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Who are the top MLB players of the 1900s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Ty Cobb: until Pete Rose came along, Cobb owned both the highest career batting average (.366) and most career hits (4,189) in baseball history; though his MLB career only started in 1905, he won his first three batting titles in the 1900s and also led the league in runs batted in for three consecutive seasons, highlighted by his Triple Crown in 1909 and 25.6 WAR for the decade.
9. Mordecai Brown: nicknamed “Three Finger” (literally), Brown produced four consecutive 20-win seasons with a sub-2.00 ERA (including an ERA title) to close out the 1900s, leading the Chicago Cubs to back-to-back World Series titles in 1907 and 1908 and accumulating 40.0 WAR for the decade.
8. Frank Chance: the first basemen of the Cubs’ famous “Tinker to Evers to Chance” double-play combination, Chance hit .300+ for four consecutive seasons for the decade, led the league in on-base percentage and runs scored once apiece, and was the stolen base leader 2x while winning back-to-back World Series titles (41.3 WAR).
7. Sam Crawford: baseball’s all-time leader with 309 career triples, Crawford racked up double-digit triples each season while also hitting .300+ 6x and leading the league in home runs and runs scored 1x each for 45.0 total WAR during the decade.
6. Rube Waddell: arguably the premier power pitcher of the decade, Waddell led the league in strikeouts 6x, won 20 games 4x, won the ERA title 2x, and garnered the Pitching Triple Crown in 1905 for 58.5 WAR during the 1900s.
5. Eddie Plank: one of the best pitchers of the dead-ball era in the early 20th century, Plank racked up five 20-win seasons in the 1900s for a pair of World Series titles and 56.4 WAR on his way to 326 career wins.
4. Nap Lajoie: one of the superstars of baseball’s dead-ball era, Lajoie was a career .338 hitter who won three batting titles during the decade with 69.5 WAR; moreover, his .426 batting average in his 1901 Triple Crown season remains the highest single-season mark in AL history.
3. Christy Mathewson: one of the greatest pitchers of the early 20th century, Mathewson ranks tied for third all-time with 373 career wins; during the 1900s, he racked up seven 20-win seasons (including 4x with 30+ wins), won three ERA titles and a pair of Pitching Triple Crowns while leading the New York Giants to the 1905 World Series (67.7 WAR).
2. Cy Young: the winningest (and losingest) pitcher in MLB history, Young led the league in wins 3x during the 1900s (his 75.4 WAR was tops among pitchers) en route to 511 career wins, also adding a Pitching Triple Crown and a World Series title with the Boston Red Sox.
1. Honus Wagner: a member of baseball’s inaugural Hall of Fame class, Wagner was one of the game’s first superstars – tops among all players with 85.8 WAR for the 1900s, he won seven of his NL-record eight batting titles during the decade while leading the Pittsburgh Pirates to the 1909 World Series.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
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