Baseball Reference Blog

Players with a 30 SB Season who won an MVP Award

Posted by Adam Darowski on November 30, 2024

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Players with 2000 Career Hits who Won an MVP Award

Posted by Adam Darowski on November 30, 2024

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Top 5 Leaders in Home Runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates

Posted by Darren Baker on November 29, 2024

Founded in 1882, originally known as Allegheny City, the Pittsburgh Pirates are one of MLB’s oldest and most historic teams. You could make a very competitive starting nine and bench with all of their Hall of Famers. They even had a long-time manager recently inducted into Cooperstown. The last 30 years or so haven’t been great for the Buccos, but there is a rich history for this franchise: 17 playoff appearances, 9 National League pennants, and 5 World Series titles. Interestingly, all five of their championships came in seven-game battles. Being a small-market team with financial limitations, the Pirates have had trouble staying competitive in the modern world of baseball, so hopefully Paul Skenes can help return them to glory soon. It’s time to meet some legends of Forbes Field, Three Rivers Stadium, and PNC Park. Grab a Primanti Bros. sandwich and an Iron City beer because here are the all-time leaders in home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Top 5 Leaders in Home Runs for the Miami Marlins

Posted by Darren Baker on November 27, 2024

As a proud Phillies fan, it is a hard pill to swallow that the Miami Marlins have only been around since 1993, yet they have as many World Series titles (2) as the Phillies do, even though the Phils have been around since 1883. I will save my crying for another day. In barely over 30 years, the Marlins, originally known as Florida but renamed Miami in 2012, actually have a fairly impressive history, especially when you factor in the franchise’s financial constraints at times. They won their first title in 1997 after only five years of existence. Then in 2003 they went on that epic October run to come back from 3-1 in the NLCS against the Cubs and then eventually taking down the Yankees in the Fall Classic. When you review some of the names on their all-time roster, it is a pretty gaudy list. But who were their most fearsome bombers? Let’s find out the all-time leaders in home runs for the Miami Marlins. Bienvenidos a Miami!

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Top 5 Leaders in Home Runs for the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos

Posted by Darren Baker on November 23, 2024

On both sides of the American-Canadian border, the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos have been important to baseball. Formed in 1969, the Expos were in Montreal through the 2004 season. Then the team headed south in 2005 and became the Washington Nationals. This relatively young franchise captured its first World Series trophy in 2019, and we can only wonder what might have happened in 1994 if not for the strike. If you scan their top players of all time, you will find some Hall of Famers and plenty of notable names. From cozy Jarry Park to cavernous Olympic Stadium in the French province of Quebec, and then down to the American capital at RFK Stadium and now Nationals Park, this two-country team has had some explosive bats. Now it’s time to check the polls for the Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos all-time leaders in home runs.

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Top 5 Leaders in Postseason Home Runs

Posted by Darren Baker on November 22, 2024

Fall is here, and that means October memories are around the corner. When a player hits a monumental postseason home run for his team and city, he can become instantly immortalized. Even a seemingly ordinary MLB player can acquire folk hero status with a bomb at the appropriate moment. Just ask Bill Mazeroski, Bucky Dent, Jim Leyritz, and Matt Stairs. These blasts are what make baseball such great theater and a part of pure Americana. But what players have hit the most long balls when it matters most in the fall? This list will look at the all-time leaders in postseason home runs.

It’s important to note that all of the names in this group are relatively recent. That’s simply because of the expansion of the MLB playoffs in the last 30 years. Ruth, DiMaggio, and Mantle only had the World Series to launch epic homers. Now the postseason has four rounds, so modern players have a lot more opportunities to build stats on the back of their card. That’s not to discount any players on this list. It’s just to help put things in perspective for baseball fans with a deep appreciation for the game’s history. You’ve heard enough preamble, so let’s count down the most prolific power hitters in postseason history … the Legends of the Fall.

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Top 5 Leaders in Home Runs for the Chicago Cubs

Posted by Darren Baker on November 16, 2024

Holy cow! We all know that Harry Caray refrain, and we all know the story of the Chicago Cubs. From 1908 to seemingly eternity, they couldn’t win a World Series. It was the Curse of the Billy Goat. Heck, they hadn’t even reached a Fall Classic since 1945. They were the lovable losers … until 2016. That year the Cubbies broke the 108-year drought in a memorable seven-game World Series triumph over Cleveland. Although they had different names in their earliest days, the Chicago Cubs have been around in some form since 1876. At one point they were even called the not-so-politically-correct Chicago Orphans. Between 1906 and 1945, the Cubs actually went to 10 Fall Classics (winning in 1907 & 1908). Then the dry spell and tears started. Anyway, the Cubs have always been a part of Americana, and even though they may be short on titles, they aren’t short on sluggers. Now let’s head to 1060 West Addison and reveal the all-time leaders in home runs for the Chicago Cubs.

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Top 5 Leaders in Home Runs for the New York Yankees

Posted by Darren Baker on November 15, 2024

When you examine the all-time leaders in home runs for the New York Yankees, you are literally walking through the halls of Cooperstown. This roll call is a true pantheon of icons. Not only have all of these legends put up astounding regular season power stats, each one of them has provided their share of World Series theatrics. Every man on this list is in the Hall of Fame and also has won at least seven world championships. It’s safe to say that this is not your ordinary home-run club. The bouncer better make room because the Yanks have a current bomber who is approaching the entrance of this exclusive club. Let’s take a stroll through Monument Park, so we can unveil the top home-run hitters in the history of the New York Yankees.

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Players who won Rookie of the Year and had a 6+ WAR season

Posted by Adam Darowski on November 9, 2024

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Players who won the MVP Award and had a 10+ Win Season

Posted by Adam Darowski on November 9, 2024

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