Top 5: California

Baseball Names & Numbers by Thomas Holmes

8 min readJul 12, 2022

With over 20 Hall of Famers born in the Golden State, I had to break this list up into two pieces: hitters and pitchers. There was no way to make one list without leaving off a deserving player. Plus, I did not want to make the list too heavy on the batter or pitcher side. Since there are so many Hall of Famers, all-stars, and superstars born in California, this is the most difficult Top 5 list I have made. I am sure I missed someone, and readers may dispute my selection or order of ranking. I welcome the discussion. In addition, I have noted honorable mentions.

Batters

5. Eddie Murray — Los Angeles native Eddie Murray earned his nickname Steady Eddie. This 2003 Hall of Famer inductee hit 20 or more home runs in 15 of his 21 years in the MLB. Murray averaged 174 hits and 103 RBIs per season. Plus, he was patient at the plate. In 1984, he led the league with walks with 107 and 25 of them were intentional. His final numbers of 3,255 hits and 504 home runs places him in unique company. Only two other Hall of Fame players join him, Henry Aaron, and Willie Mays. Good enough to be on my list.

4. Tony Gwynn — Although he was born in Los Angeles, San Diego was his home for his entire 20-year career (1982–2001). Tony Gwynn was an elite hitter. He was selected to 15 all-star games in his 20 years of play. In eight of those seasons, he earned batting titles. The only season Gwynn did not hit over .300 was his rookie season in 1982 (.289). Mr. Padre never brought a championship to San Diego; however, he did reach the world series twice. Tony did end his career with 3,141 hits and an impressive batting average of .338, placing 23rd on the all-time list. What a hitter!

3. Harry Hielmann — Hielmann played through the dead ball era. From 1916 to 1929 he was part of the Tigers and played another two seasons with the Reds. This forgotten Hall of Famer was inducted in 1952 and is ranked 15th with all-time career batting average of .342. Harry won batting titles in 1921, 1923, 1925, and 1927. In 1921, Hielmann had 237 hits and batted .394; oddly a year where no one was awarded MVP. MVP award was not given from 1915–1921. However, Harry came in third in MVP voting in 1923 (Babe Ruth won) and second with votes in 1927 (Lou Gehrig won). In addition, Hielmann was never selected to an all-star game. Harry’s final season was 1932, whereas all-star games began in 1933. On average Hielmann had 201 hits per season and batted .342. He had a better batting average than Tony Gwynn! Let that sink in.

2. Ted Williams — There books written about Ted Williams. Allow me to point out specific highlights of San Diego’s favorite son. His career batting average was .344 putting him on the all-time list at 11! Only 10 players had higher career batting average and he lost three seasons due to military service. Williams played in the all-star game every season except for two, 1939 and 1952. 1939 was Williams’ rookie season and he finished the season with 145 RBIs. The 1952 season was cut short. Williams only played six games due to the Korean War service. It is rare to see a player win two MVPs like Ted did in 1946 and 1949. It is even more remarkable to be awarded a Triple Crown. Williams won two Triple Crown awards, 1942 and 1947. He joins Oscar Charleston and Roger Hornsby as the only multiple Triple Crown winners in baseball history. There is a long list of accomplishments.

1. Barry Bonds — I am sure my pick for number one is going to bring criticism. With or without PED allegations, Barry Bonds is the greatest player born in the Golden State (without counting pitchers). You can cry PEDs all day long, but no one cared when it was happening. If players, fans, and the MLB had a genuine concern for the integrity of the game, action would have been taken with an expeditious manner. Instead, Barry Bonds was selected, by the fans, to 14 all-star games. On the other hand. His peers had no qualms about naming him the player of the year three times. My final point on how the PED argument is irrelevant is the eight Golden Glove Awards. If PEDs are designed to allow a player to swing the bat faster or hit the ball further/harder, why didn’t it give Bonds some super speed? Eight Golden Glove awards is a respectable achievement. Why is it overlook? Enough PED talk, back to the list.

Barry Bonds has the fourth highest WAR in all of baseball…ever. Baseball cranks are familiar with his home run records. He broke Hank Aaron’s record of 755 career home runs with 762. In addition, Bonds holds the single season record of 73 home runs. His home runs skills intimidated pitcher year after year. He eventually would hold the record for the most walks in baseball history 2,558. Nearly a third (688) were intentional walks, another record. In 2004, Bonds was given 232 free passes to first base and 120 of the were intentionally. The seven-time MVP (90, 92, 93, 01–04) did not reach the prized 3,000 hit. He fell 65 hits shy. In 2005, Bonds had 12 hits but only played 14 games. Another milestone not reached is a career batting average of .300 or higher. Bonds hit .298. Its close and respectable. Same as Mickey Mantle.

Honorable mentions: Duke Snider, Gary Carter, and Joe DiMaggio.

Pitchers

5. Dennis Eckersley — This Oakland native pitched for the home team Athletics for nine of his 24 seasons. Eckersley began his career as a starting pitcher. Ten years into his career, Eck was converted into a relief pitcher. Although he is known for allowing a game-winning home run to Kirk Gibson in game one of the 1988 World Series, much of his success came from closing games. Of his six all-star appearances, four of them was as a closer. The 1992 season was his best season. Eck won a Cy Young Award and the league MVP. During the ’92 season, his record was 7–1 with a miniscule ERA of 1.91. In 69 opportunities, Eckersley saved 51 games. With a career record of 197–171 with a .535 winning percentage and 390 saves, Dennis Eckersley was the best closer of his time. He received his call to the Hall of Fame in 2004.

4. Trevor Hoffman — Born in Bellflower, a suburb of Los Angeles, Trevor Hoffman was an outstanding relief pitcher. In his 18 seasons he attended seven all-star games. He also led the league with saves twice; 1998 with 53 and 2006 with 46. These numbers may not be impressive to some; however, Hoffman ended his career with an astounding 601 save- second all-time. Just for that accomplishment, I placed him higher on my list. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.

3. CC Sabathia — CC Sabathia is the only player on my list who is not in the Hall of Fame. The big lefty played for 19 seasons (2001–2019). He appeared in six all-star games and won the Cy Young Award in 2007. In 2009, he won the American League Championship Series MVP and the World Series. His 251–161 record produced a career winning percentage of 61% with 3,093 strikeouts. Sabathia is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2025.

2. Randy Johnson — Nicknamed “Big Unit”, this 6’10” lefty had the ball halfway to the plate before the ball left his hand! Born in a suburb of San Francisco, Walnut Creek, has the most strikeouts as a left-handed pitcher all-time with 4,875. Only the Strikeout King Nolan Ryan has more! Over his 22 years in the MLB, Johnson was selected to 10 all-star games, led the league nine times in strikeouts, and was four-time ERA leaders. He reached the 300 career wins milestone with 303 with a .646 winning percentage. The five-time Cy Young Award winner also won the pitching Triple Crown in 2002. He is part of an elite group of players in two specific categories: WAR and wins. Randy ranks 29 of 31 players with a WAR above 100. Secondly, his career wins (303) placed him fifth all-time for lefties and 22nd among all pitchers. Left-handed batters feared facing Johnson on the mound. This fierce competitor was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015.

1. Tom Seaver — You don’t get the nickname Tom Terrific or The Franchise for being mediocre. Tom Seaver began his career by winning the Rookie of the Year award in 1967. For the next 22 seasons, Tom Terrific dominated the game. On his journey to 311 career wins, Seaver was a 12-time all-star, won the Cy Young Award three times (1969, 1973, 1975), and led the league in ERA in 1970, 1971, and 1973. This five-time 20-game winner is ranked sixth on the all-time strikeouts list with 3,640. He completed his playing career with a WAR of 109.9 and a winning percentage of .603. After his playing career ended, Seaver took his talents to the broadcasting booth for the NY Yankees. Inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992. Sadly, Tom Seaver died in 2020 at the age of 75.