The Greatest MLB Players of All Time
Babe Ruth is the consensus greatest baseball player of all time — the man who reshaped the sport, with a career slugging record that still stands. Here is the all-time MLB ranking as fans and experts actually agree on it, from Ruth and Mays through the legends, with our take on the debates — the steroid-era numbers, the peak-vs-longevity arguments — that define the sport.
The order follows the fan and expert consensus — we don’t invent our own. Where the debate is genuinely open, our note says how we lean. Every player here comes from an era you can draft in the game, where our engine rates each season against its own time. How the ratings work →
- 1Babe Ruth1914–1935714 home runs7× World Series champion.690 career slugging (record)
Our take: he didn’t just dominate — he changed what the game was. The highest slugging percentage in history keeps him first.
- 2Willie Mays1951–1973660 home runs24× All-Star12× Gold Glove
The consensus best five-tool player ever — power, average, speed, arm and “The Catch.”
- 3Barry Bonds1986–2007762 home runs (record)7× MVP (record)73 home runs in 2001
On the numbers he’s a clear top-two; the steroid-era cloud is why most consensus lists slot him third. Peak Bonds is the most feared hitter anyone has seen.
- 4Hank Aaron1954–1976755 home runs2,297 RBI (record)25× All-Star
- 5Ted Williams1939–1960.344 averageLast to hit .400 (1941)2× Triple Crown
The greatest pure hitter — and he lost nearly five prime seasons to military service.
- 6Ty Cobb1905–1928.366 average (record)4,189 hits1911 MVP
- 7Honus Wagner1897–19178× batting title3,420 hitsThe greatest shortstop
- 8Walter Johnson1907–1927417 wins110 shutouts (record)2× MVP
The pitcher on the short list for the overall #1 — the record shutout total may never be touched.
- 9Lou Gehrig1923–1939.340 average2× MVP2,130 straight games
- 10Stan Musial1941–19633,630 hits3× MVP7× batting title
- 11Mickey Mantle1951–1968536 home runs3× MVP1956 Triple Crown
- 12Ken Griffey Jr.1989–2010630 home runs10× Gold Glove1997 MVP
The clean-era icon — the sweetest swing in the game and the face of 1990s baseball.
- 13Rogers Hornsby1915–1937.358 average2× Triple Crown2× MVP
- 14Cy Young1890–1911511 wins (record)749 complete gamesThe award bears his name
- 15Joe DiMaggio1936–195156-game hit streak3× MVP9× champion
- 16Sandy Koufax1955–19663× Cy Young4 no-hitters (1 perfect)1963 MVP
The greatest peak a pitcher has had — six years of pure dominance before an early retirement.
- 17Pedro Martínez1992–20093× Cy Young1.74 ERA in 20003,154 strikeouts
The best single pitching peak of the modern era, at the height of the steroid era.
- 18Greg Maddux1986–20084× Cy Young355 wins18× Gold Glove
- 19Mike Trout2011–present3× MVP11× All-StarBest player of his generation
The modern great — a Hall-of-Fame résumé built despite years lost to injury.
- 20Roger Clemens1984–20077× Cy Young (record)354 wins4,672 strikeouts
The most decorated pitcher on paper; the same era cloud that follows Bonds keeps him from ranking higher.
A consensus ranking, not our invention — aggregated from the fan and expert lists people actually argue over. Names, honors and career figures are public record. Draft any of these eras for real in Draft Challenger.
Questions people actually ask
Who is the greatest baseball player of all time?
Babe Ruth is the consensus pick — 714 home runs, seven titles, and the highest career slugging percentage in history, having transformed the sport from the dead-ball era into the home-run game. Willie Mays is the usual #2 as the greatest all-around player.
Is Barry Bonds the best hitter ever?
By the numbers he has a strong case — the all-time home-run record and a record seven MVPs — and peak Bonds may be the most dominant hitter ever. The steroid-era controversy is why consensus lists usually place him third rather than first.
Who is the greatest pitcher of all time?
Walter Johnson and Cy Young lead the all-time career case; for peak dominance, Sandy Koufax and Pedro Martínez are the names. Roger Clemens is the most decorated with seven Cy Youngs, with an era caveat.