Ranked in order, from best player to worst.
Joe Torre (actually pretty good)
- WAR: 57.6
- Years: 18, 1960s-70s
- Teams: Mil/Atl, StL,
NYM
- Pos: c, 1b, 3b
- Single-season highlights:
In 1971, led majors in batting (363), hits, RBIs & TBs; was NL MVP
- Career highlights: 297
average, 9 All Star appearances
- Similar players: HoFers
Ryan Sandberg & Bobby Doerr
- Fun fact: Never appeared
in postseason
John McGraw (actually not bad at all)
- WAR: 45.7
- Years: 17, 1890s
& 1900s
- Teams: Brooklyn, NYG,
Balt
- Pos: 3b, ss
- Single-season highlights:
3 years leading league in OBP, 2 in runs
- Career highlights: 1000
runs, 1300 hits, 440 SBs; career OBP ranks 3rd all-time
- Similar players: HoFer
Hugh Jennings
- Fun fact: Missed most
of one season due to contracting malaria
Miller Huggins (pretty good actually)
- WAR: 35.4
- Years: 13, 1900s
& 1910s
- Teams: StL, Cinn
- Pos: 2b
- Single-season highlights:
4-time league leader in walks; multiple defensive stats
- Career highlights: 1475
hits, 950 runs, 325 SBs
- Similar players: Eddie
Stanky, Bobby Richardson
- Fun fact: Known as “Rabbit,"
"Mighty Mite,” and "Little Everywhere"
Billy Southworth (not bad)
- WAR: 21.6
- Years: 13, mostly in
the 1920s
- Teams: 5
- Pos: of
- Single-season highlights:
Led league in triples; multiple defensive stats
- Career highlights:
297 average, 1300 hits, 560 RBIs
- Similar players: Casey
Stengel (see below)
- Fun fact: Game-winning
hit clinched Cards’ first modern-era pennant
Casey Stengel (still pretty decent)
- WAR: 20.2
- Years: 14, 1910s
& 20s
- Teams: 5
- Pos: of
- Single-season highlights:
Led league in OBP; in 1917, led league in fielding percentage, putouts, assists
& games
- Career highlights: 284
average, 1220 hits, 535 RBIs
- Similar players: Billy
Southworth (see above)
- Fun fact: Batted 393
in 3 World Series
Ned Hanlon (still OK)
- WAR: 18.1
- Years: 13, 1880s
& 90s
- Teams: Mostly Detroit
Wolverines
- Pos: of
- Single-season highlights:
Led league in games played; multiple defensive stats
- Career highlights: 1300
hits, 930 runs, 500 RBIs, 330 SBs
- Similar players: Omar
Moreno, Vince Coleman, Michael Bourn
- Fun fact: Traveled to
Hawaii, Australia, Ceylon, Arabia, Egypt & Europe as part of Albert
Spalding's "Around the World Baseball Tour”
Al Lopez (still decent)
- WAR: 16.4
- Years: 19, 1930s
& 40s
- Teams: Brooklyn, Pittsburgh,
Boston Braves
- Pos: c
- Single-season highlights:
2-time All Star; multiple defensive stats
- Career highlights: 1500
hits, 600 runs, 650 RBIs
- Similar players: HoFers
Ray Schalk, Rick Ferrell
- Fun fact: Set a
record for games played by a catcher (since broken)
Bucky Harris (still decent)
- WAR: 16.3
- Years: 12, mostly in
the 1920s
- Teams: Mostly
Washington
- Pos: 2b
- Single-season highlights:
3-time league leader in HBP & SH; multiple defensive stats
- Career highlights: 1300
hits, 720 runs, 500 RBIs
- Similar players: Dave
Cash, Mickey Morandini
- Fun fact: Player/manager
at age 27
Wilbert Robinson (pretty average actually)
- WAR: 6.7
- Years: 17; 1890s-1910s
- Teams: 4, mostly
Brooklyn
- Pos: c
- Single-season highlights:
Batted 353 in 1894; multiple defensive stats
- Career highlights: 1400
hits, 720 RBIs
- Similar players: HoFer
Ray Schalk
- Fun fact: Once caught
a triple-header, followed by a double-header the next day
Connie Mack (average or below)
- WAR: 6.0
- Years: 11, 1880s & 90s
- Teams: 3
- Pos: c
- Single-season highlights: League leader in HBP; mutiple defensive stats
- Career highlights: 125 SBs
- Similar players: Larry Kopf, Con Daily, Silver Flint
- Fun fact: “A light-hitting catcher with a reputation as a smart player, but didn't do anything particularly well as a player.” (Bill James)
Leo Durocher (average at best)
- WAR: 4.1
- Years: 17, 1920s-40s
- Teams: 4
- Pos: ss
- Single-season highlights:
3-time All Star, 3-time league leader in fielding percentage
- Career highlights: 1320
hits, 570 RBIs, 575 runs
- Similar players: Tim
Foli, Spike Owen, Freddie Patek
- Fun facts: Was called
the “All-American Out” by teammate Babe Ruth
Dick Williams (below average)
- WAR: 3.4
- Years: 13, 1950s
& 60s
- Teams: 5
- Pos: of
- Single-season highlights: In 1959, hit 16 HRs, with 75 RBIs & 72
runs
- Career highlights: 360
runs, 330 RBIs
- Similar players: Darnell
Coles, Mark Teahen, Gino Cimoli
- Fun fact: 500 average
in the postseason (1 hit in 2 ABs)
Bill McKechnie (below average)
- WAR: 3.4
- Years: 11, 1907-20
- Teams: 6
- Pos: Mostly 3b;
everything else other than c
- Single-season highlights:
In 1914, in the Federal League, batted 304, scored 107 runs & stole
47 bases
- Career highlights: 715
hits
- Similar players: Emilio
Bonifacio, Babe Pinelli, Klondike Douglass
- Fun fact: Player/manager
at age 28
Whitey Herzog (bad)
- WAR: 2.8
- Years: 8, 1950s &
60s
- Teams: 4
- Pos: of
- Single-season highlights:
Got over 400 at bats only once, in his rookie year
- Career highlights: 1600
at-bats, 215 runs, 170 RBIs
- Similar players: Al
Pilarcik, Leron Lee, Joe Christopher
- Fun facts: Once said,
“said, "Baseball has been good to me since I quit trying to play it."
Bobby Cox (bad)
- WAR: 0.9
- Years: 2, 1960s
- Teams: NYY
- Pos: 3b
- Highlights: Starter
in 1968, getting 100 hits 440 at bats
- Similar players: Ray
Bates, Emil Huhn, Tucker Ashford
- Fun fact: Retired because
of bad knees
Walter Alston (terrible)
- Years: 1936
- Teams: StL
- Pos: 1b
- “Highlights”: Struck
out on 3 pitches in single at-bat; 3 innings in field, making an error on 2
chances
- Fun fact: Subbed for
Johnny Mize (who had been objected ejected) in the final game of the season
Tony La Russa (terrible)
- WAR: -0.6
- Years: 6, 1960s &
70s
- Teams: mostly Athletics
- Pos: mostly 2b
- Single-season “highlights”:
Got over 100 at bats only once
- Career “highlights”: Finished
1 point under the Mendoza line, never hit a homer
- Fun fact: bonus baby
Tommy Lasorda (terrible)
- WAR: -1.1
- Years: 3, 1950s
- Teams: Brooklyn, KC
Athletics
- Pos: p
- Single-season “highlights”: In his only start, left after
the first inning after tying a major-league record with three wild
pitches in one inning (and then was spiked trying to cover home
on the last one)
- Career “highlights”: 0-4,
6.48, 1.869 WHIP; 1 hit in 14 ABs
- Fun fact: Sent down
to the minors for Sandy Koufax
Sparky Anderson (terrible)
- WAR: -1.2
- Years: 1, 1959
- Teams: Phillies
- Pos: 2b
- “Highlights”: 527
ABs, 0 HRs, 34 RBIs; did lead league in games played at 2b
- Fun fact: Traded by
Dodgers to Phils for 3 players – Rip Repulski, Gene Snyder & Jim Golden
Earl Weaver (didn't even make the majors)
- Years: 0 (14 in
minors, 1940s-60s)
- Teams: From D thru
AAA
- Pos: 2b
- Career highlights:
5000 ABs, 1000 hits, 500 RBIs
- Fun fact: Played for
West Frankfort, Dublin (GA) & Fitzgerald (GA)
Joe McCarthy (ditto)
- Years: 0 (15 in minors,
1900s-1920s)
- Teams: Highest level
was AA
- Pos: Utility
- Career highlights: 5540
ABs, not quite 1500 hits
- Fun fact: Played as a
Baron, Millionaire & Peach
Jim Leyland (ditto)
- Years: 0 (7 in
minors, mostly 1960s)
- Teams: Tigers
organization; never got past AA
- Pos: c
- Career “highlights”: 222
average & 4 HRs over 1220 ABs
- Fun fact: Pitched 4
innings, giving up 6 hits, 2 ERs, no walks & 2 Ks
Frank Selee (non-existent)
- Years: 0 (amateur
only, 1884)
- Teams: Melrose (MA) Alphas
- Pos: of
- Career highlights: no
records exist
- Fun fact: “He played
the outfield a few times that year, and those contests represent Frank Selee’s
entire professional playing career.” (SABR)
