Baseball evolved out of various stick-and-ball-type games like Rounders, played in the United Kingdom during the 18th century. Immigrants brought the game over to the United States in the mid-1800s. There, it developed into the baseball we see today. Due to its distinctly American origins, as well as its reputation as a form of escapism during troubling times like the Civil War, baseball became known as “America’s Pastime.” Since it solidified into its modern version, many players have come and gone. There are some baseball players, however, who have revolutionized the game.
Functioning more like chess than other sports, baseball provides many avenues for achievement. Be it as a defensive player or a home-run-swinging offensive player, athletes can find many avenues for distinction within the game. Not all of the most revolutionary players are remembered for their on-field prowess, however. Some players changed the game through unheard-of contracts or clandestine behavior that tarnished baseball’s reputation for integrity. In this article, we will explore 15 baseball players who have revolutionized the game, for better or worse. (For high-watermark players, discover 20 of the greatest baseball players of all time.)
To compile a list of baseball players who have revolutionized the game, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of sports, history, and entertainment publications We selected players who elevated or revolutionized the game of baseball through their ability, records, or other singular controversies. After that, we confirmed aspects of each player’s career using sites like Britannica and The Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jackie Robinson
Although his sports career began in college football with the UCLA Bruins, Jackie Robinson‘s rise to baseball fame began after World War II in the Negro Leagues with the Kansas City Monarchs. There, he caught the eye of Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He thought Robinson was the ideal candidate for breaking the color barrier in professional baseball, and his intuition proved right.
Robinson’s first appearance in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers revolutionized baseball. He showed that regardless of ethnicity, any player could excel in America’s pastime. And excel he did, as Robinson won the Rookie of the Year award his first year with the Dodgers. From there, he won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award, was an All-Star for six consecutive seasons, and played in six World Series Championships.
For his use of nonviolence and athletic acumen that challenged the segregation lines in baseball, Robinson became one of the most beloved players in history. As a sign of respect, the MLB retired his No. 42 number and uniform across all baseball teams in 1997.
Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez was selected first overall in the 1993 MLB Draft, and debuted at the tender age of 18 for the Seattle Mariners. A few years later, he became the team’s starting shortstop, won a major league batting title, and came second in voting for the American League MVP award.
His impressive skills in defense, speed, and hitting power made him a prime commodity when he left the Mariners as a free agent after the 2000 season. He soon joined the Texas Rangers where his ten-year, $252 million contract with the Rangers became the biggest in baseball history. Though he was later traded to the New York Yankees, he quickly re-signed with the team for another lucrative, 10-year contract worth $275 million.
Rodriguez revolutionized the game because of his record holding the two biggest baseball contracts in history. For better or worse, his moneymaking changed the game of baseball’s focus on purity of play to the buying power of big contracts. His trajectory highlighted the evolving big business tactics of Major League Baseball.
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth is legendary among baseball fans—and even many non-baseball fans often know his name. Perhaps more than any other player in baseball history, Ruth stands apart. Though he began his career as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, he became famous as the star home-run-hitting outfielder for the New York Yankees. There, he became the best hitter in baseball, including breaking his own single-season home run record in 1927 with 60 home runs.
Beyond his hitting prowess, Babe Ruth was a darling of the press, and often for unbecoming reasons. He earned nicknames like “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat. He was also, however, a known drinker and womanizer. Ruth brought an outsized ego to the game that he managed to follow through with due to his athletic ability.
Not only did his home-run hitting ability change the game from a low-scoring approach to a high-number exercise, but Ruth’s famous trade from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees heralded the “Curse of the Bambino” superstition. This was the belief that his trade away from Boston caused the Red Sox’s unparalleled 86-year Championship drought.
Curt Flood
Curtis “Curt” Flood was a good but relatively unacknowledged player who played 12 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the 1969 offseason, however, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. Flood refused the trade, seeing it unfair that he was treated like a piece of property after fulfilling his original contract.
In response, Flood sued Major League Baseball to grant him free agency. Though he ultimately lost the case, he set a major precedent for the exchange of players in the game. Starting a year later, the MLB instituted the 10/5 Rule, also known as the Curt Flood Rule. This made it so any player who played 10 years in Major League Baseball, with the last five for the same team, could veto any trade to another team. Though he earned seven Golden Glove awards during his tenure, Flood revolutionized the labor side of baseball through his refusal to be treated like a piece of property.
Willie Mays
Another household name, Willie Mays was first scouted in the Negro Leagues while playing on the Birmingham Black Barons. He joined the MLB team the New York/San Francisco Giants in 1951. That same year, he won the Rookie of the Year Award after hitting 20 home runs and helping earn the team their first pennant in over a decade. From there, Mays transformed into something of a wunderkind.
He hit the ball farther than anyone, ran lightning fast, and caught balls in the outfield like no one else. Furthermore, his over-the-shoulder catch in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series remains one of the greatest baseball plays of all time. His career lasted 23 seasons, and he made an impressive 24 trips to the All-Stars.
Upon retirement, Mays held a dizzying collection of baseball records including the National League record for runs scored. In his later years, Mays used his status to become something of an ambassador for the game of Baseball.
Johnny Bench
Johnny Bench spent his entire professional baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds. Playing primarily as a catcher, Bench was the unwritten leader of the Big Red Machine. This was the Reds team that dominated baseball during the mid-70s. In that role, he helped the team win four National League Pennants and two World Series Championships.
Before Bench, the catcher position was seen as primarily defensive. If a team found a catcher that could hit well, it was considered a huge plus. Bench, however, was tough as nails, and transformed catching into a hybrid defense/offense position. He could also hit, earning two seasons with over 40 runs as well as two MVP awards. Bench revolutionized the game by transforming the lowly status of catchers into dynamic anchors of the game.
Mickey Mantle
One of the more famous baseball players in history, Mickey Mantle could do it all. He played his entire 17-year professional baseball career with the New York Yankees. There, he became a valuable slugger and grew into what many consider to be one of the best baseball players in history. While he would go on to hit 536 career home runs, Mantle had a special skill.
Taught as a switch-hitter from an early age, Mantle brought this hitherto rare skill to the professional baseball arena. While most switch hitters favor one side of the plate for big hits and use the other side for mere contact, Mantle took it a step further. He earned many of his 500-plus home runs from both sides of the plate, an unheard-of tactic at the time. Beyond his ambidextrous skill, Mantle also became a savior of the baseball post-season.
He still holds the records for the most home runs, RBIs, walks, and extra-base hits in the World Series. While his later life was marred by tragedy and alcoholism, Mantle will be remembered for his powerful arms that transformed switch-hitting from a gimmick into an art form.
Jose Canseco
Born in Havana, Cuba, Jose Canseco went on to join the Oakland Athletics baseball team. There, he became one of the best sluggers in the game. He also became the first baseball player to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season. Besides winning four Silver Slugger Awards, Canseco remains one of the handful of baseball players to hit 400 home runs and steal 200 bases.
During his baseball tenure, Canseco earned a reputation for his superhero-like ability to hit balls far, run fast, and make decisive steals. Large, muscular, and unstoppable Canseco brought fans into the seats due to his monstrous power. This power, however, partly came from his secret use of steroids to enhance performance ability. Known as “The Godfather of Steroids,” Canseco helped to both ruin the integrity of professional baseball and bring Major League Baseball revenues to an all-time high.
While his steroid use marred his legacy, he remains the first player to publicly admit to using performance-enhancing drugs.
Barry Bonds
Barry Bonds played 22 seasons in the MLB, first with the Pittsburg Pirates and later with the San Francisco Giants. A combined prodigy of speed and power, Bonds won an incredible number of awards. These include seven National League Most Valuable Player Awards and 12 Silver Slugger Awards. He also holds the records for the most home runs and the most home runs in a single season (2001). This writer remembers watching Bonds hit some of his record-breaking home runs in person during the 2001 San Fransico Giants season.
While Bonds holds some of the most esteemed records in baseball history, his career was also awash in controversy. After his suspiciously perfect run of home run hits in the early millennium, Bonds became embroiled in Baseball’s steroid scandal. In 2007, Bonds was indicted for perjury regarding his use of steroids. A few years later, he was convicted of Obstruction of Justice relating to the scandal. Though courts later overturned the charge, it tarnished his record forever.
Despite being eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, he repeatedly fails to earn enough votes to be considered. A great player even without the ‘roids, Bonds helped cement public suspicion around the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.
Nolan Ryan
After the New York Mets drafted Nolan Ryan as a pitcher 1965, Ryan earned the ire of his team for his inability to consistently find the strike zone. In response, the Mets traded Ryan to the California (Anaheim) Angels in 1971 for All-Star pitcher Jim Fregosi. Though it seemed a smart trade at the time, it would become one of the biggest mistakes in the history of the New York Mets’ Front Office.
That’s because Ryan grew into one of the greatest pitchers the game of baseball has ever seen. One of the fastest pitchers in history, Ryan’s throws consistently clocked well above 100 miles per hour, even in his later years. Pitching the ball like a heat-seeking missile, Ryan set MLB records with 5,714 strikeouts and an incredible seven no-hitters. What’s fascinating about Ryan is how little he cared for accuracy in the pursuit of winning.
While he led the American League in strikeouts seven times, he also led the league in walks six times. Ultimately, Ryan revolutionized the game by showing the excellence of pure power and speed in a position that historically favored precision and accuracy.
Pete Rose
Though his contributions ran the gamut, Peter Rose revolutionized the game. When he got his start in the Minor Leagues, scouts saw him as nothing more than a diminutive player who didn’t have the size it took to compete. Upon entering Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Reds, however, Rose showed all the naysayers. Often called “Charlie Hustle,” Rose became the all-time hits record holder with a career 4,256 hits.
A scrapper and a perfectionist, Rose gave 110% during every moment of play. His hustle helped the Reds become champions during the Big Red Machine era of the Cincinnati Reds team in the mid-1970s. Though he later became a team manager, he received accusations of betting on games, including games played by his own team. This led to a permanent ineligibility from baseball.
Although he is one of the best players in history, Rose will never see induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame due to his gambling. It remains a stunning and disappointing end to an otherwise remarkable baseball career.
Cy Young
Cy Young’s was born only two years after the American Civil War. His Major League baseball career began in 1890 on the National League’s Cleveland Spiders as a hard-throwing pitcher who transitioned into a precision pitcher as he aged.
There’s a good reason the “Cy Young Award” was named after him. Though he retired over 100 years ago, Young still holds the records for games started, innings pitched, and complete games. Furthermore, he still holds the record for wins with an incredible 511 games.
With an almost-inhuman arm, Young could stay on the mound day after day without showing much decrease in skill. Though he also holds the record for the most career losses, this only proves his longevity as a pitcher. Even a century later, no one has come close to matching Young’s all-around pitching ability.
(For other unbeatable records, discover Baseball Records that will never be broken.)
Satchel Paige
While most professional baseball players start their careers in their early 20s, Satchel Paige changed all that. Though he earned two decades of pitching experience in the Negro Leagues, he didn’t make his Major League Baseball debut until the age of 42.
During his tenure, Paige earned a reputation for delivering stunning strikeouts and bringing his team to victory. During tours across the United States, his team’s infielders would famously sit down and watch as Paige struck out the entire batting lineup for the other team. Even into his waning years, Paige kept it up, making an appearance with the Kansas City Athletics in 1965 at the age of 59. Arguably the oldest player of all time, Paige revolutionized the game by showing that even old players have what it takes to compete at a retirement-level age.
Roberto Clemente
Born in Puerto Rico, Roberto Clemente played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball, primarily for the Pittsburgh Pirates. During his MLB tenure, he was a 13-time All-Star, a two-time World Series champion, and a Golden Glove Winner for 12 consecutive seasons. Clemente, however, is best remembered for the tragedy that befell him.
Fresh off of scoring his 3,000th hit at the end of the 1972 baseball season, Clemente raced to Nicaragua to help victims of a massive earthquake that hit the country that year. Packed with supplies, Clemente’s plane crashed into the ocean, and his body was never found. Only 38 at the time, Clemente would have gone on to be one of the greatest baseball players in history if his life hadn’t so tragically been cut short.
He revolutionized the game of baseball because he showed that high-profile athletes can also be compassionate, charitable saint-like figures. In his honor, the Pittsburgh Pirates retired his number. After that, Major League Baseball renamed its Commissioner Award to the “Roberto Clemente Award” for players who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”
Cal Ripken Jr.
Cal Ripken Jr. also revolutionized baseball. He played his entire 21-season career for the Baltimore Orioles as a shortstop and third baseman. During his tenure, Ripken Jr. earned 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 runs batted in. He also received two Golden Glove Awards and became a 19-time All-Star. Ripken Jr., however, is best remembered for his attendance.
Nicknamed “The Iron Man,” Ripken Jr. never missed a game. Quite literally, he played for a superhuman 2,632 straight games, breaking Lou Gehrig’s 56-year-old record in the process. Rumors abound regarding the lengths Ripken Jr. went to never miss a game.
Though he often received debilitating injuries, he never let it stop him from showing up on the roster every day. For the better part of 17 seasons, Ripken Jr. played every game. In a sport that delivers near-constant injuries, Ripken Jr. revolutionized the game through his grit and determination to play regardless of circumstance. (For great lines about America’s pastime, discover 22 of the most famous baseball quotes.)