Top 106 Baseball Players: #5 - Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan

Nolan Ryan had the longest career of any player in baseball history, and set numerous Major League records along the way, though not all of them were positive.

Ryan started his career in 1966 with the New York Mets, but did not fully show his promise during his time there, partly due to service with the Army Reserve, which took him away from the team frequently throughout the season. He was a member of the World Series-winning 1969 Mets, pitching 2 shutout innings in relief in the lone World Series appearance of his career.

After the 1971 season, he was traded to the California Angels, where he was finally able to become a full-time starter, and he began to show his still immediately. In his first season with the Angels, he led the league with 329 strikeouts, which would be the first of 11 times he led the league. He also led the league in walks allowed for the first of 8 times, and wild pitches for the first of 6 times, which showed both sides of him.

In his second season with California, he broke Sandy Koufax's single-season strikeout record by one, fanning 383 batters that season. Koufax remarked jokingly that he had also broken his walk record by 91. He finished #2 in the Cy Young voting that year, the closest he would come to winning the award, which is one of the greatest travesties in the history of baseball.

He also recorded his first 2 no-hitters in 1973, and he struck out 17 batters in the second one, still the record for most in a no-hitter. The next year, he recorded his third, this time setting a record with 8 walks in a no-hitter. He threw his 4th in 1975, tying Sandy Koufax's career record, with all 4 coming within 3 seasons.

In his 8th and final season with the Angels, they finally made the playoffs, and he pitched well, giving up just one run and striking out 8 in 7 innings, but the Angels lost the game and the series anyway. After the season, he signed a big contract with the Houston Astros, allowing him to pitch in his home state.

He reached 3000 career strikeouts during his first season in Houston, and was able to pitch in the postseason a couple times. In 1981, he pitched against Fernando Valenzuela in the NLDS, giving up only 2 hits in a complete game win, which would be the second and final victory of his playoff career.

In 1983, he passed Walter Johnson for first place in career strikeouts. During the season Steve Carlton passed him several times to take the lead, but Ryan ended up pulling away and making the record his permanently. He was the first to reach 4000 strikeouts two years later.

During his first 7 seasons in Houston, he failed to lead the league in strikeouts, then had a sudden resurgence in 1987, when he led the league in ERA and strikeouts at age 40. Though he pitched well, the Astros did not offer him much run support, and he finished the season with an 8-16 record.

After the 1988 season, he was unable to reach a deal with Houston, and signed instead with the Texas Rangers. With Texas, he led the league in strikeouts again in 1989 and 1990, surpassing 300 strikeouts in 1989 at age 42. It was also during the 1989 season that he became the only pitcher ever to reach 5000 strikeouts.

He threw two no-hitters for Texas, one in 1990 and another in 1991, giving him 7 for his career, still the most by any pitcher ever. He decided to retire at the end of the 1993 season, but ended up finishing a few weeks early when he tore a ligament in his elbow after giving up his record 10th career grand slam.

Ryan is the career leader in strikeouts by far, and threw more no-hitters than any other pitcher ever. He also holds the career mark for fewest hits allowed per 9 innings and most seasons played. He also, however, is the all-time leader in walks allowed and wild pitches. He is the greatest pitcher to never win a Cy Young, and had a small role on his only title team, but there is no doubt that he is one of the greatest ever to take the mound.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #42 - Alex Rodriguez*

Alex Rodriguez

Alex Rodriguez was a superstar almost from the day that he reached the Majors, setting many record for being the youngest to reach a milestone, but his verified use of steroids put a black mark on a career that would have been great without them.

Rodriguez was the #1 pick in the 1993 Draft, and made his Major League debut with the Mariners the following season while still 18 years old, making him the youngest player in the league. He split time between the majors and minors for his first two years, before becoming the full-time starting shortstop for good in 1996.

His first full season with the Mariners was a great one. He led the league with 141 runs, 54 doubles, 379 total bases, and a .358 average, making him the 3rd-youngest ever to win a batting title. He came in second in the MVP voting as well, quite the accomplishment for a 21 year old.

In 1998, he led the league with 213 hits, and also became the third member of the 40-40 club, having reached 40 in both home runs and stolen bases, joining Jose Canseco and Barry Bonds, a couple of players that he would end up having another thing in common with later in his career.

He would exceed 40 home runs for each of the next two seasons with Seattle, also surpassing 130 runs and RBI in 2000, which earned him a 3rd place finish in the MVP voting. He was a free agent after that season, and decided to leave Seattle for Texas, where he was offered the largest contract in pro sports history.

In 2001, he led the league in runs, home runs, and total bases, and reached 50 home runs for the first time in his career. He also reached 200 hits that season, becoming the first player in nearly 70 years to have 50 homers and 200 hits in a season.

The following season, he raised his performance again, this time knocking 57 home runs and leading the league with 142 RBI. His home runs were the most by an AL player since Roger Maris hit 61 in 1961. He finished as the MVP runner-up again that year, his third top-3 finish without winning the award.

His numbers dropped off slightly in 2003, but he still led the league with 47 home runs and 124 runs scored, and it was enough to finally earn him an MVP award, becoming just the second player in history to win the award on a last-place team. He also led the league in slugging for the first time, which would become common for him.

He was traded to the Yankees after the season, becoming just the 2nd reigning MVP in history to be traded. He switched to third base in New York, because Derek Jeter was the starting shortstop, and in his second year with the team he had nearly the same stat line he had in 2003, which earned him his 2nd MVP award.

His best season came in 2007, when he led the league in homers for the 5th time, with 54, and also led the league with career highs in runs (143) and RBI (156). He also reached 500 home runs that season, becoming the youngest to reach that milestone, just as he had been with 400, 300, and 200. He won his 3rd MVP that season.

After that season, he opted out of his contract in order to sign a new deal that broke his previous record as the largest in history, but his performance dropped off a bit on the new deal. He had the reputation for not playing well in the playoffs, only having played well in the 2000 playoffs up to that point, but in 2009, he finally put it together in the postseason, batting over .300 with 6 home runs and 18 RBI over 3 rounds as the Yankees won the World Series, earning Rodriguez his first and only championship.

Exactly 3 years after his 500th home runs, Rodriguez hit his 600th, becoming the 7th player to reach that milestone, and the youngest as well. During the 2013 season, it was announced that Rodriguez was being suspended for using PED's, but he was allowed to continue playing during the appeal process. He eventually admitted to cheating and was suspended for the entire 2014 season. He did return for two more seasons afterward, but was not very effective.

Rodriguez is near the top of many prestigious leaderboards, including #8 in runs scored, #6 in total bases, #4 in home runs, and #3 in RBI's. He was regularly one of the top all-around regular season players, and was the best player for the Yankees on their 2009 World Series championship team, though that was one of his only good postseason performances. He may have cheated to improve some of those numbers, and there's no way to tell how much of a difference it made or how long it went on, but there is no doubt that he is still one of the greatest to ever play the game.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #51 - Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran

Carlos Beltran is the most recent retiree on this list, having left the game after finally winning the World Series last year, a fitting close to a great 20-year career.

Beltran joined the Kansas City Royals near the end of the 1998 season, so he was still officially a rookie in 1999, when he batted .293 with 108 RBI to win the Rookie of the Year award. He missed a good chunk of the following season, and slumped so badly he lost his starting job, but won it back before the 2001 season.

During his entire career, Beltran only led the league in a category once, games played in 2002, when he didn't miss a game. Even though he wasn't dominant in the regular season, he was one of the better players in the league for several years, and he always played well in the playoffs, earning him the nickname Senor Octubre.

He was traded to the Houston Astros halfway through the 2004 season, where he was able to have his first and best playoff performance. Though the Astros failed to reach the World Series, Beltran tied Barry Bonds' playoff record with 8 home runs in a single postseason, which was incredible for only playing 12 games. He hit home runs in 5 straight games, a postseason record at the time, and hit a gamewinner in Game 4 of the NLCS.

Beltran signed with the Mets following that season, which is where he would spend the most time in his career. He had his best year there in 2006, setting career highs in runs, home runs, walks, and RBI, and he finished #4 in the MVP voting, his highest career finish. In that year's NLCS, he was great again, batting .296 with 3 home runs, but it wasn't enough to reach the World Series yet again.

He was traded again just before his contract expired, this time to San Francisco, and again he was a short-term rental. He left to sign with the Cardinals after the season, and in 2013 was finally able to reach the World Series, only to lose to the Red Sox in 6 games, even after he robbed David Ortiz of a grand slam in game 1.

He left for the Yankees immediately after losing the World Series, but only played one postseason game in 2.5 years there, before being traded again just before his contract expired, joining the Rangers for the end of the 2016 season, but Texas came up short in the playoffs, so Beltran decided to go back to Houston for one final shot at a title.

He played mostly as a DH in 2017, and had the lowest batting average of his career, but the Astros were great, making it clear to the World Series. Beltran did not play much in the playoffs, getting only 3 hits in the 2 early playoff series, then batting 0 for 3 in the World Series, but he was able to go out a champion, even if he wasn't really a contributor.

Beltran was a very good all-around player, one of 5 in history to reach 400 home runs and 300 steals, and one of only 4 who also reached 2500 hits and 1000 walks, along with Willie Mays, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. Beltran was always better in the playoffs, playing well enough that he should have won a couple of titles in his prime, but there is still no doubt that he belongs with the greatest players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #53 - Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven

Bert Blyleven was a pitcher known for his curveball, and he threw it with such consistency that he was able to play for 22 years and pitch nearly 5000 innings.

Blyleven was called up to the Minnesota Twins in 1970, when he was just 19 years old, after only half a season in the minors. By 1973, he led the league in shutouts with 9, and earned Cy Young votes for the first of 4 times in his career.

After two more seasons in Minnesota, he grew unhappy with his salary, so the Twins traded him to Texas. He pitched for the Rangers for a year and a half, and in his final start of the 1977 season he pitched a no-hitter just two weeks after returning from a groin injury. The team, however, objected to a rude gesture he made to the camera during the game and traded him after the season, making him the first player ever to be traded immediately after a no-hitter.

His next stop was Pittsburgh, where in 1979 he was able to reach his first World Series. He gave up only 2 runs in 10 innings of work, easily the best in the series, and won his first championship. Just a season later, however, he grew tired of the Pirates, and again demanded a trade, this time heading to Cleveland.

After an elbow injury cost him most of the 1982 season, he struggled in 1983 upon returning, but was finally at full strength in 1984, when he recorded a 2.87 ERA and finished 3rd in the Cy Young voting, his first time being considered for the award in more than a decade.

Even with him pitching well, the Indians were struggling, so he again asked for a trade, and this time he was sent back to Minnesota, and he had a great season, leading the league with 206 strikeouts, 5 shutouts, and 24 complete games, which is a number no pitcher has approached since.

He passed 3000 strikeouts in 1986, then returned to the World Series in 1987. He won two games in the ALCS, then picked up another win in the World Series, finishing with 12 strikeouts and a 2.77 ERA as he earned his second championship.

He led the league in losses in 1988, and was released as a result. He went to play for the Angels, where he flipped his record, going from 17 losses to 17 wins, which earned him the Comeback Player of the Year award and a 4th-place finish in the Cy Young voting at age 38.

It took 14 years for Blyleven to get voted into the Hall of Fame, and before he was elected he was the only member of the 3000 strikeout club not in the Hall. He never won a Cy Young, and only received votes 4 times, but he was a very effective pitcher for a very long time, and pitched very well in both of his World Series appearances, which has earned him a spot among the best baseball players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #87* - Rafael Palmeiro

Rafael Palmeiro*

Rafael Palmeiro is the first player to make this list with an asterisk, which I have affixed to the 6 players on this list who broke rules in order to gain an advantage. Since it is not possible to tell the extent of the cheating, or what impact it had, he appears on the list at his actual ranking.

Palmeiro broke into the league with the Chicago Cubs in 1986, and in his third season had become an All-Star by batting .307, good for second in the NL that season, behind only Tony Gwynn. Because of issues with teammate Ryne Sandberg, Palmeiro was traded to the Texas Rangers after the season.

During his first stint with the Rangers, he began to establish himself as a true star, leading the league in hits in 1990, doubles, in 1991, and runs scored in 1993. After his fifth year in Texas, which was his best year to date, he decided to leave as a free agent after teammate Will Clark was offered a slightly larger contract.

He signed with the Orioles for slightly more than Clark had been offered, and it was there that he became a home run hitter, with a streak of 9 straight seasons of between 38 and 47 homers starting in 1995, and he also surpassed 100 RBI's in each of those seasons, something he had only done once before.

He decided to return to the Rangers in 1999, where he and his family were still living, and in his first season back had his best overall season, when he set career highs with 47 home runs, 148 RBI's, and a .324 batting average, while also amassing 183 hits. He came in fifth in the MVP voting, though I feel he should have won the award that year for the AL, as he had far more home runs, RBI's, and walks than Ivan Rodriguez, his teammate who won the award, while nearly matching him in hits and runs scored.

He returned to Baltimore in 2004 to chase a few more career milestones, and he reached a very impressive one in 2005, when he reached hit #3000, and as he had already reached 500 home runs, he became only the fifth player to reach both milestones, joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, and Eddie Murray, all Hall of Famers.

Just days after reaching that milestone, he was suspended for 10 days for a positive steroid test, which also came just a few months after he had been accused by Jose Canseco of using steroids, and after he had testified before Congress that he had never used them. He claimed that he had been given a tainted Vitamin B12 shot by teammate Miguel Tejada and that it was not intentional.

He returned to the team after his suspension ended, but his team and the fans had turned on him, both because of the implications of cheating and the accusation against his own teammate. Rafael Palmeiro Appreciation Day was cancelled, which was to be a celebration of his amazing achievement weeks earlier, and he ended up retiring a few days later due to all of the negativity. He also never came close to being elected to the Hall of Fame, despite having career statistics that would generally be considered surefire.

While Palmeiro most likely cheated, it is unclear how much and how often, and there is still a question as to whether it was intentional, but there is still no doubt that with all that he did in his career, he still deserves to be mentioned as one of the best baseball players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #88 - Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero

Vladimir Guerrero burst onto the scene in the late 1990's with the Montreal Expos, and it didn't take long before he became a perennial All-Star and MVP candidate. He was notorious for swinging at almost any pitch, but he was skilled enough that it didn't hamper his career.

He spent 8 years playing for Montreal, and during that time he was involved in two of the most amazing plays ever seen. The first came at the plate, where he cemented his reputation as a bad-ball hitter, when he got a hit off a pitch that had bounced before reaching the plate. Not only did the ball bounce, his bat also hit the ground as he was swinging, but he reached base safely nonetheless.

His most amazing defensive play came in 2001, when a ball was hit into deep right field, where Guerrero fielded it off one bounce, then threw a perfect strike of about 300 feet straight into the catcher's glove to tag out a runner trying to score from second. That throw can be seen in the highlight video attached to the end of this post.

In 2002, he led the league in hits and total bases, and came just one home run short of joining the very exclusive 40-40 club, as he posted a career high with 40 steals that year. The next season he was slowed by a back injury, and he became a free agent for the first time at the end of the season.

He decided to join the Angels for the 2004 season, and he had one of his very best seasons right away. He led the league with 124 runs, 366 total bases, and tied his career high with 206 hits. In September, he won the Player of the Month award after batting .371 with 10 home runs as they came back from a 3-game deficit to win the division and make the playoffs.

He did not play well in the playoffs, getting only 2 hits, though one of them was a grand slam, so it didn't look quite as bad. His overall numbers dropped slightly the next season, but he was still the best player in the AL, though it's very difficult to repeat as MVP when your numbers drop, so he ended up 3rd in the voting.

He continued to guide the Angels to the playoffs nearly every year, and while his playoff stats improved over the next few years, they were never quite able to break through to the World Series. He left for Texas before the 2010 season, where he was able to finally break through and get to the World Series, knocking in 3 runs in the deciding Game 6 of the ALCS. He did not end up with a championship ring, but it further cemented his status as an all-time great.

Guerrero may have been famous for swinging at bad pitches, but despite that, he never reached 100 strikeouts in a season, an amazing feat given his reputation. He is the Expos all-time leader in several categories, and had two MVP-caliber seasons in Anaheim. He maintained a high level of play for well over a decade, and as a result he is a part of my list of the best players of all time.

Top 106 Baseball Players: #101 - Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman

Lance Berkman was known as one of the members of the Houston Astros' "Killer B's" lineup early in his career, and while the other two are already in the Hall of Fame, Berkman is the one who has a World Series ring and a place on my list of the greatest players of all time.

Berkman reached the big leagues in 1999, and although he had played first base all his life, was placed in the outfield because Jeff Bagwell was already the starter at first, and wasn't going anywhere soon, so he spent the first 6 years of his career playing in an unnatural position, but it was worth it to get his bat in the lineup.

During his 12 seasons as an Astro, he reached 30 doubles 7 times, 30 home runs 5 times, and a .300 average 4 times, and also led the league in RBI's once. Houston was a perennial contender, and made 3 playoff runs, each time getting one step farther than the previous appearance, culminating in a World Series trip in 2005, where they lost to the White Sox. Berkman was the lone Astro star who played well in the Series, getting 5 hits, 5 walks, and 6 RBI in the four game sweep, while Bagwell and Biggio combined for 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 RBI.

His production began to decline in 2009, and midway through 2010 he was traded away to the Yankees, where he played mostly DH, which still didn't help the aging star, and he was released at the season's end.

He signed on with the Saint Louis Cardinals, where he experienced a renaissance, batting .301 with 31 homers and making the All-Star team for the 6th time, which earned him the Comeback Player of the Year Award. He also helped the Cardinals win the World Series that year, and he wasn't just along for the ride. He led all players in the series with 11 hits, posting a .423 average, and played a major role in game 6, when he hit a home run in the first inning, scored a run with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth to help send the game to extra innings, then earned an RBI in the bottom of the tenth to tie the game again.

It would be the last hurrah for Berkman. He played two more seasons, but spent far more time on the disabled list than on the field, which prompted him to retire in 2013. At the time, he was #4 all time in home runs among switch hitters, behind Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, and Chipper Jones. Throughout his career, he always played at another level in the playoffs, and as a result he was able to become a champion before he retired.