Major League Baseball was founded over a century ago and there has been several different era's separating MLB's history. We will put together a roster of the greatest players at each position using "WAR" (Wins Above Replacement). We will break down era walls and comprise a list of the "best of the best" from the 19th century to the present. For these rankings - only statistics matter.
Greatest Catcher: Johnny Bench
Honorable Mentions: Gary Carter and Ivan Rodriguez
Career WAR: 75.0
Avg: .267
HR: 389
RBI: 1,376
Best Season: (1972 - 8.6 WAR) .270 40 HR 125 RBI
162 Game Average: .267 29 HR 103 RBI
Greatest First Baseman: Lou Gehrig
Honorable Mentions: Albert Pujols and Jimmie Foxx
Career WAR: 112.4
Avg: .340
HR: 493
RBI: 1,995
Best Season: (1927 - 11.8 WAR) .373 47 HR 173 RBI
162 Game Average: .340 37 HR 149 RBI
Greatest Second Baseman: Rogers Hornsby
Honorable Mentions: Eddie Collins and Napoleon Lajoie
Career WAR: 127.0
Avg: .358
HR: 301
RBI: 1,584
Best Season: (1924 - 12.1 WAR) .424 25 HR 94 RBI
162 Game Average: .358 22 HR 114 RBI
Greatest Shortstop: Honus Wagner
Honorable Mentions: Alex Rodriguez and Cal Ripken Jr.
Career WAR: 130.7
Avg: .328
HR: 101
RBI: 1,732
Best Season: (1908 - 11.5 WAR) .354 10 HR 109 RBI
162 Game Average: .328 6 HR 100 RBI
Greatest Third Baseman: Mike Schmidt
Honorable Mentions: Eddie Mathews and Wade Boggs
Career WAR: 106.5
Avg: .267
HR: 548
RBI: 1,595
Best Season: (1974 - 9.7 WAR) .282 36 HR 116 RBI
162 Game Average: .267 37 HR 107 RBI
Greatest Right Fielder: Babe Ruth
Honorable Mentions: Hank Aaron and Stan Musial
Career WAR: 183.5
Avg: .342
HR: 714
RBI: 2,214
Best Season: (1923 - 14.1 WAR) .393 41 HR 130 RBI
162 Game Average: .342 46 HR 143 RBI
Greatest Center Fielder: Willie Mays
Honorable Mentions: Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker
Career WAR: 156.3
Avg: .302
HR: 660
RBI: 1,903
Best Season: (1965 - 11.2 WAR) .317 52 HR 112 RBI
162 Game Average: .302 36 HR 103 RBI
Greatest Left Fielder: Barry Bonds
Honorable Mentions: Ted Williams and Rickey Henderson
Career WAR: 162.4
Avg: .298
HR: 762
RBI: 1,996
Best Season: (2001 - 11.9 WAR) .328 73 HR 137 RBI
162 Game Average: .298 41 HR 108 RBI
Greatest Right-Handed Starting Pitcher: Walter Johnson
Honorable Mentions: Cy Young and Roger Clemens
Career WAR: 166.5
Record: 417-279
ERA: 2.17
Best Season: (1913 - 15.0 WAR) 36-7 1.14 ERA
162 Game Average: 19-13 2.17 ERA
Greatest Left-Handed Starting Pitcher: Lefty Grove
Honorable Mentions: Randy Johnson and Warren Spahn
Career WAR: 105.8
Record: 300-141
ERA: 3.06
Best Season: (1936 - 11.4 WAR) 17-12 2.81 ERA
162 Game Average: 19-9 3.06
I did not include relief pitchers on this list because most of the top-rated relievers started their careers as starters. It would be unfair to include all relievers, while some stats were attributed to starts. It would also be unfair to only rank relievers in the modern era where there is a greater use of bullpens and the Save statistic is in use.
This list shows the greatest players of all-time, at each position, and how much greater they were than the second-best player at the time (using the WAR statistic).
PED's and other factors aside, this was a list about the numbers..
