Hall of Stats

Today we’re launching rankings for every player in history, from Ruth to Bergen. The rankings are, of course, by Hall Rating.

We have anywhere from two to four rankings on every player page:

1. All Time Ranking: This is, quite simply, where the player ranks among every player in baseball history (by Hall Rating).
2. Positional Ranking: The player’s ranking among all players at his primary position. For example, Bill Freehan ranks 293rd all time overall, but 19th among catchers.
3. Hall of Fame Ranking: For all 208 MLB players in the Hall of Fame, this is their ranking among those 208 players. For example, Jim Rice ranks 368th overall and 175th among Hall of Famers. That discrepancy shows that there were quite a few players who deserved the honor before Rice (though the 368 does include active and not-yet-eligible players).
4. Hall of Stats Ranking: Similar to the Hall of Fame ranking, except this is the ranking among the 208 players in the Hall of Stats. For example, Dave Winfield ranks 117th in the Hall of Fame but 152nd in the Hall of Stats, showing the difference in quality between the two Halls.

The All Time Ranking is accompanied by a percentile, showing just how that compares to the field of 17,939 players in Major League history.

It’s not terribly surprising that Ted Williams ranks in the top 0.1% of all players. But what about a guy like Orel Hershiser? His Hall Rating of 101 puts him near the Hall of Stats borderline. But that’s still in the top 1.3%, meaning he’s ahead of 98.7% of the players in Major League history.

Going further, Greg Gagne’s overall rank is 1,096th. Sounds weak. But that puts him in the top 6%, meaning he’s ahead of 94% of all players. Rob Deer ranks 2,409th all time, but that’s still in the top 13.4%. Alfredo Griffin ranks 5,598th all time, but still in the top 31.2% (there are a ton of players who played so briefly that they have a Hall Rating of 0). I find it puts things into perspective just a bit more.

I hope you enjoy the rankings!