by Juan Leer

Created on: January 20, 2007   Last Updated: April 27, 2007

Here I'll give my list of the 10 best players ever to play in the MLB. For the purposes of this list, I'm not including Negro League players. Not because none of them could crack the list (I think it's a safe bet that a guy like Oscar Charleston would crack the top 10), but there's just too much unknown.

First, a few that just missed the cut:

- Hank Aaron - remarkably consistent with lots of longevity, I'm sure Hammerin' Hank would appear on a lot of people's top 10 lists. However, I also place a premium on 'peak' or great seasons, which wasn't really what Hank did well (his best year was in 1971, at age 37). So I drop him a little based on peak, but he was incredibly consistent and has great longevity. Oh, and I think he still has some HR record.

- Roger Clemens - In my mind, the 3rd best pitcher ever (you'll see my top 2 later). Longevity? Check. Exceptional seasons? Check. Playing in the best hitter's era ever? Check. He's second all-time in strikeouts, he's always had solid/decent control, and he is still one of the best pitchers in the league even at his age now. If you tried to argue that Roger was the best pitcher ever, I wouldn't put up too much of an argument.

- Stan Musial - Stan "The Man" was another that just missed the cut. He played over 1800 games in the OF and over 1000 games at 1B, winning the MVP 3 times. He was an OBP machine, leading the league there 6 times, and he also led the league in Slugging 6 times. Just a great, all-around player.

But enough of those that missed, let's move on to the Top 10:

10. Barry Bonds - Without a doubt, the hardest player of all to rank because of all the steroid accusations/usage and deciding when/if he was using some type of performance-enhancing drugs. If we could take all of his numbers at face value, I think Bonds would very likely be one of the top 3 players ever (and his 2001-2003 stretch the best 3-year stretch EVER in MLB history). But well, it's hard to do that because of all of the allegations. So I've put him here, at #10. At worst, he was the best player of the 90s, and the best combination of power/speed ever. He's always had a fantastic eye at the plate, and he was routinely 40 HR hitter throughout the 90s (while stealing lots of bases). Even if factoring in potential enhancers, the 2001-2004 stretch numbers are simply mind-boggling. In short, I'd put him higher than 10 rather than lower if I had to, but for now, I'll stick him here.

9. Lefty Grove - The second best pitcher of all-time. His adjusted

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