The best hitters in MLB based on my personal analysis: Part II

This is a sequel to my last column.

In my last column, I wrote about my personal analysis of the “rankings in eight batting categories.”

Every year, I research each player’s league ranking in eight batting categories: hits, walks, home runs, runs, RBIs, batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. I believe that players who achieve the top five in the league in all eight categories can be considered the best hitters in MLB. This is merely one example of what kind of players are considered the best hitters, as there are other ways to evaluate hitters. However, I think that my perspective of being in the top five in the league in all eight categories can be used as a reference when considering the best hitters.

In the modern era of MLB, which has a history of over 120 years, only 23 players have finished in the top five in the league in all eight categories at least once. I introduced a list of these 23 players last time. I consider these 23 players to be the best hitters in MLB.

This time, I’d like to introduce players who have at least once finished in the top 10 in the league in all eight batting categories. However, I’m excluding the players I introduced last time who finished in the top 5 in the league in all eight categories at least once. In other words, I’m including players who never finished in the top 5 in the league in all eight categories, but who finished in the top 10 in the league in all eight categories at least once. For example, Ted Williams, who finished in the top 5 in the league in all eight categories six times, also finished in the top 10 in the league in all eight categories three times in addition to those six times. In total, he finished in the top 10 nine times, but I’m not including Ted Williams in the list of this time. Here are some other similar examples: Lou Gehrig, who finished in the top 5 six times, also finished in the top 10 three times, for a total of nine top ten finishes. Rogers Hornsby, who finished in the top 5 three times, also finished in the top 10 five times, for a total of eight top ten finishes. Babe Ruth, who finished in the top five three times, also had four top ten finishes, for a total of seven top ten finishes. Jimmie Foxx, who also finished in the top five three times, also had two top ten finishes, for a total of five top ten finishes. None of these players are included in the list of this time.

There are 67 players who have never finished in the top 5 in the league in all eight batting categories, but have finished in the top 10 in the league in all eight categories at least once. I believe these 67 players can be considered great hitters, second only to the 23 who finished in the top five in the league in all eight categories at least once.

I’m sure many of you looked at the previous list of 23 players and thought, “That player isn’t on it!” Please take a look and see if such a player is among the 67 players this time. If he is not on it, it doesn’t mean that he is not a great hitter, because my perspective is merely one way of evaluating players.

So, below is a list of those 67 players, along with the years in which they finished in the top 10 in the league in all eight categories.

Honus Wagner	1901, 1908, 1909
Ed Delahanty	1901, 1902
Elmer Flick	1901, 1905
Sam Crawford	1902
Jimmy Sheckard	1903
George Stone	1906
Harry Davis	1906
Frank Chance	1906
Ed Konetchy	1909
Nap Lajoie	1910
Joe Jackson	1913
Eddie Collins	1915
Ross Youngs	1920
Ken Williams	1921, 1922, 1923
Jack Fournier	1921, 1924, 1925
Harry Heilmann	1923, 1924, 1927
Cy Williams	1924
Kiki Cuyler	1925
Lefty O’Doul	1929
Hack Wilson	1930
Don Hurst	1932
Mel Ott	1934, 1942
Charlie Gehringer	1935
Hank Greenberg	1935, 1937, 1940
Arky Vaughan	1935
Bob Johnson	1939, 1944
Enos Slaughter	1942
Whitey Kurowski	1946
Ralph Kiner	1947
Lou Boudreau	1948
Monte Irvin	1951
Duke Snider	1953, 1954
Ted Kluszewski	1954
Al Kaline	1955
Willie Mays	1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963
Roy Sievers	1957
Eddie Mathews	1959, 1961
Norm Cash	1961
Bill White	1963
Rocky Colavito	1965
Harmon Killebrew	1966
Ron Santo	1966
Frank Howard	1969
Dick Allen	1972
Jeff Burroughs	1974
Dave Winfield	1979
Dale Murphy	1983, 1985
Eddie Murray	1984
George Brett	1985
Barry Bonds	1993
Tim Salmon	1995
Mo Vaughn	1996
Carlos Delgado	2000
Todd Helton	2000, 2001
Jason Giambi	2001
Luis Gonzalez	2001
Sammy Sosa	2001
Alex Rodriguez	2005
Derrek Lee	2005
Albert Pujols	2005, 2009, 2010
Joey Votto	2010,2017
Matt Kemp	2011
Bryce Harper	2015
Ronald Acuña Jr.	2023
Mookie Betts	2023
Juan Soto	2023
Marcell Ozuna	2024

A few things I would like to mention here.

1) Willie Mays is the player who has achieved this most frequently, achieving it six times. Of those six times, there were two years in which he was in the top five in seven categories but sixth or lower in just one category. In 1955, he was eighth in walks alone, and in 1958, he was sixth in hits alone.

A great book about Willie Mays “24: Life Stories and Lessons from the Say Hey Kid” by Willie Mays and John Shea (2021, St. Martin’s Griffin)

Following Willie Mays’ six achievements are six other players who have achieved it three times: Honus Wagner, Ken Williams, Jack Fournier, Harry Heilmann, Hank Greenberg, and Albert Pujols. Looking at Albert Pujols, in the three times he ranked in the top 10 in the league in all eight categories, he ranked in the top five in seven categories and sixth in only one. In 2005, he was sixth in walks only, in 2007 he was sixth in hits only, and in 2010 he was sixth in batting average only.

A wonderful book about Albert Pujols “Pujols: more than the game” by Scott Lamb & Tim Ellsworth (2012, Thomas Nelson)

As the examples of Willie Mays and Albert Pujols show, among the 67 players there are some who are just one step away from achieving the top five in the league in all eight categories.

2) Among active players, there are five: Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña Jr., Mookie Betts, Juan Soto, and Marcell Ozuna. Of these five, two were in the top five in the league in seven categories but sixth or lower in one category. In 2015, Bryce Harper was in the top five in seven categories and ninth in hits only. In 2023, Mookie Betts was in the top five in seven categories and sixth in home runs only.

Of these five, two, Ronald Acuña Jr. and Juan Soto, are still in their 20s. These two may achieve this feat many times in the future. They may even finish in the top five in all eight categories.

A concise but well-written biography of Juan Soto by Clayton Geoffreys (2023)

A concise but well-written biography of Ronald Acuña Jr. by Clayton Geoffreys (2022)

3) Of the 12 players who have won the Triple Crown at least once in the modern era of Major League Baseball, 10 finished in the top five in the league in all eight batting categories, and one did not finish in the top five but finished in the top ten in the league in all eight batting categories. Joe Medwick is the only player to have won the Triple Crown, but he has never finished in the top ten in the league in all eight batting categories. The reason he was unable to finish in the top ten in the league in all eight categories was because he had few walks. There was a year when he was not in the top ten in walks alone, and a year when his walks and on-base percentage were not in the top ten.

(If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)