MLB Number 16s

Finding the top players that wore the uniform number 16 is an interesting look back in the history of the diamond. Here is where we will start this journey, the number 16s that are in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

• Rogers Hornsby
• Herb Pennock
• Jimmie Foxx
• Ted Lyons
• Burleigh Grimes
• Joe Medwick
• Jesse Haines
• Warren Spahn
• Whitey Ford
• Billy Herman
• Hal Newhouser
• Dick Williams
• Chipper Jones

Another resource to tap into are the franchises and the number 16s that have been retired by ball clubs.

• Ted Lyons    White Sox    July 25, 1987
• Whitey Ford    Yankees    August 3, 1974
• Hal Newhouser    Tigers    July 27, 1997

Now it is that time where we take the information we have already gathered along and combine it with the number of wins his team garnered over the player that they replaced, the years that they wore the number and compare it with all the others that displayed the number prouudly on their MLB uniforms. The results are this:

Okay, now it is time to put our knowledge to work and pick the greatest players that wore number 16 in MLB history based on performance stats. We do not have all of the players from some of the Negro Leagues in place yet but when we do we will certainly update the list so please excuse us on this. The criteria is simple we pulled stats from Baseball-Reference and Stat-Head on some important numbers. Is the player in the Hall of Fame? What were the Wins After Replacement or the team victories gained or lost after they entered the lineup versus the player they replaced? Where do they rank in the following categories in history: Home Runs, Runs Produced, Strike Outs, ERA. We mash this information up and see how many of the criteria rankings they have and then multiply that number (0-6) times the number of years they wore the particular uniform number we are discussing and then add it to bonus points if in the Hall of Fame and for earning any Gold Glove Awards and/or Cy Young Awards. We call that calculated number our Ranked Formula and use it as a basis of Comparison to give you the Top Five at the uniform number. 

1. Whitey Ford
2. Hal Newhouser
3. Dwight Gooden
4. Ted Lyons
5. Brian McCann

Here are our stats and findings:

The photograph in the banner above is courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons collection of public Domain pictures. It is a cropped version of the 1955 Bowman baseball card of Whitey Ford of the New York Yankees #59.

Special thanks to Baseball-Reference.com, Stathead.com and the most wonderful book by Larry Lester and Wayne Stivers, The Negro Leagues Book, Volume 2.