The HyperTexts

Baseball's All-Time Leaders in WAR5 and cWAR5
The WAR Hall of Fame below is based on WAR7 or "peak WAR." The WAR7 stat helps us identify the players who were the most dynamic for their seven most productive years. This eliminates "flash in the pans" and doesn't reward players who "hung around" when they were past their primes. These are the players who were the most dynamic and productive during their prime years. But first, let's consider an interesting stat called cWAR5 ...

cWAR5

WAR5 works like WAR7 and helps us find the very highest extended peaks. In this case we are looking at consecutive years, so let's use the term cWAR5. Who were the players who were consistently the greatest for five years running? These are the highest peaks in baseball history, for position players ...

1     Babe Ruth (1920-1924) 56.9 WAR
2     Willie Mays (1962-1966) 52.3 WAR
3     Barry Bonds (2000-2004) 51.1 WAR
4     Rogers Hornsby (1921-1925) 49.9 WAR
5     Mike Trout (2012-2016) 47.8 WAR
6     Mickey Mantle (1954-1958) 47.7 WAR
7     Joe Morgan (1972-1976) 47.7 WAR
8     Lou Gehrig (1927-1931) 47.2 WAR
9     Stan Musial (1948-1952) 44.7 WAR
10   Albert Pujols (2005-2009) 44.5 WAR
11   Hank Aaron (1959-1963) 43.6 WAR
12   Carl Yastrzemski (1966-1970) 43.4 WAR
13   Alex Rodriguez (2000-2004) 43.4 WAR
14   Jimmie Foxx (1932-1936) 42.9 WAR
15   Ted Williams (1946-1950) 42.3 WAR
16   Jackie Robinson (1949-1953) 42.2 WAR
17   Wade Boggs (1985-1989) 42.0 WAR
18   Ron Santo (1963-1967) 41.9 WAR
19   Mike Schmidt (1974-1978) 40.3 WAR
20   Roberto Clemente (1965-1969) 39.8 WAR

According to cWAR5, Mike Trout has already had one of the five highest peaks in baseball history. But if he hadn't been injured in 2017, and had performed as consistently as he always does, he would be in third place, above a steroid-infused Bobby Bonds. This list also demonstrates how very good Joe Morgan, Jackie Robinson, Wade Boggs, Ron Santo and Roberto Clemente were. We don't always hear their names mentioned with the Musials and Aarons, but they deserve their day in the sun. According to cWAR5, they were top 20 players in their primes. And in his prime, Joe Morgan was comparable to Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig. I believe WAR discriminates against catchers, so I am going to arbitrarily add the catcher with the most career WAR and the highest peak, Johnny Bench, to the cWAR5 Hall of Fame ...

The cWAR5 Hall of Fame

C - Johnny Bench
1B - Lou Gehrig
2B - Rogers Hornsby
SS - Alex Rodriguez
3B - Wade Boggs and Ron Santo (tie)
RF - Mickey Mantle
CF - Willie Mays
LF - Stan Musial
P - Babe Ruth
UT - Jimmie Foxx (C, 1B, 3B)
UT - Joe Morgan (2B, LF, RF)
UT - Jackie Robinson (1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, RF)

The WAR7 Hall of Fame

Please keep in mind that 8 WAR is MVP level. So the top players on the list below played at an MVP level for their entire careers. All-Star level is 5 WAR, so every player on this list played at a composite all-star level for his entire career. It seems safe to say that any player who made this list was elite, while those who averaged 6.5 WAR or higher were transcendent. I will start with the top 40 players regardless of position, then show the WAR7 rankings by position.

       Player                  WAR7

1     Babe Ruth             84.7
(a1) Ted Williams         74.9 Adjusted for five years of military service
(e)   Mike Trout           74.2  Estimated by 2022 or later
2     Willie Mays           73.7
3     Rogers Hornsby    73.5
4     Barry Bonds         72.7

The players above averaged 10 WAR per season or higher in their primes. Babe Ruth was so dominant in his era that he could drop his top three WAR seasons and still be at the top of the rankings. However, if Mike Trout reaches his prime at the same age as Ruth, at 28, and maintains that prime until age 36, as Ruth did, there's no telling how high his WAR7 might end up.

5     Ted Williams         69.2
6     Ty Cobb               69.2
7     Lou Gehrig            67.7
8     Honus Wagner      65.4
9     Mickey Mantle      64.8
10   Stan Musial           64.2
11   Eddie Collins         64.2
12   Alex Rodriguez     64.2
(r)   Mike Trout            63.8  Mid-2019, but likely to rise to around #7 by season's end

The players above averaged 9 WAR per season; they played "above MVP level" in their primes.

13   Tris Speaker         62.3
(a2) Joe DiMaggio       62.3 Adjusted for military service
14   Albert Pujols         61.7
15   Nap Lajoie            60.4
16   Hank Aaron          60.3
17   Jimmie Foxx          59.5
18   Joe Morgan           59.4
19   Mike Schmidt        58.6
20   Rickey Henderson 57.6
21   Wade Boggs         56.4
22   Cal Ripken            56.3

The players above averaged 8 WAR per season, meaning they played consistently around MVP level in their primes.

23   Carl Yastrzemski   55.5
24   Eddie Matthews    54.5
25   Roberto Clemente 54.2
26   Ken Griffey Jr.      54.0
27   Ron Santo             53.8
28   George Brett         53.3
29   Mel Ott                 52.9
30   Frank Robinson     52.9
31   Joe Jackson           52.5
32   Jackie Robinson     52.3 Robinson would rank much higher if he hadn't started at age 28 due to racial discrimination
33   Ernie Banks           51.9
34   Joe DiMaggio        51.0 See (a2) for a more accurate measurement
35   Arky Vaughn         50.6
36   Charlie Gehringer   50.5
37   Duke Snider          49.9
38   Rod Carew           49.7
39   Gary Carter          48.4 See notes immediately below
40   Johnny Bench       47.2 See notes immediately below

The players above averaged 7 WAR per season, meaning they played consistently close to MVP level in their primes. I believe WAR undervalues catchers, so I have included the top two WAR7 catchers in my rankings. Johnny Bench is a good example. He won two NL MVP awards, finished fourth in the MVP voting two other times, and received MVP votes in ten different seasons. But the rigors of catching took their toll, and he's said that he wasn't really Johnny Bench anymore, after his age 27 season. I believe his mother said the same thing.

Positive Surprises: Nap Lajoie (60.3) virtually tied with Hank Aaron (60.1), "Little Joe" Morgan (59.3) virtually tied with "the Beast" Jimmie Foxx (59.5), the vastly undervalued Ron Santo (53.8) ahead of his Cubs teammate Ernie Banks (51.9)

Negative Surprises: Sammy Sosa (43.8), Mark McGwire (41.9), Eddie Murray (39.1), Rafael Palmeiro (38.9), Boog Powell (30.9), Jose Canseco (29.7), Steve Garvey (28.8)

The WAR7 of sluggers like Sosa, McGwire, Canseco and Palmeiro would be lower without the PEDs. Even juiced up, they didn't exactly set the WAR7 world on fire, other than bashing illicit home runs until the jig was up.

The Best Players by Position, according to WAR7 (with starters underlined)

Catcher: Johnny Bench (47.2), Gary Carter (48.4), Mike Piazza (43.1), Joe Mauer (39.0), Ivan Rodriguez (39.8), Carlton Fisk (37.6), Buster Posey (37.1), Yogi Berra (37.0)
First Base: Lou Gehrig (67.7), Stan Musial (64.1), Albert Pujols (61.7), Jimmie Foxx (59.5), Johnny Mize (48.8), Jeff Bagwell (48.3), Hank Greenberg (47.7), George Sisler (47.0)
Second Base: Rogers Hornsby (73.5), Eddie Collins (64.2), Nap Lajoie (60.3), Joe Morgan (59.4), Jackie Robinson (52.3), Charlie Gehringer (50.5), Rod Carew (49.7), Ryne Sandburg (47.1)
Shortstop: Honus Wagner (65.4), Alex Rodriguez (64.2), Cal Ripken Jr. (56.3), Ernie Banks (51.9), Arky Vaughn (50.6), Lou Boudreau (48.7), Robin Yount (47.3)
Third Base: Mike Schmidt (58.6), Wade Boggs (56.4), Eddie Matthews (54.5), Ron Santo (53.8), George Brett (53.2), Adrian Beltre (49.3), Frank "Home Run" Baker (46.8)
Right Field: Hank Aaron (60.3), Roberto Clemente (54.2), Mel Ott (52.9), Frank Robinson (52.9), Al Kaline (48.9), Harry Heilmann (47.2), Reggie Jackson (46.8), Larry Walker (44.7)
Center Field: Willie Mays (73.7), Ty Cobb (69.2), Mickey Mantle (64.8), Mike Trout (63.8), Tris Speaker (62.3), Joe DiMaggio (62.3), Ken Griffey Jr. (54.0), Duke Snider (49.9)
Left Field: Ted Williams (74.9), Barry Bonds (72.7), Rickey Henderson (57.6), Carl Yastrzemski (55.5), "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (52.5), Al Simmons (45.8), Minnie Minoso (42.2)
Designated Hitter: Babe Ruth (84.7), Rod Carew (49.8), Chase Utley (49.3), Ed Delahanty (48.6), Dan Brouthers (47.2), Roger Connor (47.0), Joey Votto (46.1)
Utility: Pete Rose (he was an all-star at five different positions, playing more than 500 games at each)

Players who should be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame based on their WAR7 and total WAR, with the players with the highest peaks underlined: Pete Rose (44.9/79.7), Bill Dahlen (40.2/75.4), Larry Walker (44.7/72.7), Derek Jeter (41.8/72.4), Bobby Grich (46.4/71.1), Scott Rolen (43.7/70.2), Carlos Beltran (44.4/69.8), Edgar Martinez (43.7/68.4), Kenny Lofton (43.4/68.3), Graig Nettles (42.4/68.0), Ken Boyer (46.3/62.8), Andruw Jones (46.5/62.8), Sal Bando (44.4/61.5), Todd Helton (46.5/61.2), Jim Edmonds (42.6/60.4), Keith Hernandez (41.3/60.4), Bobby Abreu (41.6/60.0), Bobby Bonds (41.1/57.9), Dick Allen (45.9/55.1), Minnie Minoso (39.9/50.5)

NOTE: Because the HOF requires ten years and an all-star season is five WAR, the total WAR requirement above is 50 or higher. The peak WAR requirement of 40 was chosen because it's around the average for HOF members. If only total WAR is considered, a player may have just played a lot more games than the average HOF member. If just peak WAR is considered, the player may have been a bit of a "flash in the pan." But if we consider both, we know that a player accumulated enough total WAR for at least ten all-star seasons, and that he played at a very high level for at least seven years.

WAR3 tells us how dynamic and productive players were in their three best years, according to WAR. A player with WAR3 of 24 or higher has at least three MVP-level seasons under his belt. WAR3 of 30 or higher is "beyond MVP" into the realm of the spectacular.

The Best Players regardless of Position, according to WAR3

1 - Babe Ruth (41.6) --- This is simply outrageous!
2 - Barry Bonds (37.1)
3 - Ted Williams (34.1)
4 - Rogers Hornsby (33.3)
5 - Mickey Mantle (33.1)
6 - Willie Mays (32.9)
7 - Ty Cobb (32.6)
8 - Lou Gehrig (31.8)
9 - Carl Yastrzemski (31.4)
10 - Mike Trout (31.2) --- This number is almost sure to rise, the way Trout keeps getting ridiculously better.
11 - Honus Wagner (30.9)
12 - Stan Musial (30.4)
13 - Joe Morgan (30.0)
14 - Cal Ripken Jr. (29.6)
15 - Johnny Bench (23.9) --- It's not fair to leave out all the catchers!

The Best Players by Position, according to WAR3 (with starters underlined)

Catcher: Johnny Bench (23.9), Gary Carter (23.1), Mike Piazza (21.9), Carlton Fisk (20.3), Joe Mauer (19.5), Thurman Munson (19.3), Ivan Rodriguez (19.3), Buster Posey (19.0)
First Base: Lou Gehrig (31.8), Stan Musial (30.4), Jimmie Foxx (28.6), Albert Pujols (27.6), George Sisler (25.3), Todd Helton (25.0), Jeff Bagwell (23.4), Hank Greenberg (22.5)
Second Base: Rogers Hornsby (33.3), Joe Morgan (30.0), Eddie Collins (29.5), Nap Lajoie (28.4), Chase Utley (25.0), Robinson Cano (24.3), Ryne Sandburg (23.4)
Shortstop: Honus Wagner (30.9), Cal Ripken Jr. (29.6), Alex Rodriguez (29.2), Ernie Banks (27.7), Arky Vaughn (25.5), Lou Boudreau (26.4), Robin Yount (24.8)
Third Base: Ron Santo (27.6), Mike Schmidt (27.4), George Brett (26.3), Wade Boggs (25.8), Eddie Matthews (24.4), Adrian Beltre (24.6), Frank Baker (24.4), Brooks Robinson (24.1)
Right Field: Hank Aaron (28.0), Mookie Betts (27.0), Al Kaline (24.6), Reggie Jackson (24.5), Frank Robinson (24.4), Roberto Clemente (22.9), Larry Walker (22.3)
Center Field: Mickey Mantle (33.1), Willie Mays (32.9), Ty Cobb (32.6), Mike Trout (31.2), Tris Speaker (29.1), Ken Griffey Jr. (27.5), Duke Snider (26.3), Joe DiMaggio (25.4)
Left Field: Ted Williams (34.1), Barry Bonds (37.1), Carl Yastrzemski (31.4), Rickey Henderson (28.6), "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (26.9), Ralph Kiner (23.6), Joe Medwick (23.0)
Designated Hitter: Babe Ruth (41.6), Harry Heilmann (23.7), Al Simmons (22.9), Johnny Mize (22.4), Joey Votto (22.2)
Utility: Mel Ott (25.1), Rod Carew (24.9), Jackie Robinson (27.8), Pete Rose (22.1), Chipper Jones (22.0), Yogi Berra (17.4)

Positive Surprises: Ron Santo had the highest three-year peak among third basemen, Mickey Mantle nips Willie Mays in a virtual tie, Mookie Betts challenges Hank Aaron, Chase Utley, Robinson Cano, Todd Helton

The Mysterious Case of CHWAR

Baseball Egg has been publishing a stat called CHWAR. I must admit that I haven't figured out what it is, does or signifies. Whatever CHWAR is, Babe Ruth has 84 and Mike Trout has zero! It certainly seems to help to play in the Big Apple. Here are the top ten to twenty CHWAR players that I have been able to find, plus a few players of interest because they don't have much or anything of whatever CHWAR measures.

Player (CHWAR)

Babe Ruth (84.0) --------- Does it have to do with hotdogs and a LOT of mustard? Is it "chick WAR"?
Mickey Mantle (81.0) ----- Yes, "chick WAR" seems to fit!
Joe DiMaggio (58.0) ------ I am definitely thinking "chick WAR" right now!
Lou Gehrig (57.0) -------- ?
Yogi Berra (43.0) -------- ???
Derek Jeter (38.0)
Duke Snider (37.0)
Joe Gordon (36.0)
Phil Rizzuto (36.0)
Jackie Robinson (35.0)
Gil McDougald (34.0)------- In what alternate universe does McDougald have more WAR than Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby?
Joe Morgan (33.0) ------- Did Joe Morgan play for New York and no one bothered to tell me?
Bill Dickey (32.0)
Roger Maris (31.0)
Frank Robinson (31.0)
Reggie Jackson (28.0)
Johnny Bench (27.0)
Mickey Cochrane (24.0)
Ty Cobb (22.0)
Pete Rose (21.0)
Tony Perez (17.0) ------ Okay, I get it now that I see the Big Red Machine showing up. CHWAR must stand for "Championship WAR."
Rogers Hornsby (14.0)
Ted Williams (10.0)
Cal Ripken Jr. (8.0)
Mike Trout (zilch)
Jeff Bagwell (zilch)
Joey Votto (zilch)
Rod Carew (zilch)
Frank Thomas (zilch)

WAR per 162 Games for Position Players [with peak WAR aka WAR7]

This list is sorted on the WAR7 stat in square brackets at the end of the line. Please note that WAR7 of 56 or higher means that the player in question performed at an MVP level or higher, on average, for at least seven years.

The position indicated is the player's primary position. The team indicated is the player's primary team. The all-time leaders for each position are starred with an asterisk. Active players are bolded and their rankings can still go up or down.

10.48 (RF)      Babe Ruth* (New York Yankees) not including pitching WAR [84.7]
9.22 (LF)        Ted Williams* (Boston Red Sox) adjusted for five years lost to military service (est. 170 WAR, 2986 games) [74.9]
8.47 (CF)        Willie Mays* (New York/San Francisco Giants) [73.7]
9.10 (2B)        Rogers Hornsby* (St. Louis Cardinals) [73.5]
8.83 (LF)        Barry Bonds* (San Francisco Giants) obviously inflated by PEDs [72.7]
8.06 (CF)       Ty Cobb (Detroit Tigers) [69.2]
8.41 (1B)        Lou Gehrig* (New York Yankees) [67.7]
7.58 (SS)        Honus Wagner* (Pittsburgh Pirates) [65.4]
7.58 (CF)        Mickey Mantle (New York Yankees) [64.8]
6.58 (SS)        Alex Rodriguez (New York Yankees) [64.3]
6.91 (2B)        Eddie Collins (Chicago White Sox) [64.2]
6.79 (RF/1B)  Stan Musial (St. Louis Cardinals) [64.1]
7.79 (CF)       Tris Speaker (Cleveland Indians) [62.4]
7.75 (CF)       Joe DiMaggio (New York Yankees) adjusted for three years lost to military service (est. 101 WAR, 2100 games) [62.3]
5.61 (1B)       Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals) [61.7]
9.88 (CF)       Mike Trout (Los Angeles Angels) and still rising! [61.4]
6.70 (RF)       Hank Aaron (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves) [60.3]
6.43 (2B)       Nap Lajoie (Cleveland Indians) [60.3]
6.79 (1B/3B)  Jimmie Foxx (Philadelphia Athletics) [59.5]
6.04 (2B)       Joe Morgan (Cincinnati Reds) [59.3]
7.18 (3B)       Mike Schmidt* (Philadelphia Phillies) [58.7]
6.35 (SS)       Lou Boudreau (Cleveland Indians) [58.7]
5.59 (LF)       Rickey Henderson (Oakland Athletics) [57.6]
5.09 (2B)       Ryne Sandburg (Chicago Cubs) [57.5]
5.87 (3B)       Wade Boggs (Boston Red Sox) [56.4]
5.18 (SS)       Cal Ripken Jr. (Baltimore Orioles) [56.3]

4.72 (LF)       Carl Yastrzemski (Boston Red Sox) [55.5] his peak was ultra-high, but longevity hurt some of his stats
6.51 (3B)       Eddie Mathews (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves) [54.3]
5.37 (RF)       Roberto Clemente (Pittsburgh Pirates) [54.2]
5.08 (CF)      Ken Griffey Jr. (Cincinnati Reds) [54.0]
5.12 (3B)       Ron Santo (Chicago Cubs) [53.8]
5.06 (3B)       George Brett (Kansas City Royals) [53.2]
6.56 (RF)       Mel Ott (New York Giants) [52.9]
6.00 (RF)       Frank Robinson (Cincinnati Reds) [52.9]
7.36 (RF/LF)  Shoeless Joe Jackson (Chicago White Sox) [52.5]
6.71 (2B)       Jackie Robinson (Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers) [52.0]
4.32 (SS/1B)  Ernie Banks (Chicago Cubs) [51.9] in his prime he was beyond elite, the first of the home-run crushers at shortstop
6.47 (SS)       Arky Vaughan (Pittsburgh Pirates) [50.6]
5.48 (2B)       Charlie Gehringer (Detroit Tigers) [50.5]
4.46 (LF/3B)  Minnie Minoso (Chicago White Sox) [50.5]
5.38 (2B)       Robinson Cano (Seattle Mariners) [50.5]

5.01 (CF)       Duke Snider (Brooklyn Dodgers) [49.9]
5.33 (2B)        Rod Carew (Minnesota Twins) [49.8]
5.32 (3B)       Adrian Beltre (Texas Rangers) [49.3]
5.65 (2B)       Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies) [49.3]
5.08 (RF)       Al Kaline (Detroit Tigers) [48.9]
5.90 (1B)       Johnny Mize (St. Louis Cardinals) [48.8]
6.15 (LF)       Ed Delahanty (Philadelphia Phillies) [48.6]
6.04 (1B)       Jeff Bagwell (Houston Astros) [48.3]
4.94 (C)         Gary Carter (Montreal Expos) [48.2]
7.10 (1B)       Hank Greenberg (Detroit Tigers) [47.7]
4.39 (SS)       Robin Yount (Milwaukee Brewers) [47.3]
7.60 (1B)       Dan Brouthers (Many) [47.2]
5.20 (RF)       Harry Heilmann (Detroit Tigers) [47.2]
5.62 (C)         Johnny Bench* (Cincinnati Reds) [47.1]
4.25 (1B)       George Sisler (St. Louis Browns) [47.0]
6.84 (1B/3B)  Roger Connor (New York Giants) [47.0]
6.46 (3B)       Frank Baker (Philadelphia Athletics) [46.8]
5.48 (3B)       Chipper Jones (Atlanta Braves) [46.8]
4.25 (RF)       Reggie Jackson (Oakland Athletics] [46.8]
4.37 (1B)       Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies) [46.5]
4.63 (CF)      Andruw Jones (Atlanta Braves) [46.5]
5.74 (2B)       Bobby Grich (California Angels) [46.4]
5.00 (3B)       Ken Boyer (St. Louis Cardinals) [46.3]
6.05 (1B)       Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds) [46.1]
5.44 (3B)       Dick Allen (Philadelphia Phillies) [45.9]
5.07 (LF)       Al Simmons (Philadelphia Athletics) [45.8]
6.27 (2B)       Joe Gordon (New York Yankees) [45.8]
4.39 (3B)       Brooks Robinson (Baltimore Orioles) [45.7]
5.03 (1B/DH) Frank Thomas (Chicago White Sox) [45.2]
4.04 (1B)       Willie McCovey (San Francisco Giants) [44.9]
3.63 (*)          Pete Rose (Cincinnati Reds) [44.9] longevity hurt some of his stats but WAR7 confirms he was comparable to Al Simmons, Miguel Cabrera, Willie McCovey
5.00 (SS)       Allen Trammell (Detroit Tigers) [44.8]
5.92 (RF)       Larry Walker (Colorado Rockies) [44.7]
4.96 (1B)       Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers) [44.7]
4.73 (CF)       Richie Ashburn (Philadelphia Phillies) [44.5]
5.76 (SS)       George Davis (New York Giants) [44.4]
5.24 (2B)       Frankie Frisch (St. Louis Cardinals) [44.4]
4.94 (3B)       Sal Bando (Oakland Athletics) [44.4]
4.37 (CF)       Carlos Beltran (Kansas City Royals) [44.4]
5.06 (SS)       Joe Cronin (Boston Red Sox) [43.9]
4.98 (SS)       Luke Appling (Chicago White Sox) [43.8]
4.03 (RF)       Sammy Sosa (Chicago Cubs) [43.8]
5.24 (LF)       Ralph Kiner (Pittsburgh Pirates) [43.7]
5.16 (3B/DH) Edgar Martinez (Seattle Mariners) [43.7]
5.58 (3B)       Scott Rolen (Philadelphia Phillies) [43.7]
3.62 (RF)      Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariners) [43.7]
5.26 (CF)      Kenny Lofton (Cleveland Indians) [43.4]
4.72 (CF)      Jim Wynn (Houston Astros) [43.4]
4.68 (LF)      Goose Goslin (Washington Senators) [43.2]
5.40 (C)        Mike Piazza (New York Mets) [43.1]
5.23 (SS)      Barry Larkin (Cincinnati Reds) [43.1]
5.00 (SS)      Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox) [43.1]
4.57 (2B)      Roberto Alomar (Toronto Blue Jays) [42.9]
6.44 (CF)      Billy Hamilton (Philadelphia Phillies) [42.7]
4.00 (CF)      Andre Dawson (Montreal Expos) [42.7]
5.20 (CF)      Jim Edmonds (St. Louis Cardinals) [42.6]
4.84 (SS)       Ozzie Smith (St. Louis Cardinals) [42.5]
5.23 (2B)       Dustin Pedroia (Boston Red Sox) [42.4]
4.08 (3B)       Graig Nettles (Cleveland Indians) [42.4]
4.49 (LF)       Tim Raines (Montreal Expos) [42.4]
4.63 (RF)       Paul Waner (Pittsburg Pirates) [42.2]
5.38 (1B)       Mark McGwire (Oakland Athletics) [41.9]
6.04 (1B)       Cap Anson (Chicago Cubs) amazingly he didn't play 100 games until age 32 and still had 3,435 hits! [41.8]
4.27 (SS)       Derek Jeter (New York Yankees) [41.8]
3.72 (2B)       Craig Biggio (Houston Astros) [41.8]
4.00 (RF)       Bobby Abreu (Philadelphia Phillies) [41.6]
4.64 (1B/DH) Jim Thome (Cleveland Indians) [41.5]
4.26 (CF)       Cesar Cedeno (Houston Astros) [41.4]
4.15 (LF)       Billy Williams (Chicago Cubs) [41.4]
5.81 (RF)       Elmer Flick (Cleveland Indians) [41.3]
4.68 (1B)       Keith Hernandez (New York Mets) [41.3]
4.59 (RF)       Tony Gwynn (San Diego Padres) [41.3]
5.37 (1B)        Bill Terry (New York Giants) [41.2]
3.46 (CF)       Dale Murphy (Atlanta Braves) [41.2]
4.48 (RF)       Vladimir Guerrero (Montreal Expos) [41.2]
5.00 (RF)       Bobby Bonds (San Francisco Giants) [41.1]
5.75 (SS)       Jim Glasscock (Cleveland Blues) [41.0]
5.60 (3B)       Evan Longoria (Tampa Bay Rays) [40.9]
4.46 (3B)       Buddy Bell (Cleveland Indians) [40.5]
5.27 (2B)       Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers) [40.4]
5.16 (3B)       David Wright (New York Mets) [40.2]
4.99 (SS)       Bill Dahlen (Chicago Cubs) [40.2]
3.56 (CF)      Vada Pinson (Cincinnati Reds) [40.0]

4.88 (LF)      Manny Ramirez (Boston Red Sox) [39.9]
4.37 (C)        Ivan Rodriguez (Texas Rangers) [39.8]
4.57 (3B)      Paul Molitor (Milwaukee Brewers) [39.7]
4.54 (LF)      Joe Medwick (St. Louis Cardinals) [39.7]
4.84 (RF)      Sam Crawford (Detroit Tigers) [39.7]
5.40 (CF)      Larry Doby (Cleveland Indians) [39.6]
4.49 (LF)       Lance Berkman (Houston Astros) [39.3]
4.78 (LF)       Ryan Braun (Milwaukee Brewers) [39.2]
3.67 (1B/DH) Eddie Murray (Baltimore Orioles) [39.1]
4.22 (1B)       John Olerud (Toronto Blue Jays) [39.0]
4.93 (C)         Joe Mauer (Minnesota Twins) [39.0]
5.27 (RF)       Reggie Smith (Boston Red Sox) [38.7]
6.37 (LF)       Charlie Keller (New York Yankees) [38.7]
4.37 (3B)       Robin Ventura (Chicago White Sox) [38.7]
4.17 (RF)       Tony Oliva (Minnesota Twins) [38.6]
4.11 (1B)       Rafael Palmeiro (Baltimore Orioles) [38.9]
4.05 (CF)      Willie Davis (Los Angeles Dodgers) [38.9]
4.13 (CF)      Fred Lynn (Boston Red Sox) [38.4]
3.94 (LF)      Willie Stargell (Pittsburg Pirates) [38.0]
3.81 (RF)      Gary Sheffield (*) [38.0]
3.50 (RF)      Dave Winfield (San Diego Padres) [37.9]
5.09 (2B)       Lou Whitaker (Detroit Tigers) [37.9]
4.64 (CF)      Kirby Puckett (Minnesota Twins) [37.6]
4.44 (C)        Carlton Fisk (Boston Red Sox) [37.6]
2.63 (RF)      Dave Parker (Pittsburg Pirates) [37.4]
4.50 (CF)     Andrew McCutchen (Pittsburg Pirates) [37.4]
3.55 (3B)      Darrell Evans (Atlanta Braves) [37.3]
4.17 (RF)      Dwight Evans (Boston Red Sox) [37.3]
4.53 (CF)     Chet Lemon (Chicago White Sox) [37.2]
4.20 (3B)      Ron Cey (Los Angeles Dodgers) [37.1]
5.86 (C)        Buster Posey (San Francisco Giants) [37.1]
4.54 (C)        Yogi Berra (New York Yankees) [37.0]
5.25 (C)        Thurman Munson (New York Yankees) [37.0]
5.53 (C)        Mickey Cochrane (Philadelphia Athletics) [36.9]
3.62 (LF)      George Foster (Cincinnati Reds) [36.9]
3.15 (1B)      Tony Perez (Cincinnati Reds) [36.5]
4.85 (2B)      Willie Randolph (New York Yankees) [36.3]
3.75 (LF)      Jose Cruz (Houston Astros) [36.3]
5.34 (LF)       Fred Clarke (Pittsburgh Pirates) [36.2]
4.63 (1B)       Will Clark (San Francisco Giants) [36.1]
4.98 (LF)       Bob Johnson (Philadelphia Athletics) [36.0]
5.12 (CF)       Wally Berger (Boston Braves) [35.8]
5.06 (CF)       Hack Wilson (Chicago Cubs) [35.8]
3.91 (2B)       Jeff Kent (San Francisco Giants) [35.7]
4.62 (2B)       Billy Herman (Chicago Cubs) [35.5]
3.76 (RF)       Enos Slaughter (St. Louis Cardinals) [35.2]
3.72 (1B)       David Ortiz (Boston Red Sox) [35.2]
3.83 (1B)       Orlando Cepeda (San Francisco Giants) [34.6]
5.05 (C)         Bill Dickey (New York Yankees) [34.2]
5.46 (3B)       Al Rosen (Cleveland Indians) [33.3]
2.51 (RF)       Rusty Staub (Montreal Expos) [33.3]
5.39 (CF)       Lenny Dykstra (Philadelphia Phillies) [33.0]
6.15 (SS)       Andrelton Simmons (Los Angeles Angels) [33.0] but only because he hasn't played seven full seasons yet
3.67 (CF)      Johnny Damon (Boston Red Sox) [33.0]
5.09 (C)         Roy Campanella (Brooklyn Dodgers) [32.8] unfortunately one of the greatest catchers was a victim of racial discrimination and injuries
5.04 (SS)       Joe Tinker (Chicago Cubs) [32.9]
3.09 (1B)       Boog Powell (Baltimore Orioles) [30.9]
2.91 (1B)       George Scott (Boston Red Sox) [30.3]
3.64 (RF)       Jose Canseco (Oakland Athletics) [29.7]
3.05 (1B)       Ted Kluszewski (Cincinnati Reds) [29.2]
2.65 (1B)       Steve Garvey (Los Angeles Dodgers) [28.8]
2.87 (1B)       Jim Bottomley (St. Louis Cardinals) [28.8]
2.52 (CF)       Willie McGee (St. Louis Cardinals) [28.7]
2.99 (CF)       Al Oliver (Pittsburg Pirates) [28.1]
3.08 (C)         Manny Sanguillen (Pittsburg Pirates) [26.4]
2.72 (C)         Elston Howard (New York Yankees) [26.4]
2.73 (2B)       Bill Mazeroski (Pittsburg Pirates) [26.0]
2.75 (1B)       Joe Adcock (Milwaukee Braves) [23.7]
2.85 (1B)       Wally Joyner (California Angels) [23.6]
2.22 (DH)      Harold Baines (Kansas City Royals) [21.4]

NOTE: Anything below two WAR per season would be below average for a major league baseball starter.

Related Pages: The Greatest Baseball Team of All Time, The Greatest Baseball Infields of All Time, Is Mike Trout the GOAT?, Best Baseball Nicknames, Weird Baseball Facts and Trivia, Baseball's All-Time Leaders in WAR7, Baseball's All-Time Leaders in WAR5, All-Time Cincinnati Reds Baseball Team, Cincinnati Reds Trivia

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