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As of the 2022 season, there are eight members of MLB’s exclusive 300-300 club, i.e. 300 career home runs and 300 career stolen bases. The first six names are highly recognizable stars of yesteryear: Willie Mays, Barry and Bobby Bonds, Andre Dawson, Alex Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltran. However, the last couple of names may be a bit of a surprise to the average baseball fan – Steve Finley and Reggie Sanders. Though never quite superstars, both were consistent and versatile players, the type of productive veteran every winning team needs; in comparing and contrasting the duo, this leads to a natural question:
Who was better – Steve Finley or Reggie Sanders?
The Beginning
Though neither Finley nor Sanders was a heralded prospect (both attended small to medium-sized colleges and each was drafted in the mid-rounds), both overcame the odds to stick at the MLB level.
Born in Tennessee, but raised in Kentucky, Finley went on to play college baseball at Southern Illinois University, where he was a 2x All-Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) selection, as well as a Third Team All-American and team MVP. Though he was originally drafted in the 11th round of the 1986 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves, he chose to remain in school and a year later, was selected in the 13th round by the Baltimore Orioles (325th overall). After signing with Baltimore, Finley spent a couple of years in the Orioles’ minor league system before making his big league debut in 1989 – across 81 games played, he batted .249 with 2 home runs, 25 runs batted in, 35 runs scored, 17 stolen bases, a .298 on-base percentage, and a .318 slugging percentage, equating to a 69 OPS+ (which measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average set at 100).
Meanwhile, Sanders was a native son of South Carolina and would stay in-state to attend college at Spartanburg Methodist College before being selected 180th overall in the seventh round of the 1987 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds (so ahead of Finley in the same draft year). Following four years in the minor leagues, he had a cup of coffee with the Reds in 1991 before appearing officially as a rookie in 1992 – that year, he went on to hit .270 with 12 home runs, 36 runs batted in, 62 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, a .356 on-base percentage, and a .462 slugging percentage (127 OPS+) to finish fourth for NL Rookie of the Year.
Career Comparison
Across nearly two decades of MLB service apiece, Finley and Sanders were each consistent good, sometimes great, versatile players with numerous teams, ultimately joining the 300-300 club less than a week apart in 2006 as the fifth and sixth members of the exclusive fraternity.
After another ho-hum year with the Orioles in 1990, Finley was traded to the Houston Astros with Pete Harnisch and Curt Schilling for Glenn Davis. In four seasons with the Astros, Finley established himself as a solid everyday player, hitting in the .280 range; notably, he had three consecutive seasons of at least 10 triples, including back-to-back seasons with a career-high 13 triples (good for the league lead in 1993), and stole double-digit bases every season, highlighted by a career-best 44 stolen bases in 1992. However, post the lockout-shortened 1994 season, he was on the move once again, this time to the San Diego Padres in a blockbuster deal involving a dozen players, including Ken Caminiti and Derek Bell.
As a member of the Padres, Finley would break out – after winning the first of five Gold Gloves in 1995, he then finished 10th for NL MVP and won another Gold Glove in 1996 on the strength of a .298 batting average, 30 home runs, 95 runs batted in, a career-high 126 runs scored, 22 stolen bases, a .354 batting average, and a .531 slugging percentage (136 OPS+). For an encore, he earned his first All-Star selection in 1997 by hitting .261 with 28 home runs, 92 runs batted in, 101 runs scored, 15 stolen bases, a .313 on-base percentage, and a .475 slugging percentage, good for a 110 OPS+. With his numbers dipping the next year, Finley became a free agent post the 1998 season and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Like fine wine, Finley had some of his best seasons in his mid to late 30s in Arizona and saw his power increase as his baserunning waned. In his first year with the team in 1999, he hit .264 with 34 home runs, a career-high 103 runs batted in, 100 runs scored, 8 stolen bases, a .336 on-base percentage, and a .525 slugging percentage, good for a 113 OPS+ and another Gold Glove. To follow-up, he earned a second and final All-Star selection, as well as a Gold Glove once again, with a .280 batting average, 35 home runs, 96 runs batted in, 100 runs scored, 12 stolen bases, a .361 on-base percentage, and a .544 slugging percentage (121 OPS+). After a few more solid seasons (including leading the league with 10 triples in 2003, the oldest player ever to do so), he was traded midway through the 2004 season to the Los Angeles Dodgers, though still had one of his best seasons at age 39 across the Diamondbacks and Dodgers: .271 batting average with a career-best 36 home runs, 94 runs batted in, 92 runs scored, 9 stolen bases, a .333 on-base percentage, and a .490 slugging percentage, equating to a 109 OPS+ and earning a final Gold Glove. Over the last three seasons of his MLB career, he bounced around in the NL and AL West, spending a year each with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, San Francisco Giants, and Colorado Rockies before retiring at age 42 in 2007, having followed in Sanders’ footsteps as the sixth member of the 300-300 club.
As for Sanders, he quickly established himself as a top power-speed threat with the Reds, following up on his rookie season by hitting .274 in 1993 with 20 home runs, 83 runs batted in, 90 runs scored, 27 stolen bases, a .343 on-base percentage, and a .444 slugging percentage (109 OPS+); in fact, he would start off his career with 14 straight years of double-digit home runs and steals. After infamously “breaking up” Pedro Martinez’s eighth-inning perfect game bid in 1994 on a hit pitch and subsequently charging the mound, he had arguably his best season in 1995: by hitting .306 with 28 home runs, a career-high 99 runs batted in, 91 runs scored, a career-best 36 stolen bases, a .397 on-base percentage, and a .579 slugging percentage (155 OPS+), Sanders not only nearly had a 30-30 season, but made his lone All-Star Game and placed sixth for NL MVP. However, following a few injury-plagued seasons where his production dropped, Sanders was dealt to the Padres with Damian Jackson and Josh Harris for Greg Vaughn and Mark Sweeney.
Entering his 30s, Sanders would become a bit of a baseball nomad. In his lone season with San Diego, he bounced back to the tune of a .285 batting average with 26 home runs, 72 runs batted in, a career-high 92 runs scored, 36 stolen bases (matching his career-best mark), a .376 on-base percentage, and a .527 slugging percentage, good for a 134 OPS+ and another near 30-30 campaign. At season’s end, though, he was again on the move, this time traded with Wally Joyner and Quilvio Veras to the Atlanta Braves for Bret Boone, Ryan Klesko, and Jason Shiell. Unfortunately, Sanders did not thrive this time in new surroundings, hitting a career-worst .232 with the Braves. As a free agent, he would join Finley on the Diamondbacks and rebound with one of his best hitting seasons: .263 batting average with a career-high 33 home runs, 90 runs batted in, 84 runs scored, 14 stolen bases, a .337 on-base percentage, and a .549 slugging percentage (117 OPS+). Despite the strong season, he continued to move around year after year, playing a season with the Giants (23 home run and 18 stolen bases) before signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates and producing another 30-home run campaign (31 home runs and 87 runs batted on a .285 batting average, plus 15 stolen bases).
Having bounced around with numerous teams, Sanders returned to the Midwest for the conclusion of his career, joining a powerhouse St. Louis Cardinals team in 2004 that included the likes of Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and Scott Rolen. Sanders was a solid veteran in his two seasons with the Cardinals, hitting 20+ home runs both times with a respectable batting average. Finally, as a free agent in 2006, he joined the Kansas City Royals, but was again plagued by injuries and appeared in less than a season’s worth of games in his two years there; nevertheless, he reached the 300-300 mark in 2006 (fifth player to do so) before retiring at age 39 post the 2007 season.
While they were drafted in the same year and retired the same year, Finley made it to the major leagues earlier than Sanders, thus playing more seasons. Moreover, due to his better health, he played nearly 50% more games and had a similar advantage in at-bats, thus leading to a lead in most accumulation categories; however, the two have similar career home run and stolen base totals, having barely cleared the 300-300 club, and Sanders has the edge in most ratio categories other than batting average (i.e. higher on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS+). Across their long careers, both players had eight 20-home run seasons (3x 30 home runs for Finley vs. 2x for Sanders) and 14 campaigns with double-digit stolen bases (again a 3 to 2 advantage for Finley in 30-steal seasons), with Finley racking up more seasons with 100 runs batted in (1 vs. 0) and 100 runs scored (5x vs. none). Additionally, Finley made one more All-Star Game vs. Sanders (2 to 1) and also won a Gold Glove 5x for his defensive prowess. Given the similarities in their careers, it is perhaps not surprising that the two players have comparable career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) at 44.2 for Finley vs. 39.8 for Sanders, which puts both squarely in the camp of very good careers, but not quite Hall of Fame-worthy.
Regular Season Statistics
| Steve Finley | Player | Reggie Sanders |
| 19 (1989-2007) | Seasons | 17 (1991-2007) |
| 2,583 | Games Played | 1,777 |
| 9,397 | At-Bats | 6,241 |
| 2,548 | Hits | 1,666 |
| 1,443 | Runs | 1,037 |
| 304 | Home Runs | 305 |
| 1,167 | Runs Batted In | 983 |
| 844 | Walks | 674 |
| 320 | Stolen Bases | 304 |
| .271 | Batting Average | .267 |
| .332 | On-Base Percentage | .343 |
| .442 | Slugging Percentage | .487 |
| 104 | OPS+ | 115 |
| 44.2 | Wins Above Replacement | 39.8 |
| 2x | All-Star Games | 1x |
| – | MVP | – |
| 1x | World Series Titles | 1x |
| 5x Gold Glove | Other Awards | – |
| – | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Throughout their careers, Finley and Sanders both played for a number of playoff contenders, notably teaming up to win a World Series with the Diamondbacks in 2001 vs. the New York Yankees. Bolstered by the pitching heroics of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, the Diamondbacks would come back in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 7 to win in walk-off fashion vs. legendary Yankees closer Mariano Rivera. For his part, Finley had an outstanding postseason, hitting .421 in the NLDS, .286 in the NLCS, and finally, .368 in the World Series (7 hits in 19 at-bats) with a home run and 5 runs scored. Similarly, Sanders only batted .118 in the NLCS after a .357 performance in the NLDS, but rebounded with 7 hits in 23 at-bats (.304 batting average) in the World Series with 6 runs scored.
All in all, Finley played in the postseason 7x with the Padres, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Angels; in addition to the World Series title in 2001, he also was part of San Diego’s run to the World Series in 1998, where they were swept by the Yankees – he struggled during the run, sandwiching a .333 NLCS performance with a .100 batting average in the NLDS and a putrid .083 performance (just 1 hit in 12 at-bats) in the World Series.
Likewise, Sanders made six postseason trips in total with the Reds, Braves, Diamondbacks, Giants, and Cardinals, though overall, hit below the Mendoza line (.200) across all of his postseason at-bats. This included two additional World Series trips: in 2002, he was part of a San Francisco team that lost in seven games to the Angels, while in 2004, his Cardinals were swept by the Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz-led Boston Red Sox.
Playoff Statistics
| Steve Finley | Player | Reggie Sanders |
| 51 | Games Played | 64 |
| 165 | At-Bats | 221 |
| 41 | Hits | 43 |
| 16 | Runs | 24 |
| 1 | Home Runs | 7 |
| 22 | Runs Batted In | 25 |
| 21 | Walks | 26 |
| 5 | Stolen Bases | 9 |
| .248 | Batting Average | .195 |
| .335 | On-Base Percentage | .283 |
| .315 | Slugging Percentage | .326 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; Finley was a highly durable and consistent player who arguably was better in his 30s, while Sanders was more volatile and prone to injuries throughout his career. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Steve Finley | Player | Reggie Sanders |
| 1991-1992, 1995-1997, 1999-2000, 2002-2004 | Decade of Dominance | 1993-1996, 1998-1999, 2001-2004 |
| 1,531 | Games Played | 1,258 |
| 5,758 | At-Bats | 4,471 |
| 1,625 | Hits | 1,213 |
| 955 | Runs | 768 |
| 233 | Home Runs | 228 |
| 792 | Runs Batted In | 737 |
| 569 | Walks | 485 |
| 211 | Stolen Bases | 232 |
| .282 | Batting Average | .271 |
| .348 | On-Base Percentage | .347 |
| .479 | Slugging Percentage | .497 |
| 36.8 | Wins Above Replacement | 33.3 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Here, the two outfielders are once again highly comparable players – though Finley has the edge durability-wise, the duo have similar counting and ratio numbers and are ultimately separated by around three-and-half WAR over the course of a decade (which could very well be explained by the former’s edge in games played and at-bats).
My Thoughts
Like tortoises rather than hares, Steve Finley and Reggie Sanders gradually inched their way into the rarified air of the 300-300 club over the course of nearly two decades apiece. Though neither was a Hall of Fame-caliber player, there is something to be said for being consistently reliable with occasional flashes of greatness. With very similar career profiles, my choice between the two is Finley. On one hand, Sanders was arguably the more dynamic offensive player, putting up relatively comparable counting numbers in significantly less action while having better averages; interestingly, whereas Finley’s power and speed were somewhat inversely correlated during his career, Sanders was a true 30-30 power-speed threat when healthy and effective. Yet on the other hand, Finley was by far the more durable player and oftentimes the best ability is availability; along with similar offensive production, his defensive prowess (e.g. five Gold Gloves) makes him more versatile and as a result, a better all-around player in my book. In any case, these are the type of “boring” veteran players any ballclub needs to win – have enough of them on your team to complement the superstars and you might very well have a World Series champion on your hands, as Finley and Sanders proved with the Diamondbacks in 2001.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Steve Finley
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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