The Top-50 Hitters Ever: Nos. 11-15

The following is the eighth part of an 11-part series chronicling the Top-50 hitters of all-time.

15. Frank Thomas, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox/ Oakland A’s/Toronto Blue Jays (1990-present)

During his heyday with the Chicago White Sox, Frank Thomas was quite possibly the most feared hitter in baseball.

Thomas was a dominant force in his best season, 1994, as his 211 OPS+ was one of the best seasons of all-time. During the five best years of his career, Thomas also had an average OPS+ of 186, one of the highest marks of any player on the list of all-time great hitters.

His best seasons were among the best ever, and the numbers in those years don’t even tell the whole story, as his career averages are some of the bet of all-time.

Thomas is currently at the end of his career, but his .413 career wOBA ranks among the best of all-time.

Also, his career OPS+ of 156 ranks 20th all-time.

Another strength of The Big Hurt was his greatest balance between his abilities to get on-base and slug proficiently, as his career OBP of .419 ranks 21st all-time and his .555 career SLG ranks 24th all-time.

Compared to the league average during his career, Thomas also is a top performer. His .974 OPS is .215 above the league average, while his .419 OBP is .082 above the league average and his .555 SLG is .133 above the league average.

While he is currently injured and at the end of his career, the 40-year-old Thomas is climbing up the record books, and his great on-base ability, in addition to his 521 career home runs and his 495 career doubles, help to make him one of the best hitters of all-time.

14. Willie Mays, CF, New York/San Francisco Giants/New York Mets (1951-1973)

If this were a list of the greatest position players ever, Mays, the prototypical “five-tool player” would be somewhere around the top-five.

However, since this list measures pure hitting ability, he falls to 14th, where he is still in elite company.

The Say Hey Kid’s great power helped him to 660 career home runs, fourth all-time.

Percentages-wise, Mays had a .399 career wOBA, which, while incomparable to some of the all-time greats, was higher than any player during his pitching-oriented generation.

His career OPS+ of 156 also ranks 21st all-time.

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