Baseball Reference Blog

(last updated on November 3, 2025)

Height in baseball can certainly help – think of a first baseman stretching out to make a play or a pitcher using leverage for more speed and power. However, unlike a sport like basketball, it isn’t a requirement for excellence. For example, José Altuve is one of the best infielders of his generation despite being 5’6”. 

While the average height in MLB is surely higher than the national average, exceptionally tall players 6’8” and over are very rare. So who is the tallest of the tall? Here is the list of the tallest MLB players ever. 

(last updated on October 22, 2025)

There are 20 Hall of Fame third basemen. That total is fewer than any other position in baseball (with the exception of designated hitter). However, some of baseball’s best defensive players and power hitters have played at the “hot corner” of the baseball diamond. We are going to break down the best third basemen of all time, using statistics. Specifically, we will be looking at the leaders in Position Player WAR. This measurement considers baserunning, grounding into double plays (when in DP situations), and fielding. Additionally, WAR is adjusted by position. Third basemen, for example, generally have the lowest batting averages outside of catchers. Finally, replacement level runs (based on playing time) round out the considerations of WAR, which determines who is among the best third basemen of all time.

It should be noted that three-time American League MVP Álex Rodríguez’s career WAR of 117.6 would top this list of third basemen. However, A-Rod is not included here because he played most of his career at shortstop with both the Mariners and Rangers. It was not until joining the Yankees for the 2004 season that Rodríguez made his debut at third base to accommodate Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.

Here are the top 10 greatest third basemen, in alphabetical order, according to WAR.