SN 140: The greatest baseball players of each decade by WAR

Sporting News earned the nickname "The Bible of Baseball" in part because of our in-depth coverage of the sport, but also because we have covered the sport since nearly its inception.

The organization known today as Major League Baseball began in earnest in 1876, when the National League was founded. Sporting News was founded in 1886, 15 years before the creation of the American League and 17 years before the first World Series was played.

Baseball's legends have been covered by us for 140 years, from Cy Young and Honus Wagner to Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Not all of these legends are equal, and the evolution of stats used to determine the true value of players proves it.

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One of the most prominent stats in today's era of baseball is wins above replacement (WAR), which attempts to measure a player's value compared to a "replacement-level" player. The formula broke into baseball circles in the early 2000's, and can be applied to any player, in any era.

The complicated formula that produces WAR varies slightly by outlet and takes into account all aspects of a player's game. A player with a 3.0 WAR over a full season, for example, is estimated to provide his team with three more wins than a replacement-level player would. WAR includes adjustments for position, ballpark and the rest of the league; basically every single big and small factor you can think of when evaluating a player's impact.

Having a career war of 60 is generally considered a rough baseline for Hall of Fame consideration.

The Sporting News breaks down MLB's WAR leaders, according to Baseball-Reference, for every season from 1886 onward, pitting Hall of Famers against Hall of Famers and determining who had the most seasons as baseball's best player. 

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1886-1899

• 1886: Toad Ramsey, Louisville Colonels - 12.5
• 1887: John Clarkson, Chicago White Stockings - 15.0
• 1888: Silver King, St. Louis Browns - 16.0
• 1889: John Clarkson, Boston Beaneaters - 16.2
• 1890: Kid Nichols, Boston Beaneaters - 13.0
• 1891: John Clarkson, Boston Beaneaters - 9.0
• 1892: Cy Young, Cleveland Spiders - 13.0
• 1893: Kid Nichols, Boston Beaneaters - 11.7
• 1894: Amos Rusie, New York Giants - 13.7
• 1895: Cy Young, Cleveland Spiders - 11.6
• 1896: Cy Young, Cleveland Spiders - 10.5
• 1897: Kid Nichols, Boston Beaneaters - 11.1
• 1898: Kid Nichols, Boston Beaneaters - 11.8
• 1899: Vic Willis, Boston Beaneaters - 10.7
• Leader: Kid Nichols (98.8)

Before the turn of the century, the 1890s and the four years leading up to it produced a baseball name that still rings in the ears of two pitchers each November: Cy Young.

Young was baseball's WAR leader three times in the 1890s, posting a 1.93 ERA with the Cleveland Spiders in 1892 and carrying a 3.05 ERA with 266 wins over his first 10 seasons. 

With three seasons atop the WAR leaderboard, Young wasn't alone. John Clarkson also led baseball in WAR three times over the final 14 years of the 19th century, while Kid Nichols led the way with four seasons at the top despite he and Clarkson not having quite the same level of name recognition as Young today.

Clarkson posted three seasons with a WAR of 12 or higher between 1887-91, including a 1.85 ERA over 70 -- yes, 70 -- starts for the Chicago White Stockings in 1885. Nichols, meanwhile, won 31 games in both 1897 and 1898 when he led baseball in WAR in back-to-back years; he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.

1900s

• 1900: Bill Dinneen, Boston Beaneaters - 7.6
• 1901: Cy Young, Boston Americans - 12.4
• 1902: Cy Young, Boston Americans - 10.1
• 1903: Joe McGinnity, New York Giants - 11.9
• 1904: Jack Chesbro, New York Highlanders - 11.4
• 1905: Christy Mathewson, New York Giants - 10.5
• 1906: Nap Lajoie, Cleveland Naps - 10.0
• 1907: Honus Wagner, Pittsburgh Pirates - 9.0
• 1908: Christy Mathewson, New York Giants - 11.9
• 1909: Christy Mathewson, New York Giants - 10.6
• Leader: Honus Wagner (86.4)

The best season of Cy Young's career came in Boston after the turn of the century, when he posted a 1.62 ERA and won 33 games on his way to a 12.4 WAR in 1901. Young led baseball in WAR again in 1902, marking his fifth such season.

The first decade of the 20th century, however, saw Christy Mathewson lead the way with three seasons atop the WAR leaderboard. The Giants ace was one of the most dominant arms of the dead-ball era, carrying a 1.87 ERA over a 10-year period from 1904-13 and posting a 1.14 ERA during a career-best 1909 campaign in New York.

Honus Wagner might be the most recognizable star from the first decade of the 20th century, but he only led all of baseball in WAR in 1907, finishing closely behind Mathewson in both 1905 and 1908. 

1910s

• 1910: Ed Walsh, Chicago White Sox - 11.8
• 1911: Ty Cobb, Detroit Tigers - 10.5
• 1912: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators - 15.4
• 1913: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators - 16.6
• 1914: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators - 13.1
• 1915: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators - 12.8
• 1916: Grover Alexander, Philadelphia Phillies - 11.0
• 1917: Eddie Cicotte, Chicago White Sox - 12.1
• 1918: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators - 11.8
• 1919: Walter Johnson, Washington Senators - 11.0
• Leader: Walter Johnson (111.4)

Wagner's stardom carried into the early years of the 1910s, while a new star emerged near the turn of the decade in Ty Cobb. Cobb led baseball in WAR in 1911, when he posted one of his two double-digit WAR seasons, but he ceded the title to Walter Johnson in 1912. That proved to be the start of a tremendous run.

Johnson led MLB in WAR six different times in the 1910s, often by wide margins. Johnson posted a 16.6 WAR in 1913, boosted by a 1.4 mark as a hitter in addition to his work on the mound. The Washington Senators ace had a 1.59 ERA in the 1910s, routinely sitting near the top of the strikeout leaderboard and amassing 265 wins. 

Aside from Johnson and Cobb, only Ed Walsh, Grover Alexander and Eddie Cicotte led MLB in WAR during the 1910s. 

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1920s

• 1920: Grover Alexander, Chicago Cubs - 12.7
• 1921: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees - 12.6
• 1922: Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals - 10.0
• 1923: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees - 14.1
• 1924: Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals - 12.1
• 1925: Rogers Hornsby, St. Louis Cardinals - 10.1
• 1926: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees - 11.4
• 1927: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees - 12.5
• 1928: Dazzy Vance, Brooklyn Dodgers - 10.3
• 1929: Rogers Hornsby, Chicago Cubs - 10.5
• Leader: Babe Ruth (102.3)

Enter the Great Bambino.

Babe Ruth, sold to the Yankees by the Red Sox at the start of the 1920s, was the face of the decade that saw MLB move into the live-ball era. Ruth led baseball with 11 home runs in 1918 but hit 54 in 1920 and 59 in 1921, shattering records in his first two seasons in a Yankees uniform.

Ruth led MLB in WAR in 1921, 1923, 1926 and 1927, including a career-best 14.1 WAR in 1923. He wasn't alone, though. Rogers Hornsby led MLB in WAR four times as well in the 1920s, batting better than .400 three times and excelling with the Cardinals, Giants and Cubs. The Yankees were the dominant force of the 1920s, but Hornsby and the Cardinals won a championship in 1926 to put their stamp on the decade.

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1930s

• 1930: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees - 10.5
• 1931: Babe Ruth, New York Yankees - 10.5
• 1932: Jimmie Foxx, Philadelphia Athletics - 10.3
• 1933: Carl Hubbell, New York Giants - 9.0
• 1934: Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees - 10.0
• 1935: Wes Ferrell, Boston Red Sox - 10.6
• 1936: Lefty Grove, Boston Red Sox - 10.6
• 1937: Lefty Grove, Boston Red Sox - 9.2
• 1938: Mel Ott, New York Giants - 8.8
• 1939: Bucky Walters, Cincinnati Reds - 9.8
• Leader: Lefty Grove (80.7)

Ruth twice more led MLB in WAR in the 1930s, starting the decade with two dominant seasons before ceding the spotlight to other stars.

After Ruth began to fade, baseball struggled to find its next dominant superstar. Ruth's longtime teammate, Lou Gehrig, led MLB in WAR in 1934, but Jimmie Foxx, Carl Hubbell, Wes Ferrell, Mel Ott and Bucky Walters also spent a season atop the WAR leaderboard.

The only player other than Ruth with more than one season leading baseball in WAR in the 1930s was Lefty Grove, who won an MVP award with the Athletics in 1931 but saved some of his best work for Boston, where he shined in 1936 and 1937.

1940s

• 1940: Bob Feller, Cleveland Indians - 9.0
• 1941: Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox - 10.3
• 1942: Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox - 10.4
• 1943: Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals - 9.4
• 1944: Dizzy Trout, Detroit Tigers - 10.9
• 1945: Hal Newhouser, Detroit Tigers - 12.2
• 1946: Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox - 10.5
• 1947: Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox - 9.5
• 1948: Stan Musial, St. Louis Cardinals - 11.2
• 1949: Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers - 9.3
• Leader: Ted Williams (64.8)

There is no telling what kind of career numbers and accolades Ted Williams might have had if not for his military service during World War II, which was sandwiched between the most dominant seasons of his career. Williams led MLB in WAR in 1941 and 1942, went to war from 1943-45 and returned to lead the league in WAR in 1946 and 1947.

Even with three seasons lost to World War II, Williams owned the 1940s from an individual standpoint. He was rivaled by Stan Musial, who twice led MLB in WAR as the face of the Cardinals, while Jackie Robinson arrived in 1947 and became one of baseball's most electrifying players with an MVP season in 1949. 

In terms of winning, Musial had the advantage over Williams with three championships in the 1940s while the Red Sox extended what would turn into an infamous World Series drought.

SN 140: Ted Williams goes 6-for-8 on final day to hit .406 in 1941

1950s

• 1950: Eddie Stanky, New York Giants - 8.2
• 1951: Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers - 9.6
• 1952: Bobby Shantz, Philadelphia Athletics - 9.4
• 1953: Al Rosen, Cleveland Indians - 10.1
• 1954: Willie Mays, New York Giants - 10.4
• 1955: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees - 9.5
• 1956: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees - 11.2
• 1957: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees - 11.3
• 1958: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants - 10.2
• 1959: Ernie Banks, Chicago Cubs - 10.2
• Leader: Mickey Mantle (68.0)

Jackie Robinson led baseball in WAR a second time in 1951, but the 1950s brought about the emergence of two icons in Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.

Mantle earned back-to-back MVPs in 1956 and 1957, leading baseball in WAR in three consecutive seasons, while Mays won a World Series in 1954 and led MLB in WAR twice during the decade.

Cubs great Ernie Banks left his mark with a 10.2-WAR season in 1959, but the decade belonged to Mantle. The 1960s, on the other hand, were Mays' peak years.

1960s

• 1960: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants - 9.5
• 1961: Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees - 10.4
• 1962: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants - 10.5
• 1963: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants - 10.6
• 1964: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants - 11.0
• 1965: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants - 11.2
• 1966: Juan Marichal, San Francisco Giants - 9.2
• 1967: Carl Yastrzemski, Boston Red Sox - 12.4
• 1968: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals - 11.0
• 1969: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals - 11.3
• Leader: Willie Mays (84.2)

Mantle's greatness at the plate continued in the 1960s, but Mays couldn't be stopped over the decade's first seven years. He led MLB in WAR five more times, winning another MVP award along the way and posting four consecutive double-digit WAR campaigns. 

The Giants star hit .315 with 518 home runs and a .992 OPS over a 13-year period from 1954-1966, cementing his legacy as one of the game's all-time greats.

By the time Mays started to fade, pitching started to rule baseball. 1968 was dubbed the "year of the pitcher," led by Bob Gibson's historic 1.12 ERA across 34 starts. MLB lowered the mound prior to the 1969 season so hitters could keep up, but Gibson still won MLB's WAR crown.

Juan Marichal and Carl Yastrzemski were the only players other than Mays, Mantle and Gibson to lead the league in WAR during the 1960s.

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1970s

Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

• 1970: Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals - 10.1
• 1971: Fergie Jenkins, Chicago Cubs - 11.8
• 1972: Steve Carlton, Philadelphia Phillies - 12.5
• 1973: Tom Seaver, New York Mets - 11.0
• 1974: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies - 9.7
• 1975: Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds - 10.9
• 1976: Joe Morgan, Cincinnati Reds - 9.6
• 1977: Rod Carew, Minnesota Twins - 9.7
• 1978: Phil Niekro, Atlanta Braves - 10.4
• 1979: Fred Lynn, Boston Red Sox - 7.9
• Leader: Joe Morgan, Tom Seaver - 67.1

Pitching continued to dominate the ranks early in the 1970s, starting with Gibson's third season as MLB's WAR leader and continuing with brilliant seasons from Fergie Jenkins, Steve Carlton and Tom Seaver in the NL.

For the remainder of the decade though, hitters largely ruled. Joe Morgan twice led baseball in WAR during the days of the "Big Red Machine," becoming the only player to lead the league twice during the 1970s, and he was joined by Mike Schmidt, Rod Carew and Fred Lynn. Only Phil Niekro won the WAR crown as a pitcher from 1974-79.

1980s

Imagn Images

• 1980: Steve Carlton, Philadelphia Phillies - 10.1
• 1981: Mike Schmidt, Philadelphia Phillies - 7.7
• 1982: Robin Yount, Milwaukee Brewers- 10.6
• 1983: Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles - 8.2
• 1984: Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles - 10.0
• 1985: Dwight Gooden, New York Mets - 13.3
• 1986: Teddy Higuera, Milwaukee Brewers - 9.4
• 1987: Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox - 9.4
• 1988: Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox - 8.3
• 1989: Bret Saberhagen, Kansas City Royals - 9.7
• Leader: Rickey Henderson (71.0)

No season was as dominant as Dwight Gooden's 1985 with the Mets during the 1980s, but sustaining such a dominant start to his career proved to be a challenge.

Only Cal Ripken Jr. led MLB in WAR more than once during the decade, leading in back-to-back seasons on his way to Rookie of the Year and MVP honors with the Orioles. Carlton and Schmidt each led the league in WAR for one more season after topping the leaderboard once in the 1970s, while Robin Yount, Roger Clemens and Wade Boggs all had a season at the top as well.

While he never led any individual season, base-stealing savant Rickey Henderson was the overall WAR leader for the 1980s at 71.0.

For Ripken and Clemens, more success was ahead in the 1990s. 

1990s

• 1990: Roger Clemens, Boston Red Sox - 10.4
• 1991: Cal Ripken Jr., Baltimore Orioles - 11.5
• 1992: Greg Maddux, Chicago Cubs - 9.4
• 1993: Jose Rijo, Cincinnati Reds - 10.1
• 1994: Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves - 8.7
• 1995: Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves - 9.6
• 1996: Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners - 9.7
• 1997: Roger Clemens, Toronto Blue Jays - 12.1
• 1998: Kevin Brown, San Diego Padres - 9.1
• 1999: Pedro Martinez, Boston Red Sox - 9.8
• Leader: Barry Bonds (80.2)

Even as the steroid era kicked into gear, there was some remarkable pitching in the 1990s, led by names such as Clemens, Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez. Maddux led MLB in WAR three times between two different teams, while Clemens and Martinez bookended the decade with stellar seasons.

Ripken led MLB in WAR for a third time as he kept his consecutive games played streak alive in 1991, and Ken Griffey Jr. topped the leaderboard with the Mariners in 1996.

Jose Rijo and Kevin Brown might be surprising names already forgotten about, as Rijo finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting despite leading all of baseball in WAR in 1993.

Despite his best stretch coming in the early 2000s, all-time home run leader Barry Bonds finished as the decade's WAR leader with 80.2 and more to come in the years that followed.

2000s

• 2000: Pedro Martinez, Boston Red Sox - 11.7
• 2001: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants - 11.8
• 2002: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants - 11.7
• 2003: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants - 9.1
• 2004: Barry Bonds, San Francisco Giants - 10.6
• 2005: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees - 9.4
• 2006: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - 8.4
• 2007: Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees - 9.4
• 2008: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals - 9.2
• 2009: Zack Greinke, Kansas City Royals - 10.4
• Leader: Alex Rodriguez (77.7)

The steroid era reared its head in the 2000s, with Barry Bonds' four-year stretch unlike any other earning him four WAR crowns. Bonds led the league each season from 2001-04, including in his historic 73-home run campaign, and that led the way for the first decade of the 21st century.

Alex Rodriguez, who admitted to using steroids at different times in his career but flashed a brilliant bat from a young age, led MLB in WAR in 2005 and 2007, while Albert Pujols did the same in 2006 and 2008 without any known steroid use.

The decade was bookended by brilliant pitching. Pedro Martinez's 2000 season is considered one of the greatest ever right there with his 1999 campaign, while Zack Greinke broke out with a Cy Young season in 2009 to lead baseball in WAR.

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2010s

William Liang - Imagn Images

• 2010: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers - 8.7
• 2011: Cliff Lee, Philadelphia Phillies - 9.0
• 2012: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels - 10.5
• 2013: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels - 8.9
• 2014: Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers - 8.2
• 2015: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals - 9.7
• 2016: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels - 10.4
• 2017: Jose Altuve, Houston Astros - 8.1
• 2018: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox - 10.7
• 2019: Alex Bregman, Houston Astros - 9.0
• Leader: Mike Trout (72.1)

Surprisingly never leading MLB in WAR during the 2010s was Justin Verlander, who won MVP as a pitcher in 2011, but the decade's other MVP-winning pitcher did top the leaderboard in 2014 when Clayton Kershaw turned in a year to remember.

The only player to lead baseball in WAR more than once in the 2010s was Mike Trout, who led the way in 2012, 2013 and 2016 despite winning MVP in only one of those seasons -- and twice in years in which he wasn't MLB's WAR leader.

Trout and Kershaw were joined by Josh Hamilton, Cliff Lee, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Mookie Betts and Alex Bregman in a decade that saw seven different teams win the World Series.

2020s

Apr 21, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) reacts after scoring against the Boston Red Sox in the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

• 2020: Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers - 3.7
• 2021: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels - 9.0
• 2022: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees - 10.8
• 2023: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels - 9.9
• 2024: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees - 10.9
• 2025: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees - 9.7
• Leader: Shohei Ohtani (50.9)

So far, the 2020s belong to Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The two have combined for seven of last 10 MVP awards handed out, if only because they played in the same league through 2023, and they aren't letting anyone else into the race WAR crown just yet.

After Betts topped the leaderboard in the shortened 2020 campaign, Ohtani has led the way twice -- but it might surprise some fans to learn Judge has been MLB's WAR leader more than Ohtani, even when accounting for Ohtani's work on the mound.

Ohtani has a strong chance to pull even in 2026 with Judge missing a chunk of the season, but he has competitors both at the plate and on the mound.

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All-time

17 players have led MLB in WAR in at least three different seasons, according to Baseball-Reference:

Willie Mays' seven seasons, spread out over a 12-year period, are the all-time record, while Walter Johnson holds the record for a pitcher with six such seasons and is joined by legendary Yankees slugger Babe Ruth. 

In the 21st century, only Barry Bonds has led baseball in WAR more than three times. Aaron Judge and Mike Trout are the two active players to lead baseball in WAR at least three times, but Shohei Ohtani is one such season away from joining them. 

Mays has a case to be the best all-around player in MLB history, but the big question is what Ted Williams' career would have looked like if not for his military service. He missed some or all of his age 23, 24, 25, 33 and 34 seasons. Could he have won the WAR crown in 1943, 1944 and 1945 to match what Mays ultimately did? At the pace he was on, it's not inconceivable. 

WAR is useful in many ways, as are many of the modern-day stats intended to capture a player's full value as a hitter, pitcher, fielder or as a player overall. There remains, however, no true way to confidently tell who the best player in baseball history might be.

Babe Ruth is the all-time WAR leader, with a career mark of 182.6. He was the game's first great home run hitter and was ahead of his time in that department. Many fans and pundits today would tell you that he wouldn't be able to hold up against today's pitchers, nor did he even remotely have the athleticism to do what today's players can do defensively.

Is it fair to compare players only against their own era? Is there a way to compare players across eras?

WAR might be the fairest way to do both, but it isn't foolproof enough to know beyond a doubt that Ruth, or Mays, or Bonds or Williams is the single greatest player of all-time. The debate, like baseball, is everlasting.