower than .301 in a single season for the team. This included the 1920 season — his last as a pro — when he hit a scintillating .382. “The Big Hurt” Frank Thomas was widely regarded as a generational masher. Konerko and Fisk both played the majority of their careers on the South Side. Lastly, Baines recently garnered recognition as a Hall of Fame inductee.
Cincinnati Reds
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Pete Rose — Johnny Bench — Barry Larkin — Frank Robinson — Joe Morgan
Rose may be blacklisted by MLB, but they can’t erase his stats — 4,256 hits, .303 career BA, MVP, three Batting Titles, three World Series victories, 17-time All-Star. His teammate, Bench, was a two-time MVP, 10-time Gold Glove winner and arguably the best catcher of all-time. Morgan? He won back-to-back MVPs (’75-76) and five-straight Gold Gloves. Robinson also took home an MVP, clobbered 324 HR and hit .303. The final member, Larkin, also won an MVP. Furthermore, the shortstop was a 12-time All-Star, nine-time Silver Slugger and three-time Gold Glove winner.
Cleveland Guardians
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Jim Thome — Bob Feller — Omar Vizquel — Nap Lajoie — Bob Lemon
The Cleveland franchise starts and begins with Bob Feller. The right-handed hurler had six seasons with at least 20 wins — including the 1940 season in which he notched 27 victories and a 2.61 ERA. Thome was a modern day Paul Bunyan. The hefty first baseman/DH slugged 612 home runs throughout his career. Vizquel was a phenomenal defensive shortstop during his prime. He finished with an eye-popping 11 Gold Gloves.
Colorado Rockies
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Todd Helton — Larry Walker — Matt Holiday — Troy Tulowitzki — Nolan Arenado
The Rockies haven’t been around for long, but they have had a handful of superstars. Helton spent his entire career with the Rockies, finishing with a .316 BA and 369 HR — hitting .338 from ’98-05. Walker became the Rockies’ first Hall of Famer. The ’97 MVP, Walker won three Batting Titles, seven Gold Gloves and hit .313 for his career.
Holliday hit .319 for Colorado and led the franchise to its lone World Series appearance. Tulowitzki, for a time, looked like baseball’s next great superstar. Injuries derailed his career, but he hit .300 for the Rockies and was a five-time All-Star. Arenado was fantastic with the Rockies before being dealt to St. Louis. With a combo of great power and excellent defense, Arenado is a future Hall of Famer.
Detroit Tigers
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Miguel Cabrera — Justin Verlander — Hank Greenberg — Al Kaline — Ty Cobb
The Tigers sneakily have one of the best collections of top-end talent of any MLB club. Greenberg was a phenomenal hitter during the prime of his career. Cobb was elite, evidenced by a career batting average of .366. Kaline was a 15-time All-Star with the club. In 13 years with Detroit, Verlander won a Cy Young, MVP, Triple Crown, and finished in the top-3 for the Cy three other times. Cabrera won back-to-back MVPs (2012, 2013), claimed a Triple Crown of his own, and topped 3,000 hits and 500 HR while in a Tigers uniform.
Houston Astros
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Craig Biggio — Jeff Bagwell — Lance Berkman — Jose Altuve — Justin Verlander
Biggo, Bagwell and Berkman aka “The Killer B’s.” Biggio entered the Hall of Fame on the strength of 3,060 hits, four Gold Gloves and five Silver Sluggers. Bagwell found his way to Cooperstown thanks to 449 HR, a .297 BA and an MVP (’94). Berkman isn’t on their level, but the big man still slugged over 300 homers and made five All-Star teams with Houston. Altuve, still with the club, has an MVP, six Silver Sluggers, three Batting Titles and two World Series trophies under his belt. Verlander is the finest pitcher in Astros’ history, compiling 68 wins, two Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles through his first six years with the club.
Kansas City Royals
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George Brett — Willie Wilson — Amos Otis — Bret Saberhagen — Salvador Perez
The Royals’ representatives aren’t overly stellar across the board. As such, we’ll focus primarily on Brett. The Los Angeles native was a 13-time All-Star, a three-time AL batting champion, an AL MVP award winner, and a World Series champion. In short, Brett is the most successful Royal to ever don the powder blue uniform.
Los Angeles Angels
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Mike Trout — Nolan Ryan — Jim Fregosi — Chuck Finley — Shohei Ohtani
Ryan won 119 games and struck out more than 2,000 batters with the Halos, but more impressively he had four no-hitters. Fregosi, a versatile infielder, made six All-Star teams and won a Gold Glove before going on to manage the club. Finley, a towering lefty at 6-foot-6, earned five All-Star invitations and won 165 games in Anaheim.
Through the 2023 season, Trout has three MVPs, is an 11-time All-Star, and is widely-regarded as one of the game’s all-time greats. In only a handful of years, Ohtani established himself as an all-time great, as well. A two-way player, Ohtani won two unanimous MVPs with the Halos and finished fourth for the Cy Young in 2022.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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Sandy Koufax — Duke Snider — Don Drysdale — Clayton Kershaw — Jackie Robinson
The Dodgers have a ridiculous collection of talent. It’s nearly impossible to pick five — though we’ll start with two of the most lethal left-handed pitchers (Koufax, Kershaw) in the history of the game. From there, we pivot to an eight-time All-Star (Drysdale) and an elite center fielder (Snider). Lastly, we end with Robinson — a man who changed the sport forever with his ability to break the color barrier.
Miami Marlins
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Luis Castillo — Jose Fernandez — Miguel Cabrera — Giancarlo Stanton — Gary Sheffield
The Marlins’ organization has had a lot of good players, but unfortunately they usually get rid of them before they can establish a legacy with the team. Castillo was a member of the ’03 World Series team, and was named a three-time All-Star and Gold Glove winner. Cabrera only spent four years in Miami (including ’03), but the future Hall of Famer hit .311 and was elected to three All-Star teams.
Sheffield, a member of the ’97 World Series team, finished 6th in MVP voting in ’96 while slugging 42 HR. From ’10-17, Stanton hit 245 HR. In ’17, he won the NL MVP while hitting 59 HR and driving in 132 runs. Fernandez looked like a Hall of Famer. Before his tragic death, Fernandez posted a 2.58 ERA through four seasons and went 38-17 for the Marlins.
Milwaukee Brewers
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Ryan Braun — Paul Molitor — Robin Yount — Prince Fielder — Christian Yelich
The Brewers’ history isn’t nearly as prolific when compared to some of the other franchises on this list. In fact, almost all of them played within the past 30 years. Molitor and Yount were professional hitters in every sense of the term. Braun has proven to arguably be the team’s best-ever player, and Fielder (when healthy) was a joy to watch when walloping home runs over the fence with ease. Yelich won the NL MVP in 2018, and was likely on his way to winning a second in ’19 before he injured his knee towards the end of the season.
Minnesota Twins
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Joe Mauer — Kirby Pickett — Harmon Killebrew — Rod Carew — Tony Oliva
Mauer will one day join Puckett, Killebrew, and Carew in the Hall of Fame. His ability to diagnose pitches as a hitter was simply sublime. The same, frankly, can be said for every member of this list. Oliva spent the entirety of his 15-year career with Minnesota. The Hall of Famer won three Batting Titles, was a two-time runner-up for the MVP, and hit over .300 for his career.
New York Mets
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Dwight Gooden — Tom Seaver — Darryl Strawberry — Keith Hernandez — Mike Piazza
Poor, poor, Mets. You’re not the Yankees. However, you’ve had some legends. Gooden was second in Cy Young voting as a rookie — won the award with a 24-4 mark, 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts as a 20-year-old — and helped lead the Mets to glory in ’86. Seaver took home three Cy’s and the ’69 World Series.
Strawberry was a seven-time All-Star, ’86 WS winner and averaged 32 HR and 92 RBI over eight seasons. Hernandez finished top-5 in MVP voting twice, was a five-time Gold Glove winner and made four All-Star teams with the club. Piazza, the greatest hitting catcher in MLB history, hit 220 HR with the Mets and entered the Hall in ’16 donning a Mets cap.
New York Yankees
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Babe Ruth — Joe DiMaggio — Mickey Mantle — Derek Jeter — Mariano Rivera
The history of the New York Yankees is simply mind-boggling. There could be close to 100 names fitting of placement within a top five. It’s a murderer’s row of superstars, considering the Yankees had the best closer of all-time (Rivera), arguably the most consistent shortstop of the past 30 years (Jeter), two of the most talented outfielders (Mantle, DiMaggio) to ever live, and perhaps the best player to ever play the sport of baseball (Ruth). In a word, remarkable.
Oakland Athletics
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Dennis Eckersley — Jose Canseco — Rickey Henderson — Catfish Hunter — Vida Blue
The A’s were a problem for a good stretch. From ’87-95, Eckersley nabbed 320 saves and earned the AL Cy Young and MVP in ’92. Eck was dominant as a reliever and helped the A’s win the ’89 World Series. Canseco won Rookie of the Year (’86) and MVP (’88) with the AL favorites — impressively hitting .357 in the ’89 WS.
Henderson stole an unfathomable 867 bases in 14 years and helped guide the A’s in ’89. The legend was named the AL MVP in ’90. Hunter won three rings, posted a 3.13 ERA over 10 seasons and claimed the ’74 Cy Young. Lastly, Blue became an Oakland legend in ’71 when he won the Cy Young and MVP behind a 1.82 ERA and 24 wins. In total, Blue posted a 2.95 ERA and recorded 124 wins with the A’s.
Philadelphia Phillies
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Mike Schmidt — Jimmy Rollins — Chase Utley — Steve Carlton — Bryce Harper
The Phillies enjoyed a group of very talented infielders. Schmidt was a magician at third base. He remains to this day arguably the best fielding player at his position in league history. The middle infield combo of Utley and Rollins was fantastic to watch. Each slugged doubles, triples, and home runs with regularity for over a decade in the city of Brotherly Love. Harper is the club’s current superstar. In addition to leading the team to the 2022 National League Pennant, Harper won the NL MVP in ’21.
Pittsburgh Pirates
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Roberto Clemente — Willie Stargell — Barry Bonds — Honus Wagner — Paul Waner
Legends. Clemente — 3,000 hits, .317 BA, MVP, WS MVP, four Batting Titles. Stargell — 475 HR, MVP, WS MVP, two rings, seven-time All-Star. Bonds — two MVPs, three Gold Gloves and three Silver Sluggers, 176 HR, 251 steals (in only seven years). Wagner — 2,967 hits, .328 BA, eight Batting Titles. Waner — .340 BA, 2,868 hits, three Batting Titles, MVP.
San Diego Padres
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Tony Gwynn — Trevor Hoffman — Jake Peavy — Dave Winfield — Ken Caminiti
Gwynn was a machine. A career .338 hitter, Gwynn won a remarkable eight Batting Titles in addition to five Gold Gloves. Hoffman saved an incredible 552 games with the Padres and was twice named Rolaids Reliever of the Year. From ’02-09, Peavy won 92 games with San Diego — including 19 in ’07, earning him the Cy Young and ERA title. Winfield was selected to four All-Star teams in a row as he entered his prime, and finished his Padres’ career with 154 dingers. In just four years with the Padres, Caminiti was nearly unstoppable. He hit 121 homers with a .295 BA, earned three Gold Gloves, two All-Star nods and the NL MVP in ’96.
San Francisco Giants
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Barry Bonds — Willie McCovey — Willie Mays — Juan Marichal — Christy Mathewson
Sometimes numbers speak the loudest. Bonds — 586 HR, 1,440 RBI, 1,947 BB, .666 SLG, .312 ERA, five MVPs. McCovey — 469 HR, 1,388 RBI, ’69 NL MVP. Mays — 646 HR, 1,859 RBI, 3,187 hits, 23-time All-Star, two-time MVP, 12-time Gold Glove winner. Marishal — 238 wins, 2.84 ERA, 10-time All-Star, ’69 ERA Title. In 17 seasons with the New York Giants, Mathewson went 372-188, posted a 2.12 ERA and notched more than 2,500 strikeouts. He won the pitching Triple Crown twice, and the ERA Title on five occasions.
Seattle Mariners
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Ken Griffey Jr. — Edgar Martinez — Randy Johnson — Ichiro Suzuki — Alex Rodriguez
In 10 seasons with the Mariners, Johnson won 130 games, struck out over 2,000 scared hitters and won his first-of-five Cy Young Awards. Griffey Jr. became an icon in Seattle. “The Kid” hit 417 HR, won 10 Gold Gloves and an MVP with the Mariners. Martinez, the best DH to play the game, won two Batting Titles, five Silver Sluggers, hit 309 dingers and retired with a .312 BA.
Ichiro won an MVP…as a rookie…and went on to generate 2,542 hits and 438 steals in the Pacific Northwest. Throw in 10 Gold Gloves and two Batting Titles and you have yourself a legend. A-Rod played just his first seven seasons in Seattle, but they were awesome. 189 HR, 595 RBI, a .309 BA and four All-Star Games later, A-Rod was well on his way to legend status.
St. Louis Cardinals
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Lou Brock — Stan Musial — Ozzie Smith — Albert Pujols — Bob Gibson
The Cardinals, unsurprisingly, bring a very impressive quintet to the table. Gibson was a supremely gifted starting pitcher for the Cards throughout the ’60s and into the 1970’s. Musial (three MVPs and seven Batting Titles) and Brock were excellent hitters. Each had an uncanny ability to manipulate the baseball to go wherever they wanted it. Smith was a wizard both with the glove and his bat. Lastly, Pujols is one of the most gifted hitters — both in terms of patience and power — that we’ve ever seen. The icon retired with three MVPs, two World Series titles, 703 HR, and a .296 BA.
Tampa Bay Rays
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Evan Longoria — Carl Crawford — Fred McGriff — James Shields — David Price
Tampa’s five-some is certainly underwhelming. We give them a bit of a break since they’ve not been in existence for very long. Up to this point, we categorize Longoria as the best player in the history of the franchise. Crawford is likely the most innately gifted player to ever wear the Tampa Bay uniform. Price had a 3.18 ERA over seven seasons with the Rays — and memorably won the AL Cy Young in 2012, two years after finishing as the runner-up.
Texas Rangers
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Nolan Ryan — Adrian Beltre — Ivan Rodriguez — Juan Gonzalez — Michael Young
Nolan Ryan, once more. Pitching from the age of 42 to 46, Ryan won 51 games and struck out just under 1,000 batters. Oh, and there was a memorable fight. Beltre spent the final eight years of his career with the Rangers and will likely don a ‘T’ hat in Cooperstown. The stud third baseman hit .304 with 199 HR and 699 RBI, while also claiming three Gold Gloves. Pudge Rodriguez hit over .300 from the catcher position, won the ’99 AL MVP and earned 10-straight Gold Gloves and All-Star nods. Gonzalez was a two-time MVP (’96, ’98) and six-time Silver Slugger. Young was a career .300 hitter and took home a Batting Title, seven All-Star appearances and a Gold Glove with the Rangers.
Toronto Blue Jays
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Joe Carter — Roy Halladay — Carlos Delgado — Roberto Alomar — Dave Stieb
Carter won two World Series titles with the Jays and hit a walk-off homer to clinch a ring. Need we say more? Halladay was one of the best pitchers of his generation. He finished his time in Toronto with a 148-76 record, 3.43 ERA and the ’03 Cy Young. Delgado spent 12 years with the Jays and enjoyed crushing the ball. The big lefty hit 336 HR and finished second for the MVP in ’03. Alomar was named an All-Star each of his five years with the Jays. The slick-fielder won a Gold Glove all five years and finished sixth in MVP voting on three occasions. Stieb was honored with seven All-Star selections. The righty claimed the ERA Title in ’85 with a 2.48 mark.
Washington Nationals
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Vladimir Guerrero — Gary Carter — Max Scherzer — Andre Dawson — Tim Raines
The dual Nationals/Expos franchise had a host of very good players. All five have/will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Scherzer won back-to-back Cy Young Awards with the Nationals and helped the franchise win the World Series in 2019. Guerrero is unquestionably the headliner of the group. If ‘bad ball hitter’ was a category, Big Daddy Vladdy would be the cream of the crop. In eight years with the Expos, Guerrero hit .323 and established himself as one of the best players in baseball.
