History UsefulNotes / HistoricalPeopleToKnowInMLB

* '''Rickey Henderson''', as mentioned above, holds the major league record for both career stolen bases and stolen bases in a single season. He also holds the records for career runs scored (2,295) and unintentional walks (2,129), and is among the few players in baseball history to amass 3,000 hits. All of these skills combined to make him not only arguably the best leadoff hitter of all time, but one of the greatest ''all around'' players of all time[[note]] Once asked if he thought Henderson was a future Hall of Famer, statistician Bill James replied, "If you could split him in two, you'd have two Hall of Famers."[[/note]]. Though he's often cast as a singles hitter like most leadoff hitters, he had a decent amount of power, with nearly 300 home runs in his career, a large total for a leadoff hitter, especially one who played most of his career in the pitcher's era of the 1980s. He played for 25 years and for a lot of teams, but is best remembered for his 5 years with the Yankees and many stints with the Athletics, with whom he won one of his World Series rings in 1989 and his only MVP Award in 1990. Also known for being extremely eccentric, in particular for his ThirdPersonPerson tendencies.

* '''Jamie Moyer''' was the oldest active player in baseball (turned 50 in November 2012) at the time of his retirement in 2013—and actually had been the oldest active player in baseball for several years by that point. He started in the majors in 1986. He holds the distinction of having allowed more home runs than any other pitcher in history, though when you consider how long he had to pitch to reach that mark, it isn't that embarrassing an accomplishment at all. He also became the oldest pitcher to ever win a game in 2012, and weeks later became the oldest player ever to collect an RBI.
* '''Roy Halladay''', who last played for the Philadelphia Phillies, was arguably the best pitcher in the game in the late 2000s and early 2010s. He began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998, but in 2000 became so bad that he was demoted all the way down to the Blue Jays' Single-A team to relearn how to pitch. It worked: he had a breakout season in 2002 and won the AL Cy Young award in 2003. In December 2009, he was traded to the Phillies, giving him a shot at pitching in the postseason. [[note]]During his time in Toronto, The Blue Jays were generally mediocre, only once finishing higher than 3rd in the tough AL East, and made no postseason appearances between 1993 and 2015[[/note]] During his first season with the Phillies, he threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins, and in his first-ever postseason appearance, he threw a no-hitter against the Cincinnati Reds - only the second postseason no-hitter in baseball history, following Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. Halladay won the NL Cy Young in 2010, one of only six pitchers to do so in both leagues (the others are Gaylord Perry, Pedro Martínez, Randy Johnson, Roger Clemens, and Max Scherzer). Sadly, injuries over the next few years severely impacted his ability to pitch, and ultimately forced him to retire after the 2013 season after signing a ceremonial contract with the Jays. In an even bigger DownerEnding, he only got to enjoy a few years of retirement, dying when the plane he was flying crashed into the Gulf of Mexico near his Florida home in November 2017. This also obviously meant that he would not live to see his Hall of Fame induction in 2019.

* '''Ty Cobb''', nicknamed "The Georgia Peach," was a superlative player in the early part of the 20th century, leading the American League in batting average twelve times and setting 90 MLB records during his career. His most notable were the all-time record for most career base hits at 4,191 (until it was broken by Pete Rose; Rose and Cobbs remain the only players to have accumulated over 4,000 hits in the MLB), held the record for career stolen bases until it was broken by Lou Brock (and subsequently by Rickey Henderson), and had a career batting average of .366 and a combined runs scored/RBI total of 4,095, records that still stand today. Despite that, he's also one of the most likely players in the game's history to be portrayed as a villainous or outright evil person, due mostly to sportswriter Al Stump and other biographers [[VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory sensationalizing him as a murderous, racist criminal]] in the years after his death. His indisputable skill at the game made him CrazyIsCool at best for several decades, but since the turn of TheNewTens his legacy has been subject to reappraisal and [[http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-knife-in-ty-cobbs-back-65618032/ most]] [[https://imprimis.hillsdale.edu/who-was-ty-cobb-the-history-we-know-thats-wrong/ modern]] [[https://www.mlb.com/news/ty-cobb-history-built-on-inaccuracies-c178601094 evaluations]] of his character and history claim he suffered from a HistoricalVillainUpgrade. While he did have extremely thin skin and frequently got into fights with hecklers and others who he felt were treating him poorly, resulting in at least one guilty plea to a charge of assault, his competitive and aggressive nature seems mostly [[FreudianExcuse the result of his father constantly hounding him for]] [[WellDoneSonGuy not being good enough]]. His reputation for dirty play was also somewhat exaggerated, largely based on him doing things that would be considered dirty today but that were [[FairForItsDay relatively common practices at the time.]] On the inaugural Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot in 1936, Cobb received the most votes, more than Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, or Cy Young; his percentage of votes was 98.2%, which remained the highest percentage of votes for any Hall of Fame inductee until Tom Seaver in 1992.
* '''Ted Williams''' is one of the best hitters in history, and was the last person to have a batting average (hits divided by at-bats) of over .400 in a season, batting .406 in 1941. (No player since 2000 has hit over .372, and no player since that time who had enough at-bats to qualify for a league title has had a .400 average at any point after late May.) Well loved in Boston (where he played) and San Diego (where he was from), and there are highways named for him in both cities. After he died in 2002, he received a lot of media attention over the bizarre battle that took place within his surviving family; his son and daughter claimed that the three of them were to be cryogenically frozen together. At Fenway Park, there is a single seat in the right field bleachers painted red to mark the landing spot of one of his home runs, the longest in the park's history. The home run ball actually hit the guy sitting in the seat while he was taking a nap, and broke his straw hat. [[RidingIntoTheSunSet Hit a home run in the last at-bat of his career.]] Oh yeah, and he had his incredible career while serving his country ''twice'' (WWII & Korea) as a ''combat pilot'' in the ''[[SemperFi United States goddamn Marines]]''. He was somewhat of an ArrogantKungFuGuy with an almost unhealthy focus on just being the best hitter in history (Mickey Mantle had a story of trying to have an ordinary conversation with Williams, but Williams was only interested in talking about hitting styles), and had a reputation of seemingly not appreciating the fans (he held a serious grudge against them and the local media for booing him and saying less than pleasant things early in his career). He did get over it though, with a truly heartwarming moment at the 1999 All-Star Game where he tipped his cap to the Fenway crowd, an act he had refused to do almost his entire playing career. In his Hall of Fame induction speech he called for Negro League greats to be inducted into the Hall, regardless of whether they had met the "10 years in the majors" rule since many failed that standard solely because Major League Baseball had been segregated. He managed the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers for a few years after his career ended, but his managerial record wasn't nearly as accomplished as his playing record- by most accounts he was so naturally gifted at hitting that he struggled to explain how he did it to others, and couldn't effectively coach anyone who didn't have his insanely good eyesight or hand-eye coordination.

* '''Joe [=DiMaggio=]''' was a graceful centerfielder and one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, having recorded at least one hit in 56 consecutive games (bearing in mind that hitters who succeed 33% of the time are phenomenal). He was nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and also "The Yankee Clipper" (he spent his entire career with the NY Yankees). No one has come close to his record in 60 years; when a hitter reaches about 30 consecutive games he begins to get serious media attention. Also extremely famous for marrying Creator/MarilynMonroe[[note]]She was the love of his life; he left flowers at her tomb until his own death, and his last words were "I'll finally get to see Marilyn."[[/note]] and having a nation turn its lonely eyes to him in a Music/SimonAndGarfunkel song. And, later, for endorsing Mr. Coffee. Two if his brothers, Dom and Vince [=DiMaggio=], also had successful baseball careers (if not nearly as successful as Joe), both making a few all-star games.

* '''Ken Griffey''' (Jr.) was one of the best (arguably ''the'' best) players of TheNineties. Well-marketed (even having his own series of baseball games made by Creator/{{Nintendo}} for the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] and the UsefulNotes/Nintendo64) and excelling in all facets of the game, he led the previously pathetic Seattle Mariners out of obscurity and enjoyed tremendous popularity. He's also the first of two players in history (Tim Raines Jr. joining him in 2001) to play on the same team with his father (of the same name), who was a successful if not Hall-of-Fame caliber outfielder. After many good years with the Mariners, he requested a move to his hometown Cincinnati Reds,[[note]]While he was actually born in Donora, Pennsylvania—Stan Musial's hometown—Junior grew up in Cincinnati and graduated from high school there. Incidentally, he was born on Musial's 49th birthday—Bill James once joked that Griffey was the "[[OverlyNarrowSuperlative second-best left-handed hitting outfielder ever born on November 21st in Donora, Pennsylvania]]."[[/note]] where he would mostly spend the next nine years and last years of baseball injuring his hamstring. Still, he became the 6th player to hit 600 home runs (and, some argue, the first since Hank Aaron to do so legitimately, since the 4th and 5th [Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa, respectively- see below] were both linked to performance-enhancing drugs). Elected to the Hall of Fame at his first chance in 2016, getting what was then the highest percentage of votes ever from the writers. Despite having a prodigious Hall of Fame career, many fans consider there to be an element of WhatCouldHaveBeen to his career, because for years he seemed destined to break Aaron's all-time home run record, and if not for constant injuries nagging him for those seasons on the Reds he may well have done so. (His time in Seattle may have been part of the problem—the Kingdome, where the M's then played, was infamous for its concrete-hard artificial turf.) May have had the most beautiful swing in history during his prime. Most recently, he became a part-owner of the M's in 2021. One darker and lesser-known fact about Junior is that he has on occasion been an advocate for suicide/depression awareness, himself having attempted suicide (and nearly succeeding) early in his minor league career.

* '''Johnny Bench''' is a Hall of Fame catcher who spent his entire career with the Cincinnati Reds, most notably during the team's Big Red Machine era of the 1970s, and named by Creator/{{ESPN}} as the greatest ever at that position. He came up to the majors in late 1967; although he got off to a slow offensive start, he impressed everyone with his defense and throwing ability, with none other than Ted Williams predicting he would be "a Hall of Famer for sure!" In his rookie season of 1968, he became the first rookie ever to win the NL Gold Glove for catchers, and the first catcher ever to be named NL Rookie of the Year. Two years later, he became the youngest-ever NL MVP, an award he won again in 1972. Bench went on to win 10 consecutive Gold Gloves, make 14 All-Star teams, and hit the most homers ever by a catcher (a record since surpassed by Carlton Fisk and later Mike Piazza). He stopped regularly catching after the 1980 season, playing his last three seasons at first or third until retiring in 1983. Williams' prediction came true, as Bench was easily elected to the Hall of Fame at his first chance in 1989. Bench is also notable for popularizing the hinged catcher's mitt (though he wasn't the first player to use it), which is now standard equipment for the position.

* Hall of Fame catcher '''Mike Piazza''', the longtime backstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, is generally considered the best offensive player in the history of his position. Piazza was an extremely late-round draft pick[[note]]He was drafted in the ''62nd'' round, the 1390th player taken in the 1988 draft, making him by a wide margin the latest-drafted player ever to make the Hall of Fame. (Note that the MLB draft now runs for only ''20'' rounds, down from 40 as late as 2020.) Interestingly, he was elected the same year as Ken Griffey Jr., the first of only three players picked first in the draft to enter the Hall, which makes him, Chipper Jones, and Harold Baines the ''earliest''-drafted players ever to make the Hall of Fame[[/note]] -- even that much only, famously, [[{{Nepotism}} a favor to his brother's godfather]], then-Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda -- and had to learn his position on the fly as a professional. His excellent contact rate and opposite field power nonetheless shot him through the Dodgers' system and he debuted in September of 1992, winning rookie of the year honors the next year. His best season came in 1997 with a ridiculous .362/.431/.638 triple slash line, but with his contract due the next season the new Dodgers ownership gave a lowball offer and, on his refusal, dealt him to the then-Florida Marlins in a salary dump. One week later, the notoriously cheap Marlins sent Piazza to the Mets, then in surprise playoff contention, for several prospects. The Piazza-led Mets reached the playoffs in 1999 and 2000 with several near-misses thereafter, while interleague play brought his famous showdowns with then-Yankee Roger Clemens, who by most accounts resorted to [[RageQuit just hitting him when pitching failed to work.]] Late in the 2001 season, Piazza famously hit a dramatic home run to left center in the first major league game played after the September 11 terrorist attacks, remaining the signature hit of his career ([[EveryYearTheyFizzleOut the rest of September did not go so well for his team, alas]]). Although his defensive reputation was a punchline for much of his career as he was historically poor at throwing out base stealers, Piazza's defense has been surprisingly VindicatedByHistory. Repeated studies of pitch framing - catching a pitch specifically to show it as a strike - showed him as one of the best catchers of his era at the skill. He probably would like you to know that [[MemeticMutation he only]] [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday dates women.]]

* '''Ernie Banks''', the Chicago Cubs' longtime shortstop-first baseman, is generally considered to be one of the greatest players to never reach the playoffs. The first black player on the Cubs' roster, Banks was the first player to win two straight MVP awards. He retired with 512 home runs, and 2,528 regular season games. [[ThePollyanna A perpetual optimist]] who had a great love of the game, he was well known for his catchphrase "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!", stemming from his desire to play doubleheaders. His unwavering cheerfulness led to him earning the nickname "Mr. Sunshine", and Banks was so well-liked during the team's AudienceAlienatingEra that he also earned the moniker "Mr. Cub". To this day, and even after his death in 2015, Banks remains an icon in Chicago.

* '''Joe Buck''' served as the primary commentator for Fox Sports' national television coverage of both MLB baseball and NFL football from the mid-1990s (1994 for the NFL, 1996 for MLB) through 2021, after which he moved over to ESPN to become their new play-by-play voice for ''Series/MondayNightFootball''. As Fox has held the exclusive TV rights to the World Series since 2000, this means that Buck is probably the one sportscaster whom most every baseball fan has heard, having covered every World Series in the 21st century through 2021 (as well as in 1996 and 1998). He's not always been the most well-liked broadcaster, however, with fans of both baseball and football criticizing him for his seeming lack of excitement in big moments and for what they perceive as bias in favor of certain teams (leaning into this, Buck's twitter bio starts with [[DeadpanSnarker "I love all teams EXCEPT yours"]]). The son of longtime Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck (who also spent a number of years calling MLB and NFL games for a national audience on CBS radio and TV), Joe has proved that baseball broadcasting runs in his family. His oft-used catchphrase of "We'll see you tomorrow night",[[note]]originally uttered by Jack in response to Kirby Puckett's walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series[[/note]] in response to a Game 6 outcome forcing the final deciding game of a seven-game series, was a regular feature of October play.

* '''Moe Berg''', unlike most of the players listed here, wasn't a Hall of Famer, but was one of the most remarkable characters in baseball history, with a legacy far out of proportion to his modest career stats. For starters, he was the UrExample of the phrase "good field, no hit", with a scout describing him as such in 1921. Berg was at best an average player, shuffling between five teams in a 15-season MLB career (1923, 1926–39), but was justifiably called "the brainiest guy in baseball", being a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School. His friends joked, "He can speak 10 languages, but he can't hit in any of them." At the same time, he exhibited many {{cloudcuckoolander}} traits, leading Casey Stengel (himself widely seen as an eccentric) to call him "the strangest man ever to play baseball." His reputation as an intellectual was bolstered by outstanding performances as a contestant on the then-popular radio quiz show ''Information Please''. Berg may be better known for his service as a US spy during World War II. Most notably, he was assigned to attend a lecture by German nuclear physicist Werner Heisenberg in Zürich to determine how close the Nazis were to nuclear weapons. Berg had orders to kill Heisenberg if he felt Germany was close to a bomb, but determined that Germany's nuclear program was no threat and spared Heisenberg. Despite a well-earned reputation as a ladies' man, he never married, and lived with siblings until his death in 1972.

* '''Moe Berg''', unlike most of the players listed here, wasn't a Hall of Famer, but was one of the most remarkable characters in baseball history, with a legacy far out of proportion to his modest career stats. For starters, he was the UrExample of the phrase "good field, no hit", with a scout using that phrase to describe him in 1921. Berg was at best an average player, shuffling between five teams in a 15-season MLB career (1923, 1926–39), but was justifiably called "the brainiest guy in baseball", being a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School. His friends joked, "He can speak 10 languages, but he can't hit in any of them." At the same time, he exhibited many {{cloudcuckoolander}} traits, leading Casey Stengel (himself widely seen as an eccentric) to call him "the strangest man ever to play baseball." His reputation as an intellectual was bolstered by outstanding performances as a contestant on the then-popular radio quiz show ''Information Please''. Berg may be better known for his service as a US spy during World War II. Most notably, he was assigned to attend a lecture by German nuclear physicist Werner Heisenberg in Zürich to determine how close the Nazis were to nuclear weapons. Berg had orders to kill Heisenberg if he felt Germany was close to a bomb, but determined that Germany's nuclear program was no threat and spared Heisenberg. Despite a well-earned reputation as a ladies' man, he never married, and lived with siblings until his death in 1972.

* '''Mickey Cochrane''', a star with the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers in the 20s and 30s, was the greatest catcher of his day and among the position's all-time greats. He was called up by the A's in 1925 after only one minor-league season, with owner–manager Connie Mack putting him in the starting lineup in place of Cy Perkins, then considered one of the best catchers. Cochrane validated Mack's assessment by hitting .331 with a .397 OPS. By 1928, when he won his first AL MVP award, he was seen as the best catcher in baseball, and was a key to the A's consecutive AL pennants from 1929–31. He was haunted to a degree by the A's loss to the Cardinals in the 1931 World Series, in which he was sometimes blamed for giving up several key stolen bases, though modern historians blame the A's pitchers for being careless about holding runners on first. After the 1933 season, Mack began dismantling his dynastic team for financial reasons, and traded Cochrane to the Tigers, where he became player–manager. Cochrane led the Tigers to 101 wins, then a record for a rookie manager, and the AL pennant, and was also named AL MVP in a season in which Lou Gehrig won the Triple Crown.[[note]]for batters, led his league in batting average, homers, and RBI[[/note]] He went one step farther the next season by leading the Tigers to a World Series victory. Cochrane's playing career ended prematurely after being beaned early in the 1937 season; his managing career ended a little more than a year later. His .320 batting average and .419 on-base percentage remain the best for all catchers (at least before MLB incorporated Negro Leagues stats into its official database); he entered Cooperstown in 1947 and passed away in 1962. Cochrane has one other lasting legacy in baseball—he was the favorite player of one Elvin "Mutt" Mantle, who named his son after Cochrane. Yes, ''that'' Mantle. Interestingly, Mutt didn't know that Cochrane's ''real'' name was Gordon Stanley Cochrane; The Mick would say many times that he would have hated the name Gordon.

* '''Hank Aaron''' broke Babe Ruth's career home run record. Being African-American, he quite naturally had to deal with a little bit of intolerance as he approached the record. However, Aaron holds many records such as Total Bases earned, a record he was particularly proud of until his passing in 2021 since he considered it more indicative of how much he contributed to his team. He also holds the career record for runs batted in with 2,297, and had 3,771 total hits. (Anyone who gets close to 3,000 is considered a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame.) Aaron was a model of consistency; he never hit 50 homers in a season, but he hit 40 or more eight times, 30 or more 15 times, and had a streak of 19 straight years in which he hit at least 24 homers. Aaron also holds two longevity records relating to the All-Star Game—he was on an All-Star roster in 21 of his 23 seasons (missing only his first and last), and appeared in 25 All-Star Games.[[note]]No, this isn't a misprint. From 1959–1962, MLB held two [=ASGs=] in each season. Aaron appeared in all eight [=ASGs=] in that period.[[/note]] Finally, he was the [[LastOfHisKind/{{Sports}} last former Negro Leagues player]] to be on a regular MLB roster.[[note]]The very last Negro Leagues player to appear in an MLB game was Minnie Miñoso, who appeared in two 1980 games with the White Sox as a publicity stunt.[[/note]] He is one of the leading candidates for the title of best baseball player ever.

* '''Joe [=DiMaggio=]''' was a graceful centerfielder and one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, having recorded at least one hit in 56 consecutive games (bearing in mind that hitters who succeed 33% of the time are phenomenal). He was nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and also "The Yankee Clipper" (he spent his entire career with the NY Yankees). No one has come close to his record in 60 years; when a hitter reaches about 30 consecutive games he begins to get serious media attention. Also extremely famous for marrying Creator/MarilynMonroe[[note]]She was the love of his life. He left flowers at her tomb until his own death. His last words were "I'll finally get to see Marilyn!"[[/note]] and having a nation turn its lonely eyes to him in a Music/SimonAndGarfunkel song. And, later, for endorsing Mr. Coffee. Two if his brothers, Dom and Vince [=DiMaggio=], also had successful baseball careers (if not nearly as successful as Joe), both making a few all-star games.

* '''Ernie Banks''', the Chicago Cubs' longtime shortstop-first baseman, is generally considered to be one of the greatest players to never reach the playoffs. The first black player on the Cubs' roster, Banks was the first player to win two straight MVP awards. He retired with 512 home runs, and 2,528 regular season games. [[ThePollyanna A perpetual optimist]] who had a great love of the game, he was well known for his catchphrase "It's a beautiful day for a ballgame... Let's play two!", stemming from his desire to play doubleheaders. His unwavering cheerfulness led to him earning the nickname "Mr. Sunshine", and Banks was so well-liked during the team's DorkAge that he also earned the moniker "Mr. Cub". To this day, and even after his death in 2015, Banks remains an icon in Chicago.

* '''Tony La Russa''' was another undistinguished player who became an all-time great as a manager. A former utility infielder who bounced between the majors and minors from 1963 to 1973, mostly in the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics system, he began his managing career in the Chisox farm system in 1978, moving to the Sox coaching staff in the middle of that season and becoming the manager in the last half of the 1979 season; at the time, he was the youngest manager in MLB at age 34. He was named AL Manager of the Year in 1983 when he led the Chisox to the AL West title, but was fired after a poor start to the 1986 season. (In later years, Chisox owner Jerry Reinsdorf regretted the firing.) Within weeks, he was hired to manage the A's, proceeding to lead them to three straight AL pennants (1988–1990) and a 1989 World Series win, and earning Manager of the Year honors in 1988 and 1992. After the A's were sold following the 1995 season, La Russa left to become manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, where he enjoyed even more success, winning eight division titles, 2002 NL Manager of the Year honors, and the 2006 and 2011 World Series. In the process, he became only the second manager to win the World Series in both the AL and NL, after Sparky Anderson. La Russa retired shortly after the Cards' second World Series win, going on to serve as an disciplinary advisor to MLB and an executive with the Diamondbacks, Red Sox, and Angels, during which time he entered the Hall of Fame at his first opportunity in 2014. Shortly after the 2020 season, he came out of retirement, returning to the Chisox as MLB's oldest manager (76 at the time), also becoming the first Hall of Fame manager to return to that role after his induction. The Sox won the AL Central title in 2021, but the 2022 season was mostly an injury-riddled disappointment, and La Russa stepped away due to health issues in late August and later announced that he would not return in 2023. La Russa is second to Connie Mack in both games managed and wins as a manager.

* '''Iván Rodríguez''' is another Hall of Fame catcher, who played for six teams in 21 MLB seasons but is most identified with the Texas Rangers, where he played for his first 12 seasons plus a 13th late in his career. Nicknamed "Pudge" as a minor-leaguer because of his short and stocky build, he made his MLB debut with the Rangers in 1991 while still 19. He immediately established himself as one of the top defensive catchers in the game, as well as a very good hitter for the position (though not ''quite'' at the level of Piazza or Joe Mauer). Pudge went on to make 14 All-Star rosters, win 13 Gold Gloves in his career, and pick up seven Silver Slugger awards (the latter presented to each league's top hitter at each position), as well as earning a World Series ring in 2003 with the Florida (now Miami) Marlins. Rodríguez played his final MLB game in 2011, officially retiring early in the 2012 season, ending his career with several records for catchers: the most games played as a catcher in MLB history, the most putouts in that position, and the most hits of any catcher in MLB history. While he consistently denied ever having used steroids or other [=PEDs=], he was still dogged by PED rumors throughout his career, especially after Jose Canseco claimed in his controversial book ''Juiced'' that he had personally injected Pudge. The rumors didn't keep him from being a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2017.

* '''Yadier Molina''' played his entire career for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2004 to 2022. He was long widely regarded as the best defensive catcher in the game, in part for his great skill at throwing out opposing base-stealers and also for his above-average ability to frame pitches. His offense was a bit more inconsistent, though later in his career he developed into a solid offensive player. Even for a catcher, he was a very slow runner—to the point that his speed (or lack thereof) is constantly [[MemeticMutation joked about]] by fans and sportswriters alike. Though his value as a framer took a sharp dive after the 2013 season (due to both age-related decline and better framers coming into the game), he managed to remain an above-average catcher for the rest of his career. He was named the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award winner for his humanitarian efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated large parts of his homeland of Puerto Rico in 2017. During his final season in 2022, Molina and longtime Cards starting pitcher Adam Wainwright set new MLB records as the most successful battery (pitcher/catcher combination) by wins, and the battery with the most starting appearances.[[note]]They made their first start together in 2007. By the time they set the appearances record, only six other MLB players (one of them their teammate Albert Pujols, in the "Infielders" folder) remained from that 2007 season.[[/note]]

* '''Bobby Cox''', another Hall of Fame manager, is best known for his long second stint as manager of the Atlanta Braves (1990–2010). A third baseman who made it to The Show for a couple of late-1960s seasons with the Yankees, he started his post-playing career as a minor-league coach and manager in the Yankees system, also managing in the Venezuelan Winter League. He returned to MLB in 1977 as first-base coach for the World Series-winning Yankees before getting his first MLB managing job with the Braves. He inherited a team that had compiled a worse 1977 record than the first-year Seattle Mariners, and brought them to respectability. Even though the Braves' then-owner Creator/TedTurner fired him after the 1981 season, Turner admitted ''immediately after the firing'' that "We need someone like him around here." Cox immediately became manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, eventually bringing him to their first AL East title in 1985 and earning AL Manager of the Year honors. Cox then returned to the Braves, this time as general manager. After going through two managers in less than 5 seasons, with disastrous results in attendance and outlook, he fired the Braves' manager in the middle of the 1990 season and named himself to the position. At the end of the season, he handed the GM role to John Schuerholz, who had just been hired away from the same position with the Kansas City Royals. Cox's first full season saw the Braves go from last to first in their division and make the World Series, only to lose an epic 7-game series to the Minnesota Twins (also a last-to-first team); he became the first manager to claim Manager of the Year in both leagues, and would earn that honor two more times in Atlanta. Cox would manage the Braves to 14 NL East titles in 15 seasons (1991–1993, 1995–2005), though the team also earned a reputation for EveryYearTheyFizzleOut, winning the World Series only in 1995. Cox retired after the 2010 season with several significant MLB managing records—most Manager of the Year awards (4, shared with Tony La Russa), most 100-win seasons (6, shared with Joe [=McCarthy=] (no, not [[UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy that one]])), most postseason appearances (16), and [[MedalOfDishonor most ejections]] (158 regular-season, plus 3 postseason). Interestingly, he wasn't noted for a hot temper; most of his ejections were tactical (much like many of those of Earl Weaver above). Cox's #6 was retired by the Braves in 2011, and he entered Cooperstown in 2014.
* '''Joe Torre''' was a very good player, starring as a catcher, third baseman, and first baseman for three teams, but had much more impact as a manager. The Brooklyn native's MLB journey began in 1960 as a late-season call-up by the then-Milwaukee Braves, staying with the team through its move to Atlanta, later moving to the Cardinals (1969–1974) and Mets (1975–1977). He was a nine-time All-Star, with his playing peak coming in 1971 when he was named NL MVP after leading MLB in batting average and RBI. During his final season as a player, he became the Mets' manager, serving in that role until 1981 with little success. Torre wasn't unemployed for long, taking over the Braves in 1982 and immediately leading them to a record-setting 13–0 start on their way to a division title. He was named NL Manager of the Year, becoming the first person ever to be a league MVP and MOY. However, they soon slipped to mediocrity, and he was fired after the 1984 season. Torre then headed to the broadcast booth, working color commentary for both the Angels and NBC. Late in the 1990 season, he returned to managing with the Cardinals; while they didn't make the playoffs during his run, they had winning records in each of his three full seasons. He was fired during the first post-strike season of 1995 in the midst of a rebuild. After that season, he was hired by the Yankees, where he made his true mark in the game. The Yankees made the postseason in all 12 of his seasons in The Bronx, including four World Series wins in five years (1996, 1998–2000), and he was named AL Manager of the Year in 1996 and 1998. He also was the manager responsible for the Yankees' record 14 straight World Series game wins from 1996 to 2000. At the end of the 2007 season, Torre left the Yankees after receiving a contract offer that most media considered an insult, and was almost immediately hired by the Dodgers, where he made the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 (losing in the NLCS both times) before retiring in 2010. He has worked in the MLB commissioner's office since leaving the Dodgers (with a TenMinuteRetirement in 2012), and made the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2014. The Braves and Cardinals also inducted him into their team Halls of Fame, and the Yankees retired his #6 and gave him a plaque in Monument Park.

* '''Joe Buck''' served as ''the'' main commentator for Fox Sports' national television coverage of both MLB baseball and NFL football from the mid-1990s (1994 for the NFL, 1996 for MLB) through 2021, after which he moved to ESPN to become their new play-by-play voice for ''Series/MondayNightFootball''. As Fox has held the exclusive TV rights to the World Series since 2000, this means that Buck is probably the one sportscaster whom most every baseball fan has heard, having covered every World Series in the 21st century through 2021 (as well as in 1996 and 1998). He's not always been the most well-liked broadcaster, however, with fans of both baseball and football criticizing him for his seeming lack of excitement in big moments and for what they perceive as bias in favor of certain teams (leaning into this, Buck's twitter bio starts with [[DeadpanSnarker "I love all teams EXCEPT yours"]]). The son of longtime Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck (who also spent a number of years calling MLB and NFL games for a national audience on CBS radio and TV), Joe has proved that baseball broadcasting runs in his family. His oft-used catchphrase of "We'll see you tomorrow night",[[note]]originally uttered by Jack in response to Kirby Puckett's walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series[[/note]] in response to a Game 6 outcome forcing the final deciding game of a seven-game series, was a regular feature of October play.

* '''Joe Buck''' served as ''the'' main commentator for Fox Sports' national television coverage of both MLB baseball and NFL football from the mid-1990s (1994 for the NFL, 1996 for MLB) through 2021, after which he moved to ESPN to become the new play-by-play man for ''Series/MondayNightFootball''. As Fox has held the exclusive TV rights to the World Series since 2000, this means that Buck is probably the one sportscaster whom most every baseball fan has heard, having covered every World Series in the 21st century through 2021 (as well as in 1996 and 1998). However, he's also not the most well-liked broadcaster, with fans of both baseball and football criticizing him for his seeming lack of excitement in big moments and for what they perceive as bias in favor of certain teams (leaning into this, Buck's twitter bio starts with [[DeadpanSnarker "I love all teams EXCEPT yours"]]). The son of longtime Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck (who also spent a number of years calling MLB and NFL games for a national audience on CBS radio and TV), Joe has proved that baseball broadcasting runs in his family. His oft-used catchphrase of "We'll see you tomorrow night",[[note]]originally uttered by Jack in response to Kirby Puckett's walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series[[/note]] in response to a Game 6 outcome forcing the final deciding game of a seven-game series, was a regular feature of October play.

* '''Joe Buck''' was ''the'' main commentator for Fox Sports' national television coverage of both MLB baseball and NFL football from the mid-1990s (1994 for the NFL, 1996 for MLB) through 2021, after which he moved to ESPN to become the new play-by-play man for ''Series/MondayNightFootball''. As Fox has held the exclusive TV rights to the World Series since 2000, this means that Buck is probably the one sportscaster whom most every baseball fan has heard, having covered every World Series in the 21st century through 2021 (as well as in 1996 and 1998). However, he's also not the most well-liked broadcaster, with fans of both baseball and football criticizing him for his seeming lack of excitement in big moments and for what they perceive as bias in favor of certain teams (leaning into this, Buck's twitter bio starts with [[DeadpanSnarker "I love all teams EXCEPT yours"]]). The son of long-time Cardinals broadcaster Jack Buck, Joe has proved that baseball broadcasting runs in his family. His oft-used catchphrase of "We'll see you tomorrow night",[[note]]originally uttered by Jack in response to Kirby Puckett's walk-off homer in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series[[/note]] in response to a Game 6 outcome forcing the final deciding game of a seven-game series, was a regular feature of October play.

* '''Yadier Molina''' played his entire carer for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2004 to 2022. He was long widely regarded as the best defensive catcher in the game, in part for his great skill at throwing out opposing base-stealers and also for his above-average ability to frame pitches. His offense was a bit more inconsistent, though later in his career he developed into a solid offensive player. Even for a catcher, he was a very slow runner—to the point that his speed (or lack thereof) is constantly [[MemeticMutation joked about]] by fans and sportswriters alike. Though his value as a framer took a sharp dive after the 2013 season (due to both age-related decline and better framers coming into the game), he managed to remain an above-average catcher for the rest of his career. He was named the 2018 Roberto Clemente Award winner for his humanitarian efforts in the wake of Hurricane Maria, which devastated large parts of his homeland of Puerto Rico in 2017. During his final season in 2022, Molina and longtime Cards starting pitcher Adam Wainwright set new MLB records as the most successful battery (pitcher/catcher combination) by wins, and the battery with the most starting appearances.[[note]]They made their first start together in 2007. By the time they set the appearances record, only six other MLB players remained from that 2007 season.[[/note]]

* '''Denton "Cy" Young''' was a pitcher in the late 19th and early 20th centuries who was so awesome, baseball eventually named their top award for pitchers after him. Holds the record for career wins with 511, which is literally in "will never be broken" territory due to differences in the way baseball is played today (Young pitched every third or fourth game or so, which would be unacceptable to today's players).[[note]]Additionally, in Young's heyday of the Dead Ball Era, 20+ wins per season were ''expected'' of good starting pitchers. Today, with 5-day rotations and heavy bullpen usage, it's an anomaly, and a pitcher would have to average 20 wins a year ''for 25 years straight'' to get within reach of the record. Tellingly, he holds the all-time record for career ''losses'' as well.[[/note]]

* '''Sandy Koufax''' is widely held to be one of the finest pitchers in the history of the game, despite having serious control difficulties in his early career. He actually was far more interested in basketball than he ever was in his own sport, and had it not been for the fact that he could throw a 100-mile-an-hour fastball, might have ended up in ''that'' sport than baseball. He is said to have studied the "art and science" of pitching, to the point that he became one of the finest technicians in that position in the game. Mickey Mantle once pointed out that Koufax always signaled his pitches before his windup. "If Koufax was going to throw you a fast ball, his elbows would be out away from his body; if it was gonna be a curve, his elbows would be in close to his body. Every batter who ever faced Koufax knew precisely what he was about to get, but it didn't matter because the pitches were so good you couldn't hit them anyways." He was the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award three times—and did so in an era when there was only one Cy Young winner for all of MLB.[[note]]Separate AL and NL Cy Young Awards were not presented until 1967, the year after his retirement.[[/note]] Koufax was also the first to pitch four no-hitters, and the eighth pitcher in MLB to pitch a perfect game. He had a higher career strikeout total than a career innings-pitched total, the first starting pitcher to accomplish that feat with a minimum of 1000 innings pitched. (Among players who played most of their career before the 2010s, the only other starters to achieve that are Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Pedro Martínez. Many relief pitchers have done this over short periods, but the only ones to do that while meeting the 1000-inning minimum are Trevor Hoffman and Kerry Wood. In recent years, with the rise of strikeout rates, the feat has become much more commonplace.) He left the game when he was only 30 due to arthritis in his left (throwing) elbow, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame five years later (becoming the youngest player ever so honored).

* '''Curt Schilling''' during his playing career was known for not only being an outstanding pitcher (helping the Philadelphia Phillies enter the 1993 World Series, as well as forming the other half of the co-MVP pitching duo that won the Diamondbacks the 2001 World Series), but one of the gutsiest competitors you'll ever find. While pitching for the Red Sox in the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees, he tore a ligament in his ankle, yet was able to pitch again in the series thanks to a brand new experimental surgical procedure, albeit one which did not prevent him from bleeding. The Red Sox came back from a 3-0 deficit to win that series, and Schilling's bloody sock became an iconic image of the team's first World Championship in 86 years. Later in his career and after his retirement, Schilling became known for his outspoken political views. He's a hardcore Republican who has openly supported several prominent Republican candidates for public office, notably actively campaigning for John [=McCain=] during his 2008 Presidential run and UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump during his 2016 run. Rumors have long abounded that Schilling would run for public office himself, and he announced intentions to run for one of Massachusetts' Senate seats in 2018, though that run never materialized. He's also known as a [[JustForFun/OneOfUs fairly hardcore gamer]] who plays [=MMORPGs=] (once another player that hit a home run off of him claimed it was to avenge an ''VideoGame/{{Everquest}}'' character Schilling had betrayed) and started his own game studio, 38 Studios, after his jersey number. 38 Studios released only one game, the 2012 RPG ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'', [[AcclaimedFlop which was well liked by critics, but ultimately failed sales-wise]]. This led to a major scandal after the company defaulted on its loan to the state of Rhode Island, leaving the company bankrupt and Schilling's reputation in ruins. Worked as an ESPN analyst, while battling cancer, until being fired in 2016 for posting comments critical of pro-transgender bathroom policies on his personal Website/{{Facebook}} page. Though he has a Hall of Fame-worthy career, he's struggled to get support from the Hall's voters in recent years, likely in part because of his political views—in the 2017 round of balloting (the one right after he'd supported Donald Trump's presidential campaign and made the aforementioned comments about transgender bathroom policies, in addition to some other controversial political comments- in particular, his sharing of a tweet joking about lynching journalists probably didn't endear him to greatly to the HoF voters, a group made entirely of journalists), he was one of just two players who got fewer votes than he'd gotten the previous year (and the other player, Billy Wagner, lost only one vote from the 2016 balloting—Schilling lost over 30). Schilling's Hall of Fame aspirations probably haven't been helped by him being on the advisory board of the "We Build the Wall" crowdfunding campaign, which was revealed in 2020 to have been a fraud scheme (the same one that got former Trump advisor Steve Bannon arrested). Shortly after the votes were due in January 2021, his second-to-last year on the BBWAA ballot, he made multiple tweets in support of the January 6th Capitol Rioters, earning him yet more backlash and prompting multiple Hall of Fame voters to ask that their votes for Schilling be rescinded; the Hall didn't do so, but Schilling fell a few votes short of induciton anyway, leading to him angrily lashing out at the BBWAA and requesting his own removal from the ballot the following year, a request the Hall also didn't comply with, and predictably, he lost significant support, either because of his support for the rioters or because the voters were generally sick of his stunts and figured they'd honor his request to be removed from the ballot by not voting for him, and he fell off the ballot well short of having enough votes to get into the Hall.

* '''[=RA=] Dickey''' was one of the last knuckleballers in recent times. He was drafted in the first round of 1996 for the Texas Rangers before a medical exam discovered his throwing arm completely lacked an ulnar collateral ligament (he was either born without one, or it was weak enough to have withered away in his youth).[[note]]As a reminder, that's the ligament involved in Tommy John surgery.[[/note]] This mystified doctors, who said he should be experiencing intense pain from merely turning a door-knob, let alone pitching a baseball. In the end, the Rangers still signed him, but at a drastically reduced price ($75,000 instead of $810,000). Their expectation was that he would quickly suffer an injury and retire. That didn't happen, but, he had an underwhelming early career until he decided in 2005 the only way to stay competitive was to develop into a knuckleball pitcher. It took years for him to perfect the pitch, during which he was passed around various teams, including the occasional stay in the minors, but he ended his first full season for the New York Mets in 2011 with an ERA of 3.28, which was 12th best in the entire National League. His performance peaked in 2012 when he became the first and only knuckleball pitcher to win the Cy Young award and finished the year with an ERA of 2.73. After this, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, where his performance sort of leveled off from spectacular "ace"-level numbers to an ERA averaging around 4.00, resulting in him signing with the rebuilding Braves for the 2017 season. While he was active, he was notable as one of ''only two'' pitchers in the major leagues to use a knuckleball as their primary pitch (the other being Steven Wright of the Boston Red Sox). He is very much JustForFun/OneOfUs, and uses either the [[Franchise/StarWars Imperial March]] or the opening to ''Series/GameOfThrones'' as his warm-up music. At age 40, he became the oldest player to make a postseason debut when he pitched as a starter for the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth game of the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers.

* '''David Ortiz''' (also known by his nickname "Big Papi") was a first baseman and designated hitter, first with the Minnesota Twins from 1997–2002 and most notably with the Boston Red Sox from 2003 until his retirement at the end of the 2016 season. While he wasn't always the Bosox' best statistical player in any given season, he was certainly their most recognizable and famous player throughout his time in Boston, similar to Derek Jeter being the heart and soul of the Yankees. He's somewhat of a rarity among designated hitters in that he almost never played in the field- most American League teams, if they even employ a single full-time DH rather than rotating the position among several different players, will have them also play plenty of games (at least 20-30ish) as a non-DH. And with most of the other full-time DH's, they hardly ever play in the field either because they're really old, have suffered injuries that robbed their fielding ability but not their hitting, or both (Jim Thome, for example). While Ortiz retired just before turning 41, he never even played a substantial amount of games in the field even when he was younger (generally just no-DH games in National League stadiums), simply because he's an epically terrible fielder. Still, he was an amazing hitter, and his 50-homer season in 2006 remains the only 50 HR season by a Designated Hitter. In 2013, Ortiz won the World Series MVP Award for his excellent play during the championship games and the postseason as whole, including hitting a clutch grand slam during the 8th inning of Game 2 against the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. Big Papi went out in 2016 with a big bang, by several statistical measures having the most productive swan song for a hitter since at least Ted Williams' last season of 1960, and also setting new records for the most homers and RBI by a player in his final season. Unlike Edgar Martínez, who had to wait until his very last chance (at least with the writers) to get into the Hall of Fame, Big Papi got in on his first chance in 2022.[[note]] That said, Ortiz's induction wound up being very controversial due to the voters' previous treatment of players connected to [=PED=]s. Ortiz tested positive in 2003 (though he denies using any) much like other notable players such as Sammy Sosa. Many fans, players, and writers pointed out it was hypocritical of the voters to allow Ortiz to enter the Hall of Fame while other players such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sosa continued to be blacklisted until they fell off the ballot.[[/note]]

* '''Billy Martin''' was the hard-nosed second baseman for the great New York Yankee teams of the 1950s. After his retirement, he became a successful major league manager known for his ability to turn losing teams into winning ones. However, Martin's abrasive and blunt nature also caused him to perpetually feud with upper management, leading to him being frequently fired despite his success on the field. He served five different stints as manager of the Yankees, in addition to stints in Minnesota, Detroit, Texas, and Oakland; all but Texas reached the postseason at least once under his leadership, and he at least took them from last place to second in the span of a year. He was preparing to become Yankee manager for the sixth time when he died in a car crash on Christmas Day 1989.

* '''Joe Torre''' was a very good player, starring as a catcher, third baseman, and first baseman for three teams, but had much more impact as a manager. The Brooklyn native's MLB journey began in 1960 as a late-season call-up by the then-Milwaukee Braves, staying with the team through its move to Atlanta, later moving to the Cardinals (1969–1974) and Mets (1975–1977). He was a nine-time All-Star, with his playing peak coming in 1971 when he was named NL MVP after leading MLB in batting average and RBI. During his final season as a player, he became the Mets' manager, serving in that role until 1981 with little success. Torre wasn't unemployed for long, taking over the Braves in 1982 and immediately leading them to a record-setting 13–0 start on their way to a division title. He was named NL Manager of the Year, becoming the first person ever to be a league MVP and MOY. However, they soon slipped to mediocrity, and he was fired after the 1984 season. Torre then headed to the broadcast booth, working color commentary for both the Angels and NBC. Late in the 1990 season, he returned to managing with the Cardinals; while they didn't make the playoffs during his run, they had winning records in each of his three full seasons. He was fired during the first post-strike season of 1995 in the midst of a rebuild. After that season, he was hired by the Yankees, where he made his true mark in the game. The Yankees made the postseason in all 12 of his seasons in The Bronx, including four World Series wins in five years (1996, 1998–2000), and he was named AL Manager of the Year in 1996 and 1998. He also was the manager responsible for the Yankees' record 14 straight World Series game wins from 1996 to 2000. At the end of the 2007 season, Torre left the Yankees after receiving a contract offer that most media considered an insult, and was almost immediately hired by the Dodgers, where he made the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 (losing in the NLCS both times) before retiring in 2010. He has since worked in the MLB commissioner's office (with a TenMinuteRetirement in 2012), and made the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2014. The Braves and Cardinals also inducted him into their team Halls of Fame, and the Yankees retired his #6 and gave him a plaque in Monument Park.

* '''Joe Torre''' was a very good player, starring as a catcher, third baseman, and first baseman for three teams, but made his real mark in the game as a manager. The Brooklyn native's MLB journey began in 1960 as a late-season call-up by the then-Milwaukee Braves, staying with the team through its move to Atlanta, later moving to the Cardinals (1969–1974) and Mets (1975–1977). He was a nine-time All-Star, with his playing peak coming in 1971 when he was named NL MVP after leading MLB in batting average and RBI. During his final season as a player, he became the Mets' manager, serving in that role until 1981 with little success. Torre wasn't unemployed for long, taking over the Braves in 1982 and immediately leading them to a record-setting 13–0 start on their way to a division title. He was named NL Manager of the Year, becoming the first person ever to be a league MVP and MOY. However, they soon slipped to mediocrity, and he was fired after the 1984 season. Torre then headed to the broadcast booth, working color commentary for both the Angels and NBC. Late in the 1990 season, he returned to managing with the Cardinals; while they didn't make the playoffs during his run, they had winning records in each of his three full seasons. He was fired during the first post-strike season of 1995 in the midst of a rebuild. After that season, he was hired by the Yankees, where he made his true mark in the game. The Yankees made the postseason in all 12 of his seasons in The Bronx, including four World Series wins in five years (1996, 1998–2000), and he was named AL Manager of the Year in 1996 and 1998. He also was the manager responsible for the Yankees' record 14 straight World Series game wins from 1996 to 2000. At the end of the 2007 season, Torre left the Yankees after receiving a contract offer that most media considered an insult, and was almost immediately hired by the Dodgers, where he made the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 (losing in the NLCS both times) before retiring in 2010. He has since worked in the MLB commissioner's office (with a TenMinuteRetirement in 2012), and made the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2014. The Braves and Cardinals also inducted him into their team Halls of Fame, and the Yankees retired his #6 and gave him a plaque in Monument Park.

* '''Joe Torre''' was a very good player, starring as a catcher, third baseman, and first baseman for three teams, but made his real mark in the game as a manager. The Brooklyn native's MLB journey began in 1960 as a late-season call-up by the then-Milwaukee Braves, staying with the team through its move to Atlanta, later moving to the Cardinals (1969–1974) and Mets (1975–1977). He was a nine-time All-Star, with his playing peak coming in 1971 when he was named NL MVP after leading MLB in batting average and RBI. During his final season as a player, he became the Mets' manager, serving in that role until 1981 with little success. Torre wasn't unemployed for long, taking over the Braves in 1982 and immediately leading them to a record-setting 13–0 start on their way to a division title. He was named NL Manager of the Year, becoming the first person ever to be a league MVP and MOY. However, they soon slipped to mediocrity, and he was fired after the 1984 season. Torre then headed to the broadcast booth, working color commentary for both the Angels and NBC. Late in the 1990 season, he returned to managing with the Cardinals; while they didn't make the playoffs during his run, they had winning records in each of his three full seasons. He was fired during the first post-strike season of 1995 in the midst of a rebuild. After that season, he was hired by the Yankees, where he made his true mark in the game. The Yankees made the postseason in all 12 of his seasons in The Bronx, including four World Series wins in five years (1996, 1998–2000), and he was named AL Manager of the Year in 1996 and 1998. He also was the manager responsible for the Yankees' record 14 straight World Series game wins from 1996 to 2000. Torre left the Yankees after receiving a contract offer that most media considered an insult, and was almost immediately hired by the Dodgers, where he made the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 (losing in the NLCS both times) before retiring in 2010. He has since worked in the MLB commissioner's office (with a TenMinuteRetirement in 2012), and made the Hall of Fame as a manager in 2014. The Braves and Cardinals also inducted him into their team Halls of Fame, and the Yankees retired his #6 and gave him a plaque in Monument Park.

* '''Earl Weaver''' was the manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1968-1982 and 1985-1986, during which time he led them to six division titles, four American League Championships, and a World Series Victory in 1970. He was notable for many innovative and unusual tactics, many of which were similar in principle to sabermetrics, which had not yet been invented when he was managing. For example, he hated plays like bunts, base-stealing, and hit-and-runs that he viewed as giving up outs—two of his philosophies were "On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" and "If you play for one run, that's all you'll get," preferring fighting it out and waiting for big innings to playing small-ball to get maybe one run. He had many other quotable mottos, the most commonly remembered being "Pitching, Defense, and Three-Run Homers." Weaver was also known for his [[ArgumentOfContradictions very animated and drawn-out arguments]] with umpires for which he'd often be ejected.[[note]]These were often actually tactical decisions on Weaver's part. He'd storm out whenever he saw his players get heated to turn umpires' focus onto him so he'd get into trouble and save players from getting ejected; exceptions to these tended to revolve around his ongoing feud with Ron Luciano. Bobby Cox (below) would become even more noted for tactical ejections.[[/note]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6cmqUTPn08 One famous example was caught on tape]] thanks to umpire Bill Haller being mic'd up for a documentary on umpiring. Weaver would often turn the bill of his cap around when he came out to argue so that he could get right in the umpires' faces. His uniform featured a tell-tale budge in the chest thanks to a custom pocket which held his cigarettes. This feature was included on a [[https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/20-events-of-2013-earl-weaver-dies-at-82/ statue erected in his honor]]. Died during a Caribbean cruise on January 19, 2013, the same day that Stan Musial died.

* '''Earl Weaver''' was the manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1968-1982 and 1985-1986, during which time he led them to six division titles, four American League Championships, and a World Series Victory in 1970. He was notable for many innovative and unusual tactics, many of which were similar in principle to sabermetrics, which had not yet been invented when he was managing. For example, he hated plays like bunts, base-stealing, and hit-and-runs that he viewed as giving up outs—two of his philosophies were "On offense, your most precious possessions are your 27 outs" and "If you play for one run, that's all you'll get," preferring fighting it out and waiting for big innings to playing small-ball to get maybe one run. He had many other quotable mottos, the most commonly remembered being "Pitching, Defense, and Three-Run Homers." Weaver was also known for his [[ArgumentOfContradictions very animated and drawn-out arguments]] with umpires for which he'd often be ejected[[note]]These were often actually tactical decisions on Weaver's part. He'd storm out whenever he saw his players get heated to turn umpires' focus onto him so he'd get into trouble and save players from getting ejected; exceptions to these tended to revolve around his ongoing feud with Ron Luciano[[/note]]. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6cmqUTPn08 One famous example was caught on tape]] thanks to umpire Bill Haller being mic'd up for a documentary on umpiring. Weaver would often turn the bill of his cap around when he came out to argue so that he could get right in the umpires' faces. His uniform featured a tell-tale budge in the chest thanks to a custom pocket which held his cigarettes. This feature was included on a [[https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/community/20-events-of-2013-earl-weaver-dies-at-82/ statue erected in his honor]]. Died during a Caribbean cruise on January 19, 2013, the same day that Stan Musial died.

* '''Bobby Cox''', another Hall of Fame manager, is best known for his long second stint as manager of the Atlanta Braves (1990–2010). A third baseman who made it to The Show for a couple of late-1960s seasons with the Yankees, he started his post-playing career as a minor-league coach and manager in the Yankees system, also managing in the Venezuelan Winter League. He returned to MLB in 1977 as first-base coach for the World Series-winning Yankees before getting his first MLB managing job with the Braves. He inherited a team that had compiled a worse 1977 record than the first-year Seattle Mariners, and brought them to respectability. Even though the Braves' then-owner Creator/TedTurner fired him after the 1981 season, he admitted ''immediately after the firing'' that "We need someone like him around here." Cox immediately became manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, eventually bringing him to their first AL East title in 1985 and earning AL Manager of the Year honors. Cox then returned to the Braves, this time as general manager. After going through two managers in less than 5 seasons, with disastrous results in attendance and outlook, he fired the Braves' manager in the middle of the 1990 season and named himself to the position. At the end of the season, he handed the GM role to John Schuerholz, who had just been hired away from the same position with the Kansas City Royals. Cox's first full season saw the Braves go from last to first in their division and make the World Series, only to lose an epic 7-game series to the Minnesota Twins (also a last-to-first team); he became the first manager to claim Manager of the Year in both leagues, and would earn that honor two more times in Atlanta. Cox would manage the Braves to 14 NL East titles in 15 seasons (1991–1993, 1995–2005), though the team also earned a reputation for EveryYearTheyFizzleOut, winning the World Series only in 1995. Cox retired after the 2010 season with several significant MLB managing records—most Manager of the Year awards (4, shared with Tony La Russa), most 100-win seasons (6, shared with Joe [=McCarthy=] (no, not [[UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy that one]])), most postseason appearances (16), and [[MedalOfDishonor most ejections]] (158 regular-season, plus 3 postseason). Interestingly, he wasn't noted for a hot temper; most of his ejections were strategic, specifically attempting to prevent one of his ''players'' from being tossed (and usually succeeding). Cox's #6 was retired by the Braves in 2011, and he entered Cooperstown in 2014.

* '''Allan "Bud" Selig''' was the MLB commissioner, officially and unofficially, from 1992–2014.[[note]]prior to that, he owned the Milwaukee Brewers[[/note]] He made a number of risky changes in Major League Baseball's format which risked alienating the sport's traditionalist fanbase but since have proven very successful, such as interleague play (before 1997, American and National league teams did not play each other except in the World Series), the introduction of the new three-round playoff format, and the institution of "instant replay" review in his final year as commissioner. His most important achievement would probably be the addition of the wild card (and later, the second wild card), which increases overall fan interest by keeping many teams relevant much later into the season than they normally would be. However, he's largely blamed for the performance-enhancing drug scandals which more or less happened on his watch, and this fact has caused him to be portrayed as inept and bumbling.

* '''Albert Pujols''' was a first baseman and designated hitter who played for three teams, but is best known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals. During his first stint with the Redbirds, he was seen by many as baseball's best player for most of the 2000's, and, strangely enough, is actually polite, charitable, and well-liked. Lots of fans hoped that he would break Barry Bonds' records someday. He is nicknamed "The Machine" due to his formerly incredibly consistent production. For a 10-year stretch from 2001 to 2010, he hit .300 with at least 30 Home Runs and 100 RBI's every year. He won 3 MVP awards in this time (2005, 2008, 2009), and the only reason he didn't win more is because Barry Bonds was putting up ridiculous numbers from 2001 to 2004. After he left the Cardinals at the end of the 2011 season, his production noticeably slowed due to age and injury, and his decline soon became clear, to the point that he never came close to being as valuable as the huge contract the Angels signed him to (10 years, $240 million). In 2017, his production declined even further—though he became the newest member of the 600-homer club, he also set career lows in most offensive categories, putting up the sort of hitting stats that would be considered bad even for a good defensive shortstop (for comparison, the average shortstop had a triple slash line of .260/.315/.407 in 2017; Pujols hit .241/.286/.386), let alone a player like Pujols who mostly DH's, a position with the sole job of hitting. His year was bad enough that plenty of analysts questioned whether he should be a full-time player anymore, with some questioning whether he might have been the worst player in baseball than year. That said, he could still occasionally hit like his old self from time to time—he even managed to pass 100 [=RBIs=] in 2017, despite his otherwise bad hitting (spending most of the season hitting after Mike Trout probably helped). He was only slightly better in 2018, although he did manage to collect his 3000th hit that May, becoming just the 4th player ever to have both 3000 hits and 600 home runs. The following season, he became the third player to ''officially'' reach 2000 career [=RBIs=].[[note]]The Elias Sports Bureau, the official record keeper for MLB, includes only RBI totals from 1920 onward. Other statistical sources list 19th-century star Cap Anson and Babe Ruth with more than 2000 [=RBIs=].[[/note]] He was released by the Angels in May 2021 and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the rest of that season before returning to St. Louis for his final season in 2022. Though he had only hit .236 overall in 2021, he was a very respectable .294 with a .939 OPS against lefties; with the NL adopting the DH in 2022, the Cards saw use in him as a DH against southpaws. He performed decently until August, when he improbably turned back the clock. In a 10-game stretch that month, he hit ''.548 (!)'' and slugged ''1.300 (!!)'' with 7 homers and 14 RBI, and cooled off only slightly into September, reaching the 700-homer mark about a week before the end of the season. Pujols would end his career at second place in total bases and RBI, behind only Hank Aaron in both. He also set two [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative more obscure]] home run records—263 go-ahead homers[[note]](those putting his team ahead at any point in a game)[[/note]] and homers against 458 different pitchers. Needless to say, he can pretty much book his trip to Cooperstown for July 2028.

* '''Albert Pujols''' was a first baseman and designated hitter who played for three teams, but is best known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals. During his first stint with the Redbirds, he was seen by many as baseball's best player for most of the 2000's, and, strangely enough, is actually polite, charitable, and well-liked. Lots of fans hoped that he would break Barry Bonds' records someday. He is nicknamed "The Machine" due to his formerly incredibly consistent production. For a 10-year stretch from 2001 to 2010, he hit .300 with at least 30 Home Runs and 100 RBI's every year. He won 3 MVP awards in this time (2005, 2008, 2009), and the only reason he didn't win more is because Barry Bonds was putting up ridiculous numbers from 2001 to 2004. After he left the Cardinals at the end of the 2011 season, his production noticeably slowed due to age and injury, and his decline is now clear, to the point that he never came close to being as valuable as the huge contract the Angels signed him to (10 years, $240 million). In 2017, his production declined even further- though he became the newest member of the 600-homer club, he also set career lows in most offensive categories, putting up the sort of hitting stats that would be considered bad even for a good defensive shortstop (for comparison, the average shortstop had a triple slash line of .260/.315/.407 in 2017; Pujols hit .241/.286/.386), let alone a player like Pujols who mostly DH's, a position with the sole job of hitting. His year was bad enough that plenty of analysts questioned whether he should be a full-time player anymore, with some questioning whether he might have been the worst player in baseball than year. That said, he can still occasionally hit like his old self from time to time—he even managed to pass 100 [=RBIs=] in 2017, despite his otherwise bad hitting (spending most of the season hitting after Mike Trout probably helped). He was only slightly better in 2018, although he did manage to collect his 3000th hit that May, becoming just the 4th player ever to have both 3000 hits and 600 home runs. The following season, he became the third player to ''officially'' reach 2000 career [=RBIs=].[[note]]The Elias Sports Bureau, the official record keeper for MLB, includes only RBI totals from 1920 onward. Other statistical sources list 19th-century star Cap Anson and Babe Ruth with more than 2000 [=RBIs=].[[/note]] He was released by the Angels in May 2021 and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the rest of that season before returning to St. Louis for his final season in 2022. Though he had only hit .236 overall in 2021, he was a very respectable .294 with a .939 OPS against lefties; with the NL adopting the DH in 2022, the Cards saw use in him as a DH against southpaws. He performed decently until August, when he improbably turned back the clock. In a 10-game stretch that month, he hit ''.548 (!)'' and slugged ''1.300 (!!)'' with 7 homers and 14 RBI, and cooled off only slightly into September, reaching the 700-homer mark about a week before the end of the season. Pujols would end his career at second place in total bases and RBI, behind only Hank Aaron in both. He also set two [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative more obscure]] home run records—263 go-ahead homers[[note]](those putting his team ahead at any point in a game)[[/note]] and homers against 458 different pitchers. Needless to say, he can pretty much book his trip to Cooperstown for July 2028.