MLB Number 5s

A 1963 photo of Brooks Robinson taken by an unknown photographer, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

This might be one of the top iconic jersey numbers in all of sports. The journey to find the most substantial Major League Baseball players that wore the number 5 on their uniforms starts by looking at who the Baseball Hall of Fame has in their hallowed halls. Enshrined number ones of professional baseball are:

• Mel Ott
• Al Simmons
• Joe DiMaggio
• Hank Greenberg
• Luke Appling
• Goose Goslin
• Judy Johnson
• Joe Medwick
• Lou Boudreau
• Jim Bottomley
• Earl Averill
• Henry Aaron
• Travis Jackson
• Brooks Robinson
• Arky Vaughan
• Ernie Lombardi
• Johnny Bench
• Tony Lazzeri
• George Brett
• Tony Perez
• Jeff Bagwell

Photo of Judy Johnson circa 1924 in his Hilldale uniform at the Colored World Series taken by an unknown photographer, courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Another telling clue to find the best is to see who has the MLB number 5 retired by their respective teams. This list of retired number 5s includes:

• Brooks Robinson the fantastic Third Baseman had his jersey number retired by the Baltimore Orioles on April 14, 1978.
• Lou Boudreau the Short Stop and manager in the Big Leagues had his digits hung in Cleveland by the Indians (Guardians) on July 9, 1970.
• George Brett the scrappy Third Baseman, First Baseman and DH is forever remembered in Kansas City since the Royals preserved his number 5 on May 14, 1994.
• Johnny Bench the legendary Catcher  in Cincy had his uniform number retired by the Reds on August 11, 1984.
• Hank Greenberg the standout First Baseman had his number 5 retired and associated with his name by the Tigers on June 12, 1983.
• Joe DiMaggio this fantastic slugging  Center Field player is remembered in New York Yankees lore sicnce his nueral 5 was enshrined at the stadium on April 18, 1952.
• Jeff Bagwell  the big First Baseman was honored to have his jersey retired by the Houston Astros on August 26, 2007.

Travis Jackson

Born November 2, 1903, in Waldo, Arkansas, was Baseball Hall of Fame Shortstop Travis Jackson. This legend played in the MLB for the New York Giants from 1922 through 1936. He was part of the Giant 1933 World Series Championship and represented the NY in the MLB All-Star Game in 1934. He finished with a career batting average of .291 and had 135 HRs.

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Joe DiMaggio biography sketch

Born November 25, 1914, in Martinez, California, was Baseball Hall of Fame Center Fielder Joe DiMaggio. This legend played his entire career in the MLB for the New York Yankees. During those thirteen seasons, he collected nine World Series rings, an All-Star selection every year he played (he missed three serving his country during WWII), two batting titles, and three MVPS.

Known by many by his nicknames of "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," his hitting streak of 56 consecutive games in 1941 is one of the most iconic records in sports history.

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Johnny Bench and his amazing MLB career

Born December 7, 1947, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Johnny Bench was a Baseball Hall of Fame catcher. This legend was a fourteen-time MLB All-Star. He was voted as the NL MVP, and he was on the roster of two Cincinnati Reds World Series Championship teams, where he has the Series MVP in one of them. Bench was also the Sporting News Player of the Year, and to compliment his hitting, he won ten Gold Gloves from behind the plate. As a well-rounded player, Johnny twice led the National League in home runs and thrice in RBIs. At the time of his retirement in 1983, he held the major league record for most home runs hit by a catcher.

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Okay, now it is time to put our knowledge to work and pick the greatest players that wore number 5 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 Fifteen at the uniform number. 

Here is how the number stacked up in our ranking formulas based on their career stats, powered by Baseball-Reference.com

Let us know your feedback by emailing us at PigskinDispatch@gmail.com

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The photograph in the banner above is courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons collection of public Domain pictures. It is of Pro Baseball ST. LOUIS PLAYERS circa 1913. It was taken by Harris and Ewing Photographers.

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.