How to List the Greatest Hitters in Baseball

Create a list of the universally recognized great players in the game. Exclude any pitchers from the list. Only Babe Ruth is really considered to be both a great hitter and a great pitcher. Other top hitters almost universally recognized as such include Ty Cobb, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial and Pete Rose. Of course there are others in the modern era, like Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols, who also fit within that discussion.

Examine the lists of the top hitters in each category. Batting average signifies which hitters have been the most consistent throughout their careers. The top all-time batting average leaders in Major League Baseball include Ty Cobb (.366), Rogers Hornsby (.358), "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (.356), Ed Delahanty (.346), Tris Speaker (.345), Billy Hamilton and Ted Williams (.344), according to ESPN's database. Babe Ruth tied with two others at .342. Take the other stats to take into consideration and include these hitters in each of these lists.

Consider more obscure yet relevant statistical categories like Triple Crown winners. Winning the Triple Crown means finishing with the top batting average, top home run total, and top runs batted in total in the league for the season. Rogers Hornsby won the Triple Crown twice in the 1920s, once in 1922 and then again in 1925, as shown on ESPN's list. His numbers during those seasons were comparable to any of the greatest single seasons of all-time. In 1922, Hornsby hit .401 with 42 home runs and 152 RBI. In 1925, Hornsby nearly repeated those feats with a .403 average, 39 home runs and 143 RBI. Similarly Jimmie Foxx won back-to-back Triple Crowns in 1932 and 1933 with the Philadelphia Athletics. Ted Williams also won twice, in 1942 and again in 1947. Frank Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb all won the award once and are universally recognized as some of the greatest hitters of all-time. Make note of these players and give them consideration as part of your list of greatest hitters.

Assign a point value to each statistical category and for each player that ranks on those lists. For instance, if on-base plus slugging, or OPS, is considered the most important category because it includes both power and consistency, make this category worth 10 points. Slugging percentage would be slightly less valuable because it is only a power statistic. Make it worth nine points. Batting average and home runs can be worth eight points. Each statistical category should be assigned a point value and each hitter at the top of that category should receive the maximum points possible. If, for instance, OPS is worth 10 points and Babe Ruth is the all-time OPS leader, he can receive 10 points for being at the top of the list. Multiply the points for the position on the list by the points for the category. Babe Ruth would thus receive 100 points for his OPS (10 points times 10 points). Do this for the top ten of each statistical category and add up the totals for each player. The player with the most points should be listed as the best hitter of all-time.