Top 106 Baseball Players: #20 - Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson

Rickey Henderson was the greatest leadoff hitter in the history of baseball, and he is the owner of numerous all-time and single-season records.

Rickey first played for the Athletics in 1979, and in his second season, he was already setting records, breaking Ty Cobb's AL record by stealing 100 bases, becoming just the third player ever to reach that number. Two years later, he broke Lou Brock's Major League record by stealing 130. He had 84 steals by the All-Star break, a number no other player has reached in a full season since, let alone the actual record. He also had at least 100 runs, steals, and walks in 1980, 1982, and 1983, and he is the only player in the modern era to ever achieve that even once.

He was traded to the Yankees after the 1984 season, and his first season in New York was the best of his career. He led the league with 146 runs and 80 steals, and the runs scored were the most by any player since 1950, and he was the first player since 1939 to have more runs scored than games played.

In 1989, he was traded back to the A's at midseason, and he led them to the playoffs after leading the league with 113 runs, 77 steals, and 126 walks. He was very proud to have become Nolan Ryan's 5000th strikeout victim during that season as well. He was named the ALCS MVP after setting a postseason record with 8 steals in a 5-game series, while also batting .400 with 7 walks and 2 home runs. He then hit .474 in a World Series sweep of the Giants as he earned his first title.

The next season he led the league in runs, stolen bases, and on-base percentage, and finished second to George Brett in batting average, and finally won an MVP award, though he deserved a few earlier in his career. The A's returned to the World Series, but this time were victims of a sweep against the Reds, though Henderson batted .333 for the series.

In 1991 he broke the career record that is most associated with him when he passed Lou Brock to become the all-time leader in stolen bases. By the time he finished his career, he had a total of 1406, more than 50% above Brock's second-place total.

He was traded to the Blue Jays near the end of the 1993 season, but struggled after breaking his hand just a few games into his time in Toronto. The Blue Jays did reach the World Series that year, and Henderson scored on the final play of the series to win his second title, though he did little else to contribute to the win.

He was a nomad for the rest of his career, never spending more than 2 consecutive seasons with the same team again, and he had 2 more stints with the Athletics, even leading the league in steals and walks with them in 1998. In 2001, while playing with San Diego, he broke a couple more career marks, Ty Cobb's career runs record and Babe Ruth's walk record. He is still the leader in runs and unintentional walks, though Barry Bonds has more total walks. With all the records he holds, and his amazing performance in his first World Series run, he definitely needs to be remembered as one of the greatest players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #46 - Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux

Greg Maddux was one of the most dominant pitchers in recent memory, and his run of Cy Youngs in the 1990's was one of the most amazing runs in baseball history.

Maddux reached the Majors in 1986 with the Cubs, and in his final start of the season had the rare opportunity of pitching against his brother Mike, who was also a rookie pitching for the Phillies. Younger brother Greg won the matchup, earning his second career win.

He posted a losing record in 1987, his first full season, but he would not have another losing record for 18 years. He improved steadily over the next several seasons, culminating in his first Cy Young season in 1992, when he recorded a 2.18 ERA and led the league in wins, starts, and innings pitched.

He was unable to negotiate a new contract with the Cubs after that season, so he signed with the Atlanta Braves, and he was even better than expected when he arrived. He led the league in ERA and complete games that season, and won his second straight Cy Young.

During the strike-shortened 1994 season, he led the league in ERA and shutouts again, along with wins and shutouts, and his ERA of 1.56 was the lowest of any pitcher since 1968. That year he finished #5 in the MVP voting and was the unanimous choice for the Cy Young award, his third in a row.

After three straight great seasons, he somehow had his best season in 1995. He finished with a 19-2 record, an ERA of 1.63, 10 complete games, and 3 shutouts, and a second straight unanimous Cy Young, and 4th in a row overall, something that had never been done before and has only been done once since.

That was also the year that Atlanta finally broke through in the playoffs. Maddux had pitched in the NLCS twice before, but 1995 was his first time in the World Series, where he gave up only 4 earned runs over 16 innings as the Braves beat the Indians to take home the championship.

In 1996 his ERA "ballooned" to 2.72, and he finished 5th in the Cy Young voting, breaking his winning streak at 4. The Braves returned to the World Series, and Maddux had his best postseason up to then, giving up only 7 runs in 37 innings, but the Braves fell to the Yankees in the championship round.

He pitched several more good seasons for Atlanta, even leading the league in ERA again in 1998, but nowhere near the level he was at during his Cy Young peak. He set a league record with 17 straight seasons of at least 15 wins, and is only of only 4 pitcher to record an ERA lower than 1.65 since 1920, and the only one to do it twice.

Maddux is #8 all-time in games won, trailing only Warren Spahn in the live-ball era, and is the only pitcher in history with more than 300 wins, 3000 strikeouts, and fewer than 1000 walks (999 to be exact). His playoff record of 11-14 was somewhat lacking, but he was great in 3 World Series seasons, and reached a level of dominance rarely seen during his Cy Young streak, and there is no doubt he belongs here among the top 50 players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #49 - Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield

Gary Sheffield was a great player for 8 different teams over the course of 22 seasons, and the reason for so many changes in scenery appears to have been his bad habit of bashing his management and teammates.

Sheffield first played in the Majors in 1988, when he was called up by the Milwaukee Brewers during the final month of the season. He hit a home run in his first at-bat, but overall did not play very well in his first couple seasons. His average improved to .294 in 1990, but he ended the season with a .194 average and a ticket out of town due to his claims of racism by the manager in moving him to third base.

He was traded to the Padres before the 1992 season, and contended for the Triple Crown, falling short by 2 home runs and 9 RBI, but he did win the batting title, making him the only Padre not named Tony Gwynn to achieve that. He also had the opportunity to bat against his uncle, Dwight Gooden, in a game that May, quite a rare occurrence.

He didn't start off very well the next season, and was traded to the Marlins midway through the season. He missed a lot of time over the next two seasons, but when he was healthy again in 1996, he had one of his best seasons, with 42 home runs, 120 RBI, and 142 walks. The next year, Florida advanced clear to the World Series, with Sheffield walking 20 times in 16 postseason games and knocking in 5 runs in the Marlins' championship round.

He was traded to the Dodgers early the next season because the Marlins knew they couldn't afford a contract extension. With LA, he had 3 straight very solid seasons, getting at least 100 RBI, 90 walks, and 30 runs each year while always batting over .300. After just over 3 years with the team, he began publicly criticizing the team's management, and was traded to Atlanta before the 2002 season.

In 2003 with the Braves, he had his best overall season, setting career highs with a .330 average, 126 runs, 190 hits, 37 doubles, and 132 RBI, to go along with 39 home runs. He was easily the best player in the league that year, but only came in #3 in the MVP voting, most likely because he was not well-liked.

He signed with the Yankees after that season, and had two more All-Star level seasons where he was also on the MVP radar, but a wrist injury cut his 2006 season short, and he was traded to the Tigers after the season. He would spend two seasons as the team's DH before they decided to move on. He signed with the Mets, where he was able to hit his 500th home run, and he also became the third player ever to hit a home run as a teen and a 40-year old, after Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub.

Sheffield has been on the Hall of Fame ballot for 4 years, but is nowhere near the number of votes needed for election, and many feel that his personality is hurting his chances, despite his solid career numbers. He was the best player on a World Series champion, and the best player in the league one year, and hit 500 homers, which is still quite rare. Whether he makes it or not, he still definitely belongs on this list of the greatest baseball players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #73 - Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn

Tony Gwynn was the best hitter of the past 60 years, and in his 20 seasons with the San Diego Padres, he proved that fact again and again and again.

Gwynn was a two sport athlete at San Diego State, starring on both the baseball and basketball teams, and he was drafted by the Clippers and the Padres in 1981, choosing to play baseball because he had a better chance at a long career, and he wasn't wrong.

He first reached the Majors in July 1982, and that half-season with the Padres would the only one of his career where he failed to bat at least .300. In his first full season in the bigs, 1984, he led all players with 213 hits and a .351 average, and he led the Padres to the first World Series in their history, which they lost to the Tigers in 5 games.

Early in his career, Gwynn was actually good at stealing bases, reaching 25 steals 5 times, including a max of 56 in 1987, a season in which he also had 218 hits and a .370 batting average. The batting average was the highest in the NL in 39 years, and he was the first NL player ever to surpass .370 and 50 steals in the same season. He also went the entire season without 9 straight hitless at-bats, an incredible feat.

After 2 more seasons leading the league in batting, he went into a bit of a slump, batting in the low .300's for 3 straight seasons. Gwynn met Ted Williams during the 1992 season, and the two spoke at length about hitting, and Gwynn started using the advice Williams gave him to change his swing, and it caused a career renaissance.

In 1993, Gwynn hit .358, then hit an amazing .394 in 1994 before the season was cut short by a strike, robbing Gwynn of the chance to become the first .400 hitter in decades. He won the next three batting titles, making 4 in a row overall, and he was one of only 5 players to ever to do that. He also won 8 in his career, tied for the most in NL history with Honus Wagner, and behind only Ty Cobb in Major League history.

Gwynn has the highest batting average for any player who began his career after World War II, and he was the best player on the Padres in both of their World Series seasons, though they did not win the title either time. He hit over .300 for 19 straight seasons, a number exceeded only by Ty Cobb, and he finished in the top 10 in batting average for 15 straight seasons. Though he never won the World Series, and was not a power hitter, there is no doubt that he belongs on the list of the greatest players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #77 - Roberto Alomar

Roberto Alomar

Roberto Alomar was a speedy second baseman who was well-known for his solid all-around game and was instrumental in the only 2 World Series titles for the Toronto Blue Jays.

He reached the Major Leagues with the San Diego Padres in 1988, when he finished 5th in the Rookie of the Year voting, and within 2 years had reached his first All-Star team, but he didn't hit his stride offensively until he was traded to Toronto after the 1990 season.

The Blue Jays reached the playoffs in each of Alomar's first three seasons with the team, and he was one of the team's best players in each of those playoff runs, batting .373 over those seasons and leading the Jays to 2 World Series. In 1992 he was the ALCS MVP, when he hit .423 in a 6-game series against the A's while also stealing 5 bases.

After dominating the ALCS, he struggled a bit in the World Series, but he did end up scoring the winning run in the 11th inning of Game 6, The following season, he hit .480 in the World Series with 6 RBI's as the Jays repeated as champs by taking down the Phillies, marking the third straight year that Alomar was huge in the playoffs, and the second time that he finished the season with a championship ring.

Alomar played two more seasons in Toronto, but the team started to enter a rebuilding process, and he wanted to chase more championships, so he left as a free agent in 1995 to sign with Baltimore, but he left the Blue Jays as the franchise's all-time leader with a .307 batting average. He played 3 seasons with the Orioles, reaching the ALCS twice, but they were never quite able to break through to the World Series.

His time in Baltimore was marred by an incident near the end of the 1996 season, when he became angry after a called third strike and got into a shouting match with the umpire. In the course of the confrontation, Alomar spat in the face of the umpire, and was suspended 5 games for the incident. He claims that the umpire used a racial slur against him, but the two later settled their differences publicly before a game the next season.

Alomar signed with Cleveland before the 1999 season in order to play with his brother Sandy, and while with the Indians he had two of his best seasons. He led the league in runs with 138 in 1999 while setting a career high with 120 RBI's, then had a career-high 193 hits in 2001, along with 100 RBI's and 30 stolen bases.

He played another 3 seasons, but his production dropped off and he retired before the 2005 season. He first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2010, but fell 8 votes short, the closest anyone has ever come during their first season without being elected, and many feel it was due to the spitting incident, but he was elected easily the following season, and deservedly so.

Alomar finished his career with a .300 batting average and 2724 hits, and he made 12 straight All-Star teams. He was a major contributor to two World Series champions, and played really well in another ALCS, and though he was never the MVP or a full-fledged superstar, he was a very good player for a very long time, and one of the best players of all time.