10 Most Influential Players in Major League Baseball History

Jackie Robinson's first game played marked a milestone moment in professional sports.

When you look back at the most influential baseball players of all time, most people immediately think of Jackie Robinson.  While he is most likely to fall into my top 10, there are many others that may surprise some readers.

"The Top 10 Most Influential Players in Major League History" will take into account all eras.  I hope you enjoy reading my countdown as much as I did compiling it.

10. Ted Williams

Ted Williams left behind part of his prime to serve in the United States military.

Ted Williams is more than just a supreme baseball player.  He, along with Joe DiMaggio, spent years in their prime fighting for the freedom of the United States.  As many people know, Ted Williams served in World War II, but he also served in the Korean War as well. 

Not only did “Teddy Ballgame” influence kids to pick up a glove, but he also influenced many other Americans to serve their country. 

In an era when it was more commonplace for athletes to put sports on the back burner for the military, Ted Williams set precedence by being arguably the game's best player at the time to do so.

9. Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth was the first superstar athlete and was very marketable similar to a modern-day Michael Jordan for his era.

When a player has more nicknames than a superhero, it is pretty clear he was larger than life. “The Great Bambino," “Sultan of Swat,” “Colossus of Clout,” or whatever name you call George Herman Ruth, it was clear that he dominated baseball over a couple decades in a way that no one had before him. 

He hit for a new kind of power and was that generation’s Michael Jordan with his dominance.  He was the first real marketable athlete and took advantage of those endorsements which helped make “Babe” a household name. 

He finished his career in 1935 with more than just a home run title in his back pocket.

8. Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig with his emotions high delivered one of the most memorable moments in Yankee Stadium when he said farewell to baseball.

Lou Gehrig is one of the many superstar baseball players that have played for the New York Yankees.

He had his career shortened by ALS, the disease which would later get his named tied to it.  The disease began taking away his strength and eventually started to affect his game. Gehrig put a face to the rare disease that affects one out of every 200,000 people.

The “Iron Horse” had the original unbreakable game streak at 2,130 consecutive games played.   

Lou Gehrig was a class act and his farewell speech is one of the most poignant moments in baseball history. 

7. Fernando Venezuela

Fernando Venezuela was the original Los Angeles rookie phenom decades before Hideo Nomo would do a similar act in L.A.

Fernando Venezuela took the 1981 major league baseball season by storm.  Fernando-mania was not a myth.  He flew out of the games with an 8-0 start with a 0.50 ERA and five shutouts.

With the social and political issues in Los Angeles surrounding Latin Americans, with many families losing their homes, Venezuela was someone they could be proud of.  

Fernando-mania was somewhat short lived, but the impact he had on baseball and on a community will last forever.

6. Cal Ripken

Cal Ripken Jr. had many memorable moments in his career and revolutionized a position on the diamond.

Cal Ripken, Jr. is most well-known for breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games streak. 

If you were around a newsstand or television during the 1995 season, the media could not get enough of Ripken.  This was not just a normal record being broken. This was an event.

Ripken was a great spokesperson for baseball, and his lap around the stadium on the record-breaking night was memorable. This was a record that was thought incomprehensible to achieve. 

On top of the amazing games played streak, Ripken also revolutionized the shortstop position overall.  His large stature and power made him the first of his kind to play the position. 

Cal Ripken, Jr. went on to pave the way for other large shortstops like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Hanley Ramirez.

5. Pete Rose

Instead of enjoying his display in Cooperstown, Pete Rose has had to try and regain the public's respect.

Pete Rose is one of the most infamous athletes of all time.  Rose bet on baseball, and in the written rules it is clearly forbidden. 

Rose had always denied betting on baseball until 2004 when he released an autobiography.  While Pete Rose was one of the greatest baseball players to ever play, he also sets an example of what can happen if you were to follow in his pitfalls. 

Baseball was his life to a fault.  Once he left the sport that made him famous, he was never able to refill that void.  

4. Hank Aaron

While these two fans supported Hank Aaron breaking the home run record, not everyone was so supportive.

Most people would think that “Hammering Hank” Aaron’s greatest accomplishment was surpassing Babe Ruth in 1973 for the all-time home run title.  However, it may actually have been dealing with the hatred thrown his direction from racists during that same magical summer.  

Hank Aaron was a pioneer in not only baseball, but also perseverance.  Today, Major League Baseball recognizes each league’s best hitter with the Hank Aaron award, the equivalent of the Cy Young Award for pitchers. 

A time which should have been the best summer of his career was probably the most hectic and tense time in his life.  He is a true legend of the sport and still regarded by many as the “real” Home Run King.

3. Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire captivated the nation with the home run chase, but the aftermath which followed is the reason he is on this list.

Over the past fifteen years, it is difficult to find a more important player in the game of baseball than Mark McGwire.

First and foremost, the 1998 season for any sports fan was historic. The "chase" for the home run title made baseball exciting to new fans who had never watched baseball before.

However, Mark McGwire is on this list for his impact which left the league with a "steroid era." Once steroid use became apparent throughout the league, MLB commissioner Bud Selig implemented stringent drug testing. Without McGwire breaking the single-season home run record or Barry Bonds eventually getting the all-time home run record, the steroid era may still actually be going on.

The 1998 MLB season some day will go down as one of the most important seasons for not just baseball but all major sports by bringing performance-enhancing drugs to the limelight. And the most important player in that season was Mark McGwire.

2. Roberto Clemente

Roberto Clemente's impact outside of the game was actually more important than his play during the games.

Robert Clemente was the first Latin American player to be elected into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.

Clemente, to this day, is regarded as one of the best all-around players. He was an annual Gold Glove recipient and batting average leader. Roberto Clemente statistically is arguably the greatest right fielder of all time, but what he did off of the field shows he was more Mother Teresa than Willie Mays.

He was a US Marine Corps veteran with a plethora of awards to his name and a humanitarian who always gave back to the country that raised him. Major League Baseball has made the Robert Clemente award or "Man of the Year" award for that individual with the greatest community involvement.

When he died in a tragic aviation accident, his impact around the world was felt. It is a tragedy this man did not have a longer time on this world to better the lives of many more, but in the time he was here, he made the most of it.

Ozzie Guillen, the new Marlins manager, even feels his jersey should be retired by Major League Baseball because of his impact on Latin American ballplayers, which is similar to Jackie Robinson with African American ballplayers. While I do not always agree with Guillen, I think he is correct in this instance. As Bug Selig once said, "Roberto was a hero in every sense of the word."

1. Jackie Robinson

By breaking the color barrier in baseball, Jackie Robinson paved the wall for all athletes to play professional sports.

If you made a list of the most influential people in the history of the United States, Jackie Robinson should make that list. Not just anyone could have broken the color barrier the way it was broken.

Jackie Robinson faced blatant and crude racism, but in the face of that, he knew it was for a greater good. Much like Martin Luther King Jr. on the civil rights podiums, Jackie Robinson symbolized the fight on the field.

While I think Robinson at the top of this list was a given, it is important to realize why he is. The reason No. 42 is retired in all ballparks is not because Jackie Robinson was a stellar baseball player, but because he was a trailblazer.

When Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers signed Jackie Robinson, it opened the door for all athletes to play the sports they love professionally. And that reason alone puts Robinson at the top of this list.