MLB Number 6s

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 6 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:

• Rogers Hornsby
• Al Simmons
• Joe Cronin
• Billy Hamilton
• Joe Medwick
• Stan Musial
• Chick Hafey
• Mickey Mantle
• Earl Averill
• Bob Lemon
• Al Kaline
• Chuck Klein
• Travis Jackson
• Brooks Robinson
• Ernie Lombardi
• Red Schoendienst
• Tony Lazzeri
• Monte Irvin
• Larry Doby
• Joe Gordon
• Whitey Herzog
• Tony La Russa
• Randy Johnson
• Jim Thome

Another telling clue to find the best is to see who has the MLB number 6 retired by their respective teams. This list of retired number 6s includes:

• Johnny Pesky    Red Sox    September 28, 2008
• Steve Garvey    Padres    April 16, 1988
• Stan Musial  the legendary outfiled and first base player of the St Louis Cardinals had his uniform retired on September 29, 1963.
• Al Kaline the long time outfield player for the Detroit Tigers had his uniform digit honored starting August 17, 1980.
• Tony Oliva the right fielder and designated hitter had his jersey 6 hung high by the Minnesota Twins organization on July 14, 1991.
• Bobby Cox the long time skipper of the Atlanta Braves was honored with number retirement on August 12, 2011.
• Joe Torre the successful manager of the New York Yankees had his pin stripes put away on August 23, 2014.

Larry Doby Baseball HOF Slugger

Lawrence Eugene Doby, "Larry" to the world, etched his name in baseball history as both a fearless trailblazer and a talented slugger. Born in 1923, Doby first starred in the Negro Leagues, leading the Newark Eagles to a championship in 1946. In 1947, he became the second African-American player in the Major Leagues, following Jackie Robinson, when he debuted for the Cleveland Indians.

He faced the brunt of racism and hostility, but Doby persevered, batting .270 with 14 home runs in his rookie season. The next year, he hit a team-high 27 home runs and helped the Indians capture the American League pennant. Doby went on to play 13 seasons in the Majors, primarily with Cleveland, showcasing his power with 253 career home runs and finishing with a solid .283 batting average.

Beyond his statistics, Doby's legacy resonates because of his courage and leadership. He paved the way for future generations of Black players, earning induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. After his playing days, Doby served as a scout and executive, further contributing to the game he loved. Larry Doby, the quiet giant, forever stands tall as a symbol of resilience and progress in baseball history.

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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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Okay, now it is time to put our knowledge to work and pick the greatest players that wore number 6 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 are the stats and supporting data powered by Stathead.com and Baseball-Reference.com

The people associated with the numeral and who wore the number 6 to become legends as a non-players are:

• Bobby Cox
• Joe Torre

The photograph in the banner above is courtesy of the Wikimedia Commons collection of public Domain pictures. It is of a cropped version of a 1933 Goudey baseball card of Rogers Hornsby of the St. Louis Cardinals .

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.