X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

The Top 10 Greatest MLB Players To Never Win A World Series

Barry Bonds - MLB, Baseball Evergreen

Dan takes a look at some of the best MLB players who never won a World Series title in their careers. Read about the successful MLB players who missed on a ring.

We often judge the greatness of athletes on how successful they were in the postseason. How many titles did they win? How often did they lead their team to the postseason?

But the reality is that only one team wins the championship every year and hundreds of baseball players don't win.

The Hall of Fame is loaded with great players who never brought a title home to their team, but in this piece, I narrow down the list to the top 10 players of all time who failed to win a World Series title in their careers.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy baseball lineup tools and resources:

 

Honorable Mentions

Frank Thomas, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey, Phil Niekro, Ralph Kiner, Gaylord Perry

It's tough to know where to draw the line, even with the honorable mention crowd as there are simply so many great players who qualify for this list. As we go down the list, you will notice that it comprises all hitters, no pitchers -- which was not by design.

The list also includes players from all eras of baseball. I'm sure I'm leaving off some greats here, so let me know about it in the comments if you think that's the case!

Note: All-time rankings for this article do not include the Negro League data that is in the process of being integrated with the rest of MLB's historical record.

 

10. Carl Yastrzemski

The Boston Red Sox legend had an incredibly lengthy and productive career but only played in two postseasons. The Sox lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in 1967, despite Yaz hitting .400 with three home runs in the series. And then Boston lost again in 1975 (in seven games) to the Cincinnati Reds.

Yaz played all 23 seasons with Boston and over 100 games in every season but one. He finished with 452 home runs and a career batting average of .285. He had five seasons with 100+ RBI and while he led the league in home runs just once, he led all of baseball in doubles three times.

An all-time Boston great, Yaz has his statue outside Fenway Park and will forever be remembered as one of the most consistent hitters of all time.

 

9. Rod Carew

Before there was Tony Gwynn, there was Rod Carew. One of the all-time greats, Carew played 19 seasons split between the Minnesota Twins and California Angels. He had three 200+ hit seasons while collecting seven batting titles and finishing his esteemed career with a .328 career batting average.

Carew made four trips to the postseason -- two with Minnesota and two with California. But each time his team fell short of advancing to the World Series. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1967 and made the All-Star team in 18 straight seasons with his final season in 1985 being the only one in which he didn't.

 

8. Jim Thome

I grew up idolizing the big first baseman and even wore No. 25 when I played high school baseball because every big guy who played first base wanted to be like Thome.

Thome spent the first half of his career in Cleveland as a member of some really good Indians teams. He hit 52 home runs in his final season in Cleveland in 2002 before spending the next three seasons in Philadelphia and then bouncing around from Chicago to L.A. and Minnesota near the end of his career.

Thome's 612 home runs are the eighth most in MLB history and ahead of both Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. He was a five-time All-Star who finished his career with an impressive .402 OBP as he was a master of drawing walks -- leading the league in free passes three times.

Thome had 232 postseason at-bats but made only two appearances in the World Series -- both with Cleveland in 1994 and 1997. Unfortunately, the Indians (now Guardians) dropped both those series with the 1997 series against the Marlins being the ultimate heartbreaker with the Tribe losing in extra innings of Game 7.

 

7. Ernie Banks

One of the most storied careers of any Chicago Cub, Ernie Banks was the first power-hitting shortstop in modern baseball. He played all 19 seasons in Chicago, leading the league in home runs twice, RBI twice, and games played six times. He also won the MVP twice and was a 14-time All-Star.

Banks was one of the most reliable players in the game, playing in 130 or more games every season other than his final two at ages 39 and 40. He never even smelled the World Series, as the Cubs failed to qualify for the postseason in every year of Banks' career.

He owns the unfortunate record of having played 2,528 games without ever reaching the postseason. Ernie Banks was a special player and it's a shame that part of his legacy is that he played on bad teams for most of his career.

 

6. Robin Yount

I'm not sure that the average baseball fan knows just how good of a hitter Robin Yount was for nearly two decades.

Yount debuted at only 18 years of age with Milwaukee back in 1974 and played all 20 seasons with the Brewers. He was only an All-Star three times but won two MVP Awards and was a member of the 3000-hit club (currently 21st overall with 3,142).

The Brewers made just two playoff appearances during Yount's tenure with the team but were bounced by the Yankees in 1981 and the Cardinals in the 1982 World Series. That series went seven games, with Yount hitting .414 for Milwaukee, who led the series 3-2 before dropping the final two games.

 

5. Tony Gwynn

Gwynn finished with one less hit than Yount did in his career but also had 2,000 fewer at-bats. The man was a hitting machine, walking nearly twice as often as he struck out and finishing with a .338 career average.

Gwynn spent his entire 20-year career with the Padres and collected eight batting titles while being named an All-Star 15 times. He also won seven Silver Slugger Awards and another five Gold Gloves. He was simply a great all-around player.

Gwynn's Padres made the postseason three times and went to the World Series twice. They lost in five games in 1984 to the Detroit Tigers and were swept in 1998 by the juggernaut New York Yankees. The lack of a title certainly doesn't diminish the late Gwynn's career and his reputation as one of the best hitters and human beings to ever play Major League Baseball will live on for generations.

 

4. Ken Griffey Jr.

I think that Ken Griffey Jr. had the sweetest swing we've ever seen. It was so smooth and he made hitting bombs look easy.

As a 19-year-old phenom, he debuted with the Seattle Mariners and had a chance to play alongside his father for a year and a half in 1990 and 1991. He was an All-Star every season from 1990 to 2000 and the cornerstone of some really good Seattle teams during that era.

Griffey's career was never the same after he turned 30 as he battled injuries while in Cincinnati, but he still finished with 630 home runs -- good for seventh all-time. He led the league in long balls four different times and won the MVP in 1997 when he hit 56 home runs and drove in 147 runs.

Unfortunately, Griffey's Seattle teams were blocked by some good Yankees and Indians teams during that era and they never made it to the World Series.

 

3. Barry Bonds

Bonds is the all-time leader in home runs (762) and walks (2,558) as he played 22 seasons in his career. He won two MVP Awards in Pittsburgh and another five MVPs in San Francisco and is regarded by many as the best hitter (or at least power hitter) of all time.

Bonds made seven postseason appearances during his career. With the Pirates from 1990-1992, he came up just short of the World Series three straight seasons, but he did make it to the Fall Classic once with the Giants in 2002, only to lose in seven games to the Anaheim Angels.

Bonds hit .417 in that World Series with four home runs and 13 walks, which was good for a 1.994 OPS. While a title eluded him, Bonds always showed up on the biggest stage.

 

2. Ted Williams

The only player to ever hit .400 in the modern era of baseball (.406 in 1941 at the age of 22) was Ted Williams. He is the all-time leader in OBP with a career mark of .482. Williams got on base more than anyone in baseball history. He led the league in runs scored five times, home runs four times, walks eight times, and batting average six times.

Williams won the Triple Crown twice and was a 19-time All-Star. He even missed three years of his prime (age 24-26 seasons) when he served in WWII as a pilot.

Ted's only trip to the postseason was the 1946 World Series, which his Boston Red Sox dropped to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games.

 

1. Ty Cobb

While Ty Cobb played in a different era than the rest of these hitters, you can't deny that he is among all the all-time greats. His major league career spanned 24 seasons as he played from age 18 until he was 41 and he collected 4,189 hits, which served as the most ever in baseball until Pete Rose broke his record.

Cobb's lifetime batting average of .366 was the high-water mark for nearly 100 years but will be surpassed once Josh Gibson's .372 average is added to the record.

As far as the postseason goes, Cobb had three consecutive cracks at a title early in his career with the Tigers as Detroit made it to the World Series in 1907, 1908, and 1909. His Tigers fell to the Cubs in the first two matchups and in seven games to the Pirates in 1909. He played another 19 seasons after that without returning to the postseason.

More Fantasy Baseball Advice

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Justin Verlander

Plans to Pitch in 2026
Junior Caminero

Day-to-Day With Back Tightness
Will Smith

Won't Return When First Eligible
Tyler Soderstrom

Returns to A's Lineup
Tyler Warren

Sidelined on Wednesday with Toe Injury
Jaylen Waddle

Questionable for Week 3 Against Buffalo
Joe Burrow

Bengals Not Closing the Door on Joe Burrow Returning This Year
CFB

LaNorris Sellers to Play Against Missouri?
Kyle Tucker

Progress has "Plateaued"
Isaac Paredes

has "Outside Chance" to Return This Weekend
CFB

Kaidon Salter Expected To Start for Colorado on Saturday
Willson Contreras

Goes on 10-Day Injured List, Done for Season
Justin Fields

Ruled Out for Week 3 Due to Concussion
Jayden Reed

Out Indefinitely After Foot and Shoulder Surgery
Washington Commanders

Preston Smith Signs With Commanders
Trey Jemison III

Joins Knicks on Two-Way Contract
Kevin McCullar Jr.

Signs New Two-Way Deal With Knicks
Matt Ryan

Returns to Knicks on Exhibit 10 Contract
New York Knicks

Alex Len Signs Exhibit 9 Deal With Knicks
Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Expected to Take on Larger Offensive Role With Hawks
Thomas Sorber

Undergoes Surgery
Dominic Canzone

Has Five-Hit, Three-Homer Game Tuesday
Cal Raleigh

Sets Single-Season Home Run Record for a Switch-Hitter
Jayden Reed

Undergoes Clavicle and Foot Surgeries, Out for Foreseeable Future
Bo Bichette

to Miss Rest of Regular Season
Zach Neto

Placed on 10-Day Injured List With Hand Injury
Yordan Alvarez

Out on Tuesday, Dealing With "Significant" Ankle Sprain
Aaron Jones Sr.

Vikings Place Aaron Jones Sr. on Injured Reserve With Hamstring Injury
CFB

Diego Pavia Refutes Report of Seeking Seventh Collegiate Season
Christian Kirk

Expected to Return in Week 3
CFB

Diego Pavia Seeking Another Year of Eligibility
Tarik Skubal

on Track to Start Thursday
CFB

Kevorian Barnes Questionable Against SMU
Bo Bichette

has Short-Term Knee Injury, Could Return for Postseason
Tosan Evbuomwan

Joins Knicks
NBA

Kai Jones Links Up With EuroLeague Team
Bismack Biyombo

Returns to Spurs
Bones Hyland

Rejoins Timberwolves
Kobe Bufkin

Moves to Brooklyn
Trey Yesavage

Sets Franchise Strikeout Record On Monday
Yordan Alvarez

To Receive MRI For Sprained Left Ankle On Tuesday
Willson Contreras

Exits Early Monday With Right-Biceps Tightness
Yordan Alvarez

Exits With Ankle Sprain
Brock Bowers

Officially Active on Monday Night
Jauan Jennings

Day-to-Day With Ankle Injury
Logan O'Hoppe

Activated Off Seven-Day Injured List
CBJ

Denton Mateychuk Dealing With Groin Issue
Bo Horvat

Fine for Training Camp
Kirby Dach

on Track to Be Ready for Opening Night
Jose Altuve

Returns Against Rangers
J.J. McCarthy

Expected to Miss 2-4 Weeks With High-Ankle Sprain
J.J. McCarthy

Likely Out for Week 3 With High-Ankle Sprain
Jean Silva

Gets Finished For The First Time In His Career
Aaron Jones Sr.

Unlikely to Play in Week 3 Due to Hamstring Injury
Diego Lopes

Returns To The Win Column
Jayden Daniels

' Week 3 Status in Doubt
Rob Font

Outclassed In The Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
David Martinez

Wins His Second UFC Fight
Jared Gordon

Suffers Brutal TKO Loss At Noche UFC 3
Rafa Garcia

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Brian Thomas Jr.

Dealing with Wrist Injury
Dustin Stoltzfus

Drops A Decision At Noche UFC 3
Kelvin Gastelum

Gets Back In The Win Column
Diego Ferreira

Suffers Second-Round TKO
Alexander Hernandez

Extends His Win Streak With A Brutal TKO
Quang Le

Suffers First-Round Knockout
Santiago Luna

Shines In His UFC Debut
Christopher Bell

Earns his First Bristol Cup Series Victory
Alex Bowman

Falls Short of Advancing Through Cup Series Playoffs
Chase Briscoe

Collects his Third Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Ryan Blaney

Strong Top-Five Bristol Performance Advances him to the Playoffs
Corey Heim

Earns his First Career Cup Series Top-10 Finish at Bristol
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Leads Greece to Bronze Medal
Alperen Sengün

Alperen Sengun Drops 28 Points in EuroBasket Finals
CFB

Indiana's Lee Beebe Jr. Out for Season with Knee Injury
Dennis Schröder

Dennis Schroder Named EuroBasket MVP
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote Bryce Eldridge
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Progressing in Recovery
Jonathan Kuminga

Receives New Offer From Warriors
Kenneth Walker III

Bounces Back with Big Week 2 Performance
Bijan Robinson

Rushes for 143 Yards in Week 2
Justin Fields

Currently in Concussion Protocol
Cincinnati Bengals

Bengals Calling Around to Available Free-Agent Quarterbacks
Joe Burrow

to Undergo Surgery, Out at Least Three Months
Emil Heineman

Aiming to Take the "Next Step" This Season
Braeden Cootes

Good to Go for Camp
Ivan Fedotov

Blue Jackets Acquire Ivan Fedotov From Flyers
Quentin Grimes

Still Not Close to a New Contract Agreement
Joel Embiid

"Looking Slender, Spry and in Positive Spirits"
Ty Gibbs

Has Arguably his Best Career Drive, but Only Finishes 10th
Chase Elliott

Despite Crashing Out at Bristol, Chase Elliott Advances to Round of 12
Austin Dillon

Misses Round of 12 After Extremely Mediocre Bristol Run
Shane Van Gisbergen

Shane van Gisbergen Fails to Advance to Round of 12
Josh Berry

Finishes Last in All Three Round of 16 Races to Fail to Advance
CFB

Ryan Williams Explodes In Return To Field
CFB

Drew Allar Plays Mediocre Game In Blowout Win
CFB

LaNorris Sellers Exits Game In Blowout Loss
CFB

DJ Lagway Tosses Five Interceptions In Loss
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Plays Game Manager in Saturday's Win
CFB

CJ Carr Remains Poised In Narrow Loss
CFB

John Mateer Leads Oklahoma In Rout
CFB

Arch Manning Struggles Against UTEP
CFB

Jeremiah Smith Impresses In Win
CFB

Sam Leavitt Shines As Arizona State Rebounds From Week 2 Loss
Ivan Demidov

Turning Heads in Rookie Camp
NHL

Calvin de Haan Signs With Swedish Team
Samuel Girard

Skates With Non-Contact Jersey
Mackenzie Blackwood

Dealing With Injury Ahead of Training Camp
Spencer Knight

Signs Three-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Chris Buescher

May have Another Solid Run at Bristol
Corey Perry

Out 6-8 Weeks Following Surgery
Kyle Busch

Should DFS Managers Roster Kyle Busch at Bristol?
Ricky Stenhouse Jr

Is Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Too Risky to Consider Rostering at Bristol?
Michael McDowell

Could be A Solid Value Option For Bristol DFS Lineups
Chase Elliott

Probably Won't Factor in for Bristol Win
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not as Strong at Bristol as Other Short Tracks
Alex Bowman

Needs to Win to Make Round of 12
Ross Chastain

has Never Led at Bristol but Has Been Pretty Consistent
Austin Dillon

Richmond Speed Unlikely to Carry Over to Bristol
Josh Berry

Might Run Well at Bristol, but Almost Certainly Won't Win to Advance
Justin Haley

Bristol One of Justin Haley's Few Recent Bright Spots
CFB

Austin Simmons Listed As Game-Time Decision Against Arkansas
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Struggles In Fourth Straight Loss
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Dealing With a "Tweak"
BUF

Alexandar Georgiev Joins Sabres on One-Year Deal
Corey Perry

Injured During Pre-Camp Skate
CFB

Antonio Williams Out Against Georgia Tech
CFB

CJ Bailey Flashes Again in Win Over Wake Forest
CFB

Jaxson Moi a Game-Time Decision for Tennessee on Saturday
Jean Silva

A Favorite At Noche UFC 3
Diego Lopes

Set For Noche UFC 3 Main Event
Rob Font

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
David Martinez

Set For Noche UFC 3 Co-Main Event
Rafa Garcia

An Underdog At Noche UFC 3
Jared Gordon

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Dustin Stoltzfus

Looks To Return To The Win Column
Kelvin Gastelum

In Dire Need Of Victory
Diego Ferreira

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Malcolm Brogdon

Heading to Knicks on One-Year Deal
Landry Shamet

Staying with the Knicks

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP