Best of the
Best: The All Time Best Seasons from the
Best Players
By Michael L. Barnes, Ph.D.
Staff Writer
After our last article that listed the best all time seasons
based on our BBI Value Index, many of you wrote in asking who the players were
we investigated, and what their best seasons were. We have decided not only to answer that
question in this article, but also expand our search, and provide some
interesting additional information concerning these players. For example, we wondered who provided the
greatest overall fantasy value in his career? Want to know who it is? Well, when Peter Gammons was asked if Rickey
Henderson was a hall-of-famer, he supposedly
answered, “If you cut Rickey Henderson in half, you’d have two hall-of-famers.” This analysis
certainly supports that statement; Rickey Henderson has the highest total value
in his 25 seasons of $773.10. Not
surprisingly, the #2 guy on the total career list just broke the all-time
homerun record.
Perhaps more importantly (for our purposes of assembling the
best possible current fantasy teams), who has the highest average? Well, in his short but certainly illustrious
career so far, that honor belongs to Albert Pujols,
who in 6 full seasons is averaging a whopping $38.55 per year. If he keeps that up, Rickey’s total value
record will be eclipsed sometime in the year 2020.
Ok, so who were the rest of the players? The table below was compiled from 1,113
seasons from 67 players in the live-ball era.
The first columns show the player, his best live-ball season, the value
of that season (sort order), and then the stats he had that year. We then show the total value the player
amassed over their career, as well as the average the player had. The
ranks skip some numbers because guys like George Sisler,
who had the second best all-time live-ball season, also had the third best, but
each player is only shown once (their best season).
Take a walk through this table, and you’ll find some very
interesting gems. If you don’t see your
favorite player on the list, write us, and we’ll let you know where he stands.
|
Player
|
Season
|
Value
|
Rank
|
G
|
AB
|
R
|
H
|
HR
|
RBI
|
SB
|
BA
|
Total
|
Rank
|
Average
|
Rank
|
|
Babe Ruth
|
1921
|
$59.58
|
1
|
152
|
540
|
177
|
204
|
59
|
171
|
17
|
0.378
|
$611.00
|
5
|
$38.19
|
2
|
|
George Sisler
|
1920
|
$58.35
|
2
|
154
|
631
|
137
|
257
|
19
|
122
|
42
|
0.407
|
$323.21
|
43
|
$32.32
|
6
|
|
Rogers Hornsby
|
1922
|
$57.10
|
4
|
154
|
623
|
141
|
250
|
42
|
152
|
17
|
0.401
|
$413.11
|
26
|
$22.95
|
32
|
|
Rickey Henderson
|
1982
|
$56.58
|
5
|
149
|
536
|
119
|
143
|
10
|
51
|
130
|
0.267
|
$773.10
|
1
|
$30.92
|
9
|
|
Larry Walker
|
1997
|
$55.83
|
6
|
153
|
568
|
143
|
208
|
49
|
130
|
33
|
0.366
|
$411.07
|
27
|
$24.18
|
27
|
|
Lou Brock
|
1974
|
$55.66
|
7
|
153
|
635
|
105
|
194
|
3
|
48
|
118
|
0.306
|
$560.11
|
7
|
$29.48
|
12
|
|
Maury Wills
|
1962
|
$53.08
|
9
|
165
|
695
|
130
|
208
|
6
|
48
|
104
|
0.299
|
$307.83
|
48
|
$21.99
|
39
|
|
Lou Gehrig
|
1927
|
$52.96
|
10
|
155
|
584
|
149
|
218
|
47
|
175
|
10
|
0.373
|
$556.84
|
8
|
$32.76
|
5
|
|
Jimmie Foxx
|
1932
|
$51.72
|
13
|
154
|
585
|
151
|
213
|
58
|
169
|
3
|
0.364
|
$509.87
|
10
|
$25.49
|
21
|
|
Vince Coleman
|
1987
|
$50.73
|
18
|
151
|
623
|
121
|
180
|
3
|
43
|
109
|
0.289
|
$311.52
|
46
|
$23.96
|
30
|
|
Tim Raines
|
1983
|
$50.71
|
19
|
156
|
615
|
133
|
183
|
11
|
71
|
90
|
0.298
|
$506.61
|
11
|
$22.03
|
38
|
|
Alex Rodriguez
|
1998
|
$49.79
|
21
|
161
|
686
|
123
|
213
|
42
|
124
|
46
|
0.310
|
$435.21
|
20
|
$33.48
|
4
|
|
Kenny Lofton
|
1996
|
$49.66
|
22
|
154
|
662
|
132
|
210
|
14
|
67
|
75
|
0.317
|
$417.88
|
25
|
$26.12
|
19
|
|
Willie Wilson
|
1980
|
$49.07
|
24
|
161
|
705
|
133
|
230
|
3
|
49
|
79
|
0.326
|
$353.31
|
34
|
$18.60
|
52
|
|
Sammy Sosa
|
1998
|
$48.97
|
25
|
159
|
643
|
134
|
198
|
66
|
158
|
18
|
0.308
|
$425.32
|
23
|
$25.02
|
23
|
|
Vladimir Guerrero
|
2002
|
$47.79
|
31
|
161
|
614
|
106
|
206
|
39
|
111
|
40
|
0.336
|
$344.33
|
37
|
$31.30
|
8
|
|
Joe Morgan
|
1976
|
$47.75
|
32
|
141
|
472
|
113
|
151
|
27
|
111
|
60
|
0.320
|
$462.34
|
14
|
$21.02
|
42
|
|
Barry Bonds
|
2001
|
$47.68
|
35
|
153
|
476
|
129
|
156
|
73
|
137
|
13
|
0.328
|
$694.48
|
2
|
$31.57
|
7
|
|
Ichiro Suzuki
|
2001
|
$47.56
|
36
|
157
|
692
|
127
|
242
|
8
|
69
|
56
|
0.350
|
$222.44
|
61
|
$37.07
|
3
|
|
Todd Helton
|
2000
|
$46.77
|
43
|
160
|
580
|
138
|
216
|
42
|
147
|
5
|
0.372
|
$295.81
|
52
|
$29.58
|
11
|
|
Musial Stan
|
1948
|
$46.66
|
44
|
155
|
611
|
135
|
230
|
39
|
131
|
7
|
0.376
|
$560.75
|
6
|
$25.49
|
22
|
|
Joe Dimaggio
|
1937
|
$46.63
|
45
|
151
|
621
|
151
|
215
|
46
|
167
|
3
|
0.346
|
$388.72
|
29
|
$29.90
|
10
|
|
Tony Gwynn
|
1987
|
$46.42
|
46
|
157
|
589
|
119
|
218
|
7
|
54
|
56
|
0.370
|
$446.13
|
15
|
$22.31
|
34
|
|
Hank Aaron
|
1963
|
$46.22
|
47
|
161
|
631
|
121
|
201
|
44
|
130
|
31
|
0.319
|
$668.86
|
3
|
$29.08
|
13
|
|
Jose Canseco
|
1988
|
$46.10
|
49
|
158
|
610
|
120
|
187
|
42
|
124
|
40
|
0.307
|
$334.05
|
41
|
$19.65
|
46
|
|
Mickey Mantle
|
1956
|
$45.30
|
55
|
150
|
533
|
132
|
188
|
52
|
130
|
10
|
0.353
|
$444.47
|
17
|
$24.69
|
25
|
|
Frank Robinson
|
1962
|
$45.28
|
56
|
162
|
609
|
134
|
208
|
39
|
136
|
18
|
0.342
|
$505.95
|
12
|
$24.09
|
28
|
|
Willie Mays
|
1955
|
$44.94
|
59
|
152
|
580
|
123
|
185
|
51
|
127
|
24
|
0.319
|
$618.55
|
4
|
$28.12
|
15
|
|
Rod Carew
|
1977
|
$44.77
|
62
|
155
|
616
|
128
|
239
|
14
|
100
|
23
|
0.388
|
$419.15
|
24
|
$22.06
|
37
|
|
Jose Reyes
|
2006
|
$44.51
|
65
|
153
|
647
|
122
|
194
|
19
|
81
|
64
|
0.300
|
$95.53
|
66
|
$23.88
|
31
|
|
Alfonso Soriano
|
2002
|
$44.34
|
66
|
156
|
696
|
128
|
209
|
39
|
102
|
41
|
0.300
|
$204.25
|
63
|
$25.53
|
20
|
|
Albert Pujols
|
2003
|
$43.41
|
73
|
157
|
591
|
137
|
212
|
43
|
124
|
5
|
0.359
|
$231.32
|
59
|
$38.55
|
1
|
|
Ken Griffey,
Jr.
|
1997
|
$42.98
|
76
|
157
|
608
|
125
|
185
|
56
|
147
|
15
|
0.304
|
$437.48
|
19
|
$24.30
|
26
|
|
Ted Williams
|
1949
|
$42.91
|
77
|
155
|
566
|
150
|
194
|
43
|
159
|
1
|
0.343
|
$516.04
|
9
|
$27.16
|
16
|
|
Carl Yastrzemski
|
1970
|
$41.24
|
96
|
161
|
566
|
125
|
186
|
40
|
102
|
23
|
0.329
|
$442.70
|
18
|
$19.25
|
47
|
|
Derek Jeter
|
1999
|
$40.77
|
99
|
158
|
627
|
134
|
219
|
24
|
102
|
19
|
0.349
|
$345.47
|
36
|
$28.79
|
14
|
|
Tris Speaker
|
1923
|
$40.71
|
102
|
150
|
574
|
133
|
218
|
17
|
130
|
8
|
0.380
|
$224.62
|
60
|
$24.96
|
24
|
|
Mark McGwire
|
1998
|
$40.50
|
104
|
155
|
509
|
130
|
152
|
70
|
147
|
1
|
0.299
|
$298.18
|
51
|
$18.64
|
50
|
|
Ty Cobb
|
1921
|
$40.45
|
105
|
128
|
507
|
124
|
197
|
12
|
101
|
22
|
0.389
|
$243.82
|
56
|
$27.09
|
17
|
|
Mel Ott
|
1929
|
$40.45
|
106
|
150
|
545
|
138
|
179
|
42
|
151
|
6
|
0.328
|
$471.66
|
13
|
$21.44
|
40
|
|
Eddie Collins
|
1924
|
$39.26
|
134
|
152
|
556
|
108
|
194
|
6
|
86
|
42
|
0.349
|
$204.98
|
62
|
$18.63
|
51
|
|
Kirby Puckett
|
1986
|
$38.70
|
140
|
161
|
680
|
119
|
223
|
31
|
96
|
20
|
0.328
|
$322.77
|
44
|
$26.90
|
18
|
|
Julio Franco
|
1991
|
$38.42
|
143
|
146
|
589
|
108
|
201
|
15
|
78
|
36
|
0.341
|
$333.78
|
42
|
$15.17
|
62
|
|
Dave Parker
|
1978
|
$38.14
|
150
|
148
|
581
|
102
|
194
|
30
|
117
|
20
|
0.334
|
$350.86
|
35
|
$18.47
|
53
|
|
George Brett
|
1980
|
$37.98
|
156
|
117
|
449
|
87
|
175
|
24
|
118
|
15
|
0.390
|
$431.89
|
22
|
$20.57
|
43
|
|
Ralph Kiner
|
1949
|
$37.40
|
164
|
152
|
549
|
116
|
170
|
54
|
127
|
6
|
0.310
|
$240.48
|
58
|
$24.05
|
29
|
|
Frank Thomas
|
1996
|
$37.28
|
168
|
141
|
527
|
110
|
184
|
40
|
134
|
1
|
0.349
|
$385.98
|
30
|
$22.70
|
33
|
|
Don Mattingly
|
1986
|
$37.10
|
173
|
162
|
677
|
117
|
238
|
31
|
113
|
0
|
0.352
|
$254.92
|
55
|
$18.21
|
54
|
|
Nomar Garciaparra
|
1999
|
$36.72
|
180
|
135
|
532
|
103
|
190
|
27
|
104
|
14
|
0.357
|
$243.80
|
57
|
$22.16
|
36
|
|
Rafael Palmeiro
|
1999
|
$36.60
|
182
|
158
|
565
|
96
|
183
|
47
|
148
|
2
|
0.324
|
$445.58
|
16
|
$22.28
|
35
|
|
Ernie Banks
|
1958
|
$36.57
|
183
|
154
|
617
|
119
|
193
|
47
|
129
|
4
|
0.313
|
$336.13
|
40
|
$17.69
|
57
|
|
Roberto Clemente
|
1967
|
$35.71
|
210
|
147
|
585
|
103
|
209
|
23
|
110
|
9
|
0.357
|
$367.23
|
32
|
$20.40
|
44
|
|
David Ortiz
|
2005
|
$34.83
|
222
|
159
|
601
|
119
|
180
|
47
|
148
|
1
|
0.300
|
$153.54
|
65
|
$15.35
|
61
|
|
Roger Maris
|
1961
|
$33.98
|
239
|
161
|
590
|
132
|
159
|
61
|
142
|
0
|
0.269
|
$162.50
|
64
|
$13.54
|
65
|
|
Eddie Mathews
|
1953
|
$33.36
|
260
|
157
|
579
|
110
|
175
|
47
|
135
|
1
|
0.302
|
$340.98
|
39
|
$20.06
|
45
|
|
Cal Ripken
|
1991
|
$33.35
|
261
|
162
|
650
|
99
|
210
|
34
|
114
|
6
|
0.323
|
$344.22
|
38
|
$16.39
|
58
|
|
Mike Schmidt
|
1974
|
$33.35
|
262
|
162
|
568
|
108
|
160
|
36
|
116
|
23
|
0.282
|
$385.86
|
31
|
$21.44
|
41
|
|
Reggie Jackson
|
1969
|
$33.05
|
274
|
152
|
549
|
123
|
151
|
47
|
118
|
13
|
0.275
|
$397.75
|
28
|
$18.94
|
48
|
|
Willie McCovey
|
1969
|
$32.52
|
286
|
149
|
491
|
101
|
157
|
45
|
126
|
0
|
0.320
|
$298.55
|
50
|
$13.57
|
64
|
|
Harmon Killebrew
|
1969
|
$32.38
|
290
|
162
|
555
|
106
|
153
|
49
|
140
|
8
|
0.276
|
$287.49
|
54
|
$13.07
|
66
|
|
Wade Boggs
|
1987
|
$32.03
|
299
|
147
|
551
|
108
|
200
|
24
|
89
|
1
|
0.363
|
$322.39
|
45
|
$17.91
|
56
|
|
Pete Rose
|
1969
|
$31.84
|
306
|
156
|
627
|
120
|
218
|
16
|
82
|
7
|
0.348
|
$434.00
|
21
|
$18.08
|
55
|
|
Bert Campaneris
|
1970
|
$31.03
|
317
|
147
|
603
|
97
|
168
|
22
|
64
|
42
|
0.279
|
$308.59
|
47
|
$16.24
|
59
|
|
Willie Stargell
|
1971
|
$30.57
|
330
|
141
|
511
|
104
|
151
|
48
|
125
|
0
|
0.295
|
$306.42
|
49
|
$14.59
|
63
|
|
Luis Aparicio
|
1964
|
$28.83
|
370
|
146
|
578
|
93
|
154
|
10
|
37
|
57
|
0.266
|
$290.91
|
53
|
$16.16
|
60
|
|
Fred McGriff
|
1993
|
$27.84
|
400
|
151
|
557
|
111
|
162
|
37
|
101
|
5
|
0.291
|
$356.67
|
33
|
$18.77
|
49
|
|
Bo Jackson
|
1989
|
$27.34
|
414
|
135
|
515
|
86
|
132
|
32
|
105
|
26
|
0.256
|
$88.78
|
67
|
$11.10
|
67
|
