This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
Who are the top MLB players of the 1930s? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Arky Vaughan: the longtime shortstop of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1930s, Vaughan made six straight All-Star appearances in his prime and won a batting title in 1935 with a career-high .385 average while piling up 53.2 WAR for the decade.
9. Bill Dickey: one of the great catchers of baseball’s Golden Era, Dickey was a 6x All-Star in the 1930s who led catchers in most offensive categories and guided the New York Yankees to five World Series championships (43.7 WAR).
8. Hank Greenberg: the first Jewish superstar across American team sports, Greenberg was one of the top sluggers in baseball during the 1930s (36.6 WAR) – a 3x All-Star and the 1935 AL MVP, he hit a career-high 58 home runs in 1938 and also lead the league in runs batted in 2x.
7. Dizzy Dean: the leader of the St. Louis Cardinals’ “Gashouse Gang”, Dean was dominant from 1932 to 1937 before injuries shortened his career: four straight All-Star selections, four consecutive years leading the league in strikeouts, back-to-back years as wins leader, the 1934 NL MVP (followed by a pair of runner-up finishes), and a World Series title for a total of 44.1 WAR.
6. Carl Hubbell: perhaps best-known for striking out five consecutive Hall of Famers during the 1934 All-Star Game (Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons, and Joe Cronin), Hubbell made the first six All-Star Games and racked up 56.0 WAR for the decade; notably, during a five-year stretch from 1933 to 1937, he won 20+ games and finished top-10 for MVP each year while leading the league in wins 3x, ERA 3x, and WHIP 3x, earning two MVP awards, and leading the New York Giants to the 1933 World Series.
5. Charlie Gehringer: playing his entire career with the Detroit Tigers, Gehringer made the first six All-Star Games, finishing top-10 for MVP in each of those seasons; overall, he hit .300+ in all but one year of the decade (.298 in 1932) with six 200-hit seasons, the 1935 World Series, and the AL batting title and MVP with a career-high .371 batting average in 1937 for a total of 61.2 WAR.
4. Mel Ott: arguably the best hitter in the NL during the 1930s, Ott led the senior circuit in home runs 5x for the decade (though never hit more than 38 in that span), batted .300+ 7x, scored 100+ runs 7x, and drove in 100+ runs 8x for 68.7 WAR; though he never won an MVP award, he finished top-10 5x and led the Giants to the 1933 World Series.
3. Lefty Grove: with one of the most dominant pitching decades ever (80.8 WAR), Grove won seven ERA titles in the 1930s (9x overall) with five 20-win seasons, six All-Star selections, back-to-back Pitching Triple Crowns, the 1931 AL MVP, and a World Series title for the Philadelphia Athletics (part of consecutive titles starting in 1929).
2. Lou Gehrig: known as the “Iron Horse” for playing in 2,130 consecutive games with the Yankees, Gehrig was arguably the greatest run producer in baseball history – for the decade, he was second in both home runs (3x league lead) and runs batted in (3x league leader, with 6x of 150+), made every All-Star team, won the 1934 AL Triple Crown and 1936 AL MVP (with six other top-five finishes), won four World Series titles, and produced 73.1 WAR.
1. Jimmie Foxx: second only to Babe Ruth in terms of raw power in the early 20th century, Foxx paced the decade in home runs and runs batted in with 72.9 WAR; he played in every All-Star Game and led the league in home runs 4x and runs batted in 3x en route to three MVP awards and a Triple Crown in 1933.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
More Good Stuff
- Watch: Get tickets to see your favorite MLB team(s) in action
- Wear: Buy sports apparel for your favorite MLB player(s) or team(s)
- Collect: Buy unique sports memorabilia for your favorite MLB player(s) or team(s)
- Play: Show off your baseball knowledge by playing daily fantasy baseball
- Build: Start your own sports website/blog
Previous
Countdown 98: Top 10 Dunkers in NBA History
