Derek Jeter: Where Does He Rank Among the Members of the 3,000-Hit Club?

On May 29, 1995, a skinny 21-year-old from Pequannock, N.J., walked up to the plate at The Kingdome to face the Mariners' Rafael Carmona in what was his first major league at-bat.

Fast forward past 16 years, 12 All-Star selections, five World Series championships, five Gold Glove awards, four Silver Slugger awards and 9,603 at-bats, and Derek Jeter is standing in the box at Yankee Stadium with 2,999 career hits facing Tampa Bay's ace David Price.

With one out in the bottom of the third inning, Jeter ripped Price's three-two pitch over the left field fence for a solo home run and his 3,000 career hit—making him only the 28th player in MLB history to reach the 3,000-hit milestone. 

Of the 27 players who entered the 3,000-hit club before Jeter, only three aren't enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame: Pete Rose (for obvious reasons, although one can make the argument that he deserves to be in the Hall regardless of his actions), Rafael Palmeiro (who is still pointing at Congress and swearing he never touched steroids) and Craig Biggio (who isn't eligible to be inducted until 2013). 

Of course, the matter isn't whether Jeter will end up in the Hall of Fame—because that is a no-brainer; he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. 

The real question is: Where will Jeter rank among the members of the 3,000-hit club? A club that boasts the likes of Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ty Cobb, some of the greatest baseball players of all time. 

No. 28: Lou Brock, LF, Chicago Cubs/St. Louis Cardinals

Career Hits: 3,023 

Before Rickey Henderson, there was Lou Brock. 

Blessed with elite speed and great base running instincts, Brock finished his 19-year career with 938 stolen bases—a major league record until Henderson surpassed it in 1982—and eight NL stolen base titles (1966, '67, '68, '69, '71, '72, '73, '74). 

For 12 consecutive seasons (1965-'76), Brock stole more than 50 bases—a record even Henderson didn't touch. And, at the age of 35, Brock put together arguably the best season by a base runner in MLB history, stealing 118 bases on 151 attempts (78.1 SB percentage) and shattering Maury Wills' modern-day record of 104 stolen bases in a season.

Brock did have shortcomings, though.

He was a subpar outfielder, leading the National League in errors by an outfielder seven times throughout his career. His 167 errors committed as a left fielder ranks second all-time behind Goose Goslin for the most errors by a left fielder. 

In addition to his fielding struggles, Brock's lack of patience at the plate made him a less-than-ideal leadoff hitter. Because he rarely walked, Brock's on-base percentage always hovered around .340, sometimes dropping as low as .300 or .319. 

Despite his lack of patience, Brock was a great hitter—as evidenced by the eight times in his career in which he finished a season with 190 or more hits.

Brock finished his career as a two-time World Series champion and a six-time All-Star.

No. 27: Craig Biggio, 2B, Houston Astros

Career Hits: 3,060 

Although he was a very good baseball player, Craig Biggio ranks so low on this list because he wasn't truly great in any facets of the game.

He wasn't a great power hitter. In his 20-year career, Biggio hit more than 25 home runs in one season just one time. 

He wasn't a great base stealer. Biggio stole more than 35 bases in one season just four times in his career. 

He didn't hit for a great average. Biggio hit higher than .300 just four times in his career, had only one season in which he finished with more than 200 hits and his career batting average of .281 is the third-lowest average among the members of the 3,000-hit club.

Don't get me wrong: Biggio was a very good baseball player. But when compared to the other members of the 3,000-hit club, Biggio simply can't compete. 

No. 26: Paul Molitor, DH/3B/2B, MIL/TOR/MINN

Career Hits: 3,319 

Paul Molitor epitomized the term "utility player."

In his 21-year career, Molitor played at least four games at every position besides pitcher and catcher. 

However, Molitor is not remembered for his defense or his ability to play multiple positions. He is remembered for his consistency at the plate, his simple-yet-compact swing and his ability to produce late into his thirties.

Like Biggio, Molitor was one of the most consistent players of his time. However, unlike Biggio, Molitor was one of the greatest pure hitters in the history of the game, as well—as evidenced by the 11 times hit for higher than .300 and the three times he led the league in total hits. 

Although Molitor never won an MVP, he finished with seven All-Star selections, four Silver Sluggers and, most importantly, one World Series Championship ring. 

No. 25: Cap Anson, 1B, Philadelphia Athletics/Chicago White Stockings

Career Hits: ?

Adrian "Cap" Anson was the first professional baseball player to reach the 3,000-hit milestone.

Well, at least according to some sources. 

While MLB.com (3,011), baseballhof.org (3,081) and baseball-reference.com (3,435) credit Anson with more than 3,000 hits, both ESPN and baseball-almanac.com list Anson as having just 2,995 hits in his career. 

Despite the confusion regarding Anson's career hit total—partially because of the rule change in 1887 that counted bases on balls as hits, and also because of Anson's time in the National Association—Anson is listed as an official member of the 3,000-hit club and is recognized as one of the best hitters of the 19th century. 

Anson finished his 22-year career with 97 home runs, 1,879 RBIs and a batting average of .329. 

No. 24: Pete Rose, OF/1B, Cincinnati Reds/Philadelphia Phillies/Montreal Expos

Career Hits: 4,256

If you're looking for a player who is a great power hitter, RBI machine or stolen base threat, then Pete Rose is not your guy. 

But if you need a tremendous contact hitter or someone who gets on base a lot, look no further than Rose. 

In his 24-year career, Rose eclipsed the 200-hit mark 10 times—an MLB record—won three batting titles and led the league in hits seven times. Additionally, the 17-time All-Star reached base 5,929 times in his career—another MLB record—and still ranks in the top 10 in games played (first), at-bats (first), plate appearances (first) and doubles (second). 

In the 1973 season—in which he won the NL MVP—Rose finished with 230 hits and batted .338 with a .401 on-base percentage. 

In addition to the 1973 NL MVP, Rose was a three-time World Series champion (1975, '76, '80), two-time Silver Slugger award winner and one-time Gold Glove award winner and the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year. 

No. 23: Robin Yount, SS/CF, Milwaukee Brewers

Career Hits: 3,142 

If you just scanned over Robin Yount's individual statistics, without looking at his career totals, you'd get the impression Yount was a solid baseball player, but, really, nothing special. 

I mean, do any of his numbers jump out at you?

In his 20-year career, Yount drove in 100 runs just three times. 

He hit more than 25 home runs in a season just once. 

He was a good hitter, but Yount reached the 200-hit mark just once. 

Yount batted .300 or better six times in his career, which is good but nothing great. 

And he never stole more than 25 bases in a season or finished with an on-base percentage higher than .390. 

With that said, Yount was one of the most consistent hitters of the 1980s. From 1980 to 1989, Yount recorded 160 or more hits in a season eight times and finished the decade with 1,731 hits—the most by any player in the 1980s.  

Yount finished his career as a two-time AL MVP (1982, '89), three-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger award winner and one-time Gold Glove award winner. 

No. 22: Rafael Palmeiro, 1B, Chicago Cubs/Texas Rangers/Baltimore Orioles

Career Hits: 3,020

3,020 hits (24th all time)

569 home runs (12th all-time)

1,835 runs batted in (16th all-time)

1,663 runs scored (31st all-time)

5,388 total bases (10th all-time)

Unfortunately for Rafael Palmeiro, his statistics don't mean much anymore.

His legacy as a baseball player is overshadowed by a four-month span back in 2005 when Palmeiro allegedly lied to Congress by saying he never took steroids. 

"Let me start by telling you this: I have never used steroids, period. I don't know how to say it any more clearly than that," Palmeiro said at the House committee hearing in 2005. 

Less than three months later, Major League Baseball suspended Palmeiro for 10 games for violating its steroids policy. 

It's safe to say Palmeiro's reputation took quite a hit since then. 

Based on his career statistics alone, Palmeiro should have coasted into the Hall as a first-ballot Hall of Famer—only Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray hit more than 500 home runs and 3,000 hits and they all are first-ballot Hall of Famers.

Instead, Palmeiro received just 11 percent of the vote in 2011, and his chance for future enshrinement looks increasingly bleak. 

Although he wasn't the greatest power hitter of his time (Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa or Ken Griffey, Jr.), or the best pure hitter (Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs), Palmeiro was great at everything and was always among the league leaders in home runs, runs batted in, runs scored, batting average and slugging percentage. 

No. 21: Eddie Murray, 1B, BAL/LAD/NYM/CLE/ANA

Career Hits: 3,255 

Is there a more appropriate nickname in baseball history than Eddie Murray's nickname "Steady Eddie"?

In his first 14 seasons, Murray hit more than 25 home runs 11 times, finished with more than 170 hits 11 times, drove in more than 80 runs 13 times and batted better than .280 12 times.

His career totals of hits, home runs (504), runs batted in (1,917) and runs scored (1,627) all rank high in the top 40 on the all-time list. 

In addition to his offensive ability, Murray was very talented defensively and led the league in fielding percentage as a first basemen three times. His career fielding percentage as a first basemen of .993 is the 75th highest of all-time. 

In his 21-year career, the eight-time All-Star won one World Series (1983), three Gold Glove awards, three Silver Slugger awards and the 1977 AL Rookie of the Year award. 

No. 20: Dave Winfield, RF, SD/NYY/CAL/TOR/MINN/CLE

Career Hits: 3,110 

Dave Winfield never led the league in home runs or batting average; however, he was always among the leaders in home runs, hits and runs batted in.  

From 1978 to 1986, Winfield finished in the top 10 in RBIs in all but one season ('80). In that time span, he drove in more than 95 runs seven times and hit more than 30 home runs three times.

With 3,110 hits, 465 home runs and 1,833 runs batted in, Winfield is one of just seven players in MLB history to hit more than 3,000 hits and 450 home runs in his career.

The 12-time All-Star is a one-time World Series champion ('92), seven-time Gold Glove award winner and six-time Silver Slugger award winner. 

No. 19: Cal Ripken, Jr., SS/3B, Baltimore Orioles

Career Hits: 3,184 

As great as Cal Ripken, Jr.'s streak of 2,632 consecutive games played is—and it is truly remarkable—it seemingly overshadows all of Ripken's other accomplishments as a player.

People forget Ripken is one of only eight players in MLB history to hit more than 3,000 hits and 400 home runs in his career. 

He was a 19-time All-Star—the fourth-most All-Star game appearances of all-time behind Hank Aaron (25), Willie Mays (24) and Stan Musial (24)—two-time AL MVP (1983, '91), one-time World Series Champion ('83), eight-time Silver Slugger award winner and two-time Gold Glove award winner. 

Ripken led the league in WAR in 1983 (8.3), '84 (9.2) and '91 (11), and his career total of 89.9 wins above replacement is 38th on the all-time list. 

No. 18: Wade Boggs, 3B, Boston Red Sox/New York Yankees/Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Career Hits: 3,010

Although he didn't have much power—he hit just 118 home runs in his 18-year career—Wade Boggs was one of the most prolific hitters in the history of the game. 

In his first seven seasons, Boggs hit higher than .345 six times, finished with more than 200 hits six times, led the American League in batting average and on-base percentage five times and won four Silver Slugger awards. 

Simply put, Boggs made it look easy.

Although Boggs' game wasn't flashy—he rarely hit home runs and wasn't much of a runner—he knew how to get on base (too bad Billy Beane wasn't the A's general manager yet), and that's what made him so good. 

For eight straight seasons (1983-1990), Boggs led the American League in times on base, and finished his career with 4,445 total times on base, placing him 21st on the all-time list.  

His patience at the plate, combined with his excellent bat control, allowed Boggs to wait for pitchers to make a mistake, which he would drive the other way right off the Green Monster. 

His three seasons from 1986 to 1988 is among the best three-year spans by a hitter in MLB history. From 1986 to 1988, he led the AL in batting average (all three years), wins above replacement (all three years), offensive wins above replacement (all three years), on-base percentage (all three years), times on base (all three years), intentional bases on balls (all three years), offensive win percentage (all three years), OPS (twice), runs created—which estimates the number of runs a hitter contributes to his team—(twice), bases on balls (twice), doubles (once) and runs scored (once). 

No. 17: Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees

Career Hits: 3,003

You can make a case that Derek Jeter doesn't belong this high on the list. 

You can argue a player who has never won a regular season MVP shouldn't be ranked above the likes of Pete Rose or Cal Ripken, Jr.

You can question how a player who has never hit more than 24 home runs, stole more than 32 bases or drove in more 103 runs is as high as he is. 

You can. 

But you'd be wrong. 

Although Jeter has never led the league in batting, home runs, or RBIs, he has done what only one other member (Eddie Collins) of the 3,000-hit club has done: win five World Series championships. 

In addition, Jeter holds the Yankees' record for most hits in a career and owns the MLB record for most hits as a shortstop. 

Additionally, Jeter is one of just 17 players in baseball history who have eclipsed the 200-hit mark more than five times in their career. Having reached the 200-hit mark seven times in his career, Jeter only stands behind Wade Boggs, Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, Ichiro Suzuki, Paul Waner, Lou Gehrig, Roger Hornsby and Charlie Gehringer for more seasons with 200 or more hits. 

Although Jeter's regular season numbers are impressive, his play in the World Series is what makes him special.

In the 38 World Series games that he has played in, Jeter has batted .321 with 50 hits and 32 runs scored.   

The 12-time All-Star has won five Gold Glove awards, four Silver Sluggers awards, the 2000 World Series MVP and the 1996 Rookie of the Year. 

No. 16: Roberto Clemente, RF/OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Career Hits: 3,000

There are really no words to describe how good of an outfielder Roberto Clemente was during his 18-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

His 12 Gold Glove awards—tied with Willie Mays for the most by an outfielder—don't do him justice. 

To truly understand how good Clemente was in the outfield, one must breakdown all aspects of his game.

Clemente had the arm strength of Vladimir Guerrero with the accuracy of Ichiro Suzuki. 

"Could Clemente ever throw! Even better than Mays—he was more accurate." — Hank Sauer, We Played the Game: Memories of Baseball's Greatest Era

Although base runners usually shied away from testing his arm, Clemente still finished his career with 256 assists as a right fielder—the most for a right fielder in MLB history. 

Additionally, Clemente had the speed, range and play-making ability of a young Ken Griffey, Jr.

Thus, he was able to reach fly balls that most other right fielders wouldn't have a chance to catch. As a result, he led the league in range factor per game—which measures the number of a successful plays a fielder makes by combining his putouts and assists—six times in his career. 

All in all, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more complete outfielder than Clemente in MLB history. 

Not only was Clemente a tremendous fielder, but also he was a great batter and base runner. 

Clemente finished his career with 3,000 hits, 240 home runs, 1,305 RBIs, 1,416 runs scored and a batting average of .317. In his 18 seasons, Clemente finished with a batting average of .320 or higher nine times. 

In addition to his individual statistics, Clemente was a two-time World Series Champion(1960, '71), the 1966 NL MVP and a 15-time All-Star. 

No. 15: Carl Yastrzemski, LF/1B, Boston Red Sox

Career Hits: 3,419

Carl Yastrzemski was a very good player until 1967. Then, in the 1967 season, Yastrzemski made a Jose Bautista-like jump in his stats and elevated his status from a very good player to a great player. 

In his 1967 season, Yastrzemski won the AL MVP and the Triple Crown—he is the last player to do so— by batting .326 with 44 home runs—24 more than his previous career high—and 121 RBIs. Additionally, he finished the season with a .418 on-base percentage and .622 slugging percentage—both of which were league highs—while leading the league in runs scored (112) and hits (189).

Although he would never have another season quite like the one he had in '67, Yastrzemski continued to produce in the middle of the Red Sox lineup. His 1,844 runs batted in and 1,816 runs scored rank first on Boston's all-time list, and his 452 home runs ranks second behind Ted Williams' 521. 

The 18-time All-Star was also a great left fielder. In his 22-year career, Yastrzemski won seven Gold Gloves, led the league in assists by a outfielder seven times and his 177 career assists as a left fielder is the third highest of all-time. 

No. 14: Paul Waner, RF, Pittsburgh Pirates

Career Hits: 3,152 

Paul Waner's excellence from 1926 to 1940 is often overshadowed by the play of another great player from that era: Babe Ruth. 

Although he wasn't as dominant as Ruth, Waner was one of the best pure hitters of his time, consistently ranking among the league leaders in batting average, hits and on-base percentage. 

In just his second year in MLB, Waner won the 1927 National League's Most Valuable Player award by posting a .380 batting average and .437 on-base percentage, while driving in 131 RBIs and scoring 114 runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Waner finished in the top five in the MVP race four more times throughout the course of his career, though he never came closer than second place. 

The four-time All-Star finished with a career batting average of .333, which is tied with Eddie Collins for the seventh-highest among the members of the 3,000-hit club.

No. 13: Al Kaline, RF, Detroit Tigers

Career Hits: 3,007

Al Kaline finished just one home run short of entering an even more select group than the 3,000-hit club: players who hit 400 home runs and 3,000 hits in their career. 

To this day, only eight players in MLB history have accomplished that feat—Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Carl Yastrzemski, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken, Jr., Dave Winfield and Rafael Palmeiro. 

However, even if Kaline had hit that home run and joined the 3,000-hit and 400 home-run club, it still wouldn't have been as impressive as something else he had accomplished. 

Kaline's most impressive number isn't 18 (his number of All-Star selections) or 10 (his number of Gold Glove awards). Instead it's 32. 

Because from 1953 (Kaline's first year) to 1956, the Detroit Tigers improved their win/loss record by 32 and went from the worst team in the American League in 1952 (50-102 without Kaline) to a team that finished 10 games above .500 (82-72) in 1956.

Not only did the addition of Kaline improve Detroit's hitting, but also it improved its overall team defense. His ability to cover a lot of ground in right field as well as his strong arm provided the Tigers with stability in their outfield. 

Although there were plenty of big plays that allowed the Tigers to come back from a three games to one deficit against the St. Louis Cardinals to win the 1968 World Series, Kaline's two-RBI single in the seventh inning of Game 5 pushed the Tigers ahead 4-3, seemingly giving Detroit the spark it needed. 

In seven games against the Cardinals, Kaline hit .379 with two home runs, eight RBIs and a slugging percentage of .655. 

No. 12: Rod Carew, 1B/2B, Minnesota Twins/California Angels

Career Hits: 3,053 

To exemplify how great of a player Rod Carew was, I'll show you this statistic:

Carew played Major League Baseball for 19 seasons. In those 19 seasons, he was selected for 18 All-Star games and started 15 of them—the fourth most by any player in MLB history behind Willie Mays (18), Hank Aaron (17) and Cal Ripken, Jr. (17). The only he season in which he wasn't selected to the All-Star game was in 1985—Carew's final season—when Carew was 39 years old. 

Aside from his 18 All-Star game appearances, Carew won the 1977 American League MVP and the 1967 AL Rookie of the Year.

Although Carew wasn't much of a power hitter, he was one of the best contact hitters in baseball history—as evidenced by his low strikeout rate (Carew struck out just 1,028 times in 10,550 plate appearances)—and was always among the league leaders in hits, batting average, on-base percentage and runs scored. 

In his 19-year career, Carew eclipsed the 200-hit mark four times and won seven AL batting titles. His career batting average of .328 is tied for the ninth best among the members of the 3,000-hit club with Wade Boggs and Honus Wagner, and he hit better than .330 for six consecutive seasons (1972-'78), something that neither Boggs, Tony Gwynn or Eddie Collins were able to accomplish. 

No. 11: Tony Gwynn, RF, San Diego Padres

Career Hits: 3,141 

Since Ted Williams batted .407 in 1953, no player in Major League Baseball has hit .400. 

But Tony Gwynn came damn close. 

In 1994, Gwynn finished with 165 hits and a batting average of .394—the highest average since Williams' .407. 

Aside from Ty Cobb, Gwynn is arguably the best contact hitter in baseball history. In his 20-year career, Gwynn won eight batting titles and led the league in hits seven times. But even more impressive than his hitting was Gwynn's low strikeout rate. Gwynn led the league in at-bats per strikeout 10 times, and his career average of 21.4 at-bats per strikeouts is ranked 98th all-time. 

Gwynn's career batting average of .338 is tied for the third-highest among the members of the 3,000-hit club with Nap Lajoie and is the 19th-highest of all-time. 

In addition to his individual statistics, Gwynn was a 15-time All-Star, seven-time Silver Slugger award winner and five-time Gold Glove award winner. 

No. 10: George Brett, 3B, Kansas City Royals

Career Hits: 3,154 

This is all you really need to know about George Brett: Of the 44 first-ballot Hall of Famers enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, Brett was tied with Ty Cobb for the third-highest voting percentage (98.2), behind only Nolan Ryan (98.8) and Cal Ripken, Jr. (98.5). 

In his 21-year career, Brett won three batting titles and led the AL in hits three times. In addition, Brett was a 13-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger award winner, one-time World Series champion (1985), one-time AL MVP ('80) and a one-time Gold Glove award winner. 

Brett's MVP season was one of the best overall seasons by any player in the modern era. 

Despite playing in just 117 games, Brett finished with a remarkable 118 RBIs, 24 home runs and 175 hits. Best of all, Brett finished the season with a batting average of .390, which, at the time, was the highest batting average since Ted Williams' average of .407 in 1953—Tony Gwynn would later top Brett's average by hitting .394 in the 1994 strike-shortened season. 

Although Brett wasn't an elite power hitter, he managed to hit 20 or more home runs in eight seasons and finished his career a total of 317 home runs. 

As of now, Brett remains in the top 50 of all time in doubles (6th), hits (15th), extra base hits (15th), at-bats (18th), plate appearances (22nd), games played (27th), times on base (27th), offensive WAR—wins above replacement—(32nd), runs batted in (33rd), singles (39th) and runs scored (49th). 

No. 9: Ricky Henderson, LF, OAK/NYY/TOR/SD/ANA/NYM/SEA/BOS/LAD

Career Hits: 3,055 

Rickey Henderson was the second coming of Lou Brock—except he was much better than Brock in almost every facet of the game. 

Henderson was the best base runner to every play the game, no questions asked.

He finished his 25-year career with 1,406 stolen bases—468 more than Brock—and a stolen base percentage of 80.8—compared to Brock's 75.3 SB percentage.

Before Henderson's playing days, no American League player—in the modern day era—stole 100 or more bases in a season.

Henderson accomplished that three times (1980,'82,'83). 

Unlike Brock, Henderson was an ideal leadoff hitter because of his patience at the plate and his ability to draw walks.

In his 25 seasons, Henderson had an on-base percentage of .390 or better 17 times. In Brock's 19 seasons, he never had an on-base percentage higher than .387. 

In 1982, '83, '89 and '98, Henderson led the AL in most bases on balls, and his total of 2,190 walks is second only to Barry Bonds (2,558) on the all-time list. 

Henderson finished his career as a 10-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion ('89, '93), three-time Silver Slugger award winner, one-time Gold Glove award winner and the 1990 AL MVP. 

His individual stats are just as impressive as his accolades.

Henderson holds the records for career stolen bases, most stolen bases in a season (130), the most home runs by a leadoff hitter (81) and the most runs scored in a career (2,295). 

No. 8: Nap Lajoie, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies/Cleveland Naps

Career Hits: 3,242 

Don't be fooled by Nap Lajoie's lack of home runs; he had the strength to drive the ball. Although Lajoie hit just 82 home runs, he had an OPS+ of 150—Josh Hamilton's career OPS+ is 136—and was always among the league leaders in doubles—from 1897 to 1910, Lajoie finished in the top seven for most doubles in a season all but once. 

In addition to his ability to drive the ball, Lajoie was a great contact hitter. His career average of .338 is the 19th highest of all time and tied with Tony Gwynn for the third-highest among the members of the 3,000-hit club. 

In his 21-year career, Lajoie batted .320 or higher 16 times and won five batting titles, four slugging percentage titles and two on-base percentage titles. 

In 1901, Lajoie led the AL in runs (145), hits (232), doubles (48), home runs (14), runs batted in (125), batting average (.426), on-base percentage (.463) and slugging percentage (.643). 

No. 7: Eddie Collins, 2B, Philadelphia Athletics/Chicago White Sox

Career Hits: 3,315 

When Eddie Collins finally left baseball at the age of 43, he finished with 3,315 hits, 1,821 runs (15th all time) and 743 stolen bases (seventh all time), all while batting .333 over the course of his 25-year career. 

In addition to his statistics, Collins is a three-time World Series Champion—all with the Philadelphia Athletics (1910,'11,'13)—and the 1914 American League MVP. 

While Collins is most recognized for his speed and offensive ability, his defense was just as exceptional, as evidenced by his career fielding percentage (.970) and defensive WAR, which were always among the league leaders. 

Based on his power numbers, or lack thereof, it's easy write off Collins as a power hitter—he hit just 47 home runs in 25 seasons—however, one should take a look at Collins' career OPS+ (OPS+ takes into account the players ballpark in addition his on-base and slugging percentages) of 141 before jumping to any conclusions. 

Ken Griffey, Jr. had an OPS+ of 135.

No. 6: Tris Speaker, CF, Boston Red Sox/Cleveland Indians

Career Hits: 3,514 

Although he led the league in batting average just one time in his career—largely because he played during the same time as Ty Cobb—Tris Speaker finished his career with a batting average of .345—the sixth highest of all time. 

Like Cobb, Speaker was a great contact hitter and base stealer who always ranked among the league leaders in both categories. In his 22 seasons, Speaker batted .320 or better 15 times and stole 35 or more bases six times. 

From 1909 to 1925, Speaker finished in the top 10 in offensive wins above replacement, batting average, on-base percentage, OPS and adjusted OPS+. 

To this day, Speaker's career totals in hits (3,514), batting average (.345), on-base percentage (.428), runs scored (1,882), doubles (792), triples (222), extra base hits (1,131) and times on base (4,998) all rank in the top 15 of all time. 

Not only was Speaker a tremendous hitter, but also he was a great fielder. The 1912 AL MVP led the league in outfield assists three times, and his total of 449 assists as an outfielder is the most of all time. 

No. 5 Willie Mays, CF, New York/San Francisco Giants/New York Mets

Career Hits: 3,283 

The "Say Hey Kid" is arguably the best all-around player in baseball history. 

Mays epitomized the term "five-tool player"—hitting with power, hitting for average, speed, fielding and arm strength. 

He ranks in the top 11 on the all-time list in home runs (4th), runs scored (7th), runs batted in (10th) and hits (11th), and is the only player in baseball history with more than 650 home runs and multiple stolen base titles (4).

Mays finished his career with five slugging percentage titles, two on-base percentage titles and one batting average title. Also, he is a four-time home run champion who led the league in adjusted OPS+ five times. 

As great as Mays was offensively—he led the league in offensive WAR six times and his career offensive war of 136.2 is the fourth highest of all time—he was even better on defense.

The 12-time Gold Glove award winner, who is best known for making one of the best catches in baseball history, ranks first on the all-time list for most putouts as an outfielder with 7,905 and was always among the league leaders in fielding percentage as a center fielder. 

In his 22-year career, Mays was a World Series champion (1954), a two-time NL MVP (1954, '65), the 1951 NL Rookie of the Year and a 24-time All-Star.

No. 4: Stan Musial, OF/1B, St. Louis Cardinals

Career Hits: 3,630 

Only 10 players in MLB history have won more than two MVP awards. Stan Musial is one of them.

The three-time NL MVP (1943, '46, '48)—who finished as the runner-up in '49, '50, '51, '57—had the rare ability to hit for both power and average. Aside from Ted Williams, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Musial is the only player to hit more than 450 home runs with a career batting average better than .330.  

In his first 12 full seasons, Musial reached the 190-hit mark 10 times—including six seasons in which he finished with 200 or more hits—and led the league in batting six times. Additionally, the 24-time All-Star, led the league hits six times and won five on-base percentage titles during that stretch.  

Although Musial didn't hit more than 20 home runs until the 1948 season, Musial combined to hit 310 home runs from '48 to '57—an average of 31 per season. 

In addition to his individual statistics, Musial is a three-time World Series champion ('42, '44, 46). 

No. 3: Hank Aaron, RF, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves/Milwaukee Brewers

Career Hits: 3, 771 

Hank Aaron was a model of consistency.  

In 20 consecutive seasons (1955 to '74), Aaron hit at least 20 home runs—an MLB record.

In 17 consecutive seasons ('55 to '71), he reached the 150-hit mark—an MLB record.

In 17 consecutive seasons ('55 to '71), Aaron drove in at least 85 runs. 

And in 13 consecutive seasons ('55 to '67), he scored at least 100 runs. 

Although he wasn't as great of a contact hitter as Ty Cobb, Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs, Aaron was a two-time batting champion and led the league in hits two times. Additionally, he was a four-time home run king, and his career total of 755 home runs was an MLB record from 1976 to 2007. 

Because of his staggering career totals, the former home run king still ranks in the top five of all time in runs batted in (first all-time), total bases (first all-time), extra base hits (first all-time), home runs (second all-time), hits (third all-time) and runs scored (fourth all-time).

In his 23-year career, Aaron was a one-time World Series champion (1957), one-time NL MVP ('57) and made 25 All-Star appearances. 

No. 2: Honus Wagner, SS, Louisville Colonels/Pittsburgh Pirates

Career Hits: 3,415

Honus Wagner is the best shortstop of all-time—even better than Cal Ripken, Jr. and Robin Yount. 

Wagner, simply, could do it all. 

In his first 17 seasons, Wagner batted .330 or better 13 times and won eight batting titles, five RBI titles, five stolen base titles and two runs scored titles. 

From 1900 to 1911, Wagner finished first in offensive WAR 10 times—the two times he finished second and third respectively—and his career offensive WAR of 126.1 is the seventh highest of all time. 

Despite hitting just 81 home runs in his career, Wagner was always among the league leaders in home runs in a season, finishing in the top 10 11 times in his career. Additionally, to prove Wagner was a much better power hitter than his home run totals indicate, his career adjusted OPS+ of 150 is the 30th highest of all time. 

Although Wagner never won a league MVP—he finished second in 1912 to Larry Doyle and third in 1911—his career totals in hits (3,415), stolen bases (723), doubles (623), triples (252) rank in the top 10 of all time. 

No. 1: Ty Cobb, CF, Detroit Tigers/Philadelphia Athletics

Career Hits: 4,189 

Ty Cobb is the best pure hitter ever. 

Here are some statistics to back that claim up:

He is the first hitter ever to reach the 4,000-hit milestone, and his MLB record for most hits in a career lasted for 63 years until Pete Rose broke it in 1985.

His career batting average of .366 is the highest average of all-time. 

He won 11 batting titles and led the league in hits eight times. 

He eclipsed the 200-hit mark nine times. 

He hit better than .320 in 22 of his 23 full seasons. 

He hit better than .400 in three seasons. 

He led the league in offensive WAR nine times, and his total offensive WAR of 156 is the second highest of all time.

He won the 1909 Triple Crown by batting .377 with 107 RBIs and nine home runs. 

His adjusted OPS+ of 168 is the 10th highest of all time—higher than Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, Willie Mays, Mark McGwire, Mel Ott and Joe DiMaggio. 

He is ranked second in runs scored with 2,246, second in hits with 4,189 and seventh in RBIs with 1,938. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention Cobb won six stolen base titles and finished his career with 897 stolen bases, which at the time was the MLB record until Rickey Henderson, Lou Brock and Billy Hamilton surpassed it.