The 10 Best MLB Teams of All Time

MLB is the biggest Baseball league and one of the most exciting and popular sports leagues in the United States. 30 of the best teams compete in the tournament to win one of the most prestigious and oldest leagues.

MLB is a team game, and the team that displays the best coordination among all the players wins the game. A Baseball team consists of 26-28 players. Every player has a role to play and contribute to the victory of the team.

A Baseball team has many roles to offer to the players. One can play as a pitcher, batter, first baseman, second or third baseman, catcher, closer, etc. A team needs all these players to give their best efforts to be the best.

There have been teams that were unstoppable and gained all the success in a season with the best combination of players, coaches, and managers. But who are the best MLB teams of all time? Let’s find out.

Best MLB Teams of All Time

Based on the quality of players a team had, individual performances of the players,  number of games and trophies they won, and the amount of dominance a team showed, we have made the best MLB teams of all time list. The list follows as below:

Team	Manager
1927 New York Yankees	Miller Huggins
1975 Cincinnati Reds	Sparky Anderson
1961 NEW YORK YANKEES	Ralph Houk
1976 CINCINNATI REDS	Sparky Anderson
1998 New York Yankees	Joe Torre
1939 New York Yankees	Joe McCarthy
1907 Chicago Cubs	Frank Chance
1902 Pittsburgh Pirates	Fred Clarke
1984 Detroit Tigers	Sparky Anderson
1970 Baltimore Orioles	Earl Weaver

These teams became the best as they had great batters, pitchers, and fielders. It is not possible for a team to be a champion without the collaboration of all three departments. So, we have listed the performance of the best players for every team to understand what made them so great.

1. 1927 New York Yankees

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Babe Ruth	151	192	158	60	165	7
Lou Gehrig	155	218	149	47	173	10
Earle Combs	152	231	137	6	64	15
Mark Koenig	123	150	99	3	62	3
Tony Lazzeri	153	176	92	18	102	22
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Waite Hoyt	36	256.1	22	7	86	2.63
Wilcy Moore	50	213	19	7	75	2.28
Herb Pennock	34	209.2	19	8	51	3.00
Urban Shocker	31	200	18	6	35	2.84
Dutch Ruether	27	184	13	6	45	3.38
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Lou Gehrig	155	1386	1765	1662	88	.992
Earle Combs	151	0	420	399	6	.964
Babe Ruth	151	0	349	523	13	.963
Tony Lazzeri	153	281	835	281	525	.965
Pat Collins	89	267	531	267	56	.976

The Yankees have dominated the last century. The team produced great players, one after another. However, their 1927 team was simply unstoppable. They finished the league with 110 wins and won the World Series by 4.0.

When you have two of the best hitters of all time in top form, along with pitchers like Waite Hoyt and Wilcy Moore, you cannot expect less. Ruth and Gehrig humiliated the opposing pitchers by hitting a total of 107 home runs! Even some of the best teams could not hit half the home runs these two legends hit this season.

Their fielding department was equally strong with fielders like Combs, Lazzeri, and Collins. It seems impossible for other teams to match the talent the 1927 New York Yankees had. The team is unanimously considered the best of the best MLB teams of all time.

2. 1975 Cincinnati Reds

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Pete Rose	162	210	112	7	747	83
Joe Morgan	146	163	107	17	94	132
Ken Griffey	132	141	95	4	46	67
Johnny Bench	142	150	83	28	110	65
Tony Perez	137	144	74	20	109	54
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Gary Nolan	32	210.2	15	9	74	3.16
Jack Billingham	33	208	15	10	79	4.11
Don Gullett	34	188	12	4	119	3.73
Fred Norman	22	159.5	15	4	98	2.42
Pat Darcy	27	130.2	11	5	46	3.58
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Tony Perez	132	1128.1	1273	1192	72	.993
Johnny Bench	138	1193	706	646	52	.989
Cesar Geronimo	148	1188	422	408	11	.993
Joe Morgan	142	1205	792	356	425	.986
Dan Driessen	65	459.2	335	310	20	.985

The Cincinnati Reds is the only other team that has won the World Series double-figure times. They, too, had some great players on the team, and the 1975 roster is the best they ever had. Legendary hitters Rose and Morgan scored over a hundred runs each, while Nolan, Fred Norman, and Billingham each recorded 15 wins. Each of the top five fielders had a fielding percentage of over .9.

Sparky Anderson, being one of the best managers of all time in MLB history, changed the team into a dominant side. They ended the year with 108-54 in the regular season and 7-3 in the postseason and won the World Series Title.

3. 1961 NEW YORK YANKEES 

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Roger Maris	161	159	132	61	141	0
Mickey Mantle	153	163	131	54	128	12
Tony Kubek	153	170	84	8	46	1
Bobby Richardson	162	173	80	3	49	9
Bill Skowron	150	150	77	28	89	0
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Whitey Ford	39	293	25	4	209	3.21
Ralph Terry	31	188.1	16	3	86	3.15
Luis Arroyo	65	119	15	5	87	2.19
Bill Stafford	36	195	14	9	101	2.68
Rollie Sheldon	35	162.2	11	5	84	3.60
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Bill Skowron	149	1291	1340	1228	102	.993
Player Name	120	1009.1	778	725	47	.992
Bobby Richardson	161	1405.1	807	413	376	.978
Mickey Mantle	150	1294	360	348	6	.983
Johnny Blanchard	62	519.2	314	293	18	.990

Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Ralph Terry, Bill Skowron- some of the most common names from the 60s were on the same team. This team was the 60s version of the 1927 Yankees team. They also won 109 games in the regular season.

The Yankees eventually won the World Series with a 4-1 record in the postseason. Morris and Mantle hit more home runs than the 1927 Ruth-Gehrig duo. Whitey Ford ended the year with a 25-4 win-loss record, while Skowron had an impossible 0.993 figure in the fielding. No wonder this is one of the best MLB teams of all time.

4. 1976 CINCINNATI REDS

Top batter of the season
Player name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Pete Rose	162	215	130	10	63	9
Joe Morgan	141	151	113	27	111	60
Ken Griffey	148	189	111	6	74	34
George Foster	144	172	86	29	121	17
Tony Perez	139	137	77	19	91	10
Top pitcher of the season
Player name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Gary Nolan	34	239.1	15	9	113	3.46
Pat Zachry	38	204	14	7	143	2.74
Fred Norman	33	180.1	12	7	126	3.09
Jack Billingham	34	177	12	10	76	4.32
Santo Alcala	30	132	11	4	67	4.70
Top fielder of the season
Player name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Tony Perez	34	1174	1236	1158	73	.996
Johnny Bench	28	1100	719	655	60	.994
Cesar Geronimo	28	1194	399	390	3	.985
Joe Morgan	32	1126.2	690	342	335	.981
George Foster	27	1230.1	336	314	9	.994

The winner of the 1976 World Series, Cincinnati Reds had continued their dominance of the previous year. Rose, Morgan, Perez, and Nolan all were at the peak of their career, and they were simply unparalleled.

They recorded 102 wins in the regular season and had a clean sweep of 7-0 in the postseason. Perez showed unreal performance in fielding and recorded a 0.996 percentage. With such domination, they certainly belong with the best MLB teams of all time. 

5. 1998 New York Yankees

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Derek Jeter	149	203	112	19	84	30
Chuck Knoblauch	150	160	117	17	64	31
Bernie Williams	125	169	101	26	97	15
Paul O’Neill	152	191	95	24	116	15
Tino Martinez	142	149	92	28	123	2
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
David Cone	31	207.2	20	7	209	3.55
David Wells	30	214.1	18	4	163	3.49
Andy Pettitte	33	216.1	16	11	146	4.24
Hideki Irabu	29	173	13	9	126	4.06
Orlando Hernandez	21	141	12	4	131	3.13
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Tino Martinez	30	1245.1	1283	1180	93	.992
Jorge Posada	27	797.2	645	594	47	.994
Joe Girardi	33	655.5	582	541	38	.995
Chad Curtis	29	1165.1	318	305	8	.984
Bernie Williams	29	1095.1	305	298	4	.990

The Yankees had a never-ending supply of great players. In 1998, three batters from the Yankees scored more than a hundred runs. Though they were not as vicious as the previous hitters when it came to hitting home runs, they had their own style of playing.

The team had a strong defense consisting of David Cone, Wells, and Pettitte. So, the team faced no difficulty setting a 114-48 record in the regular season and 11-2 in the postseason to win the World Series.

6. 1939 New York Yankees

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Red Rolfe	152	213	139	14	80	7
Frankie Crosetti	152	153	109	10	56	11
Joe DiMaggio	120	176	108	30	126	3
George Selkirk	128	128	103	21	101	12
Bill Dickey	128	145	98	24	105	5
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Red Ruffing	28	233.1	21	7	95	2.93
Atley Donald	24	153.0	13	3	55	3.71
Lefty Gomez	26	1968.0	12	8	102	3.41
Bump Hadley	26	154.0	12	6	65	2.95
Monte Pearson	22	146.1	12	5	76	4.49
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Babe Dahlgren	144	1275.0	1384	1309	68	.991
Bill Dickey	125	1100.0	635	571	57	.989
Joe Gordon	151	1337.0	859	370	461	0.967
Frankie Crosetti	152	1338.0	809	323	460	.968
Joe DiMaggio	117		341	323	13	.985

Another Yankee team! The Ruth-Gehrig era was over, but the domination of the Yankees continued. But the team still did not back down from their dominance. They won 106 games and had a +411 run differential, which is the second-highest differential in MLB history. Also, Joe DiMaggio was announced as the most valuable player of the year.

Many future Hall of Famers like Ruffing, Gomez, and Rolfe was part of the team. With their combined effort, they won the World Series title, and prior to that, they won 106 games in the regular season.

7. 1907 Chicago Cubs

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Jimmy Sheckard	143	129	76	1	36	31
Jimmy Slagle	136	126	71	0	32	28
Solly Hofman	134	126	67	1	36	29
Johnny Evers	151	127	66	2	51	46
Frank Chance	111	112	58	1	49	35
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Orval Overall	36	268.1	23	7	141	1.68
Mordecai Brown	34	233	20	6	107	1.39
Carl Lundgren	28	207	18	7	84	1.17
Ed Reulbach	27	192	17	4	96	1.69
Jack Pfiester	30	195	14	9	90	1.15
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Frank Chance	109	949	1219	1129	80	.992
Johnny Kling	101	870	628	509	111	.987
Solly Hofman	134	1246	610	435	144	.949
Johnny Evers	151	1322	878	346	500	.964
Del Howard	41	312	338	312	16	.970

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Chicago Cubs had some great seasons, including 1907. It is the best season for the club so far. The team was full of classic batters, pitchers, and hardworking fielders.

The team won 107 games and the batting avg. was 025. Quite impressive compared to the time they played. The overall performance became one of the best team performances in MLB history.

Frank Chance had a fielding percentage of .992 after playing over 100 games, while Jack Pfiester recorded a stunning 1.15 ERA. All five top pitchers had recorded less than ten losses, signifying the team effort they had to win the World Series.

It may surprise you that the players did not hit many home runs, but that was the style of the time. However, the batters scored enough runs to end the season with a +184 run differential.

8. 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Honus Wagner	136	176	105	3	91	42
Fred Clarke	113	145	103	2	53	29
Ginger Beaumont	130	193	100	0	67	33
Tommy Leach	135	143	97	6	85	25
Wid Conroy	99	89	55	1	47	10
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Jack Chesbro	35	286.1	28	6	136	2.17
Deacon Phillippe	31	272	20	9	122	2.05
Jesse Tannehill	26	231	20	6	100	1.95
Ed Doheny	22	188.1	16	4	88	2.53
Sam Leever	28	222	15	7	86	2.39
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Kitty Bransfield	101	899	1123	1064	41	.984
Honus Wagner	136	1218	740	532	176	.957
Claude Ritchey	115	1018	638	275	341	.966
Harry Smith	50	440	323	265	49	.972
Ginger Beaumont	130	1164	282	260	15	.975

The 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates had a 311-run differential at the end of the season. They had a great combination of batting, pitching, and fielding. Their top 3 batsmen, Wagner, Clarke, and Beaumont, scored 100 or more runs.

The pitchers were equally impressive, especially Jack Chesbro, who had a win-loss record of 28-6, and an ERA record of 2.17. Bransfield made 1064 putouts along with 41 assists, and Ritchey made 341 assists.

Other teams had to struggle to meet the caliber of the Pirates. And the Pirates won 103 games. The World Series began in 1903, so the team did not get to compete and win the World Series.

9. 1984 Detroit Tigers

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Kirk Gibson	149	150	92	27	91	29
Lou Whitaker	143	161	90	13	56	6
Alan Trammell	139	174	85	14	69	19
Chet Lemon	141	146	77	20	76	5
Lance Parrish	147	137	75	33	98	2
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player Name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Jack Morris	35	240.1	19	11	148	3.60
Dan Petry	35	233.1	18	8	144	3.24
Milt Wilcox	33	193.2	17	8	119	4.00
Juan Berenguer	31	168.1	11	10	118	3.48
Aurelio Lopez	71	137.2	10	1	94	3.48
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Lance Parrish	127	1075.2	794	720	67	.991
Dave Bergman	115	686.0	741	658	75	.989
Chet Lemon	140	1207.2	438	430	6	.995
Barbaro Garbey	85	568.1	482	412	58	.975
Darrell Evans	63	467.2	395	331	62	.995

Who was the manager of the tigers during this time? The great Sparky Anderson, whose strategy helped the Tigers win their 4th World Series championship.

 The offense of the team was a great threat to the opposition’s defense. Gibson, Whitaker, Lemon, and other offensive players showed great teamwork. None of them reached triple figures in the season. However, their combined contribution was good enough to give them 186 runs differential at the end of the season.

The same thing goes for the pitchers and fielders. The Tigers had shown great teamwork, which helped them win 104 games. They won the World Series with a 7-1 postseason performance. The 1984 Detroit Tigers team showed how teamwork could turn a good team into an entree to the best MLB teams of all time.

10. 1970 Baltimore Orioles

The Top Batter of the Season
Player Name	Games	Hit	Run	HR	RBI	SB
Don Buford	144	137	99	17	66	16
Frank Robinson	132	144	88	25	78	2
Brooks Robinson	158	168	84	18	94	1
Boog Powell	154	156	82	35	114	1
Paul Blair	133	128	79	18	65	24
Top Pitcher of the Season
Player name	Games	IP	W	L	SO	ERA
Mike Cuellar	40	297.2	24	8	190	3.48
Dave McNally	40	296.0	24	9	185	3.22
Jim Palmer	39	305.0	20	10	199	2.71
Dick Hall	32	61.1	10	5	30	3.08
Pete Richert	50	54.2	7	2	66	1.98
Top Fielder of the Season
Player Name	Games	Innings	Chance	Putout	Assists	Field%
Boog Powell	145	1269.2	13.8	1209	89	.992
Elrod Hendricks	94	759.2	552	509	35	.986
Andy Etchebarren	76	593.1	428	392	29	.984
Davey Johnson	149	1290.2	781	382	391	.990
Paul Blair	128	1090.2	382	36	11	.987

A team with a 108-54 record in the regular season, won the World Series title with a 7-1 postseason performance, +218 run differential, and 116+ team Era surely deserves a place in the list of the best MLB teams of all time. That is why the 1970 Baltimore Orioles is on the list.

Don Buford and the Robinson duo led the offense. The three batters hit 60 home runs together. Cuellar and McNally made the defense stable while the fielders were on a different level. The top five fielders had over .98 fielding percentages.

The overall team combination was perfect for the manager Earl Weaver to implement his strategy and be one of the best MLB teams of all time.

Conclusion

Baseball is a team sport. It requires the contribution of all the players to outstanding other teams in the league. From the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates to the 1998 New York Yankees, these teams on the list had unmatched talent and had some of the best seasons ever.

These teams entertained the audience and made the MLB one of the most popular leagues. Because of their dominance, they are considered the best MLB teams of all time.

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