SABR All-Time Eras Teams: Fun Facts
Here are a few fun facts and figures about the SABR All-Time Eras Teams project, which celebrated 150 years of baseball and American history since the founding of the National League in 1876.
A total of 83,232 votes were recorded in the six era ballots, with more than 5,000 individual ballots cast by SABR members throughout the 2026 season. Click here to view full voting totals for the All-Time Eras Teams project.
The lineups across all six eras were filled with serious star power. The average career Wins Above Replacement for First Team players selected at each position, as measured by Baseball-Reference.com, was:
- Catcher: 53.7 WAR
- First Base: 81.5
- Second Base: 84.5
- Third Base: 69.9
- Shortstop: 88.3
- Outfield: 102.2
- Designated Hitter: 65.8
- Starting Pitcher: 87.0
- Relief Pitcher: 39.9
The starting outfield for the Integration Era (1947-1972) was especially impressive: Willie Mays, Henry Aaron, and Ted Williams averaged 140.4 WAR apiece, far surpassing any other era. The 30 outfielders who appeared on the Integration Era ballot — which included 19 Hall of Famers — had a combined total of 2,108 Wins Above Replacement.
The most accomplished infield came from the Free Agency Era (1973-2000), with Eddie Murray, Joe Morgan, Mike Schmidt, and Cal Ripken Jr. averaging 93.0 WAR apiece.
Among starting pitchers, the top rotation came from the Deadball Era (1901-1919), with an average of 109.1 WAR between Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Grover Alexander, Mordecai Brown, and Eddie Plank.
The teams represented most among the players, managers, and executives voted to the First, Second, or Third Teams were:
- Yankees, 28
- Negro Leagues, 28
- Giants, 23
- Dodgers, 19
- Athletics, 19
The teams represented most on the First Teams were:
- Giants, 12
- Yankees, 11
- Orioles/Browns, 6
- Braves, 6
- Athletics, 6
Note: Each player’s primary team — with whom they made the most significant contributions — was considered.
The highest percentage of votes received on any ballot were:
- Ty Cobb, 95.0% (OF–Deadball Era)
- Walter Johnson, 92.9% (SP–Deadball Era)
- Christy Mathewson, 92.8% (SP–Deadball Era)
- Honus Wagner, 90.2% (SS–Deadball Era)
- Bob Gibson, 90.1% (SP–Integration Era)
Bob Gibson also received the highest number of raw votes on any ballot, with 865, followed by Sandy Koufax (SP–Integration Era) at 847 and Willie Mays (OF–Integration Era) at 834.
For the record, the only player (so far) to achieve unanimous induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Mariano Rivera, received 88.95% of the vote among relief pitchers in SABR’s ballot for the Modern Era (2001-2025).
Babe Ruth — the final member of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural class along with Cobb, Johnson, Mathewson, and Wagner — finished just below Gibson and Rivera at 88.52% in the ballot for the Segregation Era (1920-1946).
The most votes received for any player who did not make the First Team at their position was Roger Clemens, with 521 votes among starting pitchers in the Free Agency Era. Clemens fell 42 votes shy of making the First Team rotation with Greg Maddux, Tom Seaver, Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton, and Pedro Martínez.
The lowest percentage of votes among players selected to the First Team were:
- George Davis, 23.2% (SS–19th Century Era)
- Arky Vaughan, 26.6% (SS–Segregation Era)
- Rollie Fingers, 30.3% (RP–Free Agency Era)
George Davis won by 23 votes over Hughie Jennings at shortstop in the 19th Century Era (1876-1900). Two Baltimore Orioles icons, Earl Weaver and Brooks Robinson, prevailed in the closest races at any position, each winning by just 13 votes. Weaver squeezed past Sparky Anderson to take the top spot as the Free Agency Era manager, while Robinson surpassed Eddie Mathews at third base in the Integration Era. Arky Vaughan won by 17 votes over Willie Wells at shortstop in the Segregation Era.
On the other end of the ballot, here are the best players to receive zero votes at their position, ranked by Baseball-Reference WAR:
- Chuck Finley, 57.9 WAR (SP–Free Agency Era)
- Jim Whitney, 56.0 (SP–19th Century Era)
- Jack Powell, 55.8 (SP–Deadball Era)
- Bob Elliott, 50.8 (3B–Integration Era)
- Mark Langston, 50.1 (SP–Free Agency Era)
Thanks to all SABR members who participated in the All-Time Eras Team project in 2026!