Tennessee\u2019s best baseball players is one that, this writer is fairly sure, not a lot of people have had. Let\u2019s face it. Baseball prospects from the state simply aren\u2019t spoken of very often. This is also true, despite the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores finding excellence on the diamond in recent years. In fact, it\u2019s not so much of a stretch to say that these two schools field some of the best baseball teams in the nation. However, we\u2019re not here to speak of them. We\u2019re here to flesh out which Major Leaguer is Tennessee\u2019s best baseball player ever.<\/p>\n
The ten players found on this list have been ranked<\/a> in terms of WAR, according to Baseball Reference. They are a mixture of pitchers and batters alike. Some on the list are fairly obvious. Others are surprises. Still, others have been left off the list that are a bit surprising in their own right. Names like Bill Madlock, David Price, R.A. Dickey, and Tim McCarver are not here. They were all good players from Tennessee. However, we are seeking Tennessee\u2019s best baseball player. Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Steve Finley ranks second on the all-time Tennessee home run list (304). He was a terror in his prime, posting 12 straight double-digit dinger campaigns. His defense was sparkling as well, netting him five Gold Glove awards. In 1996, playing for the San Diego Padres<\/a>, he hit .298 with 30 homers and a career-best 348 total bases. Yes, Finley is a very appropriate choice to kick off our search for Tennessee\u2019s best baseball player.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Noodles Hahn was the definition of a workhorse. In eight years, he pitched well over 2,000 innings. From 1899-1901 he led the league in strikeouts. In 1901, he made 42 starts. All but one of them were complete games. That year, he faced over 1,500 hitters and struck out 239 of them. However, his best overall season came one year later, when he won 23 games with a sparkling 1.77 ERA. His career ERA of 2.55 is the best out of any Tennessee-born pitcher with at least 200 career starts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>If there\u2019s one thing a list seeking Tennessee\u2019s best baseball player needs, it\u2019s good, old-fashioned grit. Pitcher Red Lucas had that, carving out a 15-year career among four different teams. He retired after the 1938 season, picking up 157 victories in over 2,500 innings of experience. Another of his claims to fame is his lack of walks. In fact, he walked under 500 batters in his entire career. Add to that a career .281 average and 404 career hits and you have one of the greatest dual threats of all time. This list would not be complete without him.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>In 1953, Jim Gilliam broke into the big leagues with the Brooklyn Dodgers<\/a>. He had spent three years playing for the Negro League\u2019s Baltimore Elite Giants. After standing out there, the Dodgers came calling. He responded by winning Rookie of the Year in a dazzling performance. Thus began the career of a multi-time All-Star and four-time World Series winner. He finished in the top 10 in MVP voting twice as well. His best season came in 1956 when he hit .300 with a 6.1 WAR and 178 hits in 153 games.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Surprisingly enough, our search for Tennessee\u2019s best baseball player only includes one Hall of Famer. This is that man. A Negro League legend, Stearnes etched out an 18-year career built upon speed and precise batting. He hit over .370 six times during that span. His best year by WAR was 1926 when he hit .383 with 21 home runs for the Detroit Stars. He won two batting titles, including an incredible 1929 that saw him hit .390. In terms of players from Tennessee, you couldn\u2019t do much better than Stearnes.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>During the Great Depression, Tommy Bridges helped anchor the Detroit Tigers<\/a>\u2019 rotation. From 1934 to 1937, he did not miss an All-Star game. Overall, he made six All-Star appearances and finished in the top 15 in MVP voting twice. In 1936, he led the league with 23 victories and 175 strikeouts in 38 starts. He also played on two world championship teams. To top it all off, in 1944, he, along with many others, sacrificed baseball to help with the effort during World War II. An MVP contender on the field and off, Bridges definitely belongs on this list.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>There are very sound arguments for Vada Pinson making the Hall of Fame. His time with the Cincinnati Reds<\/a> is of particular note. In 11 years, his 47.7 WAR ranks him in the top ten in their franchise history. He also ranks in their top ten in hits (1,881). For the purposes of our list, his 2,757 career hits are the best of any player from Tennessee. He could hit for power as well, launching 256 career homers and 485 career doubles. Yes, the arguments for Pinson in Cooperstown are many. However, his exclusion from this list would be downright criminal.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>The only active player on our list, Mookie Betts is often considered one of the finest outfielders in the game. He\u2019s a former MVP, a six-time All-Star, a six-time Gold Glove winner, and a two-time world champion. He also boasts a batting title and five Silver Sluggers. In 2018, with the Boston Red Sox<\/a>, he hit .346 while slugging .640 and posting a WAR of 10.7. He has finished in the top ten in MVP voting every year since 2016 except one. Betts\u2019s position on this list will probably vault upwards as his career continues.<\/p>\n Mookie Betts is your 2018 AL MVP!<\/p>\n .346 BA | 32 HR | 80 RBI pic.twitter.com\/K6UBRLNdJe<\/a><\/p>\n — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 15, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nTennesse’s Best Baseball Players<\/h2>\n
Steve Finley
\nBorn: Union City<\/em>
\n44.23 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nNoodles Hahn
\nBorn: Nashville<\/em>
\n44.58 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nRed Lucas
\nBorn: Columbia<\/em>
\n44.68 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nJim Gilliam
\nBorn: Nashville<\/em>
\n45.11 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nTurkey Stearnes
\nBorn: Nashville<\/em>
\n49.75 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nTommy Bridges
\nBorn: Gordonsville<\/em>
\n50.46 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nVada Pinson
\nBorn: Memphis<\/em>
\n54.18 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\nMookie Betts
\nBorn: Nashville<\/em>
\n56.40 WAR<\/em><\/h3>\n\n