Best Hitters Ever: Nos. 7-10

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

10. Jimmie Foxx, 1B, Philadelphia A’s/Boston Red Sox/Chicago Cubs/Philadelphia Phillies (1925-1945)

During his MLB career, mostly with the Philadelphia A’s and Boston Red Sox, Jimmie Foxx was truly one of the great hitters to ever play the game.

With a career wOBA of .434 (4th all-time) and a career OPS+ of 163 (11th all-time), there’s no doubting how great of a hitter Foxx was during his career.

In terms of power hitting, Foxx was one of the best ever, with a career SLG of .609 (5th all-time, .187 above the league average) and was the 2nd-quickest player ever to 500 home runs, accomplishing this feat at a younger age than only Alex Rodriguez.

Foxx’s on-base prowess was also one of his strengths, as his .428 career OBP ranks 11th all-time.  However, this may have been somewhat aided by the era in which he played, since it was .066 above the league average during his career.  It is still an impressive number, but makes him less comparable to the all-time greats.

Overall, it’s hard to doubt Foxx’s hitting ability in his 9,670 career plate appearances.  His 1.037 OPS ranks 6th all-time, and was .253 above the league average. 

The high OBP of his era, however, prevents him from moving into elite territory on the list, but his great numbers in every other category are enough to place him in the cherished top-10.

9. Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals (2001-present)

Here it is—the active player who always ends up somewhere near the bottom end of the Top-10 in any list of the top hitters.

In his short major league career, Albert Pujols certainly deserves to be put in a league among the all-time greats of the game.

Pujols’ 170 career OPS+ is tied for 7th all-time, while his .431 career wOBA ranks 5th all-time.

Meanwhile, Pujols’ 1.049 career OPS (5th all-time) is .278 higher than the league average during his career, with a career .425 OBP (13th all-time) that is .086 above the league average and .624 SLG (4th all-time) that is .193 above the league average.

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