All Century Team

In 1999, a panel of experts assembled by Major League Baseball and sponsored by Mastercard, selected the one-hundred greatest players. More than two million baseball fans worldwide then voted to determine the top players by position from this elite group. A Blue Ribbon panel then added five legends to create a thirty-man team.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"You're not aware until after your career who came before and who came after you. I don't know if there ever was a group as good as that group from the sixties and seventies. I don't know if that will ever happen again." - Johnny Bench

All Century Team

Official Starting Line-Up (1999)

Pitchers Nolan Ryan 1.
Sandy Koufax 2.
Cy Young 3.
Roger Clemens 4.
Bob Gibson 5.
Walter Johnson 6.
Warren Spahn 10.
Christy Mathewson 14.
Lefty Grove 18.
Catchers Johnny Bench 1.
Yogi Berra 2.
First Basemen Lou Gehrig 1.
Mark McGwire 2.
Second Basemen Jackie Robinson 1.
Rogers Hornsby 2.
Third Basemen Mike Schmidt 1.
Brooks Robinson 2.
Shortstops Cal Ripken, Jr. 1.
Ernie Banks 2.
Honus Wagner 4.
Outfielders Babe Ruth 1.
Hank Aaron 2.
Ted Williams 3.
Willie Mays 4.
Joe DiMaggio 5.
Mickey Mantle 6.
Ty Cobb 7.
Ken Griffey, Jr. 8.
Pete Rose 9.
Stan Musial 11.
All Century Team Official Starting Line-Up

All Century Team Voting Analysis

The 100 Greatest Players (1999)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
Nolan Ryan
Sandy Koufax
Cy Young
Roger Clemens
Bob Gibson
Walter Johnson
Greg Maddux
Steve Carlton
Satchel Paige
Warren Spahn
Tom Seaver
Whitey Ford
Bob Feller
Christy Mathewson
Jim Palmer
Grover Alexander
Dennis Eckersley
Lefty Grove
Dizzy Dean
Juan Marichal
Rollie Fingers
Carl Hubbell
Mordecai Brown
Robin Roberts
Eddie Plank
Ed Walsh
992,040
970,434
867,523
601,244
582,031
479,279
431,751
405,365
399,657
337,215
330,219
253,120
252,115
249,747
158,266
151,255
143,710
142,169
130,389
122,366
106,416
54,618
31,342
23,366
13,195
12,687
All-Century Starter
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Special Panel Selection
Special Panel Selection
Special Panel Selection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Johnny Bench
Yogi Berra
Carlton Fisk
Roy Campanella
Josh Gibson
Mickey Cochrane
Bill Dickey
Gabby Hartnett
1,010,403
704,208
322,384
247,909
233,288
75,344
74,295
24,196
All-Century Starter
All-Century Starter
Negro League All-Star
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Lou Gehrig
Mark McGwire
Jimmie Foxx
Harmon Killebrew
Eddie Murray
Hank Greenberg
Willie McCovey
George Sisler
Buck Leonard
Bill Terry
1,207,992
517,181
351,488
185,622
161,564
114,317
106,717
28,378
20,091
12,976
All-Century Starter
All-Century Starter
Negro League All-Star
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Jackie Robinson
Rogers Hornsby
Joe Morgan
Rod Carew
Nap Lajoie
Eddie Collins
Charlie Gehringer
Frankie Frisch
788,116
630,761
608,660
430,267
90,402
58,836
45,663
27,527
All-Century Starter
All-Century Starter
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Mike Schmidt
Brooks Robinson
George Brett
Eddie Mathews
Paul Molitor
Pie Traynor
855,654
761,700
656,511
174,529
160,271
96,699
All-Century Starter
All-Century Starter
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Ernie Banks
Ozzie Smith
Honus Wagner
Robin Yount
Luis Aparicio
Luke Appling
Joe Cronin
669,033
598,168
589,025
526,740
134,655
129,328
28,877
27,789
All-Century Starter
All-Century Starter
Special Panel Selection
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
Babe Ruth
Hank Aaron
Ted Williams
Willie Mays
Joe DiMaggio
Mickey Mantle
Ty Cobb
Ken Griffey, Jr.
Pete Rose
Roberto Clemente
Stan Musial
Joe Jackson
Reggie Jackson
Tony Gwynn
Carl Yastrzemski
Frank Robinson
Rickey Henderson
Barry Bonds
Lou Brock
Billy Williams
Tris Speaker
Willie Stargell
Al Kaline
Duke Snider
Cool Papa Bell
Mel Ott
Ralph Kiner
Al Simmons
Paul Waner
Oscar Charleston
Joe Medwick
Wee Willie Keller
Goose Goslin
Harry Heilmann
1,158,044
1,156,782
1,125,583
1,115,896
1,054,423
988,168
777,056
645,389
629,742
582,937
571,279
326,415
296,039
232,476
222,082
220,226
180,940
173,279
131,361
97,911
84,461
71,585
67,719
63,410
59,189
51,748
32,302
15,930
15,057
13,893
11,238
10,553
9,475
9,415
All-Century Starter
All-Century Starter
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Special Panel Selection
Negro League All-Star
Negro League All-Star
All Century Team Voting Analysis
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baseball almanac fast facts

Sandy Koufax was asked who he thought the best pitcher was and he picked Warren Spahn, who won more games than any left-hander in history. "Not only for what he did on the field," Koufax commented then added, "He'll kill me for doing this. He pitched in the whole damn century."

A common question asked to baseball "experts" is who would you select to pitch a World Series game seven and Bob Gibson is often chosen. Gibson was told about this after the ceremony and replied, "That would be my answer too!"

An interesting thought at the time was should Ken Griffey, Jr. stay healthy and choose to play long enough, he could be selected for the next All Century Team...