Famous Baseball Players

The most famous baseball players of all time piled up some serious numbers during their lengthy careers. These legends of the game are still held in high regard today, and some hold records that will be hard to break. Modern baseball players would do well to attain even half of the success these Hall of Famers achieved.

1. Babe Ruth. Arguably the most famous baseball player of all time, Ruth played for the New York Yankees for most of his 22 major league seasons. He finished his career in 1935 as the leading home run hitter in big league history with 714. Although he has since been surpassed in that category, his legend lives on as one of the greatest hitters of all-time.
2. Ty Cobb. Possibly the most ferocious baseball player to ever put on a pair of spikes, Cobb is the all-time leader in batting average at .366. He played for 24 seasons, all but the last two with the Detroit Tigers. Cobb was the first player to reach 4,000 hits in his career, passing that milestone in 1927.
3. Hank Aaron. “Hammerin” Hank broke Ruth’s home run record in 1974 and finished his career with 755, which has since been surpassed by Barry Bonds. Aaron was a player for 23 years, mostly with the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves before finishing his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. He still holds the major league record for runs batted in with 2297.
4. Ted Williams. Known as “Teddy Ballgame” for his clutch play, Williams is the last player to bat over .400, hitting .406 in 1941. He played for 19 seasons, all with the Boston Red Sox. Williams’ .344 career batting average puts him in a tie for seventh on the all-time list.
5. Cy Young. Young was one of the most durable pitchers in major league history, and still holds the career win record with 511. He played for 22 years with several different teams, finishing his career in 1911. The annual top pitcher award in the modern era is named after Young.