19

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we will look at uniform number 19. Uniform number 19 has been worn by about 858 players in history. Of those players ninety-four have worn uniform number 19 for five years or more, and twenty-seven players had a career WAR of 40 or more. No player had a 100 WAR or better, so we will not have a Legend this time around. Still, there are some great names on this list, quite a few favorites from my youth. Let’s Go!

Number 1:

 When I was growing up Robin Yount was one of those players whose cards I loved collecting. The Brewers great played for twenty seasons from 1974 to 1993 all of them with Milwaukee. “Rockin Robin” played shortstop and centerfield. He wore uniform number 19 all twenty seasons and had a career WAR of 77.4.

Yount began his career at the young age of 18. He is currently the last player to hit a home run at 18. Other teenage players have hit home runs in recent years (Mike Trout, June Soto, Bryce Harper and Andrew Jones), but they were all 19 when they had their first home runs.

Yount really got going in the 1980’s, his hair band locks a popular sight on the weekly baseball highlight shows. He was a three-time All-Star, won a Gold Glove and three Silver Slugger Awards. He was also the AL MVP twice (Brewers were in the American League until 1997). In 1982, he led the league in WAR (10.2), hits (210), doubles (46), SLG (.578), OPS (.957) and TB (367) to go along with 29 home runs, 114 RBIs and a .331 batting average. His second MVP season came in 1989. Yount had a .318 average with 195 hits, 21 home runs and 103 RBIs. Including his MVP seasons, Yount batted over .300 in six seasons. Although he only had 200 hits once (1982), he did have over 190 hits in four seasons, he also had over 100 runs five times, over 40 doubles four times and over 100 RBIs three times.  

1993 would be his last season. Yount retired with a .285 batting average. He is 21^st all-time in hits (3,142), 22^nd in doubles (583), 40^th in runs (1,632) and 36^th in Total Bases. He also had 126 triples, 251 home runs, 1,406 RBIS and 271 stolen bases.

He is a member of the Milwaukee Brewers Wall of Fame, and his uniform number 19 was retired by the Brewers in 1994.

Yount was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Number 2:

Two in a row! Tony Gwynn is another player who I loved collecting growing up. Gwynn played right field for twenty seasons (1982-2001), exclusively with the San Diego Padres. He wore uniform number 19 for all twenty seasons and had a career WAR of 69. I found it interesting that both Gwynn and Yount played 20 seasons for one team and wore uniform number 19 their entire career and neither player won a World Series.

Known as “Mr. Padre”, Gwynn was one on the greatest contact hitters in history. He was a fifteen-time All-Star who won seven Silver Slugger Awards. He batted over .300 in every season aside from his first (19 in a row), winning the batting title eight times. He also had over 200 hits five times, leading the league seven times. Gwynn was also a great defender, earning five Gold Gloves in his career. In 1999, he was awarded the Roberto Clemente Award and in 2001 he was given the Commissioners Historic Achievement Award.

Gwynn retired after the 2001 season. He finished his career with the 22^nd highest career batting average in history at .338. He had 3,141 hits 22^nd all-time and one hit less than Robin Yount above. He had 1,383 runs, 543 doubles (37^th all-time), 85 triples, 135 home runs, 1,138 RBIS and 319 stolen bases with a career .388 OBP, .459 SLG and .847 OPS.

“Mr. Padre” is a member of the San Diego Padres Hall of Fame, and they retired his uniform, number 19 in 2004.

Gwynn was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007 along with Cal Ripken Jr.

In 2014, Tony Gwynn passed away at the young age of 54 due to complications from cancer. 

Number 3:

In recent years, Joey Votto has been an ambassador for baseball, especially in Cincinnati where he played first base for his entire seventeen-year career (2007-2023). Votto had a career WAR of 63.6 and wore uniform number 19 all seventeen seasons. For those keeping count, so far the top three players have all stayed with one team.

Votto has been described as a great teammate and through social media he started connecting with the Reds fanbase, becoming a de facto ambassador for the team. A six-time All-Star, Votto batted .300 or better nine times and had 25 or more home runs in seven seasons. He led the league in OBP seven seasons, walks five times and OPS twice. Votto was the National League MVP in 2010 when he batted .324 with 37 home runs, 113 RBI’s, 36 doubles, 177 hits, 16 stolen bases and 91 walks, while also leading the league in OBP (.424), SLG (.600) and OPS (1.024). He won a Gold Glove in 2011 and was the National League Hank Aaron Award recipient in 2010.

By 2022, Votto began to suffer from injuries and retired from baseball after the 2023 season. He had a career .294 batting average with 2,135 hits, 459 doubles, 356 home runs, 1,144 RBIs, 1,171 runs and 1,365 walks (34^th all-time). His career OBP of .409 is 42^nd all-time, and he finished with a career SLG of .511 and OPS of .920.

Votto is currently a pre-game commentator for NBC.

Number 4:

 A baseball prodigy, Bob Feller started his eighteen-year career at the tender age of seventeen. He was so good, he earned himself three nicknames. “Rapid Robin” and “Bullet Bob” due to his fastball speed and strikeout rates, and my favorite, which sounds more like a wrestler, “the Heater from Van Meter” on account of his being from Van Meter, Iowa. His fastball was so notorious that in 1949, before radar guns, the army used ordnance equipment to clock his speed (spoiler alert: it was 98.6mph, though it has been claimed he has pitched as high as 107 mph once). (Snyder, Matt, 2014)

Feller was a right-handed pitcher who played his entire career (1936-1956) with the Cleveland Indians (he missed 1942-1944 for military service). Another player with uniform number 19 to spend their entire career with one team (that’s four so far). He had a career WAR of 63.4 and wore uniform number 19 for fifteen seasons.

The fastballer was an eight-time All-Star who had over 20 wins in 6 seasons (he led the league all six times). He also led the league in ERA once, games started five times, complete games three times, shutouts four times and strikeouts seven times (topping 200 four times and hitting 348 strikeouts in 1946). He was a pitching triple crown winner in 1940 when he had 31 complete games. During his career, Feller pitched three no-hitters, tied for third all-time. He was also a member of the 1948 World Series winning Cleveland team that featured fellow Hall of Famers Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Joe Gordon, Bob Lemon and Satchel Paige.

Feller retired in1956. He finished his career with a 266-162 record for a .621 W/L%. He is 37^th all-time in wins. He pitched 3,827 innings with a career ERA of 3.25 and 122 ERA+. He had a career WHIP of 1.316, 2,581 strikeouts and 279 complete games with 44 shutouts.

He is a member of the Cleveland Guardians Hall of Fame, and Cleveland retired his uniform number 19 in 1956.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962

Bob Feller passed away in 2010 at the age of 92.

Number 5:

Left-handed pitcher, Billy Pierce, played for eighteen seasons from 1945-1964. He played for three teams; The Detroit Tigers in 1945 and 1948 (he was in the minors in 1946 and 1947). He was traded to the Chicago White Sox where he would play most of his career from 1949-1961 before being traded to the San Fransico Giants for his last few seasons (1962-1964). Pierce had a career WAR of 53.3 and wore uniform number 19 for sixteen seasons.

Billy Pierce was a seven-time All-Star who led the league in complete games three times, season WAR twice and wins, strikeouts and ERA once each. He had an under 3 ERA in four seasons. He was a member of the 1945 World Series Champion Tigers, led by Hank Greenberg and Hal Newhouser.

Pierce retired in 1964. He had a 211-169 win-loss record at .555%, In 3,306.2 innings, he had a 3.27 ERA, 119 ERA+, 1.260 WHIP, 193 complete games, 38 shutouts and 1,999 strikeouts. He also had 33 saves. He pitched four one-hitters and seven two-hitters in his career, and in 1958 came within one batter of a perfect game.

Pierce’s number 19 was retired by the Chicago White Sox in 1987.

Billy Pierce passed away in 2015 at the age of 88.

Number 6:

 “Campy” played for nineteen years as a shortstop from 1964 to 1983. Although shortstop was his primary position, he played at least one game at every position at some point, including pitcher. Bert Campaneris was fast on the basepaths and a solid defender who played for four different teams. From 1964 to 1976 he played for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics then joined the Texas Rangers (1977-1979), was traded to the California Angels (1979-1981) and finished his career with the New York Yankees (1983). Campy had a career WAR of 53.1 and wore uniform number 19 for eighteen seasons, wearing 59 for a short time in 1983 with the Yankees.

Campaneris was a six-time All-Star who led the league in hits and triples once. He was a great baserunner with over 30 steals in eleven seasons of which he reached 50 or more five times and over 60 twice. He led the league in steals six times. On the defensive end, he led the league in putouts three times. Campy was a member of the “Swiggin A’s” dynasty that won the World Series Championship three straight years (1972-1974).

At the end of his career, he was relegated to a reserve position and in 1982 played in Mexico. He played one last season in the Majors (1983) before retiring.

Campaneris had a career .259 batting average with 2,249 hits, 1,181 runs, 313 doubles, 86 triples, 79 home runs and 646 RBIs. He was a great base stealer and had 649 stolen bases good for 14^th all-time.

Campaneris is in the Athletics Hall of Fame.

He is currently 84 years old and remains involved in baseball through Senior Leagues and charity work.

Number 7:

 I have been excited to write about this next player, Red Sox Legend Fred Lynn. Lynn spent seventeen years in the Majors. He was a center fielder who played from 1974 to 1990 for five teams. He began his career in Fenway Park with the Red Sox (1974-1980) until he was traded to the Angels (1981-1984) in a deal that brought Frank Tanana to the Sox. In 1984, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles (1985-1988), was then traded to the Detroit Tigers (1988-1989) and finished his career with the San Diego Padres in 1990. He had a career WAR of 50.2 and wore uniform number 19 for fourteen seasons.

In 1975, Lynn accomplished something that had never been done before. After hitting .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBI’s and leading the league in runs (103), doubles (47), SLG (.566) and OPS (.967) while playing Gold Glove defense, he became the 1975 Rookie of the Year and the AL MVP. He was the first ROY/MVP in MLB history. In 2001, Ichiro Suzuki also accomplished this rare feat.

Lynn was an All-Star nine times and his amazing defense earned him 4 Gold Gloves. He was a member of the 1975 Red Sox World Series team (they lost in seven games). Lynn was also the 1982 ALCS MVP while with the California Angels. He finished his career in 1990 after 90 games with the Padres.

Lynn had a career batting average of .283 with 1,960 hits, 1,063 runs, 388 doubles, 306 home runs and 1,111 RBIs.

Lynn is a member of the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame.

He is 74 and has raised money for charities helping abused children as well as a charity helping animals.

Final Score:

Uniform number 19 had several players with a career WAR of 40+. Fergie Jenkins (1974 Texas Rangers), Curt Schilling (1991 Houston Astros), Graig Nettles (1987 Atlanta Braves) and Red Farber (1932 Chicago White Sox) all wore uniform number 19 for one season. Brewers great, Paul Molitor, wore 19 for 3 seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays (1993-1995). Fred “Crime Dog” McGriff wore it for 5 seasons while with the Blue Jays (1986-1990) as well.

Often while writing these posts there are players who wore a number for many years but had a lower WAR or were skipped for some reason, so I’ll give them a quick shout out at the end. This is the first time that the seven players who made the list are also the seven players who wore the uniform number the longest.

Thanks for reading and if you enjoy this series, leave a comment or a like and subscribe. Stay tuned for uniform number 20!

Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com

https://www.baseball-reference.com

 Retrosheet. “Oakland Athletics 8, Baltimore Orioles 4”. May 16, 1986.

https://www.sabr.org

Snyder, Matt Just Because: Bob Feller’s fastball measured by Army equipment, cbssports.com May 16, 2014

Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.

17

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 17. I like this number in general, probably because it has a 7 in it. I will often go out of my way to grab a locker or a parking spot with 7 in it, so 17 is often the spot I will pick. Apparently, baseball players also like the number, as nearly 900 players have worn 17 in history. 105 of those players kept 17 for over 5 seasons. No player who wore 17 had a WAR over 100 and only thirty-seven had a 40 plus WAR. Although no Legends had number 17, the amazing Ken Griffey Jr. wore 17 for 1 season in 2008 while with the Chicago White Sox.

Number 1:

In 1997, rookie third baseman Scott Rolen played 153 games for the Phillies. He batted .283 with 159 hits, 35 doubles, 21 home runs, 92 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. He also led all National League third basemen with 144 putouts. He won the NL Rookie of the Year. Rolen would remain in the Majors for seventeen seasons from 1996 to 2012. After his amazing debut with Philadelphia (1996-2002) he was traded in 2002 to the Cardinals where he stayed for six seasons until 2007. He was traded to the Blue Jays (2008-2009) for Troy Glaus and eventually finished his career with the Cincinnati Reds (2009-2012). He had a career WAR of 70.1 and wore uniform number 17 for six seasons, all with Philly.

Aside from winning the Rookie of the Year, Rolen was a seven-time All-Star. He has the fourth most Gold Gloves of any third basemen with eight, trailing only Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt and Nolan Arenado. He hit 20 or more home runs in ten seasons, had over 100 RBIs five times and won a Silver Slugger award in 2002. He was a key contributor to the Phillies 2006 World Series Championship team.

Rolen’s final game was in 2012. He finished his career with .281 batting average, 1211 runs, 2077 hits, 517 doubles, 316 home runs, 1287 RBI and 118 stolen bases.

He is a member of both the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fames. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2023.

Number 2:

Todd Helton wins the uniform number 17 triple crown. He played first base for 17 seasons (1997-2013) and wore uniform number 17 for all 17 seasons played. He played exclusively for the Colorado Rockies and had a career WAR of 61.8.

Helton was a five-time All-Star. He batted over .300 in twelve seasons and won four Silver Sluggers. He was 5^th in MVP voting in 2000 when he led the league in season WAR (8.9), batting average (.372), hits (216), doubles (59), RBIs (147), OBP (.463), SLG (.698) and OPS (1.162) while also hitting 42 home runs. (It’s crazy he was 5^th : Jim Edmonds, Mike Piazza, Barry Bonds and Jeff Kent (winner) were ahead of him.) Helton had over 30 home runs and 100 RBIs in five seasons each and won three Gold Glove Awards. He won the Hank Aaron award in 2000.

Helton retired after the 2013 season. He ended his career with a .316 batting average, 2519 hits, 1401 runs, 369 home runs and 1406 RBIs. He was in the top 50 all-time in several categories. He had 592 doubles (20^th), 1335 walks (38^th), OBP .414 (29^th), SLG .539 (38^th) and OPS .953 (24^th).

In 2014, his uniform number 17 was the first number retired by Colorado. Helton’s is one of only three retired numbers, including fellow player Larry Walker (33) and of course Jackie Robinson (42). Team president Keli McGregor (KSM) was also honored.

Todd Helton was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Number 3:

Whenever Keith Hernandez comes up I must ask myself, “Was it really Roger McDowell, or did Keith Hernandez spit on Kramer and Newman?” Aside from his infamous appearance on Seinfeld, Hernandez is also well known for his dry humor as the Mets color commentator on SNY.

Hernandez played first base for seventeen seasons from 1974 to 1990. He started his career with the St. Louis Cardinals (1974-1983), then was traded to the Mets (1983-1989) and played his final games with the Cleveland Indians (1990), He had a career WAR of 60.4 and wore uniform number 17 for eight seasons while with the Mets and Cleveland.

Hernandez was a five-time All-Star with two Silver Slugger Awards. He was the National League MVP in 1979 when he batted a league leading .344 with 210 hits, 11 home runs and 105 RBIs. He also led the league in doubles (48) and runs (116) while winning a Gold Glove. He won 11 Gold Gloves in his career. Hernandez was a member of two World Series Champions. In 1982 he was a member of the Cardinals Championship team managed by Whitey Herzog and featuring Jim Kaat, Ozzie Smith and Bruce Sutter and in 1986 he won a ring with the New York Mets along with future Hall of Famer Gary Carter. (Yes the one against the Red Sox!)

Hernandez retired in 1990 after having played only 43 games with Cleveland. He ended his career with a .296 batting average, 2182 hits, 1124 runs, 426 doubles, 162 home runs and 1071 RBIs.

Hernandez is a member of both the Cardinals and the Mets Hall of Fame. His number 17 was retired by the New York Mets in 2022.

Aside from Seinfeld, Hernandez appeared in Sesame Street, Law and Order and a couple of movies. He’s also written and contributed to multiple books and, as mentioned above, is a well-liked color commentator.

Number 4:

“Shotime” is currently 15^th in career WAR for active players at 51.8. The two-way Japanese star has made a huge impact since entering the league in 2018. In only 9 seasons (2018-present), he has been an All-Star both at the plate and on the mound. He started his career with the Los Angeles Angels (2018-2023) then signed the largest contract in sports history, 10 years/$700 million to play with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ohtani was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he batted .285 with 93 hits, 21 doubles 22 home runs, 61 RBI and 10 stolen bases to go with a 4-2 record 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 51 innings. Ohtani is a five-time All-Star. He’s won 4 MVP awards and has been voted for the All-MLB First Team 6 times. He has 4 Silver Sluggers and 3 Hank Aaron Awards. Ohtani has led the league in runs twice, home runs twice (hitting over 50 twice), RBIs once, triples once, OBP twice, SLG, OPS, OPS+ and Total Bases three times each. He was a member of two World Series Championships with the Dodgers (2024 and 2025). He is the only member of the 50-50 club (2024). He also hit for the cycle in 2019.

He is currently playing for the Dodgers and continues to play at an All-Star level. He currently has a career batting average of .281 with 1069 hits, 720 runs, 194 doubles, 45 triples, 285 home runs, 679 RBIs and 165 stolen bases. He has a 41-20 record (.672 W/L%) with a 2.91 ERA, 1.066 WHIP, 146 ERA+ and 688 strikeouts in 546.2 innings. With his dominate two-way play, Ohtani is a generational talent often compared to the great Babe Ruth.

Number 5:

When I was a young fan, Lance Berkman was a personal favorite. I loved collecting the “Killer Bees” of the Houston Astros: Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, and Craig Biggio. Berkman played outfield and first base for fifteen seasons from 1999-2013 primarily with the Astros (1999-2010), then with the Yankees (37 games in 2010), the Cardinals (2011-2012) and finally with the Texas Rangers (2013). He had a career WAR of 51.9 and wore uniform number 17 for eleven seasons.

Berkman was a six-time All-Star and was voted the comeback player of the year in 2011 as a key member of the St. Louis Cardinals World Series Championship team.

Berkman retired after the 2013 season with a .293 career batting average, 1905 hits, 1146 runs, 422 doubles, 366 home runs and 1234 RBIS.

Berkman is a member of the Houston Astros Hall of Fame. Since his retirement Berkman has been coaching college baseball.

Number 6:

Kevin Appier was a right-handed pitcher for sixteen seasons from 1989 to 2004. He played for the Kansas City Royals from 1989-1999 and 2003-2004. In 1999, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics and played with them until 2000. He then played for the Mets (2001), and the Anaheim Angels (2002-2003). He had a career WAR of 54.5. Appier wore uniform number 17 for five seasons with the Royals.

While he only had one All-Star appearance (1995), he was a solid pitcher, especially in the beginning of his career. He had 3 seasons with under 3.00 ERA, leading the league in 1993. He won two Roberto Clemente Awards (1996 and 1998). At the end of the 2001 season, he was traded from the Mets to the Angles for Mo Vaughn and was a member of their 2002 World Series Championship team.

He ended his career after the 2004 season with a .552 W/L% (169-137), 3.74 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 1994 strikeouts and a 121+.

Appier is a member of the Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame.

Number 7:

Left-handed first baseman Mark Grace played for sixteen seasons from 1988 to 2003 with the Chicago Cubs (1988-2000) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001-2003). Grace wore number 17 his entire career save for the first half of his rookie season and had a career WAR of 46.5.

In 1988, he was second in ROY voting, losing to the Reds Chris Sabo in a close vote. A three-time All-Star, Grace had the most hits and the most doubles of any player in the 90’s. I remember how popular he was during the decade, we all predicted a Hall of Fame career. Grace was also a strong defender winning four Gold Gloves. He won a World Series Championship in 2001 with the Diamondbacks.

Grace retired in 2003. He had a career batting average of .303, 2244 hits, 1179 runs, 511 doubles, 173 home runs and 1146 RBIs.

Grace is a member of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame. He never did get into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Since retiring, Grace has been a color commentator and analyst for several networks.

Final Score:

Aside from Griffey Jr. mentioned in the introduction, several other standout players wore 17 for short periods. Pitcher David Cone (WAR 62.3, 3 years), Dazzy Vance (60.4, 1yr), Jim Bunning (59.5, 1yr) and Sammy Sosa (58.6, 1 Yr). One of my favorite pitchers, Bret Saberhagen wore number 17 six seasons with my Boston Red Sox and with the Mets. I almost wrote him in this post, but (spoiler alert), he will be in the next post, so I skipped him this time.

From a longevity standpoint; right fielder Shin-Sho Choo (15 seasons), Brewer’s infielder Jim Gantner (15 seasons) and seven-time All-Star pitcher Camilo Pascual (14 seasons).

As always, thank you for reading and please leave a comment, suggestion or give it a like…and subscribe to receive an email update for number 18.

Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/

https://www.sabr.org/

Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.

16

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 16. Over 800 players have worn the number 16 at some point in their careers. Thirty-three of those players finished their career with a WAR of 40 plus. It was also a number that many players held onto, with 112 having worn it for five years or more. Two legends wore number 16, but only for 1 season each. Featured in the uniform number 4 post, Rogers Hornsby, whose 127.3 career WAR is 12^th all-time, wore uniform number 16 briefly in 1933 when he was claimed off waivers midseason to become a player/manager for the St. Louis Browns. And the great Braves pitcher Warren Spahn wore number 16 in 1942 with the Boston Braves, his first season in the Majors. Spahn is ranked 32^nd all-time with a 100.1 career WAR.

Number 16 was a favorite among pitchers and out of the seven players featured for this post all but one was a hurler. Let’s Go!

Number 1:

The Chicago White Sox franchise leader in wins, Ted Lyons played exclusively for the White Sox for twenty-one seasons from 1923-1946. (He missed 1943-45 for military service.) He was a crafty right-handed pitcher who could throw a knuckleball, cutter, changeup and a nasty curve. He wore uniform number 16 his entire career save for 1931 and had a career WAR of 70.7.

I love when I get to feature an old Goudey card. This is Lyon’s 1933 card. I love this picture, with Lyons staring down the batter, winding up for a pitch, the Chicago name across his chest and the signature “S” on the White Sox cap. Such a cool card.

Lyons was an All-Star in 1939, but his best years were played prior to the inception of the All-Star game. He had a W/L% over .500 in twelve seasons. He led the league in wins, complete games, innings and shutouts twice each and in ERA once. Although he topped 200 innings in 10 seasons, hitting 307 in 1927, he never had more than 74 strikeouts in any season. He won his games with finesse and crafty pitches, like his signature knuckleball. Lyons pitched a no hitter in 1926 against the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

From 1943 to 1945 Lyons was in the military. He returned in 1946 and pitched in 5 complete games with a 2.32 ERA before hanging up the cleats for good.

He would finish his career with a .531 W/L % amassing 260 wins (good for 42^nd all-time). He had a career ERA of 3.67 with an ERA+ of 118. He had more walks 1,121 than strikeouts 1,073. His 4,161 innings are 37^th all-time and he had 356 complete games (24^th all-time) and 27 shutouts.

Lyons uniform number 16 was retired by the Chicago White Sox in 1987, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955.

Ted Lyons passed away in 1986 at 85 years old.

Number 2:

“Hurricane Hal “was a temperamental left-handed pitcher who played in the Majors for seventeen years from 1939 to 1955. He played for the Detroit Tigers (1939-1953) and the Cleveland Indians (1954 and 1955). He had a career WAR of 62.8 and wore uniform number 16 his entire career.

There were no cards produced in 1944 due to the war, but in 1983 TCMA produced a commemorative set. That is the card I used for this post. From 1939 to 1944, Newhouser was not doing well as a pitcher. While he had shining moments, his temper and emotions got the better of him (hence the nickname “hurricane”). He was able to turn things around in the ’44 season with help from catcher Paul Richards (Stewart 2014, p. 215)

Newhouser was a seven-time All-Star. He was the American League MVP in 1944 and 1945. In 1944, he pitched 312 innings with 25 complete games and 6 shutouts while leading the league in wins, going 29-9, and strikeouts with 187. 1945 saw Newhouser win the pitching triple crown. He had a great season leading the league in season WAR (11.3), innings (313.1) wins (25), ERA (1.81), complete games (29), shutouts (8) and strikeouts (212). The Tigers also won the 1945 World Series, where Newhouser pitched a complete game to win game 7.

Newhouser was released by the Tigers in 1953 and planned to retire but was convinced to join Cleveland by his former World Series teammate Hank Greenberg. He would play in 28 games over the next two seasons before retiring in 1955.

Newhouser finished his career with a 207-150 record for a W/L% of .580. He had a career ERA of 3.06, ERA+ of 130 and 1,796 strikeouts. He would complete 212 games with 33 shutouts.

Newhouser’s uniform number 16 was retired by the Detroit Tigers in 1997, and he was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Hal Newhouser passed away at the age of 77 in 1998.

Number 3:

The most World Series victories by a pitcher is 10, and is held by our next player, Whitey Ford. Known as “the Chairman of the Board”, Ford played for sixteen years, all in the Bronx with the New York Yankees. From 1950-1967 (he missed ’51 and ’52 for military service), Ford stood tall on the Yankees’ pitching mound. He wore uniform number 16 his entire career, aside from his rookie season (19), and had a career WAR of 57.

I absolutely love the 1955 Bowman design. There is just something about the iconic television-shaped border and the simplicity of the cards that just catches my eye. I had to use this one for Ford.

Whitey Ford was a ten-time All-Star (twice in ’60-’61). He won the Cy Young Award in 1961 when he went 25-4 over a league leading 283 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 3 shutouts and 209 strikeouts. Ford led the league in wins three times, ERA twice, complete games once and shutouts twice. He was a member of six Yankees World Series Championships, earning the World Series MVP award in 1961.

Ford retired in 1967 after playing only seven games that season. He pitched in 3,170 innings with a 236-106 record good for 7^th all-time in W/L% at .690. He had a career 2.70 ERA, 133 ERA+ (34^th all-time), 1.215 WHIP and 1,956 strikeouts. He holds several World Series records including wins (10), starts (22) and strikeouts (94). He also has the record of 33 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series.

Ford’s uniform number 16 was retired by the Yankees in 1974, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame that same year.

Whitey Ford passed away at age 91 in 2020.

Number 4:

Growing up I was very familiar with Dwight “Doc” Gooden. My best friend loved the Mets and was always looking for his cards. Gooden was a righty who pitched for sixteen seasons from 1984 to 2000. He played for the New York Mets from 1984-1994. He was suspended for the 1995 season due to cocaine use, something that would become a lifelong struggle for the talented pitcher. He came back and played for the Yankees (1996-1997). Cleveland (1998-1999) and in 2000 he played some games with the Astros, Tampa Bay and finally the Yankees again. Gooden wore uniform number 16 for fourteen seasons, including his entire Mets career. He had a career WAR of 53.

I love the 1984 Topps design.  Although I hadn’t started collecting until around 1986, I remember trading for and when I could, buying cards from the early ‘80s. This card is fantastic, I love the small portrait in the bottom square, the team and player names along the white border, and best of all, Gooden’s number 16 is visible in the main photo. Bonus: This is his Topps Traded card, his first in set card with 1985.

Gooden was a four-time All-Star. He was the National League ROY in 1984 when he led the league in strikeouts with 276. The next season, 1985, he won the Cy Young award on the back of a pitching triple crown. In 35 games (276.2 innings), he was 24-4 with a 1.53 ERA and 268 strikeouts. Gooden pitched a no-hitter on May 14^th, 1996.  He was a member of two World Series Championships; with the Mets in 1986 when they beat the Red Sox (boooo) and in 2000 as a member of the Yankees.

Gooden’s career started off strong, but sadly due in part to his substance use issues, his career took a dive quickly and he retired in 2000.

“Doc” Gooden had a career record of 194-112 a W/L% of .634. He had a career ERA of 3.51, ERA+ of 111, WHIP 1.256 and 2,293 strikeouts in 2,800.2 innings for a 7.4 S09.

Gooden is a member of the New York Mets Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 16 was retired by the Mets in 2024.

Gooden is 61 years old and he has been outspoken about his struggles with addiction and mental illness and is currently an advocate for those with similar struggles.

Number 5:

Left-hander Frank Viola pitched for fifteen seasons from 1982-1996. He was with the Minnesota Twins from 1982 to 1989 when he was traded to the Mets. He stayed with the Mets until 1991, then bounced around a little playing for the Red Sox (1992-1994). (I remember the excitement when the Sox signed him!) The Cincinnati Reds (1995) and finally the Toronto Blue Jays (1996). He had a career WAR of 47 and wore uniform number 16 for eleven seasons.

I choose this 1984 Fleer card to represent Viola due to his uniform number being visible on the front. It is an interesting card. I like the 1984 Fleer design, it’s simple but pleasant. The photo of Viola just sort of chilling works well as it has a very ‘80s baseball feel with that old school Twins uniform and his signature mustache. Overall, a great card for the post.

Viola was a three-time All-Star who won the Cy Young Award in 1988 after winning a league leading 24 games to 7 losses while pitching 255 innings with a 2.64 ERA, 1.136 WHIP and 193 strikeouts. He was a member of the 1987 World Series Championship Twins with Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett and fellow pitchers Jeff Reardon and Bert Blyleven. He was named the World Series MVP after starting three games for 19 innings and going 2–1 with a 3.72 ERA and striking out 16. He was the winning pitcher of the decisive game 7.

He finished his career in 1996 with a career 176-150 record, 3.73 ERA, 112 ERA+, 1.301 WHIP and 1,844 strikeouts.

Viola is a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.

He is currently 65 years old and has been coaching in an independent baseball league.

Number 6:

Brian Downing played outfield and catcher for twenty seasons from 1973-1992. He played for three teams, the Chicago White Sox (1973-1977), the California Angels (1978-1990) and the Texas Rangers (1991-1992). He had a career WAR of 51.5 and only wore uniform number 16 for five seasons with the White Sox. Still, I remember Downing well from my youth and wanted to make sure he made the list. He is also the only non-pitcher to make the uniform number 16 list.

I choose this 1976 Topps card because Downing is with the White Sox, the team he played for while wearing number 16. I love all the Topps cards form the ‘70s and this one is great. I like the border and the little catcher in the corner designating his position. I was also thrown off by these White Sox uniform colors. Last post I mentioned the White Sox crazy uniform designs of the ’70s when I featured Dick Allen.

Downing had his lone All-Star season in 1979 with the Angels when he hit .326 with 12 home runs and 75 RBIs. This would start a career shift that saw Downing improve dramatically while with California, where he would stay for thirteen seasons. He would finish his career in 1992.

Downing had a career batting average of .267 with 2,099 hits, 1,188 runs, 360 doubles, 275 home runs and 1,073 RBIs.

Downing is a member of the Angels Hall of Fame. 

Downing is currently retired and 75 years old.

Number 7:

Emil John “Dutch” Leonard was a right-handed pitcher who played for twenty years from 1933-1953. He started his career with the Brooklyn Dodgers (1933-1936) then played for the Washington Senators (1938-1946), Philadelphia Phillies (1947-1948) and the Chicago Cubs (1949-1953). He had a career WAR of 49 and wore uniform number 16 for nine seasons. 

I really liked this 1941 Play Ball card. Unlike the Hal Newhouser above, this was a real set. The photo is a great action shot of Leonard as he throws a pitch for the Washington Senators. It was with the Senators that he wore uniform number 16, so I found it a fitting inclusion. I like to imagine he is throwing his famous knuckleball, a pitch that even the amazing Jackie Robinson struggled to hit.

“Dutch” was a five-time All-Star. He had arguably his best season in 1945 when he went 17-7 with a 2.13 ERA in 216 innings and had 96 strikeouts.

He retired with a career 191-181 record. In 3,218.1 innings he had an ERA of 3.25, ERA+ 119, 30 shutouts in 192 complete games, 1.256 WHIP and 1,170 strikeouts. He also had 45 career saves.

Leonard passed away at the age of 74 in 1983

Final Score:

This was a tough one for me. While working on this post I got a new job, moved to a new apartment and dealt with two huge snowstorms. It’s nice to be over this hump. I’ll give a couple of shout-outs. A couple of players with over 40 WAR who didn’t make the cut were featured previously. Bobby Bonds (57.9 WAR, 00 Post), Bobby Grich (71.1 WAR, 4 Post) and Bobo Newsom (47.8 WAR, 00 Post) all wore it for a few years. A handful of greats wore uniform number 16 once including Chipper Jones, Jimmie Foxx, Scott Rolen, Joe Medwick and Reggie Smith.

I always like to give a quick mention to those who wore the number for a long time. Aramis Ramirez wore number 16 for eighteen seasons, Reggie Sanders for sixteen, Garret Anderson for fifteen and Ray Lankford for thirteen. I can’t wait to snake this thing around and talk about some of these guys.

As always thank you for reading. If you enjoy this post shoot a comment, give it a like or clap or whatever, or even better subscribe…I promise you won’t get spammed. Either way, I’m going to keep this train rolling, so check my out soon for uniform number 17.   

Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/

“Contrary Guy Alternative Baseball Thoughts”. Contrary Guy. March 25, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2012.

https://www.sabr.org/

Stewart, Mark (2014). “Hal Newhouser”. In Wancho, Joseph; Huhn, Rick; Levin, Leonard; Nowlin, Bill; Johnson, Steve (eds.). Pitching to the Pennant: The 1954 Cleveland Indians. University of Nebraska Press.

Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.

12

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 12. I found nearly 900 players in history who wore uniform number 12. Two players had a 100 plus WAR but only wore the number 12 for one season each. In 1999, the “Rocket” Roger Clemens (WAR 139.2) wore the number 12 for half a season after being traded to the Damn Yankees from the Blue Jays. He would switch to 22 midway through the season. Joe Morgan (WAR 100.6), who was the featured legend for uniform number 8, wore number 12  in his rookie season with the  Houston Colt .45s. Aside from these two, thirty-four other players with a career WAR of 40 or more wore uniform number 12 and 101 different players had the number for five years or more. There was no legend for this uniform number. Picking the first player was heartbreaking. He was one of my favorites for a long time growing up, but he wore a different number when he was a Red Sox hero, then he turned heel, joined the Evil Empire and took on the number 12. Luckly, another of my favorite players wore the number 12 while with the Sox, so that balanced things out.

Number 1:

The “Chicken Man” was one of my favorite players growing up. From 1982 to 1999, Wade Boggs played third base for three teams. He began his eighteen-year career with the Red Sox (1982-1992) where he was a Fenway hero. Then in a move out of the WWE playbook, he turned heel and signed with the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees (1993-1997). He would finish his career with the Tampa Bay Rays (1998-1999). He wore uniform number 12 while with the Yankees and the Rays and had a career WAR of 91.4.

When Wade Boggs smacked a home run off Cleveland pitcher Chris Haney in the 6^th inning of a Rays home game on August 7^th, 1999, he made history. It was the first time a player would obtain his 3,000th hit on a home run. What’s crazy to me is the fact that two more players actually accomplished the same feat, Derek Jeter in 2011 and Alex Rodriguez in 2015. It’s these types of facts that make baseball so fascinating to me. This 2000 Topps Highlights card commemorates Bogg’s historic hit, and since it featured him in the number 12 uniform number, it was perfect for the post…plus he’s with Tampa, so it takes away some of the sting.

Boggs was an All-Star in twelve straight seasons and won the Silver Slugger 8-times. He was a prolific hitter, batting .300 or more in fifteen of his eighteen seasons, winning the American League batting title 5-times. He had over 200 hits in seven seasons, leading the league with 240 in 1985. He also led the league in OBP 6 times. He has 2 Gold Gloves at the hot corner. Boggs was a member of the World Series Champion Yankees in 1996 (uggg). A great team managed by Joe Torre, and featuring Hall of Famers Derek Jeter, Tim Raines and closer Mariano Rivera.

In 1999, 20 days after his historic 3,000th hit, Boggs would sustain an injury and never play again. He finished his career 31^st all-time with 3,010 hits. His .328 career batting average is ranked 39^th all-time. He also had 578 doubles (24th all-time), 61 triples, 118 home runs, 1,014 RBIs and 1,513 runs. His .415 career OBP is ranked 27^th all-time.

There are only a handful of players who have multiple retired numbers for different teams, and Boggs in one of them. Boggs is a member of the Red Sox Hall of Fame and his number 26 while with the Boston was retired in 2016.

He is a member of the Tampa Bay Rays Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 12 was retired by the Rays in 2000, the only player with a retired number for the franchise. The other two retired numbers are coach Don Zimmer (66) and Jackie Robinson’s number 42, which is retired throughout the entire MLB.

Boggs was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Number 2:

This is the second time that I have featured a currently active player. Francisco Lindor is a shortstop currently playing with the New York Mets. He will be entering his twelfth season in the league. Lindor has played since 2015 when he began his career with Cleveland. He was traded to the Mets in 2020 and signed a 10-year deal that runs through 2031. He has worn uniform number 12 for his entire career and currently has a 55.7 career WAR.

I used his 2023 Topps card because it features him with his current team and shows his uniform number on the front. Lindor had a great 2023 season with 31 home runs and 31 stolen bases.

Lindor was second in ROY voting in 2015 and has been selected to 5 All-Star games. He’s won 4 Silver Slugger awards and is a 2-time member of the 30-30 club (2023 and 2025). He also has 2 Gold Glove awards.

Lindor is currently 32 years old. In 2025, Lindor played 160 games, batting .267 with 31 home runs, 31 stolen bases, and 86 RBI for his 2^nd career 30-30 season.  He had minor surgery in the off-season but is expected to be a key contributor for the Mets in 2026.

Number 3:

As I write this, Jeff Kent was just elected as the newest member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He played 17 seasons from 1992 to 2008. He started his career with the Blue Jays for one season, then played for the New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers. He wore uniform number 12 for ten seasons and had a career WAR of 55.4.

This 1994 Upper Deck Collector’s Choice has a great photo of Kent in the field, his uniform number clearly visible in the photo. Kent played for the Mets for four and a half years.

Jeff Kent was an All-Star five times and won 4 Silver Slugger awards. Kent was the National League MVP in 2000 when he had 196 hits for a .334 batting average with 41 doubles, 33 home runs and 125 RBIs. A great clutch hitter, Kent had over 100 RBIs in eight seasons and had six seasons with over 25 home runs.

Jeff Kent retired in 2009. He had a career batting average of .290 with 2,461 hits, 560 doubles (30^th all-time), 377 home runs (the most by any second baseman), 1,320 runs and 1,518 RBIs.

On December 7^th, 2025, it was announced the Kent was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the Contemporary Era Committee. He will be inducted in 2026.

Number 4:

Left-handed pitcher Mark Langston played sixteen seasons in the Majors from 1984 to 1999. He started his career with the Seattle Mariners where he played until 1989. He was traded to the Expos in May of 1989 in a trade that brought future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson to the Mariners. Langston played only 24 games in Montreal when he signed with the California Angels on a five-year, $16 million contract starting the 1990 season, the highest contract of any player at the time. He stayed with the Angels until 1997. He then played two more seasons, with San Diego (1998) and Cleveland (1999), before hanging up the cleats. He wore uniform number 12 for his first fourteen seasons and had a career WAR of 50.1.

I love this 1987 Topps card of Langston. The 1987 Topps set holds a special place in my heart, and this card is near perfect; the action shot with Langston’s number 12 showing, the blue background color in the name box, and the Mariners logo at the top. It’s one of those cards that I just love.

Langston started off his career strong. He was runner up for American League Rookie of the Year in 1984 losing to teammate Alvin Davis. He had 204 strikeouts that season, the first of five seasons with 200 or more K’s. He was a 4-time All-Star, who led the league in strikeouts 3 times. He was also a terrific fielder on the mound, he led the league in assists 3 times and won seven Gold Gloves. He was a part of a combined no-hitter in 1990, pitching the first 7 innings before Mike Witt would complete the game. He was great at pickoffs and once had three in a game, one of only eight players known to have accomplished this feat.

When he retired from baseball, he had a career record of 179-158, a .531 w/l %. He is 44^th all-time with 2,464 strikeouts in 2,962.2 innings, with a 7.9 career SO9. He had 81 complete games, 18 shutouts, a 3.97 ERA and 1.354 WHIP. He also had an ERA+ of 107.

Langston is 65 years old and serves as the radio color-commentator for the Los Angeles Angels.

Number 5:

Yes! One of my favorite players growing up, Ellis Burks, played outfield for eighteen seasons from 1987 to 2004. He started off with the Boston Red Sox for six seasons and wore number 12 during that time. He would go on to wear three other numbers while bouncing around a bit. After leaving Boston, he played with the Chicago White Sox (1993), Colorado Rockies (1994 -1998), the San Francisco Giants (1998-2000) and the Cleveland Indians (2001-2003). He would finish his career back with Boston for the 2004 season. He wore uniform number 12 his first six seasons with the Red Sox and had a career WAR of 49.8.

This 1992 Bowman is beautiful. I remember the 1992 Bowman as having nice photos and a clean design. They are missing the team logo on the front, which is a pet peeve of mine, but overall, the cards look great and this one of Burks in his Red Sox uniform, taking a big swing, his number 12 clear in the photo was a perfect pick for the post.

Burks was a two-time All-Star and won two Silver Slugger awards. He hit .290 or better in seven seasons, with two seasons hitting .344, He led the league once each in runs, SLG and total bases. Burks was honored with a World Series ring as a part of the 2004 Boston Red Sox team that won their first World Series in 86 years, breaking the “Curse of the Bambino”. Although he only played 11 games during the season, and was not on the roster for the playoffs, Burks was considered a mentor to the young players during the season and the playoffs.

Burks retired after 2004 with a career batting average of .291 with 2,107 hits, 402 doubles, 63 Triples, 352 home runs, 1,206 RBIs, 1,253 runs, and 181 stolen bases.

Ellis Burks is currently an analyst and commentator for the Boston Red Sox at NESN (New England Sports Network).

Number 6:

From 1989 to 2007, Steve Finley played centerfield for eight different teams during his nineteen-year career. He started his career in Baltimore (1989-1990). In 1991, he was traded to the Houston Astros, along with pitchers Curt Schilling and Pete Harnisch for Glenn Davis. He stayed in Houston for 4 seasons until he was traded to the Padres (1995-1998). He then signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004), was traded to the Dodgers (2004), signed with the Angels (2005), the Giants (2006) and finally the Colorado Rockies (2007). His 43 games in Colorado made him one of only two players to play for all five National League West teams. He wore uniform number 12 for seventeen seasons and had a career WAR of 44.2.

Finley was a two-time All-Star. Known for his speed and stellar defense, he had 20 or more stolen bases and 100 or more runs in five seasons and led the league in triples twice. He also won five Gold Gloves. He won a World Series ring with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001, which I why I featured this nice 2000 Topps Stadium Club card for Finley. Not only is he with Arizona, but he’s mid slide with his uniform number 12 facing the camera.

By 2006 Finley was the oldest player to play 100 or more games in center field at age 41, but his skills began to decline. His last game would come in June of 2007. He was released by Colorado after 43 games. Finley had a career batting average of .271 with 2,548 hits, 449 doubles, 124 triples, 304 home runs, 1,443 runs, 1,167 RBIs and 320 stolen bases.

Since 1945 only four players have had 300 home runs and 100 triples. Finley is in good company with the other three, George Brett, Willie Mays and Stan Musial. He also joins Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. as the only three center fielders to have 2,500 or more hits and 5 Gold Glove Awards.

Number 7:

A highly respected coach and manager, Dusty Baker has been involved in the MLB for over 56 years. He played for nineteen seasons from 1968 to 1986 as an outfielder for the Atlanta Braves (1968-1975), Los Angeles Dodgers (1976-1983), San Francisco Giants (1984) and the Oakland Athletics (1986-1987). He wore uniform number 12 for his entire playing career and had a career WAR of 37.

I loved this 1976 Topps from the moment I saw it, the design is great and the photo is perfect for this post, with Dusty’s uniform number right on the front and his infectious smile toward the camera. I used the 1976 Topps in my last post for Darrell Evans who was also on the Braves. The pictures are very similar, and I realized that Dusty is in the background of Evan’s picture. My guess is that the team did the pictures on the same day and perhaps went by uniform number. Evan’s was 11 then Dusty was next. That’s just my theory, but either way it’s a cool coincidence.

Baker was a two-time All-Star who won a Gold Glove in 1981 and won two Silver Slugger awards. He was the MVP of the 1977 NLCS while with the Dodgers when he hit .357 with 2 home runs (one was a grand slam) and had 8 RBIs. The Dodgers would lose that World Series, but Baker was a member of two World Series Champion teams. As a player, he was a member of the 1981 World Series Champion Dodgers, who were managed by Tommy Lasorda and featured rookie pitcher Fernando Valenzuela along with All-Stars Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, Ron Cey and Pedro Guerrero. His second ring would come as a manager.

Baker played his final game in 1986. He finished his career with a .278 batting average, 1,981 hits, 320 doubles, 242 home runs, 1,013 RBIs and 137 stolen bases.

A year after retiring, Baker became a coach for the San Francisco Giants, this led to the next step as a manager. Baker has managed five different teams, all of which won division titles. He was the first manager in major league history to lead five different teams to division titles. He did so with the Giants 1993-2002, Cubs 2003-2006, Reds 2008-2013, Nationals 2016-2017, and Astros 2020-2023. His 2,183 wins put him at 8^th all-time, and his .540 winning percentage is 14^th. Baker was a three-time National League manager of the year and won the World Series in 2022 with the Houston Astros.

He is currently a Special Advisor for the San Francisco Giants front office.  

Final Score:

Quite a few good players wore uniform number 12 for short periods of time. In the beginning of this post, I mentioned Clemens and Morgan. Others include, Pudge Rodriguez (2 years), Kenny Lofton (1) Graig Nettles (3), Harmon Killebrew (2) Joe Medwick (1) Will Clark (1), and Lance Berkman (2). Bobo Newsome, who I featured in the very first Baseball by the Numbers post, wore 12 for eight seasons (He wore twelve different numbers in his career!).

Choosing the last pick was difficult. I originally had Roberto Alomar (67 WAR, 17 years worn), but due to his number being unretired, I skipped him. There were also a couple of other good players Eddie Stanky (WAR 41.6) and Gil McDougald (WAR 40.9) who could have taken the spot, but I just felt that Dusty Baker was the best choice. I’m sure that I will have plenty of time to include others in the future.

Thank you for reading. If you’re enjoying these posts, hit the like, subscribe to the email list, or send me a comment, I’d love to hear from you. And get ready for lucky number 13, coming soon!

Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/

https://www.sabr.org

 Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.

11

Welcome back to Baseball by the Numbers. Today we are looking at uniform number 11. I found 708 players in history who wore uniform number 11. Rogers Hornsby wore it for 2 seasons with the St. Louis Browns in 1934 and 1935. He was already featured with his uniform number 4 here. Aside from Hornsby (WAR 127.3), no other player who wore number 11 had a WAR of 100 or more. Eddie Mathews, who wore the number in 1967 with the Astros, had a career WAR of 96, but only wore it for one season. After Mathews, the next highest career WAR is 74.7. Not counting Hornsby and Mathews, thirty-six players who wore uniform number 11 had career WAR over 40 and ninety-one players wore the number for 5 years or more. Gary Sheffield wore number 11 for seven seasons but he was already featured in the last post (uniform number 10), so this is his shout out. This list has one pitcher and is the first list that will feature a currently active player. Here are my top seven players for uniform number 11!

Number 1:

Paul Waner played in the Majors for twenty years from 1926 to 1945. He was a rightfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates until 1940, then he jumped around a bit, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers again and finally the New York Yankees. Waner has one of my favorite nicknames, “Big Poison” and wore uniform number 11 for his first eight seasons. He had a career WAR of 74.7

This is one of the busiest Diamond Stars cards I’ve seen. The 1936 Paul Waner features “Big Poison” (I’m going to be using that a lot!), in the front with another player in the background. It looks like that player has uniform number 26 which would make it Pep Young who played second for the Pirates in the 1930s. The card also shows a catcher and umpire, so it seems Waner is about to be at bat maybe. Just an interesting addition to the Diamond Stars collection.

Paul Waner was a 4-time All-Star, having also played seven great seasons before the All-Star game was formed. He was the National League MVP in 1927 when he batted a league leading .380 and led the league in hits (237), triples (18), RBIs (131) and total bases (342). “Big Poison” batted over .300 fourteen times, leading the league in batting average 3-times. He had 200 or more hits in eight seasons and led the league in doubles twice (including 62 in 1932) and triples twice.

By 1941 he started to jump around from team to team and retired in 1945 with only one at bat. Waner ended his career with only 113 home runs but was 30^th all-time with a .333 batting average. His 3,152 hits ranked him 20^th all-time. He had 605 doubles (16^th), 191 Triples (10^th), 1,627 runs (41^st) and 1,309 RBIs. “Big Poison” is ranked the 9th greatest right fielder in history in “The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract.” (2003).

Waner is a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 11 was retired in 2007.

Waner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.

Paul Waner passed away in 1965 at the age of 62.  

Number 2:

Barry Larkin played from 1986 to 2004 and spent his entire nineteen-year career exclusively with the Cincinnati Reds. He was one of the premier shortstops in the league during my youth and a player who I remember well. I have quite a few of his cards. He started his career with uniform number 15 but quickly switched to 11 and wore it for seventeen seasons. He had a career WAR of 70.5.

1990 Donruss is such an important set from my young collector days. Anyone who collected during the junk wax error will remember this set. It wasn’t beautiful, but at the time, the 1990 Donruss was highly sought after for its poor-quality control. There were dozens of errors to search for. Opening a pack was like looking for that 1 of 1 card today. Some errors were as simple as a missing trademark or period, others were lines through the All-Star symbol, or a reverse negative photo of the Juan Gonzales rated rookie card, or a photo of John Smoltz on a Tom Glavine card, it was endless. They are all pretty worthless now,m but the chase was fun. I chose this Larkin mainly due to his uniform number being prominently visible in the photo, but this set will always be a classic to me.

Larkin was a 12-time All Star who won nine Silver Slugger awards and 3 Gold Gloves. He was the National League MVP in 1995 with a .319 batting average, 15 home runs, 66 RBIs and 51 Stolen Bases. He hit .300 or better nine times and had 25 or more stolen bases in seven seasons. In 1990, he was a member of the World Series Champion Reds whose bullpen, known as “the Nasty Boys” (very 90s nickname), consisted of Norm Charlton, Rob Dibble and Randy Myers.

By 1997, Larkin began to suffer several injuries. While still productive during the next few years, he would eventually retire after a strong All-Star season in 2004.

Larkin had a career batting average of .295 with 2,340 hits, 441 doubles, 76 triples, 198 home runs, 1,329 runs, 960 RBIs and 379 stolen bases. He also won the Roberto Clemente Award in 1993.

Larkin is a member of the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame with the Reds retiring his uniform number 11 in 2012.

He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Number 3:

From 1928 to 1943, batters were plagued by lefthanded screwball specialist Carl Hubbell. Hubbell played his entire sixteen-year career for the New York Giants. He wore uniform number 11 for eleven seasons and had a career WAR of 68.5.

“King Carl” as he was often called, is just chilling in this 1935 Diamond Stars card. The relaxed pose, confident smirk and tilted hat bring his personality to life. And the Giants uniform is fantastic. Love these Diamond Stars!

Aside from “King Carl”, Hubbell was also known as “the Meal Ticket” for his ability to nearly guarantee a win. He was a 9-time All-Star who led the league in wins and ERA three times each. He had five straight seasons of 20 or more wins and set the Major League record for consecutive wins with 24 in a row between 1936 and 1937. He had an under 3 ERA in seven seasons, his best being a 1.66 ERA over 308 innings (amazing!). He pitched over 200 innings ten times with four of those being 300 or more. He was also the National League MVP in 1933 and 1936.

In 1933, Hubbell pitched for the World Series winning New York Giants, a team that included Hall of Famers, Mel Ott, Travis Jackson, Bill Terry and Lefty O’Doul. He pitched a no-hitter on May 8, 1929, and is known for his amazing All-Star appearance in 1934 when he struck out Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, Al Simmons and Joe Cronin in order.

Hubbell’s last game came in 1943. He had a .622 win/loss percentage with 253 wins good for 46^th all-time. His career ERA is 2.98, WHIP is 1.166 and he has 1,677 strikeouts. He’s tied for 48^th in adjusted ERA plus with a 130.

His uniform number 11 was retired in 1944 by the Giants, and Hubbell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

After his release in 1943, Hubbell continued with the Giants organization in player development for the rest of his life.

Carl Hubbell passed away at the age of 85 in 1988.

Number 4:

Edgar Martínez was a third baseman and designated hitter for eighteen seasons from 1987 to 2004. He played exclusively for the Seattle Mariners and wore uniform number 11 for his entire career. He had a career WAR of 68.4.

I think this might be the first time I’ve used a card in which the player in the photo is not wearing his uniform. In this 1990 Topps, Martínez is wearing his warmup jacket, but his number 11 is on the front which made this a perfect choice. I also fondly remember the 1990 Topps set, and this card brings back that nostalgic feeling. 1990 was his first season as a full-time player.

Martínez was a 7-time All-Star who won five Silver Slugger awards. A prolific hitter, Martínez batted .300 or better in ten seasons, leading the league twice. He also had an OBP of .400 or better in eleven seasons (leading three times) and led the league in doubles twice. He received the Roberto Clemente award in 2004.

Martínez retired after the 2004 season. He finished his career with a .312 batting average. He had 2,247 hits, 1,219 runs, 514 doubles, 309 home runs and 1,261 RBIs. He is 22^nd all-time in OBP with a .418 and 37^th in OPS with a career .933 percentage.

Martínez is a member of the Seattle Mariners Hall of Fame, and his uniform number 11 was retired by them in 2017.

He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Edgar Martínez continues to be a successful hitting coach and advisor with the Seattle Mariners.

Number 5:

Darrell Evans was a third and first baseman for twenty-one seasons from 1969 to 1989 who played with the Atlanta Braves, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers and finished his career with one more year in Atlanta. He wore uniform number 11 for nine seasons, all while on the Braves, and had a career WAR of 58.7.

I chose this 1976 Topps because Evans is on the Braves, the team he played for while wearing the number 11 and if you look closely you can see the uniform number peeking out from under his arms on the front of his jersey. 1976 Topps has a nice design; I love the color bands on the bottom that match his uniform. 1976 was his last with Atlanta (until 1989) as he was traded to the Giants in June of that season.

Evans was an All-Star twice. He had over 30 home runs in four seasons, leading the league in 1985 with 40. I remember Darrell Evans well for his time with the Detroit Tigers (1984 to 1988). I was just a nine-year-old, newly minted baseball fan, and chose the Tigers as my team because their logo was a cool animal, but they also won the 1984 World Series, so they may have been highly televised at the time. Evans was a pivotal part of that team, a team managed by the great Sparky Anderson, anchored by pitcher Jack Morris and powered by hitters Kirk Gibson, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, Chet Lemon and one of my personal favorite players at the time, Lance Parrish.

Evans would retire after the 1989 season after signing a 1-year contract and playing in 109 games with the Atlanta Braves.

He finished his career with 2,223 hits and a .248 batting average, with 1,344 runs, 329 doubles, 1,354 RBIs, and 414 home runs.

Darrell Evans would go on to become a manager and coach in the minors leagues and the Golden Baseball League.

Number 6:

José Ramírez is the first currently active player to make any of these lists. He began his career in 2013 with the Cleveland Guardians as an infielder, primarily playing third base. 2025 was his thirteenth season in the Majors and he has remained in Cleveland his entire career so far. Ramírez has worn uniform number 11 for twelve years and currently has a career WAR of 57.6.

 I used this 2019 Bowman because his number is partially visible on his back. I am not a fan of the more recent card sets, and this Bowman is rather plain. The photo is cool, but in my opinion the design is poor.

Ramírez is a 7-time All-Star who has won six Silver Slugger awards. The switch hitter is a 3-time member of the 30-30 club, having accomplished the feat in 2018, 2024, and 2025. He currently has a .283 batting average with 1,668 hits, 398 doubles (he’s led the league twice), 285 home runs, 949 RBI’s (he’s had over 100 in four seasons), 1,001 runs (over 100 in five seasons), and 287 stolen bases. He’s been named the Bob Feller Man of the Year 3-times.

Ramírez is currently 33 years old, his last two seasons have been great (both 30-30 seasons) and he has 3 years left on a seven-year fully guaranteed contract with Cleveland.

Number 7:

From 1956 to 1973, Luis Aparicio played exceptional defense at shortstop for the Chicago White Sox (1956-1962, 1968-1970), Baltimore Orioles (1963-1967) and the Boston Red Sox (1971-1973). He wore uniform number 11 his entire eighteen-year career. He had a career WAR of 55.9.

I found it hard to find a card that showed Aparicio’s uniform number, so I went with this 1973 Topps. Not only do I love the design of this card, but it features Aparicio while on my Red Sox!

In 1956, Aparicio made an immediate impact in the Majors winning the Rookie of the Year award, the first Latin American to do so. Aparicio was a 13-time All-Star whose stellar defense garnered him 9 Gold Gloves. He led the leagues shortstops in putouts four times, assists seven times, and fielding percentage eight times. He was also fast and led the league in stolen bases a record nine straight seasons, stealing over 50 bases four times. He was a member of the 1966 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles team that featured Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson.  

Aparicio retired at the end of 1973. He finished his career with a .262 batting average, 2,677 hits, 394 doubles, 92 triples, 83 home runs, 791 RBI’s and 1,335 runs. His 506 career stolen bases are 38^th all-time.

He is a member of the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame.

In 1984 the Chicago White Sox retired his uniform number 11, and he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame that same year.

As of this post, Aparicio is the oldest living Baseball Hall of Famer at age 91.

Final Score:

Uniform number 11 was interesting. We had our first currently active player. We also had another pitcher. A few shout outs are in order. Ron Cey, who was featured in the last post, wore uniform number 11 for five seasons from 1983 to 1987. 3-time All-Star Hal McRae (WAR 27.9) wore uniform number 11 his entire nineteen-year career from 1968 to 1987 with the Reds and Royals, 1991 Rookie of the Year Chuck Knoblauch (WAR 44.6) wore it his entire twelve season career, Toby Harrah (WAR 51.6) had the number 11 for sixteen seasons and 2007 MVP Jimmy Rollins (WAR 47.9) wore it for fourteen years.

There are many more players to write about on the next go around, but for now, it’s time to check out uniform number 12. Number 12 had close to 900 players wear it in their careers, so read on to see who will make the list!

Sources:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/

https://www.baseball-reference.com/

Haft, Chris (19 June 2024). “Willie Mays, a baseball giant, dies at 93”. MLB.com.

Newhan, Ross (November 22, 1988). “Carl Hubbell, 85, Dies of Injuries Suffered in an Auto Accident”. Los Angeles Times.

https://www.sabr.org

 Shout out to all the cool cards and creative commons for my pictures! Thanks Topps and Fleer and Donruss and Upper Deck and all the rest.